Flyingphotos Magazine News: setembro 2023

quinta-feira, 28 de setembro de 2023

SPECIAL COLORS - Xiamen Air unveils a new Universal Beijing Resort Minion Land special livery on B-1913

Xiamen Air made this announcement:“Minions are here!”

On the morning of September 26th, at Fuzhou Changle International Airport, amidst the laughter of many passengers, another themed painted Boeing 737-800 (B-1913) from Xiamen Airlines, featuring the Universal Beijing Resort Minion Land, took off and flew to Beijing.

This is the second collaborative painted themed plane introduced by Xiamen Airlines, following the announcement in July of the first “Airline Friend of Universal Beijing Resort”.

Two weeks ago, Xiamen Airlines unveiled its first painted aircraft themed after Universal Beijing Resort Jurassic World Isla Nublar, attracting numerous IP fans and travelers. Now, Xiamen Airlines has brought another new landmark for Minion Land fans, and through this “airborne business card,” continues to invite travelers worldwide to come to China and visit Universal Beijing Resort.

This time, Xiamen Airlines boldly broke away from its usual elegant and dignified “Blue Sky Egret” fleet style. They brought the star Minions from Universal Beijing Resort’s Minion Land and their bananas onto the plane’s fuselage. The bright yellow color contrasts strongly with the classic “Xiamen Airlines blue,” attracting the attention of tourists.

At the inaugural flight event, passengers felt the happiness and infectious energy from Universal Beijing Resort starting from the check-in process. Passengers dressed in overalls along the way greeted each other with “Bello.” Ms. Chen, a passenger, expressed herself as a super fan of the Minion Land and has been a loyal Xiamen Airlines customer for many years. After seeing Xiamen Airlines’ Weibo announcement of the inaugural flight, she immediately purchased a ticket and became one of the first passengers to board the painted plane. Moreover, at the inaugural ceremony, she was chosen as a lucky passenger and had the opportunity to participate in the unveiling of the plane’s livery.

Xiamen Airlines has officially launched a variety of themed gift cards that include benefits such as flight coupons, themed meal selection, seat selection, and Egret Points. There are limited-time offers for gift card purchases, with a chance to receive Universal Studios Beijing One-Day Dated Ticket. On the inaugural day, some passengers were already excited to collect three commemorative edition e-boarding passes and took photos with the backdrop wall of the “Universal Studios Beijing Minion Land” at the inaugural event.

Since the beginning of this year, the tourism market has experienced rapid recovery. Especially since July, domestic air passenger traffic has returned to pre-pandemic levels, and the civil aviation industry has entered a crucial period of incremental growth and improved quality. Themed painted plane are rare outdoor media with significant visual impact, and the IP image of Universal Beijing Resort is also highly appealing. Through the strong collaboration and the extensive route network and marketing of Xiamen Airlines, the brand images of both parties have been further enhanced in key cities across China. The successful completion of this inaugural flight is another initiative by Xiamen Airlines to establish a solid presence in important markets, including Fujian, Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and others.

It is evident that an increasing number of people are anticipating new products and experiences in the cultural tourism industry, leading to higher expectations for air travel services. Xiamen Airlines has been focused on enhancing the passenger experience and has made efforts to explore and develop integrated services that encompass dining, entertainment, and enjoyment—a distinctive and innovative practice in the industry. By combining “culture and tourism” with aviation, Xiamen Airlines integrates cultural tourism with civil aviation, capitalizing on current consumer trends. In the future, Xiamen Airlines will continue to explore new hotspots in cultural tourism consumption and create new growth opportunities in the travel market.

Photo: : JJ Wang

Beijing Daxing Airport - ZBAD, China

SPECIAL COLORS - SICHUAN AIRLINES / A350-900 / F-WZGD msn 631 - 4 Sichuan Panda C/S

Alian Charpentier

SPECIAL COLORS - China United Airlines / B 737-89P / B-208Z - Serial #: 63084 - "Beijing Daxing Painting".

