SEVEN AIR - BAe Jetstream 32 - SE-LHG

João Luis  Pessoa - Cascais - Tires

TAM - Transporte Aéreo Militar - B737-300 - FAB-115

Photo:Zenon Sanchez Z. - Santa Cruz El Trompillo - Bolivia

TAM – Transporte Aéreo Militar is an airline based in La Paz, Bolivia. 

It is owned by the Bolivian Air Force, and was established to offer flights to rural communities where commercial airlines could not operate profitably. Today it also operates in competition with commercial airlines on many of Bolivia's trunk domestic routes

KLM, New Boeing 777-300

At the start of the week, KLM’s latest Boeing 777 left the hangar in Seattle ready for its first test flight. Once delivered at the end of March, it will become KLM’s 24th Boeing 777.

The aircraft – bearing registration PH-BVN – will be the ninth B777-300ER to join the fleet, alongside 15 B777-200ERs. The new Boeing will be the first 777-300ER to be delivered featuring the new Economy and World Business class configuration and the new livery. The PH-BVO will follow at the end of April, also boasting the new configuration and livery.

KLM

EGYPTAIR Resumes Manchester Service from July 2015

EGYPTAIR is planning to resume service on Cairo – Manchester route, starting 02JUL15. Initially service operates 3 times a week (Day 467), but this will be increased to 5 weekly (Day x13) from 21JUL15.
MS783 CAI1010 – 1330MAN 738 x13
MS784 MAN1430 – 2130CAI 738 x13

RoutesOnline

Photo:PedroMB/FPP - Lisboa

Boeing to sell Terrible Teen B787s to Ethiopian

Boeing is reportedly in talks with 10 separate buyers concerning the sale of early-model B787-8s, commonly referred to as "Terrible Teens" in the parlance of our times.

Informed sources told Bloomberg news that among the buyers are Ethiopian Airlines  which is reportedly in advanced discussions regarding eight jets. The Ethiopians were among the first operators of the Dreamliners on its commercial début in 2012.

ch-aviation

FMI Air secures AOC, to start scheduled flights shortly

FMI Air will begin scheduled operations later this quarter after it secured its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) from the Myanma Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) earlier this week.

The carrier recently took delivery of its first CRJ-200 - XY-ALA (cn 7486) - with a further two of the type - cn 7439 and cn 7449 - due in March and April respectively.

Since its inception last year, the start-up has been operating charter flights between Yangon and Naypyitaw using an ATR72 sourced from fellow Myanma carrier, Air KBZ.

However, with its AOC in hand, it now plans to develop the underserved Myanma capital of Nyapyitaw into a domestic hub before branching out regionally.

ch-aviation

Boeing Statement on Air Tahiti Nui Commitment for Two 787-9 Dreamliners

Boeing Statement on Air Tahiti Nui Commitment for Two 787-9 Dreamliners

SEATTLE, Feb. 27, 2015 – Boeing (NYSE: BA) is pleased that Air Tahiti Nui has announced a commitment to purchase two 787-9 Dreamliners. The order, valued at $514 million at current list prices, will be posted on Boeing's Orders & Deliveries website when finalized.

“Boeing is honored to start this new partnership with Air Tahiti Nui,” said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president of Asia Pacific and India Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The 787-9 will provide Air Tahiti Nui with superior performance, range capabilities and economics, while its passengers will enjoy the Dreamliner’s unique features such as higher humidity, lower cabin altitude and the largest windows of any current commercial airplane, providing a commanding view of the horizon above beautiful Tahiti throughout the airplane.”

Air Tahiti Nui, the flag-carrier for French Polynesia, has headquarters in Papeete and operates from Faa'a International Airport on the island of Tahiti.

Airbus A350 XWB – Welcome and “Grüß Gott” in Munich

First visit of an A350 XWB to Munich International Airport
The A350 MSN2, one of Airbus’ five A350 XWB test aircraft, landed on Thursday evening at Munich International airport for the first time. Munich is one of the biggest Lufthansa and Star Alliance hubs worldwide. Lufthansa has 25 Airbus A350 XWB on order. The flight on Thursday landed with 90 international journalists on board who attended the Airbus Group Annual Results Press conference on Friday in Munich.

The A350 XWB is an efficient medium-capacity long-range wide-body aircraft. With a range of up to 8,000 nm / 14,800 km. it is available in 2 basic passenger versions: the A350-900 seating 315 passenger and the A350-1000 for 369 in a typical two-class layout.

The A350 XWB is the latest addition to the market-leading Airbus Widebody product line. Offering its customers a game-changing reduction in fuel-burn, the all-new mid-size long-range A350 XWB has carbon fibre fuselage and wings and sets new standards in terms of passenger comfort, operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. At the end of January 2015, the A350 XWB had won 780 orders from 40 customers worldwide

Airbus increases A320 rate, adjusts A330 for NEO transition

Airbus has decided to further increase the production rate for its very successful A320 Family to 50 aircraft per month from Q1 2017, matching market demand. Additionally, Airbus is adjusting the A330 production rate to six a month from Q1 2016 as it transitions towards the A330neo.

“As an aircraft manufacturer, it is our role, for our employees, partners, customers and investors to anticipate market demands whilst delivering on orders and managing revenues,” said Didier Evrard, Executive Vice President Programmes. “Given the success of the A320 Family, both CEO and NEO, we work closely with our supply chain, assess our manufacturing capabilities and decide on the most appropriate rate. On widebodies we are adjusting A330 production in preparation for transition to NEO while in parallel the A350 XWB is on a steep ramp-up.”

With over 11,500 Airbus single aisle aircraft sold and more than 6,400 delivered to 317 operators, the A320 family which includes the A319, A320 and A321, is the world’s best-selling and most modern single aisle family.

Airbus has the most modern and comprehensive widebody product line. It includes the versatile A330, the larger A350 XWB and the double deck A380. Together, the aircraft efficiently cover all airline widebody requirements for regional, medium and long haul operations, seating from 250 to over 500 passengers and sharing unique levels of operational commonality.

XL FRANCE / AIR TRANSAT - A330-200 - C-GTSRR

Rui Silva - Lisboa

China Southern to Fly A380 to Amsterdam

China Southern Airlines (CZ) will operate a daily A380 service between Beijing and Amsterdam from June, a source familiar with the matter said.

The superjumbo will be deployed on the long-haul service starting June 20, replacing an A330-300 aircraft, according to the source.

Flight CZ345 is scheduled to take off from Beijing at 0:50 a.m. and arrive in Amsterdam at 5:40 a.m., with the return flight CZ346 departing Amsterdam at 2:50 p.m. and arriving in Beijing at 6:20 a.m. the next day, according to the website of the airline.

As the only Chinese airline to order and operate the A380 aircraft, the Guangzhou-based carrier currently has five A380s in its fleet.
The first A380 for China Southern entered revenue service in October 2011 with round-trip flights linking Beijing and Guangzhou. After this introductory domestic service, the airline began using the A380 on international routes starting with flights between Guangzhou and Los Angeles in October 2012. It also operates a seasonal A380 service from Guangzhou to Sydney every southern hemisphere summer during the peak travel period.
WCARN

China Southern Takes Delivery of Boeing's 100th 777F

Boeing has handed over its 100th 777 Freighter to China Southern Airlines (CZ) several weeks ago, the manufacturer said Thursday on its official Weibo account.

The new freighter landed smoothly at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) on Jan. 16 and joined the fleet of China Southern as its ninth Boeing 777F.

The Boeing 777F made its maiden flight in July 2008. Bringing unsurpassed efficiency to long-haul markets, the 777F is the world's largest and most capable twin-engine freighter, providing more capacity than any other twin-engine freighter.

The 777F delivers value to the world's cargo operators, featuring the lowest trip cost of any large freighter and excellent ton-mile economics.

The Guangzhou-based carrier is the first operator of the 777F in China. It operates a fleet of nine 777Fs and plans to introduce three more between June and July 2015.

With the introduction of the new 777Fs, the airline expects to increase its cargo capacity on the long-haul routes to Europe and North America.

In the past year, the carrier handled up to 1.43 million tonnes of cargo and mail, an increase of 12.2 percent over a year earlier, outpacing the industry's growth rate of 5.3 percent

Photo:Duncan Stewart

Routes Online

Philippine Airlines S15 London Heathrow Schedule Changes

Philippine Airlines has modified Summer schedule for Manila – London Heathrow operation, effective 29MAR15. Based on this week’s schedule update, 3 of 5 weekly flights will move Manila departure to noon hours, London departure to night-time. A340-300 operates this route.

