segunda-feira, 13 de abril de 2026

AIRLINE HISTORY DEFUNCT - Jet4you was a low-cost airline based in Casablanca, Morocco.[2] It operated services between Moroccan cities and destinations in France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Ireland (Sunway charter) and Italy





Flyingphotos - Barcelona - B737-800-CN-RPF
Flyingphotos - Lisboa - B737-400-OO-TUM
 

Its main base was Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport, with focus cities at Agadir, Nador, Paris and Tangier.

The airline started operations on 26 February 2006. It was owned by TUI Travel (40%), Attijariwafa Bank (20%), Investima-SGMB (20%) and MM.Marrache et Benabbes Taarji (20%). The shareholders jointly established a Moroccan company, Societe d'Investissement Aerienne, the investment vehicle behind the airline.

Jet4You was directed by Jawad Ziyat. The objective was to widen the network to other European countries and reach 1.5 million passengers by 2010, with a fleet of ten aircraft and a 395-strong team.

On 17 June 2008, it was announced that TUI Travel had taken 100% ownership of the airline, and on 18 July 2009, TUI Travel signed a letter of intent to sell a majority stake in Jet4you to Royal Air Maroc.

Jet4you adopted the IATA code 8J from the now defunct Russian airline Komiinteravia. (This code was subsequently removed from Jet4you and assigned to Línea Aérea EcoJet S.A.

On 10 January 2012, it was announced that Jet4you would be completely integrated into the Belgian company Jetairfly (now called TUI fly Belgium). 
Jetairfly took over all aircraft, personnel and routes from Jet4you. 
The integration into Jetairfly was finalised in 2012, and all operations transferred in April 2012. All aircraft are now in Jetairfly colours, and all flights are booked through Jetairfly.

IATA - 8J
ICAO - JFU
Callsign - ARGAN
Country - Morocco
Started Operations - 26 Feb 2006
Ceased operations - 27 Apr 2012
Headquarters - Casablanca
Main Hub - Casablanca Mohammed V International (CMN / GMMN)
Bases
 Agadir Al Massira (AGA / GMAD)
 Marrakech Menara (RAK / GMMX)

Boeing 737-400 - 4
Boeing 737-800 - 3

AIRLINE HISTORY DEFUNCT - Flash Airlines was a private Egyptian charter airline (1995–2004) owned by Flash Group, operating Boeing 737-300 aircraft primarily from Sharm el-Sheikh






Flyingphotos - Barcelona - Flash Airlines-SU-ZCD-Boeing 737-3Q81

Founded as Heliopolis Airlines in 1995, it was rebranded as Flash Airlines in 2000, focusing on low-cost charter flights for tourists to Europe.
A Boeing 737-3Q8 (SU-ZCF) crashed into the Red Sea shortly after departing Sharm el-Sheikh for Cairo and Paris.

Fleet: The company operated two Boeing 737-3Q8 aircraft.
ICAO - FSH 
Callsign - FLASH



 

AIRCRAFT - Airbus showcases next-generation First Class Experience concept for A350-1000

First Class travel at new levels. With increasing demand for First Class cabins on our Airbus flagship, the A350-1000, we are proud to showcase during the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) 2026 our Airspace “First Class Experience” concept on the Airbus stand. It shows how Airbus is further developing the A350-1000’s interior to accommodate a larger, exclusive First Class cabin which is fitting for a flagship product.

Highlight: The new First Class Master Suite

The highlight of the experience is the display of Airbus’ First Class Master Suite conceived by its in-house design team. This Master Suite, which is located in the centre between the two aisles, accommodates two passengers, offering them exclusive access to a dedicated lavatory, changing area, bar and a double bed.

A350-1000 suite

Main design enablers

To enable the new “1-1-1” layout (i.e. three suites abreast) in the A350-1000, the floor area between Doors 1 to Doors 2 on the A350-1000 is fully maximised to dedicate as much space as possible for the new First Class section.

A350-1000 suite render
In particular, floorspace which was previously taken-up with various monuments, such as lavatories or stowages, is now freed-up by relocating them outside of the main revenue (i.e. passenger accommodation) area in a new Centre Module just behind Doors 1, opposite the cockpit door. Additional privacy for passengers in the suites is provided by also relocating the access stairs to the Forward Crew Rest Compartment (FCRC) in the new Centre Module. So there will be less disturbance from the flight crew, for example.

A350-1000 first class
 Enhanced ambience features

The large size and high ceilings of the A350-1000 make it the ideal choice for airlines to install their most premium product. Moreover, its unique interior proportions can be further enhanced (above and beyond today’s in service A350s) by new fascia and sculptured ceiling panels which provide an even greater sense of space, as well as an integrated welcome lighting panel at Doors 1 for extra ambience. The ‘icing on the cake’ are the suite’s virtual panoramic windows to create the ultimate premium travel experience.

Airbus aircraft interiors expo 2026

Increasing airline uptake for First Class in their A350s

To date a total of 10 customers have decided to feature first class cabins in their ordered A350s – some of which are already in service. While the existing products are not utilising the next-generation concepts being proposed by the First Class Experience concept (such as the new lavatory, sidewall panels, or the enhanced welcome area), around five airlines are currently in the customisation phase – and these are the ones who could be considering the implementing elements included in the concept. The first of these would enter service from around 2030. In addition, several more airlines at the pre-sales stage are in talks to become A350 first class operators.

The overall aim of showcasing the design concept to inspire potential customers has been a great success. In particular, it has demonstrated how the new centre module realises a true first class cabin that can be accommodated in the flagship A350-1000. Airbus continues to receive their feedback to further shape and define this vision to create the ultimate First Class product.

FLEET - The first Qantas Airbus A350 rolls off the Airbus factory in France.


The first ultra-long-range Airbus A350 for Qantas has rolled off the Airbus assembly line in Toulouse, France.

The aircraft, with French test registration F-WZNK, left the assembly line on April 12, 2026, fully assembled with Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, wings, fuselage, and landing gear. It will now undergo ground checks and then a two-month flight test program before being delivered to Qantas by the end of this year.

Commercial operations are scheduled to begin in early 2027.

 

domingo, 12 de abril de 2026

AIRLINE HISTORY DEFUNCT - Deccan 360 was an Indian cargo airline founded in November 2009 by Capt. G.R. Gopinath.


M-YRGT-Airbus A310-324(F)

It operated air freighter services using Airbus A310 and ATR aircraft, aiming to create a hub-and-spoke distribution model. The airline ceased operations in May 2011 due to financial issues, with its parent company later ordered to wind up.





IATA - 3C
ICAO - DEC
Callsign - DECCAN CARGO
Full Name - Deccan Cargo & Express Logistics
Country - India
Started Operations - Nov 2009
Ceased operations - May 2011
Base / Main Hub - Bengaluru International Airport (BLR / VOBL)

Fleet:
ATR 72 - 2
Airbus A310 - 3

AIRLINE HISTORY DEFUNCT - Air Togo was a Togolese flag carrier that operated from 1998 to 2000





Flyingphotos - Lisboa - 5V-TTT-Airbus A300B4

Based at Lomé-Tokoin Airport. It was a scheduled carrier that flew to destinations in France and West Africa, using a small fleet including an Airbus A300B4 and an Airbus A310-300.

IATA - YT
ICAO - TGA
Call sign - AIR TOHO

Fleet:

Airbus A300 - 1
Airbus A310 - 1

sábado, 11 de abril de 2026

AIRLINE HISTORY DEFUNCT - DAS Air Cargo Founded in 1983 in Uganda by Captain Joseph Roy and Daisy Roy, DAS Air Cargo (Dairo Air Services) grew into a prominent African cargo carrier connecting Africa to Europe, primarily using Boeing 707s and later DC-10-30Fs.





Flyingphotos - DC-10-30CF- 5X-JOE - LHR

Established in Uganda to provide ad hoc charter and wet-lease services.

1987: Launched scheduled cargo services linking London, Lagos, and Entebbe.

1990s: Expanded fleet to include Boeing 707-320C aircraft and established a U.S. division in Miami.

1995: Introduced the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F, upgrading fleet capabilities.

2003-2006: Continued extensive operations with a fleet of five DC-10-30F aircraft, navigating the intense financial and regulatory environment of cargo operations.

2006-2007: Faced a temporary ban in the European Union for safety concerns. While removed from the list after improvements, the airline halted all flights on September 17, 2007, after calling in administrators. 

IATA - WD
ICAO - DSR
Callsign - DAIRAIR

Country - Uganda
Started Operations - Jun 1983
Ceased operations - 17 Sep 2007
Subsidiaries - Royal Daisy Airlines
Headquarters - Entebbe
Main Hub - Entebbe International (EBB / HUEN)

Fleet:
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 - 9
Boeing 707-320C - 8

Guido Allieri Collection - B707-321C - 5X-DAR - Ostend
5X-DAR (c/n 18825 l/n 386 series -321C) was delivered to Continental Ailrines in August 1964 as N17321. In May 1973 the plane was sold to China AIlrines as B-1832.

