Hainan Airlines to launch Madrid-Shenzhen Non-Stop Service

Hainan Airlines will officially launch non-stop service between Madrid and Shenzhen on 22nd March 2018. The route will be serviced by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with two round-trip flights weekly, on Mondays and Fridays. This will be Hainan Airlines' first direct service between China and Spain.
Shenzhen is located in southern China, adjacent to Hong Kong. Shenzhen's picturesque coast, pleasant climate and varied theme parks have turned the city into an attractive travel destination. As a key economic hub in southern China, Shenzhen leads in several sectors, including IT, finance and innovative technologies. The splendid city has attracted the world's attention with its amazing growth rate.
After arriving at Shenzhen, travellers can fly on to other Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an, via Hainan Airlines' domestic network. Hainan Airlines recently also launched three non-stop international routes: Shenzhen-Auckland, Shenzhen-Brisbane and Shenzhen-Cairns, providing another high-quality choice for Spanish travellers en route to New Zealand and Australia.

IPO for China Express fleet expansion

China Express Airlines has secured approval for an initial public offering (IPO) to expand its fleet, becoming the first regional carrier in China to launch an IPO.

The Guiyang-based carrier plans to collect CNY1.4 billion ($215 million) to buy six Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, three engines and build a flight training centre.

Launched in 2006, China Express set up five domestic bases, comprising Guiyang, Chongqing, Dalian, Hohhot and Xi’an. The company operates 26 CRJ900s on more than 70 domestic routes. Of these, 95% are regional routes, which account for 11% of Chinese regional routes.

United Airlines Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2017 Performance

Earlier this week United Airlines announced its fourth-quarter and full-year 2017 financial results, which offered few surprises. 

The American carrier reported fourth-quarter net income of $580 million, diluted earnings per share of $1.99, pre-tax earnings of $600 million and pre-tax margin of 6.4 percent. Excluding special charges and income tax adjustments, UAL reported fourth-quarter net income of $408 million, diluted earnings per share of $1.40, pre-tax earnings of $631 million and pre-tax margin of 6.7 percent.

UAL reported full-year net income of $2.1 billion, diluted earnings per share of $7.02, pre-tax earnings of $3.0 billion and pre-tax margin of 7.9 percent. Excluding special charges and income tax adjustments, UAL reported full-year net income of $2.1 billion, diluted earnings per share of $6.76, pre-tax earnings of $3.2 billion and pre-tax margin of 8.4 percent.

UAL repurchased $553 million of its common shares in the fourth quarter, bringing the full-year share repurchases to $1.8 billion and completing the company's July 2016 $2 billion share repurchase program. The company's board of directors authorized a new $3 billion share repurchase program in December.

During 2017, United consistently notched operational bests in on-time arrivals and completions while seeing the fewest cancellations and the best baggage performance in company history.

Employees earned $349 million in profit sharing for 2017.

"I am incredibly proud of how our employees delivered in 2017, achieving our best-ever operational performance. Reliability is an important pillar in our continued focus on further improving the customer experience," said Oscar Munoz, chief executive officer of United Airlines. "Looking ahead, we are committed to improving profitability over the long-term by building on the strong foundation we have laid over the past two years. Everyone at United is excited to enter 2018 with a clear set of priorities and a renewed sense of purpose around unlocking the full potential of United Airlines."

First Air announces proposal for growth to Canada's Arctic

 In partnership with The Ottawa Airport Authority and Aeroterm, First Air submitted two separate applications to the National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF). This Government of Canada program was announced mid-2017 to provide funding for infrastructure projects that help support the flow of goods and passengers throughout the transportation system by reducing bottlenecks and addressing capacity issues. Ensuring that Canada's northern communities benefit from these important infrastructure projects was identified as an important priority for the NTCF.
First Air, a wholly Inuit-owned airline, is a vital link in the supply chain to the North; in the past year, First Air shipped an incredible 19.4 million metric tons of cargo freight out of Ottawa to Canada's Arctic communities, including food, mail, medical supplies and other goods. With cargo demands expected to increase by 28% over the next five years, First Air needs to ensure capacity exists at both ends of the process to support this growth.
The first proposal addresses capacity issues at First Air's cargo facilities in Ottawa, which are located on the grounds of the Ottawa International Airport, by increasing warehousing and refrigeration capacity and modernizing technology aimed at reducing spoilage and delayed shipments. In keeping with Canada's focus on transportation security, the expansion would ensure compliance with federal security screening requirements.

