Cathay Pacific Becomes Asia’s Largest Operator of the 777-300ER

On September 28th, Hong Kong-based airline, Cathay Pacific, received its 53rd and final 777-300ER from Boeing, making them the largest operator of the widebody aircraft in Asia. The aircraft, registered as B-HNR, arrived at its new base after completing a delivery flight from Everett, Washington under the callsign CX3339. Boeing began delivery of the 53 aircraft back […]

Lady Penelope Arrives in Goodyear, Leaves a Legacy Behind

At 4:45 p.m. ET, Virgin Atlantic ferried G-VFAB “Lady Penelope” from Las Vegas to Goodyear for her final flight. The Boeing 747-4Q8 first became airborne on April 14th, 1994, and would go onto serving Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic for 21 years. The aircraft operated its last revenue flight as VS46 on September 22nd between […]

Boeing Begins Building a Foundation in China

This week Boeing has announced it will open a new completion center for its Boeing 737s in China. The new plant will be jointly run by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, known as Comac, and Boeing which will see the installation of interiors, painting, and ultimately the delivery of the narrow body aircraft to Chinese customers. […]

Finnair Targets First A350 Flight to the United States

Finland’s flag carrier, Finnair, is hoping to become the first airline to operate its Airbus A350-900XWB to the United States. The airline is expecting to begin service to New York’s JFK in December, with discussions between the airline and the airport on-going, details are expected to be confirmed within the next month. The route is currently […]

First 787-9 Arrival Highlights British Airways’ Continuation of its Fleet Restructure

The near arrival of the British Airway’s first Boeing 787-9 this month (G-ZBKA), the second generation of the Dreamliner series, highlights progressive steps the airline is taking to ensure that its fleet remains competitive among the major carriers in terms of fuel efficiency and passenger experience. Seen to be the replacement for the airline’s Boeing 767s, where […]

Finnair’s First A350 XWB Makes Its Maiden Flight

Finland’s flag carrier Finnair has seen its first Airbus A350-900 XWB embark on its maiden flight out of Toulouse. The aircraft, registered F-WZFM, took off at 11:20UTC on September 16th from Airbus’ headquarters in southern France before conducting its initial flight tests lasting around six hours. The airline will become the first European carrier to operate the […]

TAM Airlines Becomes Fourth Airbus A350 Operator

Airbus rolled out its fourth livery for its Airbus A350 Extra Wide Body (XWB) aircraft today, sporting TAM Airlines’ colors. TAM will be the A350-900’s fourth operator, after Qatar Airways, Vietnam Airlines and Finnair. The Brazilian airline, which expects 27 deliveries of this high demand airplane, will receive the first aircraft PR-XTA in December after the completion of engine […]

American Uses Wrong Aircraft to Fly to Hawaii

Just this weekend news emerged that American Airlines Flight 31 performed service from Los Angeles International Airport to Honolulu International Airport without its mandatory Extended Twin-Engine Operational Performance Standards (ETOPS) rating. The aircraft, an Airbus A321-200 registered as N137AA, flew the route with no issues. However, upon arrival the crew realized that they flew the 3000km journey […]

The 777-200: A Recap of Recent Incidents

Since Tuesday’s accident  at McCarran International in Las Vegas the 777-200 has been involved in fourteen prior aviation accidents and incidents since its first flight back in 1994. As of today, over 1200 Boeing 777 aircraft are in active service, flying for more than 50 airlines. Out of the fourteen occurrences, complete hull-loss accounts for six of […]

The U.K.’s Busiest Airport in Limbo: What’s Next?

The United Kingdom’s largest airport, London Heathrow, has been running at almost full capacity since the ability for cheap air travel was created back in the 1960s. While many plans have been drawn up, scrapped and revised, few solutions have truly come together to create an efficient system for providing air service to the 15th […]