EAA takes the lead THE EGYPTIAN Aviation Academy EAA has been certified to conduct Multi Crew Pilot License (MPL) programmes within its training programmes. As such, the certification means the academy is the first and only one to train for the MPL license in Africa and the Middle East. According to Hasan Mohammad Hasan, Academy president, the MPL provides an excellent opportunity for airlines to qualify pilots to fly this class of airplanes. "Instead of the usual current system in which pilots must fly lighter classes for certain hours then be upgraded to higher class, through MPL programmes, airlines save time, money and effort," Hasan commented. EAA fleet consists of 40 Cessna Citation Mustang C-150, making it one of the leaders to operate a jet fleet for training the pilots. MRO to Libyan fleet LIBYAN Petro Air has recently reached an agreement with EgyptAir Engineering and Maintenance (M&E to) service the Petro Air fleet with all technical support while operating to Libyan or Egyptian airports as well as any other destinations the fleet will be scheduled to fly to. The contract was signed after three months of negotiations where Petro Air facilities were thoroughly examined by Egyptian engineers. Abdel Aziz Fadel, EgyptAir M&E chairman and CEO, and Petro Air General Manager Bassem Ali Tantoush signed the contract in Cairo last week. According to Fadel, the contract allows his company to provide line, base maintenance and overhaul work to the Libyan fleet, which consists of Embraer E-170 aircraft. "We will also provide technical services related to airworthiness such as quality assurance, engineering, planning, technical records, supplying and maintaining components and spare parts in accordance with international standards," Fadel added. Fadel indicated that his company has been certified by Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority, EASA and FAA to serve Boeing, Airbus and Embraer aircraft. "At present we provide Maintenance Repair and Overhaul services to more than 80 local and international airlines within Cairo and outstations." Petro Air was established in 2008, merging the air transport sectors of four Libyan petroleum companies to form one airline that serves mainly to transport the working staff of the oil industry in Libya. It operates a fleet of three Embraer E-170 aircraft, two DHC-8, one Fokker-28, 11 Twin Otter DHC-6, and some small aircraft. QA to Stuttgart QATAR Airways has announced plans to expand flights to Germany introducing a new service to Stuttgart and greater capacity to Munich next year. The Stuttgart route, three-times-a-week Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, will begin on 9 March 2011. At the same time, Qatar Airways will increase the frequency on the Doha-Munich route from daily flights to 11 a week using the Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft. The news comes as Qatar Airways prepares to embark on a huge European expansion drive with the launch of flights to Nice, Budapest, Bucharest and Brussels over a 10 week- period from November 2010 to January 2011. The recent expansion will see the airline operate 31 flights a week non-stop from Doha to four destinations across Germany. The carrier already serves Berlin daily and Frankfurt with 10 flights a week.
