Tag Archives: Boeing 737-8Q8 WL

Enter Air honors Merian Caldwell Cooper

Enter Air, as part of Poland’s “100 Years of Independence” celebrations, has painted the pictured Boeing 737-8Q8 SP-ENX (msn 30627) in a “1918 – 2018” special livery featuring Merian Caldwell Cooper on the left side.

According to Wikipedia:

Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893 – April 21, 1973) was an American aviator, United States Air Force and Polish Air Force officer, adventurer, screenwriter, film director, and producer. Cooper was the founder of the Kościuszko Squadron during the Polish–Soviet War and was a Soviet prisoner of war for a time. He was a notable movie producer, and got his start with film as part of the Explorers Club, traveling the world and documenting adventures. He was a member of the board of directors of Pan American Airways, but his love of film always took priority. During his film career, he worked for companies such as Pioneer Pictures, RKO Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He is also credited as co-inventor of the Cinerama film projection process. Cooper’s most famous film was the 1933 movie King Kong. He was awarded an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 1952 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

Top Copyright Photo: Enter Air Boeing 737-8Q8 WL SP-ENX (msn 30627) (100 years of Independence) PMI (Javier Rodriguez). Image: 942959.

Enter Air aircraft slide show:

Air Vanuatu appoints new CEO, considers expansion

Air Vanuatu has appointed Derek Nice as its new CEO. The small Pacific carrier is considering expanding its fleet and network (below).

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Air Vanuatu): Air Vanuatu Boeing 737-8Q8 WL YJ-AV1 (msn 30734) SYD (John Adlard). Image: 901949.

Air Vanuatu aircraft slide show:

Route Map:

Palau Pacific Airways is forced to shut down

Palau Pacific Airways (Koror, Palau) has been forced to halt operations after a dramatic drop in Chinese passengers. The carrier served both Hong Kong and Taipei.

China has designated the country of Palau as an “illegal tour destination” and prohibited its citizens from visiting Palau, hence the dramatic drop.

Palau officially established diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1999. China had been threatening to banned airlines and destinations that did not recognize Taiwan as part of China.

The airline had just introduced a new livery (top).

The other route to Taipei, Taiwan was not enough to sustain the tiny airline.

The airline commenced operations on November 11, 2014.

AirExplore had been supplying the aircraft and crews.

Below Copyright Photo: Palau Pacific Airways-PPA (AirExplore) Boeing 737-8Q8 WL OM-FEX (msn 28213) HKG (Paul Denton). Image: 934182.

Video:

Donghai Airlines is coming to Australia

Donghai Airlines on May 30 is planning to launch the Shenzhen – Darwin route. The new route will be two days a week with Boeing 737-800 aircraft according to Airline Route.

Donghai Airlines aircraft slide show:

Sun Country Airlines announces two new destinations, will fly to Hawaii

Sun Country Airlines has announced seasonal service to new destinations Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL), and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (MYR) from Minneapolis/St. Paul. The new flight segments offer Sun Country customers access to these popular beach destinations, expanding Minnesota’s Hometown Airline™ network to 43 domestic and international destinations.

Honolulu, Hawaii

Seasonal flights to Honolulu will be offered May 19 through August 19, 2018, via Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, Terminal 2, and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Passengers departing from Minneapolis will have a short stop in Los Angeles before continuing to Honolulu. The new service will fly four times a week, Friday through Monday.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Seasonal flights to Myrtle Beach will be offered April 6 through June 4, 2018, via Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, Terminal 2. The new service will fly twice a week, Monday and Friday.

Sun Country Airlines is sold by the Davis family

Sun Country Airlines (Minneapolis/St. Paul) has made this announcement:

Funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, on December 14, 2017 announced that they have signed a definitive agreement to acquire Sun Country Airlines, the largest privately-held fully independent airline in the United States, from brothers Marty and Mitch Davis. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions, is targeted to close during the first quarter of 2018. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Sun Country Airlines, based in Minnesota, flies passengers to leisure destinations across the U.S. and internationally and specializes in flying from cold weather locales to warm weather destinations. The Company, which currently flies approximately 2.5 million passengers per year, enjoys significant brand presence in the Minnesota region and greatly values its connection to the local community.

“We are tremendously excited about the acquisition of Sun Country,” said Antoine Munfakh, Partner at Apollo. “Sun Country presents compelling opportunities for innovation, efficiency and growth. Underpinned by a solid foundation of assets and people, including an outstanding team of executives and talented flight crews, we believe Sun Country has a very bright future. We look forward to supporting CEO Jude Bricker in delivering the next chapter of Sun Country’s growth through the combination of operational excellence and the relentless pursuit of delivering customer service and value.”

Jude Bricker, who will remain as CEO of Sun Country, said: “I’d like to thank Marty and Mitch for their strong support and stewardship of this very special airline. I look forward to working with Apollo to further enhance and grow Sun Country’s business.”

Sun Country Chairman Marty Davis said: “We are particularly pleased to sell Sun Country to Apollo because it has a proven track record for successfully helping companies grow and generate long-term value. With Jude at the helm, along with the dedicated employees who make Sun Country what it is today, we are confident the company is well-positioned for continued expansion and its evolution beyond its Minnesota base.”

Barclays served as financial adviser to Sun Country Airlines on this transaction.

About Apollo Global Management

Apollo is a leading global alternative investment manager with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, St. Louis, Bethesda, Toronto, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Delhi, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Apollo had assets under management (AUM) of approximately $242 billion as of September 30, 2017 in Private Equity, Credit and Real Assets invested across a core group of nine industries where Apollo has considerable knowledge and resources.

Copyright Photo (all others by Sun Country): The revsied 2016 livery: Sun Country Airlines Boeing 737-8Q8 WL N816SY (msn 30637) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 940047.

Route Map: