Weekly Review #210 - More funding for New Zealand's aerospace strategy

First up, we have news of more funding for New Zealand's aerospace strategy. An additional $12 million will be invested into the strategy on top of the $15.7 million from last year. The strategy will span the current decade and is built around five goals, including active space exploration and drone services.

Next, there's airport news from the UK with a new back-up control tower at Heathrow. The Virtual Contingency Facility (VCF), which is due to be operational in 2025, will be installed by NATS and will be based at the airport. NATS and Heathrow are working to increase the capability of the VCF to enable it to operate at 100% during the second phase of the project. 

In more airport news, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and UK Strategic Command (UKStratCom) have awarded RAF Akrotiri with a £66 million contract for a new terminal, including a new passenger and freight handling facility. This forms part of the APOLLO Programme to upgrade much of the infrastructure of MOD sites in Cyprus.

And in news from Asia, Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), was re-appointed Chair of the Asia Pacific Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) CEO Committee and member of the CANSO Executive Committee. Mr Han was first appointed Chair of the Asia Pacific CANSO CEO Committee in August 2021 and will serve another two-year term.

ANSP news

• A coordination meeting between BHANSA and BHDCA held in Mostar - At the meeting, a number of issues of importance for the cooperation of BHANSA and BHDCA were discussed, among which we highlight proposals for amendments to the Law on Aviation of BiH and the Law on Bosnia and Herzegovina Air Navigation Services Agency.
• New Zealand aerospace strategy backed by NZD12m additional funding - Unmanned airspace - New Zealand’s new aerospace strategy spans the current decade and is accompanied by NZD15.7 million announced in 2022 plus a further NZD12 million in 2023. The strategy is built around five goals with active space exploration and drone services among these.

Airports news

• £66 million contract awarded for new terminal at RAF Akrotiri - British Aviation Group - A £66 million contract has been awarded for the construction of a new Passenger Handling Facility at RAF Akrotiri in southern Cyprus.
• NATS to deploy new back-up control tower at Heathrow - Plans for a brand-new contingency control tower at Heathrow have been agreed, with NATS contracted to deliver the installation and transition of the new operations room.
• ACI World confirms top 20 busiest airports worldwide - Airports Council International World has published the latest World Airport Traffic Dataset, confirming the top 20 busiest airports in the world and revealing airport passenger, cargo, and aircraft movement rankings for over 2,600 airports across more than 180 countries and territories.

Market news

• Murzilli Consulting and GENIUS NY to provide start-ups with regulatory support - Murzilli Consulting and GENIUS NY are proud to announce a new partnership that will provide start-up participants in the GENIUS NY drone accelerator programme and portfolio with Murzilli Consulting in-house resources, to help them navigate complex regulatory frameworks and accelerate their path to revenue generation.

Context information

• CAAS Director-General re-appointed Asia Pacific Chair of CANSO - Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, was re-appointed Chair of the Asia Pacific Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation CEO Committee and member of the CANSO Executive Committee on 11 July 2023 for a new two-year term. Mr Han was first appointed Chair of the Asia Pacific CANSO CEO Committee on 19 August 2021.
• Ambassador of Turkey visits the director of Idac and shows interest in promoting exchange in civil aviation - The Ambassador of Turkey to the Dominican Republic, Yesim Kebapcioglu, visited the Director General of the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation Idac, Héctor Porcella, with whom she evaluated the potential for exchange and cooperation between the two countries, especially in aviation and tourism.
• CS SOFT received certificates from Ministry of Defence - In June 2023, CS SOFT received an Approval certificate from the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic for activities related to the military air ground facilities on the basis of compliance with the Czech Armed Forces Act.

Reports and data

• NAV CANADA reports June 2023 traffic figures - In June 2023 weighted charging units were higher on average by 8.0 percent compared to the same month in 2022. As compared to the same month in fiscal 2019, June 2023 weighted charging units were lower on average by 5.5 percent.

Research and innovation

• Driving research & innovation forward with the integration of RPAS into European airspace - Industrial research SESAR 3 JU Project IRINA - IFR RPAS Integration into European Airspace classes, takes off and is ready to push forward the research work on the integration of remote piloted aircraft systems into non-segregated airspace.
• Elevating Aviation Consultancy with LuciadLightspeed: A Visual Perspective - To70 - Data visualization is a cornerstone of aviation consultancy, playing a critical role in analyzing and presenting complex information. Hexagon LuciadLightspeed, a high-performance 2D and 3D geospatial visualization platform.
• Mitigating volatility in aviation and the impact on aircraft assets - Mitigating volatility in aviation and the impact on aircraft assets. How predictive insights can enhance decision making in aviation finance.