A Qatar Airways parked 787-800 plane has collided with another parked new A350-900 at Hamad international airport due to very high winds and stormy weather.
Here is the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSRcLVuHQ8M&fbclid=IwAR2YbbaDyRY6Zm17cWvEfnd4QPrkH2F9UQ9_ifonY9RBrFl6PJcdA0oYgdk
More beautiful words from 747 pilot Christiaan van Heijst as he crosses the sky above us as we sleep.
“Flying high over planet Earth in my 747, trespassing the cloudy frontier of light and the quietude of night I look down from my cockpit and can barely distinguish the clouds from the depths of the night below.
One thing that does catch my attention tonight is the moon up there. While I gaze at her crescent shape I wonder how many people look at her at the same time across the world.
Seeing the same ancient and mysterious floating rock up there. Thoughts drifting to outer space, wondering about our role in the grand scheme of the universe or simply taking the thing for granted as yet another thing that happens to be in the sky.
READ: Second 777X takes to the skies.
Some see a face in it. My grandfather was sure he saw the Dutch/German Prince Bernard in there (including his white carnation) and even got agitated when we didn’t see it. I guess it doesn’t run in the family.
When I look at it, I see the stories of my Apollo heroes and their pioneering adventures fueling my imagination. The next celestial phase for human evolution beyond our cradle, our stepping stone into the solar system and beyond. An inviting lantern and companion for long-term continuity of consciousness perhaps.
We’ll have countless of challenges to face, multitudes of horrible lessons to be learnt no doubt. Sacrifices we hardly dare to envision and dread. But in the long run, the rewards are far beyond our present imagination and wildest dreams, not to mention our mutual survival.
Time to go, for those who know there is more than what we take for granted every day.
Stay safe out there. Though whenever you can, go out and look at the moon coming weeks. Our beautiful and tantalizing celestial neighbour will grow more noticeable every day again. Visible to all of us, weather allowing. A promise of hope in desperate times.
Christiaan is one of the world’s leading aviation photographers and more of his work and more close encounter (s) from his 747 can be found here.
You can follow Christiaan on Instagram here: @jpcvanheijst
Boeing has scrapped plans to seek US federal aid after it was able to raise a staggering $US25 billion in a bond offering.
The offering was three times oversubscribed.
In a statement, the company said that “as a result of the response, and pending the closure of this transaction expected Monday, May 4, we do not plan to seek additional funding through the capital markets or the U.S. government options at this time.”
Boeing has been vocal and successful in arguing for federal aid for the aviation industry and its supply lines with the US government committing US$60 billion as well as US$50 billion for the airlines.
However, Boeing’s chief Dave Calhoun has been cautious in an equity stake by the US government for aid.
Boeing’s CFO Greg Smith, said the bond sale was “a testament to the confidence the market has in our business, our people, and our future.”
There seven bond sales with maturities from 3 to 40 years.
And the good news continued to flow for the aerospace giant with its second 777X taking to their air yesterday.
Designated WH002, the 777X is the second of four in a dedicated flight test fleet and will test handling characteristics and other aspects of aircraft performance.
An array of equipment, sensors and monitoring devices throughout the cabin allows the onboard team to document and evaluate the aircraft’s response to test conditions in real-time.
The 777X test plan lays out a comprehensive series of tests and conditions on the ground and in the air to demonstrate the safety and reliability of the design.
To date, pilots have flown the first 777X nearly 100 hours at a variety of flap settings, speeds, altitudes and system settings as part of the initial evaluation of the flight envelope.
Boeing says with initial airworthiness now demonstrated, the team can safely add personnel to monitor testing onboard instead of relying solely on a ground-based telemetry station, unlocking testing at greater distances.
The 777X is due to be delivered to airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways and Lufthansa next year.
It uses 40 per cent less fuel per passengers than the giant A380.
The second Boeing 777X has made its first flight in Seattle.
Boeing said it had conducted a productive and successful first flight of the second 777X airplane.
Capt. Ted Grady, 777X project pilot, and Capt. Van Chaney, 777/777X chief pilot, flew for 2 hours and 58 minutes over Washington state before landing at Seattle’s Boeing Field at 2:02 p.m Pacific.
https://www.facebook.com/Boeing/videos/942299232894619/?t=16
Designated WH002, this airplane is the second of four in a dedicated flight test fleet and will test handling characteristics and other aspects of airplane performance. An array of equipment, sensors and monitoring devices throughout the cabin allows the onboard team to document and evaluate the airplane’s response to test conditions in real-time.
SEE Qantas’ flight crews heartwarming video for Virgin colleagues
The 777X test plan lays out a comprehensive series of tests and conditions on the ground and in the air to demonstrate the safety and reliability of the design.
To date, crews have flown the first airplane nearly 100 hours at a variety of flap settings, speeds, altitudes and system settings as part of the initial evaluation of the flight envelope. With initial airworthiness now demonstrated, the team can safely add personnel to monitor testing onboard instead of relying solely on a ground-based telemetry station, unlocking testing at greater distances.
Boeing has resumed 777X testing as the second aircraft readies for its first flight.
The first 777X, N777XW, started flying this week and has completed four flights, while the second, N777XX, WH002, did a preflight taxi run yesterday.
The first 777X has now completed 29 flights in total.
Seattle photographer Royal King captured N777XX yesterday.
Here is a video of WH001 flight on April 26 taken by @peyton_ramirez19 (Instagram)
Rate the #777X Takeoff🛫 from 1⃣ to🔟
Video by @peyton_ramirez19 (Instagram)#boeing #b777xlovers #boeing777x pic.twitter.com/NsXcWGiWQk
— Boeing 777X (@b777xlovers) April 26, 2020
Qantas flight crew has posted a superb heart-warming video supporting their Virgin colleagues on Youtube.
The video from QF Pilots features pilots and cabin crew drawing hearts wherever they are, and holding up pictures of hearts.
READ: Air New Zealand celebrates its 80th year.
Australia’s Virgin Australia is going through administration and the future of the staff is up in the air.
The video is set to Birds of Tokyo song Two of Us.
Here are some screen shots.
The Boeing Company has reported first-quarter revenue of $16.9 billion, a loss of $1.35 billion primarily reflecting the impacts of COVID-19 and the 737 MAX grounding.
Boeing recorded operating cash flow of ($4.3) billion.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting every aspect of our business, including airline customer demand, production continuity and supply chain stability,” said Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun.
“Our primary focus is the health and safety of our people and communities while we take tough but necessary action to navigate this unprecedented health crisis and adapt for a changed marketplace.”
As the pandemic continues to reduce airline passenger traffic, Boeing says it sees significant impact on the demand for new commercial airplanes and services, with airlines delaying purchases for new jets, slowing delivery schedules and deferring elective maintenance.
To align the business for the new market reality, Boeing is taking several actions that include reducing commercial airplane production rates. The company also announced a leadership and organizational restructuring to streamline roles and responsibilities and plans to reduce overall staffing levels with a voluntary layoff program and additional workforce actions as necessary.
Boeing says it has taken action to manage near-term liquidity, as it has drawn on a term loan facility; reduced operating costs and discretionary spending; extended the existing pause on share repurchases and suspended dividends until further notice; reduced or deferred research and development and capital expenditures; and eliminated CEO and Chairman pay for the year.
It said that access to additional liquidity will be critical for Boeing and the aerospace manufacturing sector to bridge to recovery, and the company is actively exploring all of the available options. Boeing believes it will be able to obtain sufficient liquidity to fund its operations.
“While COVID-19 is adding unprecedented pressure to our business, we remain confident in our long term future,” said Calhoun. “We continue to support our defence customers in their critical national security missions. We are progressing toward the safe return to service of the 737 MAX, and we are driving safety, quality and operational excellence into all that we do every day. Air travel has always been resilient, our portfolio of products and technology is well-positioned, and we are confident we will emerge from the crisis and thrive again as a leader of our industry.”
Boeing Commercial Airplanes has updated its production rate assumptions to reflect impacts from COVID-19 on its operations and demand outlook, and will continue to assess them on an ongoing basis.
The 787 production rate will be reduced from 14 per month to 10 per month in 2020, and gradually reduced to 7 per month by 2022. The 777/777X combined production rate will be reduced to 3 per month in 2021. At this time, production rate assumptions have not changed on the 767 and 747 programs.
Commercial Airplanes backlog included over 5,000 airplanes valued at $352 billion.
Global Services first-quarter revenue was $4.6 billion, reflecting higher government services volume, largely offset by lower commercial services volume due to COVID-19. (Table 6). First-quarter operating margin increased to 15.3 per cent primarily due to favourable government services performance.
Global air traffic plunged in the month of March with steeper falls expected in April says IATA.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced global passenger traffic results for March 2020 today, showing that demand (measured in total revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) dived 52.9% compared to the year-ago period.
IATA said that this was the largest decline in recent history, reflecting the impact of government actions to slow the spread of COVID-19. In seasonally adjusted terms, global passenger volumes returned to levels last seen in 2006. March capacity (available seat kilometers or ASKs) fell by 36.2% and load factor plummeted 21.4 percentage points to 60.6%.
Air New Zealand celebrates its 80th birthday
“March was a disastrous month for aviation. Airlines progressively felt the growing impact of the COVID-19 related border closings and restrictions on mobility, including in domestic markets. Demand was at the same level it was in 2006 but we have the fleets and employees for double that. Worse, we know that the situation deteriorated even more in April and most signs point to a slow recovery,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
International Passenger Markets
March international passenger demand shrank 55.8% compared to March 2019 said IATA. That is much worse than the 10.3% year-to-year decline in February. All regions recorded double-digit percentage traffic declines. Capacity tumbled 42.8%, and load factor plunged 18.4 percentage points to 62.5%.
Domestic Passenger Markets
Demand for domestic travel shrank 47.8% in March compared to March 2019 with double-digit percentage declines in all markets. This compared to a 21.3% year-to-year decline in February. Capacity fell 24.5% and load factor plunged 26.0 percentage points to 58.1%.
The Bottom Line
“The industry is in free fall and we have not hit bottom. But there will come a time—soon, I hope—when authorities will be ready to begin easing restrictions on mobility and opening borders. It is imperative that governments work with industry now to prepare for that day. It is the only way to ensure that we have measures in place to keep passengers safe during travel and reassure governments that aviation will not be a vector in the spread of the disease. We must also avoid the confusion and complexity that followed 9/11. Global standards that are mutually accepted and operationally practicable will be mission-critical to achieving this. The only way to get there is by working together,” said de Juniac.
Air New Zealand is celebrating its 80th birthday today.
Despite recent turbulence experienced by the aviation industry, in its video 80 years of Air New Zealand the airline takes a moment to reflect on some of the special memories it’s shared with customers both at home and abroad over the past eight decades.
Since its first TEAL flight to Sydney, a nine-hour journey using a Short S30 flying boat on 30 April 1940, Air New Zealand has connected Kiwis and their products with the world. The airline has also played a key role representing New Zealand on the world stage with its world-class service delivery, operational excellence, passion for innovation with its safety videos and products like the SkyCouch, and commitment to sustainability.
Chief Marketing and Customer Officer Mike Tod says the 80th anniversary birthday is a time to reflect on milestones and thank New Zealanders for their continued support of the airline, which has been named best in the world on numerous occasions.
“While this birthday sees the airline operating in some of the most extraordinary circumstances in its 80-year history, the heart and passion of our people remain as strong as it was on that historic first day of operation,” Mr Tod says.
SEE: Best air-to-air 747 videos
“The Kiwi can-do spirit is woven into everything we do and we look forward to building on the legacy of the past 80 years as we open a new chapter in our airline’s history and begin the rebuilding process after the severe impact of Covid-19.”
Air New Zealand General Manager Global Brand and Content Marketing Jodi Williams says the airline’s video released today, The Story of the Koru, expresses the true meaning of exploration and what it means to be a Kiwi abroad.
“New Zealanders are intrepid explorers, and people often tell me it’s the Koru and the “kia ora” they experience when they step onboard our aircraft that makes them feel like they’re already home. Over the years the people, destinations and aircraft may have changed, but the Air New Zealand Koru remains constant.
“The koru is symbolic of new life and new beginnings, and now is more important than ever to be reminded of how resilient we are as a business and as a nation – to continue to regenerate and bring new life to how we travel and connect with each other.”
What will Virgin Australia look like on the other side of administration – if it survives?
That is the question 10,000 staff and almost 11 million Velocity frequent flyers are desperate to know.
The answer all depends upon how successful the administrators are in reducing the debt by restructuring and then which group is the successful bidder.
And then there are some twists.
One of the buyers mentioned is US-based Indigo Partners, which owns stakes in several ultra-low-cost airlines around the world.
It has a controlling interest in US-based Frontier Airlines and Chilean JetSmart, as well as stakes in Mexico-based Volaris and European low-cost carrier Wizz Air.
If it is successful in acquiring Virgin Australia it would almost certainly take the airline down market, – below Jetstar – and quit international services.
READ Emirates ramps up COVID-19 refunds
But why would you do that when Jetstar is so well established in the market and frequent flyers can earn Qantas Points.
It makes no sense and if that was the flight path to the ultra-budget section of the market then you will lose the majority of the Velocity frequent flyer members and staff morale would plummet.
At the other end of the scale are equity groups such as BGH Capital with one of its investors Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings Ltd, which said in 2018, that it is interested in co-investing with BGH Capital “should a new investment opportunity arise.”
Singapore-based Temasek which was a partner in the original set up of BGH in 2018 is also indirectly a major shareholder in Virgin Australia via its majority holding in Singapore Airlines which owns 25 per cent of Virgin Australia.
But observers in Singapore say its way too early to make that call.
“Singapore Airlines and Temasek may be involved but possibly not initially,” one analyst said.
“Singapore Airlines is totally preoccupied with its own survival and what that looks like.”
However, assuming a Singapore connection in a rebirth of Virgin it’s likely that the airline will remain up-market.
The other scenario is a hybrid model which keeps the business class and the Economy X but pitched down market slightly, more like a US domestic carrier such as JetBlue or Alaska Airlines.
Under that model, international services would probably be scrapped.
The X factor in any deal is what the federal government may allow.
After the collapse of the two Compass Airlines in the early 90s the government made sweeping changes to the airline system which resulted in government-owned Qantas and Australian Airlines being merged and floated and Ansett being allowed to fly international routes.
Also, Air New Zealand was permitted to fly on Australian domestic routes, reciprocating what the kiwis allowed for some years.
However, at the last minute, Australia reneged on that deal.
Those merger changes, the last-minute change of heart with the kiwis, plus a later decision to allow foreign-owned airlines – Virgin Blue – to operate in Australia led to the demise of Ansett in 2001.
Investor groups buying into a restructured Virgin Australia will be looking for concessions from government and the scope and nature of those will play a role in shaping what the airline will look like.
Would it allow Singapore Airlines or Air New Zealand to fly domestically with some of their own crews on the proviso that the Virgin staff are also part of the deal?
Could we enter a new era of an Australia / New Zealand / Singapore single market?
The value in Virgin is its staff, product and brand which are amongst the world best.
An answer to those questions is probably a month away.
