Tag Archives: 777-200

Air India announces the world’s longest air route will start on December 2

Air India (Mumbai) has announced the launch of the world’s longest route starting on December 2 from Delhi (DEL) to San Francisco (SFO) with Boeing 777-200 LRs (Longer Range). The new long-range route will be operated three days a week.

The company is also reportedly considering new service to Amsterdam and Barcelona.

Copyright Photo: Ken Petersen/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-237 LR VT-ALB (msn 36301) taxies at JFK International Airport in New York.

Air India aircraft slide show:

Read the full report from firstpost.com:

British Airways Boeing 777-236 ER G-VIIO is damaged at Las Vegas due to an engine fire

British Airways (London) flight BA 2276 from Las Vegas (LAS) to London (Gatwick) (LGW) with 157 passengers and 13 crew members on board and operated with Boeing 777-236 ER G-VIIO (msn 29320) aborted its takeoff at LAS at 4:13 p.m. local time (September 8) when the left engine caught on fire. The passengers and crew members evacuated the aircraft on the runway.

The incident closed runway 7L at McCarran International Airport until 0001 am this morning.

The media is now reporting 20 people were injured.

British Airways issued this statement on Twitter:

We are continuing to care for the 157 customers who were involved in the incident with flight BA2276 from Las Vegas to London Gatwick on Tuesday 8 September 2015.

All customers have been provided with hotel accommodation, and our colleagues are helping them with anything further they require.

Customers who were taken to hospital have all been released following care and treatment. The National Transportation Safety Board in the US is conducting an investigation into the incident and we will give them our fullest support.

The safety of our customers and crew are always our top priorities, and all of our other flights are continuing to operate as normal.

If friends or family of customers who were on board BA2276 have any concerns they can contact British Airways on the following numbers:

From the US: 1 800 654 3246

From the UK: 0800 389 4191

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) today issued this short statement on Twitter:

NTSB (is) sending (a) team of three investigators to British Airways 777 engine fire that occurred in Las Vegas yesterday.

Twitter photo by CastroBelRico.

Videos:

Scoot retires its last Boeing 777-200, becomes the first all-787 operator

Scoot (flyscoot.com) (Singapore) as planned, retired its last Boeing 777-200 with the delivery and entrance into revenue service of its latest Boeing 787 Dreamliner (787-8 9V-OFB, msn 37118, named “Lickity-Split”).

The airline becomes the first all-Boeing 787 Dreamliner operator in the world. The airline transitioned to its all-787 fleet in just seven months.

The airline issued this short statement on social media on September 2:

With the addition of ‪#‎787LickitySplit‬ to the Scoot family, we are now the first airline to operate an all new Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet across our network of destinations!

Scoot aircraft slide show:

Will the Transaero Airlines brand be retired and merged into Aeroflot?

Aeroflot Russian Airlines (Moscow) has agreed to acquire 75 percent of the shares of failing Transaero Airlines (Moscow). Aeroflot is buying out its main competitor (and its $1.6 billion debt) for the symbolic price of one ruble. Transaero Airlines is the second largest airline in Russia and has lately been failing and building up a large debt.

According to Reuters, “Transaero will be completely overhauled and integrated into the Aeroflot group,” an Aeroflot spokesman was quoted as saying by RIA news agency.

For now, the Transaero Airlines name will be kept alive as a significant but shrinking part of the Aeroflot Group. However for the long term, will Transaero be merged into Aeroflot and the brand retired?

Above Copyright Photo: Gerd Beilfuss/AirlinersGallery.com. Transaero has been introducing this new brand with its new deliveries. Will this new look be retained?

51 percent of the Aeroflot stock is owned by the government of Russia. The government is backing its major industries.

Transaero Airlines (and many other Russian airlines) have been struggling since the ruble collapsed in 2014. In short, Russian citizens are traveling less overseas with their devalued currency.

As we previously reported, even Aeroflot reported a loss in the first half of this year.