China Airlines now planning daily service between Ontario and Taiwan

Prompted by strong customer demand, China Airlines has expanded its bookings between Taiwan and Ontario International Airport (ONT) to seven days a week in anticipation of the scheduled March 25 launch of service.
When China Airlines announced in September that it would initiate service between ONT and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), the plan was to fly the non-stop route four days a week. However, customer demand has been so strong that the airline has expanded its bookings – two months before the first scheduled flight.
"We are most grateful to China Airlines and its chairman, Nuan-Hsuan Ho, for their confidence in our airport, employees and community neighbours," said Alan D. Wapner, president of the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA).
"That China Airlines is increasing service before a single flight has lifted off is both uncommon and a testament to the high value of travel between Taiwan and Ontario."
TPE is the primary International gateway airport for the New Taipei–Keelung–Taoyuan City metro area, with more than 9 million residents, while ONT is the closest and most convenient international gateway airport for more than 10 million Southern California residents in the Inland Empire, northern Orange County, and eastern Los Angeles County.

Hainan Airlines to Launch Vancouver Tianjin Shenzhen Service on 25th May

Hainan Airlines is scheduled to launch a new service between Vancouver, Tianjin and Shenzhen on 25th May. 

The new flights follow the roll-out of the Toronto - Beijing and Calgary - Beijing services and this will be Hainan

Airlines' third flight between Canada and China as well as the airline's 15th service to a destination in the US and Canada.

As 2018 has been proclaimed as the Canada-China Year of Tourism, the launch of the new service will take the cooperation between the two countries on tourism to a new level. 2018 also marks the 10th anniversary of Hainan Airlines' first flight to a destination in North America. Over the past 10 years, Hainan Airlines' route network covering North America has experienced rapid development. In addition to the direct routes to and from destinations in Canada, Hainan Airlines has launched 12 services between cities in the US, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle, San Jose, Chicago, Boston and New York, and major cities in China.

Hainan Airlines, one of the Top 10 SKYTRAX carriers, will provide the same level of five-star services on the Vancouver=Tianjin=Shenzhen route as the airline does on all its other routes. Travelers can also reach many more exciting destinations through Hainan Airlines' extensive combined transportation offerings.

Spirit to link Atlantic City and New Orleans

 Spirit Airlines is introducing a new nonstop service connecting Atlantic City International Airport to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.  Starting on 13th April 2018, Spirit will operate 4 flights per week between the two popular vacation destinations.

"Spirit is proud of its strong history at Atlantic City International Airport, and we're very excited to bring more ultra-low fares to the market," said Mark Kopczak, Spirit Airlines' Vice President of Network Planning. "With this new service to New Orleans, we know more travellers will take advantage of New Jersey's most convenient airport, whether it's a spontaneous trip with friends or the ultimate family vacation."

Spirit Airlines has been providing nonstop flights and low fares from Southern New Jersey for more than 27 years at Atlantic City International Airport. From Atlantic City, Spirit currently operates 10 flights per day to 6 cities, including Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Tampa, and West Palm Beach. On April 12, 2018, Spirit will also resume its daily seasonal service to Atlanta.

"We are excited Spirit Airlines is adding nonstop service between Atlantic City and New Orleans, a premier destination known for its culture, cuisine, jazz music, and Mardi Gras," said Airport Director, Tim Kroll. "This year-round route is another result of the strong partnership between Spirit Airlines and the Atlantic City International Airport. Together, we are dedicated to promoting the convenience of our facility."

