aviation - the past, present and future of flight

RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s

Supermarine Spit re LF.IXe, MK356, is back

home at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire after

an overhaul by The Spit re Company at

Biggin Hill.

It has also been painted in a new colour

scheme, representing 92 Sqn’s EN152 and

the code it wore, which operated in Tunisia

during April and May 1943. Flt Lt (later Sqn

Ldr) Neville Duke was among the pilots to  y

this aircraft.

He went on to become the highest-scoring

Allied  ghter ace of the Mediterranean

theatre, with 27 con rmed victories.

The Spit re was returned to its base

on November 8 in the hands of Flt Lt

Andy Preece.

IAG Seals Monarch Slots Deal at Gatwick

Take-off and landing slots left vacant at

London’s Gatwick Airport by the Monarch

Airlines collapse are being acquired by

IAG, owner of British Airways. Monarch

Airlines ceased trading with debts of

around £466m on October 2, 2017. 

In early November the High Court

ruled that ACL Airport Coordination

Limited (ACL) could reallocate the slots.

However, a week later the Court of

Appeal backed the airline administrator

KPMG’s contention that Monarch Airlines

was still an “air transport undertaking”,

holding an “operating licence”.

The victory paved the way for KPMG

to organise a series of ‘slot swaps’. IAG

at Gatwick Airport and Wizz Air at London

Luton Airport, took up the rights in return

for cash to help pay Monarch Airlines’

creditors. Slots at Birmingham had

already been re-allocated, while KPMG

did not contest the return of those at

Manchester to the ‘pool’ for take-up by

existing or new carriers.

Emirates has taken delivery of its 100th

A380.  Top officials from Airbus and

the carrier celebrated the occasion on

November 3 in Hamburg. The airline has

42 more A380s on order.

A much-discussed announcement of

further purchases of the type at the Dubai

Airshow in November didn’t materialise.

However, Boeing was able to

announce at the show on November

12 that Emirates was buying 40 Boeing

787-10 Dreamliners.  The deal, including

associated equipment, is valued at

$15.1bn at current list prices and gives

the operator the opportunity to switch to

the smaller 787-9.

The airline’s 787s will be delivered in a

mix of two- and three-class con gurations,

seating between 240 and 330 passengers. 

Engine options are being evaluated.

The Dubai-based carrier cancelled an

order for the Dreamliner’s rival, the Airbus

A350, in 2014, having originally committed

to 50 A350-900s and 20 -1000s.  It backed

out after conducting a review.

Celebrations in Hamburg to mark the delivery

of the 100th A380 to Emirates. Airbus

Emirates Receives 100th A

4 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2018

HEADLINES

BBMF Spitfi re in New Colours

Spit re IX MK356 wearing its new scheme at Biggin Hill. Robin J Brooks

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