NEWS From rust bucket to showpiece: Volunteers are rescuing the first Boeing 747
TWO YEARS AGO, Museum of Flight curator Dan Hagedorn walked through the decaying fuselage of RA-001, the first Boeing 747, frowned and offered a frank assessment: “No museum, anywhere, has ever faced a restoration project of this magnitude,” he said, predicting a long, piecemeal rehab of the once-proud symbol of Seattle-area big thinking.
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NEWS Russia’s Bear: The old-fashioned plane still thriving
The Tupolev Tu-95 first thundered over Soviet parades in the mid-1950s. Why does this giant, propeller-driven bomber still make headlines nearly 60 years later? Stephen Dowling investigates.
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NEWS Air Canada Flight #AC7316 Makes Emergency Landing in Pennsylvania
An Air Canada flight that was on its way to Toronto with 35 people aboard has landed safely at Pennsylvania airport after smoke was plummeting from a shorted-out cabin light.
Air Canada Express Flight 7316 made a safe landing around noon Friday at Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, which is just over 100km east of Pittsburgh.
ALERT Flights suspended at East Midlands Airport after a power failure
NEWS Etihad Airways appoints general manager for SA
Etihad Airways has appointmented John Friel as its new General Manager in South Africa. Based at the airline’s offices in Johannesburg, John is responsible for leading Etihad Airways’ commercial operations in South Africa as it continues to grow its presence and operations across the region.
NEWS Ryanair inks deal with Vodaphone Ireland
Ryanair has signed a partnership with Vodafone Ireland under which Vodafone will support Ryanair’s communications and IT needs across Europe, including its ticketing, check-in, ground crew, inflight crew and pilot systems.
NEWS Lufthansa first class rolled out accross Munich fleet
Lufthansa has completed fitting its new first class cabin onto all its long-haul aircraft based at Munich airport.
NEWS Cathay Pacific to serve Illy to premium passengers
Cathay Pacific Airways has partnered with illy to serve premium coffee to First and Business Class passengers. Freshly brewed coffee from the renowned Italian coffee roasting company is already being served on flights, while illy’s espresso, café latte and cappuccino will be gradually introduced onboard beginning from March 2015.
Indonesia retrieves final major part of the AirAsia QZ8501 fuselage
(AFP) - Indonesia has retrieved the final major part of the fuselage of an AirAsia jet that crashed into the Java Sea in December, killing all 162 people on board, officials said on Saturday.
The mangled wreckage, the largest part of the plane retrieved, was pulled from the sea Friday and loaded onto a ship, national search and rescue chief Bambang Soelistyo told AFP. "We have retrieved on Friday the last and large part of the AirAsia fuselage with a wing still intact," Mr Soelistyo told AFP. No bodies were found during the course of the operation. Mr Soelistyo said in a press conference on Saturday that authorities will decide on a final date for the salvage operation after a meeting with the victims' families scheduled for next week.
Some 103 bodies have been recovered since the plane went down in stormy weather while flying from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore, search and rescue coordinator S.B. Supriyadi told AFP.
NEWS Airbus Offers On-Wing Engine-Maintenance Shelter
Airbus Customer Services is offering an inflatable tent for engine maintenance to provide better working conditions to perform an on-wing job in adverse weather when the conventional hangar is occupied...
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NEWS Boeing, FedEx battle back against U.S. airlines on Gulf competition
A push by three U.S. airlines to curb competition from Gulf state carriers has triggered a sharp response from other powerful U.S. aviation companies including Boeing Co. and FedEx Corp., potentially complicating the airlines' campaign for Obama administration support.
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NEWS CS300 completes maiden flight
The first prototype of the Bombardier CS300 airliner has completed its maiden flight successfully. The flight lasting more than 2 hours verified the airworthiness of the larger airframe and basic flight controls.
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NEWS GULFSTREAM G650ER DEMONSTRATES It's LONG-RANGE CAPABILITY, TRAVELING 8,000 NAUTICAL MILES NONSTOP
SAVANNAH, Georgia, February 19, 2015 — Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. announced today that the Gulfstream G650ER has once again demonstrated its ability to go the distance by completing the farthest flight in its history. On January 22, a G650ER, owned by Steve Wynn, CEO of Wynn Resorts Limited, flew 8,010 nautical miles/14,835 kilometers nonstop,
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NEWS Higher Altitudes Cleared For GE-Powered 787, 747-8 In Icing
General Electric is introducing a final series of software and hardware improvements to mitigate the threat of core icing on its GE90 and GEnx engines, and is using lessons learned from the modifications to ensure no ice-related surprises occur with the GE9X in development for Boeing’s 777X.
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NEWS Researchers Create 1st (and 2nd) 3-D Printed Jet Engines
Working with colleagues from Deakin University and CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), researchers from Australia's Monash University have created the world's first 3D-printed jet engine.
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NEWS After 17 years, Kuwait Airways is to make a return to Munich
Kuwait Airways from the 16th July is resuming its service to Munich after 17 years of cancellation.
The airline plans to operate the route from Kuwait City to Munich nonstop service 3 times a week.
It is to operate on an Airbus A340.
The airline plans to operate the route from Kuwait City to Munich nonstop service 3 times a week.
It is to operate on an Airbus A340.
NEWS Delta is to resume its flights from New York JFK to Rome and to Venice
Delta Air Line is to resume its flights from New York JFK to Rome and Venice.
The nonstop flight from Rome to New York JFK, complementing the airlines existing service to Atlanta will begin on the 1st March.
Delta will resume its seasonal nonstop flight between Venice and New York JFK on the 29th March.
Both flights are operated in conjunction with its joint venture partner Alitalia.
The route to Rome is on an Airbus A330-300 with the route to Venice on a Boeing 767-400.
The nonstop flight from Rome to New York JFK, complementing the airlines existing service to Atlanta will begin on the 1st March.