PR720 MNL0720 – 1535LHR 343 46
PR720 MNL1240 – 2055LHR 343 3
PR720 MNL1245 – 2100LHR 343 17

PR721 LHR1825 – 1540+1MNL 343 46
PR721 LHR2250 – 2005+1MNL 343 137

Routes Online

Photo:Duncan Stewart - LAX

THAI Reverses Planned Boeing 787 Dubai Service from July 2015

THAI has reversed planned Boeing 787 operations on Bangkok – Dubai route, according to the latest schedule update for Summer 2015 season. The Star Alliance member previously planned to operate Boeing 787 from 01JUL15, however latest adjustment shows the airline will continue A330 operation. This route is served daily.q
TG517 BKK1615 – 1940DXB 330 D
TG518 DXB2055 – 0640+1BKK 330 D

Routes Online

France's Aigle Azur to wet-lease a Latvian A320 this summer

Aigle Azur  will wet-lease an A320-200 from Latvian ACMI specialist, SmartLynx Airlines, for the upcoming summer season ch-aviation can exclusively reveal. 

Photo:PedroMB/FPP - Lisboa

Austria's InterSky to wet lease a Swiss Dornier 328

InterSky is to wet-lease a Do328-100 from Swiss operator SkyWork Airlines once a week for the period May 2 until July 4. 

Photo:PedroMB/FPP - BCN

Boeing Named ‘Eco-Company of the Year’ by Air Transport World

Leading industry publication cites fuel-efficient airplanes, ‘collaborative, creative, innovative’ environmental strategy

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 26, 2015 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] was named “Eco-Company of the Year” by Air Transport World (ATW) today at the trade publication’s 41st Annual Industry Achievement Awards.

Pictured here, the Boeing ecoDemonstrator 787 flight test airplane in Seattle. In 2014, the ecoDemonstrator 787 tested more than 25 technologies to improve aviation’s environmental performance.

Airbus A350 XWB makes its “première” in Paris

T

he A350 MSN2, one of Airbus’ five A350 XWB test aircraft, has landed today at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport for the first time ever. The aircraft will continue its journey from Paris to Munich this evening, with media guests on board travelling to the Airbus Group Annual Results conference taking place on the 27th February.

The A350 XWB is an efficient medium-capacity long-range wide-body aircraft. With a range of up to 8,000 nm / 14,800 km. it is available in 2 basic passenger versions: the A350-900 seating 315 passenger and the A350-1000 for 369 in a typical two-class layout.



The A350 XWB is the latest addition to the market-leading Airbus Widebody product line. Offering its customers a game-changing reduction in fuel-burn, the all-new mid-size long-range A350 XWB has carbon fibre fuselage and wings and sets new standards in terms of passenger comfort, operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. At the end of January 2015, the A350 XWB had won 780 orders from 40 customers worldwide.

Airbus A350 XWB makes its “première” in Madrid

José Ramon Valero

CS300 Aircraft First Flight Update

Due to weather conditions in Mirabel, Québec, the first flight of the CS300 flight test vehicle will not take place on February 26, 2015. We expect it will take place very soon. Bombardier thanks all stakeholders for their continued enthusiasm and invites everyone to stay tuned!

Allegiant Air Maps New Routes for 2015

Allegiant Air yesterday (24FEB15) announced the launch of 22 new routes in 2015, gradually to begin from May and June 2015. Planned new service as follow.

Austin – Cincinnati eff 04JUN15 2 weekly
Ft. Lauderdale – Concord NC eff 08MAY15 2 weekly
Ft. Lauderdale – Memphis eff 22MAY15 2 weekly
Las Vegas – Brownsville eff 04JUN15 2 weekly
Las Vegas – Memphis eff 22MAY15 2 weekly
Los Angeles – Boise eff 05JUN15 2 weekly
Los Angeles – Little Rock eff 04JUN15 Seasonal 2 weekly service
Los Angeles – Montrose eff 05JUN15 Seasonal 2 weekly service
Myrtle Beach – Akron/Canton eff 03JUN15 2 weekly
Myrtle Beach – Clarksburg WV eff 05JUN15 2 weekly
Myrtle Beach – Indianapolis eff 04JUN15 2 weekly
Myrtle Beach – Orlando Sanford eff 04JUN15 2 weekly
Myrtle Beach – Pittsburgh eff 05JUN15 3 weekly
Oakland – Omaha eff 01MAY15 2 weekly
Orlando Sanford – Memphis eff 22MAY15 2 weekly
Orlando Sanford – Raleigh eff 07MAY15 2 weekly
Punta Gorda – Raleigh eff 07MAY15 2 weekly
Savannah – Akron/Canton eff 21MAY15 Seasonal 2 weekly service
Savannah – Cincinnati eff 08MAY15 Seasonal 2 weekly service
Savannah – Columbus/Rickenbacker eff 04JUN15 Seasonal 2 weekly service
St. Petersburg FL – Akron/Canton eff 21MAY15 2 weekly
St. Petersburg FL – Raleigh eff 06MAY15 2 weekly

RoutesOnline

Photo:Duncan Stewart - LAX

ISRAEL AIR FORCE IAF - Boeing 707-3J6C - 295

Marco Moutinho - Lisboa

Bombardier Confirms First Flight of CS300 Flight Test Vehicle Scheduled for February 26

CSeries aircraft program progressing well with more than 1,000 flight test hours achieved.

