Tag Archives: BRU

XL Airways France launches seasonal service to Miami

XL Airways France (Paris-CDG) on June 28 launched summer seasonal service to Miami, its fourth U.S. destination. The new route will operate three days a week until September with Airbus A330-200s.

XL Airways France:

Routes to the Western Hemisphere:

Air Lituanica launches scheduled passenger operations

Air Lituanica (Vilnius) as planned, commenced scheduled passenger operations with an Embraer 170 leased from Estonian Air. The new airline launched its first route on June 30 to Brussels. On July 8 the second route to Amsterdam will be started. The airline intends to expand later to Berlin, Prague, Munich, and Moscow.

Top Copyright Photo: Karl Cornil/AirlinersGallery.com (all other images by Air Lituanica). Embraer ERJ 170-100LR ES-AEB (msn 17000106) arrives at Brussels on the inaugural flight.

Bottom Copyright Photo: Air Lituanica. The formal ribbon cutting ceremony at Vilnius for the first departure to Brussels.

DHL Air takes Djala and family back to the wild

DHL Air (UK) (East Midlands) is the official air transport of the Aspinall Foundation’s “Back to the Wild” campaign to transport a western lowland gorilla family from the Port Lympne Wild Animal Park to Africa. The cargo airline has decorated this Boeing 767-300 freighter with these special markings for the special transport.

The Foundation issued this statement:

The family is headed by Djala, a 30 year old silverback (below).

As a baby Djala was rescued from Africa and flown to the safety of Port Lympne where he has become one of the largest silverbacks in captivity, weighing 200kgs and fathering a total of 15 offspring.

The family’s journey is part of The Aspinall Foundation’s Back To The Wild Campaign in conjunction with Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, and has been made possible by generous gifts from supporters of the charity, our partner DHL and the Gabonese Government.

But we still need your help to continue sending animals like Djala and his family ‘Back To The Wild’.

For more information: CLICK HERE

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Phil Couchman, CEO of DHL Air, issued this statement:

Last year we undertook a very special request to transport three critically endangered black rhino from The Aspinall Foundation’s Port Lympne Wild Animal Park to a protected reserve in Tanzania. Not something we do normally but, hey, this is DHL. So we did it.

Very soon we’ll be providing another essential service to protect a threatened cohabitant of our planet: moving a family of critically endangered western lowland gorillas from The Aspinall Foundation’s Port Lympne Wild Animal Park to Africa as part of the ongoing and ambitious conservation initiative, created by The Aspinall Foundation – Back To The Wild.

This move is extra special as the “big daddy” was orphaned in Africa 30 years ago and is finally going home – with his family.

Copyright Photo: Karl Cornil/AirlinersGallery.com. DHL Air’s Boeing 767-3JHF ER G-DHLH (msn 37806) arrives at Brussels with the special “Djala’s Journey Home-Gorillas in Transit-Aspinall Foundation” markings. The aircraft arrived from Cincinnatti and departed for Lagos, Nigeria.

DHL Air (UK):

Video:

Newsworthy Photo of the Day – May 26, 2013

Onurair Airbus A320-233 TC-OBG (msn 916) (21 Years) BRU (Karl Cornil). Image: 912268.

Onurair:

Frameable Color Prints and Posters:

Blue Air’s new owners lay out their strategy

Blue Air (BlueAirweb.com) (Blue Air Transport Aerien S.A. dba) (Bucharest) was acquired by Airline Management Solutions. The new owners have laid our their strategy and issued this statement:

The new ownership of Blue Air has as objective to strengthen the position in the market. “The target for 2013 is keeping the turnover at the same level as in 2012 and preserving the number of passengers who benefit from our services”, said Gheorghe Răcaru, CEO of Blue Air, during a press conference on Sunday.

He added that for the period 2014-2015, the objective of the new shareholders is to increase the consolidated turnover by 3-5%. “We are considering a radical change in terms of services. From customer service, bookings and catering in the aircraft, you will see radical changes and updates, a first for the Romanian industry. In addition, we are interested in gradually increasing the fleet”, said Răcaru.

The CEO said that the shareholders intend to keep and specialize the current staff. In addition, Gheorghe Răcaru said that the flights will be operated according to the existing schedule, ensuring customers that Blue Air will remain their preferred airline: “We assure our customers that Blue Air will continue to be one of the top airlines in Romania and that all provided services will be at least at the same level of quality, reliability and professionalism as before”.

In turn, Arthur Flieger, lawyer and representative of Airline Management Solutions, the new majority shareholder of Blue Air, said that the transaction goes as planned, with no delays. “From our point of view, even if the process is extensive, all that remains to be done for the sale is just formalities. The actual transfer will be completed probably in two or three weeks”, he explained.

The Airline Management Solutions company has Romanian capital and purchased Blue Air through a transaction worth about 30 million euro, including the assumption of liabilities in the amount of 28 million euro.

Blue Air:

National Airlines issues another statement concerning the crash of N949CA

National Airlines (5th) (National Air Cargo) (Orlando) has issued this statement concerning the crash of flight NCR 102 at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan on April 29. Flight NCR 102 was a cargo flight operated by National Airlines between Bagram and Al Maktoum Airport in Dubai. As we previously reported, the pictured former Air France Boeing 747-428 BCF N949CA (msn 35630) crashed on takeoff from Bagram, tragically killing all seven crew members on board. Media speculation has arisen because of the dramatic video (below) by Live Leak which shows the Jumbo Jet diving into the ground on takeoff.

“National Air Cargo will not speculate as to the cause of the accident involving National Flight NCR 102. With our full cooperation, an investigation by appropriate authorities is under way, and we encourage everyone to join us in respecting that process and allowing it to take its appropriate course.

Here are some facts regarding the aircraft and its movements prior to the accident:

National Flight NCR 102 was en route to Dubai from Camp Bastian and had stopped to refuel at Bagram Air Base.
The cargo contained within the aircraft was properly loaded and secured, and had passed all necessary inspections prior to departing Camp Bastian.
The aircraft landed safely and uneventfully in Bagram.
No additional cargo or personnel was added during the stop in Bagram, and the aircraft’s cargo was again inspected prior to departure.

National Airlines lost seven colleagues on April 29, 2013 in the crash at Bagram Air Base. All seven were dedicated aviation professionals and served National and our country well. The flight, NCR 102, was carrying military vehicles out of Afghanistan. The crewmembers on NCR 102 were Brad Hasler, Pilot in Command, Trenton MI; Jeremy Lipka, Pilot in Command, Brooklyn MI; Jamie Brokaw, First Officer, Monroe MI; Rinku Summan, First Officer, Canton MI; Michael Sheets, Loadmaster, Ypsilanti MI; Timothy Garrett, Maintenance, Louisville KY; Gary Stockdale, Maintenance, Romulus MI.”

National Airlines (5th):

Blue Air is for sale

Blue Air (Blue Air Transport Aerian S.A. dba) (Bucharest) is for sale. The low-fare airline is currently owned by Nelu Iordache, who is currently facing charges for embezzling funds according to the Budapest Business Journal.

In January Blue Air Transport Aerian S.A. announced it had has reached an agreement with The Boeing Company to terminate the order placed in 2008 for five Boeing 737NG aircraft. It also stated “Based on the current troubled financial situation at Romstrade SRL, the major shareholder of Blue Air, SC Blue Air Transport Aerian S.A. is not in a position to continue the commitment.”

Six potential investors have expressed interest according to the airline managers.

Read the full article: CLICK HERE

Blue Air:

The new Germanwings is moving ahead for its relaunch on July 1

Germanwings (2nd) (Cologne) is quickly moving ahead with its new image and plans to take over many routes currently operated by its parent Lufthansa. The low-fare subsidiary issued this statement:

The Lufthansa subsidiary is also ahead of schedule with the re-equipping of its fleet: Already 21 of the aircraft in the Germanwings fleet have been painted in the new livery. The new and modern brand identity is also reflected in the newly styled cabin, which is setting new standards and not only in the low cost carrier segment with generous legroom of 32 inches (81.3 cm) in the front rows. All 36 aircraft in the fleet will be refurbished inside and out by the time the “new Germanwings” takes to the air on July 1.

In order to provide passengers with advance information and planning security for their air travel needs, all the dates for the takeover of Lufthansa routes by Germanwings have already been penned firmly into the timeplan. This will allow the timetable for the “new Germanwings” to be worked out earlier than was originally envisaged. Following last year’s transfer from Lufthansa to Germanwings of connections out of Stuttgart, the first routes to and from Hamburg were handed over at the end of March. From the Hanseatic City, Germanwings is now serving the previous Lufthansa destinations of Vienna, Palma de Mallorca, Stuttgart and Nuremberg. It will be taking over connections to Cologne on June 29, 2013 and all other Lufthansa destinations by the end of January 2014, except for flights to Lufthansa’s Frankfurt and Munich hubs.

The transfer to Germanwings of Lufthansa routes out of Berlin commences on October 27, 2013: By 30 March 2014, all destinations ex Berlin (apart from FRA and MUC) will be handed over to the Lufthansa subsidiary. Subsequently, from the end of March 2014 to year-end, the “new Germanwings” will be successively operating flights in the Dusseldorf timetable, except for those on long-haul routes which will still be flown by Lufthansa.

Moves to intensify cooperation between Germanwings and airlines in the Lufthansa Group are also in full swing. A codeshare accord was concluded with Austrian Airlines last year, another is to follow with Swiss International Air Lines. The four daily flights operated by Germanwings, with the Swiss LX code alongside the 4U flight number in future, will greatly improve the quality of flight connections from Cologne through Zurich for passengers of the Lufthansa Group.

Copyright Photo: Karl Cornil. Formerly painted in the special Baden-Wurttemberg color scheme, Airbus A319-112 D-AKNM (msn 1089) now displays the new look at Brussels.

Germanwings:

Thomas Cook to merge Condor, Thomas Cook Belgium and Thomas Cook UK into one airline on March 1

Thomas Cook Group (London) has announced it will merge Condor Flugdienst (Frankfurt), Thomas Cook Airlines (UK) (Manchester) and Thomas Cook Airlines (Belgium) (Brussels) into one airline within the group on March 1.

The merger is part of Thomas Cook’s turnaround plan. It is unclear if the historic Condor name will be retired.

Read the full report from Reuters: CLICK HERE

Top Copyright Photo: Arnd Wolf. Condor already wear sthe Thomas Cook brand but still clings to its historic Condor name. Boeing 767-330 ER D-ABUH (msn 26986) taxies to the runway at Munich with the additional Peanuts characters.

Condor Flugdienst:

Thomas Cook Airlines (Belgium):

Thomas Cook Airlines (UK):

Middle Copyright Photo: Karl Cornil. Thomas Cook Airlines’ (Belgium) Airbus A320-232 OO-TCN (msn 425) with the image of Kim Clijsters arrives at the Belgium base.

Bottom Copyright Photo: Keith Burton. Boeing 757-28A G-FCLH (msn 26274) of Thomas Cook Airlines (UK) completes its final approach into London (Gatwick).

Brussels Airlines is coming to Washington Dulles on June 18

Brussels Airlines (Brussels) on June 18 will open a new route from its Brussels hub to Washington (Dulles). The new route will operate five days a week with Airbus A330 aircraft. The route will connect with Star Alliance partner United Airlines (Chicago).

Flight schedule (in local times):

Flight Number	Route	Departure	Arrival	Days of week
SN515	Brussels – Washington DC	17h30	20h15	2/4/5/6/7
SN516	Washington DC – Brussels	22h35	12h10	2/4/5/6/7