Recently in Europe Category

Simply driving onto the Farnborough airfield show ground is enough to start my feelings of anticipation grow as I drive to a pre-Farnborough Air Show 2012 press briefing.

I love Farnborough, always have since my first visit as a kid in 1974 (the Blackbird was there - now that was cool). Some of my friends in the media hate Farnborough (or Paris, take your pick), but I've always loved the intensity of these industry fanfares.

For those of us who have visited Farnborough countless times over the years it is a familiar place. There are the classic chalet rows, which have been virtually unchanged for decades. The four main halls scale the steps that lead up from static aircraft parking area.

The organisers of Farnborough, with chief executive Shaun Ormrod to the fore, are doing their best to keep the show relevant and customer friendly. There are lots of special features, like the Aviation Security Zone (sponsored by Flightglobal partner FLIR Systems), an Innovations Zone, a Futures Day and a Space Zone.

Ormrod tells the press corps that "2012 is looking like it's going to be a really great show". Here's why:

* 98% of the chalet space is sold (only 2 units left)

* 100% of the halls are sold and there is a waiting list

* The aircraft static park is full and there is a waiting list.

For now the flying display is OK but not overwhelming (the Red Arrows will be there of course).

Russia's Yakovlev Yak-130 trainer is coming, which is nice but not exactly earth-shattering news. No word on whether Boeing's 787 or 747-8 will be either flying, flying past or on static. Boeing promises news on its presence shortly.

The coolest new arrival is ground-based - for the time being. After much persuasion from the Farnborough team, Virgin Galactic has agreed to bring its SpaceShipTwo mock-up to the show.

This will be the first time Virgin Galactic has shown SS2 in Europe. Now that is cool.

The press briefing is over and the countdown clock to Farnborough 2012 is ticking.

Flightglobal will be there covering the show via our fantastic show landing page, our mobile app, interactive Flight Daily News, the Flight Daily News paper and much more!

Don't forget our Live Streaming of the air display - which will be found via Flightglobal.com.

Bring on the show!

 

 

 

 

...plus c'est la même chose. This month marks the 60th anniversary of the first jet passenger service - operated, as I'm sure we all know, by a beautiful BOAC de Havilland Comet.

And while I could use this anniversary as an excuse to drone on about the Comet and all that it promised for British aviation prior to its grounding after a spate of tragic accidents two years after its debut, I thought it would be more appropriate to reflect on what that sunny day in May represented for the world and globalisation.

More than any other moment during the 109 years since the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, 2 May 1952 revolutionised air transportation and marked the start of the modern era of jet travel. For when those 36 passengers departed London (Heathrow) Airport bound for Johannesburg, much of what they experienced for the first time as members of the public has not changed one bit in the ensuing six decades.

After the flight lifted off from Heathrow's runway 27L (okay, it was called runway No 5 back then), the Comet climbed to an initial cruising height of 36,000ft (FL360) and a speed of 525mph (845km/h or 460kt TAS), and later climbed as high as FL400. Passengers on tonight's flight BA57 to JNB on board a 747-400 will no doubt be experiencing a not dissimilar flight profile (but without the five refuelling stops!). 

Prior to the arrival of the Comet, air passengers lumbered around at heights no greater than 25,000ft in the piston and early turboprop airliners of the day. So in 1952 the Comet - as the world's first operational jet transport - delivered for the first time a flying experience to the air passenger that would differ little in terms of speed and height for the foreseeable future (with the exception of those lucky enough to experience Concorde during its 27-year reign).

The onboard environment is of course a different story. The Comet's narrow cabin (above, via British Airways) was one area that harked back to the immediate post-war era in which it was spawned. It had just 36 seats arranged in a fairly cosy layout, with a club eight arrangement in a forward, private cabin (often the preserve of the Hollywood set, apparently) and the remaining 28 seats in the main cabin - all four abreast. Aft of the cabin was the entry foyer and "dressing rooms and toilets - ladies port and gentlemen's starboard". 

This was a world away from the first class cabins of today's long-haul network carriers (Etihad's illustrated), but there is no doubt that the Comet's occupants still found themselves in a quieter, smoother and more comfortable world than anything they had experienced previously when on board one of the lumbering, propeller-driven predecessors.

