Airways Magazine January/February 2021

SO HERE It is, 2021. A year in which expectations have never been so high—particularly for the air travel industry, having experienced its worst crisis ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent developments of new vaccines, the standardization of safety protocols, and a better understanding of how the disease spreads are helping authorities, airports, and airlines draw up plans to make travel safer and, even more critically, regain the trust of travelers. An example of such coordination comes from Italy, one of the countries that experienced the worst of the pandemic with record cases and deaths. In this issue, Matteo Legnani describes traveling with Alitalia on a trial flight and how the authorities aim to establish a standard protocol during this so-called new normal. As we begin a new year and we head…

Hi, Airways, As a subscriber for many years, I have enjoyed reading the very informative and enjoyable articles in Airways. The pictures aren’t too shabby, either. I wanted to ask a question that has been bugging me about the Departing and Arrival pictures. As a senior citizen, I thought it made more sense to have the Arrival picture at the beginning of the magazine and the Departing picture at the end. I know there has to be a good reason why it isn’t so. Placing the Arrival picture at the beginning of the magazine reflects, to me, that we have just landed to embark on an exciting and informative journey into the world of aviation. Having the Departing picture at the end of the magazine reflects that we have taken off for…

ON THE COVER N734N was the first Boeing 737-200 for Piedmont Airlines. Delivered in 1968, it was the 29th 737 built. The jetliner flew all over its operational life with Piedmont and subsequently with US Air in 1989 until its retirement in 1996 after almost three decades of reliable service. SOCIAL MEDIA airwaysmag 1,980 likes Sundays are for golden hours! Did you know- the @89thairliftwing maintains and operates 7 Boeing C-32A aircraft, with an 8th modified 757-200 joining the fleet in the coming months. Although this aircraft is often associated with Air Force 2, it provides transportation for not only the Vice President, but for the President, First Lady, and Secretary of State as well. Photo by Johann Heske (@skyhigh.aviation) OUR MOST VIEWED VIDEO The Volga Dnepr Antonov AN-124-100 that suffered a runway excursion at Novosibirsk-Tolmachevo Airport (OVB)…

1 JETBLUE AIRBUS A220-300 C-GPJH MSN 55099 The first Airbus A220-300 for JetBlue (B6) completed its inaugural test flight from the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley in Mobile, Alabama, (MOB) on December 9. The first of 70 A220s for the New York-based airline was scheduled to be delivered before year-end. 2 UNITED AIRLINES BOEING 737 MAX 9 N27519 MSN 43459 · LN 7585 United Airlines (UA) became the first airline to take delivery of a Boeing 737 MAX since the FAA cleared the jetliner to take to the skies after the 20-month worldwide grounding that followed two harrowing crashes that took 346 lives. The delivery took place on December 8. The plane left Boeing Field (BFI) for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), as UA has a maintenance base there. 3 NATIONAL AIRLINES BOEING 747-412(BCF) N702CA MSN 27217 · LN 1023 Florida-based National Airlines…

1989 was an exciting year in world history, especially for Germany. Two weeks after the fall of the wall between the two parts of the formerly divided country, Andreas Spaeth (text and photos) witnessed German aviation history first hand. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1989, was a memorable day in German aviation history—and one that is deeply engraved in my memory. I was a young aviation reporter and the Berlin wall had very unexpectedly fallen just three weeks prior. The two Germanys were in a state of flux. Everything was changing quickly, although it hadn’t yet been decided whether there would still somehow be two Germanys or only a unified one. In any case, linking the two states separated since the Second World War—the East brutally fenced off, literally, since the wall was built…

LET’S DIVE into its history and see what has made it what it is today. Let’s also look at the challenges it is facing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic that has so radically changed the world. IN THE BEGINNING Francois Legault founded Transat in 1986 as Trafic Voyages. He established the travel company with Lina de Cesare, Jean-Marc Eustache, Yvon Lecavalier, Pierre Ménard, and Philippe Sureau. The business model was simple: open up travel between Canada’s Quebec region and France in the summer and to sun destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico during the winter. The beauty of the idea was that the company could operate near peak capacity during all seasons. In 1987, the group changed its name to Transat A.T. The airline division, Air Transat, operated its first flight…