Airliner World April 2008

Focus on UK Holiday Airlines Welcome to the July 2023 edition of Airliner World. for many of us, our first flight experiences were aboard brightly coloured jets on IT charters to popular tourist spots around the Mediterranean. and with the summer season now very much upon us (in the northern hemisphere at least!), it’s a timely opportunity to pay tribute to some of the biggest names in British airline history as we take a whistle-stop tour through the often turbulent but rarely dull history of UK leisure carriers. It’s also 25 years since Kai Tak closed its doors. We celebrate the anniversary with an exclusive interview with a retired Qantas captain, who provides a pilot’s perspective on the iconic Hong Kong gateway and its challenging ‘Checkerboard’ approach. We also head into the African wilderness to find out how Botswana’s leading carrier Mack Air operates, with extraordinary attention to detail, in and around the vast Okavango Delta.

In the February edition of Airliner World we travel to Larnaca in Cyprus to join the final commercial flight for the British Airways Boeing 767 fleet. the widebody has been a workhorse of the British flag carrier for decades, with a fascinating history spanning far-flung royal charters to more modest domestic operations. as we close one chapter of modern aviation, another begins as we visit Airbus headquarters in Toulouse to find out more about their A330neo project. We speak to key players involved in the project and determine what the future holds for the crowded – but highly lucrative – mid-market sector. Don’t miss our exclusive interview with Gulf Air CEO Krešimir Kučko, as the Bahraini national airline transforms not only its fleet but its wider strategy as it adopts a new boutique concept. Continuing our globetrotting this month, we profile Osaka’s Itami Airport, which is carving a niche as the city’s premier domestic gateway and visit Canada’s Northwest Territories to learn more about the classic ‘piston-pounders’ of Buffalo Airways. as part of our ongoing historical insights, we remember the Lockheed Electra L-188, an elegant, four-engine turboprop which raised the bar for performance, range and luxury until critical design flaws destroyed public confidence and forced the programme to a premature close. Finally, we bring you our comprehensive coverage of worldwide news, including a full report from the Bahrain International Airshow, plus Cathay Pacific roster their A350-1000 to Manchester, ANA receive their first superjumbo, a first look at WestJet’s new Dreamliner, and Air Astana unveil their Embraer E2 in a striking snow leopard livery. We also have our regular sections covering the latest commercial aircraft acquisitions, up-to-date accident reports and developments from the world of aviation training and MROs and we give you the chance to win aviation DVDs worth over £200 in our reader competition.

In the June issue of Airliner World, we celebrate the 60th anniversary of Germany’s first and now biggest leisure carrier, Condor, we explore Norway on Widerøe’s unique unlimited air pass, and we recycle an Airbus A320 with teardown specialist Touchdown Aviation. Elsewhere in this edition, we profile niche American carrier OneJet, we spend a day with Flybe cabin crew working on the Belfast to London route, and we chart a remarkable career change from leading psychologist to airline pilot. We also chat with Swiss International Air Lines UK and Ireland Director Felix Rodel about the carrier’s ambitious plans, and we cast a critical eye over the increasingly common trend of dual type ratings. Lastly, we bring you our comprehensive coverage of worldwide news, including the latest developments at Finnair, Airbus unveils a new cabin concept and Garuda Indonesia switches London services to Heathrow, plus a full round-up from the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. We also have all of our regular sections covering the latest commercial aircraft acquisitions, up-to-date accident reports and developments from the world of aviation training and MROs.