A China Eastern Boeing 737-800 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Lei Yan)
On March 21, a China Eastern Boeing 737-800 crashed in mountains near Wuzhou, China. The aircraft, B-1791, was operating flight MU5735 from Kunming to Guangzhou. As of this moment, all 132 passengers and crews onboard were confirmed lost in this tragic accident. Both black boxes, the flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) have been recovered from the crash site. However, the cause of this accident still remains unclear at this time.
The Crew and Aircraft
The aircraft operating MU5735, B-1791, was a Boeing 737-800 delivered to China Eastern in 2015. At the time of the flight, the aircraft only operated 8,986 flights with 18,239 flight hours. China Eastern is one of the largest carriers in China, and the company has rich experience operating this type of aircraft. The carrier maintained a good track record, with no fatal crashes in 18 years.
According to China Eastern, the nine crew members onboard were all highly skilled and experienced. The captain had 6,700 hours of Boeing 737, and the first officer of the day had over 31,000 flight hours in a variety of aircrafts. A flight cadet was also on board as a second officer with 500 flight hours.
China Eastern grounded all of its Boeing 737-800 fleet as a precautionary measure. Other carriers in China are operating the aircraft as usual.
According to the air traffic controller at the time, MU5735 did not send any distress signals between the time it started to dive and crashed into the mountains. The controller noticed the unusual descent and repeatedly called the crew over the radio. However, there was no response.
From The Crash Site
Both black boxes, the FDR and the CVR, have been recovered from the crash site. Officials say that the exterior of both recorders is severely damaged, and they have been sent to experts in Beijing for decoding.
DNA of all 132 passengers and crews were identified from the crash site, along with a handful of their personal belongings. Authorities organized their families to visit the site. Nobody on the ground was injured or killed.
There were no signs of explosives found on the crash site. The evidence shows that the aircraft was likely not brought down by a terrorist attack.
The aircraft was completely disintegrated into pieces because of the severe impact. According to the videos released to social media, the aircraft appeared to be completely vertical just moments before impacting the ground. However, a rare edge of the aircraft’s winglet was found 10 kilometers away from the crash site. Experts are trying to use all those clues to paint a picture of what could have caused MU5735 to take a fatal dive.
International Partners
As the manufacturer’s country, The United States expressed its condolences to the families of the deceased and committed to helping the Chinese authorities to investigate the accident. Air China has dispatched charters in recent days to Washington DC and Seattle. Charters appear to be chartered flights for Boeing and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators. Chinese authority has already issued visas to the NTSB investigators and experts. Of course, in the same way that people involved in car accidents use a car accident lawyer, we would expect the family of those involved to obtain legal advice.
Lei is from Inner Mongolia, China, and now lives in Guangzhou. He grew up in an aviation family, where his passion began. During his time at Penn State University, he studied Industrial Engineering specializing in operations research, and he graduated with an honor’s thesis on airport gate assignment optimization. Now, he is a Purchasing Manager with Procter & Gamble. In his free time, he enjoys flying, reading, and wandering around the city.
Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GebreMariam Retires
An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Last week, Ethiopian Airlines confirmed that CEO Tewolde GebreMariam has taken early retirement after more than a decade at the helm.
Tewolde Gebremariam, through a correspondence with Reuters, said last Wednesday he had resigned from his position which he held for 11 years, to focus on his medical treatment. He has been receiving medical treatment in the U.S for the past six months.
GebreMariam became the CEO of Ethiopian in January 2011 at a time when the airline operated around 33 aircraft. Over the past decade, its fleet has increased to 120 aircraft — with a further 36 on order.
His retirement as the CEO of the largest African airline is the latest in a leadership change at the continent’s largest carrier, and the new executives are tasked with driving the airline’s recovery in the post-pandemic time period.
Under GebreMariam’s leadership, the airline has grown by fourfold in all measurements and built more than USD 700 million worth of vital infrastructures like Africa’s biggest hotel, Cargo terminal, MRO hangars and shops, Aviation Academy and Full Flight Simulators.
His career also included a win for a number of accolades including “African CEO of the Year” and “Best African Business Leader.” GebreMariam has been at the airline for 37 years.
Airline’s New CEO
Meanwhile, Mesfin Tasew Bekele has been named as his replacement. He has 38 years of experience in airline management and operations. He has been the CEO of Lomé, Togo-based ASKY Airlines – a private multinational passenger airline serving west and central Africa where Ethiopian Airlines is a 40% shareholder since 2021.
Prior to that, Bekele also served as Ethiopian’s CCO from 2010 until leaving for ASKY.
Speaking on his appointment, Mesfin Tassew said, “I am honored and humbled to be appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group which I have been serving for nearly four decades in various positions. My new role gives me the opportunity to carry on with the fast and profitable growth of our beloved airline and take it to the next level. I call on all my colleagues at Ethiopian to join hands and forge ahead for further success.”
OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that capacity increased from 8.3 million seats in 2012 to 21.5 million in 2019, during GebreMariam’s time in charge,
However, passenger capacity dropped to 11.8 million due to the coronavirus-induced travel slow down in 2020, which then rebounded to 14.8 million last year. Operational figures from March 2022 show that the carrier is operating about 1.3 million monthly seats — about 77% of the total offered in March 2019 before the pandemic
In terms of destinations, Ethiopian is currently flying to 114 destinations around the world from its hub in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Victor Shalton's love for aviation can be traced to when he was 11-years-old. As a seasoned aviation writer, he takes pride in providing the best aviation coverage around the globe and is passionate about advancing his skills in the aviation space. In addition, he loves travelling, writing, arts and while his speaking engagements have taken him around the world, he is proud to call Nairobi home.
Looking out at an easyJet aircraft at London-Gatwick (Photo: Gatwick Airport)
London Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal has resumed its services on Mar. 27 — after a 21-month hiatus. According to the airport, it handled 570 flights, which was an increase from 300 flights a day, after the reopening of the South Terminal.
The South Terminal has been closed since Jun 2020 as a result of weak travel demand due to the pandemic.
“Reopening our South Terminal and the increase in the choice of flights our airlines are offering is also great news for our local communities, particular people and their families who rely on the airport for their livelihood and also a large number of support and supply businesses that demand on a successful airport,” Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick said.
In the wake of the South Terminal’s reopening, the airport has created 5,000 jobs across the airport and needed to hire 400 employees.
“This is an important moment, not only for Gatwick but for the whole aviation sector,” Robert Courts, Aviation Minister, said.
Following the U.K. government has scrapped the travel restriction on Mar. 18. The former second busiest airport is expecting a strong travel demand in summer. According to Gatwick, travelers can fly to over 30 long-haul destinations this summer.
After the pandemic, British Airways will resume its short-haul operations with 18 aircraft flying 35 routes under its brand-new Euroflyer at Gatwick. Meanwhile, EasyJet has leased British Airways’ slots — operating the greatest capacity at London’s Gatwick Airport with 120 routes and utilizing 79 aircraft.
Also, Air Transat is going to start operating in Montreal, Canada and Quebec, Canada in May. Gatwick will become the only airport in London to provide direct services to Quebec, Canada.
Earlier, Norse Atlantic Airways, a new Norwegian carrier, secured the slots at the airport, but the routes and date of launching remain uncertain due to the invasion of Ukraine. The new carrier has initially expected to start its first flights in June.
Gatwick has become the third busiest airport in the nation after the pandemic — following London’s Heathrow and Stansted. It handled 6.2 million passengers in 2021. Despite facing a significant drop in passenger capacity, the airport proposed a second runway. If the project is approved, the airport can handle 75 million passengers by 2038.
Nationwide Airtravel Rebound
Gatwick is not the only sector to experience recovery. London City Airport — one of Gatwick’s rivals — recorded its fourth consecutive busiest week. The airport has seen the return of business travelers after easing the travel restrictions.
Meanwhile, in response to the ease of travel restrictions, Manchester, U.K. Airport has announced the gradual reopening of Terminal Three on Mar. 27. and the aircraft will resume operating from both runways.
However, Manchester, U.K. Airport has been experiencing a shortage of staff during the demand surge for international travel. The travelers have been suffering from the long queue for passport control, check-in and baggage reclaim. Manchester airport has apologized to the travelers who were affected — anticipating that the current situation couldn’t be solved for several weeks.
A Qatar Airways Boeing 777 (A7-BEG) receives a water cannon salute as it arrives in Seattle. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)
Last year, I wrote about how Qatar Airways has a lot of potential with its loyalty program. The carrier had made a number of positive changes to its loyalty program during a time when a lot of airlines were cutting back on benefits and subsequently devaluing their programs.
Earlier this year in February, Qatar Airways announced that the airline will drop its QMiles and instead will be using Avios — the same loyalty program currency used by the International Airlines Group (IAG) carriers such as British Airways and Iberia. This made sense given that Qatar Airways owns a quarter of IAG.
There were some mixed thoughts about this. British Airways used Avios as their loyalty program currency and it wasn’t that compelling. High redemption costs and high fuel surcharges and taxes made the program relatively unattractive. There was concern that Qatar Airways may follow the same route as British Airways since they’d both be using Avios. However, it’s pretty clear now that Qatar Airways has realized its full potential when it comes to offering a valuable loyalty program.
Surcharges
Fortunately for consumers, this turned out to not be the case. The adoption of Avios did not mean that Qatar Airways would also be adopting British Airways’ loyalty business model.
Qatar Airways is charging some surcharges, but they’re relatively modest and in the hundreds of dollars that often come from redeeming Avios in the British Airways program. This is probably one of the biggest positives to come out of the program. This really makes it compelling for people to put effort into accruing Avios in Qatar Airways’ program because it genuinely provides a better alternative than certain other airlines.
Earning and Using Miles
In addition, there are a number of other benefits that come out of this switch to Avios.
The first and most notable is that Qatar Airways is now offering a commitment that on every flight, they will have at least 2 premium cabin award seats and 5 economy award seats available. This increases opportunities for frequent flyer program members to use their miles.
Over the past couple of months, Qatar Airways has made a concerted effort to improve its loyalty program and make it more relevant to people outside of its home base in Qatar. The airline offers a great product when it comes to flying but in many cases, the loyalty program was lacking. These recent changes are really changing the dynamic. The folks at Qatar Airways are figuring out how to leverage their brand through the loyalty program to drive people to Avios and therefore Qatar Airways.
In the United States, Avios is not a foreign loyalty program and is a common, popular mileage program for frequent fliers to use when planning a trip. People may already have Avios from flights flown on British Airways or Iberia.
In addition to that, it’s considerably easy for people to jump into the Avios program at Qatar Airways because people with points in banking and credit card loyalty programs can easily transfer their points into Avios to redeem, for flights with Qatar Airways.
This instant start with Qatar Airways allows someone who doesn’t regularly fly with the airline to build up a balance and start redeeming right away.
It took Qatar Airways some time to put the pieces together. However, they have finally realized their full potential and have put together a highly compelling loyalty program for people in both North America and Europe to easily participate in during their travels.
Hemal took his first flight at four years old and has been an avgeek since then. When he isn't working as an analyst he's frequently found outside watching planes fly overhead or flying in them. His favorite plane is the 747-8i which Lufthansa thankfully flies to EWR allowing for some great spotting. He firmly believes that the best way to fly between JFK and BOS is via DFW and is always willing to go for that extra elite qualifying mile. Hemal's opinions are his own and do not reflect those of his employer.
Breaking: Southern Airways Express Acquires Air Choice One
The logos of each airline, on their respective Cessna 208B Caravan (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Palm Beach, Fla.-based Southern Airways Express announced it is acquiring St. Louis, Mo.-based Air Choice One. This announcement also comes less than a month after major EAS carrier SkyWest requested to terminate 29 Essential Air Service cities around the country on March 10. While the deal hasn’t officially been approved by the DOT, the airline believes it will not have any regulatory difficulty as the carriers do not overlap on any routes or in any cities.
In a press release provided by the Southern, the airline said the move will “strengthen the Essential Air Service offerings to the marketplace.”
Although the Air Choice One branding will be retired soon, the carrier’s operating certificate won’t be terminated any time soon and will continue to operate under Air Choice One’s airline code, 3E. The three cities that Air Choice One currently operates in will be rebranded as Southern Airways Express by mid-Summer.
Air Choice One Cessna 208’s in Fort Dodge, a city they no longer fly to (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
In addition, passengers to those former Air Choice One cities will be able to take advantage of Southern’s ticketing and baggage agreements with Alaska, American and United Airlines around mid-summer as well. Air Choice One doesn’t have any interline or codeshare agreements. Current Air Choice One Chief Executive Officer Chane Storz will join the Southern Airways Express team as the Executive Vice President.
“This is yet another example of how Southern quickly adapts to the changing marketplace, Air Choice One has an incredibly positive reputation,” Southern Chairman and CEO Stan Little said in the statement. “So, combining their leadership team and assets into our company will allow us to quickly respond to the immediate need of providing affordable and reliable air service to more of rural America.”
This is the fifth airline Southern Airway Express has acquired in its short nine-year history.
