Aviation

Aviation is the practical aspect or art of aeronautics, being the design, development, production, operation and use of aircraft, especially heavier than air aircraft. The word "aviation" was coined by French writer and former naval officer Gabriel La Landelle in 1873, from the verb "avier" (synonymous flying), itself derived from the Latin word "avis" ("bird") and the suffix "-ation".

History

Early beginnings

There are early legends of human flight such as the story of Icarus in Greek myth and Jamshid in Persian myth, and later, somewhat more credible claims of short-distance human flights appear, such as the flying automaton of Archytas of Tarentum (428–347 BC), the winged flights of Abbas Ibn Firnas (810–887), Eilmer of Malmesbury (11th century), and the hot-air Passarola of Bartholomeu Lourenço de Gusmão (1685–1724).

Lighter than air

The modern age of aviation began with the first untethered human lighter-than-air flight on November 21, 1783 of a hot air balloon designed by the Montgolfier brothers. The practicality of balloons was limited because they could only travel downwind. It was immediately recognized that a steerable, or dirigible, balloon was required. Jean-Pierre Blanchard flew the first human-powered dirigible in 1784 and crossed the English Channel in one in 1785.

AviaAM Leasing

AviaAM Leasing is a WSE listed global aviation holding company engaged in commercial aircraft acquisition, leasing and sales. It is the only company in the Baltic States engaged in long-term aircraft lease business. The head office of the company is situated in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Business activities

AviaAM Leasing main business activities are fleet structuring, aircraft management, leasing, sale and other related solutions. Main AviaAM Leasing customers are airlines, tour operators and aircraft investors. AviaAM Leasing is involved in lease, sales and management of aircraft operated by Europe and CIS companies.

Aircraft fleet

AviaAM Leasing has a portfolio of in excess of 20 owned and managed aircraft consisting of Boeing 737-300, Boeing 737-500, Boeing 757-200 and Bombardier CRJ200.

Services

Operating and Finance Lease

As a core service area of AviaAM Leasing, the company maintains a portfolio of mid-life mainline narrow-body and regional jets for airlines interested in operating lease. It also provides products for lessees, looking to acquire an aircraft.

Myanmar National Airlines

Myanmar National Airlines (Burmese: မြန်မာအမျိုးသား လေကြောင်းလိုင်း), formerly Union of Burma Airways, Burma Airways, and Myanma Airways, is a state-owned airline and the flag carrier of Myanmar, based in Yangon. It operates scheduled services to all major domestic destinations and to regional destinations in Asia. Its main base is Yangon International Airport. Founded in 1948, it is one of the oldest airlines in Asia.

History

The airline was founded by the government after independence on 15 September 1948, as the Union of Burma Airways (UBA). It initially operated domestic services only, and international services were added in 1950. The name was changed to Burma Airways in December 1972, and to Myanma Airways on 1 April 1989 following the renaming of the country from Burma to Myanmar. International services of Myanma Airways have been made as joint venture airline, Myanmar Airways International (MAI). Myanmar National Airlines is the majority shareholder of Joint Venture Company MAI, set up in 1993. In 2003, it was proposed to set up a Myanmar-based airline for chartered international passenger and cargo flights, which was planned to be called Air Myanmar. What would have been a joint-venture between Myanma Airways and private investors was abandoned in 2005.

This Week

This Week is the name of a number of television and radio programmes:

Other

SMBC Aviation Capital

SMBC Aviation Capital, formerly RBS Aviation Capital, is the world's fourth largest aircraft leasing company, based in Dublin, Ireland.

Formerly part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, the company presently has ownership of 285 aircraft, with a further 190 orders placed with Airbus and Boeing, and has airline customers in over 40 countries.

History

During the Financial crisis of 2007–2010, the company cancelled an order for 25 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, worth at least $3.8bn at list price. In July 2010 at the Farnborough Airshow, it announced a $7.6bn order for 52 Airbus A320s and 43 Boeing 737-800s.

As part of a restructuring of the RBS Group, the unit was classified as a non-core activity, and was scheduled to be sold. The sale was placed on hold in April 2010, pending "cyclical pickup in the aviation industry." Several key managers left to join Avolon.

On 17 January 2012 RBS announced it had agreed to sell the business to Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation for $7.3bn (£4.7bn), with the sale expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2012. The sale completed on 1 June 2012 and the business was renamed SMBC Aviation Capital.