Orlando's Mitsubishi Crystal Mover (Photo: Ian McMurtry | AirlineGeeks)
In yet another twist to what has been a wild week of travel in the United States following the holiday season, the FAA issued a ground stop at every Florida airport on Monday.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told WESH 2, an Orlando based network that “The FAA has slowed the volume of traffic into Florida airspace due to an air traffic computer issue that is being resolved…The ERAM system is a modern computer system at the air traffic centers that handle en route traffic.”
The ground stop was quickly resolved but by then the damage had been done. Flights are now reported to be slowly trickling out of Florida airports but the lingering effects from the stop that lasted more than 2 hours will likely be felt across the country especially on the East coast where hundreds of aircraft make their way up and down every day.
Airlines said little about the issue given that it is largely out of their control but American Airlines, Miami’s biggest carrier said on Twitter that “The ground stop for all Florida airports is affecting all carriers in and out of the area due to an issue at the MIA ATC control center.” There was no further explanation from the FAA or Miami Airport, seemingly the center point of the stoppage on what exactly went wrong though an investigation will likely be done once things have settled.
FlightRadar24 is reporting flights having an average delay of about 40 minutes at Miami International as of 4 PM EST with the same going for Orlando International Airport. Flights departing the two hubs are experiencing very little delays as of now likely as a result of arriving flights being held in their origin airport during the stop or required to enter holding patterns depending on location.
The delays were certainly not received well on social media by many passengers who had experienced unprecedented delays and cancellations by Southwest Airlines last week as a result of a technical infrastructure breakdown that sent the airlines’ entire operation into a complete tailspin.
Today’s malfunction in Florida could be a combination of both a high density of private aircraft following the holiday season along with air traffic control systems that could be in need of a refresh in order to accommodate ever-growing demand. Further information will likely be released in the coming weeks with hopes of being able to avoid such a delay but for the time being things look to be returning to normal with decreasing delays. It is recommended that passengers always check with their airline for the latest up to date information.
Ezra Gollan is a student, photographer and aviation enthusiast based in New York, New York. He has spent over half a decade around New York City’s airports as a photographer.
NATO Pipeline Supplying Brussels Airport To Be Used To Transport SAF
As of Jan. 1, Brussels Airport became the first Belgian airport to be fully supplied with kerosene through the NATO pipeline. The NATO Pipeline System (NPS or CEPS – Central Europe Pipeline System) was created during the Cold War to supply NATO forces with fuel and to meet the needs demanded by the Western security environment. The NPS consists of ten separate fuel and lubricant storage and distribution systems. In total, it is about 10,000 kilometers long, runs through 12 NATO countries, and has a storage capacity of 4.1 million cubic meters.
From now on, sustainable aviation fuels can also be supplied quickly and ecologically through this system to the Belgian airport. This is an important step to increase the use of sustainable fuels in the coming years and reduce CO2 emissions.
The first batch of sustainable aviation fuel transported through the NPS was transported by Brussels Airlines to Brussels Airport, and loaded into the first symbolic SAF flight from Brussels to Malaga on the first day of 2023. Thanks to NATO’s cooperation, Brussels Airlines is the first airline to fly with SAF transported through the pipeline system.
“To meet our climate goals, we will need to dramatically increase the use of alternatives to fossil fuels in the coming years. In addition to fleet renewal, sustainable aviation fuel is the most effective tool currently available to reduce aviation emissions. Together with the Lufthansa Group, we have been investing in the production and use of SAF for several years now. The fact that we can now transport sustainable aviation fuel from the blending plant to our aircraft at Brussels Airport quickly and in an environmentally friendly way is an important step toward increasing its use in the near future,” said Peter Gerber, CEO of Brussels Airlines.
The use of SAF reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent (when used in pure, unblended form) compared to using fossil aviation fuel. The Neste MY sustainable aviation fuel used by Brussels Airlines is produced from waste and residual feedstock from 100% sustainable and renewable sources, including used cooking oil and animal fat waste. Brussels Airlines purchased 2,000 barrels of 1,000 liters each with a 38% SAF blend for this pilot project. The sustainable aviation fuel was transported by Brussels Airlines from Neste blending facilities in Ghent via the CEPS pipeline to the fuel storage facility at Brussels Airport on January 1 just after midnight, allowing Brussels Airlines to operate its first flights with SAF on January 1.
The European Commission is working on imposing an SAF use requirement of 2 percent from 2025 and 5 percent from 2030. Brussels Airport is aiming for a target of 5 percent SAF by 2026 as part of the Stargate project. To promote the collection of raw materials for SAF, an awareness campaign will also be carried out to inform and sensitize the public to collect more used frying oil for SAF production.
