Short hops

ST Aerospace Resources to divest 50% of Keystone stake

SINGAPORE Technologies Engineering (ST Engineering) said ST Aerospace Resources has signed an agreement to divest 50 per cent of its equity stake in Keystone Holdings (Global) to SJ Aviation Capital, a Singapore-based subsidiary of Japanese trading company Sojitz Corporation, for an estimated US$10.7 million. Upon completion, ST Aerospace Resources and SJ Aviation Capital will each own a 50 per cent stake in Keystone Holdings. After the transaction, the shareholders plan to continue to build up a portfolio of mid-life and end-of-life single-aisle aircraft assets.

Russian Helicopters sells nine helicopters to China

RUSSIAN Helicopters is selling nine helicopters to China for government and civilian purposes, to be delivered by 2017. It also inked agreements with two Chinese companies to help set up a maintenance and repair centre in Shenzhen for Russian-made helicopters in China, which number at more than 400.

Bell sells aircraft to Premair and Simrik Air

BELL Helicopter announced the sale of its Bell 407GXP to India-based air charter management company Premair and also to Simrik Air in Nepal. Bell Helicopter introduced the latest variant of the popular Bell 407 platform in March 2015, with great customer interest. The new aircraft introduces performance enhancements, payload increase and pilot workload reduction.

Thales to equip SIA aircraft with entertainment systems

THALES has signed an agreement with Singapore Airlines (SIA) to equip medium haul A350 XWBs with its Avant in-flight entertainment systems, which will leverage on Ka-band connectivity for high- speed access. Delivery of the systems will begin in 2018. Thales declined to comment on the dollar value or the number of aircraft for the deal.

S'pore inks air agreements with Solomon Islands, Burundi

SINGAPORE has concluded two Open Skies Agreements with the Solomon Islands and Burundi. Under each agreement, airlines of Singapore and the respective countries will be able to offer services between both countries with no restrictions on number of flights, capacity or aircraft type, and beyond to any third country. Also, cargo carriers will be able to base aircraft in each other's country and use it as a hub for operations to third countries.

Bombardier's Singapore centre gets over 800 customer visits

CANADIAN plane maker Bombardier's Singapore Service Centre has seen over 800 visits from customers since it started operations two years ago, with about 50 per cent growth seen between 2014 and 2015. The centre expects to receive certification from China this year to work on Chinese jets, in addition to the 14 that it has received from other jurisdictions.