Air Canada rouge has taken delivery of its first
Airbus A321s. The aircraft are the carrier’s
first new airframes, the rest of its fleet having
been transferred from Air Canada. The initial
example, C-FJOK (c/n 6844), was delivered
to Toronto Lester B Pearson International
Airport on November 3 and after modifications
at Montréal/Mirabel, entered service on
November 26 on the Toronto-Punta Cana
(Dominican Republic) service. It has sincebeen joined by C-FJOU (c/n 6873), C-FJQD
(c/n 6884) and C-FJQH (c/n 6905) with C-FJQL
still to be delivered.
They are being used from Toronto to Fort
Lauderdale, Phoenix, Punta Cana, Sarasota
and Varadero in Cuba and between Montréal
and Fort Lauderdale. Andrew H ClineAir Canada rouge
Welcomes A321s
Air Canada rouge’s maiden Airbus A321-
C-FJOK at Toronto Lester B Pearson International
Airport on December 3. Andrew H ClineNew Operators for Luton
Vueling Airlines and Transavia France plan
to launch services to London Luton Airport
(LLA) later this year. Spanish carrier Vueling
will operate four daily flights from Barcelona
and Amsterdam with Transavia linking the
Bedfordshire airport with Paris Orly 12 times
a week.
In addition to this, existing carrier Blue Airhas announced it is adding services to the
Cypriot city of Larnaca and Turin in Italy as
part of its summer schedule.
The news comes on the back of a record
year for the airport which handled 12.3m
passengers in 2015, making it the busiest 12
months in its 77-year history.
Nick Barton, CEO of LLA, said: “Thearrival of IAG’s Vueling and Air France-KLM’s
Transavia is another major coup for LLA.
We have now added six new airlines to our
network in the past 12 months as well as
seeing rapid growth in passenger numbers.
With development under way our aim is to offer
an ever wider choice of destinations and the
best possible experience for our passengers.”http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 7First Flight for
Rutan SkiGull
Innovative American designer Burt Rutan
flew the prototype of his new SkiGull light
aircraft for the first time at Coeur d’Alene,
Idaho, on November 24. The SkiGull,
which is tailored for non-airport operation,
is an all-composite tandem two-seater with
an amphibious hull. Its complex landing
gear, consisting of retractable skis, allows it
to take off and land on any surface.
The aircraft has a pylon-mounted high
aspect ratio wing that folds to allow ground
transportation and storage. Its Rotax
engine is mounted on the centre pylon
above the wing but the aircraft also has an
auxiliary electric motor to assist docking
while on water. It also has a very long
range – sufficient for a flight from Hawaii to
California – and will cruise at 140kts. Rutan
has not announced plans for production but
the SkiGull may be made available as a kit
for amateur construction. Rod SimpsonFlybe Eyes
Northolt Ops
Regional operator Flybe has urged the UK
Government to open up RAF Northolt to
scheduled commercial traffic. The airline
has submitted a request to use the military
airfield in northwest London, currently
home to the Royal Air Force’s VIP fleet
and also used by business aircraft, to start
twice-daily return flights to five currently
underserved domestic destinations.
The regional carrier’s CEO, Saad
Hammad, said: “Northolt has for too long
been the preserve of the elite with their
private jets. The government is in danger
of turning its back on an opportunity that
would benefit hundreds of thousands
of people in giving immediate regional
air connections to London and beyond
through Heathrow’s long-haul network.”
The airline says flying from RAF
Northolt would generate an estimated
£3m for the RAF and a further £4m in Air
Passenger Duty, and could serve up to
300,000 passengers a year.Turkish Delight
Turkish Airlines has rolled back the years, applying this superb retro livery to Airbus A330-
TC-JNC (c/n 742). The aircraft visited Manchester on November 23. Spencer BennettNamibian charter operator Westair has taken delivery of its first Embraer ERJ 145MP, V5-WIN
(c/n 145285). The aircraft was originally operated by LOT and has been stored at Exeter as
G-CGUS prior to joining Westair. Ashley StevensNamibian Regional Jet
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