Aviation World 1/2016

Aviation World
1/2016
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Airport –
the Digital
Way
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Dear Reader,
Over the years, passengers’ needs have changed significantly, especially when it comes
to travel-related information about their time at the airport as well as their overall journey. For example, passengers want to know: “How can I find my gate; is my flight on
schedule; how can I use the waiting time before my departure?” Most passengers now
look for answers to these and other questions using personal digital devices such as
smartphones, tablets or laptops that they take with them when traveling. Consequently,
the airport operator Fraport has been responding to the changing need for travel information through various initiatives at Frankfurt Airport. These include free, round-theclock Wi-Fi in the terminals and the FRA App, which we recently updated with new features and functionality. Because individual projects are not enough, we are approaching
the need for increased information and services with a targeted digitalization strategy
that uses a range of distribution “channels” to serve our passengers as best as possible.
We present our digitalization strategy in the cover story of Aviation World (page 4).
Dr. Stefan Schulte,
Executive Board Chairman
Fraport AG
Digitalization is a key factor for strengthening Frankfurt Airport’s competitive position,
now and in the future. Another important step for securing FRA’s long-term competitiveness was taken last October with the ground-breaking ceremony for Terminal 3.
The state-of-art Terminal 3 is essential for meeting growing traffic as well as the increasing needs of travelers. This is underscored by the record traffic figure reached in 2015,
when FRA exceeded the 60 million mark for the first time, welcoming more than 61
million passengers.
To make sure that all of these passengers feel at home at FRA – and come back again –
Fraport has implemented many new products and concepts since 2010 under its
“Great to have you here!” service quality program. On page 14, you can read more
about our service innovations in the area of “Art, Culture & Atmosphere” along with
further planned innovations for travelers from around the globe.
Sincerely,
Dr. Stefan Schulte
Executive Board Chairman
Fraport AG
04 Airport – the Digital Way
03 Fraport World
Will 2016 Be Another Record Year?
14 New Airports
Fraport Also Focusing on Sustainability in Procurement
Active Noise Abatement Proving Effective
Initiative E-PORT AN Receives Award
A Sign for Our Customers
14 Wow Effect Instead of Monotony
16 Airline World
Tradition Lives On
Singapore Airlines Cargo Renews Agreement with FCS
Eagerly Anticipated First Flight
China Airlines Using New Boeing 777–300 in Frankfurt
Vietnam Airlines Using A350 in Frankfurt
Emirates Doubles A380 Flights from Frankfurt
20 Airline Interview: Air Canada
23 People World
New Senior Manager for Ground Handling
Swiss: New Station Manager
El Al: New General Manager for Germany & Austria
Air India Repositions Itself in Frankfurt
Fraport World
3
Will 2016 Be Another Record Year?
Last year, the number of passengers traveling through Frankfurt Airport
topped 60 million for the first time
The old 50-million mark had endured for
eleven years, but on December 22 it was
finally superseded when 13-year-old
Antonia Hein from Fulda became the first
60-millionth passenger at Frankfurt Airport
in one year. She was there with her parents and two siblings to take a Condor
flight to Cape Town, South Africa, to visit
her older sister. While the Hein family got
to enjoy a special start to their vacation
with a limousine service and a party at the
gate, reaching 60 million passengers was
a very important milestone for Frankfurt
Airport. Fraport Executive Board member
Anke Giesen also emphasized that the
company was entering new dimensions
when the new record was reached.
By the end of the year, there had been
more than another million passengers (resulting in a total of 61,040,613). Frankfurt
therefore welcomed around 2.5 percent
more passengers in 2015 than it had in the
previous year. Without the strike-related
flight cancelations and all other extraordinary cancelations, for example due to extreme weather, the number of passengers
could even have risen by an estimated
3.8 percent. Executive Board member
Giesen remarked: “This continuous growth
is possible only thanks to the outstanding
performance of all airport employees and
excellent cooperation with the airlines.”
Fraport also took the milestone as an opportunity to say thank you.
Just a question of time: the 70-million mark
Overall, passenger growth at Frankfurt
Airport is in line with expectations. Assessments prepared for the construction of
Terminal 3 indicate that the 70-million
Antonia Hein, pictured with Dr. Jens Boyd, Director Long Haul & Revenue Management at Condor (left), and Anke
Giesen, Executive Director Operations at Fraport AG (right), was delighted at the record.
mark will be reached in the early 2020s.
To ensure that the airport will also be fit
for these new record figures, an important
basis for its future viability was established
last year with the ground-breaking ceremony for Terminal 3.
The airport has now started 2016 with a
record-breaking January: 4.2 million pas-
51,098,271
61,040,613
2004
2015
40,271,919
30,758,852
20,271,197
10,584,667
1971
1985
1992
The next barrier was broken in each of these years.
1997
sengers, 2.2 percent more than in the previous year. But it will be a few months still
until it is possible to say whether FRA is
on track for a new record. Perhaps Antonia
Hein will also contribute to this again. To
mark the milestone, she received a travel
voucher worth €1,000 from Fraport and a
flight voucher for all six members of her
family from Condor.
A record year
The airport also recorded the busiest
day in its history in terms of passenger numbers in 2015: August 2
marked a new historic daily record of
approximately 217,500 passengers.
The number of passengers reached or
exceeded 200,000 on 63 days.
4
Fraport World – Keynote
Fraport World – Keynote
5
The airport as a place for mobile Internet –
nowadays, almost all passengers travel with
Airport –
the Digital Way
smartphones, tablets or laptops. That is why the
airport operator intends to provide them with
even better digital information in the future.
“Globally, more people now have access
to a mobile device than to a toothbrush.”
Whether this much-quoted statement is
really true or not, there is no doubt that
smartphones, tablets and laptops are
everywhere. And that is a fact with consequences for many areas of our lives. Mobile
devices have altered the way we communicate, the way we obtain information, the
way we get around and the way we shop.
