Recently in air transport Category

Uzbekistan Airways is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a shiny new present, a Boeing 767-300ER. This is the first of four 767-300ERs from a 2008 order. Uzbekistan Airways, headquartered in Tashkent, also has two 787-8s on order.

 

To borrow from Spinal Tap: How much more black could it be? None more black. It's Air New Zealand's latest Boeing 777-300ER (ZK-OKQ) resplendent in the All Black colour scheme sat next to a Beech 1900D turboprop belonging to Eagle Airways at Auckland. Could it be any more awesome? None more awesome.

Credit: Peter Clark

A trip up to London yesterday and a walk along Picadilly took me past the window of Iran Air's office (sadly in the process of moving to Hammersmith Road). Displayed in said window was a model of a Boeing 747 in the old seventies livery. Although I was unable to find a picture of one in the flesh, here's another golden oldie in the shape of a Boeing 727, pictured in 1975 on its way in to London Heathrow. The aircraft - EP-IRB - continued flying until 2002, when it was parked in Tehran.

Credit: AirTeamImages

Having recently secured a multi-million cash boost from Etihad Airways - and probably made its immediate future safe - we're sure that Air Berlin, the carrier behind this festive Boeing 737-800, is celebrating the holiday period with an extra spring in its lederhosen. The aircraft ws snapped at Berlin Tegel earlier this month.

Credit: AirTeamImages

I've been looking for pictures of this Hello Kitty-themed Airbus A330-300 for a few weeks now and I can see it repelling as many as it draws in. Anyway, thank you to Taiwan's EVA Air for doing this, it's made the world a more day-glo place.

No cats were harmed during its production. Probably.

Credit: AirTeamImages

With the news that Airbus is to consign its four-engined A340 to the sales scrapheap, here's an entirely apt image of an A340 heading off into the sunset. In this case, it's an A340-500 operated by Singapore Airlines on the way into LAX.

Credit: AirTeamImages

Given that commitments for Boeing's 747-8 Intercontinental have been rarer than hen's teeth - Korean and kings of the new aircraft type, Lufthansa, being the only airlines to order thus far - it's probably a welcome relief for Boeing that another carrier, Nigeria's Arik Air, has decided to join the party. OK, it's only for two aircraft (and not the potential five that Arik once promised) but orders is orders...

Credit: Boeing

Today was meant to be the day that Boeing sailed over one of the many delivery hurdles littering its path with the handover of the first 747-8F to Cargolux. Except that now seems to be on a back-burner as Cargolux - under pressure from 35% shareholder Qatar Airways - has refused to accept the aircraft. So, now we wait to see who blinks first... meanwhile, in happier times, here's a shot of the 747 in question on what is described as its final acceptence flight on 12 September.

Credit: AirTeamImages

Probably the most predictable news of the week - Boeing has given the go-ahead for the launch of its re-engined 737. If the rendered pics reveal anything it's that the new version of the twinjet has the same sculpted nacelles as the 787 and that Boeing is dropping the 700/800/900 designation in favour of the -7/8/9 seen on the 747 and 787.

Credit: Boeing

Chad Graff has shared these pictures showing STS-135, the final Space Shuttle mission, lifting off from Cape Canaveral, as viewed mid-flight on a Southwest service.

Graff says his brother took the photos en route to Miami.

Credit: @ChadGraff/Twitpic