Avia Solutions Group October Achievements
Please enjoy the October update to the Avia Solutions Group Newsletter, containing new developments and information on the Group’s certifications, capabilities, partnerships, leadership developments and key insights from our subsidiaries that further enable our growth. This month's developments feature the appointment of Certares’ Tom Klein as Executive Vice-Chairman of the Avia Solutions Group Board, FL Technics preparing for $1 billion turnover by 2030, BBN Airlines Indonesia earning a major flight safety certification ahead of its growth, Aviator announcing a new partnership with a major airline at 3 separate airports and earning its own key certifications, Skytrans announcing a new Sydney-Lord Howe Island route, and KlasJet earning regulatory approval to conduct maintenance on its own 737 next-generation fleet. In addition to these news updates, Air Explore provided insight into its fleet development strategy, Avion Express answered the 10 most frequently asked questions from pilots regarding ACMI flight operations, Nordic Dino described the importance of good aircraft hygiene on aircraft performance, and KlasJet revealed how the company can place an aircraft in the air within 1.5 hours of receiving a call from a customer. Please secure your tray tables and keep your seat upright as we begin our cruise through the news roundup of insights and developments on the forward-end of aviation industry leadership.
Avia Solutions Group appoints Certares’ Tom Klein as Executive Vice-Chairman of the Board
Announced on October 15th, Avia Solutions Group has named Tom Klein to serve as Executive Vice Chairman of the Board. Effective immediately, Mr. Klein assumes the role in the Group’s leadership, bringing extensive knowledge of the global aviation, travel, tourism, and technology sectors. Mr. Klein will continue his role as Senior Managing Director at US-based Certares Management, which first invested in ASG in 2021. His main responsibilities will include leading on investor relations and advising on wider business development while his geographic location will allow for executive presence and a greater focus on activities in the Americas.
Prior to joining Certares in 2018, Klein was the CEO and President of Sabre, a global technology company serving the travel industry. Klein led the successful IPO of Sabre in 2014. He served 7 years as a founding board member of Brand USA, culminating his tenure as Chairman. Klein has served on multiple boards and prior to Sabre, he held management positions at American Airlines and Consolidated Freightways
FL Technics Group: A One Billion Turnover by 2030
By 2030, FL Technics Group intends to generate a turnover of EUR 1 billion from its aircraft maintenance and repair services business, including both MROs already in operation as well as new MROs yet to be launched. Pursuing this level of turnover will open up the opportunity for the group to become one of the leaders in the global MRO industry. FL Technics Group employs over 2,500 aviation professionals and is formed of 26 companies in Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Asia and the Pacific.
The group is also developing its global infrastructure for MRO services by building and expanding hangars and maintenance facilities in various regions, including Jakarta and Bali in Indonesia, and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Expanding into these regions will enable FL Technics to provide more airlines across the world access to the highest quality and dependable maintenance services.
BBN Airlines Indonesia Earns Flight Safety Certification ahead of growth
BBN Airlines Indonesia received a Basic Aviation Risk Standards (BARS) certification from the Flight Safety Foundation. The certification highlights the airline's commitment to flight safety, recognizing its adherence to the highest internationally recognized standards.
The Flight Safety Foundation is a leading non-profit organisation focusing on aviation safety, research, education, and advocacy. With the certification, BBN Airlines Indonesia joins the ranks of the world's largest airlines. This required demonstrating the ability to assess and manage the specific risks that are a part of each unique aircraft movement through a series of safety audits and evaluations by independent inspectors.
The BARS certification follows the earning of Foreign Air Operator permits in Singapore in September and Australia in August. BBN Airlines Indonesia expects to continue growing its operations and coverage in the region.
Building a Fleet Capable of Global Expansion
AirExplore, Slovakia’s premier airline, has expanded and updated its fleet massively since its acquisition by Avia Solutions Group last June. In October 2024, 14 years after the airline’s founding, AirExplore’s fleet consists of 17 aircraft, including both passenger and cargo variants of Boeing’s 737-800. These next-generation aircraft are upgrades of the 737-400s that were originally in the airline’s fleet at launch. Stulajter says that the first difference between these two variants is the capacity.
With almost 12,000 having been built since the start of production in the late 1960s, the Boeing 737’s popularity and capability have made the acquisition of each one a milestone for any airline. The ability to fly 189 passengers at speeds as high as 827 km/h for a range of 5,185 km makes these narrowbody aircraft a high-value asset. AirExplore CEO Martin Stulajter explained, the capabilities and value that have been added to the airline are helping to build a fleet that is capable of global expansion.
Aviator Announces Partnership with Icelandair at 3 Airports
Aviator Airport Alliance has entered a partnership with Icelandair to provide ground support for the airline's operations at Copenhagen (CPH), Stockholm Arlanda (ARN), and Göteborg (GOT) airports for the next 3 years. The airline expects approximately 1350 yearly departures from CPH, 525 from ARN, and 22 from GOT. At HEL Aviator supported nearly 380 departures during a full year.