In New Orleans, Spirit will begin seasonal nonstop service from Columbus, OH, beginning on March 22, 2018. Spirit also recently started service to New Orleans from Boston, Newark/New York, Tampa and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Spirit now operates 19 daily flights from New Orleans to 17 destinations.

"Spirit has been an outstanding partner to MSY, and we appreciate their confidence in the New Orleans market to launch their 17th nonstop route from our city," said Kevin Dolliole, Director of Aviation for the New Orleans Aviation Board.  "Atlantic City has been unserved from MSY, and with today's announcement, ACY marks our 57th nonstop destination.  It will now be easier than ever for New Jersey travellers to experience the unique culture of New Orleans with Spirit's ultra-low fares."

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Finnair chosen as airline partner during the EU-China Tourism Year 2018

Finnair is proud to cooperate as a selected airline partner to the EU - China Tourism Year 2018.  The EU - China Tourism Year focuses on developing travel between China and Europe. The main priorities of the tourism year include improving the travel and tourism experiences of travellers while visiting the EU and China, organizing business to business networking opportunities for tourist partners and facilitating business summits as well as supporting various marketing campaigns.

“Finnair highly supports the EU - China Tourism Year with China being a strategic market for us. The objectives of the tourism year are in-line with the objectives of Finnair. Finnair was the first Western European airline to fly nonstop to Beijing and we will be celebrating 30 years of experience flying between Beijing and Helsinki this June. We look forward to continuing to develop and support travel between China and Europe during this special year,” says Juha Järvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Finnair.

Delta ranked among world’s Most Admired Companies for 5th straight year

The US carrier, Delta Air Lines has again earned a spot among the world's leading brands after being named today as one of Fortune magazine's Most Admired Companies for the fifth consecutive year.

Among its competitors, Delta was named Fortune's Most Admired Airline, rated No. 1 on the industry list for the seventh time in the past eight years.

The Fortune list is a ranking of the world's most respected and reputable companies, as ranked by their corporate peers.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian credited the award to the dedication of the airline's 80,000-person workforce. "Your hard work has earned Delta a reputation for world-class customer service, unmatched operational excellence and a culture that puts people first," he wrote in a memo to all employees.

Each year, Fortune surveys executives and directors across all industries to rank the companies they most admire in nine areas such as innovation, people management and financial soundness, as well as an overall reputation. Fortune editors compile the data and publish a list of the top 50 Most Admired Companies. Delta is ranked No. 31 this year.

Norwegian forges a new record! The fastest transatlantic flight time from New York to London by a subsonic aircraft

A new flying record has been taken by the super lovely low-cost airline Norwegian, they've set a new record time for the fastest ever transatlantic flight by a subsonic passenger aircraft this week using one of their state of the art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

The Norwegian flight, DY7014 departed from New York's JFK airport on 15th January and landed as London's Gatwick airport just 5 hours and 13 minutes later –  it is the fastest transatlantic flight recorded on a subsonic commercial aircraft. 

When we first saw that record, we thought perhaps it had been a special flight with very few passengers onboard, but that proved not to be the case. Flight DY7014 was a normal flight carrying 284 passengers and took-off JFK at 11:44am and arrived at LGW at 9:57pm – a super 53 minutes early.

The pilot of the record-breaking flight, captain Harold van Dam from Norwegian said: “The 787 Dreamliner is a pleasure to fly and it’s a great feeling to know that we have set a new record in this aircraft. We were actually in the air for just over five hours and if it had not been for forecasted turbulence at lower altitude, we could have flown even faster.”

The day before the record-breaking flight, London Gatwick-based Captain Pascal Niewold recorded his fastest ever transatlantic flight of 5 hours and 20 minutes while flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner from New York to London on Sunday 14 January. The flight had a maximum tailwind of 195 knots (224mph) and reached a top speed of 779mph.

Captain Pascal Niewold at Norwegian said: “The passengers and crew were very pleasantly surprised that we were already landing in London. It was a very smooth flight with almost no turbulence and as a result of the jet stream we arrived 25 minutes early.”

Are these the best airline uniforms ever? Alaska Airlines shows off new look

Are these the best airline uniforms ever?  Do you think they are the coolest things in the skies (and some on the ground)?

Rapidly expanding Alaska Airlines has teamed up with fashion designer Luly Yang to produce a brand new look for the airline's uniformed staff.  Yesterday the carrier showed off the new look work clothes, which is, we're told, modern and West Coast-inspired.

The airline chose to unveil its new collection on a runway, near a runway at the airlines' cavernous hangar at Seattle's Sea-Tac Airport, using actual employees as the models for the new threads. All in all there are more than 90 garments and accessories and the design, which has been more than two years in the making, will eventually clad the 19,000 Alaska, Virgin America and Horizon Air uniformed employees starting in late 2019.

"Luly's designs perfectly capture our fresh, West Coast vibe and we're absolutely thrilled with the collection," Sangita Woerner, Alaska Airlines' vice president of marketing said. "Like our refreshed brand, launched in early 2016, our new uniform collection includes bright pops of color, clean lines and stunning finishes, creating a stylish yet approachable look."

Echoing Woerner's remarks was Justin Fitzgerald, a flight attendant who worked for Virgin America and now Alaska Airlines. "The Virgin America uniform has been such a sleek and modern look that I thought it would be so hard to top," he said. "Seeing Luly's designs brought to life has been super exciting! Ms. Yang has taken a lot of our input and has created a very cool, classic yet modern, West Coast vibe!"

High praise indeed, but it's all finalised yet, the uniforms make their official operational debut next week, with around 130 employees wearing testers  – including flight attendants, pilots, customer service agents and lounge employees.  They will all be putting the new uniforms through their paces for the next 60 days.

What do you think?

Read on to find out more about the design process and designer Luly Yang - 

ANA is ATW's Airline of the Year 2018

All Nippon Airways (ANA) has been named as ATW 2018 Airline of the Year as is the second time the airline has won the top honour in the last five years.

ATW will hand over the award at its 44th Annual Airline Industry Achievement Awards Ceremony due to take place on 27th March at The Mansion House in Dublin, Ireland.  The Airline Industry Achievement Awards aims to recognize excellence across a broad range of airline operations and are considered by many as the most coveted in the air transport industry. 

To win ATW's Airline of the Year award, an airline has to demonstrate exceptional achievements as well as capabilities across operations, financial performance, customer service, safety and staff relations. The airlines' leadership must also demonstrate innovation and strategic thinking that is unique. 

"With everything from its commitment to customer service to its global partnerships and superb management, ANA showed that it stood above its competitors,” said ATW editor-in-chief Karen Walker. 

"We are honored to receive the Airline of the Year Award and to have been recognized for the dedicated efforts made at ANA," ANA president and CEO Yuji Hirako, said. "This has been a remarkable year for ANA as we continued to expand internationally, deliver the highest level of customer service and differentiate ourselves in the competitive airline industry."

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Brace for impact - Passengers advised on Malaysian Airlines flight.

With one engine not functioning correctly the 224 passengers of  Malaysian Airlines flight MH122 had a worrying few moments diverted to make an emergency landing at Alice Springs.

Flight MH122 was flying from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, today 18th January when loud noises were heard in the cabin by passengers and crew. The aircraft had departed from Sunday at 1306, with a scheduled arrival time of 1830 and was over Broome at the time the disturbing and unusual sounds started occurring. 

Passengers have told local media or the worrying time they had as the aircraft diverted off its usual flight plan to head to Alice Springs. Sanjeev Pandey, a passenger from Sydney, travelling with two friends heading onward to Mumbai to take part in a marathon said, "There was a loud noise, then the plane started to shake a bit - The loud noise didn't stop for several minutes. It got louder and everyone was scared. All the flight attendants seemed nervous."

Asiana Airlines forced to pay £74,181 over spilt noodles

News from South Korea regarding an Asiana Airlines flight attendant indicates that the Seoul Eastern District Court has ordered her to pay a passenger 109.6 million won that's about £74,181 for burns from instant noodle soup.

The flight attendant had accidentally spilt the soup onto the female passenger, and as a result, the passenger suffered second and third-degree burns from her lower abdomen, thigh and genital area, local media is reporting.  

The court heard that the passenger, Ms Chang, was travelling from Incheon to Paris in business class on 17th March 2014, she filed the lawsuit a year later demanding at least two million won for damages. 

Uzbekistan Airways launch Barcelona

It's been announced that Uzbekistan Airways will launch a new service to the Spanish city of Barcelona from Tashkent on 24th May.

Flight tickets are already on sale for the airlines' weekly service on its website and will be operated by a Boeing 787.   The aircraft will have the airlines usual configuration of 24 seats in business class and 222 in economy.

The airline was formed in 1992 and operates a mixed fleet of aircraft, including Boeing-757/767, Boeing-787-8 Dreamliner, А320, IL-114-100, as well as cargo freighters Boeing-767-300BCF. 

US FAA investigating New York's Port Authority

The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it is investigating the actions of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey after a winter snowstorm caused major disruptions at Kennedy Airport earlier this month.

Its probe is focusing on a requirement regarding “prompt and timely removal of snow from all aircraft movement areas.”

The snowstorm created days of cancellations and delays at the airport on Jan. 4 and several days after. A burst pipe at the primary terminal for international flights on Jan. 7 also caused major headaches for air travellers.

Emirates comes to the rescue.......of the A380

Just a few days after Airbus revealed a ramp down in A380 production due to falling orders and confirming what we all knew, the future of the double-decker was in doubt, Emirates comes to the rescue!

Airbus confirmed the future of the A380 programme was basically hanging on the balance of an Emirates order, and now the Dubai based airline has announced a US$ 16 billion deal for 36 additional Airbus A380 aircraft, with 20 firm orders and 16 options. 

According to Emirates, whose current fleet of A380 fleet are powered by both GE and Rolls-Royce engines, are still evaluating the various engine options for this latest order for the double-decked airliner. 

The additional Airbus A380s will be delivered to Emirates from 2020 onwards and when combined with the airline’s 101-strong  current A380 fleet and its already exisiting order backlog for 41 aircraft, will bring Emirates’ commitment to the A380 programme to a total of 178 aircraft, worth over US$ 60 billion.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said: “Emirates truly represents Dubai’s spirit of growth, innovation and resilience. It also epitomises the city’s increasing role in connecting the world in terms of people, capital and information flows. This deal reflects Emirates’ confidence in shaping the future, and its commitment to advancing Dubai’s vision to grow further as a world-class destination and aviation hub.”

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group (pictured below) signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) today with John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer Customers, Airbus Commercial Aircraft at the airline’s headquarters in Dubai.

Sheikh Ahmed said: “We’ve made no secret of the fact that the A380 has been a success for Emirates. Our customers love it, and we’ve been able to deploy it on different missions across our network, giving us flexibility in terms of range and passenger mix.

He added: “Some of the new A380s we’ve just ordered will be used as fleet replacements. This order will provide stability to the A380 production line. We will continue to work closely with Airbus to further enhance the aircraft and onboard product, so as to offer our passengers the best possible experience. The beauty of this aircraft is that the technology and real estate on board gives us plenty of room to do something different with the interiors.”

"I would like to thank Emirates, Sheikh Ahmed, Tim Clark and Adel Al-Redha for their continued support of the A380,” said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer Customers, Airbus Commercial Aircraft. “This aircraft has contributed enormously to Emirates' growth and success since 2008 and we are delighted that it will continue to do so. This new order underscores Airbus’ commitment to produce the A380 at least for another ten years. I’m personally convinced more orders will follow Emirates’ example and that this great aircraft will be built well into the 2030s.”

Emirates’ partnership with Airbus spans decades. Emirates is by far the largest Airbus A380 operator on the planet with 101 A380s in service today.

Delta continues Boston expansion with more flights to top destinations

Delta, Boston's top global airline, will give Boston customers more flights and enhanced service in 2018, with new daily service to Charleston, S.C. as well as additional flights to four top business markets beginning June 8. New Saturday seasonal service to Aruba will also begin June 9.

"This summer, Delta will proudly offer Bostonians more options with 113 daily departures to 44 top business and leisure destinations said, Joe Esposito, Delta's Vice President — Network Planning, Americas." Delta people have been hard at work during the last two years to give our Boston customers the global airline they deserve and we're looking forward to continuing these expansions and enhancements for our Boston customers in 2018 and beyond."

"Delta continues to be a great partner at Logan International Airport and they have had incredible growth over the last decade," said Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn. "Millions travel through Logan each year, many on Delta flights, and we look forward to offering more choices for our passengers."

Delta’s Seattle growth continues for sixth straight year

Delta is kicking off the New Year with a 10 percent increase in peak-day seats at its Seattle hub for summer 2018, driven by the addition of three new destinations as well as more flights and larger aircraft operating between existing routes. The new destinations include Washington-Dulles and Kansas City, which will launch June 8, and Indianapolis, which will launch June 18.

"In 2012, we made a commitment to be Seattle's global airline, and we are delivering with our sixth straight year of growth," said Tony Gonchar, Delta's Vice President — Seattle. "Seattle and Washington State residents have strongly supported Delta's growth, and we're responding with even more destinations, flights and product enhancements in 2018."

New Service to Washington-Dulles, Kansas City, and Indianapolis

Delta will offer one daily round-trip each to Washington Dulles International Airport, Kansas City International Airport, and Indianapolis International Airport. Washington-Dulles service will be operated using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, Kansas City service will be operated using E-175 aircraft, and Indianapolis service will be operated using Airbus A 319 aircraft.

Delta adds frequencies and larger aircraft to existing routes

Based on more demand from Seattle customers, Delta will launch additional flights to Las Vegas, New York-JFK, Orlando and Medford during spring/summer 2018 and will expand its summer seasonal service to Cincinnati to year-round. Additionally, Delta will offer seasonal weekend service to New Orleans from Feb. 10 through March 31.

The airline will also use larger aircraft to operate several existing routes, including Austin, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Nashville, Phoenix and San Diego.

Alaska Airlines selects destinations for new service from Paine Field

Alaska Airlines, the Seattle-area's hometown airline, announced today new daily nonstop service from Paine Field-Snohomish County Airport in Everett, Washington. When commercial service begins at the airport in the fall, Alaska will offer 13 nonstop departures to eight cities every day with premium service and low fares, further working to become the go-to airline for anyone living on the West Coast.

Alaska's all-jet service will connect Paine Field to Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Orange County, California; Phoenix; Portland; San Diego; San Francisco; and San Jose, California. Flight frequencies for each destination along with departure and arrival times will be announced later in 2018, subject to government approval.

13 daily departures to eight top West Coast markets, 

including San Francisco, LA and Las Vegas

With Alaska's new service from Paine Field, those looking to catch a flight north of Seattle and all around the North Sound (home to more than 1 million people) will have a new travel option closer to home. That'll mean less driving to go farther south, saving time and fuel.

"This is both a historic occasion and a great honour for Alaska Airlines. We are excited to be able to continue our commitment to the State of Washington and the Pacific Northwest," said Andrew Harrison, Alaska Airlines' chief commercial officer. "We're proud to become the anchor tenant of the new terminal at Paine Field. With so many new possibilities for business and leisure travel, we believe this will bring increased opportunities to our communities."

Around the world 100 times ....

Ever wonder what it is like going around the world 100 times, or visiting more than 100 countries?  Jeremy Burton doesn't need to wonder, he's done just that and in a special interview with KLM he talks about his life and his travels. 

100 flights with KLM – wow! Do you remember your first?

Yes, I believe I do, because something strange happened. As I descended the jet bridge, I was surprised to see that the plane was not the standard KLM-blue livery, but a yellow DC-8 with the Surinam Airways logo, which it turned out was on lease to KLM, if memory serves.

Dar es Salaam? Are you going on a holiday?

Yes. I’m joining a group who will be boarding a ship in Maputo, Mozambique. We’ll be making our way back up the coast to Zanzibar, which will be the 131st country I’ve visited! I decided to fly via Dar es Salaam so that I could book a KLM Economy Comfort seat, as I’m rather tall and business-class prices are beyond my means as a retiree.

I’ve calculated that when the flight is approximately 44 miles south of Mbuguni in Tanzania, 20 miles south of Arusha and 4,314 miles from Amsterdam, I’ll have completed the equivalent, in flight miles, of flying around the world 100 times! That’s just under 2.5 million miles, about 4 million kilometres in total!

How did you know your 100th circumnavigation was coming up?

I regularly update my tables of flight data, so I knew the milestone was approaching: 24,901 miles (the circumference of the earth) x 100. Ironically, the big event was initially scheduled for my subsequent flight from Dar es Salaam to Johannesburg. But I was unexpectedly invited to New York in September, which brought the milestone forward to my KLM flight from Amsterdam to Dar es Salaam.

Conair to buy six Bombardier Q400 aircraft

Bombardier Specialized Aircraft announced today that Conair Group Inc., the world’s leading provider of fixed wing aerial firefighting aircraft, has purchased six Q400 aircraft. Based on the current list price, the firm order is valued at approximately $206 million US. Conair operates the world’s largest fleet of privately owned fixed-wing air tankers and supplies speciality aerial firefighting aircraft and products worldwide. These six Q400 production aircraft will be modified to incorporate an enhanced version of Conair’s proprietary Retardant Delivery System. In the Q400 Multirole configuration, the retardant tank can be removed and reinstalled in the field in a few hours. This enables the aircraft to efficiently perform additional roles in emergency response, passenger and cargo transport, medivac, and coastal patrol without compromising its exceptional firefighting capabilities.

“The enhanced Q400 Multirole has the most advanced air tanker capabilities of any aircraft in service today,” said Barry Marsden, Chairman & CEO, Conair. “The Q400 Multirole’s versatility delivers optimal value by accommodating year-round service in passenger, cargo, combi transport, medivac, emergency response, surveillance and patrol without compromising state-of-the-art air tanker capabilities.”

The first six aircraft to be supplied to Conair under its airtanker teaming agreement with BombardierAircraft will be modified to incorporate Conair’s proven Retardant Delivery System and interiors to accommodate passenger, cargo, combi, and medivac requirementsEnhanced Q400 Multirole aircraft will join Bombardier’s fleet of over 1,000 specialized aircraft operating around the world

“The Q400 Multirole delivers the efficiency, reliability, reduced downtime and low operating costs of the Q400 in a multi-role application. Combining turboprop economics and jet-like performance, the Q400 Multirole delivers exceptional value,” said Stéphane Leroy, Vice President, Bombardier Specialized Aircraft. “The Q400 Multirole is the ideal aircraft to meet Conair’s needs, offering a unique ability to serve diverse and challenging environments.”

Singapore's New A380 Heading to London

Singapore Airlines has confirmed it will be sending its new A380's complete with the new revised cabins to London Heathrow and Hong Kong.

From 16th February 2018, the latest A380 aircraft to join the fleet will operate as flight SQ322 from Singapore to Heathrow on Wednesday, Friday and Sundays. From 17th February 2018 to 5th April 2018 will operate on the return Heathrow to Singapore flight SQ305. 

From 18th February 2018 to 6th April 2018, the new A380s will also be deployed on services to Hong Kong, operating on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays as SQ860 (Singapore-Hong Kong) and SQ863 (Hong Kong-Singapore). With effect from 8th April 2018, the aircraft are scheduled to operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays as SQ856 (Singapore-Hong Kong) and SQ861 (Hong Kong-Singapore).

The new cabin, only unveiled in November last year, had its first operational use on flights to Sydney on 18th December and has been a hit with those lucky enough to sampled the famous Singapore service.

The new more luxurious cabins are being fitted on all the new Airbus A380's the carrier is getting and then will be retrofitted on the older models of the aircraft the airline has. 

More pictures of the new A380 cabins from Singapore Airlines.

Norwegian to end flights from Edinburgh

It is being reported that long-haul low-cost airline, Norwegian Airlines will be ending its service from Edinburgh, Scotland to Bradley Airport in Connecticut, according to the Connecticut Airport's Authority.  

The airports executive director Kevin A Dillon cites the UK's Air Passenger Duty as mainly to blame for the end of the service, as it has had "a debilitating effect on Norwegian’s business model," 

"Indeed, Norwegian's decision to discontinue the Bradley route has not been made in isolation. Bradley is not the only airport with Norwegian service to Edinburgh that is being impacted by these dynamics," Dillon said.

"We knew from the start that the lack of connecting options at Edinburgh Airport would make the Norwegian service a challenge to maintain. However, we were pleased to see that Norwegian’s performance was in line with expectations for a new airline entrant starting operations at Bradley. This, unfortunately, was not enough to mitigate the financial pressure that the airline has experienced on the UK side," Bemoanded Dillon.

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Mandarin Airlines introduces its new ATR fleet

Mandarin Airlines, a member of the China Airlines Group, organised a ceremony in Taiwan to introduce the first two aircraft of its new ATR fleet to more than 300 guests, including representatives of the local government. Our CEO Christian Scherer, along with Taiwanese media and senior officers of the aviation, travel and hotel industries were present at this event hosted by China Airlines Chairman Nuan-hsuan Ho and Mandarin Airlines Chairman Shih-chien Hsieh.

This brand new fleet is expected to enter into service before the Chinese New Year to respond to the holidays’ associated traffic surge. The inaugural flight will be between Kaohsiung and Magong. With the most fuel and cost-efficient aircraft on the market, the China Airlines Group will increase its overall carrying capacity on domestic routes, with more seats on more frequent services to help boost customer satisfaction.

Airbus deliveries up for 15th year in a row but could the end be insight for the A380

Airbus’ Commercial Aircraft deliveries in 2017 were up for the 15th year in a row, reaching a new company record of 718 aircraft delivered to 85 customers. Deliveries were more than four percent higher than the previous record of 688 set in 2016. The 2017 total comprises 558 single-aisle A320 Family (of which 181 were A320neo – an increase of 166 percent over 2016); 67 A330s; 78 A350 XWBs (up by nearly 60 percent from 2016) and 15 A380s. Furthermore, to cap this resounding annual production achievement, Airbus achieved 1,109 net orders from 44 customers. At the end of 2017 Airbus’ overall backlog stood at 7,265 aircraft valued at US$1.059 trillion at list prices.

Fabrice Brégier, Airbus Chief Operating Officer and President Commercial Aircraft commented: “A new Airbus delivery record coupled with our fifth best order intake wraps up a remarkable year for us. This outstanding achievement is testimony to the dedication of all our teams, and makes the company fitter, stronger and ready for the opportunities ahead.”

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United flight dirvert

 A United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Paris is diverting after the crew reported a passenger with a medical issue.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Rick Breitenfeldt said in a statement early Monday that United 990 is diverting to Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

Jonathan Guerin, a spokesman for United Airlines, says the flight landed at 1 a.m. EST. He added the plane was expected to continue to Paris in a couple hours.

Specifics about the medical issue weren’t immediately released,  however, the FAA says it will investigate this incident.