Tag Archives: Rainer Bexten

National Airlines to extend Afghan route

Copyright Photo: Rainer Bexten. Please click on photo for more photos.

National Airlines (5th) (Murray Air) (National Air Cargo) (Detroit-Ypsilanti) announced that it will extend its weekly DC-8 cargo flight to Kandahar Air Base via Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. The extended flight will assist ongoing efforts to provide materials and goods to the United States military in Afghanistan. National Air Cargo began the flight to Bagram in April 2009.

Operated by National Airlines, the DC-8 flight will depart Ypsilanti every Friday on route to Bagram and Kandahar. The flight to Bagram and Kandahar will continue to be the fastest possible cargo transport from the United States to Afghanistan.

Full details via the Press Release:

finance.yahoo.com/news/National-Air-Cargo-Extends-prnews-1755497813.html?x=0&.v=1

Airliners are building up at Victorville, CA

Airliners in desert-air storage are building up at Victorville, CA. Copyright Photo: Rainer Bexten.

LAM to start Maputo-Luanda flights

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LAM-Linhas Aereas de Mocambique (Maputo) is planning to start a weekly flight between Maputo and Luanda.

News link:

macauhub.com.mo/en/news.php?ID=7838

NCA introduces the “Green Freighter”

The "NCA Green Freighter" stops at Anchorage. Copyright Photo: Rainer Bexten.

NCA-Nippon Cargo Airlines (Tokyo) is the first Japanese airline company to adopt an innovative new paint system, developed by Mankiewicz Gebr. and Company of Germany. The company will operate an “NCA Green Freighter” with its nose painted in two shades of green.

The newly painted Boeing 747-481F freighter JA04KZ (msn 34283) named “NCA Pegasus” became operational as the Green Freighter on Friday, May 8, taking off for Shanghai.

The improved paint, which incorporates new ingredients, covers the base material of the fuselage with thin layers of paint, effectively reducing the weight of the fuselage by around 45kg per aircraft. This reduction in weight will cut the amount of fuel consumed by about 42 drums per year.

The new paint is also weather-resistant, making it less vulnerable to rain and exposure to ultra violet rays, which cause degradation in color and gloss, while there is less paint stripping than with existing paint systems. This will extend the working life of the aircraft’s paint. It also reduces the amount of cleaning agent to be used and the polluted water that is discharged as it requires less frequent washing. The new paint system has a number of positive effects that help preserve the environment.

Miniliner introduces a blue version of livery

Miniliner (Bergamo) has painted its Fokker F.27 Mk. 500 I-MLXT (msn 10374) in a blue and white version of the 2009 livery. I-MLXT stops at Liege. Copyright Photo: Rainer Bexten.

Scanderbeg Air starts operations on June 12

Scanderbeg Air uses Liege, Belgium as a refueling stop. N712AX prepares to land at LGG. Copyright Photo: Rainer Bexten.

Scanderbeg Air (New York-JFK) is a new tour operator that has contracted with Sky King Airlines (Sacramento) to operate an ex-Air China/ABX Air Boeing 767-2J6 ER registered N712AX (msn 23307, ex B-2551) on weekly scheduled charter flights between New York (JFK) and Tirana. N712AX was delivered to Sky King on June 2. N712AX is Sky King’s first wide-body airliner. The first flight for Scanderbeg started on June 12. The company also operates twice-weekly scheduled charter flights on the JFK-Prishtina route with the same aircraft starting on June 14. The airliner carries “Scanderbeg” titles and still wears a basic Air China livery with a red logo.

RAK Airways is not closing

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RAK Airways (Ras Al Khaimah) was rumored to be going out of business after Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al-Qasimi said the new flag carrier “was no longer in service”. RAK Airways, which commenced scheduled services on November 29, 2007 with leased Boeing 757-200s, had recently ended scheduled services in late 2008. Today the company continues as a charter airline operating sub-service flights for Hewa Bora Airways. However the new CEO (Kristian Kirchheiner) who joined the team on May 18, is “exploring all opportunities”.

From Arabian Business:

www.arabianbusiness.com/557255-rak-airways-in-no-way-closing—new-ceo

Italiatour Airlines will start on April 8

The first aircraft for Italiatour Airlines is Avro RJ85 I-CLBA (msn E2300) pictured at Cologne. Copyright Photo: Rainer Bexten.

Italiatour Airlines (Verona) will commence operations on April 8 from Brescia and Crotone to Rome (FCO).

Ethiopian Cargo’s first MD-11F freighter

ET-AML arrives at a rainy Leige. Copyright Photo: Rainer Bexten.

ET-AML arrives at a rainy Liege. Copyright Photo: Rainer Bexten.

Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa) on January 31, 2009 took delivery of its first converted McDonnell Douglas MD-11F freighter. Previously it leased a MD-11 (N801DE) from World Airways.