That first jet service to Johannesburg took 23h 38min, and was flown by BOAC Comet Yoke Peter, shaving an amazing 17h off the existing service operated by a Douglas DC-6B. The return fare in 1952 was £315.The flight arrived in JNB two minutes ahead of schedule after a routing which involved refuelling stops in Rome, Beirut, Khartoum, Entebbe and Livingstone. There were two crew changes - one in Beirut (where Capt Michael Majendie was relieved by Capt J Marsden) and the other in Khartoum (where Capt Cliff Alabaster DSO, DFC (the former BSAA pilot who crewed the first ever flight from Heathrow in 1946) took over for the final legs to Johannesburg). 

Such was the novelty that de Havilland's jet delivered to civilians in terms of high altitude cruising, that a book - Comet Highway - was commissioned to celebrate the views from the Comet's passenger windows. As the book summarised it so succinctly in its foreword: with the arrival of the Comet "the World would never be the same again".

It added: "Swift and secure high-altitude flight is no longer the prerogative of the specialist few, for the Comet has brought it to the multitude, and many thousands of everyday travellers have already experienced the wonders of jet flight at eight miles a minute in a magic world eight miles above the levels of the oceans."

I couldn't have put it better - de Havilland, the Comet and BOAC: We salute you!

Read Flight's news report on the World's first jet airliner service, in its 9 May 1952 edition, here (from our archive)

Lufthansa celebrated the arrival of its first Boeing 747-8I on Wednesday in a hangar at Frankfurt airport, where 1,200 invited employees - and a few journos - got a chance to preview the latest iteration of Jumbo Jet.

Clockwise from top left: 747-200B, -200B (new colours), -8I and -400 

Lufthansa will have the honour of debuting Boeing's sixth iteration of passenger-carrying 747 when it puts the new jet into service on 1 June between Frankfurt and Washington Dulles. Four more of the 362 seaters are due to arrive this year, with 15 more slated to be delivered through 2013-2015. Other destinations that should be graced by the Lufthansa 747-8I this year include Chicago, Los Angeles, New Delhi and Bangalore.

Upper deck - 1975 versus 2012

Lufthansa has been a big fan of Boeing's big jet right from the start. It has already taken delivery of almost 60 passenger 747s, has flown many of the variants including 747-100, -200B/200B combi, -200F, -400/400 combi and now -8I. It was also the first to introduce the type in Europe in April 1970 (between Frankfurt and New York).

First class in the nose - 1975 versus 2012

And apart from its very early 747-100s - which were Pratt & Whitney powered - all have been equipped with General Electric turbofans. The latest iteration is of course powered by a derivative of the GEnx developed for the 787.  

Sadly, Lufthansa also had the ominous distinction of being the first airline to suffer a 747 fatal accident, when one of its -100s crashed on take-off from Nairobi in November 1974.

Jumbo cabin cabin crew now - and then

Given Lufthansa's four decades of 747 history, it is appropriate to use the arrival of the first 747-8I to examine how Jumbo cabin fashions have evolved over the ages.  

Remarkably, Lufthansa's original 747-100 seat count was just one different from today's 747-8I - 361 versus 362. But that is where the similarities end. That first aircraft had 28 first class seats and the rest was economy. Today's -8I has just eight first class seats (all located in the nose section) and 92 in business. The remaining 262 are economy.

First class on board the -400 in the 1990s - and now on board the 747-8I

Another big difference between 1970 and 2012 is the upper deck. These were originally used as lounge or break-out zones for premium passengers to relax in en route. Today's -8I with an extended upper deck that is similar in area to the cabin of a 737-700, puts the space to good use by accommodating 32 business-class passengers in luxury that far surpasses first class from four decades ago.  

The 747's cockpit has changed quite a lot over the years too, primarily through the elimination of the flight engineer and his associated panel. However pilots converting from the 747-400 will struggle to tell the difference when they step on to the flightdeck of a -8I, as this is one area where little has changed between 1989 and 2012. But that speaks volumes for how advanced the -400's cockpit was back then when it was first introduced....