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft confirmed today that, pending optimal weather conditions, the CS300 aircraft’s first flight is expected to occur on February 26, 2015. The first flight follows last week’s receipt of the Transport Canada flight permit that allowed the first CS300 flight test vehicle to join the flight test program and the successful high speed taxi runs conducted earlier this week.

Representatives of the media who wish to participate onsite at Bombardier’s Mirabel, Québec facility are invited to register by following this link: http://bit.ly/17AsMPi and clicking on the "Register" tab that appears in the menu. Access to the Mirabel site will be rigorously controlled. Only registered media representatives and specially invited guests will have access to the site.

Stakeholders are encouraged to follow the CS300 aircraft’s progress towards its maiden flight at www.cseries.bombardier.com and via our social media feeds on Twitter (www.twitter.com/bombardier_aero) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BombardierAero).

“I’m thrilled to confirm the countdown to the CS300 aircraft’s first flight is officially on and as excitement builds, our teams are readying for yet another milestone in the development of the CSeries family of aircraft,” said Mike Arcamone, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “We look forward to a successful flight and invite everyone to follow us as we continue on our mission to deliver the only 100 per cent-new family of aircraft. The CS300 aircraft represents two-thirds of our CSeries aircraft backlog and it offers the best seat-mile cost in its category, making it the most profitable solution for mid-sized markets with up to 150 passengers per flight, and ideal for a range of routes from short-haul to longer transcontinental markets.”

Airbus Prepares Handover Of Second A350 This Week

Airbus is preparing the second A350-900 for delivery to Qatar Airways later this week.

The airline got its first A350 in late December and started flying the daily Doha-Frankfurt route on Jan. 15. Qatar CEO Akbar Al Baker said at the Frankfurt ceremony last month that he expects to take delivery of the second aircraft within three weeks, but more than six weeks have passed since then. A Qatar Airways official said on Monday that the aircraft is “on schedule to begin on the Frankfurt route on March 1 as indicated earlier.”

Qatar Airways delayed acceptance of its first A350 in December by a week due to “supplier issues,” and in mid-2014 refused to take delivery of its first Airbus A380 for several months because it was not happy with the quality of some cabin interiors. It is unclear what caused the current slippage, and Airbus and Qatar are not revealing details of the progress in the delivery process and why the aircraft has not been handed over earlier. It is, however, highly unusual not to allow more than a few days between acceptance of the aircraft and first scheduled flight.

Qatar Airways has replaced a Boeing 787-8 on the Doha-Frankfurt route with its first A350 and it is making Frankfurt the initial destination for the second aircraft. Qatar Airways is currently lobbying for better access to the German market and has used the A350 to showcase what it perceives as its superior product compared to Lufthansa.

Al Baker is in Berlin next week for the ITB, the world’s largest travel and tourism show. He is expected to reveal initial operating data for the A350 and to advertise the arrival of the second aircraft.

Airbus also has an incentive to finalize the delivery this week, as Airbus Group, the company’s parent, holds its annual press conference on Feb. 27.

However, as data from the Aviation Week Intelligence Network’s Fleet database show, there have only been four cases in aviation history where the gap between the delivery of the first and second aircraft was larger: The A380, the DC-9 and the Convair 880, while the VFW-614 holds the record as having the longest gap between first and second deliveries (see accompanying table).

Even the Boeing 787, plagued with well-publicized production issues, saw the second aircraft delivered only 18 days after the first. If the transfer of title took place on Tuesday, 68 days would lie between the first and second A350 handover.

The delivery gaps varied widely, from zero days (where the first two aircraft were delivered on the same day) to more than 90 days. There is little-discernible pattern, such as widebodies versus narrowbodies.

Airbus hoped to be producing two-three A350s per month by November 2014, and was targeting three aircraft per month by the turn of the year. The ramp-up is planned to see a rate of five per month by the end of 2015, and a rate 10 per month by the end of 2018.

