Glasgow Airport Movements 2019
August
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August 2019
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Although August is traditionally one of the busiest months for holiday flights not many particularly unusual airliners made an appearance at Glasgow, however, this was more than compensated for by Virgin Atlantic`s new Airbus A350 being temporarily based here for a week`s worth of training. The transformation of the area to the east of Abbotsinch Road to accommodate a new business centre and airfield expansion is now well underway with a construction compound to store the plant involved and an upgraded Portacabin office. The line of the new access road is being bulldozed and fencing is being erected to prevent unauthorised access to the site. More information can be found at the bottom of this page.
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Problems continued for British Airways this month resulting in yet more adverse publicity. Following an IT system meltdown, the airline now faces a compensation bill of over £8 million after cancelling the flights of 20,000 passengers. The chaos unfolded just days after BA cancelled dozens of Heathrow flights at short notice ahead of a strike by airport workers that never materialised. Then, in response to further industrial action threatened by the carrier`s own pilots for 9, 10 and 27 September, BA emailed some passengers with flights between the 8th and 12th advising them that their flights had been cancelled due to a potential knock-on effect, and they should rebook or seek a refund. Soon after, however, BA apologised for the confusion and any inconvenience caused, stressing that the email had been sent in error.
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Some customers said they had already made alternative travel arrangements, most at considerable expense, after they had failed to get through to BA's customer services for clarification. The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) said that the strikes were a last resort born out of enormous frustration with airline management. British Airways Pilots have rejected a pay increase worth 11.5% over three years, which the airline put forward in July.
It was a real contrast weather-wise this month, with severe winds, thunderstorms and flooding causing widespread disruption, especially south of the border and this was on top of an unprecedented National Grid failure affecting around 1 million people in England and Wales. The most high-profile victim of the weather was the west coast railway mainline between Scotland and England, closed after a foot of water submerged tracks between Carlisle and Lockerbie. Britain then went on to experience the hottest late August bank holiday on record with Heathrow recording a temperature of 33.2C (91.6F) on Monday 25th, beating the previous high of 28.2C for the day, set at Holbeach, Lincolnshire, in 2017. Although Scotland did have some fine weather this seemed to be short-lived and a reminder that autumn and shorter days are fast approaching. Geese began to return to their wintering grounds in the fields around Glasgow Airport with the numbers gradually increasing as August drew to a close.
It looks as though a family of plane-spotting swans have also flown in! "Right weans! This wan`s an Airbus A319-111. The easiest way tae tell the difference between them and a 737 is by clocking the front. Boeing jets usually huv mair pointy noses than the Airbus wans - they`re mair roond and chubby." But, as is often the case, some kids aren`t the least bit interested in stuff their dad likes and quickly lose interest, going back to doing what what they enjoy best - in this case a spot of preening...
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Luton-based low-cost carrier easyJet has revealed plans to create 50 jobs by assigning a fifth aircraft, an Airbus 320, to operate from its Glasgow Airport hub. A new route between Glasgow and Birmingham was also announced, which along with the new locally-based plane, will create openings for flight, cabin and ground crew. The extra capacity brought by the extra airliner will provide 340,000 more seats for passengers travelling to and from Glasgow. It joins the two 156-seat Airbus A319s and two 186-seat A320 aircraft currently operating from Glasgow.
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easyJet said the new Glasgow to Birmingham service will operate 13 times a week throughout the year, commencing on March 29, 2020. The carrier has run flights from Glasgow since November 1995 and is now the airport’s largest operator, providing up to 294 flights per week across 19 routes.
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On Saturday 3 August it was reported that two United Airline pilots had been arrested at Glasgow Airport for allegedly failing a breath test before boarding a flight to Newark, New Jersey. Police Scotland confirmed officers were called to the airport at 07:35 hrs as flight UA162 was being prepared for departure and the men, aged 45 and 61, were being held in custody pending appearance at Paisley Sheriff Court.
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Due to the weekend and public holiday Monday, when there`s no court sitting, they made a scheduled appearance on Tuesday 6 August for alleged offences under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 (Section 93). The legislation covers carrying out pilot duties while under the influence of alcohol. Charges against the younger of the two were subsequently dropped, but the 61 year old was bailed to appear for trial at a later date.
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Two weeks later, following a review, United Airlines announced that it is to enforce stricter rules for its aircrew regarding alcohol consumption. The Chicago-based operator has now lengthened the amount of time from when a pilot drinks to when they take control of a flight. A spokeswoman for the company confirmed it is now 12 hours. It was previously eight hours. In 2017, two United Airline pilots were jailed for breaching drink-fly limits at Glasgow Airport. The First Officer, 35, was sentenced to 10 months in prison while his colleague aged 45, was jailed for 15 months. Both had been arrested while preparing to take off from Glasgow on 27 August 2016. Just a month before, two Canadian pilots, a captain and first officer, who were due to fly an Air Transat Airbus from Glasgow to Toronto, had been arrested under similar circumstances.
Manchester Airport
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Manchester International Airport ranks second only to Heathrow in the UK for volume of aircraft handled and it`s the busiest British airport outside London.
