Tag: #aviation

Dublin aviation analytics solutions company Aerlytix secures grant of €455,000

Dublin based aviation analytics solutions company Aerlytix has announced that it has secured a grant of €455,000 through Enterprise Ireland’s Research, Development & Innovation (RD&I) fund. This will directly support the development of new products and services to optimise the airline industry’s analytical capabilities around fleet planning and financing.

The company, which was founded in 2020, has also announced that it plans to create 23 new jobs by 2027 focusing mainly on technical and software development roles.  Eight of these new roles have already been filled in recent months.

This R&D project aims to create analytics software, designed with airlines, that drives fleet optimisation and enables better financial risk management. This will support the sector to resolve technical challenges, increase employment in Irish aviation companies and drive international business growth.

Speaking at the announcement at Aerlytix’s Dublin HQ, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke T.D said, “I wish to commend the team at Aerlytix on its recent success. Aviation is a key driver of our economy, supporting both direct and indirect employment, and provides crucial connectivity for tourism and business. Ireland is a world leader in aviation leasing whereby more than 65% of the world’s aircraft are leased here.

Aerlytix continues to make significant inroads into critical segments of the aircraft leasing industry. By providing tangible solutions through innovative analytics technologies, the company is helping to reduce inefficiencies for the sector and accelerate digital transformation across individual organisations. Aerlytix has significant growth plans to further enhance its offering and scale its talented team here in Dublin and I wish the company the very best.”

Commenting on the announcement, Aerlytix Finance Director, Órla Kearney said: ‘The grant funding from Enterprise Ireland’s RD&I Programme accelerates development and delivery of our next generation technology project for customers.  This investment program is propelling Irish-based technology companies forward. We are excited to extend and scale our aviation technology solutions to a broader set of international clients.”

Speaking on the RD&I fund, Kevin Sherry, Interim CEO, Enterprise Ireland said: Driving substantially increased investment in Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) by Irish businesses is a key priority in Enterprise Ireland’s new five-year strategy, ‘Delivering for Ireland, Leading Globally’. That increased investment in innovation is a key driver in the success of Enterprise Ireland’s client base both in Ireland and in international markets.

Research shows that businesses that invest in innovation have 2.5 times higher turnover and 4.7 times greater exports than companies not investing in RD&I. Aerlytix has made great progress in a short space of time to develop innovative proprietary analytics solutions for the aviation sector, an area where Ireland leads the way globally in aircraft leasing. We are delighted to support Aerlytix growth plans with significant RD&I funding targeted at supporting the company to deliver accelerated growth across global markets, develop key R&D projects, and create highly skilled new jobs in Ireland.”

TEKenable has announced the promotion of Donal Martin to Head of Leasing Solutions in TEKaviation

Digital services company TEKenable has announced the promotion of Donal Martin to Head of Leasing Solutions in TEKaviation, the dedicated aviation division of TEKenable.  In his new role, Donal will drive new business growth and promote client engagement across the Aviation community.

Donal brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role having worked within the aircraft leasing sector for the past 17 years. He will lead the continuous development of TEKaviation’s suite of Lease Management solutions and promote TEKaviation’s commitment to driving digital transformation from legacy systems to more efficient, cost effective and scalable technology.

Donal has a deep understanding of client requirements having managed several system implementation projects during the course of his career to date. He has also established the contract management function for a number of start-up lessors and lead the drafting and development of the associated processes and procedures, enabling the stable growth of those platforms.

Prior to taking up this new position, Donal was Client Director at TEKenable for two years. He is also currently a Director of China International Aviation Leasing Services (CALS) and has previously worked in Aergo Capital, Avolon and AMCK.

The Irish Aviation Industry at a Glance

Europe as a whole is a major aviation hub worldwide, but the beating heart of this industry is certainly Ireland. Not only is this country the home of one of the best-known, low-cost carriers worldwide, it is also a major leasing hub and a key player in the global aviation industry. 

In this quick-start guide, we’ll look at what has made the Irish aviation industry so successful, and how the sector as a whole is gearing up to face future challenges. Let’s get started.  

