Yearly Archives: 2021

The Boeing 747 is one of the most recognisable aircraft in the history of commercial aviation. The first flight of the 747-100 original variant launched in 1966 and was Introduces on January 22 1970 with Pan American World Airways. Since then, Boeing has produced over 1,500 units, selling them to commercial airlines across the world.  How much do you know about this iconic aircraft, you might be amazed to learn some of the following facts about it. 747-8I Delivery flight747-8I Delivery flight K65598 It was the First ‘Jumbo Jet’ While several wide-body aircraft is recognised as “jumbo jet,” the Boeing 747 was the first to receive this title. In 1970 at the time of its release, it was the largest wide-body jet on the market inspiring aviation specialists to start calling it a “jumbo jet.” S Over 3 Billion Passengers Have Flown In a 747 The 747 is known as one of the most popular commercial jets of all time. According to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the 747 has flown over 3.5 billion passengers since its release in 1970.  That is an extraordinary feat on its own. NASA use them for their space shuttle missions While commercial airlines have been the Boeing primary customers, NASA has used the 747. NASA purchased two modified Boeing 747s for space shuttle missions at the End of the 1970s. NASA used the modified 747s to transport its space shuttles. The space shuttle was located piggyback style atop the modified 747. 241 kilometres or 150 miles of Wiring  To say the 747 has a lot of electrical wiring would be an understatement. Like all aeroplanes, the 747 features a complicated electrical arrangement consisting of wiring and various [...]

Flightbuddy - Interesting facts about aviation Aerial View of Everett Boeing; View from South to North; includes 777X Wing Building; Puget Sound; Sunny Day; Blue Skies; K66575 That's right, Boeing's Everett Factory was named by The Book of Guinness World Records as the largest building on the planet. Its volume exceeds that of any other building, at over 13,000,000 cubic metres. It's so big it even has its own weather system!

Flightbuddy - Interesting facts about aviation It's scientifically proven that you lose around 4% of your body water when you fly for 10 or more hours! Women lose an average of 1.6 litres of water, and men 2 litres. This is a result of the cabin's lack of humidity (it's drier than the Sahara desert!) and oxygen-thin air. So remember to drink lots of water when flying!

Flights will restart on November 14 to Newark, with four cycles per week growing daily from December 1. Aer Lingus Irelands flag carrier has published plans to reopen two US routes from its Dublin hub over the next month. Flights will restart on November 14 to Newark, with four cycles per week growing daily from December 1. This will be followed by a thrice-weekly service to Orlando from November 27. Commenting on the news Susanne Carberry, chief customer officer at Aer Lingus, said: “We are delighted to announce a significant restart to a number of our favourite routes in North America and Europe, and reconnecting friends, families and businesses once again. “We are also excited to be able to connect Irish customers with European cities of Prague, Geneva, Zurich, Frankfurt, destinations which are particularly popular in Winter for their Christmas markets, and the upcoming Ski season, and our customers from Knock into London Gatwick for Christmas. “Safety remains our priority at Aer Lingus and we continue to implement measures such as mask requirements and additional cleaning, as has been in practice across the airline for the past year. “We are also committed to making the flight experience as comfortable as possible and customers can enjoy our in-flight food, drink and entertainment services on board.” aerlingus.com

British Airways has partnered with the creators of hygiene brand Dettol as part of its “ongoing commitment to keep staff and customers safe”. The airline is collaborating with Reckitt Benckiser, the makers of Dettol, to provide a range of its cleaning products to customers from March 2021. The updated cleaning protocols are supported by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The Dettol products will be used both in the air and on the ground. At Heathrow Terminal 5, for instance, there will be hand sanitiser stations positioned at all check-in desks, self-service bag drop, lounges and departure gates – the current sanitisation stations will be replaced with Dettol products. Additionally, Dettol antibacterial wipes, cleaners and sprays will be used to keep surfaces clean at the airport and in British Airways’ lounges. Passengers will also be given a packet containing an antibacterial wipe as they board the aircraft. The Dettol products are proven to kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria and coronavirus according to The American Journal of Infection Control.  Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer, said: “As we look forward to welcoming our customers back on board, we are proud to announce our partnership with Dettol, a trusted and well-known disinfection brand. At the start of the pandemic, we introduced a number of protective measures at each step of the customer journey, and we think our partnership with Dettol is a great addition.” Rahul Kadyan Executive Vice President of Global Business Solutions for Reckitt Benckiser (RB) added: “Our collaboration with British Airways is exciting, since we both share the same objective to help protect travellers. This is an ideal partnership for RB, and Dettol, to help drive high standards in hygiene and [...]

Air Namibia has become the latest casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic, with all flights grounded and future bookings suspended. The state-owned flag carrier confirmed the move in a Facebook post, directing affected customers to email refunds@airnamibia.aero or callcentre@airnamibia.aero for more information. Windhoek-based Air Namibia began life as South West Air Transport back in 1946, and in recent years operated a fleet of Airbus A319 and A330s, as well as Embraer ERJ 135ER regional jets. Business Traveller reviewed the carrier’s business class service on the long-since-terminated Gatwick-Windhoek route back in 2007. There are no direct, nonstop flights between the UK and Namibia, and the country is currently on the government’s list of banned destinations aimed at stopping the spread of the South African variant of Covid-19. https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2021/02/15/namibias-national-carrier-ceases-operations/

Air Transat has suspended all regular passenger services until the end of April, following new arrivals rules introduced by the Canadian government. From February 3 all international flights must arrive into Canada through just four airports – Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Calgary International Airport, and Vancouver International Airport. In addition to this a new hotel quarantine requirement for all travellers arriving into the country is set to come into force “As soon as possible in the coming weeks”. Arriving passengers (with a few limited exceptions) will have to quarantine in government-approved hotels for three nights, at their own cost. In a statement Air Transat said: “We’re receiving a high volume of questions and calls about this announcement and its impact on our operations. We know that it’s causing a great deal of concern among our customers currently at destination or who planned to travel in the coming weeks, and we’d like to assure them that we’re doing everything we can to ensure that this situation beyond our control has the least impact possible on them. That includes making sure that we have a sufficient number of repatriation flights and available seats to return all our customers back home as soon as possible.” The Canadian government has also suspended all flights to and from Mexico and Caribbean countries until April 30, effective from January 31. All passengers arriving into the country must show negative pre-departure Covid-19 test results – a rule that is also being extended to arrivals by land (with limited exemptions for example for commercial truckers). For its part Air Canada has suspended flights to the Caribbean and Mexico “at the request of, and to support Government of Canada Covid-19 mitigation [...]