Southern Airways Express was founded in 2013, and only a year later it acquired its first airline, Executive Express Aviation. With this acquisition, the airline gained an FAA charter certificate. In 2016, the company acquired Sun Air Express, which gave the carrier many of its currently operating EAS cities in the Northeast. With this merger, the company gained nine Piper PA-31 Navajos, which were soon retired in favor of Sun Air’s Cessna 208s, which are still with the airline.
Southern Airways Express current EAS cities in the northeast United States (Photo: Southern Airways Express)
In 2019, the company acquired Hawaii-based Mokulele Airlines, which is still operating as a separate brand in the islands and is now a parent company of Southern Airways Express. Although the exact number is unclear, this merger gave the Southern a total of at least 15 Cessna 208’s that Mokulele now uses in its Hawaii operations.
Mokulele Cessna 208’s in Honolulu (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
The fourth merger happened in the early days of the pandemic — March 2020. Southern acquired another Hawaii-based airline, Makani Kai Air, merged its operations with the Mokulele’s Hawaii bases, and painted those aircraft into the Mokulele livery. The airline gained six Cessna 208’s from this deal, and it also took hold of a few King Air 300s and a single Piper PA-31. Both of the latter types have been retired since 2020.
This most recent acquisition will give Southern Airways Express 12 more Cessna 208s and two Beech-1900s. These additional Cessna 208’s will bring the total number of aircraft operating under Southern Airways Express up to nearly 50. The total fleet consists of three King Air 200s and two Saab340s, while the remaining nearly 45 aircraft are all Cessna-208s. The airline mentioned that the Air Choice One’s B1900 may stick around for a few weeks, but with the new Saab340 at Southern, the B1900 is not part of the airline’s long-range plan.
This will also bring the number of destinations served by the carrier up to 41 cities and with 222 peak day departures. The airline will only be gaining three new destinations — St. Louis, Nashville, and Jonesboro, Ark. the latter of which is an EAS city — and two routes from Air Choice One.
The airline’s destinations will stretch from Nantucket in the northeast to Honolulu in the southwest. The airline operates hubs in Dallas, Denver, Honolulu, Kahului, Los Angeles, Memphis, Pittsburgh, and Washington D.C. This number also includes flights under seaplane airline Tailwind, which operates a hub in Manhattan and partners with Southern Airways Express on the routes.
Southern Airways Express current route map, not including Air Choice One cities (Photo: Southern Airways Express)
Despite the large number of destinations it operates and the complexity of its network, the airline has consistently been ranked as one of the most reliable and on-time airlines in the country, completing 99.3% of its nearly 64,000 annual flights on time, excluding issues due to weather.
While the airline said it cannot disclose its strategy prior to the EAS bid deadline, the company did tell AirlineGeeks that, regarding the 29 EAS communities SkyWest to which has announced it will terminate service, “It is highly likely that Southern will bid on a majority of these cities.”
Joey has always been interested in planes for as long as he can remember. He grew up in Central New York during the early 2000s when US Airways Express turboprops ruled the skies. Being from a non-aviation family made it harder for him to be around planes and would only spend about three hours a month at the airport. He was so excited when he could drive by himself, the first thing he did with his driver's license was get ice cream and go plane spotting for the entire day. He graduated from Western Michigan University in 2022 with a B.S. in Aviation Management & Operations and a Minor in Business, and currently works for a major airline in his hometown.
ITA Airways’ First Airbus A350 is Ready to begin Service
ITA Airways' first Airbus A350. (Photo: ITA Airways)
ITA Airways, Italy’s national airline, has painted the first Airbus A350 in its fleet. As it was already confirmed in January 2022 that the Airbus A350s that will join the ITA Airways fleet starting from June 2022 are the ones that previously belonged to the Chinese carrier Hainan Airlines.
The planes were never delivered to the Chinese airline due to financial problems. The Italian airline chose to lease six Airbus A350s for the long-haul, to complete the modernization of the fleet and thus pursue the green goal of reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 25%.
The aircraft is an Airbus A350 900 that was built in 2018 and has never been in service, so it is practically new. This will be the flagship aircraft as well as the largest in ITA Airways’ current fleet and will be used for intercontinental routes especially to North America.
The aircraft has been named after the coach who led the Italian national soccer team to victory in the 2006 World Cup, Marcello Lippi. The Airbus A350 is usually available in 2 versions, and the one chosen by ITA Airways is the 900, with 315 seats in a 3-class configuration. Although not much is known about the interiors yet, their fittings had already been completed for Hainan Airlines and therefore do not match those of ITA Airways. We will see in the coming days how this situation will be handled.
Another goal of the Italian national airline is therefore completed. The Airbus A350 was one of the airline’s main targets, being a key aircraft for the long-haul focus. From the beginning of May 2022, ITA Airways will introduce more routes to North America, Boston, Miami and Los Angeles, to South America with Buenos Aires and San Paulo and finally to Tokyo Haneda.
ITA Airways’ fleet continues to expand and it is anticipated that by the end of 2025, the fleet will consist of 17 owned aircraft and 88 leased aircraft. In 2028, 11 Airbus A320neo aircraft are expected to be added, so ITA Airways will own 28 aircraft.
From the promotional video presenting the new aircraft during the paint job, you can see the logo of SkyTeam, the alliance of which ITA Airways is currently a member. However, various rumors have brought the Italian flag carrier closer to Star Alliance, also considering the choice of being linked to SkyTeam for only one year. This opens up the possibility of new scenarios upon expiry of the contract term, i.e. at the end of 2022, given that if an agreement is reached for the purchase of ITA Airways by the Lufthansa group, this could mean an automatic switch to Star Alliance.
Vincenzo graduated in 2019 in Mechanical Engineering with an aeronautical curriculum, focusing his thesis on Human Factors in aircraft maintenance. In 2022 he pursued his master's degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Palermo, Italy. He combines his journalistic activities with his work as a Reliability Engineer at Zetalab.
A Kenya Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner
(Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
Kenya Airways has appointed Seabury Consulting, part of Accenture, to advise its board on the restructuring process being undertaken by the airline in restructuring its debt as well as advising the board on growing revenues on a long-term business plan.
Confirming the deal, KQ Board Chairman Michael Joseph said, “They [Seabury Consulting] will assist with the restructuring as part of the financial support from the National Treasury.”
According to the IMF, the retention of an international aviation consultant to prepare an in-depth financial assessment of Kenya Airways was highlighted as essential for the country’s state-owned enterprises (SOE) strategy as reported by the multinational agency in June 2021.
“Given the special circumstances and uncertainty facing the global airline industry, Kenya Airways has retained an international aviation expert to assist in defining a set of strategies for its future. Kenya Airways has experienced losses in recent years and faces significant future challenges. Sector-specific expertise will contribute to a better understanding of major trends in the regional and local aviation market, the formulation of a viable business model for Kenya Airways and ensure the consideration of all least cost alternatives for the Exchequer,” the IMF said.
While Seabury works on its report, the Kenyan legacy carrier is set to begin another painful restructuring that could see a significant number of employees getting fired as the airline seeks to remain airborne.
Meanwhile, the Kenyan government also plans to inject another 26.56 billion Kenyan shillings ($233.7 million) into the cash-strapped airline according to a supplementary budget estimates by the National Treasury presented to Parliament recently.
This is on top of 53.4 billion shillings in direct budget support already allocated to the airline for the fiscal year ending June 2022, with the government having promised to absorb 92.5 billion shillings of its debts accumulated by the end of 2020.
The extra allocation to the airline and other parastatals constitutes the highest of the National Treasury’s extra spending of 108.5 billion shillings in the fiscal year ending June 2022, aimed at alleviating unforeseen expenditure due to a drought in parts of the country, security, a petrol subsidy, payments for Covid-19 vaccines, and a general election in August, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani told the Kenyan Parliament. It also represents a 3.3% increase in the national budget presented in April 2021, thus raising the country’s fiscal deficit from 7.5% of gross domestic product to 8.1%, reported Business Daily.
Kenya’s Business Daily reported the airline needs funds for the maintenance of grounded aircraft, payment of salaries, and the settling of utility bills, and to ease the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on travel demand. Kenya Airways is at risk of running out of funds amid reluctance by commercial banks to extend further liquidity.
The government last year decided to reverse earlier plans to nationalize the national carrier and will instead look at other ways to safeguard money it has loaned the carrier, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Victor Shalton's love for aviation can be traced to when he was 11-years-old. As a seasoned aviation writer, he takes pride in providing the best aviation coverage around the globe and is passionate about advancing his skills in the aviation space. In addition, he loves travelling, writing, arts and while his speaking engagements have taken him around the world, he is proud to call Nairobi home.
Regional Express Boeing 737-800 flight over Sydney. Photo: Regional Express, 2021
Australian regional airline Regional Express (Rex) is set to continue its domestic expansion, adding new routes formerly operated by Virgin Australia, entering new Air Ambulance contracts, and even contributing 1 million Australian dollars to areas affected by the recent floods in both Queensland and New South Wales – this in addition to its acquirement of a second aviation academy in 2019.
