Avion Express CEO Darius Kajokas states that the company is focused on preparing for operations in Brazil and expanding in the Americas. He emphasizes that Esteban’s experience in this market is expected to be highly beneficial for both the company and its clients.

鈥濰aving worked in managerial positions at Aerolineas Argentinas, GOL Linhas Aereas, and Avianca, Esteban is a great leader, and I am truly glad he is joining our team. As we focus not only on obtaining AOC and starting operations in Brazil but also on continue developing the ACMI market across the Americas, having a leader with deep knowledge of the local market is very important. I am confident that Esteban’s expertise and leadership will help to drive the business of Avion Express Brasil to success by creating financial and operational benefits via ACMI services to the airlines in Brazil and the broader region of the Americas鈥�, – says D. Kajokas.

The new CEO of Avion Express Brasil, Esteban Jauregui Lorda, previously worked as the Fleet Director at Avianca. He began his aviation career in 2007 as a Technical Purchaser for Aerol铆neas Argentinas, later transitioning to the company精东影业 Fleet Department in 2009, and later on managed fleets at Brazil精东影业 GOL Airlines and at Arajet in the Dominican Republic.

鈥淚 have been following Avion Express Brasil from the very beginning. With my extensive market knowledge, I always knew that something like it was needed and that it has tremendous potential. The ACMI sector is quite undeveloped in South America due to lack of investment and would greatly benefit from Europe-based assets to offset lower demand during winter seasons. Naturally, as soon as I was given the opportunity to not only become a part of this company but to actually lead it, I said 鈥榶es鈥� with barely a moment of hesitation,鈥� said Esteban Jauregui Lorda, the CEO of Avion Express Brasil.

Esteban Jauregui Lorda also mentioned that he has an ambition that Avion Express will establish itself as the most relevant ACMI supplier in the region, opening the ACMI market and raising awareness of its advantages.

鈥淭he goal is to provide a cost-efficient, turn-key ready solution for capacity demands during peak season to the Brazilian and South American carriers. In the near term, the top priority is certification and developing a strong team to partner with local airlines to be the top-of-mind ACMI solution鈥�, – shares Esteban.

Avion Express Brasil is part of an ambitious expansion project launched by its parent company, Avion Express, to consolidate its presence in Latin America. Specializing in narrow-body ACMI operations, Avion Express now operates a fleet of over 50 Airbus A320 family aircraft. Customer airlines of Avion Express include Air France-KLM Group Airlines, British Airways Group Airlines, Lufthansa Group Airlines, SKY Airline, SunExpress, TUI, VivaAerobus, Wizzair, and many others.

Avion Express is part of Avia Solutions Group 鈥� the world精东影业 largest ACMI service company group, which operates a fleet of more than 200 aircraft. Companies belonging to the group also provide a variety of other aviation services, such as aircraft maintenance and repair, pilot and crew training, and ground handling.

Traditionally, airlines ramp up their schedules and resources for the busy summer months, leading to overcapacity and underutilized assets during the quieter winter season. This seasonal imbalance can strain finances, as maintaining profitability is challenging when aircraft and crews are underutilized in winter.

To manage these seasonal peaks and troughs more effectively, airlines are increasingly turning to ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance) leasing, also known as wet leasing. This strategy allows airlines to lease additional aircraft, from ACMI providers such as Avion Express, along with the necessary crew and maintenance services, during peak demand periods, and return them during off-peak times.

Avion Express is a Europe-based, narrow-body ACMI and charter airline, operating a fleet of over 50 Airbus A320 family aircraft. With two decades in the industry, the airline boasts being one of the largest passenger ACMI narrow-body carrier globally by number of aircraft, number of flights and production hours also known as block hours.

鈥淭he main reason why our business exists is seasonality, because there is different seasonality between different continents,鈥� shares Avion Express CEO, Darius Kajokas in an Aviation Forum interview.

ACMI leasing offers a significant advantage in maintaining high aircraft utilization rates and operational efficiency. By using wet leases, airlines can avoid the financial losses associated with winter overcapacity and underutilized assets.

This approach also provides a buffer against unexpected demand spikes or delays in new aircraft deliveries, offering a reliable and scalable solution to capacity management.

