Airbus has completed the first flight of the company’s A320 development aircraft MSN001 F-WWBA fitted with the new ‘Sharklet’ wing-tip devices. Airbus A320 MSN001 F-WWBA takes off for its first flight equipped with “Sharklets” This flight marks the start of the early flight-test campaign to capture data for fine-tuning the flight control laws required for the fly-by-wire controls, as well …

It appears that delivery Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners are delayed, yet again, this time in to 2012. Air India has chosen the General Electric GEnx-1B engine to power its 787 fleet. According to a report from Flightglobal, due to a lack of production aircraft at Boeing, the airframer is unable to complete the final certification requirements of the US …

Earlier this week, Air India, the beleaguered Indian national carrier, announced that it would be utilizing a sale-leaseback arrangement to evade the divisive lawsuit filed by the Air Transport Association (ATA), a US airline lobby group, over Us $ 3.4 billion worth of financing for the carrier’s order of 27 Boeing 787 and 3 777-300ER widebody jets. The lawsuit from …

Yesterday, Air India chief executive Rohit Nandan announced that Air India would be withdrawing one of its two daily Delhi-London-Heathrow flights from February 2012 and auctioning off the slots. Currently, Air India competes on the sector with Kingfisher, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Jet Airways; all of whom offer more consistent products and command higher fares than Air India. The …

For all of the ribbing targeted towards national carrier Air India, the carrier appears to have finally provided some good value, with some very good deals on offer for travel within its entire network. Of course, in typical Air India fashion, they’ve made it very hard for passengers to find out about these upgrades; I’ve seen mazes that are easier …

Reports have emerged from Reuters and Plane Talking that Qantas has shelved plans for its Asia-based premium carrier which has been called by the media at various times Red Q, One Asia, or Red One. The venture would apparently be replaced by a joint venture agreement with future oneworld alliance partner Malaysia Airlines in Asia. Earlier this year, Qantas had …

Devesh, Vedant, and I would like to wish all of Bangalore Aviation’s a very happy Thanksgiving. While Thanksgiving is not often celebrated in India, here in the US it is considered one of the four “big” holidays along with July 4th, Christmas, and New Years. Thanksgiving’s origins date back to the late 1600s, when British colonists used a celebration to …

A little over a month ago, we opined that Kingfisher’s announced withdrawal from the low cost segment would most likely lead to an enforced fleet reduction at the beleagured carrier. It appears our fears are coming true, The airline announced that lessor AerCap Holdings N.V. of the Netherlands will be taking back possession of two aircraft. In a statement spokespersons …

Airbus has commenced the final assembly of the first A380 destined for Thai Airways. The airframe entered the Airbus Final Assembly Line in Toulouse on November 23rd, 2011. Now all the various sections of the airframe will be attached together. Thai will become the ninth operator of the A380 superjumbo when it takes delivery late next year.

Five classic videos from yesteryears, featuring the famous Singapore Girl air hostesses, today called cabin crew, of Singapore Airlines.

In tribute and thanks to my dear friend and spotter guru M. Azizul Islam who is based in London but originally from Bangladesh. One of the most helpful people I have even had the pleasure of meeting in my lifetime. So here is for your enjoyment Aziz-da.

Apparently the fallout from Kingfisher’s sudden cancellation of flights a couple of weeks ago has not yet ended. A report from airlineroute.net shows that Kingfisher may be cancelling a few additional domestic flights. The following destinations will be cancelled outright; some of these were not currently operated but rather placed into the GDS. Destinations are spread out across India, but …

India has the world’s fastest growing airline sector – yes faster than even the Gulf, much of whose traffic is again driven by India. Year on year growth is 17%. Despite this, in its 100th year, the civil aviation sector in India is in near total financial chaos. Air India is a political plaything that has no business being a …

The first international Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, designated BK-1, and destined for the United Kingdom, rolled out of the airframer’s Fort Worth, Texas factory Sunday evening. The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence will use the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) jet, for training and operational tests. BK-1 will undergo functional fuel system checks before being transported to the flight line …

It appears that India’s largest carrier, Jet Airways, is heading in a similar direction of financial distress like its full service counterparts Air India and Kingfisher Airlines. A dirty and unwashed Boeing 777 of Jet Airways arrives at Mumbai from London. Reuters is reporting that Jet Airways reported to the Bombay Stock Exchange that its auditors, in a report dated …

Airbus has completed installation of the first set of ‘Sharklet’ wing-tip devices on the company’s A320 development aircraft (MSN 001), preparing for the flight-test campaign in the coming weeks. Update Nov 22, 2011  One more high-resolution picture added with correction for the ultra wide angle. Photo is copyright Airbus S.A.S.

In the wake of Kingfisher’s unprecedented cancellations last week, we here at Bangalore Aviation wanted to take a look at some potential issues that haven’t been brought up regarding Kingfisher’s long term viability. In light of reports that Kingfisher is close to a US $370 million equity deal with a large private investor and banking consortium, it is helpful to …

© Kenny Janssens Jet Airways has become the second airline in India to cross the century mark by taking delivery of the 100th aircraft in its fleet – a Boeing 737-800 equipped with the Sky Interior (see interior images here), tail number VT-JBV. The aircraft which was delivered by Boeing on November 15, 2011, is leased to Jet by GECAS …

India’s leading low fare carrier and second largest domestic carrier IndiGo has launched a new TV commercial patterned after a Broadway muscial. Called the world’s first Runway Musical the fast-paced theatrical uses extreme choreography to represent the operational excellence required to make flights run on time. The ad was produced in Los Angeles, California, under the direction of Steven Antin, …

Today’s episode features Boeing heavy aircraft at Bengaluru International Airport, Bangalore. Three freighters — Lufthansa Cargo MD-11F, Singapore Airlines Cargo Boeing 744F MegaArk, AeroLogic Boeing 777F and a British Airways Boeing 747-400 heavily loaded with a full load of passengers, their baggage, and tanks full of fuel for its 11 hour flight to London Heathrow. Observe the steep climb angle …