Tag Archives: 747400

Silk Way Airlines orders two Boeing 747-8 Freighters

Silk Way Airlines (Baku, Azerbaijan) and Boeing today announced an order for two Boeing 747-8 Freighters valued at $704 million at current list prices.

Silk Way Airlines currently operates Boeing 747-400 Freighters (see above) and 767-300 Freighters. It is considered as one of the leading cargo airlines in Central Asia providing full-fledged services to Europe and the United Kingdom and the Middle East, as well as the Far East including Korea, China and Hong Kong. In addition, it also serves international destinations through a network of alliances.

Copyright Photo: OSDU/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 747-4R7F 4K-800 (msn 29729) prepares to land at Moscow (Shereyetyevo).

Silk Way Airlines:

China Airlines introduces its Boeing 747-400 “Love and Hug” logojet

China Airlines (Taipei) on June 7 introduced this new “Love and Hug” design on Boeing 747-409 B-18203 (msn 28711). The design displays some of the world’s endanger species. The artwork was created by Taiwanese artist Jimmy.

China Airlines has pledged 20 special logojets in the next five years!

In other news, China Airlines introduced nonstop twice-weekly Taipei-Honolulu Airbus A330 service on June 2.

Copyright Photo: Bernhard Ross/AirlinersGallery.com. B-18203 made its first visit to Frankfurt in the special design on June 17.

China Airlines:

Cargolux launches Atlanta-Munich cargo service via Luxembourg

Cargolux Airlines International (Luxembourg) on June 3 launched a new service between Atlanta and Munich via Luxembourg. The new weekly cargo route with be operated with Boeing 747-400F freighters.

The airline issued this statement:

Cargolux Airlines International S.A. on June 4 announced the introduction of a regular service between Atlanta and Munich via Luxembourg. Starting on June 3, 2013, at the eve of the Air Cargo Munich Exhibition and Conference, the latest addition to Cargolux’s expanding network of worldwide destinations will be served every Monday with a Boeing 747-400 Freighter.

The main import customer for the new Cargolux service is the German freight forwarder Senator International Spedition GmbH, a leading international freight forwarding company specialized in international freight, shipping, packaging and logistics. ‘Cargolux is a trusted and reliable partner who supports us in delivering first class global logistics services to our own customers. The Cargolux network offers us a wide array of options to accommodate with this weekly operation’, said Tim-Oliver Kirschbaum, CEO of Senator International based at the company’s headquarters in Hamburg.

While Cargolux has previously flown a number of charter flights from the Bavarian capital, this is the airline’s first regular airfreight service to and from Munich. Until now, the airline has relied on its trucking services to transport freight between its Luxembourg hub and Munich and earmarked for farther connections within its worldwide network.

Cargolux:

Sunrise Airlines still hopes to raise $30 million to start a new airline from Sarasota/Bradenton

Sunrise Airlines (Sarasota/Bradenton) is the proposed paper airline of Stephen Miller and his wife Hannah. The residents of Sarasota, Florida still hope to raise $30 million to launch a new airline with an initial fleet of four Boeing 737-400s. Stephen Miller is a former executive of Oasis Hong Kong Airlines (Hong Kong). The couple recently gave an update to the Airport Authority Board on its business plan.

The proposed first phase would launch nonstop routes from Sarasota/Bradenton (SRQ) to Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Baltimore/Washington , Detroit, Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago (Midway) and Newark.

Meanwhile departures at SRQ have declined by 38 percent in the past six years. Continental Airlines (now United Airlines) and AirTran Airways (now owned by Southwest Airlines) dropped SRQ during this period.

This new paper airline should not be confused with Sunrise Airways of Haiti.

Read the full article from Bradenton.com: CLICK HERE

Oasis Hong Kong Airlines:

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best. The proposed tail design of Sunrise Airlines borrows on the colorful livery of Oasis Hong Kong Airlines (below) which operated from 2006 to 2008.

Transaero Airlines’ 2012 net profit drops by 51% to $28.7 million

Transaero Airlines (Moscow) has issued the following short statement concerning its financial performance during 2012.

Transaero Airlines has published its financial results under RAS for 2012 which demonstrate the Company’s growth.

• Revenue from all activities in 2012 reached RUB 97.6bln, 13% more than in 2011
• Traffic revenue from in 2012 made up RUB 90.3bln, a 35% increase on 2011
• Revenue from asset transactions decreased by 64% and reached RUB 6.8 bln
• The Company’s revenue grew faster than prime costs and expenses.
• Transaero’s sales revenue increased 2.9 times over 2011, to RUB 7 bln

Net profit reached RUB 902 million ($28.7 million), a 51% decrease over 2011. The Company’s profit was mainly ensured by revenues from the main carrier’s activities. Transaero has achieved these results amid a significant growth of air fuel price, social payment and taxes.