Photo: JJ Wang
Beijing Daxing Airport - ZBAD, China

AIRPORT - Colmar Houssen Airport - 09/2023

Paul Bannwarth

quarta-feira, 27 de setembro de 2023

SPECIAL TITLES - Mas Air (Galistair Malta)/ A330-343PDF / EI-MAE - Sinotrans title.

Malta's galistair to operate only freighter for Mas Air

MAS Cargo Airline has acquired 49% of Galistair Trading LTD, a European airline specializing in providing Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI) leasing solutions.

As part of the commercial and operational agreements, Galistair already operates two Airbus A330-300P2Fs that it recently received more, between cities in Germany and North America, coordinated by mas.

Sinotrans Limited (commonly referred to as Sinotrans) is one of the largest logistics companies in China.[4] The business areas of the company include storage and terminal services and trucking and marine transportation.[5]

Photo: Seres23

Budapest Liszt Ferenc - LHBP, Hungary

FLEET / NEW LIVERY - Silkway West Airlines’ first Boeing 777F introduces a new livery (VP-BMG)

Silk Way West Airlines is the largest cargo airline in the Caspian Sea region. Based at Heydar Aliyev International Airport.
Fleet of 12 dedicated Boeing 747-8F and Boeing 747-400F freighter aircraft.

Silk Way West Airlines signed a strategic fleet expansion agreement with Boeing for five state-of-the-art 777 Freighters.

According to the agreement, Silk Way West Airlines will purchase five state-of-the-art Boeing 777 Freighter aircraft, with delivery planned over 2023-2027.

Photo: CChuang

FLEET - Embraer and Scoot Sign Pool Program Agreement for its E190-E2 fleet

Singapore, September 26, 2023 – Embraer announced that it has signed a Pool Program services agreement with Scoot to support the airline’s incoming fleet of nine E190-E2. The Pool Program provides access to component exchanges and repair services for more than 300 repairable parts to support Scoot’s Embraer aircraft, allowing the airline to minimize their upfront investment in high-value repairable inventories and resources, while taking advantage of Embraer’s technical expertise along with its vast component repair service provider network. Currently, the Pool Program supports more than 60 airlines worldwide.

Ng Chee Keong, COO, Scoot said “This strategic arrangement with Embraer will minimise maintenance delays for the E190-E2, essentially boosting operational readiness.”
Carlos Naufel, President & CEO, Embraer Services & Support said “Working hand in hand with Scoot, we are gearing up for the E190-E2 entry into service next year. We are leveraging on Singapore’s solid aviation ecosystem and we look forward to Embraer’s modern, fuel-efficient E190-E2 take the skies in Scoot’s livery.”

The E190-E2 jet is the world’s most efficient and quietest single-aisle aircraft and the first batch of E190-E2 will be delivered to Scoot in 2024. In addition to the Pool Program, Scoot’s operations will benefit from the AHEAD (Aircraft Health Analysis and Diagnosis) which comprises early detection capabilities for critical systems, reducing technical interruptions and avoiding flight cancellations; the eSight, with real-time fleet performance monitoring.

The E-Jets E2 family of aircraft, including the E190-E2 has the longest maintenance intervals in the single-aisle jet category – with 10,000 flight hours for basic checks and no calendar limit for typical E-Jet operations. This enables the aircraft to be operated with minimal downtime.

The E190-E2 and the E195-E2, both part of the E-Jets E2 family, were designed using more than 20 million hours of experience accrued by the first generation of E-Jets, ensuring that the E2 aircraft are modern and advanced, yet retain the maturity and reliability of the previous generation aircraft. The first-generation E-Jet is one of the most successful commercial jets in the industry and continues to operate across the globe, with more than 80 airlines across 50 countries and more than 1,700 units delivered.

