Five Airbus A350s flying in formation – Photo: Airbus
On September 30th, the Airbus A350 XWB received Type Certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). What better way to celebrate than to fly five Airbus A350-900 in formation? We can’t think of a better way. Luckily for us, there’s photos and video (the video is found lower in the story) for us to enjoy!
What’s better than one or two A350s flying in formation? Five of course – Photo: Airbus
’œReceiving the A350-900 Type Certification from EASA is a great achievement for Airbus and for all our partners who have contributed to designing, building and certificating this fantastic, new generation aircraft. The A350-900 is now ready to fly from the nest and be enjoyed by airlines and passengers,’ said Fabrice Brgier, Airbus President and CEO. ’œThe A350 XWB embodies many extra innovative technologies which make all the difference in passenger comfort and airline efficiency.’
A rendering of the inside of Lufthansa’s Patient Transport Compartment, the “flying ICU” – Image: Lufthansa
Lets face it, nobody wants to need medical care while on board a plane. And yet, with a huge number of people traveling by air everyday, it’s inevitable that it will happen with some regularity. In fact if you travel by air regularly, you have probably heard the flight attendants ask over the PA if there is a “medical professional onboard.”
Any malady that can occur on the ground can happen in the air, and the altitude while on a commercial aircraft can even exacerbate certain medical conditions. That means that some people may be more likely to need medical assistance in the air than they do on the ground.
For German airline Lufthansa, there are about 3,000 passenger medical emergencies that occur on board each year. Of those, an average of 54 emergencies are serious enough that they require the flight to be diverted so that a patient can obtain urgent medical care. I recently had a chance to sit down with the airline and learn how they cope with these situations. Not only is the airline well prepared for any emergency that may arise in flight, they are also ready to treat those who need care before they board the aircraft.
Etihad, along with Boeing, went all out revealing their new livery, called “Facets of Abu Dhabi” on the 787-9
On a clear Saturday evening, Etihad Airways revealed their new livery on their first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner at Paine Field. Although the new livery had been previously seen on the airline’s first Airbus A380 just a few days earlier, it didn’t stop Etihad from celebrating and being excited about not only their new design, but also this new aircraft type.
The tail design is a dramtic departure for Etihad
Originally, the roll out of the 787-9 was planned from Boeing’s paint hangar at about 6:45pm local time. However, it was pushed back a bit to let it get darker to increase the dramatic effect of the special lighting.
The delay was okay, since there was a tent set up in almost a living room configuration, with appetizers and drinks being served to waiting airline employees, executives, Boeing representatives, and media.
There was no question that most everyone there was excited to see the plane, and the energy was high.
Southwest Airlines New Mexcio One on approach to LAX
With so many new liveries being released by Spirit, Frontier, Southwest, China Eastern and Etihad, it’s time for a Livery of the Week. But why look at just one livery – lets look at many.
When I lived in Australia, there were not many choices in the way of special liveries. With only a handful of airlines and maybe one or two planes in a fleet with the occasional sticker on the side, there wasn’t diversity. But here in the US, you have many, many different options — which is exciting for a spotter like myself.
The one airline that astounded me as to how many special offerings they have was Southwest.
Southwest’s Florida One shows the states seal on the front of the plane – Photo: JL Johnson | AirlineReporter
Southwest has many different special liveries, but the most entertaining ones to me are the state liveries. The state liveries are based upon some of the airline’s more prominent destinations. Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Maryland, Florida… even Illinois. They are all named in the same pattern as well. Generally, the aircraft wears the name of the state and then One. For instance New Mexico’s aircraft is ’œNew Mexico One.’ California would be California One, but of course everyone knows there is an exception to the rule and that is, of course, Texas. They call their plane ’œLone Star One.’ The good news with Southwest’s recent fleet-wide livery change is that these special aircraft will not be disappearing!
China Eastern’s first Boeing 777-300ER seen next to the Future of Flight – Photo: Jeremy Dwyer Lindgren / NYCAviation.com
Covering a story for AirlineReporter can be a dangerous business. Originally we had our Lee Zerrilla heading to the reveal of China Eastern’s first Boeing 777-300ER, when BAM he got in a minor accident. Lee is okay, but sad he was not able to make it to the event.
Have no fear, our good friends at NYCAviation (and photographer Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren) were nice enough to share their photos and information about the aircraft (thanks guys!).
Although, the photos end up showing what, I think, is a pretty ugly livery, it is what is on the inside that counts with this bird.
This is not the first time we have seen China Eastern’s new livery on the 777. We saw it when it came out of the paint booth and I have to say that I wasn’t a fan. Heck, I might have even called it the worst livery ever. Maybe a tad bit harsh, but I am just not a fan of these bland designs.
Okay. The livery doesn’t look half bad in the sunset – Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | NYCAviation.com
Some wondered if this was a temporary livery, but no, this is China Eastern’s new official livery.
The new logo on the tail is not so bad. It is a swallow consisting of the letters C and E, which represents the airline’s name. Sure, that is fine and dandy, but why so boring for the rest of the aircraft?
The airline was more excited to show off the new interior of the aircraft, which is probably the part that most passengers will care most about.