In other news, the Russian airline added twice-weekly Boeing 737-500 service from St. Petersburg to Kaliningrad on May 12 in competition against Rossiya Airlines per Anna Aero.

Kaliningrad is a seaport city and the administrative capital of the Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave located between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. This enclave is geographically separated from the rest of Russia.

Copyright Photo: Andi Hiltl/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 747-446 EI-XLD (msn 26360) approaches the Turkish resort destination of Antalya.

Transaero Airlines:

Lufthansa Group’s first quarter loss widens to $602 million

Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa) (Frankfurt) reported its net loss for the first quarter widened to $602 million, up from a loss of $516.8 million in the same quarter a year ago. the first quarter is usually the weakest quarter for the carrier.

The airline issued this statement:

In the traditionally weak first quarter, Deutsche Lufthansa AG recorded an operating result on a par with last year at EUR -359m. The operating result includes restructuring costs of EUR 64m from the SCORE programme. Earnings improvements in the operating segments helped the Group make up for the extra costs. The net result for the period fell by 16.5 per cent to EUR -459m due to impairment losses and other valuations as of the reporting date. At EUR 6.6bn, revenue for the Lufthansa Group in the first quarter remained stable.

“We took another step towards our target of sustainable earnings improvements in the first quarter. Nearly all the Group companies improved their result,” explained Simone Menne, Member of the Executive Board, responsible for Finances and Aviation Services at Deutsche Lufthansa AG. “We are firmly on course with our SCORE programme.”

In operational terms, the Group improved its result by a total of EUR 95m in the Passenger Airline Group, Logistics, MRO, Catering and IT Services segments. Lufthansa German Airlines achieved the greatest improvement in the operating result, with an increase of EUR 77m. Thanks to a notable reduction in the number of flights and its optimised capacity management, the company boosted the load factor of its aircraft in the first quarter to 75.5 per cent and at the same time increased its yields. The strike by Lufthansa ground staff on 21 March depressed the operating result for Lufthansa German Airlines, as did high fuel costs and the long winter, which also weighed on the other airlines in the Lufthansa Group.

At the end of the first quarter 2013, Lufthansa German Airlines reported an operating loss of EUR 292m. At SWISS, the operating result came to EUR -16m, compared with EUR -3m in the same quarter last year. Austrian Airlines improved its operating result by EUR 11m to EUR -56m. Overall, the operating loss for the Passenger Airline Group segment improved to EUR -363m.

The Lufthansa Group also improved its operating result in the Logistics segment. Lufthansa Cargo increased its operating profit, in part thanks to targeted capacity management and lower depreciation and amortisation. At the end of the first quarter, the figure for the segment was EUR 27m, a rise of EUR 7m. The operating profit for the MRO segment was up by EUR 16m to EUR 81m. Lufthansa Technik adopted some 200 individual measures as part of SCORE in the first quarter, which by 2015 are intended to improve the organisation of administrative functions and align them better with customer needs. LSG SkyChefs improved its operating result by EUR 9m, posting an operating profit of EUR 3m for the period January to March. In the IT Services segment, Lufthansa Systems earned an operating profit of EUR 3m, compared with EUR 4m in the same quarter last year.

Given the improvement of the operating results for the Group companies in the first quarter, the positive contributions by SCORE and stable demand in the passenger business, the Group confirmed its earnings outlook for the year 2013. The operating profit for the Lufthansa Group in 2013 is predicted to be higher than the EUR 524m achieved last year. Positive earnings contributions from SCORE should not obscure the need for further change, however, emphasised Simone Menne, adding, “In competition with well-funded competitors, especially from the Middle East and Far East, and with low-cost airlines in Europe, we need new structures that will allow us to generate higher profits again. Putting the agreed measures into practice remains a challenge. We nevertheless intend to pursue our chosen path and shape our future with the required perseverance.”

The first quarter of 2013 in figures

Revenue for the Lufthansa Group in the first quarter of 2013 came to EUR 6.6bn – an increase of 0.1 per cent on the previous year. Traffic revenue declined by 0.2 per cent to EUR 5.3bn. Overall, the Group’s operating income went up to EUR 7.2bn in the reporting period, an increase of 0.3 per cent.

