Last week, an Icelandair (Iceland: ICEAIR.IC) Boeing 767 (TF-ISN), landed at Troll airfield (QAT) at the Troll research station operated by the Norwegian Polar Institute in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. The flight was operated by Loftleiðir (Icelandair’s charter-flight subsidiary) to offload provisions for the research station’s staff who will remain at Troll this winter, and to pick up scientists returning to Norway after their summer service. Some of the scientists had been at Troll for 16 months and were happy to be heading home.
The flight
The journey involved a lot of planning due to the unique conditions, and involved 6 pilots, 13 crew and 1 flight engineer.
From Keflavík airport in Iceland, the plane flew nonstop to Cape Town, South Africa, where it paused for a rest and refueling stop. Some of the team stayed in Cape Town and the remainder flew 4,332km south to Troll in 5 hours and 43 minutes.
After a 2-hour layover at Troll, the aircraft returned with the Norwegian passengers to Cape Town, picked up the fresh crew, and continued on to Oslo, then home to Iceland.
According to flight commander August Hakansson, landing conditions at Troll were far better than forecast. And the worst weather of the entire trip was upon the return to Keflavík!
The flight route was so unusual that it attracted worldwide attention from aviation fans and media, including over 30,000 followers on Flightradar. And although it might seem crazy, this isn’t Icelandair’s first time in the Deep South – back in 2015, Icelandair became the first commercial airline to land a plane on a blue-ice runway in Antarctica.
This image taken from a video distributed by Russian Investigative Committee on Sunday, May 5, 2019, shows the Sukhoi SSJ100 aircraft of Aeroflot Airlines on fire, at Sheremetyevo airport, outside Moscow, Russia. At least 40 people died when an Aeroflot airliner burst into flames while making an emergency landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, officials said early Monday. (The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation via AP)
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The Aeroflot-operated SSJ100 passenger jet that caught fire during an emergency landing in Moscow is part of Russia’s efforts to maintain a presence in civil aviation in a market dominated by companies like Boeing, Airbus and Embraer.
Here’s a quick look at the SSJ100 and the Russian company that built it, the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company:
THE PLANE
The
SSJ100, or Superjet 100, is a short- to medium-haul narrow body jet
with two engines that can be configured to carry up to 103 people.
At
that size, it’s intended to substitute for larger planes such as the
Boeing 737 or Airbus 321 on shorter, less travelled routes and during
slower travel seasons. Regional aircraft are an important part of
Russia’s transportation system, given the country’s enormous distances
and many remote towns. The Superjet succeeds older, Soviet-built planes
such as the Tu-134 airliner.
The plane is built at the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company’s plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Russia’s distant Far East region. Although the design is Russian, the company says it uses the latest Western technology as well. The engines are made by PowerJet, a joint venture between France’s Safran Aircraft Engines and Russia’s Saturn.
The Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft of Airflot Airlines, center, is seen after an emergency landing in Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, May 5, 2019. (Moscow News Agency photo via AP)
The
plane first flew in 2008 and entered commercial service in 2011. It is
certified by the European Union Safety Agency but is mainly used in
Russia and has not made much headway against international competitors,
not just from Boeing and Airbus but also from Brazil’s Embraer.
Aeroflot
is the biggest client with 50 of the planes. Mexico’s Interjet said
Sunday it operated five of the planes “under the highest safety
standards.”
Interjet
earlier operated 22 Superjets but referred in a recent earnings report
to the “gradual phase out of the fleet of SSJ100.” The company reported
lost sales after the planes were grounded due to a defect in the tail
section in December 2016 and said it was seeking “contractual recovery
of amounts related to maintenance costs” for the planes.
Ireland’s CityJet, which supplies planes and crews to other airlines, stopped operating several Superjets in January.
People gather around the damaged Sukhoi SSJ100 aircraft of Aeroflot Airlines at Sheremetyevo airport, outside Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 6, 2019. Russia’s main investigative body says both flight recorders have been recovered from the plane that caught fire while making an emergency landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, killing at least 40 people on Sunday. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
THE COMPANY
The
Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company bears the name of the legendary Soviet
aircraft designer, Pavel Sukhoi, who was responsible for a series of
Soviet military aircraft starting before World War II.
Today’s
firm is part of Russia’s United Aircraft Company, which consolidated
many of the legendary names of Soviet aviation such as MiG, Sukhoi,
Tupolev and Yak. UAC was established by a decree from President Vladimir
Putin in 2006 to promote the Russian aircraft industry, which is seen
as essential for the security and defense of the country. Much of its
production goes to the military, while the SSJ100 is the key project
aimed at maintaining a Russian presence in civil aviation.
TROUBLES
On
May 9, 2012, a demonstration flight hit Mount Salak in Indonesia,
killing all 45 on board, after the pilot disregarded six alarms from the
terrain warning system on the apparent assumption there was a problem
with the terrain database, according to the report from Indonesia’s air
safety regulator. The plane had unintentionally left a circling pattern
after the crew was distracted by a prolonged conversation not related to
flying the plane.
And a Superjet skidded off the runway at Iceland’s Keflavik airport in 2013 with landing gear up during flight certification tests involving landing on one engine; one crew member suffered minor injuries.
In this photo taken on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, the Sukhoi SSJ-100 aircraft of Aeroflot Airlines that made an emergency landing on Sunday, May 5, 2019 in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, takes off from the Siberian city of Tyumen, Russia. Russia’s flagship airline Aeroflot says the plane that caught fire at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, killing at least one person, had been forced to turn back after taking off for the city of Murmansk because of technical reasons. (AP Photo/Marina Lystseva)
(Reuters) – Icelandair (ICEAIR.IC) has agreed to buy rival Icelandic airline WOW air from its founder for about $18 million in an all-share deal aimed at creating a stronger international competitor.
Airlines are looking to consolidate in many markets as a result of rising running costs, largely to higher oil prices, and increased competition from low-cost, budget carriers.
WOW has focussed on low-cost travel across the Atlantic, using smaller single-aisle planes to fly between Iceland and destinations in the United States and Europe.
While there has been some consolidation in Europe over the last year, with Lufthansa and easyJet acquiring parts of failed airline Air Berlin in 2017, the chief executives of the continent’s biggest airline groups say more is to come.
Struggling Italian carrier Alitalia is seeking new investors and British Airways-owner IAG (ICAG.L) bought a stake in Norwegian Air (NWC.OL) with a view to a takeover.
A jump in the oil price could spur more consolidation, as weaker players are likely to suffer over the winter period as costs rise during a period when fewer people tend to fly.
Both Icelandic airlines, which Icelandair said would continue to operate under separate brands, use Keflavik Airport as their main hub between Europe and North America.
Together they have a combined 3.8 percent share of the transatlantic market, Icelandair, which warned on profit in July due to an increase in capacity on some routes across the Atlantic, added in a statement.
Icelandair shares jumped by nearly 50 percent after it announced the WOW takeover, the biggest one day percentage gain in its stock price since September 2009. The headline value of its offer for WOW was based on Friday’s closing share price.
“WOW air has been Icelandair’s main competitor and the acquisition is likely to lead to increase in average fares and better capacity control on the market to and from Iceland.” Arion Banki analyst Elvar Ingi Moller said.
WOW’s founder and sole owner Skuli Mogensen, who will receive 272 million shares in Icelandair, said that the deal will strengthen its international competitiveness.
Moller said WOW, which has 14 Airbus A320 family aircraft and three widebody A330 planes, has come under pressure due to higher oil prices and lower air fares in recent months.
Icelandair said its shareholders are due to meet to vote on the deal in the near future.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund; Additional reporting by Saray Young; Editing by Jon Boyle/Louise Heavens/Alexander Smith)
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