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Emirates has unveiled plans to launch direct services between Dubai and Tokyo which will be the 102nd destination for the Dubai based carrier. At present, Emirates operates daily services to Osaka which was launched seven years ago. Starting 28th March 2010, Emirates will fly non-stop to Tokyo five times a week on every Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The …

Thanks to a technology based economy (sorry world, but Bangalore is a lot more than just BPO outsourcing), Bangalore has always been a preferred destination for air cargo. Bio-technology, electronics, aviation, pharmaceuticals, high-end precision engineering, floriculture, fresh produce, and the outsourcing industry which buys tons of imported computers, ensure that Bangalore is the leading hub for air cargo in Southern …

Bahrain based Gulf Air had suspended it’s Bahrain Bangalore service in March this year. It resumed the service recently on October 24, and the resumption reached an unhappy situation last night. A driver of Gulf Air’s ground handling agent GlobeGround India drove his step-ladder in to the rear horizontal stabiliser of their Airbus A320-212 registration A9C-EN, damaging and grounding the …

Boeing delivered a 777-300ER (Extended Range) to Philippine Airlines (PAL) via leasing company GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS). Aircraft registration RP-C7777. Click on image for high res view. Boeing image. The new airplane is the first 777 to join PAL’s fleet and is one of two leased 777-300ERs the airline will deploy on its international routes. In addition the airline …

Today seems to be a day for Boeing 747 images. Boeing moved the first 747-8 Freighter out of the paint hangar in Everett, USA, sporting a special “light” livery, which is white with blue accents. Click on image for high resolution view. Image courtesy Boeing It features an oversized “8” on the background of the tail as well as “747-8” …

One of the better pictures I have taken. This Saudi Arabian Boeing 747-168 HZ-AID lifts off in the late evening carrying pilgrims for the Haj. Click on the image for a larger view and to see the minute details like the thrust of the jets. As usual comments and feedback is always welcome.

Toulouse, France based Airbus S.A.S. has commenced the Dubai Air Show 2009 with a slew of orders. Ethiopian Airlines has today ordered 12 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft, bringing total orders for the A350 XWB family to 505. The airline will operate the A350s from their hub in Addis Ababa on routes to Europe, the US and Asia. Luxury charter company …

For Mashable, the ultimate social media guide, Shashank Nigam the CEO of SimpliFlying.com, an award-winning blog on airline branding prepared a list of 28 Awesome Aviation Pros on Twitter which includes Bangalore Aviation. No one knows Indian aviation better than Devesh Aggarwal. Once a million-miler with Singapore Airlines, he’s now based out of Bangalore and runs the Bangalore Aviation blog. …

Airbus has launched its version of the large wingtip devices called “Sharklet” for the A320 family. These devices are very similar looking to the AVP winglets found on the Boeing 737NG family. Airbus A320 “Sharklets” with CFM engines Offered as a forward-fit option, Sharklets are specially designed to enhance the eco-efficiency and payload-range performance of the A320 Family of aircraft …

Following recent successful development testing, “Brake-To-Vacate” (BTV) and “Runway Overrun Warning and Prevention” (ROW/ROP) have both been approved and certified for the Airbus A380 by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). BTV is an Airbus innovation in pilot aid to ease airport congestion and improve runway turnaround time, and ROW/ROP addresses runway excursion risk at landing. Both BTV and ROW/ROP …

New Delhi is famous for it’s winter fog which wreaks havoc on all transport especially air travel. To minimize inconvenience to passengers and ensure continuity of operations during poor visibility conditions at IGI Airport, Delhi International Airport (P) Limited (DIAL) has initiated several proactive measures. City Side At the domestic airport, the traffic circulation plan has been modified as a …

The uber-cheap Ryanair has some great assets — it’s sexy sexy cabin crew. Over 800 of the airline’s 4000 cabin crew volunteered to strip off their uniforms and bare for the 2010 Ryanair Cabin Crew Charity Calendar. The airline launched its Charity Calendar which it hopes will raise €110,000 for the UK charity “KIDS” which provides support to disabled children …

Late yesterday, Boeing towed the first 747-8 Freighter out of the factory in Everett, Washington state, USA. The airplane, ultimately destined for Cargolux, will be painted and begin preparations for flight test. The 747-8 Freighter is latest avatar of the venerable 747 Jumbo Jet. It is 250 feet, 2 inches (76.3 m) long, which is 18 feet and 4 inches …

Jet Airways has announced that it will launch a daily flight between Mumbai and the Nepali capital Kathmandu from December 2, 2009. The airline currently operates six days a week flights between New Delhi and Kathmandu which will be enhanced to a daily from November 17, 2009. The Mumbai-Kathmandu service will be operated by the Boeing 737 aircraft. Flight 9W …

Delhi based value carrier SpiceJet announced a special offer to commemorate Children’s Day. Children under 12 years of age will fly free on all bookings done on November 13 and 14, 2009. Only the statutory charges ranging between Rs 229~Rs 604 will be charged. A special bag of goodies await all children who fly any SpiceJet flight on November 14, …

Boeing delivered to Korean Air the carrier’s 25th 777, a 777-300ER (Extended Range) registration HL7784. It also marks the first 777 delivered to Guggenheim Aviation Partners who will lease the aircraft to Korean Air. Guggenheim is scheduled to take delivery of an additional five 777s.Image courtesy Boeing

In the hours following the crash of Kingfisher Airlines ATR-72-500 VT-KAC at Mumbai yesterday, as usual the mainstream media went on a feeding frenzy with all kinds of speculative reports, most of which are completely inaccurate. Kingfisher Airlines has been forced to issue a statement in an attempt to quell these wild speculations. Normally Bangalore Aviation does not reproduce complete …

Last month on 9th October returning from a business trip, I boarded Thai Airways flight TG236 a nice Boeing 777-200ER registration HS-TJS from Hat Yai bound for Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Normally this one and a half hour flight is a rather uneventful, even boring experience, but this flight turned out to be anything but that, and with some valuable …

A Kingfisher Airlines Aerospatiale ATR-72-500, registration VT-KAC performing flight IT-4124 from Bhavnagar skidded off the runway and crashed at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) at 16:40 local (11:10Z). 42 passengers and 4 crew were evacuated safely, no injuries occurred to the passengers and crew. It appears the plane overran the runway, skidded and came to rest on soft ground …

I am frequently asked “what is the joying of spotting?” to which I reply “each aircraft has a history and a story to tell. At first glance there is nothing out of the ordinary about this photo of Srilankan Airlines Airbus A320-232 registration 4R-ABH arriving at Bangalore. This is the ONLY -232 in the UL fleet. So what? one might …