As a result, the information requirements
of passengers and visitors at Frankfurt
Airport have changed compared with just
a few years ago. Hence why Fraport has
launched a new digital campaign.
Digital travel services
The airport company has increasingly
rolled out digital services in recent years,
from the www.frankfurt-airport.de website and the FRA app to free Internet access for passengers. “Our digitalization
campaign is not about entering uncharted
territory, but simply about adopting a
more targeted approach,” says Kai
Schmidhuber, Senior Vice President of
Fraport’s Multichannel department, which
was created especially for this purpose.
Since mid-2015, Schmidhuber has been
supported by a 30-man-strong team
largely consisting of e-commerce experts
and Frankfurt Airport specialists. Their
strategy is focused on assistance and information services and, in particular, retail. “In the future, passengers will benefit
from the supplementary services provided
by Frankfurt Airport throughout the
course of their journey – not just digitally
but also in the terminals.”
Some changes have already been made
(see next page for details). The airport
portal at www.frankfurt-airport.de and
the FRA app have been comprehensively
overhauled, and a trial of an interactive
service desk is underway in Terminal 1.
The main innovations include the introduction of an online shopping platform,
6
Fraport World – Keynote
and the launch of a rewards program
for passengers and visitors at Frankfurt
Airport.
The bigger picture
However, the various projects do not exist
in isolation. They form part of an integrated concept. “Taken together, they
will further improve the quality of stay enjoyed by the passengers,” Schmidhuber
explains. The way in which the various
services could interact to form a bigger
picture is illustrated by this example: A
transfer passenger lands in Area A20 of
Terminal 1, but his connecting flight is in
Terminal 2. Before taking off from his departure airport, he can book an exclusive
gate-to-gate service online using the website www.frankfurt-airport.de to pick him
up at the arrival gate and guide him to the
departure gate. An interactive service
desk provides information on whether his
connecting flight is on time and where
the nearest food and drink options are.
Via QR code, he transfers the directions to
the restaurant using the FRA app on his
smartphone. Before taking off again, the
passenger picks up from various airport
shops the purchases he made using the
shopping portal while waiting for his
food.
Agenda for 2016
As Head of Multichannel, Schmidhuber
reports that the experiences of the first
few months have shown that passengers
are responding extremely well to these
new services. He is particularly satisfied
with the first months of the shopping
portal: “Orders and registration numbers
for the rewards scheme are growing continuously,” says Schmidhuber. The most
active target groups include Russian,
Chinese and US passengers. Accordingly,
the expansion of the rewards scheme and
the product range available on the shopping portal will be right at the top of the
agenda for the digitalization campaign in
2016.
More and more passengers are
using digital channels to find
out about the services offered by
Frankfurt Airport.
Fraport World – Keynote
7
Navigation – the Digital Way
The new Interactive Airport Desk – “I-AID”
for short – represents a milestone in customer-oriented digitalization at Frankfurt
Airport. I-AID is a digital guide, a state-ofthe-art multi-touch table that is operated
by tapping, swiping, scrolling and sliding –
just like a big tablet. One particular highlight is the interactive map. Passengers
can scan their boarding card and are
shown the optimal route to the right gate,
including the restaurants and shops they
will encounter along the way. The route
and the walking time can then be easily
transferred to the new FRA app on the
smartphone. The Interactive Airport Desk
is currently in the testing stage. It is located in Departure Area Z on Level 3 in
Terminal 1. Up to seventeen of these big
touchscreens will be placed throughout
the terminals as the project progresses.
Like a giant tablet: the new Interactive Airport Desk, which is currently being tested.
“Our digitalization campaign is not about entering uncharted
territory but simply about adopting a more targeted approach.”
“Kai Schmidthuber, Senior Vice President Multichannel at Fraport AG
Getting Around More Easily
The Frankfurt Airport app has
been completely overhauled in
with the App
terms of its design and content.
The app has also been overhauled with a
wide range of new functions. For example,
today it is possible to photograph the
terminal signs and translate them into six
different languages. The indoor navigation feature helps users to easily find
their way through the terminals while
highlighting shopping outlets and services that match their preferences. In
addition to German and English versions,
a Chinese (Mandarin) version of the app
is also available, which has been adapted
to the wishes and expectations of the
growing number of Chinese passengers.
8
Fraport World – Keynote
With the new shopping partnership, you can
simply wait for your purchases at the gate.
Online Shopping at the Airport
Launching and expanding online shopping is
a key element of the digitalization campaign.
Fraport’s online shopping platform,
Frankfurt Airport Shopping, was launched
in late 2015. This blend of online shopping and in-store retail provides attractive
added value to passengers. They can look
at and compare products in advance on
the Internet or using the app, then view
their chosen goods and get advice at the
Shop at the airport from the comfort of your home and
pick up conveniently in store.
airport. The platform was launched with
Duty Free and Travel Value from “Gebr.
Heinemann,” high-quality gourmet products from “Caviar House & Prunier,” and
PAX Airport Shopping with numerous
electronic goods stores. Further shops
will follow, thereby gradually mirroring
the airport shopping range on a digital
platform.
More than 15,000 products can already
be found on the new portal. The entire
product range can be viewed online, reserved conveniently and collected at
dedicated in-store pick-up points on the
passengers’ way to their gate. In the near
future, an online payment system will be
introduced, as well as delivery to the passenger’s departure gate or even to their
home address.
Partnership with Lufthansa
Delivering online purchases to the departure gate has already been realized thanks
to a partnership between Fraport and
Deutsche Lufthansa. The partners intend
to work together to establish additional
online shopping and ordering services for
Frankfurt Airport. Since the start of the
pilot project in February, passengers using
selected Lufthansa lounges at Frankfurt
Airport have been able to purchase exclusive products from airport shops, using
the tablets provided, including delivery
to the lounge within half an hour. A corresponding service will soon be available
for inbound passengers: in-flight shopping. The online product portfolio of the
shopping partnership ranges from gourmet food products and spirits to accessories, travel products and leather goods.