Delta will resume its seasonal nonstop flight between Venice and New York JFK on the 29th March.
Both flights are operated in conjunction with its joint venture partner Alitalia.
The route to Rome is on an Airbus A330-300 with the route to Venice on a Boeing 767-400.
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| Delta A330 |
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| Delta 767-400 |
PHOTO KLM is to take delivery of its first 777-300ER in the new livery and cabin configuration
KLM is expecting to take delivery of its first 787-9 Dreamliner in October
NEWS Japan Airlines is to expand its WIFI service on its 767s and 787s
Japan Airlines has been introducing its on board WIFI service since July 2012 with its Boeing 777-300ERs.
The airline will start to install the system on its Boeing 767-300s and Boeing 787-8s on service to Europe, North America and long-haul Asia routes from 3rd March.
The airline will start to install the system on its Boeing 767-300s and Boeing 787-8s on service to Europe, North America and long-haul Asia routes from 3rd March.
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| Japan Airlines 787 |
NEWS Turkish Airlines is buying afternoon slots for London Heathrow off of SAS
Turkish Airlines has announced today that it has acquired landing slots for Heathrow from Scandinavian Airlines
Turkish Airlines said today "In oder to strengthen our flight network our incorporation has decided to take over one afternoon landing and take-off right (slot pair) at London Heathrow from Scandinavian Airlines at the beginning of the winter traffic program on the 25th October."
Turkish Airlines now will have 38 weekly slot-pairs at London Heathrow Airport.
It has also been rumoured that Turkish Airlines is thinking of leasing a few A380s from Malaysia Airlines that is expected to fly to and from the UK.
Turkish Airlines said today "In oder to strengthen our flight network our incorporation has decided to take over one afternoon landing and take-off right (slot pair) at London Heathrow from Scandinavian Airlines at the beginning of the winter traffic program on the 25th October."
Turkish Airlines now will have 38 weekly slot-pairs at London Heathrow Airport.
It has also been rumoured that Turkish Airlines is thinking of leasing a few A380s from Malaysia Airlines that is expected to fly to and from the UK.
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| An artists impression of the Airbus A380 in Turkish Airlines livery |
NEWS General Aviation Mechanic Lied About Completing Annual, Hit with $13 million verdict
Charged Cessna owner for new parts, didn't install them; said he completed annual but only changed the oil. Pilot seat slips in flight, pilot is killed.
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NEWS Airbus Assures On A380 Break-Even This Year
Airbus Group has assured that its A380 will achieve production break-even this year, as it unveiled a strong full-year commercial aircraft performance.
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NEWS Bombardier CS300 takes off for 1st test flight
Bombardier saw one of its CS300 jets take off from Mirabel airport in Montreal today, the first time the company's larger CSeries plane has taken to the skies.
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NEWS Plane lands safely after landing gear failure near Wichita airport
WICHITA, Kan. - An airplane carrying 67 passengers landed safely at Wichita's Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport Wednesday night after reporting landing gear failure about four minutes out from the airport.
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NEWS Airbus Posts Higher 2014 Profit and Increases A320 Build Rates
Airbus Group NV reported a 15 percent gain in annual profit after increasing commercial plane deliveries and announced plans to boost monthly production of its workhorse A320 single-aisle aircraft to 50 a month by 2017. Earnings for 2014 before interest, tax and one-time items rose to 4.07 billion euros ($4.56 billion ) from 3.54 billion euros, beating estimates by analysts for 3.84 billion euros. The company took a charge of 551 million euros for penalties related to delays of its A400M military transport. Sales rose 5 percent to 60.7 billion euros.
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NEWS A fascinating view into the US Air Force boneyards
You can zoom in this 48-megapixel image of the USAF boneyard in Tucson, Arizona—stitched from Bing Maps satellite images—and try to identify all those airplanes. Or you can watch this USAF documentary on how the US stockpiles thousands of planes in deserts around the country to keep the active fleet flying.*
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NEWS Iberia recovery boosts profits at International Airlines Group
International Consolidated Airlines Group has released results for the year to December 31st, 2014, revealing the operating profit €1,390 million. This is up from €770 million in the previous year. Revenue for the year up was up eight per cent to €20,170 million, while passenger unit revenue for the year was down 0.4 per cent at constant currency.
NEWS Bombardier CS300: first flight confirmed for today, February 27
Bombardier confirmed the first flight of its CS300 for today, February 27, at Mirabel, near Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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ALERT 11 injured on board Thai Airways flight #TG641 from Tokyo to Bangkok due to severe turbulence
The Airbus A340-600 was headed to Bangkok from Tokyo at the time and landed safely.
He said the injured were taken to a hospital.
Airline said in a statement that flight TG641 was carrying 227 passengers, two pilots and 22 crew members.
Via ©AP
NEWS Lufthansa brings Boeing 747-8 to New York-Frankfurt route
Newark Liberty International Airport just celebrated the beginning of Lufthansa’s daily scheduled Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental service between Newark and the airline’s home base in Frankfurt. As the largest operator of the new Queen of the Skies, Lufthansa now serves the New York metropolitan area with one of the most technologically advanced aircraft in the world and is the first carrier to bring the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental to Newark.
NEWS Qatar Airways deepens codeshare relationship with Bangkok Airways
Qatar Airways has strengthened its relationship with Bangkok Airways with the addition of further code-share routes. The new code-shares come after a year of rapid expansion for Qatar Airways across the globe, with the addition of 12 new destinations throughout the course of 2014, together with frequency and capacity increases across the network.
NEWS Iberia recovery boosts profits at International Airlines Group
International Consolidated Airlines Group has released results for the year to December 31st, 2014, revealing the operating profit €1,390 million. This is up from €770 million in the previous year. Revenue for the year up was up eight per cent to €20,170 million, while passenger unit revenue for the year was down 0.4 per cent at constant currency.
NEWS Changi Airports-led consortium acquires Vladivostok airport
A consortium led by Changi Airports International has been announced as the winner of the tender to acquire shares in Vladivostok International Airport in Russia’s Far East. The consortium also includes Basic Element, one of Russia’s diversified industrial groups, and Russian Direct Investment Fund. Changi Airports International is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the world’s leading airport operator Changi Airport Group.
NEWS 2 injured flight attendants during flight Ryanair #FR2829 from Reus to Brussels due to turbulence
Ryanair Boeing 737 flight FR2829 from Reus to Brussels Charleroi declared an emergency on February, 25 over the Pyrenees montains chain because of strong turbulence causing injuries to 2 flight attendants (broken ankle to one and a back injury to the other).
The flight diverted to Bordeaux where the injured flight attendants were taken to a hospital.
The flight diverted to Bordeaux where the injured flight attendants were taken to a hospital.
BREAKING Ryanair #FR2829 from Reus to Brussels is declaring an emergency. Track: http://t.co/mzKkQjjfiX pic.twitter.com/5Xr2O8Nhm0
— Air News & Services (@airlivenet) February 25, 2015
NEWS TAM B737 struck by hail storm
A TAM ailines Boeing 737 with flight number JJ3307 enroute from Rio to Natal in Brazil, was at FL18000 when it was struck by lighting. The pilot had know idea where he was as if he was flying blind. During the flight. The Boeing 737 jet struck a hail storm badly damaging the aircraft.
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NEWS Air New Zealand up's the competition on airfares not a problem
The Kiwi airline air new zealand has come out publicly stating it will up the anti on airfare war prices and add hundreds or thousands of seats to it's growing network worldwide. The CEO Chris Luxton said even though these are tough times for airfare wars they should have plenty of room to compete with there competitors. He also made a statement congratulating the CEO Allan Joyce of Qantas for a $ 206 million dollar profit for Qantas. In return Qantas CEO said air new zealand is the number one airline in the world for top service and innovation. Luxton said people who book on our airline ANZ will be in for a winter surprise later in April which will shock the aviation arena and airliners of the globe. He would not speculate as to what this might be, as this is being kept out of the lime light. I am thinking something to do with $1 domestic fares or buy on ticket get the other free??.
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NEWS Awesome Blue Angels
Watch how these pilots endure multiple g's.Amazing view from inside the cockpit as they do their acrobatics at a show.
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NEWS WestJet Encore kicks off operations out of Québec City – New carrier to offer more flights to Toronto
QUÉBEC CITY, Feb. 25, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ – Starting March 15, travelers will have access to more WestJet flights to and from Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport. The airline’s regional subsidiary, WestJet Encore, will ramp up WestJet’s service by operating two daily flights to Toronto Pearson International Airport, WestJet’s hub in Eastern Canada.
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NEWS Southwest announces new Dallas routes
Southwest Airlines announced eight new destinations from its headquarters at Love Field on Thursday, the second wave of destinations that were made possible by two gates the airline acquired.
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NEWS Paris Solves Drone Mystery, Arrests 3
he Paris prosecutors' office says three al-Jazeera journalists have been arrested for illegally flying a drone. It said the three foreign nationals aged 70, 54, and 36 were taken into custody this afternoon after police spotted the drone flying in the Bois de Boulogne woods in western Paris.
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NEWS Why 40-Year-Old Tech Is Still Running America’s Air Traffic Control
On Friday, September 26, 2014, a telecommunications contractor named Brian Howard woke early and headed to Chicago Center, an air traffic control hub in Aurora, Illinois, where he had worked for eight years. He had decided to get stoned and kill himself, and as his final gesture he planned to take a chunk of the US air traffic control system with him.
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VIDEO Watch how work a take off of a Boeing 737 in snowy conditions with cockpit view and ATC audio
For our followers in the northern hemisphere, it is winter. We propose to look how work a take off of a Boeing 737 in snowy conditions with cockpit view and ATC audio by 737 channel.
NEWS Thunderbolt on a Ryanair flight, fear for 174 passengers!
Fear for 174 passengers on board of a Ryanair B737-800 flight FR8922 from Palermo to Treviso (Italy) on the morning of 23rd Feb 2015. Few minutes after the take off from Palermo during a rain storm the plane was hit by a thunderbolt. An emergency landing had to be undertaken at Orio al Serio airport (Bergamo), then the flight followed again to Treviso.
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NEWS Changi Airports-led consortium acquires Vladivostok airport
A consortium led by Changi Airports International has been announced as the winner of the tender to acquire shares in Vladivostok International Airport in Russia’s Far East. The consortium also includes Basic Element, one of Russia’s diversified industrial groups, and Russian Direct Investment Fund. Changi Airports International is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the world’s leading airport operator Changi Airport Group.
NEWS Emirates A380 flight #EK201 from Dubai to JFK had to return because of medial emergency
“The aircraft has landed and the passenger is being assisted off the aircraft to receive medical attention. Emirates apologises for any inconvenience. The safety of our passengers and crew is always of paramount importance.”
Flight EK 210 circled for around two hours to dump fuel to make a safe landing in Dubai.
Flight EK 210 circled for around two hours to dump fuel to make a safe landing in Dubai.
UPDATE Emirates A380 #EK201 about to land at Dubai after burning fuel for 2h30. Live: http://t.co/mzKkQjjfiX pic.twitter.com/NOV9Xx9vrI
— Air News & Services (@airlivenet) 26 Février 2015
NEWS Qantas reveals strong results for six months to December
Qantas today reported a statutory profit after tax of $206 million for the six months ended December 31st. This is Qantas’ best first-half performance since 2010 and an improvement of $619 million compared with the same period last year. The main factors in the underlying improvement were the $374 million Qantas gained from its Transformation programme, with there was also $208 million in reduced depreciation.
NEWS Changi Airports-led consortium acquires Vladivostok airport
A consortium led by Changi Airports International has been announced as the winner of the tender to acquire shares in Vladivostok International Airport in Russia’s Far East. The consortium also includes Basic Element, one of Russia’s diversified industrial groups, and Russian Direct Investment Fund. Changi Airports International is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the world’s leading airport operator Changi Airport Group.
NEWS First images of the world's largest airplane
Holy crap, it's real! Behold the first glimpse of Paul Allen's crazy space venture: The largest airplane in history, a 385-foot (117-meter) wingspan beast designed to carry and launch a giant rocket to space, with a combined weigh of 1,200,000 pounds (540,000 kg)! Check out the mind-blowing photos.
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NEWS First images of the world's largest airplane
Holy crap, it's real! Behold the first glimpse of Paul Allen's crazy space venture: The largest airplane in history, a 385-foot (117-meter) wingspan beast designed to carry and launch a giant rocket to space, with a combined weigh of 1,200,000 pounds (540,000 kg)! Check out the mind-blowing photos.
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NEWS Iceland’s WOW air prepares for new transatlantic routes
Icelandic low-cost carrier (LCC) WOW air has acquired two Airbus A321s on a finance lease to service its new Reykjavik to Boston and Washington DC routes. Flight to Boston are due to start March 27, while those to Washington DC will follow on May 8.
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NEWS Incident: Thomas Cook B753 near Budapest on Feb 21st 2015, smoke in the flightdeck
A Thomas Cook Boeing 757-300, registration G-JMAA performing flight MT-1125 from Sofia (Bulgaria) to London Gatwick,EN (UK) with 280 people on board, was enroute at FL340 about 100nm south of Budapest when the crew declared PAN reporting "smoke in the flight deck" and decided to divert to Budapest.
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NEWS United Continental Sent Safety Warning to Pilots
United Continental Holdings Inc. ’s management sent a dramatic safety warning to its pilots last month, calling for stepped-up compliance with rules and procedures following several serious incidents caused by cockpit errors. The bulletin, issued Jan. 9 under the heading “significant safety concerns,” said it was prompted by four separate “safety events and near-misses” in previous weeks, including a plane whose pilots had to execute an emergency pull-up maneuver to avoid crashing into the ground. Another flight cited in the document landed with less than the mandatory minimum fuel reserves.
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NEWS Boeing to Build All-Electric Propulsion Satellite for SES
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Feb. 16, 2015 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] will build for SES S.A. [Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG] a new, all-electric 702SP satellite that will enable SES’ airline customers to provide in-flight entertainment and WiFi over North America, Central America and the Caribbean. This is the 12th satellite in more than 25 years that Luxembourg-based SES has ordered from Boeing, and the first of the all-electric propulsion satellites.
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NEWS Alaska Airlines Announces Order for Six Boeing Next-Generation 737-900ERs
Alaska Airlines' fleet of fuel-efficient Boeing airplanes is growing with the purchase of six Boeing 737-900 Extended Range aircraft, valued at $594 million, Boeing's current list price. The new planes, four scheduled for delivery in 2016 and two in 2017, bring Alaska's total jets on order to 79.
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NEWS Pilots Blamed For Bahamas LearJet Crash
On a second landing attempt, the crew showed poor decision-making "in initiating and continuing a descent in IMC below the authorized altitude, and hitting a construction crane.
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NEWS Boeing, Transavia Announce Order for Up to 20 Next-Generation 737-800s
SEATTLE, Feb. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] and Transavia Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Air France KLM Group, today announced an order for 17 Next-Generation 737-800s, including options for three additional airplanes. The order, valued at $1.6 billion at current list prices, was previously booked and attributed to an unidentified customer on the Boeing Orders & Deliveries website.
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NEWS Korean Carriers Continue China Expansion
Korean Air is expanding its route network into China with four new services to second-tier cities, buoyed by increasing demand.
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Impressive damages on TAM #JJ3793 from São Paulo-Guarulhos to Joinville due to hail storm
TAM Flight JJ3793 Airbus A319 from Sao Paulo-Guarulhos to Joinville, Brazil returned after sustaining hail damage to the nose and wind screen.
The aircraft took off at 16:07 and entered a strong hail storm. The crew then decided to return to Guarulhos where it safely landed at 17:07.
NEWS American Airlines sends dozens of flights to their destinations without a single piece of luggage
@henrywei @AmericanAir current unclaimed baggage at baggage service!!! Some of us are still waiting....7 hours in pic.twitter.com/Ra5t9C3U48
— James Patrick Shay (@Muscling) February 21, 2015NEWS KMCO Welcomes New Non-Stop International Service to Peru
Connecting travelers from around the USA and Central Florida, Peru becomes easier with the announcement of new service between Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Lima on LAN Peru, an affiliate of LATAM Airlines Group.
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NEWS Hail Breaks Airbus Windshield and Destroys Nosecone
A Brazilian Airbus A321-200 operating as TAM airlines flight JJ-3307 had to return to Rio de Janeiro and perform an emergency landing after sustaining substantial damage upon entering an embedded thunderstorm wrought with hail.
Hail and turbulence caused severe damage to the radome of this A321 #TAM yesterday!!Emergency ldg! Via tráfico aéreo pic.twitter.com/VcQbsmKqnC
— ✈Monica-✈ (@vargasmoni) 10 Février 2015NEWS A Visual History of Inflight Luxuries
While the modern flyer can now enjoy everything from on-demand entertainment to gourmet meals and generous sleeping arrangements, life in the skies hasn't always been this cozy — or convenient, or fun, or even healthy.
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NEWS Boeing Lining Up Buyers for Early Overweight Dreamliners
Boeing Co. has lined up buyers for 10 of the early, overweight 787 Dreamliners whose years in storage made them emblems of the jet’s factory woes and a drag on profit, people with knowledge of the plans said. The planes, dubbed “terrible teens” for their assembly struggles and their places near the start of the production run, have an assessed value of roughly $1 billion, or less than half the catalog price. The original customers balked because the aircraft were too heavy, limiting their range. Ethiopian Airlines is in advanced discussions to buy eight of the early-build 787s, said four people who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. Air Austral, based on France’s Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, has already ordered two of the jets, the people said.
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NEWS Regulator: United doesn't need to accept mistake fares
On February 11, for a period of about four hours, United's Danish site showed fares from the U.K. to various destinations around the world at a fraction of their intended prices. The error was caused by third-party software supplied to United (UAL), the airline said.
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NEWS New flight paths angering residents in Phoenix
The Federal Aviation Administration implemented new satellite-based arrival and departure paths out of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The changes are part of a program the FAA is rolling out at major airports across the country as it looks to replace an outdated network of radar and radio communications with satellite-based and digital communications.
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NEWS Piaggio Makes First Drone Flight Of An Unmanned Catfish
Piaggio has successfully removed the pilot from the Italian aircraft manufacturer's popular twin-engine, turboprop, pusher-type executive transport. The P.180 – affectionately referred to as "the flying catfish" – has been redesigned into an unmanned aircraft for the Italian Air Force, and it's got a new name: the Hammerhead. The new P.1HH HammerHead is a multi-purpose drone powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-66B turboprop engines designed to perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions worldwide. Capable of flying up to 45,000 feet with an endurance exceeding 16 hours with an internal payload up to 4,000 lbs, the Hammerhead includes a ground control station that can be interconnected with the drone in Line of Sight or via satellite.
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NEWS Ethiopian Airlines launches two new corporate loyalty programmes
Ethiopian Airlines is enhancing its offering to the UK business travel market with an improved business class product and the introduction of two new programmes designed to win loyalty among corporates and individual business travellers flying with the airline on business. UK business travellers who regularly fly with Ethiopian are invited to join the new ‘Corporate Bonus Program’.
NEWS Korean Air announces sharp increase in flights to China
Korean Air will expand its network in China by launching four new services in the first half of 2015. The airline will launch Incheon-Hefei on March 30th, Incheon-Nanning and Jeju-Guiyang on May 11th and Daegu-Shenyang on June 22nd, meaning Korean Air now flies to more cities in China than any other airline from Korea.
"Expert" explains how Vladimir Putin Hijacked Missing Flight MH370 - @flightcrisis
The Malaysia Airlines flight 370 has been missing for almost a year now and people are still wildly speculating as to what happened to it. The latest claims, made by U.S science writer Jeff Wise, suggest that the plane was hijacked on the orders of Vladimir Putin and secretly landed in Kazakhstan.
Wise, who led CNN’s coverage of the Boeing 777-200E, has based his eccentric theory on pings that the plane gave off for seven hours after it went missing.
Wise thinks that hijackers ‘spoofed’ the plane’s navigation data to make it appear as though it went in another direction, but flew it to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is leased from Kazakhstan by Russia.
If Russia has the savvy to plan an insanely complex special operation, they also have a track record of implementing such schemes,‘ Wise wrote on his website.
‘Kazakhstan lacks the means and technical savvy to carry out a sophisticated hijack, the same is not true of Russia.
‘Russia is (arguably) the only country that stands apart from the West and yet is as technically advanced in the aerospace industry as the United States.’
The theory comes after a new documentary claims that the plane was deliberately flown of course by somebody in the cockpit.
Aviation disaster experts analyzed the satellite data and discovered that the plane flew on for hours after losing contact. That would partially back up Wise’s theory. Although it had been believed that the plane made three turns, leaving it flying south towards Antarctica. This is probably the data that Wise thinks is ‘spoofed.’ Instead of flying towards the Antarctica, the flight was heading towards the airfield in Kazakhstan (below).
This airport was built for planes to self-land. Meaning if the plane was hijacked it would not necessarily need a pilot to land it.Speculating as to why Putin would want to have hijacked the plane, Wise told New York Magazine, “Maybe he wanted to demonstrate to the United States, which had imposed the first punitive sanctions on Russia the day before, that he could hurt the West and its allies anywhere in the world,”
‘Maybe what he was really after were the secrets of one of the plane’s passengers.
‘Maybe there was something strategically crucial in the hold.
‘Or maybe he wanted the plane to show up unexpectedly somewhere someday, packed with explosives.
‘There’s no way to know.’
Disclaimer: This story does not represent the Views of @Airlivenet
NEWS Etihad Airways welcomes AeroMobile to A380 era
AeroMobile has celebrated the first Airbus A380 to be fully line-fitted with its inflight mobile phone network. The Etihad Airways A380-800 (A6-APA) aircraft’s inaugural flight with AeroMobile services was from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow, touching down on earlier.
EMERGENCY Air China #CA1336 Makes Emergency Landing after Bomb Scare
Media report police presence at the airport, as well as ambulances and fire engines.
A female passenger surnamed Wang onboard claimed the plane was about to explode, which caused the emergency landing.
Flight CA1336, an airbus A321-200 plane, took off from Nanning airport at 12:24 and was scheduled to arrive in Beijing at around 14:45 on Wednesday.
The command center at Chongqing airport received the alert report from the flight crew at 13:35 and the plane landed safely at the airport at 14:00.
No suspicious devices had been found on the plane following security searches at the airport.
The suspect had been taken away by police for further investigation in Chongqing and the flight will take off again after security checks, China Central Television reports.
Article by CRJ
Southwest statement after missing inspection
Operational Impact Minimized as FAA approves plan to complete inspections within five days
Southwest Airlines discovered an overdue maintenance check required to be performed on the standby hydraulic system, which serves as a back-up to the primary hydraulic systems. As a result of this discovery, 128 -700 aircraft were identified as having overflown a required check. Once identified, Southwest immediately and voluntarily removed the affected aircraft from service, initiated maintenance checks, disclosed the matter to the FAA, and developed an action plan to complete all overdue checks. The FAA approved a proposal that would allow Southwest to continue operating the aircraft for a maximum of five days as the checks are completed. Approximately 80 cancellations occurred today as a result of the events and the airline is anticipating a very minimal impact to their operations tomorrow. The Safety of our Customers and Employees remains our highest priority and we are working quickly to resolve the situation.
- See more at: http://www.blogsouthwest.com/news/statement-regarding-inspection-of-standby-hydraulic-component/#.dpuf
NEWS Southwest Airlines forced to ground 128 Boeing 737 airplanes for inspections
"Southwest Airlines confirmed Tuesday evening that it grounded 128 of its Boeing 737-700 aircraft that day after it discovered that the airplanes had not received required inspections."
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NEWS Delta bolstering Sea-Tac flight schedule again
Delta said it has enhanced its domestic schedule to support its expanded repertoire of overseas flights from Sea-Tac. Delta’s international flight schedule offers more seats to international destinations from Sea-Tac than all other carrier combined. Delta flies from Sea-Tac nonstop to Amsterdam, Paris and London in Europe and to Hong Kong, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo’s two airports, Haneda and Narita from Sea-Tac.
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VIDEO @icelandair shows us the inside of its "Hekla Aurora"
Icelandair has introduced a video of the unique cabin “Northern Lights” lighting of its Boeing 757-200 TF-FIU.
Description by Icelandair: "Grab a seat on board Hekla Aurora, Icelandair’s new airplane celebrating the northern lights. When you take an Icelandair Stopover on your next trip across the Atlantic, you might be lucky enough to see this natural phenomena in Iceland, but now there are guaranteed sightings on this stunning airplane. Take a look!"
Painting of TF-FIU:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov_zbezOy5w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov_zbezOy5w
NEWS FAA investigating near miss on O'Hare runway last week
Whoops.. Can't imagine what could be wrong with turning on to an active runway without permission...
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NEWS Etihad Airways welcomes AeroMobile to A380 era
AeroMobile has celebrated the first Airbus A380 to be fully line-fitted with its inflight mobile phone network. The Etihad Airways A380-800 (A6-APA) aircraft’s inaugural flight with AeroMobile services was from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow, touching down on earlier.
NEWS Etihad Airways welcomes AeroMobile to A380 era
AeroMobile has celebrated the first Airbus A380 to be fully line-fitted with its inflight mobile phone network. The Etihad Airways A380-800 (A6-APA) aircraft’s inaugural flight with AeroMobile services was from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow, touching down on earlier.
NEWS Bombardier Secures Flight Permit For First CS300 FTV; Eyes First Flight Feb. 26-28
Transport Canada has issued a flight permit for the first Bombardier CS300 flight test vehicle (FTV) to join the CSeries flight test program.
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NEWS Quebec government holds out lifeline to Bombardier: ‘We have the money available’
The Quebec government is pledging to bail out Bombardier Inc. if the aerospace company gets into a deeper crunch — an offer that fits with the company’s long history in the province, say market watchers, and the jobs at stake if it fails.
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NEWS Lockheed Unveils Longer-Endurance Fury UAV
Lockheed Martin has tweaked the design of the flying wing-shaped Fury unmanned air vehicle (UAV) as it pursues contracts from US special operations forces and the international market
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NEWS Claims have being made that MH370 flew to the Antartica and crashed
Claims made by NZ have said the MH370 B772 made three turns before it disappeared of radar and headed towards the Antarctica and maybe down on the ice some where. The claim comes to say the plane had flown a lot longer after it's disappearance and could have gone south towards the harsh environment. I personally doubt that as the flying time and fuel on board would have run out way before the plane entered the Antarctica region. Further more it could be speculation again as Mc Murdo tower would have spotted the plane as there eye's and ears are very sharp down that area of the world.
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NEWS Japan's First Jet Airliner Is Still Shrouded In Misinformation
Recent reports that the Mitsubishi Regional Jet is scheduled to make it's first flight this May were quietly squashed with a notice that this announcement was not from within the company. As the first test flight has already been pushed back three times, does this spreading misinformation point to even more delays?
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EMERGENCY American Airlines #AA65 forced to land at Heathrow after windscreen craks mid-flight
An American Airlines Boeing 767-300 was forced into an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport this morning after the windscreen cracked mid-flight.
Flight AA65 was around 45 minutes into its journey from Zurich in Switzerland to New York when pilots declared an emergency, and landed at Heathrow at 11.30am local time.
Flight AA65 was around 45 minutes into its journey from Zurich in Switzerland to New York when pilots declared an emergency, and landed at Heathrow at 11.30am local time.
UPDATE EMERGENCY #AA65 from Zurich to New York safely landed at London Heathrow. pic.twitter.com/Df1LchkExh
— Air News & Services (@airlivenet) 23 Février 2015
NEWS Allegiant To Buy Six More Airbus A319s
Las Vegas, Nevada-based Allegiant Travel Co., parent of “ultra” low-cost carrier Allegiant Air, has agreed to purchase six additional Airbus A319 aircraft, as part of a plan to increase its A320 family fleet from 14 to 44 by the end of 2018.
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NEWS Iberia Express to launch Spanish summer holiday flights
The Iberia Group has revealed it will launch non-stop flights from London to Majorca and to Gran Canaria and in the Canary Islands through its subsidiary Iberia Express. At the start of the summer season the Spanish carrier will operate one daily flight to Palma, Majorca from Palma de Mallorca.