On September 1, Transaero Airlines issued this short statement:

The Government of the Russian Federation held the meeting of the Intergovernmental commission chaired by Igor Shuvalov, First Deputy Prime Minister, on the issues of air transport industry.

In the interests of the development of the commercial aviation and creating one of the largest in the world group of airlines, the commission has approved the acquisition of JSC Transaero Airlines by Aeroflot group.

The shareholders of Transaero Airlines believe this measure will serve the interests of passengers, personnel and partners of the airline.

The Chairman of the meeting has highly appreciated the role of the founders, managers and all the personnel of Transaero Airlines in the modern history of the commercial aviation of the country.

Top Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Ex-United Airlines and Air India Boeing 777-222 ER EI-UNV (msn 28714, ex N205UA/VT-AIK) arrives at Los Angeles International Airport.

Aeroflot aircraft slide show:

Transaero Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

Transaero Airlines aircraft slide show:

United Airlines’ flight attendants file for federal mediation

United Airlines‘ (Chicago) flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), have filed for federal mediation under the jurisdiction of the National Mediation Board (NMB).

According to AFA, the filing was done “in order to bring three years of negotiations to a close and allow United to complete its merger with Continental/Continental Micronesia.”

AFA continued:

“A clear dispute exists and it is time for federal mediation. We are calling on management to negotiate a fair contract within the reality of record profits. Three years after the talks for a joint contract began, management doesn’t seemed focused on negotiating a contract Flight Attendants can ratify,” said AFA International President Sara Nelson. “The longterm success of United Airlines depends upon current executives finishing this merger, which includes negotiating a joint Flight Attendant contract, and making good on promises to employees, Capitol Hill and the traveling public.”

Mediation under the Railway Labor Act is a formal, statutorily prescribed process. The mediator directs the negotiations with statutory authority including time and place of meetings, subjects to be discussed in a given week and the general approach to negotiations. NMB mediation is not binding arbitration. The contract would only become effective by agreement of both parties and it would be subject to membership ratification. If mediation does not result in an agreement, the union may petition for a release, which would lead to a strike deadline. AFA is focused on reaching an agreement that Flight Attendants can ratify and which contributes to completing the operational integration of United Airlines.

Without a joint contract, Flight Attendants continue to work separately and on airplanes that are designated as pre-merger United, Continental or Continental Micronesia. This leads to inefficiencies for the airline and Flight Attendants, and these inefficiencies are often experienced by passengers as well. Negotiations updates are posted on OurContract.org and further explanation of mediation and the positions of the Union and Company may be found on this website.

“Management’s failure to participate in realistic merged contract negotiations seems to be a symptom of a larger problem for our airline. We are concerned that management is not focused on completing this merger or running United Airlines for longterm success. A three billion dollar share buy back and investment in a foreign airline without any attempt to invest in United’s frontline is troubling. Management needs to position United to compete with any airline in the world. That starts with negotiating fairly with the women and men who breathe life into the Friendly Skies,” Nelson stated.

Copyright Photo: Keith Burton/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-222 ER N793UA (msn 26946) approaches the runway at London (Heathrow).

United Airlines aircraft slide show:

Emirates to launch the world’s longest air route

Emirates (Dubai) has announced plans to launch services to Panama City, beginning February 1, 2016.

The new service will be the longest nonstop flight in the world (17 hours 35 minutes in the westbound direction) and will be Emirates’ first gateway destination in Central America.

Service to Panama City, Panama’s capital and largest city by population, will commence with a daily flight operated by a Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft in a 3-class layout – 8 in First, 42 in Business, and 216 in Economy. The aircraft can carry up to 15 tons of cargo. Key imports to the country include pharmaceuticals, machinery products, iron/steel rods, and electronics. Service to Panama City will operate through Tocumen International Airport (PTY).

Later this year, Emirates will be adding four additional routes to its global network including Mashhad, Iran and Orlando in September; Bamako, Mali in October; and Bologna in November.
Service to Panama City to begin on February 1, 2016

Emirates flight EK251 will depart Dubai at 08:05 and arrive in Panama City at 16:40 daily. The return flight EK252 will leave Panama City at 22:10, arriving in Dubai at 22:55 the next day.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-21H LR (Longer Range) A6-EWH (msn 35587) departs from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Emirates aircraft slide show:

Ethiopian Airlines upgrades the cabins of its Boeing 777 fleet

Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa) today issued this statement:

Ethiopian Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) has achieved another milestone with the successful completion of retro-fitting all Ethiopian Boeing 777 passenger aircraft with 180° business class full flat bed. The retro-fitting was completed and the aircraft have started operations with the new 180° business class full flat bed.

The retro-fitted Boeing 777-200 and 300 with new 180° flat business class seats are expected to enhance passenger comfort and improve the Ethiopian product. These new 180° business class seats impact the overall Business class service to a higher level of customer satisfaction.

Top Copyright Photo: AirlinersGallery.com (all others by Ethiopian Airlines). Boeing 777-260 LR ET-ANR (msn 40774) taxies at London (Heathrow).

Ethiopian Airlines aircraft slide show:

British Airways to launch the London Gatwick – San Jose route

British Airways (London) will launch a new route connecting London (Gatwick) with San Jose, Costa Rica starting on May 4, 2016. The new route will be operated two days a week via Boeing 777-200 ER aircraft according to Airline Route.

British Airways aircraft slide show:

Alitalia threatens to shift its Rome Fiumicino hub elsewhere

Alitalia (3rd) (Rome) is upset about the airport’s continued focus of attracting low-cost operators at its Rome Fiumicino (FCO) hub and the current neglect for the infrastructure. The flag carrier is now threatening to move its hub elsewhere. The airline issued this statement about the current situation at FCO:

The damage to Alitalia by the consequences of the fire which broke out on May 7 at Fiumicino Airport amounted to 80 million Euros to date.

The recent reopening of Terminal 3 has marked the end of the emergency phase but not the end of many problems and limitations that continue have heavy effects on airport operations. Alitalia will calculate the total amount of damages only when the airport will operate at pre-fire standards.

Alitalia is the only airline to have its hub in Fiumicino. About 50% of the total number of flights in Fiumicino are Alitalia. Alitalia is by far the airline most affected from the consequences of the fire.

“We had a difficult period due to an event that affected us deeply. – declared Silvano Cassano, Chief Executive Officer of Alitalia -. In this period we have given up any controversy and we focused entirely on the service to customers, to reduce the inconvenience.”

Alitalia has completed an initial balance of the damages for the cancellation of thousands of flights and for a multitude of operational problems that have highlighted the fragility of the airport infrastructure as a whole. Alitalia will seek compensation for the damage it sustained, which so far totals 80 million euro.

“Our relaunch plan is complex, and in one of the most competitive sectors in Italy and in the world – continues Cassano – Fiumicino Airport in its current state is not an appropriate infrastructure to serve as the hub of an airline with our ambitions“.

“The problems of Fiumicino come from years and years of inadequate investment and planning and are now structural, we hope there will be less attention to finance and more attention to the market and to passengers needs”.

“If Fiumicino will continue to focus on low cost carriers and mediocre services, Alitalia will be forced to shift its growth elsewhere”.

Top Copyright Photo: Marco Finelli/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-243 ER EI-DBL (msn 32781) arrives at the FCO hub wears special “Franciacorta” markings as a salute to Alitalia’s Expo 2015 partner.

Alitalia aircraft slide show:

Emirates retires its last standard Boeing 777-200

Emirates (Dubai) has phased out and retired its last standard Boeing 777-200. The last 777-200, Boeing 777-21H A6-EMF (msn 27249), was ferried from Dubai to Arizona via Boston on July 14 for storage according to the carrier with this statement and video below.

Emirates still operates the newer Boeing 777-200 ER (Extended Range) and LR (Longer Range) models.