Tag: Mount

Lufthansa to Operate A350-900 Flight from Hamburg to the Falkland Islands

January 21, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

On February 1, 2021, Lufthansa will be departing on the longest passenger flight in the history of its company, marking one of the most unique flights the airline has ever carried out. On behalf of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven, the Lufthansa Group’s most sustainable aircraft, an Airbus A350-900, will be flying 13,700 kilometers nonstop from Hamburg to Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands. The flight time is calculated at around 15:00 hours. There are 92 passengers booked for this charter flight LH2574, half of which are scientists and the other half, being the ship crew for the upcoming expedition with the Polarstern research vessel.

“We are pleased to be able to support a polar research expedition during these difficult times. Commitment to climate research is very important to us. We have been active in this field for more than 25 years and have equipped selected aircraft with measuring instruments. Since then, scientists all around the world have been using the data collected during the voyage to make climate models more precise and improve weather forecasts,” says Thomas Jahn, fleet captain and project manager Falkland. Since the hygiene requirements for this flight are extremely high, Captain Rolf Uzat and his 17-member crew entered a 14-day quarantine last Saturday, the same time that the passengers did. “Despite the crew restrictions for this particular flight, 600 flight attendants applied for this trip,” says Rolf Uzat.

The preparations for this special flight are immense. They include additional training for the pilots via special electronic maps for flight and landing as well as managing the kerosene available at the Mount Pleasant military base for the return flight. The Airbus A350-900 is currently stationed in Munich, where it is being prepared for the flight. In Hamburg, the aircraft is loaded with additional cargo and baggage, which has been extensively disinfected and will remain sealed until departure. Besides the catering, there are additional containers for the residual waste on board, since this can only be disposed after the aircraft arrives back in Germany. The Lufthansa crew includes technicians and ground staff for on-site handling and maintenance who will quarantine after landing in the Falkland Islands due to government requirements. The return flight LH2575, is scheduled to depart for Munich on 03 February and will be carrying the Polarstern crew, which had set out from Bremerhaven on December 20 to resupply the Neumayer Station III in Antarctica, and must now be relieved.

In order to make research as climate-friendly as possible, the Alfred Wegener Institute will offset CO2 emissions from business flights via the non-profit climate protection organization atmosfair – which is also the case for this particular flight. The institute donates funds for biogas plants in Nepal for every mile flown, thereby reducing the same amount of CO2 emissions. This helps maintain the overall CO2 balance regardless of where in the world the CO2 emissions can be reduced. In addition to pure CO2 emissions, other pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and soot particles are also taken into account.

Preparations for the special flight began together with the Alfred Wegener Institute in the summer of 2020. The usual route via Cape Town was not feasible due to the infection situation in South Africa, leaving only the route via the Falkland Islands. After landing on the Falkland Islands, scientific staff and crew members will continue their journey to Antarctica on the research vessel Polarstern.

Qantas Adds More Travel Options for Customers Across Australia

December 17, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Qantas has today announced a major expansion to its regional network, adding seven new routes across New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria, in response to customer demand.

The announcement means Qantas will be flying to five more destinations across Australia than it was pre-COVID (up from 57 to 62). The airline also today begins flying direct from Sydney to Merimbula on the New South Wales Sapphire Coast for the first time.

NEW ROUTES

Route	Start date	Frequency (return flights per week)
Sydney – Griffith	1 Feb 2021	Daily
Melbourne – Newcastle	1 Feb 2021	Twelve
Melbourne – Merimbula	1 Feb 2021	Four
Melbourne – Mount Gambier	28 March 2021	Five
Melbourne – Wagga Wagga	28 March 2021	Four
Melbourne – Albury	28 March 2021	Four
Adelaide – Mount Gambier	28 March 2021	Five

Qantas is offering special fares for flights on the new routes from $125 one-way, available at qantas.com or through Travel Agents, until 20 December 2020, unless sold out prior.

The flights will largely be operated by the airline’s 50-seat Q300 turboprop aircraft, with upgraded cabin interiors, adding more than 320,000 seats to these regional destinations each year.

Qantas has already introduced a number of initiatives to encourage customers to book with  greater flexibility, as well as to improve safety and peace-of-mind when travelling domestically through its  Fly Well program.

ADDITIONAL FLIGHTS

– Melbourne-Gold Coast weekly flights will double – from daily to twice daily – from April 2021 with the new schedule to cater for both corporate and leisure travellers.

– Sydney-Orange flights will increase from three days per week to daily from February 2021.

– Melbourne-Launceston flights will be upgraded from a Q400 aircraft to a larger Boeing 717, adding more than 400 seats on the route each week.

– A number of seasonal routes originally scheduled for the summer have been extended to operate year-round, including Perth-Hobart, Canberra-Hobart, Sydney-Merimbula and Brisbane-Port Macquarie.

QantasLink CEO John Gissing said these new routes were a great opportunity for travellers to explore the best of regional Australia.

“As the national carrier, we have an important role to play in driving tourism and supporting the industry’s recovery,” said Mr Gissing.

“Before COVID, more than 11 million Australians travelled overseas each year, so these flights will help convert some of these international trips into domestic holidays instead.

“We know there is significant pent up demand for travel. These new flights will help more Australians explore some of the incredible places in their own backyard and drive tourism, which is so vital to the local economies of regional areas.

“We’ll be promoting these new flights to millions of our frequent flyers across the country in the lead up to the flights commencing next year.

“We’re also pleased to be able to offer locals more choice and competitive fares on these routes, most of which have been monopolies for years.”

Since domestic border restrictions started to ease in July, Qantas has announced or commenced flying on 13 new routes across Australia. Today’s announcement brings that number to 20.

Qantas has been progressively “waking up” its domestic and regional aircraft to support this new flying, with the vast majority of the airline’s regional fleet expected to be operational by early 2021.

“All our aircraft carry fixed costs, regardless of whether they’re grounded or not. We’d rather get as many aircraft back in the air as we can because it’s better for our business, our customers and gets more of our people back to work,” added Mr Gissing.

Qantas flights continue to have complimentary baggage and food and drink included with every seat. The airline has now opened 30 of its 35 domestic and regional lounges across its network.

Today is the last day to register for Qantas’ Status Fast Track initiative that has seen thousands of members from other airlines switching to Qantas Frequent Flyer to take advantage of the national carrier’s extensive lounge and flying network.

Qantas is also offering customers the opportunity to join its Frequent Flyer program for free until 31 January 2021 via qantas.com/freejoin. Travellers will be able to earn Qantas Points and Status Credits on the new routes as well as using their points to book flights.

Sukhoi Superjet 100 Involved in Deadly Fire

May 6, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

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.

Lufthansa to Operate A350-900 Flight from Hamburg to the Falkland Islands

Qantas Adds More Travel Options for Customers Across Australia

Sukhoi Superjet 100 Involved in Deadly Fire

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