Ireland as a Global Leasing Hub

According to statistics, around 40% of the world’s aircraft fleet is managed from Ireland, as the country hosts some of the largest aircraft leasing companies worldwide. This is a significant source of income for Ireland, but it also represents a major framework for the world’s aviation industry. 

Focus on Supplier Quality

One of the pillars beyond the Irish aviation industry excellence is the strong emphasis on supplier quality, ensuring that components used in aircraft maintenance and production meet stringent international standards. Although the industry has been growing and expanding over the past years, this focus has remained stable, which helped the industry scale up safely and organically. The Irish aviation industry also works with some of the major suppliers worldwide, including Pilot John International. 

Pioneering Low-Cost, Safe Flights

Ireland is the home of Ryanair, one of the largest and most successful low-cost carriers worldwide. Ryanair revolutionised air travel in Europe with its budget-friendly approach, which allows millions of travellers each day to travel to new countries, visit families abroad, and secure new deals and job positions. 

However, the Irish aviation industry never lost focus on safety. Today, strict regulatory standards remain the backbone of this sector, and some of the major companies within the sectors continue to implement standards and guidelines to improve passenger and workers safety, such as campaigns to tackle passenger misconduct. 

Dublin Airport: Growth and New Job Opportunities

According to estimations, the air transport industry, which includes both airlines and the extensive supply chain around them, contribute over US $10.4 billion to the GDP of Ireland. At a glance, these figures speak of the importance of the Dublin airport growth and this expansion over the past years has been essential to provide cities and residents with new income and job opportunities. 

Today, Dublin Airport remains a major international gateway as it continues to grow. In 2023 alone, this hub catered to over 30 million passengers!

4 Factors That Make The Irish Aviation Industry Future-Proof

Above, we’ve looked at what made the Irish aviation industry great. But will this sector be able to stand up to future challenges and industry changes? Looking at the infrastructures and managerial approach in place, the likely answer is yes – here’s how: 

  • Ireland’s aviation schools, like Atlantic Flight Training Academy, are among some of the major training hubs worldwide, and they continuously draw global talent to the country. 
  • The entire industry is strengthened by robust regulations, with major authoritative bodies, like the IAA enforcing high safety and operational standards.
  • Due to the Brexit shift, Ireland has become even more of a hub, with companies relocating after the UK left the EU.
  • The country and industry as a whole are committed to eco-friendly efforts, the reduction of carbon emissions, and limiting the use of fossil fuels.  

Lastly, the whole industry has innovation-friendly policies, which will work as the foundations for future growth and development. 

Fexco’s PACE and Trovio form a strategic partnership to develop ‘SAF Connect’, a trading platform for the aviation sector.

PACE, Fexco’s sustainability data and analytics division and Trovio Operating Pty Ltd (Trovio) have announced they have entered into a strategic partnership to develop a new platform, ‘SAF Connect’. 

The partnership will explore opportunities for an inventory management system with Scope 1 & Scope 3 SAF certificate issuance where counterparties can transact, settle, and digitally execute offtake agreements. 

The platform will leverage Fexco’s heritage in sustainability, treasury management, FX and payments, and incorporate Trovio’s leading energy transition technology, CorTenX.

SAF Connect will offer complete transparency, and auditable transaction history, ensuring a scalable solution for all market participants handling SAF and related assets.

“This is a further milestone for us as we continue to build on our market growth. Trovio brings exceptional energy transition technology to this partnership,” said Cathal Foley, CEO of PACE. “Together, we will deliver a unique platform that enhances the efficiency and transparency of the SAF market, driving the aviation industry towards a more sustainable future.”

“Trovio is delighted to partner with Fexco,” said Jon Deane, CEO of Trovio. “Fexco’s PACE is a company that aligns with our vision and values. We believe SAF Connect will provide an innovative solution to support the rapid growth and development of sustainable aviation fuel. By leveraging both Fexco’s and Trovio’s collective expertise, we are building a platform designed specifically for the complexity of this market.”

To find out more, visit the PACE website.

Sustainable e-fuels could meet half of Ireland’s future aviation demand, create 10,500+ jobs and reduce CO2 emissions

A new report from leading representative body, Hydrogen Mobility Ireland (HMI), has today made recommendations on how the development of a domestic hydrogen ecosystem can facilitate the production of sustainable e-fuels for use in aviation and shipping transport. The report was launched by Minister Simon Coveney at ESB’s headquarters in Dublin.

According to the report, the process of creating sustainable aviation fuels derived from hydrogen (e-SAF) for use in commercial aircraft has the potential to create more than 10,500 jobs across Ireland by 2050 – equivalent to a total Gross Added Value (GVA) of up to €230 million per annum, increasing to more than €2.1 billion through allowing Irish businesses to tap into the global market.

The report makes a number of recommendations to enable Ireland to develop a domestic e-fuels sector, to include:

 

  • Feedstock security: Sufficient supply of renewable energy must be sourced to secure the hydrogen required to produce e-fuels, which could be leveraged through Ireland’s significant wind generation capacity.
  • Revenue certainty: The Government must provide clear and committed e-fuels policy commitments to reassure private investors and project developers.
  • Technology de-risking: To safeguard future investment, planned hydrogen and e-fuels projects must receive sufficient funding to ensure their viability.

Across Europe, there is broad consensus on the central role of e-fuels in transport decarbonisation efforts with France, Germany, Sweden and Norway all fully committed to an alternatively-fuelled future – and this has been supported by strong policy signals from the European Parliament.

Aviation and maritime provide essential connectivity for Ireland, inward and outward. HMI contends that planning and action for the full decarbonisation of these sectors must start now. Alternative liquid fuels (e.g. biofuels and e-SAF), electrification and gaseous fuels (e.g. direct use of hydrogen in fuel cells) will all play roles in the full decarbonisation of the transport sector.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney T.D. said: “Developing green hydrogen production at scale has clear and obvious benefits for Ireland – from creating a network of highly-skilled jobs, to decarbonising key sectors of our economy and society and building a resilient energy system. I welcome this report, which notes the potential for e-fuels to contribute to Ireland’s economic development, while stimulating crucial inward investment. Going forward, Ireland is uniquely positioned to export as both a net producer of green hydrogen, and as a producer of renewable fuels derived from hydrogen. It is therefore imperative that Ireland’s hydrogen potential is fully realised – and the Government is taking important steps to achieve this”.

Jonathan Hogan, Business Manager at Hydrogen Mobility Ireland said: “I am pleased to be joined by Minister Simon Coveney T.D., to mark the publication of HMI’s report on the role of e-fuels in aviation and maritime, and to discuss the economic and investment opportunities that lie ahead. Through strong policy commitments from both the European Parliament and across the Member States, it is evident that e-fuels produced from hydrogen will contribute significantly to decarbonisation efforts in both the aviation and shipping transport sectors.

Ireland must now signal its own intent in this regard through concrete actions; leveraging the country’s significant wind energy capacity to facilitate the production of e-fuels, allocating sufficient funding to planned and future e-fuels projects and committing to a defined strategy to meet EU e-fuels targets. Doing so, will enable the growth of a domestic hydrogen and an e-fuels ecosystem which collectively, can create thousands of jobs, decarbonise transport and other industries, and open up access to a thriving global marketplace”.

Panasonic Avionics Grows European MRO Footprint with Expansion in Ireland

Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic Avionics) has today unveiled the significant expansion of its European MRO (maintenance, repair & overhaul) facility in Dundalk, Co. Louth, Ireland.

The MRO center, which first opened in October 2019, has been expanded in size by 500 percent, taking it from 6,000 sq. ft to 23,000 sq. ft. At the same time, Panasonic Avionics has tripled the workforce at the site.

The Dundalk facility is operated by Panasonic Technical Services (PTS), a division of Panasonic Avionics. It provides repairs, line maintenance, spares parts supply, and technical services and training to customers in the EMEA region and is Part 145, TCAA, FAA and UK CAA approved.

PTS expects to induct 1,500 – 2,000 units per month at its Dundalk facility. It will repair the X series and Next IFE systems, and Boeing CSS equipment, as well as being its European distribution center.

Tom Eskola, Vice President and General Manager of Panasonic Technical Services, says: “The expansion of our Dundalk facility will enable our customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to benefit from the tailored maintenance solutions which we provide at the high level they have come to expect from Panasonic Technical Services.” 

“Our primary objective is to offer customised maintenance solutions, delivering greater peace of mind to our customers by ensuring guaranteed performance and cost.”

Eskola confirms the demand for maintenance services within the industry adding, “As the aviation industry returns towards pre-pandemic levels, MRO slots are, once again, at a premium.”

Panasonic Avionics’ investment in the Dundalk facility has been supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment Leo Varadkar TD said: “In a significant move for Dundalk and Louth, Panasonic Avionics has tripled its workforce following a major expansion. A pioneer in aircraft communication systems, Panasonic Avionics IFE and satellite Wi-Fi systems are used on thousands of aircraft across the world. The Dundalk facility will provide repair, maintenance and spare parts to Panasonic’s customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Ireland’s status at the heart of Europe, along with our strong talent base, continues to attract global manufacturing and engineering companies to our shores. I wish all the team the best with this expansion.”

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs Thomas Byrne said “I strongly welcome the decision by Panasonic to double its workforce in Dundalk. This decision represents a significant vote of confidence in the North-East region as a hub for commercial activity and will provide a welcome boost to the local economy. Today, there are over 400,000 more jobs in our economy than there were on the day the Government took up office and that significant increase is thanks to the presence of companies like Panasonic within our economy.”

CEO of IDA Ireland Martin Shanahan said: “The decision by Panasonic Avionics to expand its facility and triple its workforce in Dundalk is terrific news for the North East region.  This MRO facility will strengthen and compliment Panasonic’s existing global and European presence.  IDA Ireland remains committed to winning jobs and investment in regional locations. I wish Panasonic every success with this expansion.”

The expanded Dundalk facility is one of ten PTS locations within Europe. In addition to the Ireland-based repair shop, there are also airport line maintenance stations at Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Lisbon, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Madrid, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly, and Rome Fiumicino.

Panasonic Avionics will be showcasing its European offering at MRO Europe in London from 19th – 20th of October.

Take off – flight-sharing start-up Wingly raises €3m & expands into commercial aviation market. #Aviation #Wingly #AvGeek

Flight sharing platform Wingly has completed a €3m investment round, with the funds to be used to launch a new commercial aviation service and to accelerate the growth of its existing cost-sharing flights in its largest markets of the UK, France and Germany.

With the ​Innovacom Fund leading the round, Wingly Pro will see the Paris-based start-up become the first online platform to allow smaller, commercial aviation operators to advertise their flights and connect directly with potential passengers. Additionally, operators will be able to post flights with spare seats, including empty flights.

Listing on the Wingly platform will be restricted to businesses that possess valid certifications from the Civil Aviation Authority for commercial air transport across Europe. And keeping in line with other online booking portals, Wingly has also obtained a European-wide travel agency licence.

“The launch of Wingly Pro this summer will extend our vision and make Wingly the largest collaborative community for private aviation,” said Wingly co-founder and CEO Emeric de Waziers. “This foray into commercial aviation will help us respond to the existing demand from our community as well as complementing the leisure-oriented cost-shared flights currently being offered by the 20,000 private pilots who have already registered with our platform,” said Emeric de Waziers, co-founder and CEO of Wingly.

“By addressing both demands, Wingly is making flying more accessible than ever before. This furthers our objective to connect the 500+ airfields in the UK and also expands our inventory to add many more helicopter flights.”

The launch of ‘Wingly Pro’ will also assist in the fight against one of the private aviation sector’s most persistent challenges – illegal charter flights. Wingly will be registering, validating and monitoring all parties using the service, giving them the ability to ensure the barriers of private and commercial operations are not crossed.

