Monthly Archives: March 2013

Airberlin Group takes delivery of the first Airbus A320 with Sharklets

Airberlin Group (Berlin) on March 26 took delivery of its first Airbus A320 with the new Sharklets wing tip device. The pictured A320-214 OE-LER (msn 5522) will be operated by Niki (Vienna).

The group issued this statement:

OE-LER, welcome to our fleet! The Airberlin Group became one of the first airlines in the world to receive its very first Airbus A320 equipped with fuel-saving Sharklets at the Airbus factory in Hamburg on March 26, 2013. The development sees the company further strengthen its position as Europe’s most eco-efficient network carrier.

The aircraft with the Airbus manufacturer’s serial number msn 5522 will fly under the registration OE-LER for the airline Niki, which belongs to the Airberlin Group. Following test flights and extensive technical checks, the transfer of title of the aircraft to the Airberlin Group took place on March 25 before the March 26 ferry flight from Hamburg to Vienna, the home of Niki.

Commenting on the delivery, Ulf Hüttmeyer, Chief Financial Officer airberlin, said: “The new Airbus is the first of a total of 14 Airbus A320/A321 aircraft with the fuel-saving wingtips to be delivered to the Airberlin Group. The Sharklets represent an important aspect of our ‘Eco-Efficient Flying’ program and will contribute towards making the Airberlin and Niki fleet even more efficient and environmentally compatible in future. The delivery of the first Airbus with Sharklets to Niki is part of a sales and lease back transaction between our company and the Chinese leasing company ICBC Financial Leasing with which we have already been working together successfully and reliably for several years in the area of aircraft financing.”

As part of the sales and lease back cooperation arrangement with ICBC Financial Leasing, the Airberlin Group is to add another Airbus A320 with Sharklets to its fleet in June of this year.

The two-and-a-half meter large upward wingtip extensions reduce air vortices at the wings and hence the lift-induced drag. The eye-catching Sharklets developed by Airbus thereby significantly improve the wing aerodynamics and are capable of saving around 1,200 tonnes of CO2 emissions with fuel savings of up to 3.5% per aircraft each year. This represents 55 flights from Berlin to Palma de Mallorca per aircraft every year. Sharklets work according to a functional principle by which the improved lift effect also enables the Airbus equipped with Sharklets to ascend more quickly. This in turn reduces noise on the ground.

Airberlin:

Niki:

Will the Boeing 787 be restricted on its long thin routes?

Boeing (Chicago) could be facing a new challenge for its grounded 787 according to this report by Reuters. The 787 was designed to fly long thin over-water-flights. Will the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) permit the new type to fly these routes once again (at least initially) once it is allowed to fly again? ETOPS could be reduced to only two hours. If this is correct, the business case for the new type is severely hurt for this period and the affected airlines will be asking Boeing for further compensation until they are able to fly these long thin routes once again in the most efficient manner.

Reuters raises these concerns. Read the full article: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing. Some routes like Tokyo-Boston will not be able to be flown with the 787 if there are any ETOPS restrictions once the grounded order is rescinded. JAL‘s Boeing 787-8 JA828J (msn 38438) in the special Sora wo Tobu – Flying Sky motif approaches Tokyo (Narita) for landing.

JAL-Japan Airlines:

Ethiopian Airlines to launch new service to Ho Chi Minh City, Manila and Seoul

Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa) on June 18 will add new service to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) via Bangkok with three weekly flights flown by Boeing 767-300 ERs.

The airline is also adding new routes to Seoul (Incheon) and Manila as part of its Asian expansion.

Ethiopian Airlines:

EasyJet to hire 200 pilots for 2014

EasyJet (UK) (easyJet.com) (London-Luton) has announced today it will start this week in its search to fill 200 new, additional pilot positions in 2014. For successful applicants the new roles will provide the first step towards a long term career with EasyJet and will also enable the airline to continue its profitable expansion which recently included launching new routes to Russia and Norway.

EasyJet expects to fill the new positions from several sources including – pilots starting their career, pilots currently flying for the military who wish to join the civilian aviation sector and those who currently fly for other airlines who wish to build a career at EasyJet.

The new positions will be offered across all 11 of EasyJet’s UK bases – Gatwick, Southend, Luton, Stansted, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol and Belfast – and across easyJet’s European network of bases.

Those interested can apply through careers.easyJet.com and if successful will start flying with EasyJet from summer 2014.

EasyJet (UK):

Estonian Air’s 2012 loss widens to $63.3 million

Estonian Air (Tallinn) reported a net loss of $63.3 million but claimed its turnaround is “on track”.

The company issued this statement:

In 2012, the revenue of Estonian Air was 91.5 million euros. The company’s net operational losses was 35.8 million euros. Together with one-off costs (impairment on aircraft), the net loss for 2012 was 49.2 million euros ($63.3 million).

The costs associated with the attempt to grow the airline and expand the route network amounted to approximately 26 million euros.

“Late last year, the Supervisory Council of the company decided to change Estonian Air’s business model from growth oriented carrier to a regional point-to-point airline,” says Jan Palmér, CEO of Estonian Air.

“While the airline carried a record number of passengers in 2012, low yields from the transfer traffic did not support the airline’s bottom line. Although the airline brought four new jet aircraft into service by the start of the summer season, overall the fleet transition proved to be more costly than planned,“ commented Palmér.

From the end of January 2013, Estonian Air is working according to the restructuring plan to become cost efficient regional carrier to provide flights to the destinations critically important for Estonia, where the demand is constantly high.

“Our turnaround is on track. We are changing from a traditional carrier to a small cost effective regional airline serving a core route network of ten destinations. We have already succeeded in increasing the yield, signed collective agreements with the crew, started to divest non-core assets and thus starting to be where we want to be. This gives us confidence to sustain the business,” added Palmér.

The ten core destinations of Estonian Air include Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Brussels, Oslo, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Vilnius and Trondheim.

Copyright Photo: Stefan Sjogren. The airline is dramatically phasing out all types and will concentrate around the Embraer ERJ 170-100.

Estonian Air:

Route Map: The route map is shrinking to its core destinations listed above.

FedEx Express makes a historic Panda delivery to the Toronto Zoo

FedEx Express (Memphis) has safely delivered two giant pandas from China to the Toronto Zoo following months of preparations and public anticipation.

The giant pandas, breeding pair Er Shun (female) and Da Mao (male), made the journey from Chengdu, China, to the FedEx Express Canadian Hub at Toronto Pearson International Airport, aboard a specially branded MD-11 aircraft donated by FedEx.

The pandas arrived at 10:47 a.m. EDT (March 25) after an 18 hour flight. FedEx Express, the Toronto Zoo, and the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding collaborated extensively to ensure all necessary precautions were taken to provide a safe and comfortable flight for the pandas. Animal care experts were granted special flight privileges to accompany the pandas onboard the aircraft.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was airside to officially sign for Canada’s receipt of the giant pandas on a FedEx PowerPad handed to him by Lisa Lisson, president of FedEx Express Canada.

“Today is significant for Canadians as it marks an important symbol of trade and diplomacy between our country and China. As the world’s global transportation leader, FedEx understands first-hand the opportunity and potential that comes with strengthened relationships and improved global connectivity—all of which is wrapped into the symbolism of today’s delivery,” said Lisa Lisson, president, FedEx Express Canada. “As excited as we are about facilitating this exchange between Canada and China, I can attest that all our 6,000-strong team of employees, from coast-to-coast, are as eagerly excited about the prospects of a giant panda cub being born on Canadian soil.”

Following the arrival of FedEx Panda Express, Er Shun and Da Mao were transported by two FedEx Express trucks to Toronto Zoo where they will begin a five-year stay before transferring to Calgary. The specially-branded FedEx Express trucks will stay in service throughout the giant pandas’ stay in Toronto, delivering 600 to 900 kilograms of fresh bamboo supplies two-to-three times a week, courtesy of the Memphis Zoo.

As announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on February 11, 2012, the cooperative conservation agreement with China marked the first time in more than twenty years that a giant panda has been loaned to a Canadian zoo. The agreement also marked the first time the Chinese government has granted a ten-year loan of breeding giant pandas to any international zoo in the world.

Following a brief but mandatory quarantine, the giant pandas will be on view to the public at a newly-constructed, state-of-the-art giant panda exhibit at the Toronto Zoo sometime in mid-May (exact date to determined). The program will allow the Toronto Zoo to contribute to ongoing international efforts to protect and increase the population of the endangered giant pandas through investments in research and conservation efforts. Currently, conservationists estimate that there are just over 2,000 giant pandas left in the wild.

“We are honoured to have giant pandas, Er Shun and Da Mao, arrive at the Toronto Zoo and look forward to the opportunity of contributing to the survival of this beautiful species for generations to come,” said John Tracogna, CEO, Toronto Zoo. “The Toronto Zoo is thrilled to join the small group of countries and highly respected zoo organizations outside of China that have the conservation and research programs, professional expertise, and facilities to provide excellent care for a breeding pair of pandas.”

FedEx Express has successfully transported a number of giant panda pairs, underscoring the company’s commitment to safely and securely transporting even the world’s most precious cargo:

China to Paris, France (2012)
China to Edinburgh, Scotland (2011)
Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, USA, to China (2010)
China to Memphis, USA (2003)
China to Washington, D.C., USA (2000)

Copyright Photo: FedEx Express. McDonnell Douglas MD-11F N585FE (msn 48481) had the honor for this historic Panda flight. N585FE touches down at Toronto (Pearson) with the special Panda markings.

FedEx Express:

Boeing test flies a 787 with new lithium-ion battery system

787 Takes Off for Functional Test Flight, originally uploaded by The Boeing Company.

Boeing (Chicago) yesterday (March 25) test flew a 787-8 with the new lithium-ion battery system. The two-hour test flight was conducted from Paine Field near Everett, Washington.

According to Reuters, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has set a two-day forum for April 11-12 to examine the design and performance of lithium-ion batteries. The NTSB also plans to hold a separate hearing on the 787 battery later in April.
Read the full article: CLICK HERE

Japan Airlines considers ordering 20 Airbus A350s

Japan Airlines-JAL (Tokyo) has been a loyal Boeing customer. However the recent problems with the much-delayed Boeing 787 may have soured that relationship. According to Nikkei, the company is now considering an order from rival Airbus for 20 Airbus A350s and it will make a decision in June. However this may also be a ploy to get better terms and compensation from Boeing for the 787 delays. JAL is considering replacing its current Boeing 777-300 ERs with the new Airbus A350-100s for its European routes.

Read the full report from the Chicago Tribune: CLICK HERE

JAL-Japan Airlines:

Air China expands on the Beijing-Vancouver route

Air China (Beijing) has announced that starting on May 17, it will extend its Beijing-Vancouver schedule by adding another flight CA997/8, which will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays with Airbus A330-200 aircraft. The new addition will bring Air China’s number of weekly Beijing-Vancouver flights to 11.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing. Airbus A330-243 B-6075 (msn 785) in the special Zijin Hao – Forbidden Pavilion Liner scheme arrives back at the Beijing base.

Air China:

Silk Way Airlines signs MOU for four Boeing 747-800F freighters

Silk Way Airlines (Silkway Azerbaijan Cargo) (Baku) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Boeing for four new Boeing 747-800F freighters according to cargofacts.net.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: OSDU. Silk Way currently operates three Boeing 747-400F freighters and two 767-300F freighters besides its Russian aircraft. Boeing 747-4R7F 4K-800 (msn 29729) completes its final approach into Moscow (Shereyetyevo).

Silk Way Airlines: