Cathay Pacific Airways Cargo Boeing 747-867/F/SCD making its first type appearance at Sydney-Kingsford Smith International(SYD) on November 27, 2011.
Source: airliners.net
Saturday, 24 December 2011
Picture of the Day(24 December 2011)
Cathay Pacific Airways Cargo Boeing 747-867/F/SCD making its first type appearance at Sydney-Kingsford Smith International(SYD) on November 27, 2011.
Source: airliners.net
Friday, 23 December 2011
Lufthansa sells bmi to British Airways parent IAG
British Midland International A321. By Rob Finlayson
British Airways (BA) owner International Airlines Group (IAG) reached a binding agreement with Lufthansa Group (LH) to buy British Midland Ltd. (bmi), the companies announced Thursday.
IAG, the parent company of BA and Iberia, will pay €207 million ($271 million) in cash for the loss making UK carrier, although the price is subject to significant reductions if LH decides not to sell bmi subsidiary bmibaby before completion, IAG said.
The deal is subject to regulatory clearance from competition authorities, including the European Commission. The companies said they aim to complete the transaction during the first quarter of 2012.
LH has the option to sell bmibaby and bmi regional before the deal is completed. IAG CEO Willie Walsh said bmi regional and bmibaby “are not part” of the company’s plans. “Buying bmi’s mainline business gives IAG a unique opportunity to grow at Heathrow, one of our key hub airports. Using the slot portfolio more efficiently provides the option to launch new long-haul routes to key trading nations while supporting our broad domestic and short-haul network,” he said.
The deal follows an agreement in principle signed in early November. LH also held negotiations with Virgin Atlantic Airways (VS), which on Thursday said it would ask anti-trust regulators to block the deal.
“Claiming that this deal is about new markets from Heathrow is a smoke screen. This deal simply cuts consumer choice,” VS president Richard Branson said. “BA is already dominant at Heathrow and their removal of bmi just tightens their stranglehold at the world’s busiest international airport. We will fight this monopoly every step of the way as we think it is bad for the consumer, bad for the industry and bad for Britain,” he said.
The purchase of bmi will increase IAG’s number of slots at Heathrow by up to 56 daily pairsat an airport where it already holds about 43% of slots.
Walsh warned that “there is an urgent need to restructure” bmi, but he said “IAG’s purchase of bmi will protect more British jobs than if the airline had been closed and had its Heathrow slots sold off.”
LH CEO and chairman Christoph Franz said, “As part of Lufthansa’s strategic development, the sale means that our customers, shareholders and employees will benefit from a sharpened corporate profile and a stronger financial position of the group.”
LH will remain responsible for bmi staff pension liabilities.
Source: ATW
Picture of the Day(23 December 2011)
Korean Air Airbus 380-861(HL7612) making a landing at Los Angeles International(LAX) on November 14, 2011.
Source: airliners.net
Thursday, 22 December 2011
Picture of the Day(22 December 2011)
Pakistan International Airlines-PIA Boeing 777-240/LR(AP-BGY) at Manchester-Ringway International(MAN) on December 3, 2011.
Source: airliners.net
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
ANA expands: Seattle, San Jose join 'Dreamliner club'
Seattle and San Jose will be the next cities to join the growing global route map of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. They'll also likely become the first U.S. cities to land regular passenger service on the new-age jet.
Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) – the first carrier in the world to put the Dreamliner into passenger service –says it will use the new aircraft for an expansion into the United States.
ANA will begin service to both Seattle and San Jose on April 1, with plans for 787 service to Tokyo Narita from each. That start date appears to all but assure that those cities will be the first in the U.S. to land regular service on the 787.
Japan Airlines will use the 787 to fly from Tokyo to Boston, but that service won't begin until April 22.United says it expected to begin 787 service in "early 2012," but it seems unlikely to be in a position to put the Dreamliner into scheduled service prior to April.
As for ANA's new routes, the company touted its expansion along the U.S. West Coast.
Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) – the first carrier in the world to put the Dreamliner into passenger service –says it will use the new aircraft for an expansion into the United States.
ANA will begin service to both Seattle and San Jose on April 1, with plans for 787 service to Tokyo Narita from each. That start date appears to all but assure that those cities will be the first in the U.S. to land regular service on the 787.
Japan Airlines will use the 787 to fly from Tokyo to Boston, but that service won't begin until April 22.United says it expected to begin 787 service in "early 2012," but it seems unlikely to be in a position to put the Dreamliner into scheduled service prior to April.
As for ANA's new routes, the company touted its expansion along the U.S. West Coast.
"Seattle is an important international business hub and home to companies such as Microsoft, Amazon and, of course, Boeing itself while San Jose is in the heart of Silicon Valley," ANA CEO Shinichiro Ito says in a release. "Passenger demand to fly to both destinations is high, not only from Japan but from many Asian cities. The launch of these new services will make ANA the only Japanese airline to operate the two routes, as well as the only carrier to operate the Narita-San Jose route."
ANA will go head-to-head with both United and Delta on the Seattle-Tokyo route, though ANA and United will likely coordinate their service since they have limited antitrust immunity as joint-venture partners.
The addition of San Jose and Seattle will grow ANA's number of U.S. gateways to eight. It currently offers service to six U.S. airports: Chicago O'Hare, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York JFK, San Francisco and Washington Dulles.
The San Jose service is notable for several reasons. For San Jose, it restores a link to Tokyo that the airport lost when American discontinued its San Jose-Tokyo route in 2006. It also returns overseas service to the Bay Area airport, which has struggled with declining flight numbers in recent years.
It also gives ANA a second route in the Bay Area. The Mineta San Jose International Airport is just about 35 miles from San Francisco International, where ANA also offers nonstop service to Tokyo. However, San Francisco is a key hub for ANA's joint-venture and Star Alliance partner United.
"There is strong demand for flights to San Francisco now, so we are expecting solid demand for our Seattle and San Jose flights, too," Ito is quoted as saying by Bloomberg News.
ANA will go head-to-head with both United and Delta on the Seattle-Tokyo route, though ANA and United will likely coordinate their service since they have limited antitrust immunity as joint-venture partners.
The addition of San Jose and Seattle will grow ANA's number of U.S. gateways to eight. It currently offers service to six U.S. airports: Chicago O'Hare, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York JFK, San Francisco and Washington Dulles.
The San Jose service is notable for several reasons. For San Jose, it restores a link to Tokyo that the airport lost when American discontinued its San Jose-Tokyo route in 2006. It also returns overseas service to the Bay Area airport, which has struggled with declining flight numbers in recent years.
It also gives ANA a second route in the Bay Area. The Mineta San Jose International Airport is just about 35 miles from San Francisco International, where ANA also offers nonstop service to Tokyo. However, San Francisco is a key hub for ANA's joint-venture and Star Alliance partner United.
"There is strong demand for flights to San Francisco now, so we are expecting solid demand for our Seattle and San Jose flights, too," Ito is quoted as saying by Bloomberg News.
Source: USA Today
Picture of the Day(21 December 2011)
Etihad Airways Airbus 330-243(A6-EYS) starts to take off at runway 23L at Manchester-Ringway International(MAN) on November 19, 2011.
Source: airliners.net
Monday, 12 December 2011
Friday, 9 December 2011
Picture of the Day(9 December 2011)
Japan Airlines Boeing 777-246(JA772J) with the Arashi(Japanese band) livery at Osaka-Itami(ITM) on November 26, 2011.
Source: airliners.net
Boeing 787 Dreamliner Sets Speed, Distance Records
Boeing has established two world records with the 787 Dreamliner, setting new marks for both speed and distance for the airplane's weight class.
"Speed and distance capabilities are fundamental to the value the 787 brings to the market," vice-president and general manager of the 787 programme, Scott Fancher, said.
"These records are a great way to demonstrate that this airplane is the game-changer we have promised."