Singapore is the nerve centre for Embraer’s services and support Asia Pacific operations. In addition to personnel based in Singapore, the Company has a Regional Distribution Centre within Changi Airport’s free trade zone. Recently, Embraer and CAE announced the establishment of a state-of-the-art E2 full flight simulator and pilot training program in Singapore which will commence in 2023. The full flight simulator will be based at the Singapore-CAE Flight Training Centre located at SIA Training Centre.

EMBRAER

NEW AIRLINE - places order for China-made C919, ARJ21 jets

GallopAir, a new Brunei-based airline, plans to buy 30 aircraft from Chinese planemaker Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), which will include the first overseas purchases of the state-backed firm’s narrow-body C919 jet.

The letter of intent, worth a total of $2 billion, was signed at a regional trade event in China last week, the airline said.

The deal includes 15 orders of COMAC’s ARJ21 aircraft – including its freighter and business jet variants – and 15 of the C919, which completed its maiden commercial flight in May. The C919 was developed by COMAC to rival Airbus SE’s A320neo and Boeing Co’s 737 MAX single-aisle jet families.

→ Boeing forecasts that China will need 8,560 new commercial airplanes over next 20 years

The deal was disclosed by China-based Shaanxi Tianju Investment Group, an investor in GallopAir, in a message posted on WeChat on Monday.GallopAir said the aircraft from COMAC will need to undergo due diligence and certification processes by Brunei’s Department of Civil Aviation prior to delivery, Reuters reported.

“Flight operations are forecasted to begin in the third quarter of 2024,” GallopAir said.

Once completed, the deal would make GallopAir the second international operator of Chinese-made aircraft after Indonesian low-cost carrier TransNusa, which operates a small fleet of the ARJ21 aircraft, a predecessor to the C919.

Little is known about GallopAir, which is expected to be only the second Brunei-based airline operator after national carrier Royal Brunei Airlines. The company has said it intends to provide flight services in the Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area.

Aviación al Día

NEW AIRLINE - Fernandes wants to replicate AirAsia's success at Teleport

The CEO of Capital A, owners of the AirAsia Aviation Group, is using its successful AirAsia low-cost passenger airline model as a template for its nascent freight operation. Tony Fernandes wants to shake up the airline logistics model in the region in the same way that AirAsia shook up the intra-Asian passenger airline model.

"Cargo was one of the pluses, if there were any, during Covid," Fernandes told Channel New Asia at the recent Milken Summit in Singapore. "We saw a huge opportunity in logistics. We've just got one freighter. We're taking two more. We are now the market leader in ASEAN for air cargo. We're developing a first-mile and last-mile e-commerce and courier business.

The single freighter, a 22-year-old A321-200(PCF), arrived at AirAsia in mid-2023. At a hangar event in July marking the aircraft's arrival, Fernandes said he expected another two A321 freighters this year and a further seven within 18 months.

"We're very excited with our subsidiary, Teleport, which we think can replicate what AirAsia did in passengers, we can do it in logistics, and as we go to many secondary and tertiary cities, cut out time and cost for users of logistics services."

While the aircraft will wear Teleport livery, AirAsia crews will fly and maintain them. Fernandes said he intends to base the aircraft across several of Capital A's AirAsia brands, including Philippines AirAsia, Thai AirAsia, and Indonesia AirAsia.

Separately, Fernandes said he has no problems attracting and retaining flight and ground crews to keep his aircraft in the air. "We've always been good at training, recruiting, hiring, and keeping our staff." However, the supply of aircraft from Airbus is a problem, although not one exclusive to Capital A. But Fernandes says the silver lining of the delivery delays was that capacity was maintained "at reasonable levels, and there's not crazy price cutting."

Fernandes added that the other supply chain issue concerns engineering and turning around engines. "These things are taking much longer because many experienced staff have left the industry, but that's improving as well, and I hope to get to a steady state in terms of supply chain by the middle of 2024.”