Read more about Lufthansa's 747-8I introduction and how it will operate alongside its Airbus A380s here, and view video on board the new Jumbo here

And check out Lufthansa's impressive 747-8 micro-site here

Below: First and latest - Lufthansa's original 747-100 series and its new 747-8I

 

 

Air Berlin used the occasion of its accession into Oneworld this week to showcase its new home airport - or what will become its home 73 days from now. The new Berlin Brandenburg International airport will finally unify the city's airport system which has been split across three sites for much of the time since the city's division after World War II. Unification of Berlin's airports began with the closure of the iconoic Templelhof airport in October 2008. The second and final stage will come with the closure overnight of the existing Tegel and Schonefeld airports and opening of the the new Brandenburg airport, located next to the old Schonefeld site, on 3 June.

The ceremony was the first such event at the new airport and was marked by a double debut, the first Air Berlin aircraft (an A330-200 and 737-800) at the airport and the first in Oneworld colours.

"It is a great honour for us to be hosting this event. It is the first time aircraft are catered on the new apron," said Berlin Airports chief executive Rainer Schwartz, joking: "It proves that the concrete is dry." But, noting the airport will be Oneworld's third busiest in Europe, he believes the airport provides the opportunity for growth. "With their own pier at BER, we are offering airberlin and oneworld partners first-class travel comfort, everything within easy reach and minimum connecting times."

Air Berlin chief executive Hartmut Mehdorn also stressed the opportunity. "We are going to develop the new airport into a hub," he said. "We are waiting for the new airport, we are very confident it will be ready on time. We are confident it will give us the chance for the business to grow."

Other Oneworld carriers could be tempted in."I think there is going to be a great opportunity here at Berlin," said American Airlines chief executive Tom Horton. "It's certainly something American Airlines is looking at."

Read much more about what Air Berlin brings to the alliance and the positioning of Oneworld after the financial setbacks of several of its members, or prospective members, here.

The airport is still a construction site, but all appear confident of meeting its new June opening target (this slipped from an original October 2011 target to ensure security facilities complied with new European Union requirements).

 

The size of the task, closing down two airports and switching to a new one overnight, is enormous. And great effort is going in to ensure there is no repeat of the operational teething problems that have dogged so many airport openings, not least the high-profile baggage problems at the Heathrow T5 home of Air Berlin's Oneworld partner British Airways. This work includes a fourth-month testing period with an army of volunteers testing the facilities by simulating the check-in process at the airport, before boarding a bus, and going back round to do it all over again.

So Malev has become the second established European carrier (its history dates back to 1946) in a week to suspend operations. While there have been some smaller airline casualties in Europe so far this year - Czech Connect and Germany's Cirrus Airlines both suspended flights while seeking new finance (another, Austrian carrier Air Alps, has now resumed flights after earlier suspending operations in January), it is the fall of Malev and Spanair over the last seven days which demonstrates how tough it is for airlines in Europe. Malev and Spanair are both established in alliances - Oneworld and Star Alliance respectively - and feature in the top 150 airlines by revenues.

MALEV

• 21 aircraft
• Revenues $421m (2010)
• Passengers: 3.05m (2010)

SPANAIR

• 29 aircraft
• Revenues $800m (2010 Airline Business estimate)
• Passengers: 6.96m (2010)

This is rapidly looking like it might become a winter of discontent for Europe's airlines. The region is forecast for losses this year as they battle the headwinds of high fuel prices and the eurozone woes. And enforcement of European Commission state aid rules is adding further pressure to those who might previously have taken comfort from the state for support. (For more on this pressure check out our ANALYSIS: Spanair collapse bad news for state-funded airlines article).

Alongside airline collapses, mergers are the other element to airline consolidation - and a number of deals in the works will further change the picture. How far has this journey gone? Well here is a little graphic which shows the number of passenger airlines (scheduled and charter) operating today from some of the major markets compared to 2001 - and while passenger numbers for European carriers among the top 200 airlines have jumped more than 75% over the last ten years, the number of carriers in each country has fallen (and this doesn't take account of deals in the works or shared airline ownership).

 

And for a more detailed look on how this process has worked, look at this analysis of the Italian market - which if planned mergers are completed, will mean it will have gone from around 20 airlines to essentially three in the last decade.

Somewhere in the streets of Latvia there is Mini Cooper in AirBaltic colours driving around, bought onboard one of the airline's flights. The airline claimed a world first in December when it began selling cars onboard its flights and the first one has now hit the streets. Five more have since been sold.

 

Air Baltic's VP corporate communications Janis Vanags was detailing this and some of the many other retail innovations the Latvian carrier has developed during the first Airline Business supported New Airline Commercial Models, Retailing and Merchandising conference in London.

Vanags passed round the audience one of the special Air Baltic-liveried trainers it is also now selling onboard - not sure if the driver of the Mini Cooper is also wearing the trainers.

Sadly this is the only one of its shoe collection to have made it into production and to be available for sale - if you want to see just how surreal the rest of collection (including AirBaltic stilettos and ice skates by the look of it) check out this link.

Look out for more from the New Airline Commerical Models, Retailing and Merchandising conference today by following the Twitter hash tag #AirlineBusinessNCM  

Half a century ago today at a small airfield north of London, de Havilland launched its best and final attempt to recover the lead it lost a decade earlier with the disastrous crashes of its pioneering Comet jet airliners.

At 12:14 on 9 January 1962 DH chief test pilot John Cunningham flew the first DH121 Trident G-ARPA off the runway at Hatfield for a 1h 21 min maiden flight. G-ARPA's control yoke, as well as a piece of its airframe that incorporates that historic registration, is preserved at the excellent Heathrow Trident Collection in Feltham, Middlesex (pictured below).

The little trijet, with its novel "S-duct" central engine installation, would go on to influence a generation of narrowbody and widebody three-holers, the most significant of which of course was Boeing's 727.

History now records that despite its innovations in configuration and technology (it pioneered Autoland systems), the Trident was a commercial flop. DH and successor Hawker Siddeley built just 117 Tridents while Boeing sold an eye-watering 1,831 727s. Why was it a flop? Because DH spent too much time listening to its launch customer - BEA - and tailored the design around that airline's requirements. This cardinal sin has ever since sat as a stark reminder to airframers about the perils of allowing one customer to have too much design influence.

But sales aside, the Trident always proved a huge hit with the pilots - most of who worked for BEA and successor British Airways which flew more than 70 of the trijets.

Three of them got together last Saturday at Farnborough's FAST museum to mark the 50th anniversary and to reminisce in the beautifully preserved cockpit of Trident 3B G-AWZI which is owned by Trident enthusiast Andrew Lee.

Capts Chris Wood, Dave Warren and John Rankin (pictured top, left to right) had between them more than three decades of Trident flying experience and fondly remember the "Gripper" - so called because of its less than sparkling take-off performance.

"The Trident was an awesome machine to fly," recalls Capt Rankin. "It was the best handling airliner I ever flew with superb control, agility and rock solid stability. Roll rates of 30o/s and smooth as silk right up to its Mach 0.96 max speed. The Boeings I've flown felt like the designer drove a Cadillac. The Trident felt like a finely tuned sports car."

So here's to Cunningham, ah de Havilland and the Trident - and what might have been...

Click below to read Flight International's report on the first flight:

 

 

The Brooklands Museum in Weybridge marked the 50th anniversary of its Vickers Vanguard on 3 December, with a reunion of the first and last Captains to fly the big turboprop.

Capt Jack Randell (pictured, above left) was in the BEA crew that delivered G-APEP "Superb" on the short hop from Vickers' Wisley airfield to the airline's "London Airport" (Heathrow) base on 13 December 1961 (see extract from Jack's log book, below). Thirty-five years later, after sterling service in the passenger role and later as a freighter with BEA, British Airways, Air Bridge Carriers and Hunting Cargo Airlines, Echo Papa was flown into its Brooklands birthplace by Capts Gary West (above right) and Peter Moore.

On 17 October 1996, West and Moore - who sadly passed away last year - positioned Echo Papa from Hunting Cargo's East Midlands base for a spectacular arrival on the remains of Brooklands' runway, which only had 600m (1,970ft) landing distance available. This was the last flight of a Vanguard anywhere in the world.

 

Reminiscing at the Brooklands reunion with fellow ex-Vanguard pilots about that impressive final landing, West joked: "We'd practised at East Midlands with the landing distance marked on the runway, but it still looked awfully short as we flew down the approach to Brooklands!" 
However it all went to plan and the aircraft was easily stopped in the distance available. "We were very light so we touched down at less than 100kt," added West.

Read the 1996 article from Flight International (above) about the Brooklands arrival here, and our jump-seat ride to Brussels in the last Vanguard  here.

For information on how you can visit Echo Papa and the museum's extensive collection of aircraft (including Concorde G-BBDG) and motor vehicles, go to Brooklandsmuseum.com