The regional airline, which grew to prominence after the collapse of Ansett Australia in 2002, has slowly been growing in significance and operations, taking over several major inter-state routes in 2020 after Virgin Australia was unable to sustain its operations in the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. This expansion saw Rex increase the size and scope of its fleet, adding six Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft to its existing array of turboprop aircraft with the goal of further fleet expansion.
Domestic Routes Expanding
In early 2020, Rex obtained six Boeing 737-800NG aircraft as it commenced major inter-city domestic route operations, having recently expanded to include all major eastern Australian cities. This so-called ‘Golden Triangle’, which connects the cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, are considered Australia’s busiest routes. Together with flight routes including Canberra and the Gold Coast, Rex has expanded its network to 62 routes around Australia.
Rex continues to reinforce its expanded operations, flying three daily flights between Sydney and Brisbane during the five-day working week and doubling this on weekends. It’s a positive outcome despite resistance from Australian flagship airline Qantas, which is accused of engaging in anti-competitive behavior against Rex. These actions from Qantas have been viewed as typical by Rex, having commenced legal remedies for Qantas’ behavior in 2021. Qantas was found guilty in 2007, 2008 and 2011 of price-fixing in the US, Australia and New Zealand respectively.
Rex Enters Air Ambulance Operations
Rex, under its subsidiary company Pel-Air’s subcontractor Total Aerospace Solutions, commenced its New South Wales air ambulance operations earlier this year on January 1, having received five new aeromedical Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft between December 2020 and June 2021. In future-proofing the contract, two Pilatus PC-24 will enter service in 2023, replacing two of the five King Air 350s.
The 10-year contract has been complemented by Ambulance Victoria’s 12-year aeromedical contract, set to begin in 2024, worth a total of 300 million Australian dollars, requiring another four King Air 350s to be delivered later this year.
The aircraft will be used for patient transport as well as complex life-support operations across a vast range of areas in both states, each being described as a “hospital in the sky” by the NSW State Government.
Rex Disaster Relief Fund
The Rex Disaster Relief Fund will be providing up to AU$1 million to areas affected by the recent catastrophic floods. The months of February and March brought massive flooding to the eastern coast of Australia, resulting in enormous damage to many homes and at one point shutting access to Sydney’s CBD.
Rex says it is staying true to its tagline ‘Our Heart is in the Country,’ offering applications for free passenger and freight transport for those affected by the major flooding, particularly for towns it has long service. The support comes on the back of the deadly 2019-2020 bushfires and floods that followed.
Mike’s love affair with flight and mechanical objects in the sky began at an early age, fascinated by space documentaries and the vintage Flight Simulator ’95. He currently works as an instructor for UAVs and is training to receive his Private Pilot Licence with the goal of working in manned flight instruction. An avid reader of all things aviation and manned space flight, Mike stays close to developments in aerospace while reminiscing and sharing the rich history of flight with others. He loves writing, engineering and science.
A Mokulele Airlines' Cessna 208B in Waimea (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Those that have read my stories and interviews know that I love out of the way or unique airlines, especially the smaller ones that still fly the propeller-driven aircraft. So, I was overjoyed to hear that I would be heading out to the Hawaiian Islands to do something that has been on my bucket list for a long time; Island hopping on Mokulele Airlines Cessna 208s.
Although this is not a trip report, those will be coming soon. While in the islands I once again had the pleasure of talking with Keith Sisson, the Chief Marketing Officer of Southern Airways Express the company that owns Mokulele Airlines, about this very unique operation in the Hawaiian Islands.
AirlineGeeks (AG): Mokulele is a unique brand from its parent company Southern Airways Express. Other than the livery, will passengers find anything else different from these flights in Hawai’i and Southern Airways Express flights on the mainland?
Keith Sisson (KS): Very few things are different. We work hard to make sure our customer service, our airplanes, and our on-time performance are standard across all five U.S. time zones we serve. You might see a bit more casual vibe among our staff in Hawaii reflecting the realities of island life, but the professional way they do their job is no different.
Mokulele Cessna 208’s in Honolulu (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
(AG): I have heard that Hawai’i is all about the “Aloha spirit”, how does the airline try to incorporate this into their brand/livery?
(KS): The “Aloha Spirit” can mean so many things. For us, it means community engagement with our brand. We sponsor countless events and charitable fundraisers. Recently, we were the title sponsor for a food drive on Big Island that raised over 50,000 pounds of food for local food banks. We are also actively involved with the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, a non-profit that provides legal assistance to families who are engaged in conflicts that involve protecting the culture and traditions of Hawaii’s indigenous people. As to the livery, you’ll certainly notice that the Magnolia leaf on Southern’s blue tails has been replaced with a local hibiscus on Mokulele’s red tails!
