Tag Archives: Boeing 747

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.”

Air Cargo Germany:

Boeing slows down 747-8 production rate due to decreased demand

Boeing (Chicago) has announced that it will adjust the production rate for the 747-8 program from two airplanes to 1.75 airplanes per month because of lower market demand for large passenger and freighter airplanes.

Boeing will continue to monitor market conditions and their effect on production rates moving forward. The company expects long-term average growth in the air cargo market to resume in 2014, and forecasts a demand for 790 large airplanes (such as the 747-8 Intercontinental) to be delivered worldwide over the next 20 years.

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. Boeing 747-8JK Intercontinental N6067E (msn 38636) climbs away from the runway at Paine Field near Everett.

Southern Air emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Southern Air Holdings, Inc. (Southern Air 2nd) (Cincinnati) announced yesterday (April 15) that it has emerged from Chapter 11, having completed its financial restructuring.

Daniel J. McHugh, Southern Air CEO, said, “We have emerged from this restructuring process with substantially less debt, significantly improved operations and resources, and financial flexibility as a well-capitalized global air cargo carrier. Today, we are well-positioned both financially and operationally to continue to build Southern Air for the long-term benefit of our customers, suppliers, business partners, crewmembers and employees. From our new headquarters at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, our largest air operating hub, we are even better able to grow profitably, delivering the highest quality services to our customers and meeting and exceeding their air cargo needs.”

Southern Air entered Chapter 11 on September 28, 2012, and emerged from the process on April 15, 2013, after meeting all closing conditions to the Company’s Plan of Reorganization. The Plan was confirmed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware on March 14, 2013.

Southern Air:

Polar Air Cargo to start nonstop Cincinnati-Tokyo cargo service

Polar Air Cargo Worldwide, Inc. (New York) today confirmed its plans to initiate daily nonstop Boeing 747-400 express freighter service between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Tokyo, Japan, by the end of April 2013.

The new service will complement a daily 747-400 flight from the Japanese industrial city of Nagoya to Cincinnati, facilitating next-day deliveries to the U.S. from all major cities and industrial areas in Japan.

Polar also will double the frequency of its wide-body freighter connections to Australia from two to four days per week. The routing of this service, via Japan, will allow Polar customers such as DHL Express to optimize their intercontinental networks and introduce additional capacity both from the U.S. and from key North Asian markets to Australia. The increase in Polar’s frequencies will be supported by the introduction of two new Boeing 767-300ERF wide-body aircraft.

DHL-Polar Air Cargo:

Atlas Air takes delivery of its eighth Boeing 747-800F freighter

Atlas Air (New York) has taken delivery of its eighth Boeing 747-8F Freighter.

Pursuant to a letter of intent (LOI) with an undisclosed customer, the new aircraft is expected to enter ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) service during the first half of the second quarter of 2013, which will allow the customer time to integrate the capacity into its scheduled network.

Prior to beginning in ACMI, the aircraft will be operated in short-term, revenue-generating service.

Atlas Air expects to receive one additional 747-8F by the end of the second quarter of 2013, completing the delivery of its order program for nine aircraft.

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. Boeing 747-87UF N854FT (msn 37566) was handed over in the full Atlas Air livery on April 1. N854FT climbs away from Paine Field near Everett.

Atlas Air:

Silk Way Airlines signs MOU for four Boeing 747-800F freighters

Silk Way Airlines (Silkway Azerbaijan Cargo) (Baku) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Boeing for four new Boeing 747-800F freighters according to cargofacts.net.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: OSDU. Silk Way currently operates three Boeing 747-400F freighters and two 767-300F freighters besides its Russian aircraft. Boeing 747-4R7F 4K-800 (msn 29729) completes its final approach into Moscow (Shereyetyevo).

Silk Way Airlines:

Route Map:

El Al reduces its loss in 2012

El Al Israel Airlines (Tel Aviv) reported it narrowed its yearly loss to $18.8 million for 2012, compared with a loss of $49.8 million in 2011, an improvement of 62 percent.

El Al has purchased two additional Boeing narrow-body 737-900s (a total of six have been purchased). The first of these new aircraft will begin service with El Al in October 2013.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Keith Burton. Boeing 747-458 4X-ELD (msn 29328) climbs gracefully away from the runway at London (Heathrow).

El Al Israel Airlines:

Southern Air’s Chapter 11 reorganization plan approved by the bankruptcy court

Southern Air Holdings, Inc. (Southern Air 2nd) (Cincinnati) has announced that it has received confirmation of its “pre-arranged” Plan of Reorganization (Plan) from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware, which has been overseeing the Company’s Chapter 11 proceedings following its voluntary filing on September 28, 2012. The Plan received substantial support from key secured creditors as well as unsecured creditors. The confirmation clears the way for Southern Air to emerge from its court-supervised financial restructuring as expected, within the next few weeks.

Daniel J. McHugh, Southern Air CEO, said, “We are very pleased to receive court approval of our Plan of Reorganization and hope to exit Chapter 11 in just a matter of weeks. This was a critical part of our overall transformation. We have used this process to dramatically change and improve our capital structure, substantially reduce our debt and other legacy costs, strengthen our balance sheet, and enhance our competitiveness with new financial flexibility.

“We will emerge as a well capitalized carrier delivering safe, high quality air cargo services. As part of our strategic transformation, we have realigned our operations and capabilities and transitioned to a modern, fuel-efficient fleet of 777s and 747-400s serving global customers. Our operations and corporate activities are now in Northern Kentucky (the Cincinnati airport) near our largest hub of activity where we are even better able to satisfy the needs of our customers and grow our business for the long term to benefit our business partners and employees for years to come.

“It is thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Southern Air team and the support of our lenders and business partners that we have been able to move through this process successfully, fulfilling customer requirements as scheduled and providing high quality air cargo services without interruption. As a result of our transformation, Southern Air is better positioned for the future both financially and operationally to grow profitably as an air cargo industry leader,” concluded McHugh.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing. Southern Air is now concentrating its future around the more fuel efficient Boeing 747-400 and the 777 and its growing relationship with DHL. Boeing 747-4F6 (F) N469AC (msn 27602) is pictured on final approach to Los Angeles International Airport.

Southern Air:

Cathay Pacific’s 2012 annual profit drops 83.3% to $118 million, accelerates the retirement of the Boeing 747-400

Cathay Pacific Group (Cathay Pacific Airways) (Hong Kong) has issued the following financial report for 2012:

The Cathay Pacific Group reported an attributable profit of HK$916 million ($118 million) for 2012 – an 83.3% fall compared to the profit of HK$5,501 million ($709 million) reported for 2011. Earnings per share fell by 83.3% to HK23.3 cents. Turnover for the year increased by 1.0% to HK$99,376 million.

In 2012 the Group’s core business was adversely affected by the high price of jet fuel, pressure on passenger yields and weak air cargo demand. Economic uncertainty, particularly in the Eurozone countries, and an increasingly competitive environment added to the difficulties. It was a challenging year for the aviation industry generally. The Group’s share of profits from associated companies, including Air China, showed a marked decline.

Passenger revenue for the year was HK$70,133 million, an increase of 3.5% compared to 2011. Capacity increased by 2.6%. The two airlines carried a total of 29.0 million passengers in 2012, up 5.0% on the previous year. The passenger load factor fell by 0.3 percentage points. Yield increased by 1.2% to HK67.3 cents, largely due to higher fuel surcharges consequent upon a 1.7% increase in average fuel prices. Uncertain economic conditions and strong competition on key routes put pressure on yields while premium class yields were affected by travel restrictions imposed by corporations. The high cost of fuel made it more difficult to operate profitably, particularly on long-haul routes operated by older, less fuel-efficient aircraft.

The Group’s cargo revenue in 2012 was HK$24,555 million, a decrease of 5.5% compared to 2011. Yield for Cathay Pacific and Dragonair remained the same as last year at HK$2.42. Capacity was down by 3.1% while the cargo load factor dropped by 3.0 percentage points to 64.2%. The airlines’ cargo business was affected by weak demand in major markets, particularly from Asia to Europe. Demand for shipments from the two key markets of Hong Kong and Mainland China, was well below expectations, although there were short-term upturns in March and in the last quarter. Capacity was adjusted in line with demand.