Global infrastructure key to ACMI success shares Avia Solutions Group, CEO

• Aircraft
• Airlines

byAvia Solutions Group

2024-05-15

鈥淲e are a 鈥楤2B鈥� company, we are never in the tickets selling business, [rather] we provide our services to the airlines,鈥� shares Kajokas.

Today Avion Express, has a team of more than 1,700 professionals based across more than 15 bases during the summer season of 2024, providing services to its ACMI customers around the world. The airline operates two AOCs established in Lithuania and Malta, and is in the process of .

Avion Express is also a subsidiary of, known to be the world’s largest ACMI capacity provider.

Kajokas highlights the airline精东影业 investment to , where ACMI leasing is gaining visibility as a viable business practice for airlines in that region.

鈥淲e are reaching a tipping point in the Americas in terms of ACMI,鈥� shares Kajokas who also highlights the increasing adoption of ACMI in markets that were once closed to ACMI as a business model, including countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.

In an era of increasing seasonality, ACMI leasing provides a practical alternative to expanding owned fleets. It enables airlines to adapt to fluctuating demand without the financial strain of maintaining surplus aircraft year-round. By incorporating ACMI leasing into their strategy, airlines can optimize their operations, maintain profitability, and respond more flexibly to changing market conditions.

SmartLynx Airlines set for 100-strong aircraft fleet by 2027, says new CEO

• Airlines

byAvia Solutions Group

2024-03-28

In the coming weeks, Avion Express Brasil is expected to receive feedback on its manuals and other documentation already submitted to ANAC. This is anticipated to lead to the successful conclusion of Phase 3 and the completion of the AOC certification process this year, allowing the airline to commence ACMI operations in Q4 2024.

Counting 19 years in operations, Avion Express, an ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) airline, has two AOCs 鈥� as issued by Lithuania and Malta. The airline has undertaken an ambitious expansion project to strengthen its presence in the Latin American market with its subsidiary in Brazil, following recent collaborations with airline partners in other countries of the region, including Mexico, Chile, and Dominican Republic.

Darius Kajokas, Avion Express CEO, highlights the company’s strategic intent to expand its global presence. He states, “Avion Express has firmly established itself in Europe, and to make sure we continue growing, our strategic focus in past several years extends to other markets, including The Americas, Asia, Africa, and other regions. ACMI would be rather novel business model in the Brazilian market, which has more than 100 million passengers per annum. Avion Express Brasil aims to commence operations with up to 10 aircraft, with plans to scale up to 25 aircraft by 2027/2028.鈥�

Specializing in narrow-body ACMI operations, Avion Express now operates a fleet of over 50 Airbus A320 family aircraft. Customer airlines of Avion Express include Air France-KLM Group airlines, British Airways Group airlines, Lufthansa Group airlines, SKY Airline, SunExpress, TUI, VivaAerobus, Wizzair, and many others. The company currently has a team of over 1,700 professionals and more than 17 bases globally.

Avion Express is part of Avia Solutions Group 鈥� the world精东影业 largest ACMI service company group, which operates a fleet of 212 aircraft. Companies belonging to the group also provide a variety of other aviation services, such as aircraft repair, pilot and crew training, and ground handling.

In their highly specific and little-known psychology subspecialty, aviation psychologists explore how human factors affect the performance and well-being of aviation professionals. As Agne Novikiene, Aviation Psychologist at Avion Express, says, her job involves not only selecting the right people for pilot training but also helping airborne personnel open up about their challenges at work.

Secretive about struggles

Pilots are the face of aviation, but stress can dim the glamour of their job. After all, it is their responsibility to get everyone on the plane safely to their destination. However, according to Agne, pilots can be tight-lipped about the anxieties they face.

鈥淲hen you talk about mental health with pilots, they all nod their heads and agree that it精东影业 important and that they, just like the rest of us, can face psychological difficulties. But because it’s a topic closely related to a pilot精东影业 ability to exercise their license; it’s challenging for them to talk about their struggles.鈥�

When a person struggles to acknowledge vulnerability, the situation merits a sensitive approach. Agne says that simple questions work best in such cases.