(AG): You mentioned Southern’s blue tails, I know you have said the Mokulele name will stay alive here in the islands, but what about the Mokulele livery, what will happen to that?
(KS): A very good question. We have begun a slow process of transforming the red and orange of the Mokulele brand to conform to the navy blue and powder blue that we have at Southern. There is not a time frame set to complete the transition. As planes get repainted or signs get updated, the blues will be used.
N31SA, the first Mokulele aircraft wearing the post-merger livery in Moloka’i (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
(AG): Every AvGeek loves a special livery, does Mokulele have any?
(KS): Actually, yes! N2150, this was the Big Island Air Tour Plane. That ceased operations as a result of COVID. We entered into an agreement to take the aircraft at that time. They used this aircraft for tours of Hawaii Island. The imagery on the aircraft is a combination of local folklore and popular attractions.
Mokulele Airlines’ special livery in Waimea (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
(AG): Kaua’i is the only major Hawaiian island you don’t currently fly to, presumably due to the distance and restrictions of single-engine aircraft over water. Do you see the airline adding flights to this island with your new Saab340 aircraft?
(KS): We fully intend on serving that island, though not with the Saab. Instead of the main city of Lihue, we are hoping to provide scheduled flights to an unserved airport on the other side of the island, Princeville. For this, we have looked at a few different options, including the King Air Super 200. We have also taken a close look at the Tecnam Traveler and even took a demo flight near our Palm Beach, Florida headquarters. The Traveler may be a good solution for this service. No decision is made, but hopefully, we may be able to make an announcement this fall.
(AG): How has the pandemic affected your inter-island operations?
(KS): One could write a book on this subject. Two airlines did not survive the travel restrictions imposed by the State. Mokulele operated flights to five of the six islands, even in the most restrictive time of inter-island air travel. We felt an obligation to keep the islands connected as we were moving state officials, health workers, and PPE throughout the state. It was a difficult time for all. We have rebounded and have been able to provide the inter-island community with the flights they need over the last several months.
Onboard a Mokulele Cessna 208 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
(AG): Did any of the smaller islands/communities have their own set of health travel restrictions? How was this dealt with from a passenger’s perspective?
(KS): It was highly confusing for us as the airline, so I can’t even imagine how confusing it was for our passengers. There wasn’t a unified state-wide policy. Every county had its own set of rules, and they changed rather frequently. So, you could fly to a neighbor island and have one set of restrictions, then return to your home island and have a totally different set of rules. We did our best to adapt and to help our passengers adapt, I would never want to have to go through that again!
(AG): Inter-Island travel restrictions have finally begun to lift over the past month or so, have you seen this affect your bookings recently?
(KS): Inter-Island travel rebounded in late summer when the restrictions first lifted. We saw an overnight increase in bookings, but local traffic is still not back to 2019 levels. We believe this can be related to multiple factors, including more work-from-home jobs that do not require as much travel as in the past. Also, some of the older residents are still not comfortable returning to a pre-pandemic mindset.
(AG): Once the travel restrictions are fully lifted, do you see the airline expanding within the islands?
(KS): The only place we can expand to is Kauai—we already serve 10 commercial airports in the state! We hope we can make this happen this year, especially if the Asian countries lift the restrictions on returning residents who travel abroad. Many European countries have already done so. In Hawaii, Asian traffic is still down over 90% from 2019. So, we could be in for quite a boom when normalcy finally returns.
A Mokulele Cessna 208 seconds away from touching down at Kahului Intl. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
(AG): Many airlines have faced pilot shortages which have led to flight cancelations, has Mokulele faced any pilot shortages?
(KS): Absolutely not! At Southern Airways and Mokulele, we create pilots. We train the first officers and help them build hours until they are qualified to become captains for us. Then, we pass them along to SkyWest, our regional airline partner. When a young pilot starts with us, they have a fast pathway to the major airlines, so we have hundreds of pilots applying every month to join our team. Southern and Mokulele are uniquely positioned to survive and thrive during the worldwide pilot shortage—our passengers can book with confidence that they will have a plane and crew ready to go when they are!
(AG): What is Mokulele’s busiest route?
(KS): It is hard to say. Kapalua has become very popular as the resorts have reopened. Hilo to Kahului was underserved as a result of COVID and has been a very nice surprise. Molokai to Honolulu is quite popular during certain peak times of the week.
