Airways Magazine July 2019

IT’S BEEN A TREMENDOUSLY exciting week for the Airways Team in the US, the UK, and Europe, as we concluded covering live from the ground at the 53rd Paris Air Show in Le Bourget. This year, we predicted that Airbus was set to become the Queen of Paris. We noted that, because of Boeing’s endless 737 MAX worldwide grounding, the launching of the Airbus A321XLR (Extra Long Range) was going to attract sales like few other planes had ever done before. The show concluded with a whopping 236 sales and commitments for the new long-range single-aisle Airbus variant, whereas Boeing couldn’t sell a single 737 MAX (only a memorandum of understanding from International Airlines Group, IAG, for 200 aircraft). The new A321XLR will fly for 4,700 nautical miles on one tank, linking routes…

Dear Airways, Your June 2019 cover photo of the first Delta Douglas DC-8 brought back many memories. My first jet flight was in 1962 on my way to college on an ‘old livery’ DC-8 from Cincinnati to Miami. The flight had originated in Detroit but, before arriving in Cincinnati, it had encountered severe turbulence, shaking up passengers and filling the cabin with most of the overhead luggage. On its arrival in Cincinnati, all but one passenger deplaned, and my father, a physician, was called upon to board the jet to assist a passenger who had suffered a heart attack during the flight. Interestingly, my father had taken me to the airport and was not a passenger! I was a bit jealous that my father got to be the first in the family to…

ON THE COVER On a clear, sunny Wednesday morning in May 2019, after nearly two decades of being closed to the public, the TWA Flight Centre at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport re-opened its doors—except transformed into a chic hotel, and no longer as an airport terminal. SOCIAL MEDIA airwaysmag 4,259 likes The first Airbus A350-1000 for British Airways has been spotted in Toulouse, France, showcasing the airline’s livery in all its glory. Tell us, did we make the right choice? Which cover would you have picked? Share your thoughts and have your opinion featured in an upcoming Mailbag.…

ALASKA AIRLINES BOEING 737-890(WL) N531AS (MSN 35199 · LN 3287) Last March, Alaska Airlines (AS) launched a ‘Captain Marvel’ Boeing 737-800 to celebrate the release of the eponymous Marvel Studios film. The livery features a 63-panel decal of the film’s characters, covering approximately 970sq ft of the aircraft. ALASKA AIRLINES AIRBUS A321-253N N922VA (MSN 7639) It’s the end of an era, as the last Virgin America (VX) branded aircraft now wears the standard Alaska Airlines (AS) colors. Here, the Airbus A321neo, leased from GECAS, is departing Seattle (SEA) bound for San Francisco (SFO). DELTA AIR LINES AIRBUS A330-941 N401DZ (MSN 1915) Airbus has delivered the first A330-900 to Delta Air Lines (DL). The Atlanta-based carrier has 35 A330-900s on order to add to its fleet of 42 A330-200s and -300s. DL will initially base the type at Seattle (SEA) to serve…

CONVIASA AIRBUS A340-211 YV1004 (MSN 031) Venezuela’s Conviasa (V0) has announced plans to reincorporate its sole A340-200 into the fleet. At press time, the jetliner was being prepared at the airline’s base in Caracas-Simon Bolivar Airport (CCS) for a ferry flight to Tehran (IKA), where Mahan Air (W5) will carry out the heavy maintenance. EASYFLY ATR42-600 F-WWLI (HK-5321) (MSN 1409) EasyFly (VE) has taken delivery of the last of eight ATR42-600s on order, marking the end of the BAe Jetstream 41s in the Colombian airline’s fleet. Now VE has an all-ATR fleet, with 15 ATR42s and four ATR72s. JETSMART ARGENTINA AIRBUS A320-232(WL) LV-HVT (MSN 8574) JetSmart Argentina (WJ) is a spinoff of the Chilean ultra-low-cost carrier JetSmart. The airline, based in El Palomar (EPA), began operations in April, and has opened 17 routes, including one daily international flight to Santiago de…

SMARTWINGS BOEING 737-86J(WL) N986XA (MSN 32917 · LN 1210) Czech carrier Smartwings (QS) has sub-leased a Boeing 737-800 from US-based Swift Air (WQ) to add extra capacity during the busy summer season. The aircraft sports a hybrid scheme: QS titles and the basic colors of AerSale, the aircraft’s owner. HIFLY MALTA AIRBUS A319-112 9H-LOL (MSN 5085) HiFly Malta (5M) has received three Airbus A319s previously operated by the defunct German carrier Germania (ST). These aircraft currently operate Airbus shuttle flights, transporting employees to and from different production sites. One of them, 9H-LOL, still wears the standard ST livery, with underside logo included. LEVEL AIRBUS A330-202 F-WWKP (EC-NEN) (MSN 1932) At press time, IAG’s budget carrier LEVEL (LV) was about to take delivery of its sixth Airbus A330. Iberia (IB) will operate the jetliner, basing it in Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN) to…