鈥淚 approach stressed pilots from a place of genuine interest. If I see that a person is emotional or concerned about something, I simply try to ask about it. You can鈥檛 go about trying to trick people into opening up, but rather gently lead them there.鈥�

In Agne精东影业 experience, cabin crew tends to be more open about their struggles than pilots. But in their client-facing work, passengers can become an additional source of stress.

鈥淧assengers can sometimes be a difficult crowd to manage. It gets particularly tense in case of emergencies, when they must calmly deal with very stressful situations, and help others do the same.鈥�

Constant training builds confidence

A profession with no room for error seems a very stressful line of work. Yet when asked about on-the-job stress, experienced pilots can give surprising answers, Agne says.

鈥淭he majority of experienced pilots I speak to would say that their job is not particularly stressful. Their profession is quite unique because it involves constant training, and I believe that builds better confidence at work.鈥�

No matter how many thousands of flight hours pilots have, aviation safety requirements mandate that they prove their knowledge and skills every year. Yearly training involves simulator practice for emergency situations, technical testing to ensure a high level of technical proficiency, and crew resource management training, among other tests. Plus, depending on the type of flying they do and their age, pilots need to undergo medical and mental fitness tests.

According to Agne, pilots train consistently and rigorously, so certain things that seem very stressful to passengers are not for the pilots:

鈥淔or instance, engine failure Many pilots would say that it’s a totally manageable situation. If the other engine works, you can still fly, so all is good.鈥�

Although the flying portion of the job might not make it too stressful, the lifestyle of aviation professionals can be somewhat challenging overall. These careers require extended periods away from home and loved ones, and many time zone changes during the day.

It is important to understand that being a pilot or a cabin crew member means building your life around your job, Agne explains, and sometimes aspiring pilots forget this:

鈥淚f we look at the information that精东影业 out there about aviation careers, especially piloting, it’s mainly about how exciting it is, and very little about how challenging. The fact is that working in aviation, you often must adapt your life to the roster and miss spending the holidays with your family. During one recent interview, a pilot told me that he精东影业 been celebrating his birthday alone in his hotel room for many, many years now. So, this lifestyle can feel quite lonely at times.鈥�

What does it take to be a pilot?

All professional hazards notwithstanding, people are drawn to flying planes for a living. Thousands of airline pilot certificates are issued every year, mitigating the pilot shortage caused by the increasing demand of global air travel.

Over her more than a decade-long career in aviation, Agne has screened many aspiring pilots. And while her list of qualities a person needs to become a pilot is long, Agne believes that responsibility, ownership, and willingness to accept your mistakes are all crucial to enter the aviation game.

鈥淭he way I see it, we are all humans, and we all make mistakes. But it’s very important that we are able to acknowledge our errors and to inform others about them if needed.鈥�

For Agne, taking responsibility for a mistake is not a sign of incompetence, or an opportunity to beat yourself about something going wrong. Any mistake is a chance to learn 鈥� to bridge the lack of skills or knowledge, become better, and never repeat the same mistake.

鈥淔or me, one of the scariest things is people denying their mistakes, simply not accepting that they have done something wrong. Then there精东影业 no chance for development because they already think that they’re perfect. In a field such as aviation, that brings a lot of risks.鈥�

Pilot selection process that Agne works on is meant to weed out such unsuitable candidates. She says that deciding to, as they call it, recommend, or not recommend a candidate is one of the most challenging parts of her job.

鈥淪ometimes it’s difficult to make the final call because there’s always a mix of different elements at play. People have certain strengths, certain weaknesses, and it can be a struggle to find the right answer.鈥�

But in aviation, it is crucial to avoid any possible risks at any stage of operations. So even if the person that Agne interviews is nice and has interesting experiences, any human sympathy she feels towards them cannot overshadow the lack of core qualities.

鈥淚 sometimes feel like a very bad person, having to make a decision that won鈥檛 make that person happy no matter how much I like them. But that精东影业 the industry we鈥檙e in.鈥�

Why aviation is not like other sectors?

Despite the challenges, Agne enjoys working in aviation psychology. As a person who likes complex things, she says that aviation sometimes is as complex as it gets.

鈥淚n this field, there’s a need for precision and ownership from everyone involved so that we would maintain the same high level of safety that we are so proud of. From an HR perspective, we need to ensure that the right people work here and that they understand why they have to work in a certain way. Simply thinking about possible outcomes if we start skipping things makes your heart beat out of your chest.鈥�

The inclusive, international nature of the field is also a positive. Agne says that in aviation, there is always a lot of willingness to truly listen and understand everyone精东影业 opinions and ideas.

鈥淎t work, I speak with people from all over Europe and beyond, and they bring in their attitudes and values, and somehow it all finds its place. The atmosphere, I鈥檇 say, is beyond democratic.鈥�

And while Agne mostly works on the ground, being a part of the aviation industry allows her to feel at least some of the fascination surrounding planes and flying.

鈥淔or many people who don’t work in aviation, these careers are something amazing. When I tell people about my job, they usually find it very interesting. Of course, the fascination is five times more intense when you鈥檙e a pilot, but I like to think that I too can feel the magic of aviation.鈥�

With the expanded training capacity, Avion Express further strengthens its partnership with BAA Training鈥攐ne of Europe精东影业 leading independent aviation training centres, trusted by the biggest European airlines for their quality education. BAA Training精东影业 newly acquired A320 CEO/NEO full flight simulator, located in Vilnius, will be primarily fully utilized by Avion Express to meet the growing training demand and maintained by BAA Training.

Darius Kajokas, CEO at Avion Express, highlights the importance of this significant step for the company:

鈥淥ver the past few years, we have experienced exponential growth. Currently, we have more than 600 pilots on our team. As an ACMI service provider, we ensure the highest standards for our clients, starting from safety and highly trained flight crew. I believe that the simulator will play an integral role in further strengthening our crew training process. Using the opportunity, I would like to express sincere gratitude to BAA Training, who are collaborating with us on this project,” says Kajokas.

鈥淭he new partnership with Avion Express is what we deliver to our clients鈥攖ailor-made solutions to meet their specific training demands. Our capacity growth as a pilot training provider is evident. The A320 CEO/NEO full flight simulator is a 2.1 Airbus standard FFS, and the newest addition to our expanding fleet. We are constantly investing in the most up-to-date technologies because we have a long-term perspective鈥攖o ensure the highest quality infrastructure for our clients, and we are excited to be partnering with Avion Express on this project,鈥� comments Marijus Ravoitis, CEO at BAA Training.

Having a dedicated FFS will bring several advantages to Avion Express鈥� pilot training programs. According to Martijn Klein Essink, Head of Training at Avion Express, it ensures availability, reliability, cost efficiency, and the ability to make customized training programs:

鈥淔irstly, it provides our pilots with consistent access to high-quality training sessions, which is essential for maintaining a standardized and effective curriculum. Additionally, we can schedule training sessions at our convenience, minimizing disruptions and eliminating external dependencies, and tailor training programs to meet the specific needs of our pilots. Lastly, despite the initial substantial investment, in the long run, a dedicated simulator proves to be a cost-effective solution when compared to outsourcing training services, making it a wise investment for our organization,” explains Klein Essink and mentions that the company is strongly committed to the development of their training department, now Avion Express has 39 Type Rating Instructors (TRIs) and Type Rating Examiners (TREs) and over a hundred other instructors in the team.

In recent years, Avion Express has experienced an intensive period of growth, witnessing a substantial expansion in their fleet size 鈥� from 16 aircraft in 2021 to 50 A320 family aircraft, an increase of 212%.

鈥淎CMI provides many benefits for airlines, such as efficient capacity management, operational optimisation, cost savings, and flexibility, particularly during periods of fluctuating demand. In response to the growing demand for these services, we have consistently expanded our fleet, enabling us to better serve our current clients, including Eurowings, SunExpress, Transavia Netherlands, TUI UK, Flynas, Air Baltic, British Airways Euroflyer, Air Malta, Pegasus and many more,鈥� explains Darius Kajokas, CEO of Avion Express.

Moving forward, the airline plans to continue growing its fleet. 鈥濨y the end of next year, we plan to increase our fleet to 60 aircraft and expect to reach a fleet of 100 aircraft by the end of 2027,鈥� he added.

In addition to its fleet expansion, Avion Express is venturing into new geographical regions. The company is planning to expand into the South American market by establishing an ACMI / Charter airline and obtaining an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) in Brazil. The new airline will operate the Airbus A320 family fleet for both passenger and cargo operations, including Airbus A321F aircraft.

Expansion of Avion Express is backed by its parent company Avia Solutions Group, the world精东影业 largest ACMI provider, operating a fleet of more than 180 passenger and cargo aircraft worldwide.

Tell us, how long have you been working at Avion Express and how have your positions evolved over time?

I have been with the airline for around nine years and it has been an interesting journey. I saw a lot of changes, developments. When I joined, the company was about the size of around 50 people. And now, there are more than 360 people at the office (and even more with the crew). So, I witnessed the process of how the business evolved from a small company to a large one that is today.

Regarding my positions throughout the years, it was quite a learning curve. I started working at Avion Express as a Maintenance Controller for about 1,5 years. Then I briefly changed my position to Planning Engineer. I may have only stayed there for three months before taking the position of Production Engineer, which I held for about four years. This position was new in the company, and I needed to establish the culture and processes in the production planning department: how we are communicating with maintenance providers, establishing, or creating work orders, what logic we are using and so on.

After that again, I got a promotion and I took over the role of Maintenance Services Manager, where I was responsible for a contract establishment and overseeing third-party line maintenance providers. And then, of course, Covid came. The company shrank from, I think, 150 people, to around 50 again. It was quite a challenging time because we needed to solve a lot of open questions regarding an unknown future.

After roughly two years, I got a promotion and started to work as a Fleet Development Manager, and this is my current position.

 Why aviation? What was the underlying motivation to join this industry? Or did it choose you?

Oh, aviation was in my family. Back in the 1950s, my grandfather with a few of his friends built a glider, and that精东影业 how he started his aviation career. Later, he became a director at Siauliai Aeroclub in Seduva Airfield in Lithuania. I never knew my grandfather, but my father used to spend a lot of time at this airfield and told many stories about it, and how fun it was.

As a child, I would go to annual aviation events and shows in Siauliai with my father. And that’s how I got involved in it, learned about aircraft, and developed a love for aviation.

When it came time to choose my studies, I began my research. During my school years, I wasn’t overly preoccupied with thoughts of where to study. An aviation institute in Lithuania, that I was unaware of, was mentioned to me by a friend whose mother was a pilot, and from that moment on my decision was straightforward. I will just go study aviation.

So, these stories and romanticism of aviation were a bit in the genes, you know. Aviation was really the only choice I wanted.

As a Fleet Development Manager, what exactly do you usually do on your daily work basis?

The Fleet Development Department is responsible for aircraft deliveries and redeliveries. We are responsible for introducing the aircraft to the fleet for it to start the operations, and then to remove the aircraft from the fleet without causing too many expenses for the company.

So, this is like a combination of everything, I would say. You need to have knowledge from the technical, operational, and regulation perspectives. You鈥檙e taking control of the processes which are quite fast, moving and constantly changing, and to which you need to be able to constantly adapt.

Mainly, my responsibilities are to lead delivery and redelivery projects. So, this starts from project initiation: reviewing and filling documentation for aircraft registration. If everything is met as per regulation requirements, then controlling the delivery process from the physical perspective of the aircraft. This means going physically to the location of the aircraft精东影业 inspection and issuing reports for lessors and our company to track the process.

Then finally, executing the technical acceptance, obtaining a Certificate of Registration, and Certificate of Airworthiness and fully introducing the aircraft to the Avion Express fleet to start operations, or vice versa in terms of redelivering the aircraft.

This position involves a lot of travelling. What are the routes, trips, and any interesting things you had a chance to see and experience during your work trips?

It was quite an intensive workload for the past few years after Covid because the fleet grew quite rapidly. During Covid, we shrank from 22 to 15 aircraft and today our fleet is the size of 51 aircraft. So, we added quite a number of aircraft in these past two years.