These shots were taken on Friday 23 / Saturday 24 August 2019 which was a Bank Holiday weekend. This was only the second time that I`d been to the southside viewing locations rather than the Runway Visitor Park. Until recently, the RVP offered the best official viewing facility at any UK international airport. It included three raised areas to enable photographers to shoot above the security fence but two, including the highest, have been bulldozed to accommodate a new VIP terminal. The new construction also blocks views of the biz-jet ramp and terminal, but parking costs have remained the same. As a result, I didn`t even bother to check it out this time and remained on the south side of the airfield throughout. |
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Base for an overnight stay was the Airport Inn Manchester Hotel & Spa which is ideally situated for the most popular south-side viewing locations which are only a 10-15 minute stroll away. It was no surprise that being a bank holiday weekend the RVP got very busy soon after opening and I could see that it looked as though space on the last remaining mound was at premium. As previously mentioned, unlike many bank holidays, the weather over this weekend was excellent with high temperatures and bright skies.
If aircraft are using runways 23R and 23L, which they were on this occasion, the best spot is towards the northeast end of the latter directly opposite the RVP. There`s plenty of space and this is where you can watch the planes line-up for takeoff right in front of you. Landings on 23R / 05L are quite distant and although you won`t miss any, photographers often find that heat haze is a problem on warm days. The embankment several hundred metres to the southwest is another good spot for the planes once they start rolling but for planes actually lifting off from 23L, or landings via the 05 end, you have to access the viewing areas further south which I`ve yet to check out.
With wall-to-wall sunshine over the weekend, swish shades were the order of the day - outside and inside the aircraft!
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Although I didn`t see any particularly outstanding movements, there were plenty of wide-bodies from Asia and the Middle East not usually seen at Scottish airports. My favourite shot from the trip though was this snap of what I think is a United Airlines Boeing 767 flyover passing the moon early on Saturday morning. The sky was so clear that some of the larger craters were defined in fine detail. More shots taken during my latest visit to Manchester can be found here: Manchester Airport August 2019.
Carlisle Lake District Airport & the Solway Aviation Museum
On Saturday afternoon, on the way back from Manchester, I popped in to Carlisle Lake District Airport for the first time to check out the new terminal and the Solway Aviation Museum. On 4 July 2019, scheduled passenger flights returned to Carlisle for the first time in more than 25 years thanks to Loganair. Airport owner Stobart Group had planned to relaunch services in June 2018, but faced problems recruiting sufficient numbers of air traffic control staff. Now Scottish-based carrier Loganair has launched routes to Dublin, Belfast and London Southend from the airport which is a gateway to the Lake District, northern England and Scotland`s Borders Region. It`s hoped the new flights will encourage thousands of tourists to use Carlisle Airport as a springboard for exploring the surrounding countryside which holds numerous attractions.
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Two Loganair Estonian-registered Saab 340Bs were basking in the sunshine, one of which ES-NSD is now in the airline`s tartan colour scheme. The other, ES-NSC had been covering flights from Glasgow for a time before moving south but I didn`t manage to photograph it closer to home. Both aircraft are owned by NyxAir, a passenger charter carrier based at Tallinn Lennart Meri Airport (TLL). The airline began operations in August last year.
The only other aircraft on the apron was Gulfstream Aerospace G650 8P-ASD (ex N645GA), a noteworthy visitor registered in Barbados.
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Over at the far side of the airfield, next to the General Aviation Terminal, is the Solway Aviation Museum. It has a fairly small but interesting collection of mainly military aircraft but unlike most museums, visitors are encouraged to go inside many of the planes and check out their interiors. It`s a rare chance to sit in the cockpits of a Canberra and Vulcan bomber amongst others. The staff, all enthusiastic volunteers, are very friendly and only too happy to give you the low-down on individual aircraft. Access to the Vulcan is only possible during one of the guided Vulcan tours which run throughout the day. The museum occupies two buildings, one housing the reception, shop and indoor exhibits with the other serving as an indoor aircraft restoration centre.
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Hawker Siddeley HS.121 Trident 1C G-ARPP first flew on 12 February 1965 and began operations with BEA later that month. It became part of the British Airways fleet in April 1974 and flew until 23 February 1983 when it was withdrawn from use and scrapped at Glasgow Airport, ending up on the fire dump to serve as a training aid for the airport fire and rescue service.
Over the years that followed, the airframe was gradually reduced with the tail section being the first to go. The remains were cut-up and removed in the summer of 2003 with the nose ending up in the care of the Dumfries & Galloway Aviation Museum. The nose was transferred to its current location in July 2006 where it now serves as an outdoor exhibit near the museum buildings. A visit to the Solway Aviation Museum is highly recommended. More shots and information can be found here. |
Jet Airliners
Virgin Atlantic took delivery of its first Airbus A350-1000 at Toulouse this month to become the second UK airline in the space of a few weeks to receive the type. Virgin`s London-Heathrow based rival British Airways took delivery of its first A350-1000 in July which was operational soon after. Virgin`s latest addition to the fleet, G-VLUX has been named `Red Velvet` and will be based at London Gatwick. The inaugural passenger flight of the carrier’s A350 service will be from London to New York JFK on 10 September and Virgin hope to have a dozen of the type operational by 2021.
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Somewhat unusually Glasgow International was chosen as a temporary training base so that crews could familiarise themselves with the new state-of-the-art airliner. G-VLUX arrived here on the afternoon of Sunday 18 August and remained for a week, mainly doing wide circuits and landings. Most trips saw the A350 fly out beyond the Campsie Fells north of Glasgow before rejoining the approach for Runway 23.
Virgin`s latest long-haul airliner features a new Upper Class suite. Additionally, it will be the first plane to have The Loft, a new social space for Upper Class passengers with sofas and a 32-inch TV screen with Bluetooth capability for individual headsets. The Loft replaces the Upper Class bar, which evolved from the social area that was introduced back in the 1980s. The Loft can also be used to give small group presentations. |
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The new Upper Class suites are of a different design to the unpopular layout initially implemented on the Airbus A330-300. All suites now point outwards towards windows and have a small privacy screen. These seats offer 44 inches of legroom and passengers no longer have to leave their seat to convert it into a flat bed. Other fare options offer seats with a pitch from 31 inches for Economy to 38 inches for Premium Economy.
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(A350 interior images © Virgin Atlantic).
The above slideshow features shots of G-VLUX taken on various days throughout the week. Hopefully Virgin Atlantic will choose to return to Glasgow for further training when the remaining airliners are delivered. Meanwhile, the carrier has extended its season for winter 2019 / 2020 with Boeing 747s supplement by Airbus A330s operating the Glasgow - Orlando route.
Apart from the Virgin A350, several Emirates special-liveried A380s showed up and there were a number of football-related charters which added interest.
The last A380 of the month A6-EEU, pictured here on Saturday 31 August, is painted in a `Rugby World Cup Japan 2019` special livery.
It`s reported that Flybe will end service on 23 routes this autumn. The only one affecting Scotland is the Cardiff - Glasgow flight which will be discontinued on 25 October. The other routes are Cardiff to Faro, Milan, Munich, Rome, Verona and Venice; Doncaster/Sheffield to Alicante, Dublin, Jersey and Paris CDG; Exeter to Alicante, Faro, and Malaga; Manchester – Innsbruck (a seasonal service not returning this winter); Newquay to Leeds/Bradford; Norwich to Alicante, Exeter and Malaga; plus Southampton to Alicante, La Rochelle, Nantes and Rennes. The carrier will be focusing on the Bombardier Q400 (Dash 8) turboprops as its core aircraft type in the future and the commuter jets will go. The Embraer 175s will be phased out later this year and the Embraer 195s will be returned to lessors by 2020.
Loganair Embraer ERJ-145EP G-RJXH climbs after lifting-off from Runway 23 on August 7.
On Thursday 1 August, the inbound Emirates A380 diverted to Vienna Airport due to an on-board medical emergency and didn`t reach Glasgow until 14:40 hrs. Also visiting that day was Boeing 757-256(WL) TF-FIR Icelandair (80 years of Aviation Livery), plus Boeing 737-505 9H-AHA of Air X Charter, a football-related arrival from 31 July, departed (1st); Airbus A320-251N G-UZLH easyJet (f/v) and Boeing 737-548(WL) 9H-MAC Maleth Aero (2nd); Airbus A380-861 A6-EOK Emirates (Expo 2020 green livery), Boeing 757-256(WL) TF-FIU Icelandair (Aurora Borealis Livery) and Embraer ERJ-190LR D-ACJJ WDL Aviation (f/v) (5th); Airbus A320-251N G-UZLA easyJet (f/v) and BAe Avro RJ85 G-JOTR Jota Aviation (plus other dates) (6th); Boeing 757-256 G-POWH Titan Airways, Boeing 737-8BK(WL) SP-ENV Enter Air, plus Embraer ERJ-190LR D-ACJJ WDL Aviation returned (7th); A380-861 A6-EOW Emirates (Expo 2020 green livery), Airbus A320-214 D-ASEF (f/v) Sundair, plus Embraer ERJ-190LR D-ACJJ WDL Aviation (worked an easyJet flight) (8th)...
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Noteworthy jet airliners continued with Boeing 757-256 G-POWH Titan Airways (9th); A380-861 A6-EEW Emirates (Expo 2020 green) (10th); Boeing 737-505 9H-OME AirX Charter (11th); A380-861 A6-EEQ Emirates (United for Wildlife livery), A321-231(WL) HA-LTD Wizz Air (Wizz Air 100 livery) and Embraer ERJ-145EP G-SAJS Loganair (f/v) (12th); Boeing 737-85R(WL) SP-ENQ Enter Air and Dornier 328-310 JET OY-JJH (f/v) Sun Air (14th); Boeing 777-31H(ER) A6-ENG Emirates (Expo 2020 orange livery) and Embraer ERJ-190LR D-ACJJ WDL Aviation (15th); A380-861 A6-EER Emirates (United for Wildlife livery) and Airbus A318-112 G-EUNB Titan Airways (17th); Airbus A350-1041 G-VLUX (f/v) Virgin Atlantic (based for 1 week of crew training) (18th); Boeing 737-522 LY-JMS (f/v) KlasJet and ERJ-190LR D-ACJJ WDL Aviation returned (19th); Boeing 737-8AS SP-ESD and SP-ESF (f/v) Enter Air, plus Boeing 737-3L9 LY-BGS (f/v) KlasJet (21st)...
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Boeing 777-31H(ER) A6-EPF Emirates (Expo 2020 green), Boeing 757-231(WL) N705TW Delta Air Lines (Skyteam livery) and McDonnell Douglas MD-82 OY-RUT (f/v) Danish Air Transport (Retro Livery) (football charter from - to Warsaw) (22nd); Boeing 737-8CX(WL) SP-ENN (f/v) Enter Air, plus KlasJet Boeing 737-3L9 LY-BGS (again) and Boeing 737-522 LY-JMS (23rd); Airbus A380-842 A6-EVG Emirates (f/v) (this is also a first visit of type to Glasgow International, as the carrier`s A380 service to / from Dubai is usually operated by an A380-861 with Engine Alliance GP7270 engines, rather than the Trent 900 Rolls-Royce-powered A380-842, Boeing 757-308(WL) TF-FIX Icelandair also called-in (24th); Boeing 757-231(WL) N705TW Delta Air Lines (Skyteam livery) (27th)...
Boeing 757-256(WL) TF-FIR Icelandair (80 years of Aviation Livery), Boeing 737-3L9(WL) G-SWRD (f/v) 2Excel Aviation call-sign `Broadsword 37B`, Fokker 100 YR-FKA Carpatair and Embraer ERJ-190LR D-AWSI WDL Aviation (28th); Boeing 737-8AS SP-ESF Enter Air and Embraer ERJ-190LR D-AWSI (f/v) WDL Aviation (29th); Boeing 737-3L9 G-SWRD returned, plus Boeing 737-8Q8(WL) SP-ENX Enter Air (100 Years of Independence Livery) (30th); The last Emirates A380 of the month, A6-EEU is painted in `Rugby World Cup Japan 2019` special colours. Silver Air VIP Boeing 737-73Q(BBJ) N834BZ (f/v) flew in from West Palm Beach, Florida, en route to Dubai. (31st).
TUI Airways Boeing 737-8K5(WL) G-FDZU slows after landing on 22 August.
Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-231(WL) N705TW in (Skyteam livery) heads back to New York JFK on Thursday 22 August.
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At the beginning of the month, Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air announced that it`s launching new routes from Edinburgh to Central / Eastern European destinations, despite their current presence at Glasgow. The major operation which is yet another coup for the capital`s airport, will see three flights per week to Budapest from 21 December, three weekly to Gdansk from 19 December, four per week to Warsaw launching on the 18th, and two per week to Bucharest from 23 December.
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A321-231(WL) HA-LTD in a special livery to celebrate the Wizz Air fleet`s 100th Airbus worked the Budapest - Glasgow route on Monday 12 August.
Air Transat Airbus A330-243 C-GUBD arrives from Toronto on an overcast Monday 26 August.
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Despite a drastic decline in overall passenger numbers, operational challenges and significant losses in the first half of 2019, Icelandair’s profits appear to be on the way up. The airline has reported rising average revenue per passenger and rising fares for the first time since 2015 after losing almost ISK 11 billion ($89.6 million/€80.7 million) in the second quarter of this year, according to the financial report published by the carrier this month.
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The substantial financial hit is mainly attributed to costs and lost revenue associated with the grounding of its three Boeing 737 Max 8 planes this spring due to safety concerns. Nevertheless, the airline has several reasons to be optimistic. Besides higher revenue per passenger the number of passengers has also increased dramatically, largely helped by the collapse of low-cost Icelandic carrier WOW Air which ceased operations on 28 March this year due to severe financial difficulties.
In July 2019, Icelandair transported 564,000 passengers, a 9% increase compared to July 2018. In particular, the number of passengers the company flew to Iceland reached a record high, increased by a third compared to July last year. Passengers flown from Iceland by the carrier also saw an increase of 25%, whereas the number of transfer passengers decreased by 10%. Improving the punctuality of its flights has been made a priority as previously Icelandair had to pay high amounts in compensation due to delays. These efforts are showing results, as 71% of the carrier`s aircraft landed punctually in July compared to just 51% in the same month last year.
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In a case of contrasting fortunes, the management of Iceland’s domestic airline Air Iceland Connect (Flugfélag Íslands) plans to sell two of their six aircraft due to a decline in passengers. Domestic passenger numbers have dropped by 10% since the beginning of the year compared to the same period in 2018. The company’s CEO, Árni Gunnarsson, has taken the decision even though he believes domestic flights will eventually recover, however, the country`s reduction in foreign passengers is more extreme being somewhere in the region of 30-40%.
