Tag Archives: A330-203

KLM is coming to Edmonton

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam) will launch Amsterdam-Edmonton Airbus A330-200 flights starting on May 3, 2015. The new route will be operated four days a week.

On November 3 KLM confirmed the new destination however delaying the start to June 22, 2015 with this announcement:

The flights will be operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, including Fridays effective June 22, 2015.

In catering to customer requirements, KLM will offer three different passenger classes on board the A330-200: 30 seats in World Business Class, 178 seats in Economy Class and 35 seats in the Economy Comfort zone (offering 10 cm more legroom, back supports capable of reclining twice as far, and priority deboarding). Schedule

The flight departs from Amsterdam at 2:35 PM (1435) and arrives at 3:35 PM (1535) local time in Edmonton. The return flight departs at 6:10 PM (1810) from Edmonton and the arrival in Amsterdam is at 10:45 AM (1045), the next day.

The Air France-KLM Group operates flights to five destinations in Canada, with departures from Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle: Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal (operated by KLM and Air France), Calgary and Edmonton (operated by KLM).

Air France-KLM has a codeshare agreement with Canadian carrier WestJet. This offers passengers access to 30 extra routes in Canada connecting to the worldwide Air France-KLM network. About Edmonton Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is also the fifth largest city in Canada after Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. It is the largest economic center of northern Alberta, and an important city for the oil and gas industry.

KLM:

KLM operates the longest biofuel flight of an Airbus aircraft

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam) Airbus A330-200 operating flight KL 767 has commenced the longest commercial flight with sustainable jet fuels ever performed by an Airbus aircraft. The aircraft took off with a 20% blend of sustainable fuel made of used cooking oil, for a 10 hour flight from Schiphol airport to the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba.

Airbus’ major role in this test is to collect data before, during and after the flight (engine fuel system, engine performance analysis etc.) to provide insights into the use of non-petroleum based fuels compared to traditional fuels.

This flight is the first of a series of around 20 long-haul commercial flights using an Airbus aircraft in the context of the European initiative called ITAKA (Initiative Towards sustAinable Kerosene for Aviation) which aims to speed up the commercialisation of aviation biofuels in Europe.

Funded by the European Union, ITAKA is a collaborative project aiming to produce sustainable aviation fuel and to test its use in existing systems and normal flight operations in Europe with KLM. The project will also link supply and demand by establishing relationships among feedstock growers and producers, biofuel producers, distributors and airlines.

“As the leading aircraft manufacturer, our participation in the ITAKA initiative with KLM using an A330-200 – the most fuel efficient aircraft in its category – is key to our role as a catalyst in the commercialisation of sustainable jet fuels. We are very happy to have the full support of the European Union in the ITAKA project, supporting the aviation industry’s initiative to develop sustainable biofuels for aviation,” said Andrea Debbané, Airbus Vice President of Environment Affairs.

Airbus is involved in major European funded projects contributing significantly to reducing the environmental footprint of aviation, including the Single European Sky (SES) and SESAR for the modernisation of the European Air Traffic Management System and CleanSky, a programme which aims to accelerate technological breakthrough developments and shorten the time to market for new and more environmentally efficient solutions tested on full-scale demonstrators.

Copyright Photo: Airbus. KLM’s A330-203 PH-AOM 9msn 1161) wears special “Leader in biofuel” markings for the historic trip to Aruba.

Video:

KLM:

TAM Airlines is coming to Canada

TAM Airlines (TAM Linhas Aereas) (Sao Paulo) has been granted authority by the Agencia Nacional de Aviacio Civil (ANAC) of Brazil seven weekly frequencies for conducting mixed air services between Canada and Brazil.

The route is unspecified but it is most likely Sao Paulo-Toronto in competition with Air Canada.

Copyright Photo: Wingnut/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A330-203 PT-MVK (msn 486) of TAM taxies across the tarmac at London’s Heathrow Airport.

TAM Aircraft Slide Show: CLICK HERE

QANTAS Airways has its best on-time monthly report in more than 10 years

QANTAS Airways (Sydney) has had the best monthly result for on-time flight arrivals and departures for any major airline in more than a decade. The February report from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics showed the flag carrier had a record 92.5 percent in on-time departures and 91.7 percent in on-time arrivals. Punctuality records were broken in both Perth and Darwin, while Brisbane, Adelaide and Townsville recorded their best results in seven years. Record punctuality was also made on return flights to Perth from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

QANTAS’ reputation as the most punctual and reliable major domestic airline was cemented in 2013 when the airline lead the competition in 12 out of 12 months of the year in both arrivals and departures. It was the first time QANTAS, or any other airline, had been able to lead by that margin. 2013 also marked the fifth year in a row QANTAS has recorded the best results. QANTAS Domestic had less than one per cent of their flights cancelled for the month of February.

QANTAS Airways:

Turkish Airlines orders an additional Airbus A330-200

Turkish Airlines Airbus A330-203 TC-JND (msn 754) NUE (Gunter Mayer), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

Turkish Airlines (Istanbul) has placed a firm order for an additional A330-200 aircraft. The purchase joins existing orders for 10 A330-300s, two A330-200 freighters and 24 A320 family aircraft signed in 2009.

The newly ordered aircraft will be powered by Rolls Royce engines and will be delivered in July 2011 .

Turkish Airlines has operated Airbus aircraft since 1985, and today operates the largest Airbus fleet in the country, with 70 Airbus aircraft, including four A310s, 50 A320 family aircraft, seven A330s and nine A340s.

This new aircraft will join the existing fleet of seven A330-200s.

Investigators call off search for missing Air France Flight Data Recorders

Air France Airbus A330-203 F-GZCP (msn 660) DXB (tragically crashed June 1, 2009), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

Air France’s Airbus A330-203 F-GZCP (msn 660), which crashed tragically on June 1, 2009 in the Atlantic Ocean, will probably remain a mystery. Investigators have called off their search for the Flight Data Recorder and the Cockpit Voice Recorder.

Air France flight AF 447 operating from Rio de Janeiro to Paris (CDG) plunged into the Atlantic Ocean during a thunderstorm, killing 228 people.

Read the full report from Reuters:

CLICK HERE

In other news, Air France-KLM will be considering a purchase of either the Airbus A350-900 or the Boeing 787-900. A decision is expected next year.

Read the full report from Reuters:

CLICK HERE

TAM Airlines (TAM Linhas Aereas) is in talks to buy a share of LAN Airlines

TAM Airlines (TAM Linhas Aereas) Airbus A330-203 PT-MVH (msn 477) MIA, originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

TAM Airlines (TAM Linhas Aereas) is in talks to acquire a share of LAN Airlines (Santiago) owned by President-elect Sebastian Pinera, Brazilian magazine Exame reported late on Thursday on its website according to Reuters. TAM is interested in acquiring a 19 percent stake in LAN held by Pinera’s holding company Axxion.

News link:

www.reuters.com/article/idCNN2914427120100129?rpc=44