This involved a lot of travelling in Europe. For example, my colleague Benas and I once took an interesting road trip through nearly the entire country of France, stopping at three different locations along the way as we travelled from the north to the south of the country. In a few weeks鈥� time, we travelled most probably around 2000 km in France just going up and down and back, as we needed to physically inspect the aircraft. I have also visited the Netherlands, UK, Ireland, USA, Poland, and Hungary.

My previous positions also involved quite a lot of travelling too. Back then we had quite interesting operations in the Caribbean region. So, I had a chance to visit Caribbeans when I was a Maintenance Controller. Seeing the other side of the world and meeting people with different mentalities allowed me to grow as a person and broaden my view.

As a Production Planning Engineer, I was also involved with travelling, because I was acting as a technical representative during heavy maintenance inputs, summer season preparations or base maintenance, like C checks, D checks and so on. When you spend quite a lot of time in the hangar environment together with the aircraft, you can see everything from close up, to how the aircraft is being fixed and you are controlling this process from that perspective.

All these positions involve travelling and this, I think, is one of the big benefits of working in aviation and on the technical side because it allows you to see and travel quite a lot. Of course, maybe sometimes you wish it would be a vacation travelling when you are just spending time sightseeing. But if you want, you can still combine work and a bit of tourist time.

Is there anything you really love about your job? Can you share?

One of the most satisfying parts is to be able to work with people who love their jobs. Working in this field, you need to have a huge love for technology, aviation and gaining more knowledge. Most probably, you are surrounded by most of these kinds of people yourself. And this is the most fascinating and wonderful part of my job.

Each day is different, you learn new things, grow as a person and as a specialist, and meet a lot of different people with different mentalities and experiences, from the opposite side of the globe, or your neighbours. Since you work on projects and solve issues together with them, you have the chance to get their point of view. Therefore, each day you are learning something new.

What aspects of Avion Express as a company do you enjoy most?

The uniqueness of Avion Express, the people and the culture. The understanding of everyone in the company is that we are working towards the same goal.

Also, the nice thing is that it精东影业 simple to distinguish between friendly, personal discussions and work-related ones. Sometimes you have conversations where you are arguing quite passionately, sometimes even emotions kick in. However, people understand that we鈥檙e just doing our job. And after this intense discussion, you know you are going out of the meeting room and you are again a colleague, a friend. So, this is what I really enjoy also.

Everyone is like a huge family. You can easily go discuss with everyone you want. There is no closed-door policy. If I want to speak with you, I can easily speak with you or vice versa. And same applies to everyone in the company, whether it would be top management level, CEO, VPs, middle managers, or specialists.

We have many outstanding leaders who are setting a good example, and there is a collaborative approach to everything. That creates a very healthy environment for growing as a specialist because that kind of culture eliminates unnecessary stress. We are also encouraged to try and test and learn from our mistakes. That is the way to grow for success, as a company.

The Riga Airport (RIX)-based airline previously announced that it would add four Airbus A320s from Avion Express to bolster its capacity for the three summer months in 2023. Now, the airline has contracted Estonia-based Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance (ACMI) operators XFly, Denmark精东影业 Danish Air Transport (DAT), and Romanian Carpatair, as well as Cyprus Airways, which operates regularly scheduled flights, to lease four additional aircraft. airBaltic will lease XFly精东影业 Mitsubishi CRJ900, DAT精东影业 and Cyprus Airways Airbus A320s, and Carpatair精东影业 A319 on a short-time basis. 

鈥淲e are strongly committed to our contractual obligations to passengers and partners. However, the extended turnaround times for Pratt & Whitney servicing the engines are causing operational disruption for airBaltic,鈥� commented Martin Gauss, the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of airBaltic.  

While Gauss noted that P&W is a 鈥渓ong-term partner of airBaltic,鈥� he said that it could not meet its 鈥減romise on the improved turnaround times鈥� and, as such, the Latvian airline scrambled to wet lease capacity from other carriers and ACMI operators.

FAA addresses dual-engine shutdown of A220 P&W engines

• Aircraft
• Aviation Safety

byRytis Beresnevicius

2022-12-28

Still, Gauss remains 鈥渙ptimistic鈥�, as even some of the wet leased aircraft will offer more capacity to customers flying with airBaltic during the summer.  

鈥淚n the meantime, we are taking all the necessary measures to ensure that the majority of our passengers continue to be transported by the backbone of our operations 鈥� the Airbus A220-300 aircraft,” Gauss added.  

At the same time, airBaltic has committed 14 of its own Airbus A220-300 for other airlines to wet lease during the same summer 2023 period. 

The Latvian carrier ended 2022 with a net loss of 鈧�54.2 million ($58.3 million), a significant improvement over the loss of 鈧�135.7 million ($146.2 million) in 2021. 

Overall, airBaltic has 39 Airbus A220-300 aircraft in its fleet, with all 39 being powered by the Pratt & Whitney 1500G engine. According to ch-aviation.com data, 10 are currently inactive, five are in maintenance, and the remaining quintuple are stored at RIX.

airBaltic to hire cabin crew members in 2023; holding online recruitment days

• Aviation

byJean Carmela Lim

2023-03-02

What inspired you to become a pilot?

My father was an air force pilot in Spain and, as a kid, I was living on the premises of the air force base. Growing up in such an environment and seeing fighter jets, such as North American F86 鈥淪abre” jets, every day, inspired me to follow in my father精东影业 footsteps. However, I found my passion for aviation later, at the age of 16, when I had my first solo glider flight, which ignited a fire in my soul.

This job is very dynamic and challenging, and every day is different from the previous one. So, facing unique challenges and meeting new people every day is what makes this job so charming.

How many years have you been a pilot and how long have you been flying for Avion Express?

My career as a pilot lasted for almost 50 years. I began my career in the Spanish Airforce, where I took early retirement as a Lieutenant colonel. After that, my career in airlines was about 33 years of nonstop flying.

I have been flying for Avion Express only for one year, but when I was called by the airline, I was sceptical about getting a pilot精东影业 position, being already 64! Yet I was lucky, and I am still grateful to Avion Express for giving me the chance to keep enjoying my passion for one more year.

Can you share some of your most memorable experiences or moments from your time as a pilot?

I can think of many memories and special moments that I enjoyed as a pilot; after all, it has been a long time up there. But the most special one was a glider ride, in a double seater that I shared with my father when I knew he was very sick and had only a few months left.

I handed the controls over to him once we were about 3000 feet in the air, and as I watched how much he loved getting back in the air and how skillful and passionate he was about flying, I felt grateful to be able to share that passion with him.

What do you think were the most challenging aspects of being a pilot, and how did you overcome those challenges?

The most challenging aspect of being a professional pilot is to balance professional life with your family and personal life. Families also go through a lot, having their loved ones away from home for so many days every month.

For me, it was of the utmost importance that my family understood how much their support was needed.

What精东影业 next in your career at Avion Express? Tell us a little bit about your new position.

I was fortunate to be selected as a trainer and as a Flight Safety Officer for Avion Express. Even though I have gained experience in these areas throughout my career, Avion Express has allowed me to continue honing both of my skills and maintain a close connection with my passion after reaching retirement age.

To transfer the knowledge and experience accumulated during so many years to the new generation of Avion Express pilots is a privilege that also gives me the opportunity to keep learning from other colleagues.

As per the new agreement, Avion will operate three Airbus A321s and one Airbus A320 aircraft for Sky Cana between April 2022 and March 2023.  

The two companies have been in an established partnership for a few years. 

鈥淲e are extremely happy to extend and continue our cooperation with Sky Cana,鈥� Dainius Staniulis, Vice President Commercial at Avion Express, is quoted as saying in a statement made by the ACMI operator on April 13, 2022. 

鈥淲e are delighted to continue our business partnership with Avion Express,鈥� Frank Diaz, Chief Executive Officer at Sky Cana said. 鈥淲e are excited to be moving forward and to have great, hardworking teams to help us do so鈥�. 

Avion Express is a European narrow-body ACMI and charter operator flying a fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft. Sky Cana is a Dominican air carrier which uses ACMI for its transfer, freight, overflight, helicopter, advertising, air ambulance, and tour services in the United States, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. 

Top 10 ACMI dedicated airlines in the world聽

• ACMI Month

byMichael Jonga

2023-07-03