Video: Visual Approach at night by a Hello McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30.
Malaysian Government issues its interim report on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH 370
The government of Malaysia, required by international aviation protocols, issued their preliminary report on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH 370 on its one-year anniversary. The report actually does not really increase the knowledge base. It does however clarify some rumors and issues.
According to CNN, “the reportย revealed that the battery of the underwater locator beacon on MH 370’s flight data recorder expired more than a year before the plane’s disappearance.
The report, citing maintenance records, said that there was no evidence to suggest the battery was replaced before its expiry in December 2012. While such a battery can operate past its expiry date, it said, “it is not guaranteed that it will work or that it would meet the 30-day minimum requirement.”
The battery on the plane’s other so-called black box, the cockpit voice recorder, was replaced as scheduled and remained within its expiry date, the report said.
Investigators interviewed maintenance staff and found that the computerized replacement schedule had not been updated correctly whenย the flight data recorder, and its locator beacon were replaced in February 2008.”
The investigators also found no unusual signs for the cockpit crew and cabin crew. Theย captain, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, according to the report “didn’t have any personal or financial problems that would cast suspicion on him” according to the CNN report.
Read the full report: CLICK HERE
Southwest Airlines launches historic routes from Baltimore/Washington and Houston Hobby to Costa Rica and Aruba
Southwest Airlines (Dallas) yesterday (March 7) inaugurated two international routes from Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and William P. Hobby Airport in Houston. Each of the new routes is longer than 2,000 miles each-way and marks historic milestones for the carrier both by connecting Central America to the Southwest network of destinations and by offering its longest-ever nonstop scheduled service from any of Southwest’s Texas Triangle of original cities of Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston.
Southwest Airlines now operates nonstop service between:
San Jose, Costa Rica, and Baltimore/Washington on a once daily basis, and
Aruba and Houston (Hobby) seasonally, once every Saturday through Aug. 8, 2015
At Houston’s Hobby Airport, Southwest Employees celebrated the first Aruba-bound morning departure. Later, Customers on the first inbound international flight deplaned directly into a celebration in the main domestic concourse, following their U.S. Customs and Border Protection Preclearance processed prior to departing the Caribbean island. This is the first-ever international flying offered from Houston Hobby. This October, Southwest is scheduled to complete the construction of a $156 million international terminal project which will give Houstonians and Southwest Customers from across the network access to more international destinations.
Southwest Airlines flight 602 from Baltimore/Washington to San Jose, Costa Rica, brought 143 Customers and the Company’s legendary personality and value to Central America for the first time in the 44-year history of the largest domestic carrier* in the United States. Dozens of people came to Juan Santamaria International Airport outside San Jose at the invitation of the Costa Rica Tourism Board to welcome the historic arrival in the lush country known for its natural beauty and adventure tourism.
For an in-depth review of the first arrival at Houston Hobby from Aruba, read the Airways News feature article: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: Derin Allard/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-7AD N798SW (msn 28436) taxies into position at Santa Ana (Orange County).
Southwest Airlines aircraft slide show:ย 
LAN Airlines to retire the last Airbus A340-300
LAN Airlines (Chile) (Santiago) is getting ready to replace its aging Airbus A340-300s (above) with the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners (below). The venerable A340s are currently assigned to the long-range Santiago-Auckland-Sydney Southern Hemisphere trans-Pacific route.
The last regularly-scheduled revenue flight is currently scheduled for the morning of April 17 when flight LA 800 arrives from Auckland at 11:35 am (1135) in Santiago. However the A340 may be kept as a reserve aircraft after this last scheduled flight, pending any last minute changes.
The Chilean carrier took delivery of its first stretched Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (CC-BGA) on February 5.
In other news, LAN Airlines on January 27, 2016 will start to operate a weekly Boeing 787 flight on the Santiago-Caracas-Miami (on Wednesdays) route per Airline Route.
Top Copyright Photo: Alvaro Romero/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A340-313 CC-CQC (msn 363) arrives back at the Santiago (SCL) hub.
LAN Airlines (Chile) aircraft slide show:ย
Bottom Copyright Photo: Steve Bailey/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner CC-BGB (msn 35318) prepares to depart from Paine Field on a test flight on March 6. It is pending delivery to the carrier.
Korean Air to introduce the Boeing 747-800 on the London Heathrow route
Korean Air (Seoul-Incheon) has 10 passenger Boeing 747-800 Intercontinental Jumbos on order with the first copy due this year. The carrier already operates five freighter versions.
The carrier is now planning to introduce the passenger version on August 2, three days a week, on the Seoul (Incheon) – London (Heathrow) route. The new type will be operated on a daily basis starting on September 1 per Airline Route.
The newer Boeing 747-800s will replace the older remaining Boeing 747-400s.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Korean Air is already an operator of the freighter version. Boeing 747-8HTF HL7609 (msn 37132) prepares to touch down in Anchorage, Alaska.
Korean Air aircraft slide show:ย
Etihad Airways to bring the Airbus A380 to New York
Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) is planning to introduce the new Airbus A380 on the Abu Dhabi-New York (JFK) route on December 1 per Airline Route. The A380 will operate on a daily basis.
Copyright Photo: Airbus A380-861 A6-APA (msn 166) taxies at London (Heathrow), the first destination for the new type.
Etihad Airways aircraft slide show:ย
Cathay Pacific Airways to retire its 11 Airbus A340-300s
Cathay Pacific Airways (Hong Kong) will retire its last Airbus A340-300 in 2017. The airline has announced a deal with AerFin to gradually take and dispose the aircraft from this month through 2017. The airline issued this statement:
AerFin Ltd (UK) and Cathay Pacific Airways have announced that AerFin has been selected to provide an end-of-life solution for the fleet of 11 A340-300 aircraft operated by the Hong Kong-based carrier. The agreement will see AerFin acquire and/or consign the aircraft over a three-year period through to 2017. The first A340 will be delivered to AerFin in March 2015 and will be disassembled to provide Cathay Pacific continued support for its operational fleet, and at the same time provide AerFinโs customer base with Serviceable Used Material to support continued operations.
Cathay Pacific is retiring the A340-300s as part of ongoing fleet modernization program that is seeing the airline replace older, less-efficient aircraft with new, more fuel-efficient aircraft. Cathay Pacific currently operates 147 aircraft in what is one of the youngest all-wide-body fleets in the world. The airline has some 79 aircraft on firm order for delivery up to 2024, including 48 Airbus A350s and 21 Boeing 777-9Xs.
UK based AerFin Limited specializes in providing end-of-life fleet solutions for investors, MROs, and airlines exposed to technically challenging assets. US based CarVal Investors LLC took an 80% shareholding in AerFin in December 2014 and their experienced team has navigated ever-changing credit market cycles, investing more than $78 billion in 5,200 transactions across 71 countries.
Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A340-313 B-HXI (msn 220) completes its final approach to the runway at London (Heathrow).
Cathay Pacific aircraft slide show:ย
Virgin Australia to operate a new route from Sydney to Tamworth
Virgin Australia Airlines (Brisbane) has announced it will introduce flights between Tamworth, New South Wales and Sydney from May 2015.
The airline will introduce this new service on May 25, 2015, using its ATR 72 turboprop 68-seat aircraft to operate six return services between Tamworth and Sydney each week.
Virgin Australia will operate a return flight every day (excluding Saturday) departing Sydney at 1.55 pm (1355) arriving into Tamworth at 3.00 pm (1500). The flight will depart Tamworth at 3.30 pm (1530) arriving into Sydney at 4.35 pm (1635).
Copyright Photo: Peter Gates/AirlinersGallery.com.ย Skywest Airlines ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-500) VH-FVI (msn 955) prepares to depart from Brisbane.
Virgin Australia aircraft slide show:ย
Virgin Australia domestic route map:
Norwegian’s pilots continue to strike as talks fail
Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian Air Norway) (Norwegian.com) (Oslo) continues to face a strike by its pilots after overnight mediated talks on a new collective agreement failed. The strike today enters the eighth day. The strike by its pilots, represented by the NPU and labor group Parat, will continue indefinitely. As a result Norwegian is canceling today all flights in Norway and Sweden and most flights between the Scandinavian capitals.
Norwegian issued a statement (translated from Norwegian):
“Norwegian has submitted several proposals that provide all the Scandinavian pilots job security, employment guarantee for three years, to keep their good wage conditions and not the least, their ties with the parent company. Therefore it is extremely sad that it was not possible to reach an agreement with Norwegian Pilot Union (NPU) and Parat with the national mediator. The strike continues, unfortunately indefinitely.
Norwegian deeply regrets that the strike will continue and that travelers, employees and others are affected. After many hours of negotiations on Friday night to Saturday, both sides failed to reach a solution. Norwegian wants an end to the strike and has gone a long way economically to end the strike and bring peace to the Group. The company has submitted written guarantees to the NPU on key points that job security, job security, and to become attached to the group.”
Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-81D LN-NOR (msn 39412) completes the final approach into beautiful Tenerife Sur (Tenerife South Airport) in the Canary Islands.
Norwegian aircraft slide show:ย
Flybe opens a new base in Cardiff
Flybe (Exeter) has announced 11 new routes from itโs newest base: Cardiff.
The new network connects the Welsh capital to Cork, Dublin, Edinburgh, Faro, Glasgow, Munich, Milan and Paris (CDG) and will create 50 new jobs including flight crew and ground handling staff.
The routes will be operated by two of the carrierโs Embraer ERJ 195 aircraft.ย One of these 118-seat aircraft will arrive at Cardiff in June and the second in September 2015.
Flybe currently operates from Cardiff to Belfast, Jersey and Dusseldorf.
Copyright Photo: SM Fitzwilliams Collection/AirlinersGallery.com.ย Embraer ERJ 190-200LR (ERJ 195) G-FBEM (msn 19000204) prepares to depart from Dublin.
Flybe aircraft slide show:ย
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