A Mokulele Cessna 208 on approach to Kahului Intl. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
(AG): Would you say you transport more locals or tourists on Mokulele?
(KS): Now that we have our interline agreements in place with United, Alaska, and American we are starting to see a better balance, but Mokulele was founded on the idea of serving the locals, which in Hawaiian is ‘Kamaaina’, and that is something we take great pride in.
Joey has always been interested in planes for as long as he can remember. He grew up in Central New York during the early 2000s when US Airways Express turboprops ruled the skies. Being from a non-aviation family made it harder for him to be around planes and would only spend about three hours a month at the airport. He was so excited when he could drive by himself, the first thing he did with his driver's license was get ice cream and go plane spotting for the entire day. He graduated from Western Michigan University in 2022 with a B.S. in Aviation Management & Operations and a Minor in Business, and currently works for a major airline in his hometown.
Photo provided by Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Ocean Infinity, a reputable technology company specializing in the collection of high-resolution seabed data, has committed to another search for MH370, just under four years after their first search came to a hapless end.
The announcement comes eight years after Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 took off from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, bound for the Chinese capital, Beijing. The reinstated search for the aircraft could begin as early as next year.
The Boeing 777-200ER with 227 passengers and 12 crew took off at 12:40 a.m. without incident. At 1:19 a.m., just 39 minutes after takeoff, Captain Ahmad Zahari Shah, a pilot with over 33 years of experience, radioed Malaysian air traffic control with a brief message: “Good night, Malaysia Three-Seven-Oh”, and disappeared over the Indian Ocean.
Following the aircraft’s disappearance, the Malaysian government began their attempt to locate the missing aircraft and occupants onboard. For years, local government and private companies have all attempted to locate the airliner, utilizing ships and aircraft from Australia, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States, all to no avail.
With the exception of a few pieces from the aircraft washed ashore on different coastlines including debris from the flaperon, engine cowling, flap fairing, horizontal stabilizer, vertical stabilizer, cabin divider bulkhead, etc., there is still no conclusion to the final resting location of the aircraft. Experts theorize that the 777 continued its flight south for a few hours — off course to the north-eastern route towards Beijing — and now rests somewhere on the bottom of the Indian Ocean.
There is a wide range of theories on the cause of the disappearance of flight 370. These range from lack of fuel to suicide by a pilot. The only thing investigators are fairly certain of is that the aircraft manually changed course after the last radio message and that the aircraft fuselage broke apart – either in the air or on impact.
After many years and upwards of $145 million spent trying to locate the aircraft with no results, the official search came to an end in 2018.
Ocean Infinity’s first search covered an area a little under 70,000 square miles of the Indian Ocean seabed utilizing a deep-sea survey vessel named the Seabed Constructor. The total area covered by the company was in far excess of the initial 16,000 square mile target and almost the same area as the previous search achieved in 2.5 years.
Ocean Infinity has plans to send its state-of-the-art autonomous vessels back into the Indian Ocean, however this time, they’ll be complemented by new, remotely operated ships that are currently in the process of being built.
“They’re probably the most modern, cutting edge ships in the world. And one of the things we’re working on is the regulatory framework for a ship that can be driven with no person on board,” stated Ocean Infinity CEO, Oliver Plunkett.
Newfound Hope
Recently on 60 Minutes, respected British aerospace engineer and physicist Richard Godfrey made the bold statement that he knows the precise location of MH370. He claims that he accomplished this through the use of ham radio, analyzing distinct disturbances in radio waves from takeoff to the end.
He is the first and only one to investigate the signals of the ham radio operators on the night the plane went missing.
Ocean Infinity’s search will hopefully provide insight into whether Godfrey’s claims are true. Until then, the families of the 239 passengers and crew on board continue to hang onto the hope that the company can bring their losts ones home — providing the long-awaited closure they’ve been looking for.
However, before Ocean Infinity can embark on its multimillion-dollar investigation, they still need to gain approval from the owners of the airline — the Malaysian authorities.
Chase Hagl grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho. His love and passion for Aviation landed him in Orem, Utah where he obtained a B.S. in Aviation Management with a minor in Business Management from Utah Valley University. Chase currently works as a flight attendant in Charleston, SC and is also the primary Inflight ASAP ERC representative for startup airline, Breeze Airways. His experience in the aviation industry spans back four years, working in areas including agriculture application, customer service, maintenance, and flight ops. In his free time, Chase enjoys road biking, astronomy, and flying.
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