Témoignages

Amedeo firms up order for 20 A380s

2014-02-12T09:22:53Z

Amedeo (previously Doric Lease Corp) and Airbus have finalised the contract for 20 A380s originally announced at the 50th Le Bourget Airshow on 17th June 2013. The final agreement was signed today at the Singapore Airshow 2014 by Mark Lapidus, CEO of Amedeo and John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers.

Mark Lapidus, CEO of Amedeo said, “Today's signature with Airbus is a great day for aviation as we offer airlines a new, more flexible way to access the unique benefits of the A380 through our tailored leasing solutions. As world air traffic continues to double every fifteen years and airport infrastructure and slots do not, the A380 is the best solution for airlines to capture that growth and build passenger loyalty thanks to the on-board space and comfort combination that no other airliner can compete with and do so at the lowest per seat unit cost.”

Amedeo's customers will benefit from unbeatable seat-mile costs for their cabin configurations with a baseline three class, 573 seat layout. The main deck comfortably seats 427 passengers in 18.5 inch wide economy seats, while the upper deck offers 12 first class, 66 business class and 68 economy seats. This cabin layout offers an efficient and at the same time flexible cabin configuration that minimises reconfiguration costs and eases transition from operator to operator.

Amedeo will announce its engine selection at a later date.

Amedeo's senior management has significant experience with the A380, achieving a ranking for the Doric Group as the third largest wide-body lessor worldwide by fleet value, and the world's largest asset manager of leased A380s. During their time with the Doric Group, Amedeo's senior management built a 6.8 billion US$ aircraft portfolio under management, including 18 A380s acquired through sale-leaseback arrangements and adding four more as Amedeo during 2013.

VietJetAir to acquire over 100 Airbus A320

2014-02-11T05:02:37Z

VietJetAir finalises major A320 Family order. Airline to acquire over 100 Airbus single aisle aircraft

Vietnam's VietJetAir has finalised a major order for the A320 Family to meet its future expansion plans. The purchase agreement covers firm orders for 42 A320neo, 14 A320ceo and 7 A321ceo, plus 30 purchase rights. In addition the airline will lease eight more A320 Family aircraft from third party lessors.

The order was finalised today at the Singapore Airshow by Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Vice Chairwoman and CEO, VietJetAir and Fabrice Brégier, President and CEO, Airbus. The signing was witnessed by Dinh La Thang, Minister of Transport of Vietnam and Le Luong Minh, Secretary-General of ASEAN.

VietJetAir took to the skies in 2011 and is the first private airline in Vietnam to operate domestic and international flights. Today the airline operates a fleet of 11 leased A320s on a network covering 20 routes, including domestic destinations, Bangkok, Seoul and Kunming in China.

Air Seychelles Announces Significant Expansion To Its International Schedule

2013-12-03T07:52:09Z

Island carrier to launch twice weekly flights to Paris-Orly in February 2014. Airline to acquire narrow body aircraft in Q4 2014 to operate new regional network.

Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, yesterday announced, subject to regulatory approval, it will launch flights to Paris-Orly as part of a significant expansion to its international schedule.

Plans for an optimised regional network include the introduction of several new routes in 2014.

From February 2014, Air Seychelles will operate two return services per week between Seychelles and Paris-Orly via Abu Dhabi with an Airbus A330-200 aircraft, configured with 18 flat-bed Business Class seats and 236 Economy seats.

The new Paris-Orly services complement Etihad Airways' existing double-daily services to Paris-Charles De Gaulle, giving travellers between the French capital and Abu Dhabi a choice of more flights per week, and new convenient connections to key destinations in the Etihad Airways network such as Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok and Chengdu, as well as the cities across the Middle East.

Joel Morgan, Seychelles' Minister for Home Affairs & Transport and Board Chairman, said: “I am delighted to see Air Seychelles return to France, Seychelles' top market. Travellers boarding the flight in Paris-Orly will once again enjoy a seamless Air Seychelles operated flight and experience our unique and famous Creole warmth on their entire journey to Mahé.

“Our Abu Dhabi service schedule offers one of the fastest routes for travel between Seychelles and major European destinations, and has built a solid position in this important historical market. With our new service, we will be able to provide a fresh option for overseas visitors to travel to Seychelles on our flights, and we expect further significant growth from Europe.”

Currently, the iconic island carrier codeshares on 14 flights per week to Paris-Charles De Gaulle with equity partner Etihad Airways, offering a daily service between the archipelago and the French capital. The new flights will increase the connections to 18 per week.

The airline also unveiled a new regional network plan, subject to approvals, which will see significant expansion of its operations in the Indian Ocean in Q4 2014, following the delivery of an Airbus A319.

Highlights of the plan include:
- The launch of regional services to Antananarivo, Reunion and Mumbai
- An increase in services to Abu Dhabi from seven to eleven per week, offering a double daily service with equity partner Etihad Airways
- A network designed to maximise connectivity through the Seychelles, with two way connectivity throughout the region with Mumbai and Abu Dhabi and beyond.

The new regional schedule will see Air Seychelles operate three return flights per week to Mauritius and Mumbai, two return flights per week to Antananarivo and Reunion, and 11 return flights per week to Abu Dhabi.

The airline will also offer three return flights per week to Hong Kong, three return flights per week to Johannesburg, and two flights per week to Paris-Orly.

Altogether, the airline will see its weekly international services nearly double from 16 to 29 flights per week.

Cramer Ball, Air Seychelles Chief Executive Officer, said: “The new schedule will see Air Seychelles spread its regional footprint and build a solid position that will establish us as the carrier of choice in the Indian Ocean. It also greatly increases options for travel to and from the Indian Ocean, and with our new flights to Paris-Orly, we will also enjoy network feed provided by our convenient schedule times over Abu Dhabi, contributing to the bottom line.”

Bigger than Denmark : Economic benefits of cycling in the EU-27

2013-09-04T14:20:18Z

German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened Europe's biggest bike trade fair Eurobike last Wednesday, signaling a huge step forward for the cycling advocacy movement.

At the same time ECF released its analysis of the “Economic benefits of cycling in the EU-27” making it clear that such high level interest in cycling is set to continue. Senior politicians are beginning to realize that daily cycling not only changes the face of our cities for the better, it also makes much sense in economic terms.

Calculating all internal and external benefits of cycling together and adding the turnover of related industries, ECF estimates the number to be well above € 200 bn annually, or more than € 400 for every person that lives in the EU. By far the biggest single chunk is on the health side, with over € 110 bn annually. ECF calculated this figure by using the Health Economic Assessment Tool (HEAT) for Cycling, developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Despite the excellent work done by the WHO, there is still a long way to go within the health sector in promoting active mobility. ECF therefore has the following 3 key messages to the political world in general and to the health sector in particular :

- Cycling policy needs continuous political leadership and coordination from the very top down. Cycling has links to many different policy departments[i]. This fragmentation needs to be overcome. ECF therefore encourages government at all levels[ii] to develop and implement cross-departmental cycling action plans.

- As the main socioeconomic benefit of cycling is on the health side, the ECF calls in particular upon the health sector to live up to its responsibility. Health departments should actively reach out to other departments for fully inclusive cycling policies. This also relates to the concept of ‘health in all policies'. Health departments and health insurance programmes are also invited to financially support cycling projects, e.g. cycling infrastructure investments and promotion campaigns. Another tool is to offer regular active commuters health insurance discounts.

- The “polluter pays” principle is finding more and more political support. The European Commission stated in its White Paper on Transport (2011[iii]) the ambition to “Proceed to the full and mandatory internalization of external costs (including noise, local pollution and congestion)”. ECF welcomes the progress being made here but thinks that the external health benefits of cycling should be included in this policy framework.

For reading ECF's political messages in further detail please here.
ECF detailed calculations on the numbers can be found here :

ECF would like to point out that these calculations can be replicated to a large extent at every local, regional and national level and we encourage cycling advocates to do so when speaking to their politicians. The WHO currently organizes a number of training webinars in English and German language on how to use the HEAT tool.

Airbus sees demand for over 27,800 aircraft in the next 20 years

2011-09-19T09:18:48Z

In the midst of troubled financial markets, Airbus foresees strong ongoing demand for commercial aircraft. According to its latest Global Market Forecast (GMF), by 2030 some 27,800 new aircraft will be required to satisfy future robust market demand. The combined value of the over 26,900 passenger aircraft (above 100 seats) and more than 900 new factory built freighters forecast by the GMF is US$3.5 trillion.

As a result, by 2030 the global passenger fleet will more than double from today's 15,000 aircraft to 31,500. This will include some 27,800 new aircraft deliveries of which 10,500 will be needed for replacing older less fuel efficient aircraft. The trend towards larger aircraft will continue, in order for the aviation sector to keep pace with future growth in demand.

People need and want to fly more than ever before. Over the next 20 years the aviation sector is expected to remain resilient to cyclical economic conditions as in the past. Airbus forecasts that Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs) will grow by an average 4.8 per cent per year, which is equivalent to traffic more than doubling in the next 20 years.

Factors driving demand for new aircraft include population growth with increasing wealth, dynamic growth in emerging economies, strong continued growth in North America and European markets, greater urbanization and a more than doubling in the number of mega cities by 2030. Drivers also include the ongoing expansion of low cost carriers, and the need to replace older less efficient aircraft with new eco-efficient models in established markets.

Geographically, over the next 20 years, Asia-Pacific will account for approximately 34 percent of demand, followed by Europe (22 per cent) and North America (22 per cent). By share of passenger traffic, Asia-Pacific will be the biggest market with 33 percent, followed by Europe (23 per cent) and North America (20 per cent).

87 mega cities

In terms of passenger traffic on domestic markets, India (9.8 per cent) and China (7.2 per cent) will have the fastest growth rates over the next 20 years. Long established aviation markets will also continue to grow with the Domestic US (11.1 per cent) and Intra Western Europe (7.5 per cent) having the first and third largest shares of the total traffic in 2030.

“The aviation sector is an essential element for today's global economy which is why more people than ever need and want to fly,” says John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers. “Airbus is bringing to market the latest innovations and eco-efficient products to satisfy the needs of airlines and the expectations of passengers now and in the years to come.”

By 2030, 60 per cent of the world's population or some five billion people will be urbanised and the number of mega cities will have more than doubled to 87 from today's 39. It is also forecast that over 90 per cent of long haul travellers will fly between these mega city points.

VLA, twin-aisle and single aisle segments

Demand for Very Large Aircraft (VLA) seating more than 400 passengers, like the A380, has risen over 2010 forecasts (1,738) to 1,781 aircraft valued at US$600 billion. This represents a 17 per cent share by value or six per cent share by aircraft units. Of these, nearly 1,330 are passenger aircraft needed to cater for the concentrated traffic volumes linking the world's mega cities. Regionally, some 45 per cent of the world's VLA's will be delivered to Asia, 19 per cent to Europe and 23 per cent to the Middle East.

In the twin-aisle aircraft segment (seating from 250 to 400 passengers), some 6,900 new passenger and freighter aircraft will be delivered in the next 20 years doubling the fleet of today by 2030. These deliveries are valued at some US$1,500 billion, representing 43 per cent share by value, or 25 per cent share by units. Of these, some 4,800 aircraft will be small twin-aisle (250 to 300 seater) and about 2,100 intermediate twin aisles (350 to 400 seater). These segments are covered by the A330 and the A350 XWB family.

In the single-aisle segment, nearly 19,200 aircraft worth some US$1,400 billion or 40 per cent share by value, 69 per cent share by units, will be delivered in the next 20 years. This is an increase over previous forecasts due to increased growth and acceleration in the replacement of older less efficient aircraft. Of the new deliveries, some 40 per cent will be required to replacement needs. In addition some 50 per cent of single aisle aircraft deliveries will go to the well established aviation markets of North America and European.

Volkswagen planning new Guangzhou assembly plant

2010-02-01T10:44:38Z

German auto giant Volkswagen plans to build a 300,000-unit plant in Guangzhou with partner FAW Group Corp in a bid to grab more market share in south China, according to an anonymous source with knowledge of the project, said China.org. China is already the German automaker's No 1 market.

The source denied recent reports that the Guangzhou plant will produce cars under Volkswagen's Spanish brand Seat, underscoring only Volkswagen brand vehicles will be made at the new facility when it begins operation in 2013.

The insider declined to comment on investment levels or other details of the plan.

Since it began operations in China in 1984, Volkswagen has mainly focused on the north and east of the nation, while Japanese brands Toyota, Honda and Nissan have long prevailed in southern markets.

A Volkswagen production facility in Guangzhou - the long-established base of major Sino-Japanese joint ventures - marks a significant move south for the automotive icon.

Triple the sales in southern markets

The German carmaker unveiled a strategic plan last year designed to further tap southern areas including Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

According to the plan, Volkswagen aims to more than triple its sales to half a million units in those markets in the next three to five years from 150,000 units in 2008. The company also expects to raise its market share in the region to between 17 and 20 percent from 12 percent in 2008.

The Guangzhou plant will be Volkswagen's fifth production facility in the country. It now has plants in four cities with two local partners - FAW Group and SAIC Motor Co Ltd.

The joint venture between Volkswagen and FAW has two facilities in Changchun in northeast China that make Volkswagen and Audi brand cars. Their combined annual capacity is 660,000 vehicles.

The venture also has a plant under construction in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province. Its production line will start operation at the end of this year and mainly make Volkswagen's Jetta model. The short-term capacity of Chengdu plant is projected to be 350,000 units.

4 billion euros invested

SAIC-Volkswagen's factory in Shanghai now has an annual capacity of 660,000 units and produces Volkswagen and Skoda brand cars. The joint venture also runs a plant that mainly builds the Santana model in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province. The Nanjing plant is projected to eventually produce 300,000 units annually.

In an effort to expand capacity at its Nanjing and Chengdu plants, Volkswagen will invest 4 billion euros ($5.66 billion) over the next three years, according to a plan released last September. Part of the funding will be used to bring new domestically made models to the Chinese market. The company plans to introduce some 20 new and upgraded models to Chinese buyers between 2010 and 2012.

2.3 million units build in China

With a production base in Guangzhou, Volkswagen could eventually build its total capacity to around 2.3 million units in China, which is already the German automaker's No 1 market.

Last year Volkswagen reported a staggering increase of 36.7 percent in its full-year China sales to a total of 1.4 million vehicles, 160,000 units more than its sales in Germany.

The company's long-term plan is to achieve annual sales of more than 2 million units in China by 2018. Analysts generally believe that Volkswagen is likely to reach the goal ahead of schedule based on its brisk sales and active expansion in capacity.

Africa to register 4.3% economic growth in 2010

2010-01-26T11:25:06Z

African economies are expected to register a combined 4.3 percent economic growth this year, a big leap from the combined growth of a modest 1.6 per cent in 2009, a senior Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) official said Tuesday. The growth is expected to be powered by rising commodity prices and positive impact of stimulus financial interventions put in place to beat world recession.

Presenting a World Economic Situation and Prospects report for 2010, Adam Elhiraika, ECA senior economic affairs officer, said the expected recovery in the global economy would have an overall positive effect on African economies.

From a negative growth of 2.2 percent last year, the world economy is expected o grow by 2.4 percent this year, which the ECA official said would strongly stimulate demand for most African exports, particularly commodities.

In 2009, hard hit by the global recession which caught most African countries off-guard and ill-prepared to deal with its consequences, the continent posted combined economic growth of a modest 1.6 percent.

Prices of commodities and good macro-economic management

But this year, Elhiraika said African countries were expected to post higher economic growth, reaping the benefits of economic stimulus packages they put in place, and crucially the recovery in the global economy.

"In 2010, the world economy is expected to recover, and Africa is also expected to recover," he said.

He said prices for commodities, the main African exports, were rising on international markets on the back of recovery in global demand, resulting in an increase in export earnings for the continent.

The ECA official said in some cases, this had been coupled with good macro-economic management in individual African countries and increased private and public sector investment.

"Commodity prices are expected to rebound; we have already seen this with oil whose price has recovered," Elhiraika said.

Fragile economic recovery

But he warned that the economic recovery in both the world and Africa was still too fragile to withdraw crucial financial stimulus measures that were put in place to tackle the global recession.

He said determining when to withdraw the stimulus packages was difficult, but noted this must be premised on the achievement of consistent robust growth in consumption, private investment and employment levels.

"Premature withdrawal of stimulus could cause double-dip recession. If countries withdraw (prematurely), aggregate demand will decrease," said Elhiraika.

He said countries, particularly in Africa, should avoid 'business as usual' type of economic management, advocating for pro-business policies that would draw in private investment and ensure sustained recovery and growth.

Tanzania : the forecasts are 290,000 tonnes of sugar

2009-09-28T11:54:37Z

According 'East African Business Week', Tanzania will produce about 290,000 tonnes of sugar this year. Four companies have a total installed production capacity of 400,000 tonnes of sugar. One of this companies is Tanganiyka Plantation Company (TPC), owned by a mauritian and a reunionese sugar mill-owners. On reunionese mill-owner website, the forecasts for TPC are 100,000 tonnes of sugar. A part of this production has to be exported in Europe, duty free and quota, under the price of reunionese sugar. Following excerpts from an article published by 'East African Business Week' unveil this.

Speaking to East African Business Week in Dar es Salaam last week, Mr Matthew Kombe, Director General of Tanzania's Sugar Board said the country will produce 290,000 tonnes of sugar compared with 279, 851 tonnes in 2008/09. (…)

"The forecasts are that we will produce about 290,000 tonnes of sugar which is comparable to what we produced last year due to weather patterns which have remained the same," said Mr Kombe.

He added that the increasing in acreage under sugarcane and the boost in yield per hectare would raise output of the crops.

40,000 hectares under sugarcane

There are four major locally owned sugar companies; Mtibwa, Kagera Sugar, Kilombero, (…) Tanganiyka Plantation Company (…).

Kombe said the four have a total installed production capacity of 400,000 tonnes annually. There are also smaller factories like Manyara Sugar Company, which produced 2,000 tonnes last year.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Marketing, about 40,000 hectares are under sugarcane and the industry employs over 40,000 people.

Generating electricity

The sugar board is surveying land to the east of the country and plans to add 8,000 hectares, set up a factory and later enlist another 8,000 hectares from outgrowers. "We would expect to invite investors for a greenfield investment, once the encroachment, valuation and the title deed is completed," Mr. Kombe said last week.

The sector is also examining possibilities of generating electricity for sale to state-run Tanzania Electric Supply Company. Some factories already produce power for their own consumption. (…)

UN calls on donors to meet aid commitments : where are the dollars ?

2009-09-25T08:55:23Z

Global poverty-fighting commitments are more important than ever in a world facing economic, food and climate crises, the UN said last week, 8 days before G20 Summit, in a report on support for the Millennium Development Goals. More information in this UNDP press release.

Although development assistance rose to record levels in 2008, donors are falling short by $35 billion per year on the 2005 pledge on annual aid flows made by the Group of Eight in Gleneagles, and by $20 billion a year on aid to Africa, according to UN estimates.

The report on Strengthening the Global Partnership for Development in a Time of Crisis was written by the Secretary-General's MDG Gap Task Force, which brings together more than 20 UN agencies, the IMF, the World Bank, WTO and the OECD, to track progress on the development partnership called for in the eighth Millennium Development Goal.

Speaking as world leaders prepare for next week's General Assembly opening in New York, and the G20 Pittsburgh summit later in the month, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro cited last year's confluence of steep recession and food shortages, the expected spread of pandemic influenza this year, and the continuing impact of climate change as factors impeding progress on realization of the MDGs.

“In times of growth, we achieved a great deal,” she said. “Now, the world must show that it can also make progress under adverse conditions—when the poor, the hungry and the vulnerable need us most.”

ODA ‘coverage gap'

Official development assistance (ODA) rose by about 10 per cent in 2008, to $119.8 billion, according to the Report. The share of ODA in the gross national income of donor countries improved as well – from 0.28 per cent in 2007 to 0.30 per cent in 2008. But this increase remains far from the agreed target of 0.7 per cent to be reached by 2015. It also falls short of the commitment to increase annual aid flows to about $155 billion per year by 2010. The global crisis has put aid budgets of donor countries under pressure, making it harder to meet that intermediate target.

The Report also highlights a ‘coverage gap' in ODA distribution, as most of the increase in ODA since 2000 has been limited to a handful of post-conflict countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan. In contrast, many of the poorest nations in Africa have seen very little increase in aid.

Developing countries have been hurt by the collapse in trade finance since the onset of the financial crisis, tallied at a falloff of somewhere between $100 and $300 billion. Strangulation of trade finance has been combined to ill effect with new trade restrictions in many countries, and a stalemate in the Doha development round of trade negotiations.

Compared with a 2005 agreement by the World Trade Organization in Hong Kong to allow 97 per cent duty-free access to imports from the poorest countries, only 80 per cent of least developed country (LDC) exports have acquired duty-free status in industrialized country markets.

The Report also finds that even after the success of two major debt relief initiatives, high prices for imported fuel and food combined with weak demand for export commodities have left many developing countries with difficulties in paying their external debts.

Access to medicines and technology

The UN Report finds that just as the purchasing power of the poor is under threat, the cost of many essential medicines is rising. On average, people in developing countries now pay three to six times more than international reference prices for the cheapest generic medicines.

The digital divide between the prosperous and the poor remains wide, both among and within countries. Although more than 65 million new mobile phone subscribers signed up in Africa in 2007, the penetration rate is still less than a third of the population, as compared to 100 per cent in developed countries. Fixed broadband Internet service remains prohibitively expensive in the developing world, where people pay 10 times more than in industrialized countries.

Strengthening the Global Partnership for Development recommends public-private partnerships to improve access to essential medicines, mobile cellular telephony and Internet service. A major theme emerging from the UN study is that implementation of the full range of global commitments can effectively advance economically and environmentally sustainable growth —growth that mitigates climate change while addressing the political, economic and public health deficits associated with extreme poverty.

WTO : US and India agree to resume Doha Round said Pascal Lamy

2009-06-11T12:36:53Z

On June 9, the 33rd Cairns Group Ministerial Meeting ended on Bali Island, Indonesia. The meeting called on WTO members to drive the Doha Development Round negotiations to succeed, in a bid to resist the growing trend of trade protectionism.

Against the backdrop of global economic slowdown, countries should jointly resist the increasing trend of trade protectionism in the agriculture sector, said the communique issued by the meeting. The communique demanded the US and EU nations remove relevant subsidies in the shortest timeframe to show leadership in eliminating protectionism.

On June 9 WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy said that countries including the US and India conducted multilateral negotiations at the meeting and reached a consensus to resume the Doha Round.

The US government's new WTO representative Ron Kirk said the US expresses support for the Cairns Group's demand to resume Doha Round negotiations as soon as possible. The US will do its utmost to formulate a new framework for Doha Round negotiations by August.

Representatives at the meeting also called for open markets to be maintained in view of the economic recession and the Doha Round to be completed as early as possible. Each government should keep its promise to remove investment and trade obstacles and consolidate a global multilateral trade system.

The Cairns Group is an unofficial coalition made up of 15 countries that was founded in Cairns, Australia in 1986. During the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations, the Cairns Group served as a strong coalition to demand the elimination of trade barriers and the stable reduction of agricultural trade subsidies. Its members include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Paraguay, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand and Uruguay.