Yearly Archives: 2016

Video: Painting of TruJet’s first ATR 72-600

Trujet ATR 72-500 VT-TMU. ATR Image.

Regional carrier Trujet has taken delivery of it’s first ATR 72-600. The aircraft bearing the registration VT-TMC will join the airline’s existing fleet of three ATR 72-500’s (212A). The aircraft is configured with 70 seats with the new Armonia cabin. Trujet has leased the aircraft from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE). Umesh Vankayalapati, Managing Director, Trujet “We are pleased to introduce …

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Photos: Onboard Qatar’s “All Buisness” Airbus A319

An all business class aircraft is a rare sight amongst the world’s airplanes. While it’s not unheard of for a carrier to operate a all business flight – British Airways A318’s from London City to New York and Singapore Airline’s now discontinued A340 service to the US being some of the well known examples, it is a rare configuration. Qatar …

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Amazing videos of Aerosucre Colombia Boeing 727 crash

Aerosucre Boeing 727-200F freighter HK-4465. This image is licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0 license. Image copyright www.aeroprints.com

An Aerosucre Colombia Boeing 727-200 freighter, registration HK-4544, crashed at Puerto Carreno airport when attempting to take-off. These videos show how the plane does not lift-off the runway, crashes through the fence, struggles to climb, and then crashes a few minutes later. Reports indicate five of the six crew perished. Four at the scene, and one later in the hospital. …

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Eithad Group and Lufthansa Group agree on leasing and code-share pact

Line up of Lufthansa aircraft at the Terminal 2 satellite. Munich Airport Image.

Etihad Airways and Lufthansa German Airlines have agreed to codeshare flights and lease aircraft. Codeshare is where one airline puts its flight code on a flight operated by the other. Lufthansa will place its ‘LH’ airline code on the twice daily flights operated by Etihad Airways (code ‘EY’) between Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt and the twice daily flights between Abu …

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Bangalore Aviation named India’s top aviation blog, 11th globally

Bangalore Aviation named as top aviation blog in India

Feedspot, a global RSS blog feed aggregator has named Bangalore Aviation as India’s top aviation blog in its list of ‘Best Aviation Blogs on the Planet‘. Globally, we are ranked at 11, and in illustrious company. The ranking has come totally out of the blue, as we did not even know we were being judged. In 2009, we were on …

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Pictures: F-22A Raptor and F-35 Lightning II at RIAT 2016

The US Air Force F-22A Raptor and F-35A Lightning II fly in formation.

At this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo held at RAF Fairford, the US military was displaying two of it’s most advanced fighter aircraft – the Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. The F-22 was born out of the US Air Force’s Advanced Tactical Fighter program. The program began in 1981 with the goal to develop …

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Singapore Airlines adds prem. economy on Houston Machester route with A350

Singapore Airline's India country head David Lau demonstrates the new premium economy seat

Flag carrier Singapore Airlines will upgrade its Singapore Manchester Houston Intercontinental service to its newest aircraft the Airbus A350-900 starting January 17 2017. The airline currently flies a Boeing 777-300ER on the route. The A350 will add a 24 seat premium economy (PE) class on the route while removing the under-used first class. The aircraft will additionally offer a 42 …

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Jet and Delta tie-up JetPrivilege and SkyMiles frequent flyer programs

Three Jet Airways Aircraft standing at Schiphol, Amsterdam Airport on arrival from Mumbai, Delhi and Toronto

Deepening its partnership, India’s Jet Airways has partnered its frequent flier program JetPrivilege with Delta Air Lines’ SkyMiles. The two programs has discontinued their partnership in 2012. JetPrivilege members can earn and redeem JPMiles on Delta’s entire network of 323 destinations in 57 countries across six continents, as per the table below. Delta operates over 15,000 flights, daily, from its …

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Mumbai airport first in India to introduce self baggage drop

One of he SITA Scan and Fly units deployed at Mumbai airport's Terminal 2.

Mumbai Airport has become the first Indian airport to introduce a self drop facility for check in bags. The airport has deployed SITA’s Scan&Fly bag drop units, which will allow passengers whom have checked in online to tag and drop their baggage themselves before proceeding to the gate. The self drop facility is available to passengers of Air India, Jet …

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Inflight Review: British Airways: World Traveller Plus: 777-200ER: Bangalore – London

British Airways Boeing 777-200ER G-VIIA

It had been a good 11 years since I had last flown British Airways (BA), an experience, in my early teen years, I had vowed to never repeat. July may be the worst time to buy tickets to Europe, and the Farnborough Air Show ensures fares are high across the board. Additionally, since I was gunning for oneworld status, my …

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Boeing finalizes $16.6 billion deal with Iran Air

Iran Air Boeing 747SP EP-IAB. Taxing down the runway at Mumbai Airport. Photo copyright Vedant Agarwal.

American air framer, Boeing has finalized an agreement with Iran Air for 80 aircraft that includes 50 737 MAX 8s, 15 777-300ERs and 15 777-9s. The deal is valued at $16.6 billion at current list prices. The deal which was first announced in June and finalized on Sunday, has come just as the political atmosphere in the US is changing. …

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Emirates’ new Jennifer Aniston advert focuses on all classes not just first

In the past few months, India has been bombarded with an advertising blitz by Dubai-based Emirates airlines, showing off its economy class. What many in India are missing, is the latest edition Emirates advertisement starring Hollywood superstar, Jennifer Aniston. Unlike the earlier 2015 ad which focussed on the first class section of the flagship of the airline, the Airbus A380 …

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Boeing begins final assembly of the 787-10

The first 787-10 fuselage beginning final assembly. Boeing Image.

American airframer, Boeing has begun final assembly of the 787-10 at it’s North Charleston plant. The 787-10 is a 18 foot stretch of the 787-9. The -10 will maintain a 95% commonality with it’s smaller sibling and will carry 40 more passengers to a maximum listed range of 6430 nm, as against 8500 nm of the 787-9. The first 787-10 …

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Photos: Night spotting at Bangalore Airport

View of part of the ramp at Bangalore Airport at night.

A couple of weeks back thanks to the BIAL and the Aviation Photographers India, I had the opportunity to go airside at Bangalore Airport and do some night photography. Most of Bangalore’s international traffic operates at night and hence the night is a great time to see different airline’s apart from the regular Indigo, Jet and Emirates. Aside from the …

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Boeing delivers it’s 500th and Air France’s first Dreamliner

Air France F-HRBA Boeing 787-9. Boeing Image.

American airframer Boeing has delivered the French flag carrier Air France’s first 787. The aircraft, a Boeing 787-9, registered F-HRBA is the 500th 787 to be built and is also lessor AerCap’s 50th Dreamliner. Air France will deploy it’s first dreamliner on the Paris to Cairo route in January. The Air France-KLM Group has ordered a total of 18 787-9s …

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Jet Airways leverages partnerships to broaden global network

Jet Airways Airbus A330-300 VT-JWQ. Image copyright Vedant Agarwal.

In 2012, in an exclusive interview with Bangalore Aviation, then Boeing India boss Dr. Dinesh Keskar advocated the need for both national carrier Air India, and India’s largest private airline, Jet Airways, to dramatically scale up their networks to utilise their widebody fleet (Boeing 777s, 787s, Airbus A330s) effectively. (Read the interview here, and Dr. Keskar’s advice is towards the …

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Bombardier delivers first CS300 to AirBaltic

Canadian airframer, Bombardier has delivered it’s first CS300 aircraft to the launch customer, Latvian flag carrier AirBaltic. The carrier will launch its first CS300 flight from Riga to Amsterdam on 14 December. The CS300 will replace the carrier’s aging Boeing 737-300 and -500 aircraft and join it’s existing fleet of 12 Q400’s. The CS300 is the larger variant in Bombardier’s …

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In pictures: Airbus A350-1000 completes maiden flight

Airbus A350-1000 takes off for its first flight at Toulouse Blagnac airport, France November 24, 2016

The first Airbus A350-1000, the longest variant of the A350 family of widebody aircraft performed its first flight, at Toulouse, France, yesterday. The six person crew took MSN059 into the skies at 09:42 UTC. Test pilots Hugues van der Stichel and Frank Chapman, in cockpit flight test engineer Gerard Maisonneuve, flight test engineers Emanuele Costanzo, Patrick du Che, and Stephane …

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Boeing names GE’s Kevin McAllister to succeed Ray Connor, forms services unit

The MAX 8 is sporting the 100 years of Boeing Decal.

US airframer Boeing, has named GE Aviation’s Kevin G. McAllister as president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), to succeed current CEO and company Vice Chairman Ray Conner. The company also formalised a new business unit, Boeing Global Services (BGS) which will be formed from the existing customer services groups within the company’s commercial airplanes and defence, space and …

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Indigo Q2 fiscal 2017 results analysis – Capacity affects yields and profits

IndiGo first A320neo VT-ITC touches down at New Delhi's IGI airport after a non-stop flight from Toulouse, France

IndiGo reported its second quarter (ending September 30) results for the fiscal year ending March 31 2017 (FY2017). With earnings of Rs 139.8 crores, the results yet again failed to meet analysts’ expectations. As reported earlier, intense competition in the market, consistent fare sales and aggressive capacity addition have added to the revenue pressures. Key numbers Passenger Revenue – Rs. …

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