Airways Magazine November 2018

IT’S BEEN a busy, long haul, sleep-deprived flying month for Airways. Concurrently, our Managing Editor, Chris Sloan, managed to clinch a seat on the re-inaugural of the world’s longest flight from Newark to Singapore on board a Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-900ULR for 18 hours of continuous flight. Meanwhile, I opted to crazily fly from Denpasar to Miami in one shot, with stops in Singapore, Shanghai, and New York, arriving at home 34 hours after leaving Bali. Our Assistant Editor, Roberto Leiro, flew all the way to Istanbul to cover the opening of the massive Istanbul New Airport, all of them featured on our website, airwaysmag.com. These are, indeed, once-in-a-lifetime shots. The commercial aviation industry is a nest of opportunities that only crazy aviation enthusiasts would dare to embark upon, and these…

Hello, Airways, I particularly enjoyed David Stringer’s Western Airlines Part I article (Airways, October 2018). In it, he mentions the carrier’s famous Champagne and Hunt Breakfast Flights. These novel features and others were actually the handiwork of Richard P. Ensign, who started working for Western in 1940 as a baggage loader and rose to the title of Executive Vice-President. Dick’s idea for Hunt Breakfasts came from a Las Vegas hotel visit during which he sampled the sumptuous Sunday brunch offerings. His Champagne innovation resulted in Western becoming California’s largest purchaser of that bubbly for several years. I met Dick at a poker game on the train between New York and Connecticut during his four-year tenure at Pan Am in the early 1970s, before he returned to Western. He became a treasured friend and…

1 JETBLUE AIRBUS A320-232 N648JB (MSN 2970) JetBlue (B6) has rolled out a second Airbus A320 sporting ‘JetBlue Vacations’ titles, promoting a new subsidiary that sells travel insurance, car rentals, and cruise line packages. 2 BERRY AVIATION EMBRAER EMB120 N290SW (MSN 1200317) This former United Express (Skywest) (OO) Embraer EMB120 Brasilia has found new life as a freighter with Texas-based Berry Aviation (BYA). The aircraft has retained the basic colors of United Express, plus small ‘Berry Aviation’ titles on the main cabin door. 3 SKYVALUE (AERODYNAMICS, INC.) EMBRAER ERJ-145(LR) N286SK (MSN 14500143) Aerodynamics, Inc., now rebranded as California Pacific Airlines (4A), flies scheduled flights from Denver to small Midwestern towns subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. The company also operates charter jet services for NCAA, Major League Soccer, and NASCAR Teams.…

4 NORWEGIAN ARGENTINA BOEING 737-8JP(WL) LV-HQH (MSN 42278 · LN 6347) Norwegian Argentina (DN) began operations on October 16, 2018, with flights from Aeroparque (AEP) to Cordoba (COR) and Mendoza (MDZ). The tail of the plane bears the image of Astor Piazzolla, a famous Argentine tango composer. 5 VIVAAIR COLOMBIA AIRBUS A320-214(WL) HK-5286 (MSN 8481) VivaAir Colombia (FC) has taken delivery of the first of 15 Airbus A320ceos and 35 A320neos ordered last year. The aircraft is the first jet ever delivered directly from the manufacturer to the airline. 6 VIVAAIR COLOMBIA AIRBUS A320-214(WL) D-AXAF (MSN 8519) VivaAir Colombia (FC) has taken delivery of its 17th Airbus A320, the second of the type delivered directly from the airframer. The jetliner sports an all-pink livery to mark the airline’s support for Breast Cancer Awareness. Upon delivery, the aircraft was re-registered as HK-5273.…

7 AIR EUROPA EXPRESS ATR72-212A(500) EC-MZJ (MSN 723) Air Europa Express (OVA) has incorporated into its fleet an additional ATR72 on lease from Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC). The aircraft, initially delivered to Air Caraïbes (TX) in 2005, had a long career with at least nine operators in Asia and Europe before joining OVA’s fleet. 8 GERMANIA AIRBUS A321-211 D-AGMA (MSN 2005) In July, Germania (ST) received its seventh Airbus A321 on lease from GECAS. The aircraft, configured with 210 seats, sports a basic Air Berlin (AB) livery. Before operating for ST, it had flown for Niki (HG) as OE-LCD. 9 S7 AIRLINES BOEING 737 MAX 8 VQ-BGW (MSN 43302 · LN 7166) Russian carrier S7 Airlines (S7) has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX on lease from Air Lease Corp. (ALC), becoming the first Russian airline to fly the…

13 AIR TAHITI NUI BOEING 787-9 DREAMLINER F-OMUA (MSN 39297 · LN 750) Air Tahiti Nui (TN) has taken delivery of the first of four Boeing 787-9s it has on order to replace its Airbus A340-300 fleet. The first aircraft, called Fakarava after a Polynesian atoll, is on lease from Air Lease (ALC), and is configured with 294 seats across three classes: 30 Business, 32 Premium Economy, and 232 in Economy. Airways will test this brand-new Dreamliner in December, producing a full feature in the January 2019 issue. 14 KUNMING AIRLINES BOEING 737 MAX 8 B-206Y (MSN 43952 · LN 7158) Chinese carrier Kunming Airlines (KY) has received its first Boeing 737 MAX 8. The airline, 80% owned by Shenzhen Airlines (ZH), operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet and serves over 35 destinations in China and Thailand. 15 AIR…