Casper Olhoff Dons, Chief Commercial Officer at Aviator, called the partnership a major agreement for Aviator, as Icelandair’s operations represent a significant portion of transatlantic connectivity. Aviator will provide services for the Boeing 757, Boeing 737, and the newly introduced Airbus A321LR in the Icelandair fleet. Aviator's new contracts begin its ground-handling services for Icelandair at ARN and GOT at the end of October, and in early November at CPH.
“This is the result of the trust established from our work with the airline at Helsinki (HEL), and we are excited to build on that partnership,” Dons said.
Skytrans announces new Sydney-Lord Howe Island route
Skytrans, an Australian airline, has taken over the flying for Qantas as a part of a codeshare agreement for the Sydney and Lord Howe Island route. With the national carrier retiring the Q200 aircraft it currently operates on the route, Skytrans has been awarded the licence to fly to the island by the New South Wales Government exclusively from 26 February 2026. The Lord Howe Island Skytrans flights will continue to operate the same schedule and frequency as QantasLink’s operations, and it intends to operate these from Qantas’ Terminal 3 at Sydney Airport.
This route provides major connectivity for South Wales. QantasLink CEO Rachel Yangoyan said today’s announcement followed a commitment in June to maintaining services to the island.
“We have a long and proud history with Lord Howe Island and are pleased to be partnering with Skytrans to make sure the island continues to have a reliable air service as the Q200s are phased out of the QantasLink fleet.” Ms Yangoyan said.
KlasJet Receives Approval for 737 Next-Generation Maintenance
KlasJet has received an extension of EASA Part 145 activity certification to include Boeing 737NG (Next Generation) line maintenance. KlasJet’s fleet includes aircraft modified to deliver its premium quality flight service. The fleet currently consists of eight 737-800 aircraft equipped with CFM56 engines that operate both VIP charter and ACMI operations. In addition to these next-generation aircraft, the exclusive flight experience provider also operates five 737 classics.
“Earning our own Part 145 certification was an investment in our personnel to ensure we have a highly skilled team and strict compliance with regulations behind every operation,” Aivaras Svirplys, Technical Director, said. “The extension of the approval allows us to reduce cost as we will no longer need to depend on outside organizations to improve turnaround time for optimal fleet utilization.”
The effect of contamination on increases in parasite drag and ineffective avionics
The effect of contamination and subsequent blockage of sensors means that aircraft cleanliness has always been an important part of pre-flight inspections and aviation maintenance practices. Aircraft manufacturers and airline flight departments all have recommendations for pilots to walk around the aircraft prior to departure to visually inspect the condition of sensors on the aircraft to ensure they will function properly during flight.
With great increases in the severity of ramifications from contaminations on flight surfaces and avionic sensors, Nordic Dino, the world’s leading automated aircraft washing solutions designer explains the relationship between aircraft exterior hygiene and performance and functionality of aircraft.
From the Call to the Runway: 1.5 Hours’ Notice for Flight Operations
While charter jet operators and their customers benefit from having time to plan and ensure aircraft and crew availability, time is sometimes a rare commodity, requiring urgent action by flight departments to remain flexible for business needs. Because of the prevalence of urgent requirements for flight operations, private jet operators increasingly need to have flexibility to be able to provide aircraft for prestigious opportunities business aviation can deliver. KlasJet explains how it maintains a state of constant readiness for fast and agile responses to customer demand.
The 10 most frequently asked questions from pilots considering ACMI
Airlines today are turning to Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance (ACMI) flying to increase their operational flexibility for seasonal changes in demand for air travel. This flying gives crewmembers new experiences through supplementing the capability of existing airlines’ route networks and providing charter flights to new and unique parts of the world. While there are differences to this type of flying from conventional airline operations, Kristina Mateikaite Riepsiene, Head of Crew Recruitment at Avion Express, a leading ACMI provider, answers some of the most frequently asked questions about what flying for an ACMI provider is like:
Aviator Airport Alliance Earns Certification for Quality, Safety, and Environmental Management
Aviator Airport Alliance has earned three key International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certifications in the areas of Quality, Environmental, and Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. The certifications come after audits, reviews and inspections performed at multiple stations in Aviator’s service by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), a Norwegian world-leading classification society.
The certifications earned include ISO 9001 for Quality, 14001 for Environmental and 45001 for Occupational health and safety management systems. Aviator said that it picked these certifications to pursue because of their synergy with the ground-handlers and internationally recognized standards, as well as their strategic importance to the company's operations.
“This certification is a testament to our ability to provide ground support and improve on-time performance and is the result of a team effort and collaboration,” Ola M Bakk, Head of Safety at Aviator, said. “I am proud of the many individuals who worked hard over the past few months, as well as our teams at airports across our network, who made the inspections and audit successful for the certification process.”
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