Aerospace Diary

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  AUGUST 12, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Lion Air recently ordered 20 Cessna 172s and a third 737 simulator for pilot training. (Photo: Wings Flying School) August 12, 2013, 9:50 AM Lion Air, Indonesia’s largest domestic carrier, is expanding its routes and training facilities, having ordered 20 Cessna 172s and one Boeing 737- 900ER  simulator, its third, to shore up an impending need for pilots.  The budget carrier has placed orders for more than 500 narrowbodies with Boeing and Airbus ; it currently has a fleet of 96 aircraft. Indonesia’s growing middle class and poorly served air corridors have provided the region’s airlines with opportunities for expansion. In the next 20 years, the Indonesian middle class will grow from 130 million to 240 million people, the World Bank estimates. Malindo Air of Malaysia, which is 49 percent owned by Lion Air, is launching a daily nonstop 7...

Neelam Mathews Oct 10, 2012 Given the high taxes throttling India's MRO industry, it might do India some good to learn from Singapore's MRO report card. ST Aerospace today announced it has secured new contracts worth about S$590m in the third quarter of 2012.  This total contract value is in addition to the component repair management Maintenance-By-the-Hour (MBH) contract worth about US$80m (approximately S$102m) awarded by AirAsia in July this year.   The contracts are for airframe, component and engine maintenance and engineering design support, which will be carried out through its global network.     During the quarter, ST Aerospace redelivered its first VIP Boeing Business Jet, a contract secured for B level check and interior modifications.  Additionally, it completed airframe maintenance and modification work for 156 aircraft.  For passenger-to-freighter conversions, it redelivered three converted Boeing 757-200 freighters to FedEx Expres...