Air Tahiti Nui to introduce a new livery for the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners

Air Tahiti Nui has made this announcement:

As you will see in the design details of The Tahitian Dreamliner, we at Air Tahiti Nui believe each of us serves as an ambassador of our homeland.

As we chart our course of the next 20 years, the idea of Nui will be a shining star that guides us forward. We will challenge ourselves to examine every part of the travel experience we provide our guests to find ways to make it more relaxing, more immersive, and more “Nui.”

Our Dreamliner fleet begins a new chapter in our proud history of connecting Tahiti to the world. We’ve selected what we believe to be the best aircraft flying the skies, the Boeing 787-9, and we’ve made it uniquely Tahitian. Come fly with us and be among the first to be carried to your dream destination on the wings of our Dreamliner.

The carrier issued this press release:

At the dawn of its 20 years of operation and the renewal of its entire fleet, Air Tahiti Nui presents its new face to its clients and partners.

New projects, new aircraft, new technology and soon 20 years, as many reasons for Air Tahiti Nui to renovate its brand and reveal its new ambitions to French Polynesia and the world.

For this, Air Tahiti Nui has called on the internationally brand agency Future Brand. The agency, that specializes in brand creation and transformation, has signed among many other remarkable projects the new American Airlines brand, and closer to Tahiti, the new brand of The Islands of Tahiti for the Tourism board of French Polynesia.

But updating Air Tahiti Nui’s visual identity and its most visible icon, the Tiare flower, was only one part of the job. As the company is proudly stepping into a new chapter of its 20 year history, it felt the need to also reassess its foundations so to better share with the world its positioning, values and personality.

Air Tahiti Nui has invited its best clients and partners to discover its new brand. An important moment of the life of the company that was duly celebrated in the Air Tahiti Nui Business Lounge of the Tahiti-Faa’a airport with renowned French wine specialist Olivier POUSSIER, the world’s best wine waiter in year 2000, also head wine waiter of the French powerhouse Lenôtre, and designer of Air Tahiti Nui’s new on board wine selection.

This wine reception, a before taste of the upcoming main events, was an opportunity for the company to thanks everyone involved in its success and that have witnessed its expansion and development over the past 20 years.

Michel Monvoisin, CEO of Air Tahiti Nui, had the honor to reveal to the company’s guests the new Tiare logo by dropping the veil on the new business lounge welcome sign.

Olivier Poussier best sommelier of the world 2000 in Air Tahiti Nui's lounge at the international airport of Tahiti Faaa

This milestone is a new step on Air Tahiti Nui’s journey to the upcoming delivery of its new fleet. It is a also strong symbol of the transformation the company is under going to remain the first international airline of French Polynesia.

In 2018, let’s celebrate together the 20th anniversary of Air Tahiti Nui, To Tatou Manureva!

The Commercial Direction
AIR TAHITI NUI

A new visual identity:

In celebration of 20 marvelous years in the sky, Air Tahiti Nui has refreshed its visual identity to step into its future with renewed spirit, energy and pride. Long synonymous with Air Tahiti Nui and Tahiti at large, the ubiquitous and glorious Tiare flower assumes pride of place in our logo, but with a sophisticated, modern new look.

Carefully crafted by globally acclaimed Tahitian artist, Alex Lee, the company new Tiare flower embodies the beauty and spirit of the Islands of Tahiti. Pure, natural and abundant with sweet perfume, the Tiare flower holds many secrets of which only the truly knowledgeable are aware.

With its proud and delicate profile facing forwards, the new logo shares a subtle but powerful message about Air Tahiti Nui’s preparedness for the future and captures the very essence of taking flight and moving onwards, forwards and upwards.

A carefully crafted wordmark:

The sensorial, free spirit of the Tiare flower logo is grounded by the refined strength within its new logotype, the thick and thin strokes giving it a premium, confident and established feel. Closer inspection reveals that the letterforms are purposefully curved and rounded to mimic the shapes and joins of the Tiare petals, tying all of the elements together in harmony, just like the majestic Islands of Tahiti themselves.

Reminder:

On November 20^thof this year, Air Tahiti Nui will celebrate its 20 year anniversary. Before this, on October 2018, the company will take delivery of the first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner of its four aircraft fleet. These new aircrafts represent a new chapter of the life of Air Tahiti Nui that remains more than ever in the continuity of a mission that started back in 1998 at the service of French Polynesia and its people.

The next few months will see more important events that will include the presentation of new uniforms, the new connected inflight entertainment system and the delivery of its new aircrafts.

All images by Air Tahiti Nui.

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Emirates to launch third daily service to Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport

Emirates, the largest international airline in the world, today announced it will start a third daily service between Moscow’s Domodedovo (DME) Airport and Dubai, commencing on October 25, 2018.

Emirates has been serving the Russian market since July 1, 2003 and already flies twice daily to Domodedovo on Airbus A380 and Boeing 777-300ER and daily to St Petersburg (LED). Demand for travel has grown significantly over recent years, leading to the airline’s launch of this third flight to Moscow.

The new service will be operated by an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER in a three class cabin configuration, with eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie flat seats in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy.

This service will cater for leisure and business passengers, providing daily links for international tourism and trade opportunities both inbound and outbound.

From October 25, 2018, flight EK174 will depart Domodedovo at 1040hrs and arrive in Dubai at 1655hrs, while the return flight EK173 will depart Dubai at 0330hrs and arrive in Moscow at 0750hrs*. The departure time from Moscow and arrival time into Dubai is convenient for Russian travellers visiting Dubai.

The new flight allows for seamless connectivity to Moscow from several popular destinations in Emirates’ and flydubai’s combined route network, including Bali, Bangkok, Colombo, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Maldives, Mauritius and Singapore.

The new Emirates flight from Domodedovo airport is also timed to connect conveniently with a wide network of domestic flights operated by Emirates codeshare partner in Russia – S7 Airlines.

Emirates SkyCargo will offer up to 20 tonnes of cargo capacity on the new flight. Cargo carried on the route includes perishables (food products, flowers), pharma, car spare parts for import and food products, aircraft and helicopter spare parts for export.

First Class and Business Class customers can take advantage of the complimentary chauffeur drive as well as lounge facilities at Domodedovo. All customers can look forward to award-winning levels of care and comfort when travelling with Emirates, from the warm hospitality of its multinational cabin crew, to being entertained by ice, which offers up to 3,500 channels of on demand audio and visual entertainment from the latest movies to music and games. Customers also enjoy chef-prepared meals and complimentary beverages, while families are well catered for with dedicated products and services for children.

Emirates’ commitment to Moscow Domodedovo airport is backed by airport’s investment in improving the infrastructure for the passengers. The new segment of the passenger terminal for international flights is opening in June 2018; multi-level car parking in front of the terminal has just been put in operation adding 1,500 parking spaces and the new runway construction is due to be completed within a few months. On 1st July this year Emirates will mark 15 years of operations to Moscow Domodedovo airport.

* There will be a 30 minute advancement of EK173 timing during winter schedule, which begins on 28th October 2018.

In other news, Emirates will launch its Santiago route on July 5, 2018. The service to Santiago will be operated with a newly refurbished two-class configured Boeing 777-200LR which offers 38 Business Class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration and 264 seats in Economy Class.

Emirates aircraft slide show:

Thai and Rolls-Royce to collaborate on expansion of Trent engine service network

Thai Airways International Public Company Limited and Rolls-Royce held a signing ceremony of cooperation towards the establishment of the engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) Center, which was presided over by Mrs. Usanee Sangsingkeo, THAI Acting President, and Mr. Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce President – Civil Aerospace. The ceremony was witnessed by Mr. Surachai Piencharoensak, THAI Executive Vice President, Technical Department, and Mr. Ewen McDonald, Rolls-Royce Senior Vice President, Customers & Services – Asia Pacific, with Mr. Peraphon Thawornsupacharoen, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport, in attendance as guest of honor at THAI’s Head Office.

Thai signed the agreement to collaborate with Rolls-Royce and explore how the two companies will work together to expand the Trent CareNetwork by building on Thai’s existing Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) capabilities. Becoming an Authorized Maintenance Center (AMC) for Rolls-Royce will enable Thai to support its growing fleet of Rolls-Royce engines while also generating additional capacity and flexibility within the Rolls-Royce CareNetwork. Thai operates approximately 80 widebody aircraft, of which more than 50 are powered by Rolls-Royce engines.

Mrs. Usanee Sangsingkeo, Thai Acting President, said “This agreement builds on Thai’s existing MRO facilities to be able to repair new engine types that are currently used by commercial airlines today. Thai has the capability to expand its engine maintenance services for Rolls-Royce Trent 700 and Trent 1000 engines, which will meet the needs of the regional market, making sufficient use of the maintenance facilities and further develop a joint business venture together. This collaboration will also increase revenue earned from international customers.”

This agreement is in accordance with a government policy that achieves an industry goal and serves as a new growth engine that will help in the development and eventual readiness of the complex Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Aircraft Maintenance Center, with personnel development in the area of aircraft engine maintenance, and leverages the nation’s aviation industry to be the best in the region.

Furthermore, this collaboration agreement is a continuation of the agreement made between Thai and Rolls-Royce on Trent XWB Engine Development Testing this past February. As a result, Rolls-Royce brought a Trent XWB engine, the newest engine type equipped on the Airbus A350 XWB, for experimental testing at Thai’s Technical Maintenance Department at Don Mueang International Airport in order to continually study and test the capabilities of the engine type.

Photo: Thai.

Arbitrator: WestJet pilots can now fly Swoop aircraft at Swoop terms and conditions

WestJet issued this statement:

On June 7, 2018, the arbitrator presiding over the arbitration between WestJet, an Alberta Partnership and Swoop Inc. and the Air Line Pilot Association, International (ALPA) issued a binding interim order regarding Swoop.

The binding interim order, issued June 7, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. directs, among other things, that existing Swoop pilots will remain in their current positions until directed otherwise by the arbitrator, and that WestJet pilots can now fly Swoop aircraft at Swoop terms and conditions. The interim order further directs that ALPA, WestJet and Swoop will make a joint application to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) requesting the Board to amend ALPA’s bargaining certificate to recognize ALPA as the bargaining agent for pilots of Swoop in addition to the pilots of WestJet by September 1, 2018. The arbitrator has further directed that additional hearing dates are required through the summer and into September to properly address all outstanding issues.

“We recognize and respect the interim order which is in line with the WestJet Group’s original direction that WestJet pilots should have the ability to operate Swoop aircraft,” said Ed Sims, President and CEO of the WestJet Group of Companies.

Steven Greenway, Swoop President commented, “The order allows us to redouble our efforts and focus our attention on the rapidly approaching launch of Swoop on June 20, 2018 from Hamilton.”

Photos: Swoop.

Video:

Air Canada inaugurates two new international Dreamliner routes from Vancouver

Air Canada today launched the first of two new international Boeing 787 Dreamliner routes to Europe with a celebration prior to the departure of the carrier’s inaugural flight from Vancouver to Zurich. Tomorrow, the airline will launch non-stop flights to Paris, marking five nonstop European routes from Air Canada’s YVR hub.

“We are delighted to launch new nonstop flights from Vancouver to Zurich and to Paris, both onboard our state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The strategic addition of these seasonal international flights further strengthens our YVR hub which combined with our extensive North American network, provides excellent options for travelers from BC and the North American west coast to Europe, and as well as for European visitors and beyond to western Canada and the Pacific Northwest,” said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada.

Air Canada’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners feature three cabins of service with enhanced definition individual on-demand personal entertainment offering a wide range of movies, short films, TV programs and audio selections at every seat throughout the aircraft.

Flight #	Routing	Departs	Arrives
AC802	Vancouver-Zurich	01:00 p.m. Tue/Thur/Sat	7:55 a.m. (+1 day)
AC803	Zurich-Vancouver	10:05 a.m. Wed/Fri/Sun	10:25 a.m.
AC806	Vancouver-Paris	12:45 p.m. Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun	07:40 a.m. (+1 day)
AC807	Paris-Vancouver	09:25 a.m. Mon/Tue/Thur/Sat	10:20 a.m.

From its YVR hub this summer, Air Canada offers up to 1,293 flights each week non-stop to eight destinations in Asia, three destinations in Australia, five destinations in Europe, 16 destinations in the USA, 22 destinations in Canada and two destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean.

Air Canada aircraft slide show:

Air Canada begins offering satellite connectivity on international flights

Air Canada said today it has begun offering next-generation, satellite connectivity on its wide-body international fleet with the introduction of Air Canada Wi-Fi provided by Gogo. Starting with flights operated by Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, the new service will be the fastest available on any Canadian airline and makes Air Canada the first Canadian carrier to offer customers the ability to stream TV and movies in-flight through the internet.

“Air Canada customers on international wide-body flights will have access to the fastest internet service available on any Canadian carrier. Air Canada Wi-Fi will make traveling more enjoyable whether you’re connecting with family and friends, watching a favorite movie or TV program on the internet, or scrolling through your social media feeds. The speed and reliability of Air Canada Wi-Fi will also make it an excellent productivity tool for business travelers, who will be able to keep in touch and work during their journey so they can stay up-to-date and arrive fully prepared for any meeting or event,” said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines, at Air Canada.

Air Canada Satellite Wi-Fi is now available on the airline’s Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and on Air Canada Rouge’s narrow-body fleet. The entire Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge wide-body fleet – including the Boeing 777-200LR, 787-8/9 and Airbus 330 and Air Canada Rouge Boeing 767-300ER – is scheduled to be equipped with the system by mid-2019. Customers can choose from a selection of Wi-Fi packages to suit their needs and Air Canada is offering special introductory pricing for the service starting at $5 on the airline’s Boeing 777-300ER fleet until August 31, 2018.

