Airbus A310 VIP for sale by German government

Screenshot from www.vebeg.com

The German air force special air mission wing federal ministery of defence (Flugbereitschaft) is auctioning of their Airbus A310 VIP version.The A310 was used by Germany's senior government officials such as Chancellor Angela Merkel. The plane of East Germany's Interflug was redesigned around 20 years ago by Lufthansa Technik into a VIP version. The current Chancellor at that time Helmut Kohl insisted that a shower is available on board. At this time this was not an easy task for the engineers but the request was fullfilled. The complete tender information including interior picture are found here. By the way bidding closure is May 24th. If you have the necessary  spare change to bid then click here.

Penguins really can fly on South West Airlines

Recently on a South West flight from San Francisco to San Diego, SeaWorld was transporting penguins back home from a science convention. The waddling, flightless birds were allowed to roam the aisle much to the delights of passengers.While marching down the aisle a tutorial on the species was given over the airplane's passenger announcement system.

ANA begins relief programme

(Source: Staralliance.com) ANA has announced a series of initiatives to help with rescue and recovery efforts in Japan.

The ANA Group will donate 100 million yen to aid and support those affected by the earthquake. The Group is also asking for donations from its employees.

ANA is providing transport of relief supplies, at no charge, across all domestic and international routes operated by the ANA until April 15.

The airline is also providing seats on its flights for relief workers. This free transport will be made available on all domestic and international routes until April 15.

ANA has also introduced a donation programme for Mileage Club members until April 15. Members can donate in 1,000 mile increments by filling in the application available at the ANA SKY WEB site (www.ana.co.jp). ANA will donate one yen for every mile donated by its Mileage Club members

Space Shuttle Launch: Viewed From an Airplane

The last flight of the Discovery space shuttle into space took off on February 24th 2011. Passengers departing on a commercial flight from Orlando, FL where lucky enough to see the take off from their window seats.
The space shuttle is due to return from the ISS space station for the very last time today.

"Sully" Reflects, 2 Years After Hudson Landing

US Airways Captain Chester "Sully" Sullenberger looks back on the "Miracle on the Hudson," two years after he successfully landed a passenger jet in the Hudson River.

First United Boeing 747-400 with new livery back in service

Courtesy of United Airlines

Just recently a United Airlines Boeing 747-400 returned to service wearing the new livery. Finishing the paint job on the 1st B-747 United has now at least one of each of their mainline fleet and 304 aircrafts overall painted in the new livery. In the month ahead United will start to re-brand airport facilities and launch new advertising campaigns.

Live webcast of the new Boeing 747-8

Dont't miss the live webcast on February 13th 11:00 a.m. Pacific Standard (19:00GMT) of the new Boeing 747-8 intercontinental passenger airplane roll out!
Link to webcast.
In the meanwhile watch a video from Boeing showing the extreme flight tests the B747-8F undergoes. The footage features, tail strikes, stall testing and a take off with a record breaking one million pounds of weight! Watch.

Geneva Airport unveils first mobile terminal

Geneva airport unveiled a mobile passenger terminal today. Officials said it is the world's first of its kind. The tent-style construction offers check-in counters and self check-in units and holds about 200 passengers on 220 square meters. It will be mainly used to handle the large numbers of skiers returning home from the alps in the winter month. It can be installed and ready for use within a week and be moved to other locations.

Pictures courtesy of www.gva.ch 

Boeing 787 Dreamliner lands at Houston, TX

The Dreamliner visited Houston this week after some flight testing in South America. This particular Boeing787 is currently one of six aircrafts used to certify the 787 program. While on ground, Houston Airport employees had the chance to have a look inside. Watch the video below to see some insights of what the cabin currently looks like like during the testing phase and the impressive cockpit.

Smoking toilet on Singapore Airbus A380

For all your smokers out there - Sorry but this does not mean that you can smoke on SQ's A380 toilets. It's about an incident that occured on a flight between Hongkong and Singapore where smoked developed in one of the lavatories. There was no fire and the aircraft landed safely. Full story here