Boeing (Chicago and Seattle) yesterday reported “hairline cracks” on about 40 787s in production according to Reuters. The wings are made by Mitsubishi. The cracks were also discovered on the new 787-9 which could delay the introduction of the new type. No cracks were found on aircraft currently flying with the airlines.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

IndiGo Airlines (Delhi) flight 6E 031 from Delhi to Kathmandu with 175 passengers, one infant and six crew members was evacuated on landing today (March 8) at Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. Smoke and fire was detected in the undercarriage of the Airbus A320 according to The Times of India. There were no injuries in the evacuation.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Rainer Bexten/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-232 VT-IEU (msn 5092) prepares to land in Dubai.

IndiGo: 

WestJet (Calgary) will start a new route linking the Toronto (Pearson) hub with Phoenix, Arizona starting on October 26. The new route will be operated with Boeing 737-700 aircraft on a daily basis per Airline Route.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. WestJet Airlines Boeing 737-7CT WL C-FWSO (msn 32759) plans to land in Las Vegas.

WestJet: 

SriLankan Airlines (Colombo) will become a full member of oneworld®, offering the alliance’s complete range ofservices and benefits with effect from Thursday May 1, 2014 – as the first carrier from the Indian subcontinent to become part of any global airline groups.

The national airline of Sri Lanka received clearance to board oneworld, the world’s leading quality airline alliance, after successfully completing a thorough review of its readiness conducted by Cathay Pacific Airways, which is sponsoring its entry into the alliance, with the oneworld central team.

Its addition to oneworld will come a month after the alliance welcomes TAM and US Airways on board, on March 31, concluding the group’s biggest yet expansion program.

SriLankan will bring two new destinations on to the oneworld network – Sri Lanka’s new Hambantota International and India’s Tiruchirapalli.

SriLankan already code-shares with oneworld members Malaysia Airlines and S7 Airlines with code-share agreements with a number of other oneworld partners at an advanced stage of discussion.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. The Airbus A340s will be phased out and replaced by newer A330s by late 2015. The company also has seven A350-900s on order. Airbus A340-311 4R-ADB (msn 033) completes its final approach at Bangkok.

SriLankan Airlines: 

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) has released the 2015 SkyMiles U.S. Award redemption charts as part of its commitment to inform members of upcoming SkyMiles program improvements. Of the 44 Award level pricing changes, more than 95 percent of the changes reflect a decrease in the miles needed for Award Travel redemption by SkyMiles members.

The new SkyMiles U.S. Award chart: CLICK HERE

According to the airline, “With the release of the U.S. Award chart, members can learn even more about Delta’s 2015 SkyMiles program including how the new five-tier Award structure will be implemented. The lowest level for SkyMiles Saver Awards will remain at 25,000 miles plus taxes and fees for an Economy Class Award ticket for travel within the U.S. andCanada excluding Hawaii. The introduction of two additional redemption tiers will offer members more price points for Awards and is designed to complement new features such as new One-Way Award tickets which will start as low as 12,500 miles plus taxes and fees within the U.S. and Canada excluding Hawaii and the ability to redeem Miles + Cash Award options. In addition, members will experience significant improvements to award-redemption functionality at delta.com and Delta reservations in 2015.”

Delta is moving the emphasis of the mileage awards program to its premium flyers who pay more for their tickets.

Copyright Photo: James Helbock/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 767-432 ER N841MH (msn 29714) with the special “100 Years – American Cancer Society – The Official Sponsor of Birthdays” logo and inscription arrives in Las Vegas.

Delta Air Lines (current): 

Delta Air Lines (historic): 

United Airlines (Chicago) today unveiled a new wide body aircraft maintenance hangar at Newark Liberty International Airport.

United invested $35 million to construct the facility, which will help support the airline’s widebody aircraft, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350 XWB, which United will begin flying in 2018. The hangar also expands United’s maintenance capability for widebodies by 33 percent at Newark Liberty.

United has more than 13,000 employees in the New York metropolitan area, 700 of whom are dedicated to technical operations and maintenance at Newark Liberty. Construction of the 90,000-square-foot hangar also had a significant economic impact on the region, as more than 600 local workers helped build the facility.

In November 2013, United also completed construction of a 125,000-square-foot maintenance hangar at Washington Dulles International Airport. Together with this new hangar at Newark, United has significantly increased its maintenance capabilities on the East Coast.

United Airlines (current): 

Although this video has been out for a while, I came across this great “inside look” video of an Airbus A380 of Lufthansa approaching and landing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) from the cockpit perspective of the flight crew. If you are not a pilot, I think you will enjoy the professionalism of the crew as they give us an inside glimpse of their highly precise world. Thank you Lufthansa.

Top Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com.

Lufthansa: 

Video: PilotsEye TV:

EVA Air (Taipei) wants to expand its route map with more flights to North America. The airline is planning to add new routes to both Chicago (O’Hare) and Houston (Bush Intercontinental) according to the Taipei Times.

Read the full article: CLICK HERE

Earlier this year EVA Air put out this statement on its North American expansion:

Starting in June 2014, EVA Air will increase North American service from 45 flights per week to 55, boosting frequency to Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver. By adding 22 percent more flights, EVA will also expand capacity, offer passengers greater convenience and provide more flights between North America and Taiwan than any other airline.

Since joining Star Alliance in June 2013, EVA has experienced growing demand for its services among business travelers. There has been a substantial increase in the numbers of business passengers flying the airline from North America to Southeast Asia via its hub in Taipei, Taiwan. Bookings for EVA’s Royal Laurel Class business cabin have also climbed. The luxurious service was launched on the New York – Taipei route in June 2012.

The average load on EVA’s North America flights surpassed 80 percent in 2013 and company officials expect bookings to keep climbing in 2014. It will accommodate this growth and the added frequency by taking delivery of three Boeing 777-300 ERs in the second quarter of 2014 and deploying the new aircraft on long-haul flights between North America and Taiwan. EVA will add the service in two phases. It will increase:

Phase 1

• Vancouver from three to four flights per week on 2 June, 2014.
• Los Angeles from 17 to 20 flights per week, New York from five to daily flights and Toronto from three to four flights per week on 4 June, 2014.

Phase 2

• San Francisco from 12 to 14 flights per week and Los Angeles from 20 to 21 flights per week on 3 July, 2014.

North America is a major market for EVA. In addition to Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver, it operates five flights a week to Seattle/Tacoma. The airline has seen stable market-share growth in all six cities it serves, lifted by not only Chinese and Asian passengers but also American business travelers.

※EVA Frequency Increase in North America

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. EVA Air is proud to be in the Star Alliance and is benefitting from the membership. Boeing 777-35E ER B-16701 (msn 32639) now displays the Star Alliance colors and is seen arriving at the popular destination of Los Angeles.

EVA Air: 

EuroLOT (eurolot.com) (Warsaw) on March 4 started operations into Brussels from Gdansk, Poland.

Since February 28, EuroLOT passengers can also fly to Milan from Gdansk Airport with stopovers in Lublin. The connection will be operated twice a week – on Fridays and Sundays.

Copyright Photo: Karl Cornil/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) SP-EQG (msn 4423) arrives at Brussels.

EuroLOT: 

Routes from Gdansk:

JetBlue Airways (New York) today announced details of its upcoming expansion at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) with new low-fare service to three destinations beginning June 19, 2014: Charleston, South Carolina; Hartford, Connecticut; and Nassau, Bahamas (subject to receipt of government operating authority).

JetBlue plans to offer twice-daily service to both Charleston and Hartford/Springfield, as well as once-daily year-round service to Nassau. In addition to these three new destinations from Washington, JetBlue will boost its existing service to Tampa, Florida, with a second daily flight effective July 2, 2014.

Together, these six new daily departures represent half the new flights JetBlue has earned the right to operate by acquiring slots as a result of the recent American Airlines-US Airways divestiture proceedings. More details of JetBlue’s DCA expansion, which will bring the airline’s daily departure count to 30, will be announced later this year.

This summer JetBlue will offer customers 24 daily roundtrip flights from DCA to eight cities: Boston, Charleston, Hartford/Springfield, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Nassau, Orlando, and Tampa, as well as the only nonstop service to San Juan, Puerto Rico from Washington’s popular downtown airport.

JetBlue’s three newest Reagan National destinations will be served with 100-seat Embraer ERJ 190 jets, featuring spacious two-by-two seating, the most legroom in coach (c), seatback entertainment including 36 channels of free DIRECTV® programming and more than 100 channels of free SiriusXM® satellite radio (d), unlimited free snacks and soft drinks, and JetBlue’s acclaimed in-flight customer service. With JetBlue, customers can also enjoy a first checked bag free of charge (e).