In addition to the satellite connectivity available on Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and the Air Canada Rouge Airbus narrow-body fleet, Air Canada and Air Canada Express also offer customers Wi-Fi connectivity through a ground-based system provided by Gogo on their narrow-body Airbus A319/320/321, Embraer 175/190 and Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft travelling within North America.

Air Canada aircraft slide show:

Flair Airlines to more than double its flights on June 15 under new leadership

Flair Airlines has made this announcement:

Flair Airlines is delighted to announce that David M. Tait OBE has joined Canada’s only operating low fare airline in the capacity of Executive Chairman.

A Canadian, David brings a wealth of unique airline experience having worked with Wardair Canada in Toronto, Laker Airways in Toronto and Miami, Virgin Atlantic Airways in New York and Air Canada in Montreal.

In 1984, with the then little-known Richard Branson, David helped craft a business plan for what would become Virgin Atlantic Airways. He then became one of the nascent airline’s first employees. Starting out with a single Boeing 747, he then spent the next 18 years as Executive Vice President and a director building the airline into one of the industry’s most innovative and critically acclaimed carriers.

In May of 2001, David was awarded an OBE (Officer of The Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II for “Services to British Aviation in North America.”

After leaving Virgin, David served as Senior Vice President, Customer Service for Air Canada. He is also a best-selling author and award-winning travel columnist.

Commenting on his appointment, David said, “Canadians have been denied the services of an independent, truly low cost, low fare carrier for way too long. With Flair, I am excited to join another airline that, like we did with Virgin, can shake up the status quo with innovative, quality, friendly air service at consistently low fares and – most importantly – get more people out of their couches and into the air.”

Jim Scott, CEO, Flair Airlines stated, “We are thrilled to have David join our team. His expertise, deep industry knowledge and unique experience in successfully leveraging the advantages the little guy has in an industry dominated by relative Goliaths, will be invaluable. The only way to build the best airline in Canada is to have the best people – and David certainly falls into that category.”

On June 15 Flair will more than double its present total of 90 flights per week with increased nonstop and direct connectivity throughout an expanded Canadian network that stretches from Halifax to Victoria.

Flair Airlines aircraft slide show:

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United Airlines’ first 737 MAX 9 takes flight from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-USA6/United-Airlines-NC-Boeing/i-FDKj2t4/A

United Airlines (UAL) on June 7, 2018 became the first North American carrier to operate the fuel efficient Boeing 737-9 MAX 9 aircraft. The brand new plane entered service as United flight UA 686 between United’s hub at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Orlando International Airport in Florida. The MAX is also scheduled to operate flights today between Houston and Anchorage, Alaska and Houston and Austin, Texas.

(PRNewsfoto/United Airlines)

All customers on United’s first MAX flights from Houston today will also receive first flight certificates, travel cases and headphones to commemorate their trip on United’s newest aircraft.

(PRNewsfoto/United Airlines)

The 737 MAX utilizes Viasat next-generation satellite Wi-Fi, providing access to faster, more reliable internet connections gate to gate. United will expand Viasat Wi-Fi to more than 70 aircraft, including at least 58 new 737 MAX planes over the next three years.

(PRNewsfoto/United Airlines)

The 737 MAX uses Boeing’s Advanced Technology winglets and fuel efficient engines to provide a quieter ride and the ability to fly farther on less fuel. With a longer range than previous 737 models, United is able to operate the 737 MAX between Houstonand Anchorage, Alaska, which previously needed to be served with larger aircraft. United expects to have 10 737 MAX aircraft in its fleet by the end of this year.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by United): United Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX 9 N67501 (msn 43430) BFI (Brandon Farris). Image: 941629.

United aircraft slide show (Boeing):

PenAir ends its East Coast operations

PenAir has informed the Department of Transportation (DOT) it would end service to Boston from Presque Isle, Bar Harbor and Plattsburgh, NY a month earlier on June 1, due to a loss of mechanics and pilots. This leaves Presque Isle without airline service until United Express begins service on July 1.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by PenAir): PenAir (Peninsula Airways) SAAB 340B N406XJ (msn 406) BWI (Tony Storck). Image: 912875.

PenAir aircraft slide show:

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Cyprus Airways expands with new routes with its second Airbus A319

Cyprus Airways in May took delivery of its second Airbus A319 (5B-DCX) (below). The new aircraft has been integrated directly to the company’s summer flight program.

As a result, Cyprus Airways’ inaugural flights from Larnaca to Verona, Zurich and Prague took place last week. All three airports welcomed Cyprus Airways Airbus A319 aircraft with the ceremonial water cannon salute. Passengers flying from these airports were welcomed at the gate with an aperitif and a small gift.