More… http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/airbus-prepares-handover-second-a350-week
Photo:Alain Charpentier - TLS

Eighteenth Sukhoi Superjet 100 Joined Aeroflot Fleet

On February 20, 2015 Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company delivered the eighteenth Sukhoi Superjet 100 to Aeroflot. The aircraft with the tail number RA – 89047 was named after the pilot of World War II and Hero of the Soviet Union - Alexander Gruzdin.
Earlier, on February 19, 2015, seventeenth SSJ100 was also delivered to the airline. The aircraft operated a ferry flight from the Delivery Center of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company to its base site in Sheremetyevo International Airport.

The Sukhoi Superjet 100 for the Russian national carrier features 87 seats in a two-class configuration.
Since the entry into service of the first Aeroflot SSJ100 the airline has operated more than 40 000 hours by this type of aircraft. Currently the airline carries out flights on the Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft to the cities in Russia, Germany, Lithuania, Montenegro, Greece, Finland, Norway, Croatia, Romania, Latvia, Estonia and Ukraine.

Last RSAF MRTT near ready at MAD after conversion, prior ferry to -surely Orly- for painting

José Ramon Valero

Landing at Getafe the future 13th Voyager for Air Tanker/RAF cn 1601 delivered TLS-Getafe as CASA332

EC-332 (3) ex F-WWCC WILL BE MRTT028, to be reg. G-VYGM/ZZ342
José Ramón Valero

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.

The carrier will fly to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from London Heathrow, and to Tenerife on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, offering British holidaymakers more options for reaching the sunshine and beaches of their favourite islands.

Privilege Style, expecting maiden B777

Privilege Style has announced the upcoming addition of a first B777-200(ER) to its fleet of two B757-200s, one B767-300(ER), and two ERJ-145s.

Jetstar to end A330 longhaul ops in September

Jetstar Airways  will transition its longhaul operations to its B787-8 fleet with effect from September 14. 

According to Australian Aviation, the budget carrier expects to receive its final three B787s during the second half of this year following which they will assume control of all long range flights.

Flybe. to lease four ATR72-600s from Avation

Flybe will take delivery of its first ATR turboprops later this year Avation has announced.

The carrier signed 6-year contracts with the Singaporean lessor for four ATR72-600s whose deliveries will run from this year through to the next.

Virgin Atlantic schedules last A340-300 flight for March 29

Virgin Atlantic has tentatively picked VS 251 from Shanghai Pudong to London Heathrow on March 29 as its final scheduled revenue service with an A340-300, Airline Route reports. 

The decision is subject to change.

Currently, the airline operates two Airbus A340-300 aircraft with an average age of 18.1 years. According to schedule data, the two aircraft, namely G-VSUN (cn 114) and G-VELD (cn 214), are currently only deployed on services between Heathrow and Shanghai.

Between March 30 and June 15, Virgin Atlantic plans to use A340-600s on the route prior to deploying new B787-9s.

Photo:Duncan Stewart - LAX

Cebu Pacific to sell six A319s to LCC Allegiant

Cebu Pacific Air says it has signed a forward sale agreement with US budget carrier Allegiant Air  involving six A319-100s. Delivery of the aircraft to Allegiant is scheduled to run from later this year through 2016.
Photo:Alain Charpentier - TLS

Mihin Lanka adds an ex-Air Macau A319

Mihin Lanka has taken delivery of a single second-hand Airbus A319-100 to supplement its current fleet of one A320-200 and two A321-200s.

Formerly in service with Air Macau, the twelve-year-old A319 is scheduled to begin operations as 4R-MRF (cn 1893) in early March on flights from Colombo Int'l to Bahrain, Dhaka, Mangalore, Lahore and Sharjah.

Cimber to operate SAS CRJ-900 fleet from March 1

Cimber will operate all twelve CRJ-900 currently flying in the AOC of SAS Scandinavian Airlines on behalf of the pan-Scandinavian Airline from March 1, schedule data reveals. Cimber's current fleet of a couple of CRJ-200 will continue to be wet-leased to SAS Scandinavian Airlines during March before being retired. Originally, SAS had announced it would transfer its CRJ-900 aircraft to Cimber by the end of March.

NokScoot, sets May scheduled launch date

NokScoot has revised the planned launch of scheduled operations to early May of this year, regulatory approvals notwithstanding. Having secured both its Air Transport Service License and its Air Operators Certificates from the Thai government last year, the start-up has been in the process of securing the requisite operating permits and slots for its intended international routes.

Minority shareholder, the Singapore Airlines Group, said in its earnings announcement for the third quarter of its 2015 Financial Year that while NokScoot had originally intended to serve Tokyo Narita in Japan initially, it would now adopt a more flexible approach and would consider serving Japan alongside South Korea and China in its opening phase.