Guido Allieri Collection - 5X-DAS (c/n 46541 l/n 281, series -30F) is an aircraft built in 1979 for CP Air/Canadian, modified to Cargo in year 2000 to be used by World Airways before to join DAS in July 2005.


AIRLINE HISTORY DEFUNCT - Air Namibia ceased all operations and entered liquidation on March 26, 2021, due to insolvency, ending 75 years of service.


Flyingphotos - A330-200 - V5-ANP - Frankfurt

Formerly headquartered in Windhoek, it was the state-owned national carrier operating international, regional, and domestic flights. Namibia plans to launch a new national carrier by late 2026.
Flyingphotos - A340-300 - V5-NMF - Frankfurt

The airline was liquidated following unsustainable debt, including a N$2.58 billion government guarantee.

Operational Hubs: Primary hub was Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) and secondary was Eros Airport (ERS).

Prior to closure, the carrier operated 10 aircraft, including Airbus A330-200s and A319-100s.

Routes: Connected Windhoek to regional African hubs (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Accra) and European destinations like Frankfurt.

Services: Offered two-class configuration (business/economy) on international flights with full-service catering.

Replacement: Following the closure, FlyNamibia has emerged as a major local operator, though the government is developing a new, separate national airline. 

Flyingphotos - B747-400 - V5-NMA - Frankfurt
IATA - SW
ICAO - NMB
Call sign - NAMIBIA
Flyingphotos - B747-400 - V5-NMA - LHR
Flyingphotos - V5-SPF - B747SP - Frankfurt

Airbus A319 - 5 
Airbus A330 - 2
Airbus A340 - 2
Boeing 737 - 12
Boeing 747 - 6
Boeing 767 - 1
De Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 - 1
Embraer ERJ-145 - 4
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 - 2

sexta-feira, 10 de abril de 2026

Fly One / ER-00003 / A321-200

Ton Jochems - AMS
 

Transavia / PH-YHR / A321NEO

Ton Jochems - AMS
 

Amerijet / N432AX / B767-300F

Ton Jochems - BRU
 

FLEET - Stratos Freight is an emerging all-cargo airline based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, specializing in high-efficiency airfreight services across Central Asia, China, the Middle East, and Europe.


 As of April 2026, the carrier is expanding its fleet with leased Boeing 757-200PCF freighters, aiming to enhance scheduled and charter cargo

Focuses on connecting Asia and Europe, utilizing narrowbody and medium-widebody freighters.As of April 2026, the company added a Boeing 757-200PCF from AerSale Corporation, making it a third operator of this type in Uzbekistan.

Tailored for both scheduled and charter cargo operations in rapidly growing logistics markets.

FLEET - Air Bonanza Express (Kenya) has leased two IL-76 freighters and one B757-200F

Which will be used for intra-Africa and Africa-Asia flights. Funding was provided by Dubai-based financiers.

Photo: Air Bonanza

Airbus March 2026 orders & deliveries

March 2026 was a very good month for Airbus as the manufacturer received 331 orders. The number of deliveries was 60 aircraft. As usual, the details can be found below.

Ordered were:

20 A350Fs by Atlas Air
8 A320neos by China Eastern Airlines
83 A321neos by China Eastern Airlines
34 A321neos by Delta Air Lines
16 A330-900s by Delta Air Lines
15 A350-900s by Delta Air Lines
13 A320neos by Juneyao Air
12 A321neos by Juneyao Air
23 A320neos by NAS Aviation Services
77 A321neos by NAS Aviation Services
20 A220-300s by Undisclosed customers

Of note is that the order for NAS Aviation Services is the one announced earlier in March 2026 by AerCap and that we reported on.

Delivered were:



2 A321neos to Aegean Airlines
1 A330-900 to Air Algerie
1 A321neo to Air Astana
1 A220-300 to airBaltic
1 A220-300 to Air France
1 A220-300 to Animawings
1 A320neo to Brussels Airlines
1 A320neo to Cebu Pacific
1 A320neo to China Southern Airlines
1 A321neo to China Southern Airlines
1 A320neo to Condor
1 A321neo to Condor
1 A220-300 to Croatia Airlines
1 A220-300 to Delta Air Lines
2 A321neos to Delta Air Lines
1 A321neo to easyJet
1 A350-900 to Egyptair
3 A350-900s to Emirates
1 A321neo to Etihad Airways
1 A350-1000 to Etihad Airways
2 A320neos to Frontier Airlines
1 A321neo to Frontier Airlines
3 A320neos to Hainan Airlines
2 A321neos to Icelandair
1 A320neo to IndiGo
1 A321neo to IndiGo
1 A220-300 to ITA Airways
1 A330-900 to ITA Airways
1 A350-900 to Japan Airlines
1 A220-300 to JetBlue Airways
2 A321neos to KLM
1 A350-900 to Korean Air
1 A321neo to LATAM Airlines
1 A320neo to Loong Air
1 A321neo to Lufthansa
1 A330-900 to Malaysia Airlines
1 A320neo to Peach
1 A321neo to Pegasus Airlines
1 ACJ320neo to Private customer
2 A320neos to SAS
1 A320neo to Sichuan Airlines
1 A350-1000 to STARLUX Airlines
1 A220-300 to TAAG Angola Airlines
1 A320neo to TAP Air Portugal
2 A321neos to United Airlines
1 A321neo to Viva Aerobus
3 A321neos to Wizz Air

The number of orders in 2026 now stands at 408 orders and ten cancellations, leaving a net of 398. The total number of deliveries so far is 114.

Illustration by Airbus.

 

AIRLINE HISTORY DEFUCT - Lotus Air was an airline based in Cairo, Egypt. It was a privately owned charter airline flying mainly to Europe.

Flyingphotos - Lisboa - SU-LBF - A319
Flyingphotos - Lisboa - SU-LBC - A320


Its main base was Cairo International Airport, with hubs at Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport, Hurghada International Airport and Luxor International Airport

Lotus Air was one of the first private airlines in the Middle East and North Africa region. It was established in 1997 by Al-Fawares Holding Company and commenced operations in 1998.

The main business centred on charter operations, ad-hoc flights, ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) operations, damp leases, technical services, ground handling and crew training.

IATA - LU
ICAO - TAS
Call sign - LOTUS FLOWER
Founded - 1997
Commenced operations - 1998
Ceased operations - 2011
Hubs - Cairo, Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada
Parent company - Al Fawares Holding
Headquarters - Cairo, Egypt

Fleet:
Airbus A319 - 1
Airbus A320 - 9
Airbus A321 - 1

 

AIRLINE HISTORY DEFUCT - Avient Aviation was a Zimbabwe-based cargo airline, established in 1993, that specialized in operating McDonnell Douglas MD-11F and DC-10-30 freighters between Europe and Africa

Flyingphotos - Lisboa - Z-BTV


Flyingphotos - Lisboa - Z-ARL



The airline ceased operations around April 2013, withits assets and operations largely succeeded by UK-based AV Cargo Airlines.

Headquarters: Harare, Zimbabwe, with additional offices in Europe and the UK.

Operational Hubs: Primarily operated out of Liege (LGG) and specialized in cargo routes to Africa (e.g., Harare, Pointe Noire, Brazzaville).

Fleet: Primarily operated McDonnell Douglas MD-11F and DC-10-30 aircraft.
Ceased operations in 2013.

Fleet:
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 - 1
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 (leased) - 3

IATA - Z3
ICAO - SMJ
Call sign - AV AVIA

VINTAGE Aircraft - Air Ivoire / CS-TMY / Short 360-300

Flyingphotos - Cascais


ex Aerocondor - CS-TMY
 

quinta-feira, 9 de abril de 2026

Saudia Cargo / EI-LKD / A330-300F

Ton Jochems - AMS
 

Far Cargo / SE-RLE / B757-200W

Ton Jochems - BRU
 

Central Air / B-2082 / B777-200F - (Yun Express c/s)


 Ton Jochems - BRU

AIRPORT - Zurich Airport-Switzerland









Paul Bannwarth
 

SPECIAL STICKER - Iberia unveils commemorative aircraft for the Centenary of the Great Flights of Spanish Aviation.


Iberia unveiled an Airbus A350-900 with a special livery in honor of the Centenary of the Great Flights of Spanish Aviation. The aircraft, registration EC-EOS, received a commemorative sticker with a logo developed by the Spanish Air Force.

 The Centenary of the Great Flights of Spanish Aviation, celebrated between 2026 and 2035, is an initiative of the Spanish Air Force that commemorates the pioneering missions carried out between 1926 and 1935. This period honors aviators who contributed to positioning Spain at the forefront of world aviation, connecting the country to Ibero-America, the Philippines, and Africa.