The product range will be extended over
the next few months.
Gourmet service
Another additional pilot project of Fraport
and Lufthansa was launched with a view
to exploiting new digital opportunities.
As part of the “Taste & Travel” gourmet
service, Lufthansa passengers can use
tablets in the check-in area and near
security control to order meals of their
choice for delivery to their departure
gate.
Fraport World – Keynote
Internet Portal Cleaned Up
and Expanded
The airport’s most important online presence, its website at www.frankfurt-airport.
de, dates back to the mid-1990s and has
since been revised several times. As well
as updating the design, the latest overhaul added new features such as the shopping portal. The website provides all the
relevant information about the airport for
passengers and visitors in German, English
and Chinese – optimized for all devices.
Whether before your trip or at the airport itself, the website offers all kinds of
useful information.
4.8
billion mobile users worldwide in 2015,
according to Cisco.
The telecommunications company estimates that there will
be 5.5 billion by 2020.
When Shopping Is Twice as Rewarding
With the newly launched “Frankfurt Airport
Rewards” scheme, passengers can now
enjoy benefits in return for purchases on
the new online platform and in store. Participants receive a bonus point for each
euro they spend, which they can redeem
directly in exchange for attractive benefits
and rewards – even on the same day.
Rewards include coupons for further purchases, services or parking in the terminal.
The rewards scheme is integrated into the
FRA app, so passengers can use it conveniently without needing a separate card.
Attractive bonus points are now offered for each purchase.
9
10
Fraport World
14 New Airports
By the end of 2016, Fraport will start operating at
14 regional airports in Greece
Despite 2015 being a year of suspense – with two
rounds of elections, austerity packages, financial
aid and other challenges – Greece had one shining
bright spot last year: a booming tourism sector.
2015 was a record year for travel and tourism, with
26 million people visiting Greece to enjoy the
country’s renowned Mediterranean climate, hospitality, culture and history. Most of these guests
traveled to Greece by plane. In the near future,
vacationers will be able to land at an airport operated by Fraport.
In December 2015, Fraport and its Greek partner,
the Copelouzos Group, signed concession contracts
with the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund
(HRADF) – Greece’s state-owned privatization fund
– for the operation of 14 mainland and island airports. This was the climax of a privatization process
launched by HRADF in early 2013. Several procedural steps are still required – ratification of the
privatization by the Greek parliament is still outstanding and all contractual partners have to meet
the contract conditions – before the so-called
“closing” takes place in the fall of 2016. At this
time, the Fraport consortium will pay an upfront
concession fee of €1.234 billion for operation of
the regional airports over the next four decades.
Greece will still retain ownership of the airports.
Securing and enhancing the position
Fraport AG Executive Board Chairman Dr. Stefan
Schulte remarked: “We have been strongly committed to implementing this project and see it as a
real win-win situation, both for the company and
also for Greece and its population.” During the
40-year concession, the Fraport consortium will be
in charge of operations and management of the
14 airports, including maintenance, upgrades and
further development. Under the contract, around
€330 million will be invested in improving the airports during the period up to 2020. In subsequent
years, further investments can be made for maintenance and possible capacity expansions, depending on traffic volumes.
The 14 regional airports at a glance
– 3 mainland airports: Thessaloniki, Aktio and Kavala
– 11 airports located on Greek islands: Chania on Crete, Kerkyra on Corfu, as well as Cephalonia,
Kos, Mykonos, Mytilene, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos and Zakynthos
– Total passenger volume in 2015: more than 23 million (up 7%)
– Around 77% are international passengers
12
Fraport World
Fraport Also Focusing on Sustainability in Procurement
Procurement of products and services at
Fraport will be geared toward sustainability criteria in the future. To this end, the
airport operator was one of the first companies in the state of Hesse to sign a target
agreement initiated by the Hessian Ministry
of the Environment, Climate Protection,
Agriculture and Consumer Protection.
Sustainable procurement of products and
services means that social and ecological
criteria are taken into account in purchasing decisions in addition to economic
criteria. The aim is to increase the supply
of eco- friendly goods and services and to
promote fair working conditions.
Alliance for sustainable procurement (from left to right): Michael Müller, Fraport’s Executive Director Labor Re-
At the launch of the “Sustainable Procurement – Sustainable Purchasing” alliance,
Gerhard Dernbecher from the “Central
Purchasing and Construction Contracts”
business unit commented on behalf of
Fraport: “Sustainability in procuring products and services is nothing new for us.
For years we have been progressively striving to combine economic aspects with social and ecological aspects in a meaningful
and efficient way in our procurement activities.” For example, the new corporate
headquarters was constructed entirely in
line with sustainability principles and was
lations, Priska Hinz, Hessian Minister for the Environment, and Gerhard Dernbecher from Fraport’s “Central Purchasing and Construction Contracts” business unit.
awarded a Gold Certificate by the German
Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) in
2013.
“The signing of the target agreement represents another clear commitment to this
proven approach on the part of Fraport
AG. It also means that we have undertaken to critically review on an ongoing
basis the measures initiated in the past to
optimize and document sustainable pro-
curement,” said Dernbecher. Furthermore,
Fraport AG’s involvement in the alliance
could also send a positive signal to other
companies. Fraport is one of the biggest
buyers in the state of Hesse, with an annual procurement volume of approximately €750 million. “This makes Fraport
a strong partner of the state government
when it comes to achieving the goal of
promoting sustainable procurement,” said
Dernbecher.
Active Noise Abatement Proving Effective
Despite an increase in aircraft movements,
the noise footprint for local residents has
not risen further. This is the key finding of
the current noise abatement report published by Fraport in February. Overall, the
number of aircraft movements in the 2015
summer schedule was 1.4 percent higher
than last year. However, the measurements
show that the continuous sound level at
the measuring stations barely changed, or
actually decreased year on year.