On its launch, the longhaul budget carrier will operate a trio of high-density B777-200(ER)s, formerly with Scoot, featuring 415 seats in a two-class configuration. According to CAPA, NokScoot has confirmed that it does not plan to operate any additional B777s beyond the initial three and is instead looking to secure 2017 delivery slots for new generation aircraft – most likely B787-9s although it also plans to look at A330s. 

ch-aviation

Norwegian begins fleet transfer to Norwegian Air Norway

Norwegian has transferred its first aircraft to its new European subsidiary Norwegian Air Norway Skyliner Aviation has reported. 

The aircraft, a B737-800 formerly LN-DYY (msn 39012) on the Norwegian registry, has now become EI-FHA on the Irish registry as of February 17. Four aircraft are now already operating for the new carrier, all of which are based at London Gatwick.

Founded in late 2013, Norwegian Air Norway is believed to be registered in Ireland, a member of the European Union. Norwegian Air Norway will use its Irish registry to gain greater Norwegian greater access to the European intra-regional market than it currently has under its Norwegian registration and certification.

The Scandinavian budget carrier has already established Norwegian Air International (Dublin Int'l) in Ireland in the hopes of using its Irish registry to gain Norwegian greater access to the European intercontinental market - the United States market in particular. The project, however, has encountered severe resistance from both sides of the Atlantic with the US Department of Transportation yet to decide on its application for a Foreign Air Carrier Permit.

ch-aviation

Photo:PedroMB/FPP - Lisboa

QATAR Airways Files Proposed New Tanzania / Pakistan Service in S15

In the latest schedule update within the past 7-14 days, QATAR Airways has filed a number proposed schedules for potential new routes, including Tanzania and Pakistan. Note all information listed below is based on preliminary schedule filing in the GDS, therefore reservation is not open and further changes to planned operational launch date and schedule remains subject to change. Operational flight number listed below is used on temporary basis by the airline.

Doha – Kilimanjaro – Zanzibar – Doha Proposed schedule shows 5 weekly flights from 01JUL15
QR2951 DOH0735 – 1235JRO1600 – 1700ZNZ1800 – 2300DOH 320 x24

Doha – Faisalabad Proposed schedule shows 3 weekly flights from 17JUL15
QR2958 DOH0110 – 0635LYP 320 135
QR2959 LYP0945 – 1115DOH 320 135

Doha – Multan Proposed schedule shows 3 weekly flights from 02AUG15
QR2962 DOH0110 – 0625MUX 320 357
QR2963 MUX0935 – 1105DOH 320 357
Doha – Sialkot Proposed schedule shows 4 weekly flights from 16JUL15
QR2960 DOH0110 – 0650SKT 320 x135
QR2961 SKT0935 – 1115DOH 320 x135

Photo:Alain Charpentier - TLS

Royal Air Maroc To Launch Dreamliner Service On February 22

Milestone Modernization Celebrated with NYC-Casablanca $787 Roundtrip Fare Sale
CASABLANCA, Morocco, Feb. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Air Maroc, the national airline of Morocco, marks a milestone with the launch of its first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The new, superefficient 274-seat aircraft will depart on its inaugural 6.5-hour flight from Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca (CMN) to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on February 22.

"Royal Air Maroc is thrilled to finally launch our first Dreamliner service between Casablanca and New York; we have been waiting several years to modernize our fleet with this revolutionary aircraft," said Mr. Abdelhamid Khalil, vice president, the Americas at Royal Air Maroc. "The new 787 allows us to fulfill our hospitality promise to guests with the best aircraft available."

This launch marks the first of two 787-8s that will be dedicated to transatlantic flights between the U.S. and Morocco. Royal Air Maroc's new planes feature 18 Business Class seats in a 2-2 layout, and 256 Economy Class seats in a 3-3-3 layout.

Fare Sale
To celebrate the launch of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Royal Air Maroc is offering a special $787 roundtrip nonstop fare from New York (JFK) to Casablanca, inclusive of all taxes and fees. Travel must be booked by March 20 for departures by May 20, 2015. Fares are subject to availability. To make reservations, call your travel agent, visit www.royalairmaroc.com or call 800-344-6726.

The long-range, twin-engine Boeing 787-8 can travel up to 7,850 nautical miles at a cruising speed of Mach 0.85. All planes feature larger overhead space to accommodate additional carry-on bags and windows that are 30 percent larger than similarly sized aircrafts. The 787-8 is 60 percent less noisy and uses 20 percent less fuel with 20 percent fewer emissions than the airplanes it replaces.