Schedules for JetBlue’s New Reagan National Destinations

In addition to its presence at Reagan National, JetBlue also serves the National Capital Region with daily flights from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 190-100 IGW N258JB (msn 19000047) in the Windowpane tail design arrives at Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA).

JetBlue Airways: 

Mandala Airlines (Tiger Airways Indonesia) (Jakarta) continues to lose money. As we previously reported, the airline was resurrected on April 5, 2012 as a joint venture between Tigerair (Singapore) (49%) and Saratoga Capital (51%) under the Tigerair brand. According to this report by Jakarta Post, Saratoga will continue to support the Indonesian carrier. There are unconfirmed reports that Tigerair will leave the joint venture.

Mandala suspended nine routes last month as it tries to cut its losses. The airline blamed high fuel costs.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-232 PK-RMQ (msn 5335) approaches the runway at Bangkok. Under the joint venture, Mandala removed its very colorful Mandala logo on the tail and instead adopted Tiger stripes on the tail. It is still operating under the Mandala name but under the Tigerair low-fare business plan.

Mandala Airlines: 

Current Tigerair routes:

South Korea has criticized a North Korea missile launch after the test rocket came close to a Chinese airliner flying with more than 200 passengers from Tokyo to Shenyang in China according to the BBC. China expressed concern and Beijing is seeking more information!

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

American Eagle (Envoy) (Dallas/Fort Worth) flight AA 3400 from Dallas/Fort Worth to Moline, Illinois (Quad Cities) diverted to Greenville, Texas last night (March 5) after the pilot reported “smoke in the cockpit”. The flight with 45 passengers and three crew members landed safely according to the Dallas News.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

National Airlines (5th) (formerly Murray Air) (Orlando) is celebrating the accomplishment of becoming the latest FAA designated Flag/Domestic Air Carrier. The airline issued this statement:

National Airlines is proud to announce that on February 28, 2014, the FAA approved National to become the United States’ newest Flag/Domestic air carrier.  National Airlines has a long history of supporting governments and militaries around the world — by, among other things, flying ad hoc cargo shipments in and out of crisis areas and also operating charter passenger operations for sports teams in the United States, visitors to/from Cuba, and contractors traveling between the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan.  US Flag/Domestic authority will allow National Airlines to expand its services to include conducting scheduled passenger flights throughout the United States and across the globe.  It also provides an opportunity for National Airlines to continue its support of the US government travelers under the Fly America Act, whereby US government funded travelers fly on US Flag Carriers whenever available.

National Airlines maintains the highest standards of safety, security, and compliance.  “This is nowhere more important than in the Middle East, which has been a significant market for National Airlines,” said Glen Joerger, National Airlines’ President.  “This operating authority will further strengthen our position as an emerging passenger carrier of choice for discerning customers seeking US Flag service in the region,” he added. “This tremendous addition to National’s operating certificate reinforces our corporate commitment to serve every facet of transportation and logistics for our key clientele around the globe,” continued Joerger.

Copyright Photo: Paul Denton/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 757-28A N176CA (msn 24543) prepares to land at Dubai.

National Airlines (5th): 

Hawaiian Airlines (Honolulu) has announced plans to suspend its thrice-weekly service to Taipei, Taiwan in April and reassign that route’s 294-seat Airbus 330-200 aircraft to its nonstop service to Seoul, South Korea, which will operate five times per week.

Up-gauging to the newer A330-200 aircraft will provide South Korean passengers with enhanced amenities including in-seat in-flight entertainment throughout the aircraft and the airline’s new Extra Comfort preferred seating product. The new aircraft will be available on all flights to Incheon International Airport from April 23, 2014.

Hawaiian Airlines flight HA 807 will operate its final flight from Honolulu to Taipei on Sunday, April 6, 2014. Return Flight HA808 will operate for the final time on Monday, April 7, 2014 from Taipei to Honolulu. Hawaiian Airlines’ reservations department will be contacting passengers booked to fly after that date to accommodate them on other airlines.

Also in April, Hawaiian Airlines will launch thrice-weekly service to Beijing, China, subject to government approval, its 10^th international gateway launched since November 2010. The airline has also scheduled new nonstop summer service from Los Angeles and Oakland, California to Kona, Hawai‘i Island and Līhu‘e, Kaua‘i.

Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura/Blue Wave Group. Airbus A330-243 N382HA (msn 1171) climbs away from the Honolulu hub.

Hawaiian Airlines: 

Route Map:

Jet Airways  (Mumbai) launched a new daily nonstop service from Hyderabad to Abu Dhabi staring on March 1, 2014.

Jet Airways flight 9W 550 departed Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at 2025 and arrived in Abu Dhabi International Airport at 2310 (LT). On the return leg, the flight 9W 549 will depart Abu Dhabi at 1045 (LT) and arrive in Hyderabad at 1610.

Jet Airways currently operates a daily flight each from Delhi, Kochi and Chennai and 11 flights a week from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi.

The airline will deploy Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the new route.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-85R VT-JBF (msn 35082) arrives in Bangkok.

Jet Airways: 

Fly Romania (Bucharest) is a new airline that is planning to launch operations in April with McDonnell Douglas DC-9-80s (MD-80s). The new carrier is planning to launch operations on April 15. The first routes will be from Bucharest to Timisoara and Verona followed by Genoathe next day. Bergamo and Tulcea join on April 18. The route map will be expanded in June with new service to Antalya, Barcelona and Hahn (near Frankfurt).

The airline issued this first schedule:

Video:

El Al Israel Airlines (Tel Aviv) has agreed to be the launch customer in Europe for Exede® In The Air in-flight Internet service from ViaSat Inc. To begin, ViaSat plans to deliver the service to El Al Boeing 737s flying routes from Tel Aviv into several European cities. The two companies plan to immediately begin working toward certification and installation of the Exede terminals on EL AL aircraft with a target date to launch service within one year.

For El Al, ViaSat is responsible for providing and managing a complete in-flight Internet service to the aircraft, including airborne terminals, antennas, radomes, and air time from the Eutelsat KA-SAT high-capacity Ka-band satellite. Additional details of what services will be offered to EL AL passengers will be announced closer to the launch of service.

Exede in-flight Internet service is designed to eclipse the service quality and speeds of other in-cabin airline broadband services. The major differentiator is an innovative, high-capacity Ka-band satellite system developed by ViaSat. The more favorable economics of the ViaSat system enable airlines to provide a consistent, high-speed service level to each passenger, rather than simply an aggregate amount of bandwidth to the plane that leaves passengers competing for service. The system is capable of delivering 12 Mbps or more to each connected passenger.

Copyright Photo: Paul Denton/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-86Q 4X-EKO (msn 30287) climbs away from Geneva.

El Al: 

Canadian North (Yellowknife) will launch a new weekly and seasonal Iqaluit-Halifax-St. John’s route from June 20 through September 5. The new route will be operated with Boeing 737-300 aircraft.

Copyright Photo: Gilbert Hechema/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-36Q C-GCNW (msn 28760) departs from Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL).

Canadian North: 

Current route map with the new seasonal route to the Maritimes:

Virgin America (San Francisco) today announced plans to significantly expand its Dallas presence by operating new daily nonstop flights from Dallas’ Love Field (DAL) to New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD).   In addition to adding new service from Love Field to major business destinations such as New York, Washington D.C. and Chicago, the airline plans to increase flights to current destinations (San Francisco and Los Angeles) from Dallas. Virgin America is seeking to secure two Love Field gates in order to expand flight options for Dallas travelers, as the airport’s centralized location makes it a more convenient choice for Dallas-based and Dallas-destined business travelers.  If successful, the airline would move its current operations from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Love Field in October 2014.  Virgin America would be the only carrier at Love Field to offer guests three classes of service, WiFi, in-seat power outlets and touch-screen seatback entertainment (including live TV) on every flight.  In addition, the airline operates a new fleet of Airbus A320-Family aircraft, which are significantly quieter than the commercial aircraft currently in use at Love Field.

Virgin America’s ability to offer these new flights to Dallas travelers is contingent on obtaining two Love Field gates that are being divested by American Airlines as part of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) settlement agreement resolving American Airline’s merger with US Airways.  As part of the merger settlement, DOJ required the divestiture of gates at several domestic airports to facilitate entry and expansion by low-cost airlines, where consumer competition could be negatively impacted by the unprecedented consolidation this latest merger represents.  Virgin America’s new flights from Dallas would provide vigorous competition in a market where at present one carrier controls 80 percent of the gates at Love Field (16 of 20 gates).  Earlier this year, Virgin America invested in divestiture assets being sold as part of the merger settlement, including 12 airport slots at LGA (six slot pairs) and eight slots at DCA (four slot pairs), both airports where legacy carriers have historically dominated operations and where consumers have suffered from lack of service competition and higher fares as a consequence.   With the planned divestiture of Love Field gates, Virgin America would be able to offer Dallascustomers a competing network of flights to large business markets from Love Field.

The Love Field plans would significantly expand Virgin America’s presence in Texas, which now consists of three daily nonstop flights from both LAX and SFO to DFW as well as its popular SFO-Austin flights.  In addition, the new routes would expand the airline’s presence in both Washington D.C. and the New York area.  The carrier will be only the second low-cost airline to serve all three major New York-area airports. Virgin America has built a loyal following of bi-coastal flyers with its nonstop flights from LAX and SFO to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and EWR.

Virgin America’s service to and from DAL would begin from October 2014, after the expiration of the Wright Amendment, which has restricted flights at Love Field since 1979.  The airline would plan to operate daily nonstop flights from October 2014 and would announce full schedules for the following routes should the Love Field gates be approved:

• DAL to LGA (four roundtrip flights a day).
• DAL to DCA (four roundtrip flights a day).
• DAL to LAX (three roundtrip flights a day, expanding to four in 2015).
• DAL to SFO (three roundtrip flights a day, expanding to four in 2015).

In addition, the airline would add two roundtrip flights a day from DAL to Chicago O’Hare in early 2015.

Top Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-112 N524VA (msn 3204) “Dark Horse” approaches the runway at Los Angeles International Airport.

Virgin America: 

Bottom Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. The move by Virgin America to offer their highly-rated services at Love Field brings back memories of short-lived Legend Airlines (please click on the photo for additional information).

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) today (March 5) is ending scheduled McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82/83 (MD-82/83) “Super 80″ service at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) according to Airline Route. The aging type was being deployed on the Chicago (O’Hare)-LGA route.

Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. The older AA aircraft are now being repainted in the new livery as they will be replaced. McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82) N3507A (msn 49801) departs from runway 27R at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

American Airlines (current): 

American Airlines (historic): 

Garuda Indonesia Airways (Jakarta) today (March 5) has become the 20th member of SkyTeam. SkyTeam issued this statement:

SkyTeam, the global airline alliance, has welcomed Garuda Indonesia as its 20th member and second airline from Southeast Asia.  Garuda’s membership adds Jakarta as an alternative gateway to and from South East Asia, as well as 40 new destinations to SkyTeam’s global network served uniquely by the alliance.

Garuda flies to 64 destinations in 12 countries, including 40 domestic destinations.  SkyTeam customers from every continent will benefit from easier access to Indonesia’s key business and tourism destinations, facilitated by Garuda’s partnerships with alliance members.

The airline boosts SkyTeam’s presence in Australia with service to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney; and in Tokyo with flights to both Narita and Haneda airports.  Garuda will increase its service to Europe in May this year with a new route between Jakarta and London’s Gatwick airport.

As part of the requirements of joining SkyTeam, Garuda is implementing the alliance’s customer-focused initiatives. These include SkyPriority – priority airport services for Elite Plus, First and Business Class passengers worldwide – which has been rolled out at over 900 airports globally. Effective immediately, Garuda’s 19 million annual passengers will be able to earn and redeem miles when flying on SkyTeam member-operated flights. Members of other SkyTeam airlines’ frequent flyer programs can also earn and redeem miles when flying on Garuda Indonesia operated flights.

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean/AirlinersGallery.com. Garuda Indonesia has added new Boeing 777-300 ERs for its long-range routes. Boeing 777-3U3 ER PK-GIC (msn 40075) departs from Paine Field near Everett.

Garuda Indonesia: 

Allegiant Air (Las Vegas) today announced new, nonstop jet service on 12 routes, including a new destination in the Allegiant network – Palm Beach, Florida.

New routes announced include:

Seasonal Nonstop Service to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) from:

1. Cedar Rapids, Iowa - begins June 6, 2014 with fares as low as $92*
2. Great Falls, Montana - begins June 6, 2014 with fares as low as $88*
3. Kalispell, Montana - begins June 5, 2014 with fares as low as $89*
4. McAllen, Texas - begins June 5, 2014 with fares as low as $99*

Seasonal Nonstop Service to Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) from:

1. Cincinnati, Ohio - begins May 30, 2014 with fares as low as $59*
2. Columbus, Ohio - begins May 29, 2014 with fares as low as $54*
3. Lexington, Kentucky - begins May 29, 2014 with fares as low as $54*
4. Syracuse, New York - begins May 29, 2014 with fares as low as $64*

Seasonal Nonstop Service to St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) from:

1. Cincinnati, Ohio - begins May 15, 2014 with fares as low as $59*

Year-Round Nonstop Service to Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) from:

1. Asheville, North Carolina - begins May 5, 2014 with fares as low as $64*

Year-Round Nonstop Service to Phoenix-Mesa International Airport (AZA) from:

1. Colorado Springs, Colorado - begins May 15, 2014 with fares as low as $49*
2. Stockton, California - begins May 15, 2014 with fares as low as $58*

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 (MD-83) N420NV (msn 49424) prepares to land in Las Vegas.

Allegiant Air: 

Cathay Pacific Airways (Hong Kong) on March 2 launched a new daily service from Newark Liberty International Airport to Hong Kong with a first flight celebration that included a lion dance and traditional roast pig cutting ceremony.

The new service complements Cathay Pacific’s current four-times-daily service from John F. KennedyInternational Airport (JFK) in New York.

The Newark service is operated by Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft.

Newark is Cathay Pacific’s fifth gateway in the United States, and seventh in North America. The airline currently serves Chicago (O’Hare), Los Angeles, New York (JFK), San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver.

The flight schedule for Cathay Pacific’s Newark (EWR) service, is as follows (all times local and subject to change):

Standard time:

Daylight saving time:

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-367 ER B-KPC (msn 34432) climbs away from Los Angeles.

Cathay Pacific: 

Air China (Beijing) following up on our report last month, will commence Beijing-Washington (Dulles) nonstop service on June 10, 2014, making Washington the 7th North American destination that Air China serves alongside New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Honolulu and Vancouver.

The four-times weekly service CA 817/8 will be offered on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft. The outbound flight leaves Beijing at 13:00 and arrives in Washington at 14:35 local time. The return flight leaves Washington at 16:35 local time and arrives in Beijing at 18:15 Beijing time the following day.

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean/AirlinersGallery.com. Brand new Boeing 777-39L ER B-2040 (msn 38680) climbs away from Paine Field near Everett, Washington.

Air China: 

Nordwind Airlines (Moscow) has announced a long term lease agreement for four new Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2015.

Nordwind’s fleet is 51 aircraft today, including Boeing 777-200 ERs, 767-300 ERs, 757-200s, 737-800s and Airbus A321s.

Nordwind says it has been able to successfully operate a mixed fleet of aircraft despite difficulties because of its keen understanding of the environment it operates in. The airline has been able to maintain profitability with modern aircraft and technology.

According to the airline, “the company is focusing on running the airline efficiently, reducing inefficient flying and implementing strong capacity discipline by “matching” the right size aircraft with each market, while improving customer satisfaction.”

Further from the company, “According to 2013 statistics, Nordwind transported 3.7 million passengers (up 69% from 2012). Among the top-ten Russian airlines, Nordwind is the fastest growing, having a 4.8 times higher rate than the industry average. In 2014 the company plans to scale new heights – begin scheduled flights and expand its fleet even more to reach 6 million passengers”.

“With this brand new aircraft commitments, Nordwind will continue to gradually grow and modernize its operating fleet with more frequencies and destinations for the convenience of our passengers. It provides best-in-class efficiency, economics, reliability and passenger comfort that Nordwind needs for its fleet renewal initiative.” said Oguz Senol Yuce, a Member of Board of Directors. He added  ”Nordwind expects to finalize more brand new 737-800s for 2015.”

Passenger traffic carried by Nordwind grew 38.7% in January 2014 compared with January 2013 with a 93.8% load factor. This is the highest load factor in the country.

Copyright Photos: Nordwind Airlines.

Nordwind Airlines: