AviTrader Weekly News 2018-02-19

WEEKLY AVIATION HEADLINES
10
OTHER NEWS
vice of four weekly flights from London Gatwick
to Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport will
offer passengers more choice and low fares.
Gatwick Airport CEO Stewart Wingate said: “The
launch of Norwegian’s first ever South American
route is another exciting landmark in Gatwick’s
ongoing mission to connect the UK to more and
more long-haul destinations. The airport now offers
63 long-haul connections – with many, including
Buenos Aires, operated by low-cost carriers –
making Gatwick the busiest departure airport for
low-cost long-haul services in the world.
IFS, the global enterprise applications company,
has reported that Air Transport Services Group
(ATSG), a provider of medium wide-body aircraft
leasing, air cargo transportation and related
services, has selected IFS Maintenix to deliver
comprehensive fleet maintenance management
across its two cargo airline subsidiaries – ABX Air
and Air Transport International – and its aircraft
leasing subsidiary, Cargo Aircraft Management.
As one of the largest owners and operators of
converted Boeing 767 freighter aircraft, ATSG
has experienced strong growth in recent years.
To meet evolving operational demands, ATSG’s
airline subsidiaries – ABX Air and Air Transport International
(ATI) – and its aircraft leasing subsidiary
– Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM) – sought
a modern, scalable software solution that could
drive greater standardization and maintenance
management process efficiencies.
Following a market review, ATSG’s subsidiaries
selected IFS Maintenix to deliver a full suite of
engineering, planning and line maintenance functionality,
helping ATSG optimize the maintenance
management for its combined fleet.
Investors will be keeping a keen eye on how airlines
approach the dual problems of rising fuel
costs and labor costs this year. Last December the
International Air Transport Association (IATA)
highlighted these two elements, which are airlines’
highest expenditures, as the major challenge
for 2018. In 2016, labor costs accounted for
22% of airlines’ costs and fuel 21%. For 2018, predictions
reveal an expected 30.9% cost for labor
and 20.5% for fuel. With the fluctuating nature of
fuel prices, back in 2013 those figures were 33%
for fuel and 18% for labor.It should also be noted
that labor costs are traditionally higher in Europe
and North America than in Asia, for which fuel
remains the higher cost. Exacerbating the current
challenge of labor costs is a shortage of workers
on a global scale, and in particular many airlines
are struggling with a pilot shortage as they look to
expand their fleets. According to IATA Chief Economist
Brian Pearce, “As airlines have been making
profit, the workforce has got market power,
so that is pushing up the cost of labor.” IATA has
“Josie Pepper”, the new robot at Munich Airport
She is 120 centimeters tall, with sparkling, round eyes and a pleasant voice: Starting February
15, “Josie Pepper” the robot will be answering questions for passengers in Munich Airport’s
Terminal 2. Whether they need directions to their gate or want to stop at a certain restaurant
or shop – Josie Pepper will look them in the eyes and give them a prompt answer.
With the rollout of Josie Pepper, Munich Airport and Lufthansa are breaking new ground: It
is the first-ever test of a humanoid robot equipped with artificial intelligence at a German
airport. For the next few weeks, Josie Pepper will welcome travelers to the non-public area of
Terminal 2, which is jointly operated by Munich Airport and Lufthansa. In her initial deployment,
Josie Pepper, who speaks English, will await passengers at the top of the ramp leading to
the shuttle connecting the main terminal to the satellite building. This test phase will be used
to show whether Josie Pepper is accepted by passengers.
Josie Pepper’s “brain” contains a high-performance processor with a WLAN internet access.
This creates a connection to a cloud service where speech is processed, interpreted and linked
to the airport data. What sets the system apart: When this robot type speaks, it does not just
deliver pre-defined texts. With its ability to learn, it answers each question individually. Just
like a “real” brain, the system gets steadily better at combining questions with the relevant
information to provide more precise replies.
IBM Watson Internet of Things (IoT) cloud-based, artificial intelligence technologies are behind
Josie Pepper’s capabilities. Pepper was developed by the French company SoftBank Robotics.
The lady robot was given the name “Josie” by the staff of Munich Airport and Lufthansa when
she arrived at the airport.
also forecast a hike in unit costs, measured as an
airline’s cost to operate each kilometer and seat
flown, from a rise of 1.7 percent in 2017 to 4.3
percent in 2018.
In the United States, investors are concerned that
the three largest carriers – American, Delta and
United – could well be heading for a price war
just as higher costs from pay increases agreed last
year start to take effect. Airlines must now look
even more closely at those areas where potential
savings can be made. According to aviation
consultant John Strickland, “The most successful
airline managements are the ones that have been
very cost-focused every day – not just on staff
costs but on aircraft costs, airport charges, distribution
costs and so on.”
INDUSTRY PEOPLE
Photo: Munich Airport
• Boeing has appointed Linda Mills as vice
president of Communications for Boeing
Commercial Airplanes. Mills, an awardwinning
executive with 20 years of strategic
communications experience, joins
Boeing from Seattle-based Starbucks,
where she served as vice president of
Global Communications.
In her new role, Mills will work with a
team of communications and marketing
professionals responsible for global media
relations, employee and executive