Kenya Airways (Nairobi) is planning to phase out its Boeing 777s this summer as its new Boeing 787s will complete the take over all of its long-haul international routes.
According to Airline Route, the carrier is planning to retire its last Boeing 777-200 ER tentatively on May 18 on the Dubai – Nairobi route.
According to the same report, the airline is also planning to phase out its relatively new Boeing 777-300 ERs. The last flight is currently scheduled for September 26 on the London (Heathrow) – Nairobi route.
Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-2U8 ER 5Y-KYZ (msn 36124) departs from London (Heathrow).
Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur) as part of its reorganization, is dropping the Kuala Lumpur – Frankfurt route on May 29 per Airline Route.
The airline operates the Boeing 777-200 ER on the historic route.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-2H6 ER 9M-MRA (msn 28408) completes its final approach to the runway at Los Angeles International Airport.
Air New Zealand (Auckland) has announced it will expand its North American presence by opening a fifth gateway this December. The airline will soon provide nonstop service between Houston, Texas and Auckland, New Zealand up to five times per week.
The Auckland – Houston (Bush Intercontinental) route will start on December 15 and will operate five days a week.
Air New Zealand’s completely refitted Boeing 777-200 aircraft will operate the route. Air New Zealand’s Star Alliance partner United Airlines (Chicago), which has a large Houston-based hub, will code share into Houston from numerous North American cities. A global gateway city, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) provides nonstop service to almost 200 airports around the globe (113 domestic U.S. destinations).
Air New Zealand, celebrating its 75th anniversary on April 30, is also set to commemorate 50 years of flying from North America later this year. The airline began service from Los Angeles to Auckland (via Nadi & Honolulu) on December 14, 1965. With the addition of Houston, Air New Zealand will offer nonstop service to New Zealand from five North American gateways, also including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver and Honolulu.
Copyright Photo: Steve Bailey/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-219 ER ZK-OKC (msn 34377) appraches the runway at Vancouver International Airport.
Air New Zealand (Auckland) will launch the Auckland – Buenos Aires route on December 1. The new route will operate three days a week with Boeing 777-200 ER aircraft.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-219 ER ZK-OKC (msn 34377) completes the final approach to the runway at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Emirates (Dubai) has announced it is commencing a daily service to Orlando, Florida from September 1, 2015. The route will be served by Boeing 777-200LR aircraft with eight First Class suites, 42 Business Class lie-flat beds and 216 Economy Class seats.
Emirates flight EK 219 will depart Dubai International Terminal 3 (DXB) at 03:50 hours local time and arrive at Orlando International Airport (MCO) Terminal B at 11.40 hours local time, a flying time of 15 hours 50 minutes. The return flight, EK 220 will depart Orlando International at 14:20 hours and arrive into Dubai at 12:30 the following day, a 14 hours 10 minutes flight.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com.ย Emirates Airline Boeing 777-21H LR A6-EWI (msn 35589) arrives at Los Angeles International Airport.
Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) and Universal Pictures have unveiled the luxury Fast & Furious Boeing 777-237 LR (A6-LRE, msn 36304) airliner at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Actor/producer Vin Diesel was on hand as Etihad Airways Flight 171 arrived from Abu Dhabi to kick off the global junket and world premiere of Furious 7. The film arrives in theaters on April 3.
Video: Official Trailer:
Representing a welcome first for the franchise, the Fast & Furious 777 will fly the direct route between Abu Dhabi and Los Angeles, which Etihad Airways opened in June 2014. The airline is also a sponsor of the Furious 7 world premiere, which takes place in Los Angeles on April 1.
As the United Arab Emirates offered an opportunity to inject striking elements and locales into the series’ mythology, Abu Dhabi became a key location for the Furious 7 production. Over the course of two weeks in April 2014, the team lensed in areas outside Abu Dhabi in the Liwa Desert, as well as in the city center at such locations as the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Emirates Palace hotel, the Yas Marina F1 race circuit and the Etihad Towers. Considering Abu Dhabi’s striking skylineโone accentuated with stunning architectural achievementsโaerial shots of the skyscrapers were mandatory.
The Fast & Furious decal will remain on the plane for the next four to six months.
Photos: Etihad Airways/Alex J. Berliner.ย Vin Diesel and the Etihad Airways cabin crew welcomes Etihad Airways Flight 171 as it arrives at LAX from Abu Dhabi on the afternoon of March 18. The Fast & Furious 777 airliner’s arrival kicks off the global junket and world premiere of Furious 7.
Austrian Airlines (Vienna) will resume winter seasonal service on the Vienna-Miami route starting again on October 16. The restored route will operate five days a week with Boeing 777-200 ERs.
Copyright Photo: Ken Petersen/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-2B8 ER OE-LPD (msn 35960) taxies to the gate at JFK International Airport.
NokScoot (NokScoot Airlines Company Limited) (Bangkok-Don Mueang) has announced it will commence scheduled low fare operations with Boeing 777-200s starting on May 5. The first route will connect the Bangkok (Don Mueang) (DMK) base with Nanjing, China. The first route will be operated three days a week and is scheduled for four hours and 10 minutes.
The second route will be from DMK to Seoul (Incheon) starting five days later. This route will be operated each day.
NokScoot is the joint venture between Singaporean budget airline Scoot and Thai airline Nok Air.
Top Copyright Photo: Kok Chwee K.C. Sim/AirlinersGallery.com (all others by NokScoot). Ex-Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-212 ER HS-XBA (msn 28521) was delivered on November 23, 2014.
Peter Foley of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is confident in solving the biggest aviation mystery of our era. Mr. Foley is in charge of finding the remains of Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-2H6 ER 9M-MRO (msn 28420) (above) and the 239 souls on board. The search continues in the southern Indian Ocean. The wide body jetliner went missing somewhere in the Indian Ocean on March 8, 2014 while operating flight MH 370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. So far no trace of the missing flight has been located.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott of Australia this week told Parliament that the search for MH 370 “will go on at this intensity forever”. Clearly the clock is ticking in solving this mystery.
This article by the Sydney Morning Herald interviews Mr. Foley and summaries the current search for MH 370. He believes they are searching in the right area.
Yesterday (March 5) the ATSB issued this updated Operational Update on the search for MH 370:
At the request of the Malaysian Government, Australia has accepted responsibility for the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is leading the underwater search for MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean.
This operational report has been developed to provide regular updates on the progress of the search effort for MH 370. Our work will continue to be thorough and methodical, so sometimes weekly progress may seem slow. Please be assured that work is continuing and is aimed at finding MH 370 as quickly as possible.
Key developments this week:
GO Phoenix is currently in the search area conducting underwater search operations.
Fugro Discovery recommenced search operations on February 25.
Fugro Equator recommenced search operations on February 27.
Fugro Supporter departed Fremantle on February 21 and after calibrating her AUV sensors on the test range departed for the search area on February 23. The vessel arrived in the search area on February 28.
More than 26,000 square kilometres (over 40 percent) of the priority zone have now been searched.
Map Above: ATSB. The Seventh Arc.ย The latest information and analysis confirms that MH 370 will be found in close proximity to the arc set out in the map and labelled as the 7th arc. At the time MH 370 reached this arc, the aircraft is considered to have exhausted its fuel and to have been descending. As a result, the aircraft is unlikely to be more than 20 NM (38 km) to the west or 30 NM (55 km) to the east of the arc.
Based on all the independent analysis of satellite communications and aircraft performance, the total extent of the 7th arc reaches from latitude 20 degrees S to 39 degrees S.
Map Below: ATSB. In addition to locating the aircraft, the underwater search aims to map the MH 370 debris field in order to identify and prioritise the recovery of specific aircraft components, including flight recorders, which will assist with the Malaysian investigation. The ATSB has utilised the data from the bathymetric survey work to prepare the initial plan for the underwater search, to be followed and referred to by all parties involved. The plan includes search timings, methods, procedures, safety precautions and the initial search areas for the various vessels.
There are three classifications for sonar contacts which are identified during the course of the underwater search. Classification 3 is assigned to sonar contacts that are of some interest as they stand out from their surroundings but have low probability of being significant to the search. Classification 2 sonar contacts are of comparatively more interest but are still unlikely to be significant to the search. Classification 1 sonar contacts are of high interest and warrant immediate further investigation.
The underwater search so far has identified over a hundred seabed features that have been classified as category 3. There have been more than 10 features that have been classified as category 2. These objects may be manmade, but expert analysis of the imagery advises that none of them resemble an aircraft debris field. Rather, they have been isolated objects, some of which have the dimensions of shipping containers. To date, no seabed features have been classified as category 1.
Source Above: ATSB and Phoenix International.
Ship movements:
GO Phoenix will depart the search area around March 6 to travel to Fremantle for a scheduled resupply visit. The vessel is expected to arrive in port around March 11.
Fugro Equator will depart the search area around March 24 to travel to Fremantle for a scheduled resupply visit. The vessel is expected to arrive in port around April 1.
Fugro Discovery will depart the search area around March 24 to travel to Fremantle for a scheduled resupply visit. The vessel is expected to arrive in port around April 1.
Fugro Supporter will depart the search area around April 2 to travel to Fremantle for a scheduled resupply visit. The vessel is expected to arrive in port around April 8.
Crew life on board search vessels
The crew of the vessels engaged in the search for MH 370 are deeply committed to their task. Crew work night and day, for weeks at a time and often in difficult conditions, to launch the search equipment and to monitor and analyse the data collected. In the following interview, Mr Paul Kennedy of Fugro talks about the challenges that the ship and its crew face.
Aboard Fugro Discovery, Paul Kennedy of Fugro describes the ship, her crew, the specialist equipment used, and the trials to test the functionality of the equipment. He also talks about the challenges and conditions that the ship and its crew face.
Mr Kennedy is the project director for the search for MH 370 on behalf of Fugro.
Source: ATSB, video by ABIS Chris Beerens, RAN.
Top Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. 9M-MRO lands at Kuala Lumpur before it went missing.
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