NEWS Heathrow Airport sees record passenger numbers in 2014
Heathrow Airport in London has reported its busiest year ever in the 12 months to December 31st, with 73.4 million passengers served, an increase of 1.4 per cent. However, with capacity limited at the airport, there was no real growth in flights last year. Heathrow also recorded a strong financial performance for the year, with revenue up 8.8 per cent to £2.7 billion and EBITDA up 10.3 per cent to £1.57 billion.
NEWS WOW air takes delivery of two Airbus A321 aircraft for transatlantic routes
WOW air has purchased two new Airbus A321 aircraft on a finance lease for use on its transatlantic routes launching this spring to Boston and Washington DC. The largest of Airbus’ benchmark A320 family of aircraft, the A321 offers airlines the best seat-mile costs of any single-aisle aircraft, with an extra-long cabin that provides for seating capacities comparable to those in a wide body jet.
NEWS bmi regional launches three new routes out of Bristol Airport
bmi regional is launching three new routes to Paris, Düsseldorf and Nantes, bringing the number of routes served by bmi regional from Bristol to eight, alongside Aberdeen, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt and Milan. Robert Sinclair, chief executive at Bristol Airport, said: “These new flights will strengthen links to key markets in France and Germany for business and leisure passengers in the south-west.
NEWS Thomas cook B753 near Budapest, smoke in flight deck
B753 by markyharky (license CC by) A Thomas Cook Boeing 757-300, registration G-JMAA performing flight MT-1125 from Sofia (Bulgaria) to London Gatwick,EN (UK) with 280 people on board, was enroute at FL340 about 100nm south of Budapest when the crew declared PAN reporting "smoke in the flight deck" and decided to divert to Budapest. While descending towards Budapest the crew performed the smoke drills and subsequently reported that the smoke and fumes in the flight deck had dissipated but there was still a strong smell of burning in the cabin and some smoke. The aircraft landed safely on Budapest's runway 31R about 20 minutes after leaving FL340. Emergency services checked the aircraft, which afterwards taxied to the apron. The passengers were taken to hotels. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 17 hours, then continued the flight and is estimated to reach Gatwick with a delay of 21 hours.
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NEWS ATSB commissioner Martin Dolan is confident they will locate MH370 soon.
Breaking News". The Australian Transport Safety Bureau commissioner Martin Dolan who is in charge of the operation of finding the missing Boeing 777-200 belonging to MAS, Which it's ANNIVERSARY OF March 8 2014 is nearing with the missing 289 passengers an crew aboard. He said the mystery surrounding the complete absence of debris from the Malaysian airlines jet was currently being re examined by drifting model experts. The commissioner states it will only take a matter of time to locate the wreckage what remains of it and the passengers and crew. The failure to find a life jacket from the aircraft. Also what appears to be a wooden create along with other unidentified debris has being found in the ocean describing it as plane wreckage is also being looked at late last night by searcher.
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NEWS Thomas Cook looks to sell its airline business as part of a cost saving scheme
British holiday company Thomas Cook Group is looking to sell its airline section of the business as part of a cost-saving plan, the Sunday Times newspaper reported without naming its sources.
The world's oldest travel group has looked at a number of potential buyers over the last few months including rival carriers but yet no deal has been reached and talks are not yet under way.
Thomas Cook has not yet commented on this.
NEWS Collision in Jeddah between a car and a A321 (photo)
An Airbus single-aisle hit a car from the aiport service on the intl King Abdulaziz of Djebba in Saoudi Arabia. The check-up is one lightweight injured ( the driver of the car ) and material damage to both the car and the plane. Thursday febuary 19 at 3:15 pm local time an Airbus 321-200 of Saudi Arabian Airlines, witch taxi to to Photos: http://ift.tt/17nueEZ
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NEWS Emirates Rejects Delta’s Apology, Questions Its CEO’s Credibility
Following an appearance by Emirates President and CEO Tim Clark yesterday on CNN’s Quest Means Business during which he said Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson had “crossed the line” with his comment on 9/11 and the Gulf states, the Dubai-based airline has issued a statement rejecting an apology by Delta.
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NEWS Warning over toxic fumes in plane cabins
Toxic fumes in cabin air pose a health risk to frequent fliers and aircrew, a coroner has said in a landmark report. Stanhope Payne, the senior coroner for Dorset, said people regularly exposed to fumes circulating in planes faced “consequential damage to their health”.
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NEWS Air New Zealand in doubt over sight seeing flights to Antarctica
Back in February of 2012 many families who lost loved ones on the DC10-30 ZK-NZP TE901 accident in the Antarctica had revisited the sight of what remains the memorial and the wreckage of flight TE901 on the lower slopes of Mt Erebus. Air New Zealand put on a specail public charter using there own B744 too the ice after 35 years ago when they lost one of there DC10-30 aircraft.257 passengers and crew perished. Now the airline has run into trouble trying to find a suitable wide bodied aircraft for the trip. As there last two remaining B744'S are now retired. ZK-SUH ZK-NBV were used on the last two trips as NZ6001 NZ6061 in 2113 2014. They are doubt over there B773 aircraft doing the trip. But this organisation that rune the trips says they can charter a b744 when needed.
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NEWS Iraqi Airways launches Kurdistan routes from Manchester
Iraqi Airways announced the commencement of two new services from the UK’s third biggest airport, Manchester. Starting on Sunday March 15th, the airline will begin services to Sulaymaniyah and Erbil, flying from Terminal One at the global gateway to the North. The flight to Erbil will depart Manchester on a Wednesday at 22:00 and the flight to Sulaymaniyah will leave on a Sunday also at 22:00.
NEWS The Cold Facts for Aircraft Maintenance Teams in Extreme Weather
Aircraft are designed to operate in extremely low temperatures because cruising altitude is far below zero. So why are there so many flight delays when it gets cold? The answer is that the extreme cold effects the ground operations, which causes a ripple effect in delayed flights. Here is a look at some MRO ground functions that the cold delays.
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NEWS Qatar Airways unbelievable rules for women
It's one of the world’s fastest growing airlines with a modern fleet, but Qatar airlines has been rocked by reports revealing its shockingly archaic set of rules for female flight attendants.
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NEWS EasyJet has gained entry to Tunisia with the launch of a flight to Monastir this summer. - 4000th POST TO airlive.net
Routes into and out of Tunisia have been fiercely decided by its government in order to protect the state-owned Tunisair, and the country has been reluctant to allow any of Europe's budget airlines to enter.
However, it is though that a fall in tourists to the country has prompted a rethink and easyJet has been granted permission to fly twice a week to the country from Stansted after the 2nd June.
Easyjet were unable to give specific details, a spokesman said :"EasyJet is a designated airline on the UK-Tunisia Air Service Agreement and is therefore able to operate flights to Monastir."
“We expect this new route to be especially popular amongst those wishing to try somewhere different this summer.”
Congratulations to AirLive.net - this is the 4000th post on this site.
However, it is though that a fall in tourists to the country has prompted a rethink and easyJet has been granted permission to fly twice a week to the country from Stansted after the 2nd June.
Easyjet were unable to give specific details, a spokesman said :"EasyJet is a designated airline on the UK-Tunisia Air Service Agreement and is therefore able to operate flights to Monastir."
“We expect this new route to be especially popular amongst those wishing to try somewhere different this summer.”
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| easyJet's 200th Airbus livery revealed in 2011 |
NEWS Qatar Airways is filing its planned proposed service to Tanzania and Pakistan
Qatar Airways has decided to halt the beginning of a new service to Tanzania, and a new service to Pakistan.
The new route in Tanzania was a Doha to Doha route with a first stop in Kilimanjaro and then a stop in Zanzibar.
The 5 weekly route departed Doha at 0735 in the morning to arrive back at Qatar's capital just before midnight at 11pm. The flight was to operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The flight, operating on flight number QR2951 would begin on the 1st July and would have operated at the following times:
departs DOHA at 0735
arrives KILIMANJARO at 1235 and departs at 1600
arrives ZANZIBAR at 1700 and departs at 1800
arrives DOHA at 2300
Qatar Airways already operates to Kilimanjaro to Doha via Dar es Salaam.
The new route in Tanzania was a Doha to Doha route with a first stop in Kilimanjaro and then a stop in Zanzibar.
The 5 weekly route departed Doha at 0735 in the morning to arrive back at Qatar's capital just before midnight at 11pm. The flight was to operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The flight, operating on flight number QR2951 would begin on the 1st July and would have operated at the following times:
departs DOHA at 0735
arrives KILIMANJARO at 1235 and departs at 1600
arrives ZANZIBAR at 1700 and departs at 1800
arrives DOHA at 2300
Qatar Airways already operates to Kilimanjaro to Doha via Dar es Salaam.
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| The roundtrip was to be operated on an Airbus A320 |
Qatar Airways has announced it will cancel its planned service to Sialkot, the airlines 6th destination to Pakistan. The new route would have began its operation on the 16th July and operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The morning flight QR2960 and QR2961 would have been timed as follows:
departs DOHA at 0110
arrives SIALKOT at 0650 and departs at 0935
arrives DOHA at 1115
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| Also too on an A320. |
Qatar Airways also announced that it is to halt its planned service to Faisalabad, which would've been its 7th destination to Pakistan. The new route would have began to operate on the 17th July and operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The morning flight QR2958 and QR2959 would've been timed as follows:
departs DOHA at 0110
arrives FAISALABAD at 0635 and departs at 0945
arrives DOHA at 1115.
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| The new route to Pakistan was planned to operate on and A320 |
Qatar Airways has also cancelled its new planned service to Multan, and would have been the 8th destination to Pakistan. The new route would begin on the 2nd August and would have been operating on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
The morning flight QR2962 and QR2963 would have operated as follows:
departs DOHA at 0110
arrives MULTAN at 0625 and departs at 0935
arrives DOHA at 1105
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| This flight was also to be operated on the Airbus A320 |
NEWS “I’m so sorry. I’m stupid,” says man who allegedly fired laser at police
Days before pilots in Houston reported being struck by lasers—by culprits who almost certainly will not be caught, much less charged with crimes—two men in Central California have separately been indicted for alleged laser strike incidents perpetrated in 2014 and 2015. The two cases were filed in recent weeks, and they were indicted by grand juries on Thursday.
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NEWS The "Ghost Rider" B-52 Rises From The Grave To Ride Again
U.S. Air Force serial number 61-0007, a B-52H known by its nose art as "Ghost Rider," was brought out of seven years of storage at the Defense Department's boneyard in Arizona. Its new mission? To replace an active B-52H that was badly damaged by fire while on the ground at Barksdale Air Force Base and make the USAF arms treaty-dictated fleet of 76 B-52s whole once again
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NEWS Two British Airways A319s are to receive red noses in support of Comic Relief
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| Flying Start is BA's global charity partnership with Comic Relief UK (or Sport Relief). The aim is to raise money to help children living in incredibly tough lives in the UK and also around the world. |
G-EUOF and G-EUOH are in the generic livery and are to have noses painted on them soon for the main event on the 13th March. The noses will be removed at some point after this date.
Heres a sneak peek of whats to come:
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| G-EUOF has been painted and will soon return to service |
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| 747, G-CIVC in 2009. (Comic Relief) The first to receive the red nose. via airliners.net |
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| 777, G-VIIT in 2011 (Comic Relief). via airliners.net |
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| Gatwick based 737, G-DOCX in 2012 (Sport Relief). via airliners.net |
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| 767, G-BNWW in 2013 (Comic Relief). via airliners.net |
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| London City Airport based A318 G-EUNB also received the nose in 2013 (Comic Relief), via airliners.net |
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| A320, G-EUUK in 2014 (Sport Relief), via airliners.net |
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