“Our platform will be able to provide much needed clarity and transparency to the public,” said Emeric de Wazier. ”This will enable them to select trusted operators and pilots, whose documents have been thoroughly checked and verified by Wingly and who are operating within the rules.”

With the coronavirus expected to cost the global aviation sector $84bn this year alone, the launch of Wingly Pro is the latest chapter in Wingly’s goal of becoming a catalyst for innovation in the aeronautics sector.

“With the way the current global pandemic has affected the mobility and travel sector, aviation will require a fundamental change in approach as well as suitable digital tools” said Jerome Faul, President of the Innovacom fund.

“It is essential for Wingly to be able to contribute to the development of sustainable aviation – lots of operated charter flights are carried out with less than 40% occupancy,” said Emeric de Waziers. “Our interest here is to fill empty seats, improve the aircraft occupancy rate, thus reducing the carbon footprint per passenger as well as the cost for all parties.”

Wingly is also developing a variety of new features to coincide with the pending launch of Wingly Pro. The first will be ‘flight request’, allowing users to directly post the type of flights they are looking for on the website – based on the criteria of the specific request, they can be met by either commercial operators or by a cost-shared flight with private pilots.

Nokia and Irish Aviation Authority deploy next-generation air traffic control network for the North Atlantic #Nokia #Aviation #IAA

Nokia has today announced successful deployment of the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA) next-generation air traffic control network at its new West Ireland disaster recovery center. As part of the deal, Nokia supplied its IP/MPLS networking products, which have been specifically designed for this level of mission-critical application.

 

The new, high-bandwidth IP/MPLS network will increase capacity and ensure smooth operation of new, more demanding air traffic control (ATC) applications. It will also provide support for legacy, non-IP applications, including end-to-end communications between radar stations. The IAA also benefited from Nokia’s professional services offering for network design, architecture, integration and deployment. Following successful deployment of the network, Nokia will continue to provide IAA with long-term support and maintenance services.

The network was deployed in early 2019 and is currently in service. It has successfully carried out a number of live trials across multiple airspace sectors in the key North Atlantic region, delivering critical voice and radar services to controllers over the new Nokia IP/MPLS platform.

The successful deployment of the network precedes the expected doubling of global air traffic by 2030. The North Atlantic airspace is one of the most crowded airspaces in the world and the IAA will need more capacity as traffic grows. Modern ATC management applications can scale to meet the demand but require a different kind of network connectivity based on IP, such as Nokia’s IP/MPLS.

 

Nokia has a long history building mission-critical networks for critical infrastructure such as air traffic control. Its IP/MPLS networking products are designed from the start to support legacy applications, as well as the latest capabilities for high-availability, mission-critical connectivity.

 

The Nokia-IAA deal is critical to the IAA’s roadmap to seamlessly migrate critical services to a fully operational next-gen network. The IAA plans to continue its work with Nokia, from design to deployment and into the future.

 

Billy Hann, Director of ATM Operations and Strategy for the IAA, said: “Given our responsibility to ensure the smooth operation of the North Atlantic airspace, it has been crucial that Nokia earn our trust. The quality and reliability of its technology and the thoroughness and collaborative approach of its teams has been first class throughout the entire migration process. We are very pleased and confident in the performance of the new network.”

 

Jochen Apel, Head of Global Transportation, Nokia, said: “From the initial proof-of-concept through to the final deployment and launch of the new network, we have been impressed and pleased to work closely with the IAA on this highly-critical application. Working side-by-side with its team, we ensured that the new IP/MPLS network seamlessly migrated all of its legacy applications and supported the new applications with the highest standards of reliability.”

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Nokia has deployed over 1,300 mission-critical networks with leading customers in the transport, energy, large enterprise, manufacturing, webscale and public sector segments around the globe. Leading enterprises across industries are leveraging our decades of experience building some of the biggest and most advanced IP, optical, and wireless networks on the planet. The Nokia Bell Labs Future X for industries architecture provides a framework for enterprises to accelerate their digitalization and automation journey to Industry 4.0. Nokia has also pioneered the private wireless space with many verticals, and now has over 130 large enterprise customers deploying it around the world.