Aviation 10

The  rst Airbus A380 for All Nippon Airways

(ANA) has been rolled out of the  nal

assembly line in Toulouse, France. After

leaving the main factory the super-sized

aircraft was transported to an outside

station, where various ground tests will be

carried out in preparation for its maiden

 ight in the coming weeks. The jetliner will

then be transferred to the Airbus facilities in

Hamburg for cabin installation and painting.

Delivery is scheduled for early 2019, and the

A380 will be operated on the popular Tokyo-

Honolulu route.

ANA Holdings placed a  rm order for three

A380s in 2016, becoming the  rst customer

for the type in Japan. To date, the European

manufacturer has delivered 229 A380s, with

the aircraft now in service with 14 airlines

around the world.

The  rst All Nippon Airways A380 being rolled out. Airbus

First ANA A380 Breaks Cover

A pair of Turkish Airlines’ Airbus A330-303s

have gained special markings to promote

the ‘The Year of Troy’, which celebrates

the 20th anniversary of the ancient city’s

archaeological site being added to the

UNESCO World Heritage List. The airline

is promoting the site, in partnership with the

country’s ministry of culture and tourism.

CIVIL NEWS

6 Aviation News incorporating Jets October 2018

Airbus A330-303 TC-JOG in its ‘Troy’

markings. Brian Worthington

Birmingham Smart Scheme for Turkish A330s

Terminal Gains

Grade II Listed Status

Birmingham Airport’s Elmdon terminal

has been awarded Grade II status by

Historic England. Built in the ‘Moderne’

style, the facility was originally opened in

1939. It was designed to be an experience
      for passengers and spectators alike – it
      not only looked elegant but also housed
      a public bar, tea lounge and restaurant.
      Balconies hugging the bowed end of the
      building were intended for people to watch
      the airport activity below, and the control
      tower was housed on top.

VLM Airlines

Ceases

Operations

The Belgian carrier VLM Airlines has

permanently ceased operations and has

gone into liquidation. The move was made

by its majority shareholder, SHS Aviation BV

at an extraordinary general assembly which

took place on August 31.

Earlier in the month it was announced

that VLM would discontinue the connections

to Aberdeen, Birmingham, Cologne-Bonn,

Maribor, Munich and Rostock and that it would

focus on business charter  ights and the

Antwerp-London City Airport and Antwerp-

Zürich routes.

Boeing Orders Interest

from Russian Carriers

The Boeing 737 MAX is proving to be a

popular choice for Russian airlines, as

three carriers have outlined plans to place

orders with the American manufacturer.

Pobeda, Aero ot’s low-cost subsidiary, has

issued a tender to acquire up to 30 MAX 8s

“with the possibility of conversion to MAX

10 and/or [high density] MAX 8-200 aircraft.”

The Kommersant newspaper added the

airline has already signed a contract for 15

examples, deliveries of which are intended

to start next year.

Yakutia Airlines has also earmarked

the Boeing twinjet to meet its long-term

demands. A company spokesperson

told Russian aviation portal ATO.ru

that the Yakutsk-based carrier hopes to

acquire ten 172-seat MAX 7s outright

under an investment programme partly

funded by the government of the

Sakha Republic.

Meanwhile, Siberian carrier Utair

has con rmed it will take delivery of its

 rst examples next April. The MAX 8s

will be con gured in a two-class layout

with eight seats in business and 177 in

economy, and will be drawn from the pre-

owned market.