Measurement results review the effectiveness of
noise abatement measures.
This is due to active noise abatement, which
Fraport’s Executive Director Operations
Anke Giesen emphasized when the report
was presented: “Active noise abatement is
having a measurable impact, as is demonstrated by the examples of noise respite
periods and vortex generators in this report.” According to Giesen, the effects of
active noise abatement are also being felt
by people, as the results of a Forsa survey
commissioned by Fraport last year confirm: “The introduction of noise respite
periods was rated positively by 85 percent
of respondents from the areas surrounding the airport. This is yet another incentive for us to reduce the noise footprint
using active and passive noise abatement
measures and to provide transparent information on this,” said Giesen.
The recent report covers activities in the
2015 summer schedule. It provides detailed insight into developments regarding
aircraft noise in the region, as well as information on measures used by Fraport
and its partners to reduce noise in 2015.
It is based on current measured data and
describes individual active noise abatement measures. In addition, the current
edition also focuses on the NORAH (NoiseRelated Annoyance, Cognition and Health)
study – the most extensive study to date
on the health effects of transportation noise.
The noise abatement report can be found
online (only available in German):
www.fraport.de > Nachhaltigkeit >
Stakeholder-Dialog > Publikationen >
Berichte über Schallschutz
Fraport World
Initiative E-PORT AN Receives Award
At the Frankfurt Airport global hub, airport operator Fraport and the Lufthansa
Group are working hand-in-hand on the
initiative E-PORT AN. Their efforts are
now being acknowledged by the renowned U.S. aviation industry magazine
Air Transport World (ATW) with the “EcoCompany Partnership of the Year” award.
The initiative E-PORT AN is aimed at introducing more electric vehicles into the aircraft handling process. These vehicles are
especially suited for use at airports, where
the majority of journeys are short. The
step-by-step replacement of individual
handling processes by electrically driven
technologies not only reduces the carbon
footprint, but also leads to improved
working conditions on the ground. Currently, around 10 percent of Fraport’s
3,000+ motorized vehicles are electrically
powered. This includes vehicles used in
aircraft handling such as conveyor belt
vehicles, pallet loaders, container transporters, minibuses and small baggage
tractors. Moreover, electric cars are not
just used by ground crew but also in em-
13
Three Questions
A Sign for Our
Customers
ployees’ carpools. On the airline side,
there are currently three hybrid aircraft
tugs – known as TaxiBots – at Lufthansa
LEOS, the Group’s ground support company. In addition, Lufthansa LEOS is carrying out certification tests on an eTug,
which is the first vehicle in the world able
to maneuver aircraft up to the size of an
Airbus A380 entirely using electric power.
Dominik Mißkampf,
Project Manager Logistics in the field of
Cargo Transportation
Alongside Fraport and the Lufthansa
Group, the State of Hesse and the RhineMain Model Electromobility Region are
also involved in E-PORT AN. Thus, the
award can be seen as an acknowledgement of the efforts of all partners involved
in the initiative. The projects are funded by
the German Federal Ministry of Transport
and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI).
More information: www.e-port-an.de
Fraport’s fleet of electrically powered vehicles has
now reached around 300.
(BVD-TR) at Fraport AG
Mr. Mißkampf, why has Fraport recently established a new operations
control south center for cargo transportation?
In the past, the highest cargo volume
was always in the north of the airport.
The strong growth of Cargo City South
has changed this. We are now responding to this development.
The new operations control center
is located in Building 540 on the
apron, close to the aircraft stands
S501–S508. What does it encompass?
This is where we arrange the transportation of cargo between the warehouse and the aircraft for the southern
part of the airport. There are now 120
employees working at the operations
control center, including dispatchers,
drivers, mechanics, customer officers
and a part of the management.
“We are closer to the action
of our customers.”
What has changed for the customers?
It is a win-win situation: On the one
hand, the geographic location enables us to run daily operations more
efficiently. On the other hand, we are
closer to the action of our customers.
This means we can be on the scene
quicker, especially when anything unexpected occurs. Moreover, we can
now offer an office, which can be
used by our customers.
14
Fraport World
Almost like a film: Martin Liebscher’s
gigantic art installation in a tunnel
between Piers A and B.
Wow Effect Instead of Monotony
What has the “Great to have you here!” program achieved so far? We
take stock of developments in the “Art, Culture & Atmosphere” segment
From São Paulo to Tokyo via Rome – where
transit passengers traveling along the
moving walkways used to glide past gray
walls, they can now experience a visual
round-the-world trip. In the 270-meter
tunnel between Piers A and B in Frankfurt,
Large-scale pictures instead of gray walls.
they now walk or are transported right
through the middle of Martin Liebscher’s
gigantic art installation “Destinations.” A
total of 62 photos flowing into one another show scenes from 40 cities. Looking
at them from the moving walkway, the
1.80-meter-tall pictures, which have been
distorted slightly using a special photographic technique, are almost film-like.
Some 12,000 passengers use the tunnel
each day and now they get to enjoy this
work by the renowned photographer
along the way. The artist himself is enthusiastic about this unusual exhibition venue:
“I think it’s great! What better way to
spend your free time between the security
check and boarding than by experiencing
art first-hand.” And that’s exactly what
Fraport is aiming to achieve with art in the
terminal: “We’re not trying to turn the airport into a museum, but we want passengers to feel at home here in pleasant surroundings and to have a good time,” said
Martina Pfeffer, Head of Terminal Management at Fraport. This was the airport operator’s objective when it launched its
“Great to have you here!” service program
back in 2010. “The program initially focused on the basics, such as cleanliness,
assistance and information. Now we’re
gradually getting to the stage of wow effects,” explained Pfeffer.
Making it memorable
The “Art, Culture & Atmosphere” segment, which includes art projects among
tween B and C in Terminal 1, gray areas
between the windows have been replaced
with translucent forest images. When the
sun is shining, the large-scale pictures seem
like a forest on a beautiful summer day.
other things, is one of five sub-programs
of “Great to have you here!” “With this
segment, we want to place emphasis on
our identity as Frankfurt Airport and make
a memorable impression,” said Pfeffer.
Guests from all around the world should
be able to tell from the terminals that they
are in Frankfurt. And art is a part of Frankfurt – as is its impressive skyline. Since August 2015, passengers have been able to
see the skyline not just from their airplane
but also at the bus station outside Terminal 1. On a wall spanning 360 meters,
graffiti artist Helge “Bomber” Steinmann
presents 15 Frankfurt motifs, including the
city hall, the old town square Römer and
the Old Opera House. There is also a good
dash of local color in the terminals, with
Frankfurt sausages in the restaurants and
traditional “Bembel” stoneware jugs for
sale in souvenir shops.
Presenting Germany
But it is not just Frankfurt that plays a role
when it comes to making the airport
memorable: “We may be in Frankfurt, but
we are also Germany’s biggest airport. So
we want to introduce our home country
to the many different cultures that come
to us,” explained Pfeffer. For this reason,
there are also regular campaigns presenting other German regions or festivals,
such as Oktoberfest or German Unity Day.
Germany’s oak forests are also represented
at the airport. In the pre-security area be-
More green in the terminals
“Of course, we are never going to reach
all passengers with every individual project. But with the different approaches,
we are aiming to improve the overall atmosphere at the airport,” said Pfeffer. This
also includes sprucing up the practical
character of the terminal. Monotonous
wall panels have been replaced by an unobtrusively designed abstract landscape.
Clever use of large-scale lighting concepts
conveys brightness and warmth. Passengers can also look forward to more nature.
“The large wall panels in Terminal 2 are
ideal for vertical greening,” said Pfeffer,
announcing another pilot project, “and in
Terminal 1 we intend to create a new
place to relax in the form of forest-like
oases with trees and seats.”
Graffiti art gives impressions
of Frankfurt at the bus station.
16
Airline World
Tradition Lives On
Together with customers, FCS celebrated its new name and logo
Last year, FCS began a new chapter in the
company’s history with a strategic partnership. The majority shareholder of the
cargo handler, which used to be a wholly
owned subsidiary of Fraport AG, is now
WFS Worldwide Flight Services with a stake
of 51 percent. The change is also clearly
visible from the outside: Fraport Cargo
Services GmbH has been renamed FCS
Frankfurt Cargo Services GmbH and the
logo has been adapted to the new
partner’s design.
But there’s one thing that hasn’t changed:
the popular traditions. That’s why FCS invited customers and business partners to
its annual Christmas party in December,
which included a presentation of awards
in the form of local apple wine jugs known
as “bembels.” The awards are traditionally
presented to the airlines with the highest
tonnage and the greatest increase in tonnage. FCS Managing Director Hans-Georg
Emmert said: “In this way, we – along with
our shareholders WFS and Fraport AG – want
to show how much we appreciate our airline customers and to thank them for this
trust-based and professional partnership.”
and CEO of WFS, and Yves Pinoy, WFS
Senior Vice President Europe, as well as
other WFS colleagues. In his speech,
Bijaoui said that he was very happy to be
able to attend the first Christmas party
as majority shareholder of the new FCS.
He briefly discussed the future of FCS and
promised the guests that the coming
years would be exciting ones for FCS.
Introduction of the new shareholder
The new management of FCS also took
this opportunity to introduce the new
majority shareholder WFS in the festive
pre-Christmas atmosphere at the
Oberschweinstiege restaurant. WFS was
represented by Olivier Bijaoui, President
Martin Bien (left) from Fraport AG and Olivier Bijaoui (right), President and
CEO of WFS Worldwide Flight Services, handed over the bembels to the customers – in this case ABC Airlines, represented by Andrey Andreev (second
from left) and Ivan Santoro.
Airline World
Singapore Airlines
Cargo Renews
Agreement with FCS
And the Bembel Goes to...
2
1
17
3
Highest tonnage:
It was a successful start for the new management of Frankfurt Cargo Services
GmbH: Singapore Airlines Cargo renewed
its handling agreement with the cargo
handler, which had entered into a strategic partnership with WFS Worldwide
Flight Services at the end of 2015. All
existing agreements have since been continued without any changes. The renewal
represents the first agreement to be concluded under the new conditions. The
trust-based partnership, which has already
been ongoing for several years, is therefore set to continue over the coming
years, too.
Singapore Airlines Cargo: 21 flights per week
from Frankfurt.
1st place to AirBridgeCargo Airlines
2nd place to Air China Cargo
3rd place to Emirates SkyCargo
Greatest increase in tonnage:
Hans-Georg Emmert, Managing Director
at FCS Frankfurt Cargo Services, remarked:
“We are delighted that Singapore Airlines,
one of Asia’s leading airlines, has decided
to continue to have its cargo handling
performed by FCS. We see the extension
of this cooperation as a sign of appreciation and trust in our high standards,
namely security, quality and service. We
will of course continue to meet these standards in the future.” With 21 flights per
week to and from Singapore and New
York as well as several truck connections
to Frankfurt, SIA Cargo is an important
customer for FCS.
1st place to Air Astana
2nd place to AirBridgeCargo Airlines
3rd place to Air China Cargo
Singapore Airlines Cargo was spun off
from Singapore Airlines as an independent
company in 2001. In the beginning, it
rented cargo aircraft and cargo capacity
on passenger aircraft from Singapore
Airlines. The first round-the-globe service
was launched in late October 2001. Since
then, the airline has been operating cargo
flights to a current total of more than 100
cities in 35 countries.
18
Airline World
Eagerly Anticipated First Flight
World’s first Airbus A320neo lands in Frankfurt
In the end, it turned out to be something
of a drawn-out affair: Airbus had actually
intended to deliver its first A320neo to the
first customer, Deutsche Lufthansa, back
in December. But owing to problems with
the technical documentation, the airline
had to wait until mid-January before it was
able to receive its new aircraft. On January
22, it was finally time. The aircraft with the
identifier D-AINA landed at Frankfurt, its
future home airport, at 2:14 p.m. as flight
LH9922. Since the end of January, it has
initially been flying from here to two destinations within Germany (Hamburg and
Munich) with up to 180 passengers on
board in Business and Economy Class.
Quieter and fuel-efficient
“We are delighted to be the first airline
in the world to have received the Airbus
A320neo. With leading technology from
Airbus and Pratt & Whitney, the A320neo
is by far the quietest and most efficient aircraft on short- and medium-haul flights,”
said Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa
AG, quoted at the delivery of the aircraft.
Thanks to new engines and improved
aerodynamics, the A320neo is 15 percent
more fuel-efficient than comparable models and considerably quieter, too. The
85-decibel noise contour of an A320neo
taking off is only half the size of the com-
Good to know – new engine option
Airbus A320neo
Airbus A320ceo
The suffix “neo” stands for “new engine option.” The
MTOW: 73.5 t
MTOW: 73.5 t
PW1100G engines feature what is known as “geared
parable contour of an A320 from the existing fleet. This is due to the new engine
technology as well as vortex generators
and newly developed wing tips.
Renewal of the fleet
The Lufthansa Group has ordered a total
of 116 neo-version aircraft for its Lufthansa
and Swiss fleets, including 45 in the larger
A321neo version, for an investment volume of $13.3 billion according to list
price. Airbus intends to hand over another
four A320neo aircraft to Lufthansa by the
end of the year. These will also be operated using the Lufthansa hub in Frankfurt
as their starting point.
4 km
~-50%
turbofan” technology, which reduces fuel consumption
and noise by converting the drive power.
3.5 km
Noise contours compared
3 km
The noise contour of the Airbus A320neo (new engine
option) has been reduced by almost 50 percent (85 dB(A)
2.5 km
Wing tips
maximum noise level) compared with the Airbus A320ceo
(current engine option).
2 km
Source: © Airbus 1.2016
1.5 km
Vortex generators
1 km
0.5 km
Engines
0
0.5 km
0
0.5 km
0.5 km
0
0.5 km
Airline World
Condor Flying NonStop from Frankfurt
to Santa Clara
Efficient use of space means the A320neo has two
more rows of seats in Economy Class. However, it is
particularly notable for its improved engines.
Since December 2015, Condor has had
a new destination in its route network
with flights every Friday: Santa Clara in
Cuba. This supplements the airline’s
existing routes from Frankfurt to Havana,
Varadero and Holguin. The flights are
operated with a Boeing 767–300. “To
satisfy the high demand for Cuba, we
have now added a fourth direct connection from Frankfurt to another
dream destination on the Caribbean
island,” said Dr. Jens Boyd, Director of
Long Haul & Revenue Management at
Condor. “Our direct flights offer our
customers a relaxed journey to all four
destinations and, above all, more time
at their vacation spot.” In the winter in
particular, Cuba is an attractive sunny
destination for many passengers –
which is why Condor decided to add
Santa Clara as a fourth destination on
the island.
Caribbean flair in Santa Clara, Cuba.
China Airlines Using
New Boeing 777–300
in Frankfurt
The traditional cake was a must at the celebration to
mark the start of operations with the aircraft type.
Since November, Frankfurt has been the
first European destination where China
Airlines operates flights with a Boeing
777–300. The Triple Seven now flies
non-stop between Frankfurt and Taipei
five times a week. Along with the new
aircraft type, the airline is also introducing two new classes on this route: Premium Business Class and Premium
Economy Class. At a celebration, Martin
Bien, Head of Ground Handling Services
(right), spoke on behalf of Fraport to
wish the airline every success with the
new aircraft type. Hsiao-Hsing Tung,
Senior Vice President for Passenger
Sales at China Airlines, and Agnes
Hwa-Yue Chen, representative of the
Taipei office in Germany, accepted the
good wishes on behalf of the airline.
Vietnam Airlines Using A350 in Frankfurt
Vietnam Airlines is currently in the process of gradually commissioning new
aircraft for its long-haul flights. During
the transitional period, the airline is
using an Airbus A350–900XWB in its
winter schedule until the end of March
for its route to Frankfurt, which is
generally flown every Monday. Arriving
from Hanoi, the aircraft lands at
Frankfurt Airport at 6:20 a.m. and leaves
again for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at
1:55 p.m. However, in its long-term
fleet planning the airline eventually
intends to use a B787–9 for this route.
19
20
Airline World
From a Canadian Airline to a
Global Carrier
Air Canada can look back on a long history, both at home and
in Germany – now the company is reinventing itself
On April 25, Air Canada will celebrate a
landmark birthday at Frankfurt Airport,
marking 50 years since Canada’s biggest
airline first launched a connection between the German hub and its Canadian
counterpart, Toronto. The occasion is also
a special one for Jean-Christophe Hérault,
General Manager Germany. He talks about
how he intends to ensure that this success
story continues into the future.
Jean-Christophe Hérault has been Air Canada’s General
Manager Germany since December 1, 2010. He has
been with the airline since 2002, most recently as Sales &
Marketing Manager Germany and Cargo Sales Manager
Central Europe.
Mr. Hérault, a 50th anniversary is a
good opportunity to look back and reflect. But the future is even more exciting. Can you give us a few insights into
where Air Canada is headed?
Yes, some elements are very much already
fixed in place. From July of this year, for
example, we will cover six continents for
the first time when we include Africa in
our network with the launch of a Toronto–
Casablanca route. Further destinations
will be added over the next five years:
Johannesburg and Lagos are under discussion, for example.
What else is on the agenda?
Air Canada is set to expand significantly. As
an example, by 2018 we will have 30 more
long-haul aircraft than in 2015, most of
them Boeing Dreamliners. For every 787
that we commission, a Boeing 767 will be
converted for our leisure carrier Air Canada
Rouge and given the corresponding
paint job. We grew by around 10 percent
in 2014 and 2015 thanks to this strategy.
In 2016, we are aiming for capacity growth
of 15 percent – the biggest increase in our
history. All in all, we are developing from a
Canadian airline into a global carrier.
Will there be similarly pronounced growth
at Frankfurt? And what position does
the destination occupy for Air Canada?
Frankfurt is our second-largest international
hub with five flights a day – well ahead of
the next airport on the list. Things have
changed somewhat since 1966, when we
offered ten connections a week between
Rhine-Main and Canada. This year, our capacity from Frankfurt will increase thanks
to the refitting of our fleet. For example, our
Boeing 777–300 aircraft will have 400 seats
instead of 349. Broadly speaking, these reconfigurations will increase our total traffic
from Frankfurt by 15 percent in 2016. This
means we will still be the clear international
leader in terms of seating capacity while
ensuring that we remain competitive.
Air Canada is one of the founding
members of Star Alliance. What are the
benefits for the company?
Frankfurt is the main hub of “Star Alliance”
and therefore strategically important for
us, which we have emphasized by operating our own Airport “Maple Leaf Lounge”
since 2013, where our customers have
an opportunity to experience Canadian
hospitality even before boarding their Air
Airline World
21
At a Glance
– Founded in 1937
– At Frankfurt Airport since 1966
– Corporate headquarters in
Montreal, Canada
– 28,000 employees
– 1,500 daily flights to 180 destinations
– Passengers: 41 million (2015)
– Fleet: 408 aircraft (including Air
Canada Express and Air Canada
rouge)
– Founding member of Star Alliance
– Atlantic Joint Venture Partner of
Lufthansa and United Airlines
– Skytrax: Rated three times as a
four-star airline and five times as
“Best International Airline in
North America”
Canada flight. We have a close partnership with all Star Alliance members, and
we are also part of the “Atlantic Joint
Venture” with our partners Lufthansa and
United Airlines, which allows us to retain
our own brand, but support and complement each other wherever possible.
Skytrax has given Air Canada a four-star
rating on three occasions and has recognized you as the best airline in North
America five times. What do you think
are the reasons for the latter success in
particular, considering you are up
against heavyweights from the USA?
Our cabin product is undoubtedly the
main factor. For example, we introduced
lie-flat beds in Business Class in 2007.
While they are commonplace today, back
then we were ahead of the game on
Transatlantic routes. And now Air Canada
is making an impact with the next generation of lie-flat beds, which has optimized various details of the beds. This
commitment to customer service runs
through all our activities, such as our
dedicated Airport Team in Frankfurt. In
turn, this helps us to achieve top ratings
when it comes to punctuality and safety.
A great deal has changed over Air Canada’s history, not least the cabin: images from the 1980s (above), the current Premium Economy Class (below).
22
Airline World
Emirates Doubles A380 Flights from Frankfurt New Chairman on
Since the beginning of the year, Emirates
the AOC Team
mand has been so strong that we needed
has been operating two of its three daily
non-stop connections between Frankfurt
and Dubai with an Airbus A380. The airline is thus increasing its capacity on the
route. Previously, Emirates had used
Boeing 777–300 aircraft in rotation.
In September 2014, the airline used an
Airbus A380 on this route for the first
time. Hubert Frach, Emirates’ Divisional
Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations West, commented: “Our daily A380
service to Frankfurt proved to be extremely popular and we’re happy that de-
to increase capacity on the route. Adding
a second flight to Frankfurt will further
enhance the travel experience on that
route and provide more A380-to-A380
connectivity to popular destinations
around the world via our ultra-modern
hub in Dubai.” Dr. Stefan Schulte, Chairman of the Executive Board of Fraport AG,
was likewise delighted, remarking:
“We are pleased that Emirates has decided to operate a second daily A380 to
Frankfurt. It shows the clear commitment
of Emirates and underlines the attractiveness of Frankfurt Airport.”
The new aircraft features 14 Private Suites in First Class, 76 flat-bed seats in Business Class
and 429 seats in Economy Class.
Since the beginning of
the year, Antonios
Goufas has once again
found himself in the
role of Chairman of the
AOC’s (Airline Operators
Committee) SubCommittee for Ground
Operations and Safety, which he already
chaired between 2013 and early 2015.
In addition to dealing with ramp security
issues in this position, he also intends to
place a particular emphasis on good communication between the different parties
involved at the airport. Goufas remarked:
“My goal is to liaise between my airline colleagues and airport authorities to allow
smooth and safe operations, and to help
as needed to find a common understanding of each other’s issues in day-to-day business.” He also wants to support station
managers who are new to Frankfurt with
the large number of unfamiliar interfaces.
Goufas himself has been managing the
Aegean Airlines station in Frankfurt since
2009. His previous roles have included
Ramp Operations Manager at the ground
handling service provider Acciona Airport
Services. He is also familiar with the airlines’
perspective as he has spent many years
working in various positions at Saudi
Arabian Airlines (2003 to 2007) and
Olympic Airways (1990 to 2002).