Vincenzo graduated in 2019 in Mechanical Engineering with an aeronautical curriculum, focusing his thesis on Human Factors in aircraft maintenance. In 2022 he pursued his master's degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Palermo, Italy. He combines his journalistic activities with his work as a Reliability Engineer at Zetalab.
An Estelar Boeing 737 in Caracas.
(Photo: Aviacionline)
On December 27, 2022, the Venezuelan Aviation Authority issued a statement confirming that Estelar Airlines was not authorized to fly to Bogota. In September last year, the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC) added Colombia on its list of countries authorized for regular passenger operations to Venezuela.
The Venezuelan airline had placed the Caracas (CCS) – Bogota (BOG) route for sale through its website and regular channels. After the announcement of the Colombian authority, the company was forced to transfer its operations to Turpial Airlines, to temporarily cover its operations in the Colombian capital.
Estelar issued a statement regarding the status of its services to Colombia:
“According to a series of meetings held between the Government of Venezuela and Colombia, where points of the reactivation of the air travel between both nations were discussed and it was agreed that Estelar would be the second airline to operate the route Caracas (CCS) – Bogota (BOG) – Caracas (CCS).
Aerolineas Estelar S.A. According to this information requested non-scheduled flights in the mentioned route with the due documentation before the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC) and the Civil Aeronautics of Colombia. The airline received approval from INAC, however on December 21 the company submitted its request to the Colombian authorities, which is currently under evaluation and analysis.
For this reason, the airline has decided to cancel its operations to the Colombian capital as from January 4 and all tickets issued will be cancelled. Once approval has been obtained from the Colombian regulator, it will resume services on the route.”
Currently, the airlines authorized by Aerocivil to fly between Colombia and Venezuela are Wingo, LATAM, Avianca, Laser, Avior, Turpial Airlines and Satena. The uncertainty regarding Caracas-Bogota operations has become a comedy act since the restart of the aerial link was first announced.
This article was originally published by Rainer Nieves Dolande on Aviacionline in syndication with AirlineGeeks.
A Philippine Airlines aircraft. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the gateway to Philippines, has fallen at the first hurdle in 2023. Thousands of passengers were left stranded in the airport on the New Year’s day due to a power outage.
According to Cesar Chiong, General Manager of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), the failure of primary and secondary power supply resulted in the outage at the airport. The own power system was introduced in 2018. The cause of the incident is being determined but the government has ruled out sabotage.
Jaime Bautista, Philippine Transportation Secretary, has apologized for the inconvenience caused to the affected passengers. During the power outage, the air traffic control center has lost communication.
“If you will compare (our airport) with Singapore’s, for one, there is a big difference – they are at least 10 years ahead of us., Bautista said.
As a result of the incident, some flights have cancelled, diverted and delayed. Qantas is among the affected airline as the QF 19, from Sydney to Manila, forced to return to Sydney. The passengers have suffered a 10 and half hours delay.
“All airlines were prevented from arriving into Manila on Sunday afternoon as local authorities closed the local airspace,” Qantas said in a statement.
MIAA said an estimated 65,000 passengers were affected by the incident and need to take around 72 hours for the airlines to normalize their operations.
Philippine Airlines said the power failure created a domino effect, delaying the flights scheduled on the following day, it will take some time to fully restore normal schedule. In the wake of NAIA set a maximum of 15 arrivals per hour instead of 20, the flag carrier could not restart its full operation.
Cebu Pacific Airways, the budget airline in the country, has cancelled 259 flights, affecting 26,253 passengers. The glitch led to a cancellation of 75 flights on the following day.
In response to the power failure, Bureau of Immigration have deployed sufficient personnel at the airports across the country.
New Airport Launch in 2027
The technical issue has raised concerned about the facility of Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The airport is best known for its overcrowded, delays and reach its capacity before the pandemic. The new airport could be the only solution to the country. Philippine started building a new airport in 2019. Earlier, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced that the New Manila International Airport is aimed to be launched by 2027.
The new airport is located at 35 kilometers north of Manila and design the capacity up to 100 million passengers annually. The current airport is maximum with 31 million passengers but handled 45 million in 2018. San Miguel Corp. invested in the new airport on its own and will be granted a 50-year concession period.
LATAM Ecuador modified its schedule on January 2, an action that will allow the airline to connect the south of Ecuador with the recently inaugurated flights to Miami (MIA).
“It is an important step to start with this connection, in this way we internationalize the air service of Cuenca with the different cities of the world and also the possibility of increasing frequencies and routes,” said Boris Palacios, General Coordinator of Mobility of the Municipality of Cuenca.
The necessary adjustments were made to cover 100% of air operations at Cuenca’s Mariscal La Mar airport, both in infrastructure and operating personnel, and the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) was requested to extend the aerodrome’s schedule from 06:00 to 22:00 (local time) starting November 5, 2022.
Flight Itinerary
Cuenca (CUE) to Quito (UIO) flight LA 1400/1401/1406 CUE 06:10 – 06:58 UIO.
Quito (UIO) to Miami (MIA) flight LA 1454 UIO 08:30 – 12:45 MIA.
Miami (MIA) to Quito (UIO) flight LA 1453 MIA 14:35 – 18:55 UIO.
Quito (UIO) to Cuenca (CUE) flight LA 1405/1407/1409 UIO 20:25 – 21:20 UIO.
The operations between Cuenca and Quito are operated daily by Airbus A319 aircraft, with capacity for 144 passengers, for an offer of 1,008 seats per leg.
On the other hand, Miami and Quito are connected by Airbus A320 aircraft with capacity for 174 passengers, offering 1,218 seats per leg.
Passengers will complete immigration formalities in the city of Quito, while they will deliver and receive their luggage directly at the Cuenca terminal.
LATAM Ecuador operations
LATAM is the largest airline in Ecuador, with 5 international and 9 domestic routes to 12 destinations, with a fleet of Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft.
According to information obtained by Cirium, by January 2023, the company represents 44% of the share in terms of seat supply in the country.
The United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority granted ZeroAvia permission to start testing its retrofitted Dornier 228 aircraft. The plane is now equipped with prototype hydrogen-powered engines.
“Earning our full Part 21 permit to fly with the CAA is a critical milestone as we develop a zero-emission aviation propulsion system that will be the most environmental and economical solution to the industry’s climate impact. We’re going to be starting 2023 in the best way possible, by demonstrating through flight that true zero-emission commercial flight is much closer than many think.” Founder and CEO of ZeroAvia Val Mifthakov said in a company statement.
The company will begin test flights with their Dornier 228 as early as January and it will be the largest aircraft ever to fly using hydrogen-electric power. If successful, according to ZeroAvia
“It will pave the way for a commercially certifiable configuration for ZA600 to be submitted by the end of 2023, ahead of delivering powertrains for the first commercial routes for 9-19 seat aircraft to commence by 2025. With 1,500 engines under pre-order, partnerships with seven aircraft manufacturers and multiple fuel and airport partnerships, ZeroAvia is well positioned to lead the industry’s transformation to a clean future.”
ZeroAvia claims to be the leader in zero-emission aviation and is hoping to bring 9-19 seat commercial airliners to market by 2025 with further goals to follow.
According to ZeroAvia’s website the so-called “HyFlyer II Project” will see “ZeroAvia develop a certifiable hydrogen-electric powertrain that can power airframes carrying up to 19 passengers. To do this, it will collaborate with two partners, the European Marine Energy Centre and Aeristech. The HyFlyer II project will conclude with another world’s first hydrogen-electric flight by ZeroAvia in a 19-seat aircraft, with a 300-nautical mile flight in 2023. The HyFlyer II project is part-funded by the UK Government’s Aerospace Technology Institute’s (ATI) programme, supported by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Innovate UK”
Hydrogen electric flight is still very much in its infancy but if ZeroAvia can pull off a scalable hydrogen engine they could very much revolutionize the aviation industry. Their hopes don’t seem to involve larger aircraft in the short to mid-term but rather they are attempting to employ short-haul prop planes
An Ethiopian Boeing 737 MAX departs after delivery from Boeing Field (Photo: Boeing)
The Ethiopian Accident Investigation Board recently released the final report on the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max.
Released on Friday (December 23), the state investigators in their final report on ET302 confirm that a software bug is the main cause of the 2019 Boeing 737 Max crash.
The Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for Nairobi crashed six minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa, southeast of the Ethiopian capital, killing all 157 passengers and crew.
Consistent with the preliminary report, the final report confirmed that the angle-of-attack sensor on the left side of the aircraft “failed immediately after takeoff, sending erroneous data to the flight control system,” said Dagmawit Moges, Ethiopia’s minister of transport.
The erroneous data triggered the MCAS flight control system, which repeatedly pointed the plane’s nose down until the pilots lost control of the plane, she said. The report should be public in the coming days.
In the aftermath of the crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302, there is discord between investigative authorities in Ethiopia and the United States.
The NTSB wrote in a statement that it took the unusual route of publishing the comments on Ethiopia’s report on its own website because the Ethiopian authorities did not include them in its report.
The NTSB also noted with concern that the EAIB final report included significant changes from the last draft the EAIB provided the NTSB.
Bird Strike As a Possible Factor
While the investigators in Ethiopia identified the malfunction of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System MCAS as the cause of the accident, the NTSB agrees that in the United States, too, the faulty system inputs that led to the nosedive are believed to be the primary cause.
However, the authority’s statement states that the Ethiopian colleagues fail to mention other relevant factors.
The NTSB points out that bird strikes could also have played a role. Incidents involving birds damaging planes at Addis Ababa airport are frequent.
Apparently, the collision with a bird could have damaged the sensor that fed the MCAS erroneous input.
For example, Collins Aerospace, the manufacturer of the plane’s sensor, has said the flight data recorder readings are similar to previous cases of damage from a bird strike.
Crew Performace Not Discussed
In addition, the Ethiopian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau did not take into account that the aircraft would have remained controllable despite the MCAS malfunction if the crew had reduced the thrust manually and used the manual electrical trim appropriately.
Ethiopian Airlines received corresponding instructions from the USA months before the accident.
“The lack of information about flight crew performance limits the ability to address broader and equally important safety issues,” the NTSB release said.
However, data to analyze the pilots’ performance throughout the flight was actually readily available.
No Complete Transcript of the Voice Recorder
The US agency also criticizes the fact that the report does not contain a complete transcript of the data from the cockpit voice recorder.
“The current presentation of the transcript prevents one from obtaining a full and objective understanding of the event,” the NTSB concluded. It also accuses the Ethiopian counterpart of making false statements.
The adjustments that Boeing implemented on the 737 Max 8 have not received final approval, NTSB said.
Misleading Statements
Boeing’s failure to properly respond to Ethiopian Airlines’ request for more information about the MCAS following the October 2018 Lion Air 737 Max crash is also not factual.
According to the NTSB, on December 3, 2018, Boeing provided specific guidance on how to deal with uncontrolled stabilizer trim movements for all operators of the model to supplement the previously released operations manual.
Victor Shalton's love for aviation can be traced to when he was 11-years-old. As a seasoned aviation writer, he takes pride in providing the best aviation coverage around the globe and is passionate about advancing his skills in the aviation space. In addition, he loves travelling, writing, arts and while his speaking engagements have taken him around the world, he is proud to call Nairobi home.
Deplaning onto the ramp in Paris (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Paris, France-based Frenchbee was founded in 2016, originally under the name Frenchblue, and under the leadership of founder Marc Rochet, the airline has grown to six routes worldwide with four of them being routes from France to the United States, the fifth one being the United States to Tahiti, and the sixth route being Paris to the French Réunion Island.
The inaugural flight of their route to Miami, which this trip report is about, lines up with the delivery of the airline’s second Airbus A350-1000 which will initially be used on routes to Réunion. The new flight from Miami to Paris-Orly began on Dec. 15, 2022 and will operate three times a week on board the carrier’s 411-seat Airbus A350-900. The airline hopes to attract more leisure travelers as their chosen hub airport, Paris-Orly, is closer to downtown and Paris landmarks than the much larger Charles De Gaulle.
Day of the Flight
On the morning of the flight, I was coming from another airport within south Florida so I arrived much earlier than most would. I arrived roughly five hours before the 9 P.M. departure time. Frenchbee passengers should enter through door 13 in Terminal E at Miami Intl. and have a check-in area near JetBlue, Cayman Airways, Surinam Airways, and Royal Air Maroc.
Frenchbee check-in at Miami Intl. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
The check-in area opens at 5 p.m., four hours before the flight is scheduled to depart, and I would also like to note that they have a strict cutoff for check-in and the counters close 1hr and 30min before the flight departs. Since I arrived before the counter opened there weren’t any agents yet, but they did have self-service check-in kiosks that do work if you are not checking any bags.
Self-service kiosks at Miami Intl. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Another thing to note, Frenchbee still doesn’t participate in the TSA PreCheck program, meaning you’ll have to leave yourself some extra time to get through security as the lines do get rather long when multiple international flights are scheduled to depart at once.
For my flight they used gate F15, which is located in terminal F and houses mostly international flights. The ‘F gate’ area was nice and had plenty of seats for passengers even when Frenchbee would have a full load of 411 going out on their flight.
The F Gates seating area (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
At this point the flight was still a while out, I took the time to eat and relax before the crowds started to flock to the gate. But, it didn’t take long for the airport to start setting up the banners and podium for the party and speeches that were to come later on.
Decorations set up at the gate for the inaugural (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
As it was an international flight on a large aircraft, the plane was scheduled to arrive at the airport two hours before the departure. My aircraft pulled into the gate just after 7 p.m., an Airbus A350-900 that was delivered directly to Frenchbee in March of 2018 and carried the registration F-HREV.
My aircraft F-HREV (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
After the aircraft pulled up to the gate it was easy to see the massive size of the aircraft with people near the nose gear for comparison. The captain of the flight even gave me a heart through the front window on arrival before getting off, which was a nice AvGeek picture to get.
The captain of the arriving flight showing a heart through the front window (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
After a while, local press and dignitaries started showing up for the speeches and events of the evening. There were speeches given by Greg Chin, the Communications Director of MIA; Rafael (Ralph) Cutié, the director and CEO of MIA; Thomas Renault, the head of sales for Frenchbee in North America; and Raphaël Jean Claude Trapp the Consul General of France in Miami.
Following the speeches, there was a ribbon cutting, which was performed by the people mentioned above as well as Basil Binns II who is the MIA Deputy Director. Unfortunately, unlike the other inaugural flights I have been on, I was unable to grab a piece of the ribbon which was a little disappointing, but I was still glad I got to see it occur.
After the ribbon cutting, passengers were invited to partake in the celebrations and goodies, which included coconut macaroons, Frenchbee branded reusable straws, ‘Miami Beaches’ bags, Coffee, water, and Orangina which is a sparkling citrus beverage.
Goodies from the inaugural party at Miami Intl. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
There were a fair number of press and media members on the flight as well as some AvGeeks, including one person who was flying around the world and this was their first leg. Thankfully the other AvGeeks loved these types of events like I do and were willing to take a picture of me in front of the banner near the podium as long as I would do the same for them.
Myself in front of the Frenchbee banner at the inaugural (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
The boarding of the flight was delayed due to a security search of the plane, which is required before every international departure, so it is good they were taking their time to do this as if it were done wrong it would have to start all over again. Prior to the normal boarding process, I was invited to get on a little early in order to get some pictures of the passenger cabin before it was filled with people.
Frenchbee’s Airbus A350-900 holds 411 passengers, 376 in the main cabin in a 3-4-3 configuration and 35 seats in their premium cabin which they call ‘premium blue’.
Every seat came equipped with power outlets and an IFE screen, perfect for flights as the airlines shortest flight is still over six-hours long.
The rear of the seats in the main cabin (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
The ‘Premiumblue’ cabin contained 35 seats in a 2-3-2 configuration, the seats were very well padded and had a pillow and blanket waiting for us. For this flight across the Pond, I was seated in 7K, a window in the Premiumblue cabin.
Also waiting at the premium seats was a bottle of water. For each IFE screen you could choose what language you wanted it to be in: English, French, or Spanish. The IFE included many movies and tv shows in multiple languages, as well as a tail camera which at night doesn’t leave much to see, but it was still cool.
Prior to pushback they offered premium passengers either orange juice or champagne, and figuring it was going to be a long night I opted for no alcohol. They also handed out amenity kits which included items from mini travel toothpaste to socks and an eye mask. Almost everything in the kit had the Frenchbee logo on it, which meant more AvGeek items to take away from the trip and save for a future date.
Both cabins were relatively full, with 28 out of 35 seats filled in premium and 324 out of 376 in the main cabin. 352 out of 411 overall meaning the flight had an 85% load factor which is quite good considering it isthe very first flight, and I do expect the flight to be close to full, especially during the winter months.
Pushback came quickly and the crew thanked us for being a part of this inaugural flight, we did end up leaving almost 1.5 hours late due to the security search and celebrations at the gate, but that’s not a huge deal and the agents and crew kept everyone informed.
Taxiing to the runway in Miami (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Takeoff was quick and easy, and we rocketed into the skies for the flight across the pond.
Just after taking off from Miami (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Taking off was pretty spectacular at night seeing all of the lights in south Florida shining, but slowly the lights started disappearing as we got further from the coast into the Atlantic Ocean. About 20 minutes after takeoff, the flight attendants came around and gave everyone a towel to get ready for the meal service.
Hot towels were given to each Premiumblue passenger (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Shortly after the hot towel, each of us was given a light snack of ‘scrocchi con semi di sesamo’, which translates from Italian to English as ‘crackers with sesame seeds’. Next was the dinner service which occurred about one hour after takeoff.
Dinner on the Miami to Paris-Orly (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Dinner consisted of two choices, a chicken or a fish plate. They do offer vegan, kosher, and other special types of meals but must be pre-selected ahead of time on their website. I chose the chicken dinner option, which was “chicken with rice and beans” for the main course, a salad plate with tomatoes, olives, lettuce and cream cheese, and other items included bread, banana bread, strawberry with brie, and coconut chocolate for the desert.
They let everyone enjoy their dinners for a while before they started to clean up the dishes and did a final tea and drink service before settling in for the night. By this time they had turned the cabin lights to a light blue and orange mimicking a setting sun to get everyone in the mood for sleep.
The dark skies over the Atlantic Ocean (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Finally, 2-hours after takeoff they turned off the cabin lights and told everyone to close their window shades for the overnight section of the flight. I took out my eye mask,and blanket and got some rest for the busy day ahead of me when I landed in Paris.
I woke up after 4.5 solid hours of sleep later, the most sleep I’ve ever gotten on a redeye flight and I definitely felt more relaxed and refreshed being in the cabin of an Airbus A350 versus older aircraft. This is due to the cabin being set at a lower altitude, better air ventilation, and higher humidity in the cabin. By this point there was only 1.5 hours left on the flight.
Morning over the Atlantic Ocean (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
The rest of the cabin slowly began waking up as they brought out breakfast. The breakfast consisted of bread, raspberry spread, a croissant, and a Chobani yogurt. With the sunlight showing, it was now easy to see below from our 41,000-foot cruising altitude.
It wasn’t long before the coast of France was visible from the window.
Flying over the French coastline (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
People continued to wake up and we began our slow descent into Paris. With not enough time to watch a movie, I decided to stare out the window and admire the scenery as we approached our destination.
Slowly descending into Paris (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
The cabin crew cleaned up the cabin and everyone put their seats upright, just before landing in Paris the clouds rolled in and there was a low cloud layer surrounding the airport which looked cool.
A low cloud layer surrounding the airport as we approach Orly (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Just before touching down at Orly (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
We touched down at Paris-Orly at 12:28 p.m. after 8 hours, 2-minutes of flight time. It was a great flight and definitely didn’t feel like a low-cost carrier given the abundance of food and drink options we were given. The flight also went by relatively fast in my opinion and I spent most of the time either sleeping, eating, or looking out the window, I didn’t even get a chance to browse through the movie or television options.
In Orly, another AvGeeky aspect is that we deplaned using stairs and boarded a bus to the terminal, something I have never done on a widebody aircraft before and was certainly fun seeing the plane’s massive size from the ground.
Deplaning onto the ramp in Paris (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Reflecting back on the flight, it was very pleasant and featured multiple AvGeek aspects from the inaugural celebration and the deplaning in Paris, to the amenity kits and headrests on the plane. You can definitely tell the difference from a passenger perspective between the Airbus A350 and older long-haul planes, especially on overnight flights like this as you land feeling much better and well-adjusted to the timezones.
From here I went to Frenchbee’s headquarters near the airport and had the privilege of interviewing the founder, chairperson, and CEO of Frenchbee, Marc Rochet, but that is for another article, which will be posted in the next week or two.
Joey has always been interested in planes for as long as he can remember. He grew up in Central New York during the early 2000s when US Airways Express turboprops ruled the skies. Being from a non-aviation family made it harder for him to be around planes and would only spend about three hours a month at the airport. He was so excited when he could drive by himself, the first thing he did with his driver's license was get ice cream and go plane spotting for the entire day. He graduated from Western Michigan University in 2022 with a B.S. in Aviation Management & Operations and a Minor in Business, and currently works for a major airline in his hometown.
Jetstar Flight Makes 8-Hour Flight Back to Destination Due to ‘Miscommunication’
A JetStar A321 in Sydney (Photo | AirlineGeeks | Hisham Qadri)
A Jetstar flight from Melbourne, Australia to Denpasar, Indonesia was forced to turn back to Melbourne after being en route for four hours. The aircraft had just left the coast of Australia when it was discovered that the airline would be exceeding capacity restrictions under the terms of the air service agreement between the two countries. Though Darwin was a possible airport to divert to, the decision was made to return to Melbourne due to operational reasons such as crew availability and alternative flight options.
The flight’s departure had already been delayed for five hours and by the time passengers landed back in Melbourne they had spent eight hours in the air. The scheduled flight time between the capital of the Australian state of Victoria and the popular holiday destination was five hours and forty minutes.
According to The Age newspaper Jetstar ‘had upgraded the plane from an Airbus A321 to a larger Boeing 787 to carry more customers during the busy holiday season, but “due to a miscommunication, the aircraft swap was not approved by the local regulator in Indonesia”’. Some passengers have disputed this claim as bookings made a number of months ago specify the operating aircraft type as a 787.
Under the terms of the bilateral air service agreement between the two countries, Australian airlines have specific capacity restrictions and operating a widebody aircraft instead of the single-aisle would have breached these limits for Jetstar. The terms of air service agreements are continually monitored and airlines may be required to reapply to increase or decrease services to maintain operations. In some cases airlines may lose the ability to continue operations between countries if it is determined that they are failing to meet the terms of an air service agreement.
In Australia this revocation of rights by the International Air Services Commission (IASC) may occur if ‘an allocation is generally no longer of benefit to the public.’ The Act pertaining to this cites several reasons that this may be the case for example ‘the carrier has failed to service the route effectively’ or ‘the Commission is satisfied that a different allocation of capacity would be of greater benefit to the public.’
In 2020, after Covid-19 caused the Australian government to restrict travel into the country, Virgin Australia applied for a change to the terms of operation between Australia and Indonesia. Prior to the pandemic, the carrier had been operating ‘up to 21 services a week using a B737-800 aircraft between Denpasar and the following points in Australia: Brisbane, Port Hedland and Sydney.’ Under the original terms of the agreement Virgin Australia was allocated 2800 seats per week in each direction. However, due to the Australian government’s restrictions, the airline asked for the capacity allocation to be reduced to 120 seats per week in each direction.
John has always had a passion for aviation and through a career with Air New Zealand has gained a strong understanding of aviation operations and the strategic nature of the industry. During his career with the airline, John held multiple leadership roles and was involved in projects such as the introduction of both the 777-200 and -300 type aircraft and the development of the IFE for the 777-300. He was also part of a small team who created and published the internal communications magazines for Air New Zealand’s pilots, cabin crew and ground staff balancing a mix of corporate and social content.
John is educated to postgraduate level achieving a masters degree with Distinction in Airline and Airport Management. John has held the positions of course director of an undergraduate commercial pilot training programme at a leading London university. In addition he is contracted as an external instructor for IATA (International Air Transport Association) and has been a member of the Heathrow Community Fund’s ‘Communities for Tomorrow’ panel.
WestJet Concentrates Long-Haul Operations in Calgary
A WestJet 787-9 prepares for a test flight at Paine Field. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)
WestJet is carrying through on its commitment to Western Canada by concentrating on Calgary, Alberta for its long-haul network. In June 2022, the Canadian carrier announced a new strategic path for the company following the appointment of the new Chief Executive Officer Alexis von Hoensbroech in February.
According to the airline, they would base their Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet in Western Canada. Recent announcements and schedule changes made by the carrier show that its long-haul network will be primarily based out of Calgary, Alberta going forward.
WestJet is currently operating the following long-haul routes:
Calgary International Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport (daily)
Calgary International Airport to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (three times weekly until March 23, 2023)
Next summer, the airline is planning to operate the following long-haul routes with its Boeing 787-9s next year:
Calgary International Airport to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (three times weekly from April 30)
Calgary International Airport to Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (up to three times weekly from May 6)
Calgary International Airport to Edinburgh, U.K.’s Airport (up to three times weekly from May 17)
Calgary International Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport (daily, continued from winter)
Calgary International Airport to London’s Gatwick Airport (up to daily from April 30)
Calgary International Airport to Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport (up to daily from April 13)
Calgary International Airport to Dublin’s Airport (up to five times weekly from April 6)
Calgary International Airport to Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino International Airport (up to daily from April 30)
WestJet’s new service to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport marks the carrier’s expansion into the Asian market. The airline’s summer 2023 European routes are scheduled to end in the fall, except for flights to London’s Heathrow Airport and Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, which will continue into the winter.
