Airliner World December 2005

Adieu 757 Welcome to the March 2025 issue of Airliner World, incorporating Airports of the World. We simply could not let the retirement of the last commercial British-registered Boeing 757 pass us by. So, in early January, Thomas Haynes and Lee Cross were lucky enough to get seats on the final flights with Jet2. Despite challenging weather conditions, the trip from Manchester to Geneva and back went ahead, albeit slightly delayed. Read all about the historic occasion onboard G-lsai (c/n 24016), which is also featured on the cover. We turn the spotlight on Asia in this issue. as one of the world’s fastest-growing commercial aviation markets, there’s lots to cover, starting with Malaysia Airlines. a decade after a year of unimaginable tragedy, the airline is now looking forward to a bright future, as Lee Cross discovered in September 2024 when he jetted off to Kuala Lumpur to learn all about the flag carrier’s new aircraft and onboard products. Thomas Haynes examines the evolution of China’s commercial aircraft manufacturing industry. After a somewhat turbulent start, the country is now placing its bets on Comac and its C909 and C919. the latter has been designed to compete directly with the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX. Meanwhile, for our Airports of the World fans, Robert Veitch explores the history of Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the Philippine capital Manila’s longest-serving facility.

As the aviation industry gathers in Atlanta for MRO Americas 2025 from April 8-10, Airliner World examines some recent market developments in this special supplement compiled and produced by Bernie Baldwin. Engines are vital to flight, so ongoing airworthiness is paramount. Aircraft engines and maintenance procedures are constantly changing, and we talk to GE Aerospace, CTS Engines and Magnetic Engines to discover how their support programmes are evolving and learn how each of them stands out from the competition. It’s astonishing to think that a smartphone has more computing power than the Concorde flight deck – and that also means maintaining avionics in a fully functioning state requires specialised processes. Thales is a major supplier of systems, knowledge and equipment for undertaking customer MRO and can also help operators wishing to carry out their own MRO work.

THAI Airways International Asia’s Royal Orchid Flying the A380 in the Simulator Lockheed Tristar RAF Operations