Just three years ago, Air Iceland Connect purchased three Bombardier DHC-8-402Q Dash 8 turboprops, considerably larger than the Fokker 50s that formed their fleet. The company later acquired a trio of the smaller DHC-8-402Qs when it sold the last of its F50s. In addition to selling-off two of its airliners, Air Iceland Connect plans to take other measures to address the lower number of passengers. These include reducing the frequency of trips to Egilsstaðir and Ísafjörður over the coming winter, and using smaller planes whenever possible. Job losses are not anticipated.
Just three years ago, Air Iceland Connect purchased three Bombardier DHC-8-402Q Dash 8 turboprops, considerably larger than the Fokker 50s that formed their fleet. The company later acquired a trio of the smaller DHC-8-402Qs when it sold the last of its F50s. In addition to selling-off two of its airliners, Air Iceland Connect plans to take other measures to address the lower number of passengers. These include reducing the frequency of trips to Egilsstaðir and Ísafjörður over the coming winter, and using smaller planes whenever possible. Job losses are not anticipated.
Above: Emirates A380-861 A6-EDP departing Glasgow for Dubai on the afternoon of Wednesday 28 August.
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On Thursday 22 August, UK-based Ryanair pilots staged a 48-hour walkout, the latest chapter in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions. The airline claimed 97% of flights in and out of UK airports took off as normal after thousands of passengers braced themselves for disruption and blamed any delays that arose on air traffic control.
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On the Wednesday immediately preceding the industrial action in the UK, Ryanair had won a legal challenge in the Republic of Ireland to stop the country`s based pilots from striking, but a court in London did not follow suit with regard to those working from UK airports. The airline said it had drafted in pilots from elsewhere in Europe to fill in during strike action.
Another 48-hour walkout is planned by members of the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) in early September to coincide with the end of the summer holidays. |
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As mentioned in last month`s Glasgow Airport movements page, Ryanair have set up another Air Operator Certificate (AOC), this time as Malta Air. Initial reports state that in addition to transferring six Boeing 737s to Malta Air, approximately 40 others, from Ryanair`s French, German and Italian bases will also be re-registered as Maltese. The first of the new Air Malta jets, 9H-QAB, made the newly formed carrier`s first visit to Scotland when it flew in from Bordeaux and landed at Edinburgh on 20 June. I photographed another of the batch, 9H-QAF (above) on its takeoff run at Manchester on Saturday 24 August. These aircraft, along with the Ryanair Sun / Buzz fleets will eventually be repainted in new liveries.
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Above: Tails from contrasting climates: As the brakes go on after landing, Icelandair`s Boeing 757 TF-ISF passes Emirates A380-861 A6-EEP as the latter aircraft is being prepared for the return flight to Dubai. Wednesday 7 August.
Next, a couple of VIP-configured 737s on the Maltese Register. On the right is Boeing 737-548(WL) 9H-MAC of Maleth Aero which arrived from Luxembourg in the early hours of Friday 2 August. The following record shot, taken on Monday 12 August, shows Boeing 737-505 9H-OME of AirX Charter. This company provides consultancy, aircraft management and charter services from its headquarters at Birgu, Malta. It had flown in from Cluj, a city in Romania and the unofficial capital of Transylvania. |
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Another couple of football-related charters, both appearing on Wednesday 28 August. Below left is Boeing 737-3L9(WL) G-SWRD of 2Excel Aviation which used the call-sign `Broadsword 37B`. The VIP configured airliner was here to collect Celtic FC and transport them to Stockholm for a Europa League tie against top-flight Swedish side AIK. Carpatair Fokker 100 YR-FKA (below right) was parked on the far side of the airfield when I passed-by but jet wash from a stationary Loganair Embraer added to the heat haze, drastically distorting the shot. It was here in connection with another second-leg Europa League play-off, in this case Rangers v Legia Warsaw.
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It turned out to be great news for both Glasgow teams on the night though as they qualified for the group stages of the competition. On Thursday 29 August, Celtic thumped AIK in Sweden to reach the Europa League group stage and alleviate some of the pain of their Champions League exit at the hands of CFR Cluj. Even though ex-Celtic hero Henrik Larsson scored a penalty to equalise early on, the Scottish Champions won 1-4 on the night making the aggregate over the two legs 1-6.
It was more `edge of the seat` though for Rangers fans in their home game against Legia Warsaw. Steven Gerrard's men endured a frustrating evening against their unyielding Polish opponents, having drawn the first leg 0-0 in Warsaw last week, but a dramatic stoppage-time header by Alfredo Morelos secured a win for the Ibrox side. This is the second consecutive season that the Old Firm have made it to the group stages of the competition and Glasgow Airport should see an interesting mix of aircraft bringing the opposing teams and their fans to the city. Celtic have drawn Group E and will face CFR Cluj, Lazio and Rennes while Rangers are in Group G against Feyenoord, Porto and Swiss team BSC Young Boys.
Silver Air Boeing 737-73Q(BBJ) N834BZ (f/v) made a fuel stop on Tuesday 24 August while en route from West Palm Beach, Florida, to Dubai. Not to be confused with the regional and charter carrier based at Prague Vaclav Havel Airport, or US-based Silver Airways, Silver Air is a leading private aircraft management company and direct charter operator that enters into partnerships with private jet owners. Founded in 2008, the company is based in Southern California with corporate offices in Santa Barbara. Silver Air manages a comprehensive fleet of luxury aircraft from small biz-jets long-range VIP configured airliners.
Please bear in mind that all my images are subject to copyright. They are not free to use and have been embedded with a digital watermark.
Several Enter Air football-related charters appeared this month. This is Boeing 737-8BK(WL) SP-ENV from Vienna on the afternoon of 7 August.
Dornier 328-310 JET OY-JJH (f/v) of Sun Air, seen here on Thursday 15 August after an overnight stop, was a football team charter f/t Billund.
Boeing 767-375(ER) C-GSCA Air Canada Rouge. Thursday 29 August 2019.
Turboprop Airliners
No visiting turboprops of note this month, just the usual crop from the Loganair, Flybe and Aer Lingus Regional fleets.
Above: Aer Lingus Regional ATR 72-600 EI-FAS comes in to land on 19 August while Virgin Atlantic`s A350 G-VLUX holds at `Alpha One`.
Biz-Jets
No arrivals of note on 1 August but a handful of corporate jets remained parked-up from last month, namely Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 650 N742SP, Challenger 650 N650LC, Challenger 605s EI-WFI and N1TK, Falcon 2000 N215RE, Cessna 501 Citation ISP N501NZ and Phenom 300 G-JMBO (this one also called in on other days) (1st); Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 650 D-AERO Air Hamburg, Bombardier Challenger 605 PH-HWM, Cessna Citation-Bravo G-IPLY and Citation-Jet2 D-IFIS (f/v) (2nd); Dassault Falcon 900EX PH-LAU, CitationJet CJ3 D-CUGF (f/v) and Citation Excel OO-SKS (f/v) (3rd); Challenger 350 CS-CHI (f/v), Citation Excel G-SIRS and CitationJet CJ2 D-IPVD (4th); Gulfstream IV N250KC and Challenger 601 C-GORD (f/v) (5th)...
Gulfstream IV N363DC climbing after takeoff for Luton on Thursday 15 August.
Gulfstream V N900LY, Gulfstream IV-SP N475LC, VistaJet Global 6000 9H-VJT from Aarhus, Denmark, plus Cessna Citation XLS D-CSUN Air Hamburg (6th); Cessna CitationJet CJ3 SE-RMB Hummingbird Aviation, plus Raytheon Hawker 400XP G-SKBD and Beech 400XTi Nextant G-FXCR (7th); Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 650 D-AERO Air Hamburg, Cessna 680A Citation Latitude CS-LTE (f/v), Citation Bravo G-IPLY, Cessna C501 Citation ISP N501NZ and Hawker Beech Beechjet 400A SP-TAT (8th); CitationJet CJ3 SE-RMB, CitationJet CJ2 D-IFIS and Hawker Beechcraft 750 CS-DUB (9th); Gulfstream IV N842PA (10th)...
Belgian Citation Excel OO-SKS visited from Stanstead on Saturday 3 August.
Dassault Falcon 2000EX CS-DLK and Raytheon Beechjet 400A OK-BII (f/v) Praga Aviation (11th); Global 6000 9H-VJG (f/v) VistaJet (12th); Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 650 G-SUGR Air Charter Scotland, Gulfstream IV N363DC (f/v), plus Citation Bravos G-CMBC and G-SPRE (13th); Gulfstream IV N156WJ, Falcon 900B G-JSSE, Cessna Citation Excel G-IPAX and CitationJet CJ1 D-IHKW (14th); Phenom 300 CS-PHG (15th); Challenger 605 9H-VFF VistaJet and Citation XLS YU-PMK (16th); Gulfstream IV N168PK and Citation II F-GLTK (17th); Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 600 D-AVIB Air Hamburg, Challenger 350 9H-VCE VistaJet and Cessna Citation Latitude G-SHUI (18th); Gulfstream V N128GV, Challenger 605 9H-VFA VistaJet, Falcon 900EX G-EGVO, Learjet 45 G-OICU and Embraer Phenom 300 CS-PHL (f/v) (19th); Dassault Falcon 900LX C-GGBC and Learjet 45 G-XJET (20th)...
Gulfstream IV-SP N475LC. Wednesday 7 August 2019. This one was routing from Fayetteville, North Carolina, to Cairo.
Bombardier Challenger 650 HB-JWC (f/v) Swiss Air Ambulance (21st); Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 600 I-ARFX (f/v), Falcon 7X F-HPCE (f/v) and Challenger 850 D-AJOY AIR X Charter (22nd); Citation Bravo G-SPRE, Citation II SP D-IRUP plus Citation ISP N501NZ which departed on 20 August after a long-term stay returned (23rd); Falcon 900EX G-EGVO, Citation Excel YU-PMK and Embraer Phenom 100 D-IAAY (24th); Citation Bravo YU-BTB (25th); Gulfstream V-SP N5569 and Learjet 75 G-USHA (26th); Bombardier Global Express N980CC, Gulfstream V XA-FEM (f/v), Falcon 2000LXS OY-GFS Air Alsie, Falcon 900EX N460D and Phenom 100 D-IAAD (27th); Falcon 2000LXS OY-GFS and Cessna 680A Citation Latitude CS-LTA (28th); Citation Latitude CS-LTH and Citation Mustang G-FFFC (30th); Embraer Legacy 650 G-SUGR, Citation Mustang PH-TXA and Learjet 35A D-CAPO (31st).
Area Juliet, late morning on 10 August. Left to right: Citation ISP N501NZ, CitationJet CJ2 D-IFIS, Hawker Beechcraft 750 CS-DUB and Beech 400XTi G-FXCR.
Gulfstream V N900LY and Gulfstream IV N250KC on the northside, Tuesday 6 August 2019. It was raining heavily when this shot was taken.
VistaJet Global 6000 9H-VJT (above) had flown in from Aarhus, Denmark, on Tuesday 6 August, with 9H-VJG arriving from Minneapolis–Saint Paul on the 12th.
Above: Bombardier Global Express N980CC, Area R, Wednesday 28 August 2019. The aircraft was on a round trip from Westchester, New York.
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Above: Citation Mustangs G-FFFC and PH-TXA were present on Saturday 31 August. Both remained into September.
On Wednesday 21 August, Capital Air Ambulance Learjet 45 G-XJET departed after an overnight stay, shortly before Bombardier Challenger 650 HB-JWC arrived from Zurich at 09:35 hrs. This is one of three Challenger 650 jets in the Swiss Air Ambulance fleet, all of which are exclusively used for patient transfer having been fitted out as intensive-care units. The interior can be quickly reconfigured to accommodate up to four patients lying down. In order to load a stretcher patient horizontally into the Challenger, the aircraft are equipped with a built-in ramp made of carbon and kevlar fibres. The official website is worth a look: Rega - Swiss Air Rescue. HB-JWC departed for Esbjerg, Denmark, at 11:15 hrs.
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Canadian-registered Falcon 900LX C-GGBC is pictured here on the Gama apron on Wednesday 21 August after night-stopping.
These two Gulfstream Fives were parked on the northside on the 28th: Mexican-registered XA-FEM and, from the USA, N5569.
General Aviation
Aircraft bearing South African registrations are seldom seen at Glasgow so Cessna 402C ZS-NMV was a welcome surprise visitor on the 13th.
Pilatus PC-12 LX-JFE of Jetfly Aviation, pictured on Monday 19 August, flew in from Tiree the day before and left for Oslo on the 20th.
Agustawestland AW109SP G-SKBH coming in to land on Wednesday 7 August.
GA movements worth a mention are King Air 200 G-MEDZ stopped over from July. King Air 200 G-FLYW of Fly Wales was this month`s first GA visitor (1st); King Air 350 D-CUTE (f/v) (2nd); Pilatus PC-12 VP-CPX and King Air 350 G-SRBM (3rd); Pilatus PC-12 M-YBLS (4th); Pilatus PC-12 G-LUSO (f/v) (5th); King Air 200 M-CDMS and Diamond DA62 2-SALE (6th); King Air 90 M-TSRI and Agustawestland AW109SP G-SKBH (7th); Cessna 310Q N315P, Diamond DA62 G-GBAS and Sikorsky S-92A G-MCGL HM Coastguard (8th); Pilatus PC-12 M-YBLS (11th)...
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The unidentified helicopter on the right, thought to be a Robinson R44, followed the line of the Clyde towards Dumbarton on the morning of 12 August, crossing the `23` approach. (12th); Cessna 402C ZS-NMV (f/v) and King Air 200 G-FLYK (plus other dates) (13th); King Air 200 M-CDBM, Cessna 208A Caravan floatplane G-LAUD and AW189 G-MCGT HM Coastguard (14th); King Air 90 N97DN (f/v) (15th); Pilatus PC-12 G-MAKN (f/v) (16th); Pilatus PC-12 M-YBLS and Diamond DA40 NG Diamond Star HB-SGD (f/v) (17th); Pilatus PC-12 LX-JFE (f/v) and Piper PA-23 Aztec G-CALL (18th); Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage D-EGMG (f/v) and AW189 G-MCGN (f/v) HM Coastguard (19th); Pilatus PC-12 G-MAKN (20th); SOCATA TBM-940 N940HT (f/v) (23rd); AgustaWestland AW189 G-MCGN HM Coastguard (25th); AgustaWestland AW109SP GrandNew G-SGRP (26th); King Air 200 G-BGRE (28th); King Air 350 G-SRBM and King Air 200 G-NIAB (30th); King Air 200 N416MM (31st).
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This is AW189 G-MCGT of HM Coastguard lifting-off from the airport on Thursday 15 August after an overnight stop. It was heading back to its Prestwick base.
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Military
US Army Beech MC-12S Huron 11-00267(f/v), call-sign `Elvis 09` was still present on Area Juliet having been at Glasgow since 16:05 hrs on Monday 29 July. The plane had been routing Stateside from Stuttgart, Germany, via Keflavik but broke its journey here, presumably for a fuel stop, however, it looks as though a technical issue delayed departure for several days. No doubt if the crew were waiting for a replacement part and the wrong one was sent in error they wouldn`t have hesitated to `Return to Sender!` The aircraft finally got underway again at midday on 3 August.
RAF BAe 146 CC.2 ZE707 was the first military visitor this month arriving at 11:45 hrs on Thursday 1 August and departing just half-an-hour later. German Air Force A319-133X CJ) 15+01, call-sign `GAF 887`, made a low flypast above Runway 23 at 10:40 hrs on Tuesday 6 August. It was flying from Aalborg to Bordeaux, presumably on a training sortie. Beech UC-12M 163837 of the US Navy landed at 14:45 hrs on the 7th having flown in from Lossiemouth. It left for Keflavik on the 9th. German Air Force Airbus A310-304 10+23, call-sign `GAF 816,` did a go-around above Runway 23 about 12:05 hrs on Friday 16 August. I was at the airport and had my camera poised but the big transport stayed quite high, totally hidden by low cloud and was only heard, not seen!
Dornier Do-228-212LM 57+04 arrived from Guernsey on Saturday 24 August. This is one of two Do-228's in use by the German Navy on its Pollution Control program. It remained until the morning of Monday 26th and is pictured on the right and below being prepared for departure to Stornoway.
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The Dornier Do 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft produced from 1981 until 1998. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) in India bought a production licence and manufactured 125 aircraft. The German factory In Oberpfaffenhofen built a total of 245. In July 2018, 57 aircraft were in airline service. Other operators include police, law enforcement, and numerous military operators.
US Army Fairchild C-26B 91-00507 arrived from Keflavik PM on the 28th and night-stopped, remaining here until Wednesday 4 September when it set off for Wiesbaden, Germany. The C-26B is a military utility transport version of the commercial Fairchild Metroliner 23. Other US military variants are the C-26A, RC-26B and C-26D, the latter type operated by the US Navy. The type has been widely exported and other countries that have used, or are currently operating the Metroliner for military or law enforcement purposes include Columbia, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Australia and South Africa. With a maximum payload capacity of 5,020 pounds, the cabin can be configured to accommodate passengers, cargo or both. These aircraft are used as rapid-response transports for resupply and ferrying personnel often to remote, unserviced sites.
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Construction & Development
On Friday 2 August, workers using a JCB began to dig a track on the east side of Abbotsinch Road, northward from the entrance to the playing fields opposite the Gama / Scottish Ambulance hangars towards the farm access track. This could possibly mark the line of the new airfield perimeter fence pending the realignment of said Abbotsinch Road to accommodate the new business park. Meantime, part of the available unofficial lay-by opposite Area Juliet was coned-off and further spaces are likely to disappear as work progresses.
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It's a pity that after decades of use by spotters / photographers and just families watching the action that most, if not all of this stretch is likely to be blocked and / or out of bounds once the new development takes shape. No doubt a designated public viewing area was the last thing those involved would have considered. The above slideshow features shots taken during the first half of August with another at the bottom of this page containing views taken towards the end of the month.
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Next, an update on the new housing development adjacent to the Inchinnan Woods, between Inchinnan village and Erskine. Cala Homes are set to cram 195 terraced, semi-detached and detached houses into the relatively small funnel-shaped field that runs along the wood`s northern edge and the first few dwellings are already taking shape. Although the estate will back onto existing houses in Inchinnan, it looks as though the only road access is likely to be from the Erskine side.
This is yet another wildlife-rich area, much of which is destined to disappear in the not too distant future and the peaceful, undisturbed nature of the woods will likely be transformed once the new residents start to move in. It`s bound to become a playground for the estate`s children and a magnet for dog walkers so the local Roe deer population will have to find another suitable area in a rapidly diminishing habitat.
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The aerial view above was taken was taken in March this year before the house construction began. The other shots were taken in late August. The eastern edge of the Inchinnan woods is an ideal vantage point from which to photograph planes on approach for Runway 23 if you have a decent telephoto lens. A 400mm will suffice for large airliners (crop required) but a 500-600mm is ideal. This location is best when the sky is overcast, as these examples illustrate, or late in the day, otherwise you`ll be shooting directly into the sun. The tree-line here may become far more popular with photographers once the new development off Abbotsinch Road begins to take shape.
These panoramas were taken on Wednesday 21 August when Gulfstream IV N156WJ was still on Area R. The views below look north from the embankment on the south side of the playing fields which I believe won`t be affected by the development. The new road through the business park will run along the northern perimeter of these pitches and I`d imagine once the proposed buildings go-up, any views of aircraft on approach for 23 from this spot will be severely limited, if not lost altogether. As previously mentioned, the final slideshow features work at the location during the latter part of August.
The position of the first new roundabout has been marked out...
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August 2019
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