Continuing the story on the forty year old rivalry between Airbus and Boeing from yesterday, we pick up the rivalry from the mid 1980s till date. Following the success of the A320, Airbus next introduced the four engined A340 and twin-engine A330 mid-sized aircraft in 1987. While the A340 was designed to compete in the long distance over-water intercontinental routes, …

Qatar Airways today signed a firm contract for 24 Airbus A320 Family aircraft. The agreement includes twenty A320s, as well as the firming up of four A321 aircraft announced at the Farnborough Air Show in July 2008. The Doha-based carrier currently operates 19 A320 Family aircraft, and is the Middle East’s largest customer of this particular fleet. The new aircraft, …

Forty years ago as the 1969 Paris Air Show unfolded, the world was abuzz over the Boeing 747 and the BAC-Aerospatiale Concorde both whom had just made their first flights just a few months before. At the same time, European aerospace companies were finalising a consortium to wrest back dominance of the United States in the commercial aviation market. Within …

Today, we conclude our continuing series of interviews with Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) CEO Marcel Hungerbuehler on the first anniversary of Bengaluru International Airport. Yesterday in part four, we focussed on the future and airport expansion. Today in the last part five we focus on Marcel Hugerbuehler the man. Most people associate Marcel Hungerbuehler’s predecessor Albert Brunner with the …

The offers are just too many to list, but in short after the bonanza for international travellers courtesy Singapore Airlines, Emirates, British Airways and Lufthansa, there is now a bonanza for domestic travellers, courtesy IndiGo, Jet Airways, JetLite, and SpiceJet. I would assume that Kingfisher too would have some scheme but I have not received any information from the airline. …

US national arrested for carrying loaded handgun on board a flight The Times of India is reporting A US citizen was arrested earlier this morning at the Chennai airport for carrying a loaded revolver. Central Industrial and Security Force (CISF) personnel who secure airports across India, found the weapon while scanning the baggage of Mr. Semilar, 58 years old, when …

The search and recovery operations go on for Air France AF-447, as does my search for information. Some information I recommend as well worth reading and listening. My good friend Addison Schonland at IAG has created and continues to create a nice series of articles and podcasts on AF447. A decoding and analysis of the ACARS messages A podcast of …

In the continuing series of interviews with Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) CEO Marcel Hungerbuehler on the first anniversary of Bengaluru International Airport, yesterday in part three, we focussed on the airlines. Today in part four we focus on the future and expansion of the airport. Part 4 – The future expansion of Bengaluru International Airport Q1. Is BIAL committed …

My image of the Jet Airways Konnect Boeing 737-800 VT-JGH landing at Bangalore has made it into the Top photos of the past day at JetPhotos. See the VT-JGH image at JetPhotos. See all my images at JetPhotos.

Jet Airways recently launched its low cost service called Jet Airways Konnect. A while back I managed to catch one of the Boeing 737-800s of the new Konnect service at Bangalore airport. VT-JGH slows down after landing on runway 27 in front of the iconic air traffic control tower of the Bengaluru International Airport. Just love the complex wing with …

To capitalise on the peak traffic, Qatar Airways is advancing it’s commencement of scheduled flights to Amritsar on October 11 ahead of Diwali (Deepavali). Similarly, it will commence scheduled flights to the beach destination of Goa on October 25, to capitalise on the inbound winter holiday traffic. Goa is a popular retreat, particularly among European holidaymakers Both routes will be …

In the continuing series of interviews with Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) CEO Marcel Hungerbuehler on the first anniversary of Bengaluru International Airport, yesterday in part two, we focussed on the revenue streams. Today in part three we focus on the airlines and routes present and future. Part 3 – Airlines Q1. Which airlines is BIAL targeting and trying to …

An Indian Air Force (IAF) Antonov 32 (AN-32) has crashed in the north eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh which borders China. A total of 12 people – two pilots, a navigator, three air crew and six army personnel, were on board the twin engined cargo aircraft. The AN-32 plane had flown from Jorhat in Assam to Mechuka advanced landing ground …

Brazil’s navy recovered a large part of F-GZCP’s vertical stabiliser better known as the rudder, yesterday. The New York Times reports, the part, bearing the trademark stripes and logo of Air France, bore no evident burn marks and had retained its triangular shape, save for a missing chunk where it appeared to have been torn from the body of the …

In the continuing series of interviews with Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) CEO Marcel Hungerbuehler on the first anniversary of Bengaluru International Airport, yesterday we focussed on the past. Today in part two we focus on the present and more specifically revenue streams. Part 2 – Revenue streams Q1. Can BIAL provide a rough break up of revenue streams. Passenger, …

Bengaluru International Airport was India’s first greenfield private airport conceived. In 1991, just as then Finance Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh began the much heralded liberalisation of the Indian economy, the concept of a privately operated airport was born. Bangalore was still to emerge on the Indian map, forget the global stage. Air passenger traffic was not even one million passengers …

As the annual meeting of the airline body International Air Transport Association (IATA) commenced in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, the news for Boeing India chief Dinesh Keskar is not good. Both Jet Airways and Air India, his two major customers in India, are considering deferring the deliveries of their Boeing 787 Dreamliner orders. Jet Airway’s chairman and founder, Naresh Goyal, …

Fox News is reporting that two bodies of passengers on-board the doomed Air France flight AF-447 from Rio to Paris have been recovered. The first bodies of passengers of the doomed Air France flight that plummeted into the sea have been found, Brazil’s air force said Saturday. The Brazilian military said search crews scanning the Atlantic Ocean located two male …

I had gone spotting some time back and managed to find a good vantage point at the Bengaluru International Airport to get the touchdowns of a few aircraft in the early morning. Got the SpiceJet Boeing 737-900ER (one of the only four operating in India), a Jet Airways Boeing 737-700 fitted with the Aviation Partners winglets; something one does not …

As Brazilian authorities indicate the recently recovered debris is not from Air France AF-447, all forms of theories are popping up. One theory that faulty sensors that may have given erroneous speed indications has prompted the airplane manufacturer Airbus SAS to issue warnings to operators of all A330 aircraft. More preposterous theories abound that Air France AF447 collided with another …