25 Aralık 2011

They are coming! - European unease over Etihad stake in Air Berlin

European unease over Etihad stake in Air Berlin - The National

The acquisition by Etihad Airways (EY) of a bigger stake in Air Berlin (AB) is likely to stir tensions among European airlines concerned about the expansion of Gulf carriers into their home territory.

There is another article from the NY Times about the same topic; Etihad and Air Berlin Form an Alliance

19 Aralık 2011

737 MAX vs A320neo

Planemakers fight it out with new narrow-body aircraft.
gulfnews: Boeing-Airbus face off in a new war

They are fighting for the narrow-body market by introducing upgraded versions of their existing models. I wonder who will design a completely new aircraft for this segment?

15 Aralık 2011

What is the difference between Abu Dhabi and Dubai ? - from an aviation point of view

Etihad strikes $2.8bn Dream deal - The National

Etihad Airways is set to become the largest operator of Boeing's fuel-efficient 787-9 Dreamliner after ordering 10 of the aircraft and two 777 freighters from the planemaker in a deal valued at US$2.8 billion (Dh10.28bn) at list prices. Carrying up to 300 passengers and over a range of 8,000 nautical miles, the 787-9, the longer version of the 787, will initially be used on routes to Dublin, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Nagoya, and Delhi.

In line with this;

 
Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) expects to handle 12 million travelers this year and says 1 million passengers a month will become the norm. The increase was attributed to the arrival of airlines such as Cathay Pacific, V Australia, and Czech Airlines, along with increased frequencies and new destinations launched by existing carriers.

Mr. Bennett (CEO of ADAC) said Etihad Airways had "continued to receive aircraft and add frequencies in certain markets".

Abu Dhabi Airports Company - ADAC last month announced work on the long-delayed Midfield Terminal (MTC) building would go ahead next year. The building is planned to be capable of handling up to 30 million passengers a year when it opens in 2017.


Emirates has included Italy in its expanding A380 network with the launch of a superjumbo service to Rome. The double-decker aircraft, bringing an additional 34% capacity on the Dubai-Rome route or an extra 250 seats each day.


Economic uncertainty and flagging consumer confidence in Europe and the United States did little to curtail the continued growth in passenger numbers at Dubai International as traffic surged 7.3 percent to 4.3 million passengers in October, according to the latest traffic statistics released on Monday by Dubai Airports.

October passenger numbers rose to 4,307,817, up 7.3 percent compared to 4,013,127 recorded during the same month in 2010. Through the first ten months of the year, passenger numbers totaled 41,855,561, an increase of 7.7 percent over the corresponding period in 2010.

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Well... everybody asks me `what is the difference between Abu Dhabi and Dubai` when I go back to Istanbul, to visit my hometown. The above four articles can give you an angle, a look from an aviation point of view to understand the difference.

One side is quantity, the other is quality. One side is mass, the other convenience. One side is full of surprises; the other is more steady and stable. Last but not least, Abu Dhabi is greener ;)



16 Kasım 2011

Abu Dhabi Int'l Airport Midfield Terminal

gulfnews: Midfield terminal Bids submitted for Abu Dhabi airport facility

Construction will start in 2012 and finish in 2016. Terminal Complex, which will be the new home of Etihad, will be operational as of 2017. What a coincidence that Emirates is planning to shift its operations to the new Dubai World Central (DWC) as of 2017.



31 Ekim 2011

Boarding times at airports have doubled since the 1970s

Most Annoying Airline Delays Might Just Be in the Boarding by Jad Mouawad (NYT)

Boarding times at airports have doubled since the 1970s, prompting airlines to try all kinds of elaborate tricks to get passengers in speedily and leave the gate on time. Here is the link for the full article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/business/airlines-are-trying-to-cut-boarding-times-on-planes.html

So what is the best way to do this? Start from the last row, in sectors/zones like many airlines does or the first window and then aisle seats? Ryanair has the quickest turn-around time in the aviation industry as they board passengers from the rear door while off-loading the previous flight passengers from the front door or v.v. as they don't have any pre-assigned seats.

At SunExpress, we were using the zone system and inviting the rear seats first, then mid, and finally the front. However, if you are in an airport with poor facilities, your passengers had squeezed in the waiting lounge, or there is a delay, asking passengers to follow those instructions is very hard.

Here is a multimedia file from NYT to give you an idea about; Comparing Airplane Boarding Methods

For legacy airlines, I think block boarding is the best solution. I don't know which ones you have already experienced, but at least now you know the reason for almost full overhead bins in your flight ;)

26 Ekim 2011

Boeing's B787 Dreamliner is in service

Boeing's Dreamliner begins first commercial flight today, 26 October. The All Nippon Airlines (ANA) flight is carrying its first passengers from Tokyo to Hong Kong.


Despite the delay of 3 years, which is a quite long time for airlines, I am happy to see B787 is on air.

Personally, I like to experience it as soon as possible. This aircraft is one of the two aircraft planned for the future of aviation based on different strategies. A380 and B787 were the products of rival strategies. Then we learned about A350-1000 and B747-800 ;)

Full article of BBC is here...

Bon Voyage B787 !

26 Haziran 2011

Boeing vs Airbus ... again! B737NG vs A320NEO - Paris Air Show

The decision by the executives of Airbus last year to offer a re-engined version of the A320 single-aisle jet from 2015, rather than going for an entirely redesigned plane, seems to be paying off.

Boeing is still hesitating to go for a simple re-engining of its rival plane, the 737, or a complete redesign.

Full article and pictures are available in 'The Economist'