Royal Air Maroc offers year-round, daily, non-stop service between New York JFK and Casablanca, increasing to twice-daily service each June – October. Casablanca serves as Royal Air Maroc's primary hub, offering connections to 87 cities throughout Morocco, West Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Photo:Three Forty - CDG - Paris - B787-8 - CN-RGB

American Airlines Becomes the Official Airline Partner of the Los Angeles Clippers

American and the Clippers sign new multi-year sponsorship deal


LOS ANGELES – American Airlines is further bolstering its presence in Los Angeles, where it has operated service for more than eight decades, by becoming the Official Airline partner of the Los Angeles Clippers. American has signed a multi-year deal with the NBA’s Pacific Division champions, which has called Los Angeles home for more than 20 years.

"American already serves more customers than any other airline at LAX, and our partnership with the Clippers underscores our commitment to Los Angeles – a city that is vital to our global network,” said Fernand Fernandez, American’s vice president – Global Marketing. “Like the Clippers, we’re invested in winning. We’re ‘going for great’ by connecting LAX to the places more customers want to go and spending more than $2 billion on improvements that will improve the travel experience at the airport and on their flights.”

“This momentous partnership with American Airlines marks a strategic development of the Clippers brand as we align with the best in class,” said Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker. “We are pleased to welcome American Airlines to the Clippers family as the Official Airline of the Los Angeles Clippers. We look forward to working closely with American to strengthen their bond with Los Angeles community.”

As the Official Airline of the Clippers, American’s logo will appear on the court during home games and the airline will be a featured sponsor during in-game TV and radio broadcasts. American’s more than 5,000 LAX-based employees already donate their time and resources to community partners in the greater Los Angeles area and the partnership with the Clippers allows for participation in the team’s charitable events throughout the year. American customers and employees will also have the opportunity to take part in festivities and events with the Clippers during the season.

With nearly 200 flights per day to 55 global destinations, American has been the preferred airline of the entertainment industry at LAX. American operates the only three-class transcontinental service to New York with its award-winning Airbus A321T and the most daily, year round nonstop flights to London, all with fully lie-flat, direct aisle access seats in First and Business Class.

American’s most elite and First Class customers at LAX can enjoy the private and dedicated VIP Flagship® Check-In, a customized curb-to-curb airport experience that no other airline can match with Five-Star Service, as well as its Admirals Club® and Flagship Lounge locations. Top customers with tight transfer times may be treated to American’s luxury airport transfer program that escorts customers to their next gate of departure in a Cadillac.

American is in the midst of more than $2 billion in planned improvements to give customers a superior travel experience around the world. These investments include fully lie-flat seats on international long-haul aircraft; international Wi-Fi; more in-flight entertainment options and power outlets; a new, modern design for Admirals Club lounges worldwide; and improved food and beverage offerings. In addition to taking delivery of hundreds of new planes, American is retrofitting its entire fleet of Boeing 777-200s and selected 767-300s, 757-200s and Airbus A319s to refresh the cabins and enhance the experience on domestic and international flights.

Photo:Brian Peters - Dallas / Fort Worth - International  - USA

B787-8 - N800AN

 

AEROLINEAS ARGENTINAS - A330-200 - F-WWKQ

Photo:Alain Charpentier - TLS

Elite Airways acquires ex-Lufthansa CityLine CRJ-700

Elite Airways (MNU, Portland, ME) took delivery of a single CRJ-700, formerly D-ACPP (cn 10086) with Lufthansa CityLine (CL, Munich), on February 17. Skyliner Aviation tracked the aircraft's delivery from Cologne/Bonn to Melbourne, FL via Reykjavik Keflavik and Goose Bay.
The twelve-year-old twinjet is currently undergoing pre-entry into service maintenance before being put into with the rest of Elite's fleet which includes CRJ-100 and CRJ-200 jets.

South African Airways re-negotiates leases on eight A340s

South African Airways (SAA) has renegotiated lease re-extensions on three Airbus A340s and is working on similar deals for another five, which are expected to cut R262 million ($22.5 million) in annual costs.
The deal on the first three aircraft is already delivering a positive impact of R112 million annually and the agreement on the other five is expected to yield additional savings in excess of R150 million later this year.

SAA is now 60 days in to its 90-Day Action Plan, which aims to deliver a R1.25 billion operating performanceimprovement for the financial year ending March 2016. “The strong implementation progress that is being made on the 90-Day Action Plan has seen tangible steps taken to fundamentally change SAA in financially quantifiable ways,” acting SAA CEO Nico Bezuidenhout said.

Air China Announces Expansion of Its Nonstop Services between Los Angeles and Beijing

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti joined Dr. Zhihang Chi, Air China’s Vice President for North America, in a press conference this morning at Tom Bradley International Terminal announcing Air China’s third nonstop service between Los Angeles and Beijing starting May 2, 2015. Consul General Jian Liu of the Chinese Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China; Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin and Los Angeles World Airports’ Deputy Executive Director Samson Mengistu also welcomed the news of the expanded services from China’s exclusive national flag carrier in their brief remarks.

Air China’s third service will start with four flights per week on May 2, 2015 and will increase to daily on July 1, 2015. Dr. Chi also announced Air China’s move from Terminal 2 at LAX to Tom Bradley International Terminal on July 1, 2015.

“I’m pleased to welcome Air China’s new service between LAX and Beijing,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “Tourism from China has quadrupled over the last four years, and Air China’s new service puts us well on our way of meeting our goal of 50 million visitors a year by 2020 and creating more good jobs in the City of Los Angeles.”

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, 100 million Chinese are expected to travel overseas in 2015 and Los Angeles is one of their top favorite destinations.

More important, the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation has determined that every daily round-trip international flight on a wide-body aircraft at LAX generates $623 million annually and provides 3,120 local jobs to the regional economy.

Dr. Zhihang Chi remarked on Air China’s growth in North America since he took the helm of the company in 2004. “The unprecedented increase in connectivity will facilitate travel from China to the United States and strengthen the bilateral trade, tourism and cultural ties between the world’s two largest economies,” Dr. Chi said. “Travelers to cities in China and other fabulous destinations in Asia will find added convenience, more flexibility and options in booking their business trips or holiday visits with our new service.”

The additional third service (CA887/CA888) will be operated by Air China’s new generation Boeing 777-300ER. Featuring state-of-the-art green technology, the triple seven delivers better fuel burn performance and is much quieter than any other aircraft. With a spacious three-cabin interior, ambient lighting and an enhanced entertainment system, the B777-300ER provides transpacific passengers with a smooth, comfortable experience. It features eight luxury suites in the Forbidden Pavilion (first class), 41 fully-flat sleeper seats in the Capital Pavilion (business class) and 259 economy seats with individual TV monitors and in-seat audio-video on demand.

Air China is the only airline with nonstop services between Los Angeles and Beijing. It is also the only Chinese carrier with more-than-once daily frequency from the United States to China.

Details of Air China’s Los Angeles-Beijing services can be found in the chart below. Note: This is for reference only and the schedule may be subject to change. All times are local. *+1 = Next Day.

Flight #

Origin-Destination

Departure - Arrival

Frequency

Aircraft

CA887

Beijing-Los Angeles

12:00 - 09:00

T T S S (May 2-June 30, 2015)

B777-300ER

CA888

Los Angeles-Beijing

11:30 - 15:10 +1*

T T S S (May 2-June 30, 2015)

B777-300ER

CA887

Beijing-Los Angeles

12:00 - 09:00

Daily (Starting July 1, 2015)

B777-300ER

CA888

Los Angeles-Beijing

11:30 - 15:10 +1*

Daily (Starting July 1, 2015)

B777-300ER

CA983

Beijing-Los Angeles

21:00 - 18:00

Daily

B777-300ER

CA984

Los Angeles-Beijing

01:40 - 05:20 +1*

Daily

B777-300ER

CA987

Beijing-Los Angeles

15:00 - 12:00

Daily

B777-300ER

CA988

Los Angeles-Beijing

14:20 - 18:00 +1*

Daily

B777-300ER

Air China offers nonstop services to Beijing from its seven gateways in North America: Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Washington Dulles, Houston, Honolulu and Vancouver. In addition to Los Angeles, Air China is also the only airline with nonstop services to Beijing from New York and Houston. It offers double daily services from New York’s JFK International; daily services from Houston, Vancouver and San Francisco; four times weekly service from Washington Dulles and three times weekly from Honolulu to Beijing.



On January 6, 2015, CA981/CA982 between New York and Beijing was upgraded to Boeing’s newest and largest passenger wide-body aircraft, the B747-8i. On May 1this year, the aircraft for Air China’s daily nonstop San Francisco-Beijing service will also be upgraded to the iconic B747-8i. Air China’s B747-8i is the first in Air China’s fleet with a four-cabin configuration: Forbidden Pavilion, Capital Pavilion, Premium Economy and Economy. Air China is the launch carrier in Asia for Boeing’s 747-8i.

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