About This Publication
Publisher:
Fraport AG
Frankfurt Airport Service Worldwide
60547 Frankfurt, Germany
www.twitter.com/Airport_FRA
www.facebook.com/FrankfurtAirport
Layout: Profilwerkstatt GmbH, Darmstadt:
Anke Rabbeau
Editor-in-chief:
Sigrun von Kienle, Corporate Communications
Production and project management:
Profilwerkstatt GmbH, Darmstadt:
Dr. Claudia Klemm
Editors:
Anette Schmid, Fraport Ground Services
Ricarda Wahl, Airside and Terminal Management,
Corporate Safety and Security
Content, information and ideas for articles:
Susanne Kalbe, Sigrun von Kienle, Nicole
Ruschig-Brunck, Anette Schmid, Ricarda Wahl
Written by: Profilwerkstatt GmbH, Darmstadt:
Hannah Barthel (Chief Copywriter), Johannes Büchl
Translations: EVS Translations GmbH, Offenbach
Printed by:
Airport Print Center, Frankfurt
Photo credits:
Fraport – p. 1, p. 2 (top), p. 3, p. 7, p. 8 (top),
p. 9 (bottom), p. 12, p. 13, p. 14, p. 15, p. 19 (top
right), p. 22 (left), p. 23 (top left); pixeldima.com
(CC BYSA 3.0) – p. 4–5, ZedProMedia – p. 8 (bottom); GraphicsFuel – p. 9 (top); Dr.K./Wikipedia
(CC BY-SA 3.0) – p. 10–11; Profilwerkstatt – p. 10
(map); Initiative E-PORT AN – p. 13 (top); FCS
Frankfurt Cargo Services – p. 16; Singapore Airlines – p. 17; Airbus – p. 18 (graphic); Deutsche
Lufthansa – p. 18, p. 19 (left); Tupungato/shutterstock.com – p.19 (middle); Vietnam Airlines –
p. 19 (bottom right); Air Canada – p. 20, p. 21;
Aegan Airlines – p. 22 (right); Swiss – p. 23 (top
middle); Air India – p. 23 (right); El Al – p. 23
(middle); Saudia – p. 23 (left bottom).
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People World
New Senior Manager Swiss: New Station
for Ground Handling Manager
Air India Repositions
Itself in Frankfurt
Since October 2015,
Pascal Geber has been
in charge of ground
handling for the Terminal 1 East area. The
35-year-old business administration graduate
began his career at
Fraport AG in 2006. After holding various
posts in Training and HR, in 2011 he
moved into the area of ground handling
services organizational development,
where he spearheaded several projects. In
his new role, he intends to continue ensuring high quality in handling processes
and thus act as a reliable partner to the
customers of Fraport AG’s ground handling services.
Gagan Chhabra and Divya Singh are the
new faces of Air India in Frankfurt.
Nicole Flores is the new
station manager for
Swiss in Frankfurt. The
53-year-old began her
career at the Lufthansa
Group back in 1986 as
a passenger handling
specialist. Since then,
she has acquired a wide range of knowledge. She most recently worked as a consultant in the Service unit, including for
the common IT platform project (2010 to
2015). In her new position as station manager, she aims to help improve processes
within the Lufthansa Group, ensure a
good working relationship between passenger handling and ramp handling, and
promote an open error culture.
EL AL – Israel Airlines: New General
Manager for Germany & Austria
Since February, Bettina
Hickler has been working as the new EL AL
General Manager for
Germany & Austria. Before joining the Israeli
airline, the 55-year-old
had already worked at
various forwarding companies since 1979,
including as a branch manager in Germany and the USA, and had risen to the
level of CEO Assistant. In 2000, Hickler returned to Frankfurt and started her suc-
cessful career at EL AL, where she significantly expanded the cargo division. Her
field of responsibility was subsequently
extended to include Eastern Europe and
temporarily also the USA, and in 2008 she
was then appointed EL AL Cargo Manager
for Europe. “I manage a successful, innovative national carrier and am delighted to
do my utmost to enhance EL AL’s excellent
position. In terms of profits, it is important
to keep optimizing our capacity utilization,” said Hickler with regard to her new
role.
Saudia: New Country Manager
Sultan Otaify is Saudia’s
new Country Manager
Germany. The 31-yearold has been with the
airline since 2008. He
started as a System Support Analyst for Sales
Strategy, where he was
involved in projects on sales strategies,
IATA affairs and codeshare agreements,
among other things. He was also a
member of the project management team
during the airline’s privatization. In 2014,
Otaify completed his master’s degree in
Business Administration at UBT University
in Jeddah. The expansion of routes to Germany will be one of Otaify’s main tasks in
his new role.
From April, the airline will increase its frequency to seven daily flights a week from
Frankfurt and will also add Munich to its
route network. Otaify also intends to make
a contribution to the airline’s strategy for
the future, Saudia SV2020. Moreover, the
new position is a welcome experience for
Otaify personally, as he explains: “Not
only am I assimilating to German culture
and habits, but by traveling I am also getting to know all of Europe.”
23
Chhabra (47) has been
the new Country Manager for Germany at Air
India since November.
He has been working for
the airline for 22 years,
during which period he
has held various positions in sales and marketing in particular,
most recently as Assistant General Manager for the company’s loyalty program.
Chhabra already gained experience as a
Country Manager in Japan between 2008
and 2012.
In his new role, he now intends to further
improve the quality of service on the ground
and on board, and to build on the airline’s
successful work in Frankfurt: “We have
been rewarded for our punctuality and excellent load factors by Frankfurt airport
authorities and we would strive to maintain this for the coming years, too.” He
added that his airline was also looking forward to providing more seat capacity between India and Germany in the future.
Divya Singh, the new Airport Manager and
Customer Relations Manager at Air India
in Frankfurt, also agrees, saying: “I set myself a goal to help my airline grow faster in
terms of passenger load and possibly adding other routes via Frankfurt.” The airline
currently has daily operations from Frankfurt to Delhi with a Boeing Dreamliner.
Singh can also look back
on a long career. She
joined Air India in 1982
and has worked in various areas such as Reservations, Airport Handling, and Sales and Marketing. The 53-year-old
came to Frankfurt in October. Singh’s main
responsibility will be to ensure the safe
and efficient operations of the airport on
a daily basis. “At Frankfurt, we have set
ourselves a very high benchmark and it is
going to be my priority to take this to a
higher level in all aspects of customer satisfaction,” explained Singh. “In addition to
maintaining high standards of punctuality
and quick turnaround times, I am interested in people taking home memories of
great flying experiences.”
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