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner is the first airplane to provide both long distance capabilities with mid-size capacity (210-250 passengers in a three-class seating), allowing airlines to open new, non-stop routes preferred by the traveling public.
The airplane is 20 per cent more fuel efficient than similarly sized airplanes, said Boeing in a statement today.
"Speed and distance capabilities are fundamental to the value the 787 brings to the market," vice-president and general manager of the 787 programme, Scott Fancher, said.
"These records are a great way to demonstrate that this airplane is the game-changer we have promised."
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner is the first airplane to provide both long distance capabilities with mid-size capacity (210-250 passengers in a three-class seating), allowing airlines to open new, non-stop routes preferred by the traveling public.
The airplane is 20 per cent more fuel efficient than similarly sized airplanes, said Boeing in a statement today.
The sixth 787 – ZA006 – departed Boeing Field in Seattle on Dec. 6, 2011 and completed an around-the-world trip on Dec. 8 that led to two different world records. The 787 now holds the record for the longest flight and the fastest speed around the world for its weight class. Six pilots shared duties during the two days of flying. The route took the airplane from Seattle to Dhaka and back to Seattle.Pic: Courtesy of Boeing
The sixth 787, ZA006, powered by General Electric GEnx engines, departed from Boeing Field in Seattle at 11.02am on Dec 6 and set the distance record for its class (440,000-550,000 lbs) with a 10,710nmi (19,835km) flight to Dhaka, Bangladesh, with credit for 10,337nmi (19,144km).
This record had previously been held by the Airbus A330 based on a 9,127nmi (16,903km) flight in 2002.
Following an approximately two-hour stop for refueling in Dhaka, the airplane returned to Seattle on a 9,734nmi (18,027km) flight.
The airplane landed at 5.29am on Dec 8, setting a new record for speed around the world (eastbound), with a total trip time of 42 hours and 27 minutes.
There was no previous around-the-world speed record for this weight class.
The 787 carried six pilots, an observer for the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), and operations and other Boeing employees -- 13 people in total.
Flight routing on the first segment of the journey took the airplane from Seattle across the US to Nantucket. After crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the airplane entered European air space at Santiago, Spain, and proceeded down the Mediterranean, across Egypt to Luxor, across the Middle East and over India to Bangladesh.
On the second segment, the Dreamliner flew over Singapore, the Philippines and Guam before entering US airspace over Honolulu and returning to Seattle.
Boeing said it holds world records for longest distance flights in five weight classes with records set by the KC-135, 767-200ER (extended range), 777-200 and 777-200LR (longer range).
The 777-200 also holds the speed record for its weight class.
This record had previously been held by the Airbus A330 based on a 9,127nmi (16,903km) flight in 2002.
Following an approximately two-hour stop for refueling in Dhaka, the airplane returned to Seattle on a 9,734nmi (18,027km) flight.
The airplane landed at 5.29am on Dec 8, setting a new record for speed around the world (eastbound), with a total trip time of 42 hours and 27 minutes.
There was no previous around-the-world speed record for this weight class.
The 787 carried six pilots, an observer for the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), and operations and other Boeing employees -- 13 people in total.
Flight routing on the first segment of the journey took the airplane from Seattle across the US to Nantucket. After crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the airplane entered European air space at Santiago, Spain, and proceeded down the Mediterranean, across Egypt to Luxor, across the Middle East and over India to Bangladesh.
On the second segment, the Dreamliner flew over Singapore, the Philippines and Guam before entering US airspace over Honolulu and returning to Seattle.
Boeing said it holds world records for longest distance flights in five weight classes with records set by the KC-135, 767-200ER (extended range), 777-200 and 777-200LR (longer range).
The 777-200 also holds the speed record for its weight class.
Source: Bernama
Thursday, 8 December 2011
Picture of the Day(8 December 2011)
Malev Hungarian Airlines Boeing 767-306/ER(HA-LHC)flying across the sky of Budapest on August 20, 2007.
Source: airliners.net
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