Copyright Photo: L. Apso.
Armenia Airways will launch its first flight tomorrow, June 15, 2019. The first flight will depart from Yerevan bound for Tehran.
Initially the new route will operate three days a week, going daily on June 24.
All images by the airline.
Japan Airlines (JAL) has taken delivery of its first A350 XWB at Airbus Headquarters in Toulouse, France. The A350-900 is the first aircraft produced by Airbus for JAL. The milestone event was attended by JAL Representative Director and Chairman Yoshiharu Ueki and Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer.
Altogether, JAL has ordered 31 A350 XWB aircraft, comprising 18 A350-900s and 13 ย ย ย A350-1000s. JAL will initially operate the A350-900 on high frequency domestic routes, while the larger A350-1000 will fly on the carrierโs long haul international network. The first aircraft will enter service on the airlineโs Haneda – Fukuoka route at the start of September.
JALโs A350-900 is configured in a premium three class layout, with 12 seats in First Class, 94 in Class Jย and 263 in Comfort Economy.
The ferry flight of the first JAL A350-900 is being performed with a blend of conventional and synthetic fuel, contributing to reduced CO2 emissions.
The A350 XWB offers by design unrivalled operational flexibility and efficiency for all market segments up to ultra-long haul (15,000km). It features the latest aerodynamic design, a carbon fibre fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce engines. Together, these latest technologies translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency, with a 25 per cent reduction in fuel burn and emissions. The A350 XWBโs Airspace by Airbus cabin is the quietest of any twin-aisle and offers passengers and crews the most modern in-flight products for the most comfortable flying experience.
At the end of May 2019, the A350 XWB Family had received 893 firm orders from 51 customers worldwide, making it one of the most successful wide-body aircraft ever.
Photos: Airbus.
Previously JAL announced its schedule for the new type:
Japan Airlines will launch Airbus A350-900 service on September 1, 2019 from Tokyo Haneda to Fukuoka airport.
JAL Airbus A350 โ First Flight
1. Service Date: September 1, 2019 (Sunday)
2. Route: Tokyo Haneda-Fukuoka
Gradually expand to Tokyo (Haneda)-Sapporo (New Chitose)/Okinawa(Naha)/Osaka(Itami) routes
3. First Flight:ย ย ย [From Haneda] ใJAL 317 Tokyo Haneda 12:10 โ Fukuoka 14:00
[From Fukuoka]ใJAL 318 Fukuoka 15:00 โ Tokyo Haneda 16: 40
Southwest Airlines has issued this updated statement on its Boeing 737 MAX fleet:
In compliance with the Federal Aviation Administrationโs (FAA) order on March 13, 2019, our Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft remain temporarily grounded.
Southwest Airlines continues to await guidance from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the impending 737 MAX software enhancements and training requirements. We are encouraged by the reported progress and proposed path forward for returning the aircraft to service, and we remain confident that, once certified by the FAA, the enhancements will support the safe operation of the MAX.
In April, we revised our flight schedule by removing the MAX through August 5 to offer reliability to our operation and stability for our Customers during the busy summer travel months. With the timing of the MAXโs return-to-service still uncertain, we are again revising our plans to remove the MAX from our schedule through September 2.
By proactively removing the MAX from scheduled service, we can reduce last-minute flight cancellations and unexpected disruptions to our Customersโ travel plans. We will proactively contact all Customers whose itineraries will be impacted by the revision to offer them maximum flexibility and re-accommodate them well in advance of their travel date. The revision will proactively remove roughly 100 daily flights from our schedule out of our total peak-day schedule of more than 4,000 daily flights.
ExpressJet Airlines, a United Express carrier, on June 13, 2019 began service with its newest aircraft type โ the Embraer E175.
The first flight, UA4042 departed Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
ExpressJet is adding 25 new E175s to its fleet in 2019. To date, the airline has taken delivery of four E175s and will continue adding new aircraft throughout the year. Additionally, ExpressJet recently expanded its crew training capabilities with the addition of an E175 full-motion flight simulator and a cabin door trainer at its Houston Training Complex.
To support its rapid growth, ExpressJet has hired more than 350 new pilots since the start of the year and will double that number by year end.
All photos by the airline.
Jetlines made this announcement:
Canada Jetlines Ltd. (Jetlines) is pleased to announce that it has been granted slots at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) to operate its first Winter Schedule. This announcement follows Jetlinesโ February 7, 2019 news release announcing YVR as its home airport and primary base of operations when the Company intends to launch operations in December this year.
The slots will permit Jetlines to operate up to ten flights per day and over 1,000 flights during the first winter season from December 17, 2019 to March 28, 2020 as the Company plans to grow commercial operations and offer service in time for the upcoming winter holiday season. The initial two Airbus A320 aircraft that Jetlines has secured through its partnership with SmartLynx will be parked at YVR airport nightly.
Jetlines selected YVR as their future base for operations due to it being the second busiest airport in Canada, serving more than 25.9 million passengers in 2018. It is also the busiest airport in British Columbia and the airport with the largest catchment area. The airport has more than 2.5 million people living less than 30 minutes drive from it. As well as it being the closest airport to Vancouverโs city center, the airport is also extremely well connected to the city by transit with a rapid transit rail.
Jetlines ability to sell tickets and launch airline service remains subject to the completion of the airline licensing process, the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals and the completion of financing.
Avianca Argentina (Avian Lineas Aereas) suspended all operations on June 7. The carrier was operating two ATR 72-600s on domestic routes from Buenos Aires (Aeroparque Jorge Newbery) to Mar Del Plata and Santa Fe.
Its AOC was suspended on June 9.
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British Airways has made this announcement:
With one of its 300 aircraft taking off from somewhere in the world every 90 seconds, British Airways runs a hugely complex global operation, 24-hours a day. Today, its Chairman and CEO, Alex Cruz, laid down the challenge to artificial intelligence experts to help him transform the customer journey.
Mr Cruz asked delegates at the AI Summit at London Tech Week to help his team of 80 data scientists offer customers new, intuitive services, change the way tickets are sold, guarantee no bags are ever misplacedย and replace airport queues with virtual ones.
British Airwaysโ Chairman and CEO encouraged entrepreneurs and start-ups to submit proposals to its parent company International Airlines Group’s (IAG) accelerator programme, Hangar 51, which sees successful applicants embedded in the heart of the business working side by side with an international team of mentors and experts from across IAG. The 10-week accelerator nurtures start-ups with a broad range of technologies, enabling them to develop and test their products on a global scale.
Mr Cruz also outlined some of the advancements the airline is making using AI to improve the service it offers its customers.
Via Hangar 51, British Airways is currently working with technology start-up Assaia. Its intelligent software captures on video every moment from when an aircraft arrives at the airport to its departure, helping airline workersย to see the numerous tasks going on around the aircraft (fuelling, cleaning, baggage and catering loading and unloading) and alerting them to issues that could delayย theย flight’s departure.ย โ
British Airways is also trialling driverless vehicles at Heathrow. The luggage of customers travelling on certain flights from Terminal 5 is now being driven from baggage belts to aircraft on driverless baggage trucks, speeding up the delivery of bags. โ
As our skies become busier, British Airways is triallingย a computer systemย whichย looks atย flight plans, pulls up to the minute data fromย theย Global Air Traffic Control database, andย suggestsย quicker routes โ reducing delays for customers.ย โ
And the airlineโs team of AI specialists has designed and created machine learning algorithms to adjust the volume of fresh food being loaded onto individual flights to help meet customer demand and minimise waste.
British Airways’ Chairman and CEO said: “It is important that we deliver the best service to our customers and that’s why we are looking for the best people to help us. We have a big team of specialists but British Airways and IAG Digital are open to new ideas about how we can use AI to try to reduce flight delays, eliminate airport queues or create a more personalised service for our customers – providing them with relevant in-the-moment travel updates or a unique service, like reserving their favourite seat or serving their favourite meal.”
Scandinavian Airlines-SAS has made this announcement:
From January 2020, travelers can look forward to exploring the world in the most fuel-efficient and comfortable long haul aircraft, the Airbus A350-900. The new aircraft is a key investment and part of the extensive renewal of the SAS fleet, tailored to reduce emissions, and in line with the Scandinavian outlook on travel.
SAS travelers can soon experience the worldโs most modern and fuel-efficient long-haul aircraft.
On January 28, 2020, the first of eight new SAS Airbus A350 will officially enter into long-haul service between Copenhagen and Chicago, one of the most popular SAS routes. The A350 will be based at the SAS hub at Copenhagen Airport and will operate on seven routes during the first year, including Chicago, Beijing, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong and San Francisco.
Image: Airbus
The aircraft is an entirely new type for SAS and it enables a more competitive future and more sustainable way of flying in terms of reduced emissions. On each flight, 300 travelers (40 SAS Business / 32 SAS Plus / 228 SAS Go) and SAS crew can look forward to an unmatched cabin environment created by a combination of the quietest twin-aisle cabin, optimized cabin altitude, more fresh air, and advanced control of temperature and humidity.
In addition, to further enhance the experience on board, the A350 will be equipped with unique SAS features, carefully developed from feedback given from travelers. SAS will announce these new features during 2019.
The marketโs most advanced fleet
The A350 is a milestone in the extensive renewal of the SAS fleet which will consist of the marketโs most advanced and fuel-efficient aircraft. The A350 lowers CO2 emissions by approximately 30% and reduces external noise footprint by up to 40% compared to previous generation aircraft. In total, as a part the modernization of the short and long-haul fleet, SAS will take delivery of new Airbus A320neo (80), Airbus A330 Enhanced (5), Airbus A350 (8), and Airbus A321LR (3) aircraft before the end of 2023. Combined with the upgrade of the cabin interiors, the SAS fleet is shaped for the future of traveling and a key enabler to achieve SASโ ambitious, but tangible, target by 2030 to reduce total carbon emissions by at least 25%, an ambition exceeding the targets set by IATA.
SAS Airbus A350 The Airbus A350 is a new mid-size long-range aircraft composed by the worldโs most modern technology and aerodynamic features.ย The first SAS Airbus A350 will be named โSE-RSA Ingegerd Vikingโ. By end of 2019, the aircraft will be delivered from the Airbus factory in Toulouse.ย Following delivery, it will fly training flights in Scandinavia during December and January to educate pilots and crew.
Facts:
โขย Number of aircraft: 8
โขย Number of seats: 300 (40 SAS Business / 32 SAS Plus / 228 SAS Go)
โขย Max. takeoff weight: 268 metric tons
โขย Max. load: 50 tons
โขย Length: 66.9 m
โขย Wingspan: 64.8 m
โขย Cruising speed: 910kmph/570 mph
โขย Range: 13 800 km
โขย Fuel consumption: 0.028 liters/seat km
โขย Engine: RR Trent XWB
Boeing 747-236B (F) TF-AAA (msn 22442) is becoming part of Dive Bahrain’s new underwater dive site off the coast of Bahrain.
TF-AAA is the first Boeing 747 to be used as an artificial reef.
The underwater site will have a 70-meter long decommissioned Boeing 747 as its centerpiece, the largest aircraft ever to be submerged.
The site will provide an exceptional dive experience. Phase 1 of the project includes submerging the aircraft, a replica of a pearl merchantโs house and sail structures. Future phases of the project are still being studied but could include reef balls, ships and sculptures.
All photos by Dive Bahrain.
This Boeing 747 was originally delivered to Malaysia Airlines as 9M-MHJ on April 8, 1982 (later as MASkargo).
Above Copyright Photo: Malaysia Airlines Boeing 747-236B 9M-MHJ (msn 22442) CDG (Christian Volpati). Image: 940078.
The airframe would then be sold to Focus Air Cargo as N361FC on August 5, 2005.
Above Copyright Photo: Focus Air Cargo Boeing 747-236B (F) N361FC (msn 22442) CDG (Christian Volpati). Image: 944630.
Finally the airframe would migrate to Air Atlanta Icelandic on June 17, 2008 which would then operate the airliner for several carrier including MASkargo.
Above Copyright Photo: MASkargo (Malaysia Airlines)-Air Atlanta Icelandic Boeing 747-236B (F) TF-AAA (msn 22442) SYD (John Adlard). Image: 902843.
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