Virgin Australia Airlines (formerly Virgin Blue Airlines) (Brisbane) is getting ready to close out the Virgin Blue brand. The last aircraft to be repainted, the pictured Boeing 737-8FE VH-VUL (msn 36603), will enter the paint shop shortly to be repainted. Virgin Blue became the current Virgin Australia on May 3, 2011.
Why did Virgin Blueย Airlines painted their aircraft mainlyย red?ย The Virgin Blue name was selected as a result of a naming contest. The selected name was an unique and clever play on the predominantly red livery and the Australian slang expression of calling a red-headed male “Blue” or “Bluey”. Today Virgin Australia continues to use the red color.
Top Copyright Photo: Rob Finlayson/AirlinersGallery.com. VH-VUL departs from the Brisbane base.
Bottom Copyright Photo: John Adlard/AirlinersGallery.com. VH-VUL once wore the promotional Avatar livery.
American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) will introduce Embraer ERJ 175 American Eagle service between Los Angeles and San Francisco starting on April 14. Compass Airlines (Minneapolis/St. Paul) will operate the twice-daily service per Airline Route.
Compass Airlines will operate 20 ERJ 175s as a new American Eagle carrier. The first delivery is due in March.
Currently Envoy Air (CRJ700s), Mesa Airlines (CRJ900s) and SkyWest Airlines (CRJ200s) operate American Eagle regional routes from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. Republic Airlines (2nd) (call sign “Brickyard”) currently operates the type as an American Eagle carrier. Embraer ERJ 170-200LR (ERJ 175) N136HQ (msn 17000226) approaches the runway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Aer Lingus (Dublin) is now expected to recommend a takeover by the International Airlines Group-IAG (London) (British Airways, Iberia and Vueling Airlines) according to a report today by The Irish Times. This change of heart comes after the IAG raised its bid for the flag carrier to aย โฌ2.50 ($2.80) a share cash bid. The offer could face opposition from the Irish government. If accepted and approved, Aer Lingus would join the Oneworld alliance.
Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. Aer Lingus controls valuable slots at London’s Heathrow Airport. Airbus A320-214 EI-DEF (msn 2256) completes its final approach to Heathrow.
Wow Air (Keflavik) has moved forward its start of service fromย Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) to Keflavik (KEF) (near Reykjavik) from June 4 to May 8. Initially the new route will operate four days a week with Airbus A320s. On June 11 this will expand to five days a week. The carrier will also operate to Boston starting on March 27.
Copyright Photo: Robbie Shaw/AirlinersGallery.com.ย Wow Air (operated by Air VIA) Airbus A320-232 LZ-MDD (msn 4305) approaches the runway at London’s Gatwick Airport.
Summit Air (Yellowknife) will begin operating its 90-seat Avro (BAe) RJ85s on two routes for First Air (Ottawa). On January 27 the company will begin operating on the Yellowknife – Edmonton route and on February 2 it will begin operating on the Yellowknife – Norman Wells – Inuvik route.
On January 20ย Summit Air announced the purchase of a second Avro RJ85 jet to meet market demand for remote destination crew movements and ACMI (aircraft, crew maintenance and insurance) contracts.
Summit Air is part of the Ledcor Group of Companies and operates a fleet of helicopters and fixed wing aircraft throughout Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest and Yukon Territories.
According to the company release, “The Avro RJ85 is a 100-seat high performance, short-haul passenger jet, offering modern, efficient operations on flights up to 1500 nautical miles (2,800 kilometers). Rugged and versatile, its high wing design is capable of operations on both paved and gravel runways and is equipped with self-contained boarding air stair and auxiliary power unit to provide independence at remote airfields.”
โIn partnership with the Detโon Cho Logistics, our Avro RJ85 operations will service the Rio Tinto Diavik Diamond Mine from Edmonton,โ said Rob Mauracher. โWe have also inked a partnership agreement with First Air, flying commercial passenger services for them under a long term ACMI contract from Edmonton and Yellowknife.โ
Summit Airโs second AVRO RJ85 is scheduled to be delivered in late April 2015.
Summitโs AVRO RJ85 is a UK-built aircraft equipped with auto throttle, EFIS flight deck, WAAS/LPV capable and is the only next generation jet certified in Canada for operations onto gravel runways. With a long-range cruising speed of 720 km/hr (450 mph), and a maximum operating speed of 763 km/hr (475 mph), the Avro has a 43,000 kg (97,000 lbs.) maximum takeoff weight.
The aircraft is powered by four Honeywell LF507-1F high bypass FADEC engines capable of 7000 lbs of thrust each. The engines feature low noise levels and low emissions, making it one of the quietest and greenest aircraft in its class.
Copyright Photo: Keith Burton/AirlinersGallery.com. The firstย Summit Air BAe (Avro) RJ85 is pictured as G-CHKP (msn E2302) at Southend which became C-FLRJ on delivery.
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) will begin Saturday seasonal service between Los Angeles and Managua on June 5, 2015. The additional service will complement the current daily nonstop service from the Nicaraguan capital city to Atlanta, and will operate using a 160-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
With flights to 13 cities including San Josรฉ, Costa Rica; Liberia, Costa Rica; San Salvador; Guatemala City; Belize City; Cancรบn; Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo; Manzanillo; Guadalajara; Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Monterrey; and now Managua, Delta serves more destinations in Latin America from Los Angeles than any carrier.
From Los Angeles, Delta currently operates 154 peak-day departures to 48 destinations and has continued expanding both international and domestic service over the past few months, including London-Heathrow in October; Dallas* and Austin, Texas* in November; and Vancouver, Canada* in December.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-832 N377DA (msn 29625) departs from Los Angeles International Airport.
Delta Air Lines aircraft slide show (current livery):
American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) on January 22 took delivery of its first Boeing 787-8, the pictured N800AN (msn 40618) at Paine Field near Everett, Washington. The new type was ferried home yesterday to the the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) home later in the day arriving to a formal welcoming party.
Above Photo: American Airlines. N800AN departs from an overcast Paine Field on its delivery flight.
American Airlines has now operated all of the Boeing-designed jetliners:
Boeing 707 (-123, -123B, -323B and -323C models)
Boeing 717 (designed by McDonnell Douglas as the MD-95, inherited from TWA but not officially operated)
Boeing 720
Boeing 727 (both models)
Boeing 737 (-200, -300 and -800 models)
Boeing 747 (-100 ย and SP models)
Boeing 757 (-200 model)
Boeing 767 (-200 and -300 models)
Boeing 777 (-200 and -300 models)
Boeing 787 (now the 787-8 model)
American Airlines issued this statement:
American Airlines on January 23 officially welcomed its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. American took delivery of the airplane, a 787-8 with registration number N800AN, on Thursday at Boeing’s factory in Everett, Washington, and arrived in Dallas/Fort Worth on Friday afternoon.
Above Photo: American Airlines. The delivery crew of N800AN prepares for the delivery flight.
Above Photo: DFW Airport. N800AN arrives at DFW after its delivery flight from Paine Field.
American has placed firm orders for 42 Boeing 787 aircraft, with the right to acquire an additional 58. American will take delivery of both the 787-8 and 787-9 as part of the 42 firm orders. American expects its first 787 to enter revenue service in the second quarter, flying domestically between American’s hubs for several weeks before being launched on international flights.
American already has the youngest fleet of the U.S. global network carriers, with an average aircraft age of 12.3 years. In 2015, American plans to take delivery of an average of two new aircraft per week. These new deliveries will make American’s fleet even younger, more modern and more efficient and will provide a solid foundation for continued improvements in technology, products and services.
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.
In other news, American has filed with the DOT to begin service between Los Angeles and Guadalajara and between Miami and Monterrey according to Daily Airline Filings.
Above Copyright Photo: Royal S. King/AirlinersGallery.com. A sunny portrait of N800AN before the delivery day at Paine Field.
American Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):
JAL-Japan Airlines (Tokyo) has announced it will introduce the Boeing 787-9 with an all-new cabin interior, called JAL SKY SUITE 787 (SS9), on the Tokyo (Narita) – Jakarta route (JL725/JL726) from July 2015.
The SS9 will adopt a similar three-class configuration as the airlineโs Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, called JAL SKY SUITE 787 (SS8) aircraft, which were first introduced in December 2014. SS9 will offer fully-flat JAL SKY SUITE seats in its Business Class and spacious JAL SKY PREMIUM seats in Premium Economy. In Economy Class, JAL SKY WIDER II seats will be installed. JAL will also maintain its existing 2-4-2 configuration in the SS9โs Economy Class, which achieves approx. 5cm wider for each seat width than the common configuration of JAL Economy Class seat on Boeing 787s. Additionally, the seat pitch was increased approximately 5 cm to provide more space and comfort during every journey.
The company also issued this statement on its upcoming schedules and fleet plans:
JAL Group (JAL) on January 21 announced its flight frequency and fleet plans on both international and domestic routes for fiscal year 2015 (ending March 31, 2016).
In regards to the airlineโs international network, Japan Airlines FY2015 fleet plans include newly added Boeing 787-9s, which will be configured with the airlineโs latest cabin interior (JAL SKY SUITE) from July 2015, in addition to the airlineโs current JAL SKY SUITE 767/777/787 configured aircraft. The airline will concurrently expand the availability of aircraft featuring JAL SKY WIDER seats in Economy Class on more international routes in order to further deliver improved service to customers.
Furthermore, JAL will increase flight frequency from 3 to 4 round-trip flights weekly between Tokyo (Narita) and Moscow to meet an increase in business travel demand.
In regards to the airlineโs domestic network, JAL will adjust its flight frequency plan on select Japan-domestic routes to meet seasonal demand primarily to and from Tokyo (Haneda), which will result in the reintroduction of continuous summer operations of six domestic routes to provide enhanced customer convenience. Additionally, the airlineโs well-received JAL SKY NEXT service will mainly expand onto more domestic routes to and from Haneda.
# The following plans and schedules are subject to government approval.
1. Expanding JAL SKY SUITE Aircraft onto More International Routes
JAL will introduce the Boeing 787-9 with latest cabin interior (indicated as โSS9โ in JAL Flight Schedule) onto its international network in FY 2015. The new aircraft will be configured with fully-flat JAL SKY SUITE seats in Business Class, spacious JAL SKY PREMIUM seats in Premium Economy and the well-received JAL SKY WIDER II seats in Economy Class. JAL SKY SUITE aircraft will be available as indicated on the following routes:
Route
Effective Period
Flight No.
Aircraft
Remarks
Narita – Paris
March 29, 2015 ~
JL415/416
787-8
JAL SKY SUITE 787 (SS8) (*3)
Narita – Helsinki
June 1, 2015 ~
JL413/414
787-8
JAL SKY SUITE 787 (SS8) (*3)
Narita – Jakarta
July 1, 2015 ~
JL725/726
787-9
JAL SKY SUITE 787 (SS9) (*4)
Narita – Delhi
March 29, 2015 ~
JL749/740
787-8
JAL SKY SUITE 787 (SS8) (*3)
Narita – Honolulu
March 29, 2015 ~
JL784/783
767-300ER
JALSKY SUITE 767 (SS6)
JL786/785
Narita – Manila
March 29, 2015 ~
JL741/742
767-300ER
JAL SKY SUITE 767 (SS6)
June 1, 2015 ~ (*5)
JL745/746
# The schedule for launching the new service is subject to change due to the delivery of aircraft. For latest information, please visit JAL website.
(*3) Premium Economy service will be provided in line with the introduction of SS8 on these routes.
(*4) First Class service will not be available in line with aircraft type changing from JAL SKY SUITE 777 (SS7) to SS9 on this route and SS8 will be operated on this route every Thursday only.
(*5) JL746 will start to be operated by SS6 from June 2, 2015.
2.
Other Aircraft Type Changes Route
Narita – Frankfurt Haneda – Bangkok
Haneda – Ho Chi Minh City Narita – Ho Chi Minh City Narita – Sydney Haneda – Beijing
Haneda – Seoul (Gimpo)
Haneda – Taipei (Songshan)
Kansai – Shanghai (Pudong)
Kansai – Taipei (Taoyuan)
Effective Period
Flight No.
Aircraft
Remarks
March 29 ~ October 24, 2015
JL407/408
787-8 to 777-300ER
(*5)
March 29(*6) ~ June 30, 2015
JL033/032
777-200ER to 787-8
(*7)
July 1, 2015 ~
787-8 to 777-200ER
March 29, 2015 ~
JL079/070
767-300ER to 787-8
March 29, 2015 ~
JL759/750
March 29, 2015 (*8) ~
JL771/772
777-300ER to 777-200ER
(*9)
March 30, 2015 ~
JL021/022
767-300ER to 787-8
March 30, 2015 ~
JL091/092
767-300ER to 787-8
JL093/094
March 29, 2015 ~
JL097/098
777-200ER to 767-300ER
March 29, 2015 ~
JL891/894
767-300ER to 737-800
March 29, 2015 ~
JL813/816
767-300ER to 787-8
(*5) First Class Service will be available in line with introduction of SS7 on this route.
(*6) JL033 will start to be operated by 787-8 from March 30, 2015.
(*7) Premium Economy service will not be available on this route during March 29 and June 30, 2015. (*8) JL772 will start to be operated by 777-200ER from March 30, 2015.
(*9) First Class service will not be available in line with aircraft change on this route
(*10) JAL maintains codeshare flights (operated by Korean Air) between Kansai and Seoulโs Gimpo, and between Kansai and Seoulโs Incheon.
Flight No.
Route
Dep. Time
Arr. Time
Aircraft
Details
Effective Period
JL441
Narita โ Moscow
10:45
15:00
787-8
Increase from 3 to 4 weekly flights (Additional flight on Monday)
March 29 ~ October 24, 2015 (Mo, We, Fr, Su)
JL442
Moscow – Narita
17:15
08:35+1
Flight No.
Route
Details
Effective Period
Remarks
JL971
Osaka (Kansai) โ Seoul (Gimpo)
Suspension of JL971/974 daily round-trip operation
March 29, 2015 ~
(*10)
JL974
Seoul (Gimpo) โ Osaka (Kansai)
Domestic Network
1. Continuation of Seasonal Operations
Route
Details
Effective Period
Itami – Matsumoto
1 daily flight
August 1 ~ August 31, 2015
Itami – Memanbetsu
1 daily flight
July 18 ~ July 20, 2015 and July 25 ~ August 31, 2015
Sapporo (New Chitose) – Izumo
4 weekly flights
August 1 ~ August 31, 2015 (Mo, We, Fr, Su)
Sapporo (New Chitose) – Tokushima
3 weekly flights
August 1 ~ August 31, 2015 (Tu, Th, Sa)
Nagoya (Chubu) – Kushiro
3 weekly flights
August 1 ~ August 31, 2015 (Tu, Th, Sa)
Nagoya (Chubu) – Obihiro
4 weekly flights
August 1 ~ August 31, 2015 (Mo, We, Fr, Su)
3. Flight Frequency Changes
Route
Details
Effective Period
Haneda – Sapporo (New Chitose)
16 daily to 17 daily flights
March 29 ~ October 24, 2015
Haneda – Okinawa (Naha)
12 daily to 14 daily flights
March 29 ~ October 24, 2015
Itami – Sapporo (New Chitose)
3 daily to 4 daily flights
March 29, 2015 ~
Route
Details
Effective Period
Haneda – Itami
16 daily to 15 daily flights
March 29, 2015 ~
Haneda – Izumo
6 daily to 5 daily flights
March 29, 2015 ~
Kansai – Sapporo (New Chitose)
4 daily to 3 daily flights
March 29, 2015 ~
Copyright Photo: Fred Freketic/AirlinersGallery.com. While JAL awaits the delivery of its first stretched Boeing 787-9, the company continues to expand 787-8 operations. Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner JA835J (msn 34850) taxies onto the runway at New York (JFK).
Video: Sam Chui. Flying on JAL First Class from Tokyo to London on Boeing 777-300 ER JAL Suite:
Hermes Aviation (FlyHermes.com) (Luqa, Malta) suddenly cancelled its flights on January 6 according to the Malta Independent. The sole aircraft (above) has been on the ground at Turin, Italy since January 12. According to the report, the airline is under investigation by the Italian civil aviation authority – ENAC (L’Ente Nazionale per l’Aviazione Civile). The airline had been offering flights from Malta to Comiso and Palermo in Sicily and Turin in northern Italy.
The airline does not mention the stoppage on its website and has not issued any statement.
Read the report from the Times of Malta: CLICK HERE
Read the report by the Malta Independent: CLICK HERE
The airline started operations on June 6, 2014.
Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com.ย FlyHermes.com (Hermes Aviation) Boeing 737-4K5 9H-HER (msn 24901) taxies at Palma de Mallorca.
Lufthansa (Frankfurt) will offerย new weekly service from its Munich hub to Fuerteventura starting on Saturday October 25, before the start of the autumn holidays in Bavaria, while flights to Tenerife will be offered from Sunday October 31.
Both destinations will be served by an Airbus A321 with 200 seats in a two-class configuration.
Lufthansa is also resuming flights to Las Palmas, the capital of Gran Canaria, next winter.
Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A321-131 D-AIRY (msn 901) with “Die Maus” (The Mouse) markings at Zurich.
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