Significant Summer Travel Changes
This set of long-haul routes is a significant change from WestJet’s summer 2022 offerings. This past summer, WestJet’s transatlantic network consisted of the following:
One European route from Vancouver International Airport: London’s Gatwick Airport
Five European routes from Calgary International Airport: Dublin’s Airport, London’s Gatwick Airport, London’s Heathrow Airport, Rome’s Fiumicino International Airport, Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport and Dublin Airport
Four European routes from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport: Dublin Airport, Edinburgh, U.K’s Airport, Glasgow, U.K.’s Airport and London’s Gatwick Airport
Four European routes from Halifax, Canada’s Stanfield International Airport: Dublin’s Airport, Glasgow, U.K.’s Airport, London’s Gatwick Airport and Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport
These routes were operated by WestJet’s Boeing 787-9 and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. WestJet has announced that it is turning its home base at Calgary International Airport into its only hub for its Boeing 787-9s, despite previously operating the aircraft out of Vancouver and Toronto as well. The carrier also canceled the rest of its Boeing 787-9 orders and announced a focus on narrowbody aircraft.
With the latest developments, WestJet will be pulling back from certain transatlantic markets. In the summer of 2022, the Calgary market made up less than half of WestJet’s long-haul operations. However, the summer of 2023 will be very different. With WestJet concentrating its long-haul network in Calgary, Air Canada, Air Transat and foreign carriers will be the main transatlantic players at other Canadian airports.
These airlines will have the opportunity to fill in the transatlantic market gaps that WestJet has left in Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax. While passengers originating in Western Canada can still connect onto WestJet transatlantic flights in Calgary, the same cannot be said about many passengers further east that would have connected in Toronto or Halifax, making transatlantic developments from those two cities particularly interesting to watch.
A New Path for WestJet: Calgary Consolidation
While WestJet is clearly focusing its transatlantic operations in Calgary, the carrier’s announcements leave open the possibility that there could still be Boeing 737 MAX transatlantic routes that have yet to be announced for next summer. Changes could occur without much notice. Until early December, WestJet still appeared to be selling tickets on routes such as Vancouver International Airport to London Gatwick Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport to Glasgow Airport but these routes have since been pulled from sale. Given WestJet’s reinvigorated focus on Western Canada, it appears likely that the carrier’s summer 2023 long-haul operations will be solely based out of Calgary.
WestJet’s network changes will also be felt in Europe. In the summer of 2022, London Gatwick Airport had up to four daily WestJet flights to four different Canadian airports. In the summer of 2023, this will go down to one daily WestJet flight. Similarly, Dublin Airport will go from three WestJet routes down to one. Glasgow Airport will lose WestJet service altogether. On many of these routes, WestJet was the only airline offering nonstop service.
Opportunities Moving Forward
There are a few areas to watch going forward. Firstly, it will be interesting to see how WestJet’s long-haul network continues to develop. While the airline has announced that it will not be investing in more Boeing 787-9s for now, it could replace long-haul routes or add new ones.
WestJet is making a conservative entry into Asia but its new flights to Japan could open the door to further transpacific routes. Should some of the recent changes be unsuccessful, WestJet could also reduce its long-haul network altogether and use its Boeing 787-9s more on flights within Canada and to popular sun destinations, as the airline currently does in the winter.
The second item to watch is the possibility that WestJet will announce additional transatlantic routes operated by its Boeing 737 fleet for the summer of 2023. However, this seems fairly unlikely given the carrier’s commitment to focusing on Western Canada. WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech was quoted in a press release saying that, “future announcements will focus on domestic and North American additions that will bring even more affordable travel options to our guests in the new year.”
Finally, what also remains to be seen is whether or not other airlines will step in to fill gaps that WestJet has left. For example, Air Canada already has Boeing 737 MAX 8 transatlantic operations out of Halifax Stanfield International Airport and may be looking at some of WestJet’s former Halifax routes as possible options for expansion.
Despite some uncertainty in these areas, it is clear that WestJet’s changes to its long-haul network bring new opportunities for other Canadian and foreign carriers. WestJet is also optimistic that it is setting itself up for success in Western Canada.
“This is an exciting day for the WestJet Group, our guests, and partners as we deliver on our new strategy and demonstrate our western focus as we increase our Calgary capacity by more than 25 percent in 2023,” Von Hoensbroech said earlier this month. In announcing the carrier’s Boeing 787-9 transatlantic routes for summer 2023, he added that, “with Calgary as home base to our 787 aircraft, access between western Canadian communities and these intercontinental destinations will play a vital role in creating an economically prosperous aviation pipeline that better connects Canadians to the world and the world to Western Canada.
Andrew is a lifelong lover of aviation and travel. He has flown all over the world and is fascinated by the workings of the air travel industry. As a private pilot and glider pilot who has worked with airlines, airports and other industry stakeholders, he is always excited to share his passion for aviation with others. In addition to being a writer, he also hosts Flying Smarter, an educational travel podcast that explores the complex world of air travel to help listeners become better-informed and savvier travelers.