Fuel remained the most significant cost. Throughout much of 2012, fuel prices were at sustained high levels and this had a major impact on operating results. The Group’s fuel costs (disregarding the effect of fuel hedging) increased by 0.8% compared to 2011. Fuel accounted for 41.1% of total operating costs – a decrease of 0.4 of a percentage point from the previous year. Managing the risk associated with high and sometimes volatile fuel prices remains a key challenge. The Group took advantage of a reduction in fuel prices in May and June to do more hedging with a view to mitigating the impact of future fuel price increases.

In May 2012, Cathay Pacific announced measures designed to protect its business in an environment of high fuel prices and weak revenues. These measures included the accelerated retirement of the less fuel-efficient Boeing 747-400 passenger aircraft; the withdrawal from service of four Boeing 747-400BCF converted freighters; and an adjustment of schedules and reduced capacity on some long-haul routes. At the same time as addressing the challenges to its business, the Cathay Pacific Group kept a clear focus on its key strategic goals: developing its network and its Hong Kong base; maintaining and enhancing the quality of its services; strengthening its relationship with Air China; and maintaining a prudent approach to financial risk management.

The airline continued with its major investments in new aircraft and new products, and opened its own cargo terminal at Hong Kong International Airport in February 2013. Despite the need to adjust schedules in 2012 in light of the challenging business environment and the high cost of fuel, the Group remained committed to maintaining the integrity of its network. On the passenger side, Cathay Pacific added frequencies on routes to India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam and introduced a new service to Hyderabad in India last year. Dragonair added frequencies on routes to secondary cities in Mainland China and introduced or resumed flights to eight destinations in 2012. In the first quarter of 2013, Dragonair is launching another four new destinations. On the cargo side, Cathay Pacific introduced freighter services to Zhengzhou, Hyderabad and Colombo last year.

The upgrading of the Cathay Pacific and Dragonair fleets continued in 2012, with 19 new aircraft received. As at 31 December 2012, the Group had 92 aircraft on order for delivery up to 2020. An order was placed for six Airbus A350-900 aircraft in January 2012. In August the Group ordered 10 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft and converted an existing order for 16 Airbus A350-900 aircraft into an order for 16 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. In March 2013, Cathay Pacific entered into an agreement with The Boeing Company under which it agreed to buy three Boeing 747-8F freighter aircraft and cancel the agreement to purchase eight Boeing 777-200F freighters that was entered into in August 2011. Under the agreements, the Company also acquired options to purchase five Boeing 777-200F freighters and The Boeing Company agreed to purchase four Boeing 747-400BCF converted freighters, which were taken out of service in 2012 and early 2013. The transaction is part of a package of transactions between the Group, The Boeing Company, Air China Cargo Co., Ltd and Air China Limited.

In an increasingly competitive environment it is crucial to maintain and develop passenger loyalty by providing high quality products and services. This remains a key focus of the Cathay Pacific Group. To this end, Cathay Pacific has introduced a new Premium Economy Class product, a new long-haul Economy Class seat and a new Regional Business Class seat. The airline’s long-haul Business Class was named World’s Best Business Class in 2012 at the World Airline Awards run by Skytrax. Dragonair will also get new Business Class and Economy Class seats from March 2013. On the ground, refurbishment of the Level 7 Business Class Lounge in The Wing at Hong Kong International Airport was completed in January 2012 and the First Class Lounge was reopened in February 2013. In August 2012, Cathay Pacific opened a new lounge in Paris.

Cathay Pacific Chairman Christopher Pratt said: “The Cathay Pacific Group operates in a volatile and challenging industry, one that will always be highly susceptible to external factors that remain largely beyond our control. The cost of fuel remains the biggest challenge, particularly for an airline such as ours where long-haul operations form a significant part of our total operations.

“We believe we have taken the right measures to deal with current challenges and will take whatever further measures are necessary should the business environment not improve. Our focus will remain on protecting the business and managing short-term difficulties while remaining committed to our long-term strategy. Our financial position remains strong and we will continue to invest in the future. Our core strengths remain the same as ever: a superb team, a strong international network, exceptional standards of customer service, a strong relationship with Air China and our position in Hong Kong. These will help to ensure the success of the Cathay Pacific Group in the long term.”

Copyright Photo: Keith Burton. The company is now accelerating the retirement of the Boeing 747-400 fleet. Boeing 747-467 B-HOO (msn 23814) climbs away from London (Heathrow).

Cathay Pacific Airways: