Few minuates at San Francisco

AS we taxied in to our parking bay I managed to crab a few photos of some of the aircraft that visit San Francisco. Most of these were the first time seeing these aircraft.

SCANDINAVIAN A340-313 OY-KBC (CN 467)

ALASKA AIRLINES B737-990 N297AK (CN 60578)

ALASKA AIRLINES B737-990 N265AK (CN 62682)
HONORING THOSE WHO SERVE

SAN FRANCISCO TOWER

AMERICAN AIRLINES A321-231 N556UW (CN 5244)

JETBLUE A321-231 N935JB (CN 6185)



EMIRATES A380-861 A6-EDE (CN 11)

AIR FRANCE B777-328 F-GSQB (CN 32724)

NORWEGIAN B787-9 LN-LNV (CN 63312)

Brisbane-San Francisco inaugural flight

Mid October last year we discussed over dinner one night how nice it would be to be on the up and coming Brisbane to San Francisco inaugural flight in February... then two weeks later our dream became a reality. My wife, two daughters and I have been counting down the days ever since and I am really excited to say that day has come.

Qantas have a special 787-9 VH-ZNJ painted up in a special livery celebrating their 100 yrs and apart from waiting four months to see this aircraft I was hoping Qantas would put this on the inaugural flight tonight since it was in Brisbane.

but unfortunately it wasn't to be. We ended up getting VH-ZNI

QF59 was due to leave at 8.30pm so we arrived at the airport around 5pm.
Apron arrival at check in we received a commemorative T-Shirt, there was also a cake, special biscuits and a hotdog and popcorn stand. After the speeches from delegates we headed downstairs to the departure lounge.

Clearing customs and security we wondered around the international airport for a while.
We boarded our flight through gate 86 at 7.50pm.

My wife and I were in 50 H and K and my daughters were in 51 H and K. The cabin door was closed at 8.41pm and we pushed back at 8.44. We taxied out at 8.50 and we lined up on 01R. We departed at 8.56pm and climbed to 410. Out track took us out over Port Vila over the top of Honolulu and into San Francisco. We began our descent at 8.48 Brisbane time (2.48 San Francisco time).

We landed on 28R at 3.22pm San Francisco time and taxied to the gate. The whole flight took took 12 hours 26 minutes. 

Virgin Australia drops Hong Kong and adds Tokyo

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA B777-3ZG VH-VPE (CN 37939)     

Virgin Australia will drop its daily Sydney-Hong Kong flights from the 2nd March 2020, exiting not only Hong Kong but the 'greater China' play initiated and championed by former CEO John Borghetti. The airline has also confirmed that its Melbourne-Hong Kong service, is due to be 'suspended' from February 11th, will not return, as the airline "withdraws (its) services between Australia and Hong Kong". Virgin Australia CCO John MacLeod said "This decision comes off the back of a comprehensive review of the route. We've observed a continuing decline in demand, following the recent civil unrest and growing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak in the greater region." "These recent factors demonstrate that Hong Kong is no longer a commercially viable route for us to continue operating." "This is a tough commercial decision, however we have some exciting new opportunities to look forward to, such as our inaugural flights to Tokyo taking off next month," MacLeod added. Virgin Australia has confirmed the airline will shutter the Sydney-Hong Kong flights, and says passengers booked to fly between Sydney and Hong Kong will be contacted by the airline or their travel agent "to provide alternative arrangements." On the up side Virgin Australia is gearing up to begin daily flights between Brisbane and Tokyo from the 29th  March 2020. It's a pleasing alternative to the current Brisbane-Japan monopoly enjoyed by Qantas, with the added advantage that Virgin's flights will use Tokyo's Haneda Airport, which is considerably closer to the city than Tokyo's Narita Airport used by most other airlines.

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA A330-243 VH-XFC (CN 1293)

Virgin's Brisbane-Haneda route will use an Airbus A330 fitted with 20 business class suites and 255 economy seats (including eight Economy X seats).
VA77 departs Brisbane at 11:40am and touches down in Tokyo Haneda at 8pm
VA76 departs Tokyo Haneda at 9:45pm, and arrives in Brisbane at 7:45am the next morning.
Tokyo Haneda will become Virgin Australia’s 13th international destination from Brisbane, which is the most international departures out of Brisbane of any airline.

Plane breaks in three after landing

A passenger plane travelling from Izmir-Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB/LTBJ) to Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW/LTFJ)  has skidded off the runway and broken into three parts, killing one person and injuring more than 150, officials say. The Pegasus Airlines jet was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members from Izmir province in the west when it crashed at Sabiha Gokcen airport. At the time the flight arrived in the vicinity of Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen Airport, a thunderstorm was passing through and the was tower reporting the wind was 300 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 21 knots. At 18:19 (local) Pegasus 2193 touched down on runway 06, but failed to come to a complete stop on the runway. It overran and went down an embankment, breaking in three. The aircraft came to rest about 20 m below runway elevation. The last recorded ground speed was 63 knots as the aircraft crossed the perimeter road. The airport was closed and flights diverted after the accident. Turkish media said the majority of people on board were Turkish but there were also about 20 foreign nationals. Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said: Runway 06 is a concrete runway with a LDA (Landing Distance Available) of 3000 m.

Aircraft Information.
Airline: Pegasus Airlines
Code: PC / PGT
Aircraft: Boeing 737-86J (WL)
Registration: TC-IZK
Serial Number: 37742
Engines: 2 CFMI CFM56-7B24
First Flew: 23/01/2009
Age: 11
Started its life with Air Berlin and was stored from January 2016 to May 2016 when Izmir Airlines took it up.


Pegasus Airlines, a low-cost carrier, has a fleet of 77 aircraft - 32 Boeing 737-800's - 43 Airbus A320's and 2 A321 planes - and has been flying for 30 years.  This is not the first time a Pegasus plane has had a runway excursion. A Pegasus 737 coming in from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates skidded off the runway at the same airport on the 7th January this year. There were no casualties but the airport had to be temporarily closed. And another Pegasus 737 (TC-CPF) also skidded off the runway at Trabzon airport in January 2018, plunging down the side of a cliff overlooking the sea.

Brisbane Airport breaks records; looks ahead to 2020 milestones

Brisbane Airport Corporation has recorded over 24.1 million passengers in 2019, during a year where the airport experienced significant growth across both international and domestic markets. Brisbane’s recently enhanced International Terminal welcomed some 266,182 additional travellers last year. Over 6.3 million people passed through the airport’s doors in 2019, representing a 2.2% jump in international seats recorded when compared to 2018. Increased demand for services to Queensland’s gateway was met by airlines upgrading existing aircraft to larger models, while several carriers commenced new services to Brisbane, bolstering traffic at the airport. Equipment changes note include Singapore Airline’s March 2019 upgrade to new Airbus A350-900s, which replaced smaller A330s on two of the carrier’s four daily flights between Singapore and Brisbane. In October, Taiwanese carrier Eva Air upgrade its Taipei services to Boeing 787-10s, which can transport 342 passengers in two classes – 90 additional people compared to the A330-200s it replaces. Newly established Thai Air Asia X flights linking Brisbane to Bangkok thrice weekly, as well as Solomon Airlines’ new weekly services to Munda were milestones for the airport – broadening Brisbane’s global reach – while Royal Brunei established services from Brisbane to Bandar Seri Begawan in July. “With Brisbane Airport recording the strongest passenger growth amongst Australia’s major gateway airports, it is clear the rest of the world is taking notice of our great city and region and all it has to offer,” Gert-Jan de Graaff, Brisbane Airport Corporation Chief Executive Officer said, reflecting on the airport’s achievements in 2019. “The growth in visitor numbers is good news for our city, with the latest International and National Visitor Surveys conducted by Tourism Research Australia showing record expenditure occurring in Brisbane by both domestic and international visitors,” he added. Eight domestic airlines serve 51 Australian destinations from Brisbane. 4 October clocked in as the airport’s busiest day in 2019 – during which 63,525 arrivals and departures occurred within a 24-hour period. Flights from Brisbane to Canberra and Adelaide led a city-pair boom that saw a combined 48,800 additional travellers take to the skies. Additionally, Townsville – Brisbane flights recorded their one-millionth annual passenger – a first for the route which represented 2.8% growth. Internationally, New Zealand, China and the United States were the biggest contributors to Brisbane’s growth, with US services attracting a 10.5% increase on 2018 travellers. While New Zealand recorded an additional 36,000 passengers, growth from China was less buoyant than in previous years, attracting some 20,800 additional people. In late January, Brisbane Airport said that it is looking forward to strong international growth in 2020, driven by new services, including Virgin Australia’s recently announced flights to Tokyo Haneda and Qantas’ forthcoming launch of Chicago services. However with China one of the biggest contributors to international traffic, it remains to be seen what long term impacts the Coronavirus outbreak – currently crippling Chinese air travel – will have on Brisbane’s passenger numbers throughout 2020. Nevertheless, this year will be a significant one for the Airport, which is now fully focused on completing its new runway – scheduled to open mid-year – with de Graaf commenting: “This year is without a doubt the biggest in BAC’s history, with the practical completion of Brisbane’s new runway following eight years of construction.”
“The opportunities this will enable for Brisbane and for Queensland cannot be understated, and we will work harder than ever to secure new airlines, additional services and new destinations while building Brisbane as the nation’s gateway,” he added. Further construction milestones will be reached later this year when the airport completes a $40 million redevelopment of its domestic terminal, which aims to bring the domestic experience inline with the airport’s world-class international terminal building.




Storey sourced from here.
https://australianaviation.com.au/2020/02/brisbane-airport-breaks-records-looks-ahead-to-2020-milestones/

52 airlines have cancelled flights to China so far amid coronavirus fears

At least 52 airlines (that I know of)  have cancelled flights to China amid coronavirus fears. As the number of people infected with the Wuhan coronavirus around the world grows, airlines have cancelled or reduced flights to China, where the virus was discovered. European and US airlines – along with some Asian airlines – largely make up the list of those reducing service or outright cancelling flights to mainland China until the virus is under control. Some airlines have cancelled flights as far out as the end of March.

Air Astana

Kazakhstan’s flag carrier will stop serving mainland China on February 3

Air Canada

Air Canada announced it would scale back the number of flights to China

Air France

Air France has cancelled all of its flights to mainland China

Air India

Air India is axing flights to Shanghai until mid-February and reducing service to Hong Kong,

Air KBZ

The Myanmar-based airline which operates an extensive route network to mainland Chinese cities has announced that it will cut service to Guangzhou

Air Macau

Air Macau has cancelled flights to China from 7th February

Air Madagascar

Air Madagascar is suspending its sole link between its island homeland and mainland China,

Air Mauritius

Air Mauritius is suspending its route between its island homeland and Shanghai
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand said it would suspend its Auckland-Shanghai service from Feb. 9.

Air Seoul

Air Seoul extended its cancellation of flights to mainland China to include Zhangjiajie and Linyi in addition to Wuhan

Air Tanzania

Air Tanzania pushed back its inaugural flight from Dar es Salaam to China until further notice

American Airlines

American Airlines announced that it would suspend service to Shanghai and Beijing from Los Angeles

Asiana Airlines

Korea’s Asiana Airlines is suspending flights starting the 1st February to three Chinese cities – Guilin, Changsha, and Haikou

Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines on Wednesday said it would cut services to mainland China from its Vienna hub

British Airways

British Airways announced it would suspend all its flights to China until at least the end of February.

Cambodia Airways

Cambodia Airways has cancelled flights to both mainland China and autonomous regions such as Macau

Cathay Pacific

The closest carrier to the affected region, Cathay Pacific said it would keep its flights to mainland China but cut capacity by half. Flights directly to Wuhan operated by its sister airline Cathay Dragon, however, have been cancelled.

Cebu Pacific Air

The Filipino carrier is scaling back the number of flights it’s offering to mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau

China Airlines

China Airlines has cancelled some flights to cities across mainland China, though it hasn’t completely suspended service

Delta Air Lines

Delta has suspended all flights to China until the end of April

EgyptAir

Egypt’s national carrier will be suspending all of its flights to mainland China indefinitely

El Al Israel Airlines

El Al Israel Airlines is suspending its only route to mainland China from Tel Aviv to Beijing

Eastar Jet

The Korean low-cost carrier is suspending services to cities across China

EVA Air

Initially only offering a travel waiver for flights to Wuhan, the airline has extended its change or cancel policy to include any city in mainland China, as well as the regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

Finnair

The Finnish flag carrier will stop flying to all mainland Chinese cities beginning February 6 until the end of the month.

Himalaya Airlines

Himalaya Airlines announced that it would be cutting services to neighbouring China

Hong Kong Airlines

Hong Kong Airlines is joining in with Cathay Pacific in scaling back service to mainland China, The airline has only announced cancellations until 11th February, a much sooner date than most airlines that have cut services to China.

Iberia

The Spanish flag carrier is joining British Airways in suspending flights to China for the month of February

IndiGo

IndiGo is cutting service to Chengdu and Hong Kong beginning as of 1st February, it will keep service to Guangzhou

Jetstar Asia

Jetstar Asia is cancelling services to the mainland Chinese cities of Hefei, Guiyang, and Xuzhou to the end of March

Kenya Airways

Kenya Airways will be suspending its Nairobi to Guangzhou route beginning 1st February. 

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

KLM is suspending service to Xiamen, Chengdu, and Hangzhou beginning 30th January.

Korean Air

Korean Air is cancelling flights to nine mainland Chinese cities beginning the first week of February

Lion Air

Indonesia’s Lion Air will suspend flights to the 15 cities it serves in mainland China

Lufthansa Group

The Lufthansa Group announced that it would cut service to mainland China on Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines, and Austrian Airlines until the end of February,

Myanmar Airways International

Myanmar Airways International Airways is cancelling all of its charter flights to mainland Chinese destinations

Myanmar National Airlines

Myanmar’s flag carrier will suspend services to mainland China and Hong Kong

Philippine Airlines

Philippine Airlines is cancelling its charter flights to Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou
Qantas
Qantas will suspend flights from mainland China from the 9th February

RwandAir

RwandAir will be suspending services between Kigali, Rwanda and Guangzhou it will review the situation at the end of February.

Scandinavian Airlines

Scandinavian Airlines announced it would suspend services to mainland China starting 31st January until the end of February,

SCAT Airlines

SCAT Airlines will be forced to suspend operations to the country on 3rd February. It is unclear when service will resume as it is dependent on the country’s government.

Scoot

Joining its parent company Singapore Airlines, Scoot is suspending all flights to mainland China beginning 8th February

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines and its regional arm Silk Air will be selectively cutting services to mainland China. The cities of Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Chengdu, and Chongqing will be affected until the beginning of March.

SkyUp Airlines

SkyUp Airlines will be suspending services to mainland China until March

Thai Smile Air

Thai Smile Air has suspended all flights to mainland China for the month of February

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines is reducing frequencies to mainland Chinese cities until the end of February,

Swiss International Air Lines

Swiss International Air Lines has cancelled all service to mainland China from its hub in Zurich,

Ukraine International Airlines

Ukraine International Airlines will be cutting charter services to China following evacuation flights to Hainan Island this week

United Airlines

United Airlines became the first US airline to cut flights to cities in China and to Hong Kong from its hubs

Ural Airlines

Russia’s Ural Airlines is suspending flights to Hainan Island indefinitely, the airline announced.

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic is joining British Airways in suspending services to China from London. The airline only serves one destination in mainland China – Shanghai – which it will stop flying to for a two-week period starting 2nd February.

I am sure plenty of other airlines will follow.

On Saturday 1st February, Qantas announced it will suspend its flights to mainland China from the 9th February. The carrier says the move is a result of entry restrictions imposed by countries such as Singapore and the US. "Qantas will suspend its two direct services to mainland China (Sydney-Beijing and Sydney-Shanghai) from the 9th February until the 29th March 2020," it said in a statement.

Virgin Australia flies to Hong Kong from Sydney and Melbourne, but has no direct flights to mainland China..

Yesterday (1st Feb) Australia barred foreign nationals who have been in mainland China from entering the country, and ordered its own returning citizens to self-quarantine for 14 days, as the impact of the new coronavirus on world-wide travel spreads. The U.S. a day earlier imposed entry restrictions on foreign nationals and quarantines on Americans returning from Hubei, the Chinese province at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak.
Pakistan, a close Chinese ally, also banned commercial travel to the mainland on Friday. Italy on Thursday banned flights to mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Australia also raised its travel advice to Australians for all of mainland China to “Do Not Travel.” Any foreign nationals who ignore the prohibition and arrive in Australia, and who choose not to immediately return to their port of origin, will be subject to mandatory quarantine, the government said.

Pilots demand airlines stop ALL flights to China

Pilots demand airlines stop ALL flights to China and American Airlines staff file a lawsuit seeking an immediate halt as officials declare global health emergency

Pilots have demanded that all flights to China are suspended as health officials declare a global emergency and countries advise against all but essential travel. American Airlines pilots have even filed a lawsuit stating they should not be forced to fly to the country as the outbreak is 'serious, and in many ways still unknown, health threats posed by coronavirus'. A US flight attendant on a plane from a major Chinese city has said they feel as though they are on '14-day countdown', the gestation period of the virus, and that everyone onboard was wearing face-masks. The US has issued a category four warning for China, advising against all travel, but direct flights to and from the virus-stricken country are still available today according to flight sales website Skyscanner. American Airlines pilots filed the lawsuit in Texas, where the company is based, stating that they should not be forced to fly to the outbreak-hit country. Their union, the Allied Pilots Association (APA), has also told pilots to refuse jobs involving flights to and from China. In a statement, the American Airlines' flight attendants union said they supported the pilots' lawsuit and called on the company and the U.S. government to 'err on the side of caution and halt all flights to and from China' American Airlines said it had no comment today, but announced the cancellation of flights from Los Angeles to Beijing and Shanghai next month. It still has flights to China scheduled from Dallas. Pilots at United Airlines, the largest U.S. airline to China, concerned for their safety will be allowed to drop their trip without pay, according to a Wednesday memo from their union to members. Thai Airways is hosing its cabins with disinfectant spray between China flights and allowing crew to wear masks and gloves. Delta Air Lines is also operating fewer flights and offering food deliveries so crew can stay in their hotels. Korean Air Lines Co Ltd and Singapore Airlines are sending additional crew to fly each plane straight back, avoiding overnight stays. The South Korean carrier also said it was loading hazmat suits for flight attendants who might need to take care of suspected coronavirus cases in the air. Airlines in Asia are seeing a big drop in bookings along with forced cancellations because of the coronavirus outbreak, the head of aircraft lessor Avolon Holdings Ltd said, adding the impact could last for some months.