Operating expenses rose by 1.7 per cent in the first quarter to EUR 7.7bn. Fuel costs climbed by EUR 36m to EUR 1.7bn. This represents an increase of 2.2 per cent. Included in this amount is a negative contribution of EUR 25m from fuel hedging. Fees and charges fell by 2.2 per cent on the previous year, due to a lower number of flights.

In the first quarter, the Lufthansa Group reported an operating result on a par with the previous year of EUR -359m. To facilitate comparison, the operating result for the same quarter last year was adjusted by EUR 22m following the amendments to accounting standard IAS 19. Following this adjustment, the result for the first quarter of 2012 also came to EUR -359m.

The net result for the period was down by 16.5 per cent to EUR -459m. Expenses for severance pay and compensation as part of the SCORE job cuts depressed the Group’s result for the first quarter, as did impairment losses and valuation effects. Earnings per share sank to EUR -1.00.

Lufthansa invested EUR 718m in the reporting period. Of this sum, EUR 657m went on modernising and maintaining the fleet. Cash flow from operating activities came to EUR 976m and free cash flow (cash flow from operating activities less net capital expenditure) to EUR 463m. For the first quarter, the Group had net debt of EUR 1.7bn. Following the application of new accounting standards (IAS 19), the equity ratio is now 15.4 per cent.

Lufthansa Group		January–March			Change
		2013	2012**	2012(old)	0.1%
Total revenue	€m	6,628	6,619	6,619	0.1%
of which traffic revenue	€m	5,337	5,349	5,349	-0.2%
Result from operating activities	€m	-464	-358	-379	-29.6%
Operating result	€m	-359	-359	-381	0.0%
Adjusted operating margin*	in %	-5.2%	-5.2%	-5.6%	0.0%
Net profit/loss for the period	€m	-459	-394	-379	-16.5%
Capital expenditure	€m	718	592	592	21.3%
Cash flow from operating activities	€m	976	833	833	17.2%
Employees as of 31.3.		116,516	120,898	120,898	-4,382
Earnings per share	€	-1.00	-0.86	-0.87	-0.14

*) Operating result plus write-backs of provisions, divided by revenue
**) Previous year’s figures have been adjusted in line with changes to IAS 19

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough. Lufthansa is gradually replacing its older Boeing 747-430s. D-ABTF (msn 24967) climbs gracefully away from Dulles International Airport near Washington, DC.

Lufthansa:

National Airlines issues another statement concerning the crash of N949CA

National Airlines (5th) (National Air Cargo) (Orlando) has issued this statement concerning the crash of flight NCR 102 at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan on April 29. Flight NCR 102 was a cargo flight operated by National Airlines between Bagram and Al Maktoum Airport in Dubai. As we previously reported, the pictured former Air France Boeing 747-428 BCF N949CA (msn 35630) crashed on takeoff from Bagram, tragically killing all seven crew members on board. Media speculation has arisen because of the dramatic video (below) by Live Leak which shows the Jumbo Jet diving into the ground on takeoff.

“National Air Cargo will not speculate as to the cause of the accident involving National Flight NCR 102. With our full cooperation, an investigation by appropriate authorities is under way, and we encourage everyone to join us in respecting that process and allowing it to take its appropriate course.

Here are some facts regarding the aircraft and its movements prior to the accident:

National Flight NCR 102 was en route to Dubai from Camp Bastian and had stopped to refuel at Bagram Air Base.
The cargo contained within the aircraft was properly loaded and secured, and had passed all necessary inspections prior to departing Camp Bastian.
The aircraft landed safely and uneventfully in Bagram.
No additional cargo or personnel was added during the stop in Bagram, and the aircraft’s cargo was again inspected prior to departure.

National Airlines lost seven colleagues on April 29, 2013 in the crash at Bagram Air Base. All seven were dedicated aviation professionals and served National and our country well. The flight, NCR 102, was carrying military vehicles out of Afghanistan. The crewmembers on NCR 102 were Brad Hasler, Pilot in Command, Trenton MI; Jeremy Lipka, Pilot in Command, Brooklyn MI; Jamie Brokaw, First Officer, Monroe MI; Rinku Summan, First Officer, Canton MI; Michael Sheets, Loadmaster, Ypsilanti MI; Timothy Garrett, Maintenance, Louisville KY; Gary Stockdale, Maintenance, Romulus MI.”

National Airlines (5th):

National Airlines’ Boeing 747-400 freighter N949CA crashes on takeoff in Afghanistan, 7 crew members killed

National Airlines’ (5th) (National Air Cargo) (Orlando) Boeing 747-428 BCF freighter registered as N949CA (msn 35630) crashed today (April 29) on takeoff at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. All seven crew members are believed to have perished in the fiery crash.

The Taliban claimed to have shot down the freighter but coalition forces dismissed the claim.

The airline issued this statement:

A National Airlines Boeing 747-400 cargo plane was involved in an accident at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan on April 29.

At approximately 7 a.m. EDT, National Flight NCR 102 from Bagram to Dubai, UAE, with seven crewmembers on board crashed on takeoff. None of the crew members survived. This was a purely cargo flight and no passengers were aboard. Cargo consisted of vehicles and routine general cargo.

“Safety is always our top priority at National Airlines,” said National Airlines President Glen Joerger. “This is a devastating loss for our family and we’ll work diligently with authorities to find the cause,” said Joerger. “Most importantly, our thoughts and prayers are with our crew members and their families.”

National will release additional information as it becomes available, in cooperation with government authorities. Our focus at this time is on the family members of those we’ve lost, and on assisting the NTSB and Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority in their investigations. As of now, the cause of the accident is unknown.

Read the full report from the Wall Street Journal: CLICK HERE

Actual video of the crash from Live Leak:

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems. Ill-fated N949CA taxies at Amsterdam before the accident. The airframe previously flew for Air France.

National Airlines (5th):

British Airways takes a look at what it takes to dispatch a Boeing 747-400

British Airways (London) takes a look at what it takes to dispatch a Boeing 747-400 (soon expanded to an Airbus A380):

Ever wondered what it takes to get a jumbo jet off the ground? British Airways has created a picture of the iconic aircraft, using a jumbo number of items from the aircraft to show the scale of its operation.

From toilet rolls to teaspoons, British Airways loads thousands of individual items on to each jumbo jet before it takes to the skies. With a combined weight of 6,120 kg, the items have to be unloaded and re-loaded before every take-off.

On a typical jumbo jet, the following items are loaded:

1,263 items of metal cutlery

1,291 items of china crockery

538 meal trays

735 glasses

650 paper cups

34 metal teapots

220 drinks stirrers

500 coasters

233 toothpicks

2,000 ice cubes

99 full bottles and 326 quarter bottles of wine

700 small cans of fizzy drinks

164 bags of nuts in Club World

337 cushions and pillows

337 sets of headphones

337 headrest covers

435 air sickness bags

58 toilet rolls

40 extension seatbelts for children

340 safety cards

337 copies of High Life magazine

40 skyflyer packs for children

5 first aid kits

Employees from across the airline came together to create the image, which was drawn on to the floor of an aircraft hangar. Aspects of the photograph include:

Clouds

– created using pillowcases, toilet roll, hand towels and napkins.

Sky

– created using Club World blankets and blue roll (kitchen roll.)

Aircraft

– created using pillowcases, cabin crew sleeping bags, First blankets, china, headrest covers, Skyflyer bags for children and headrest covers.

Aircraft windows

– created using bags of nuts.

Aircraft tailfin

– the red parts are created using headset bags and extension seatbelts for children.

London Eye (London skyline)

– created using a teapot, metal cutlery, china and socks.

The Shard (London skyline)

– created using tea and coffee bags.

The Gherkin (London skyline)

– created using First cushion covers and socks.

Tower Bridge (London skyline)

– created using First slippers and Club World washbags

Big Ben’s Tower (London skyline)

– created using air sickness bags, a plate and metal cutlery (clock face)

Buildings (London skyline)

– created using oven trays, glasses, safety cards, tongs and copies of High Life magazine.

Rod Green, British Airways’ head global supply chain said: “It’s a huge job getting a jumbo in to the air, let alone a fleet of 52 every day. There are teams across the airline working together 365 days a year to ensure that all 27,260 items are delivered on time and to the right place to ensure our customers enjoy the very best travel experience. When we receive our new aircraft, the challenge will be even greater.”

It’s been 42 years since the first British Airways (formerly BOAC) jumbo jet took to the skies and in July 2013 when it takes delivery of its first A380, the number of items loaded on to a plane will increase by approximately 10,000 to cater for two full decks of customers.

British Airways has 52 jumbo jet aircraft in its fleet.

Copyright Photo Below: Keith Burton/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 747-436 G-BYGD (msn 28857) is launched at London Heathrow.

British Airways:

Air Cargo Germany suspends operations

Air Cargo Germany-ACG (Hahn) suspended its flight operations as of April 18, 2013. According to the cargo airline, “the interruption occurred all of a sudden and was not predictable. Air Cargo Germany assures a continuous availability for its customers and works on sustainable solutions to recommence the service as soon as possible.”