Glasgow Airport Movements 2020
April
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April 2020
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May 2020
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The outbreak of COVID-19 has changed everything about the way we live and work. By 2 April, more than a million cases had been registered globally - another grim milestone as the world grapples with the spreading pandemic. Thoughts are with all those affected by Coronavirus and I hope that you, your friends, family and loved ones are safe and well.
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Even UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson caught the bug. Unfortunately his system reacted badly requiring a stint at a local London hospital. He was admitted to St Thomas`s after his Coronavirus symptoms, including a cough and high temperature, persisted. He was later moved into intensive care when his condition didn`t improve and spent an anxious 3 days there. A government spokesperson said he was not put on a ventilator but had continued to receive standard oxygen treatment.
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After a week in the care of the NHS, Boris was finally discharged on April 12, although he was forced to recuperate at home before returning to full duties at the end of the month. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had stood in during his absence. As well as beating the virus, there was additional good news for the PM with his fiancee, Carrie Symonds giving birth to their baby boy soon after Boris left hospital.
PM images © Getty / USA Today.
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Above: BA Airbuses at Glasgow International, stored for the foreseeable future due to the lack of demand for flights. The following shots show the Airport Taxi queuing station in St Andrew`s Drive West totally deserted, a situation seldom seen but not unusual this month. With regard to Scotland`s airports, passenger figures have just been released for February 2020. They show that all airports, apart from Inverness, experienced a downturn when compared with the same month last year. Decreases were small though, with the exception of Prestwick which saw 17,200 travellers pass through making a drop of -19.3%. Glasgow International`s total fell by 0.9%. (528,400) but the Coronavirus pandemic had yet to strike. Passenger numbers, particularly from April onwards will plummet to unprecedented levels.
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No one could have envisaged the current situation and I would never have imagined tragic content on such a scale appearing on an aviation-related website. With aircraft movements severely curtailed for the foreseeable future, thousands of airports and airfields worldwide have either ground to a halt, or seen their movement tallies drop drastically. Glasgow International (right) remains in the latter category and as I, like millions of others in the UK, am staying indoors as per the government guidelines, there won`t be many accompanying photos for a while.
The situation is changing by the hour and I will continue to include coverage, particularly when it`s relevant to Glasgow Airport and the wider aviation industry. Most of the featured images have been obtained from a variety of sites, having been widely circulated via social media and sources are credited where appropriate. |
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With things usually ramping up considerably at this time of year, initially for the Easter holidays, the head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Alexandre de Juniac reported that between April and June some $61bn could disappear from the industry`s cash reserves. Demand for passenger travel on aircraft is in free-fall. Worldwide, it's already down 70% compared to last year; 90% in Europe, and it`s likely to get a great deal worse. It`s estimated that 65 million jobs are linked to aviation with around 25 million of these threatened until the sector resumes operations.
At least 8,500 airliners are currently thought to be parked up with only around a quarter of the global capacity in operation. Many of these are freighters as the worldwide demand for cargo hasn`t diminished. The current situation will likely be the final straw for Boeing`s 737 MAX. Hundreds were already in storage for an undetermined period pending a solution to the flawed computer software which contributed to two fatal accidents involving the type. Once things get back up and running, many carriers will seek to streamline their fleets, at least initially when demand for seats will be far lower than before. The above view, taken at the beginning of the year, shows 737 MAX jets parked in employee car parks at Boeing Field, Seattle, due to lack of storage space. (Image © Getty / Forbes.com).
Meanwhile, when April was just days old, large numbers of people flocked to popular tourists sites and major cities across China, despite warnings from health authorities that the risk posed by the coronavirus pandemic remained far from over. It was a national holiday weekend there and the abrupt return to apparent normality came more than three months after the virus was first detected in Wuhan.
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Now, according to Chinese authorities, the rate of infection has slowed significantly in recent weeks. Many people though are highly sceptical of figures previously released and suspect that the extent of the original outbreak in China was far worse than officials would have people believe.
The above shot shows travellers inside Hankou Railway Station, one of the three main railway stations in Wuhan, after travel restrictions to leave the city, the capital of Hubei province, were lifted. Crowds soon packed Anhui province's Huangshan Mountain Park (right) on April 4, exceeding the visitor limit of 20,000. A similar story played out in the capital Beijing, with locals flocking to the city's parks and open spaces. |
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With this lack of social distancing, especially so soon after the country`s alleged pandemic peak, some experts are of the opinion that cases here will grow once again. There is scientific debate as to whether ordinary face masks offer any protection, but even so, many of the people seen crammed together in these shots have nothing whatsoever over their noses and mouths. (Above images CNN / reuters).
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On Wednesday 1 April, it was announced that Air Ambulance capacity would be increased in Scotland as part of measures to deal with the pandemic. Paramedic teams will utilise specialist isolation stretchers for patient transfer where COVID-19 is suspected or confirmed. Presumably the new equipment will be carried in both the Scottish Ambulance Service`s fixed-wing Beech King Airs and H-145 helicopters.
Loganair have converted a single Twin Otter and one SAAB 340B to carry the new stretchers and attendant medical crews. Several RAF Pumas which flew in to take up temporary residence at Kinloss in late March have been suitably modified to assist the NHS (see the Military Section below). |
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Early this month, a drive-through Coronavirus testing centre opened at Glasgow International Airport. Located on the site of the airport’s long-stay car park in Arran Avenue, the facility initially only checked NHS staff and their families.
This means that should tests prove negative, essential workers currently in isolation could return to the hard-pressed NHS front-line.
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(Some Test Centre images © Daily Record / UK Defence Journal).
Thousands of military personnel have been brought in across the UK to assist in the battle against the virus.
Tunnocks have the reputation of being quite topical with their adverts and even though the latest Caramel Wafer poster appeared a few weeks before the pandemic hit our shores, everyone in the country could certainly do with a lift now. This is the billboard in St Andrew`s Drive beside the roundabout close to the main entrance to the airport.
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With the majority of the UK population in lockdown, including Greyfriars Bobby in Edinburgh, the full moon on the night of Tuesday 7 / Wednesday 8 April gave people an excuse to temporarily halt their box set bingeing, look outside and gaze skyward. Dubbed the `Super Pink Moon,` this one appeared to be about 7% larger and 15% brighter than the average full moon because the moon was at perigee, or the closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit.
The moon was `just` 221,772 miles (356,907 kilometres) from our planet, compared to its average distance of 238,855 miles (384,400 km). With a drastic reduction in air and ground transport because of the Coronavirus, it also meant that the atmosphere was far less polluted than normal. As it turned out, the supermoon wasn`t actually pink but this didn`t detract from the overall phenomenon. (Greyfriars Bobby Image © Edinburgh Evening News). |
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Throughout the month, NHS staff and care home workers all over the UK voiced concern about the availability of suitable protective equipment. Some NHS medics improvised by resorting to aprons, bin bags, and hospital gowns meant for patients, as supplies at various locations ran dangerously low.
With regard to Scotland, just before 04:00 hrs on Saturday 18 April, Boeing 747-83QF VP-BIN of Air Bridge Cargo arrived at Prestwick Airport with badly needed PPE. It took approximately 2 hours to unload the aircraft and it was on its way again by 06:00. This was followed by another of the carrier`s 747 freighters, VP-BBL, which brought in another massive load of PPE at 09:55 hrs on Friday 24 April. These large capacity cargo aircraft are unsurprisingly in great demand during the current emergency so it was another quick turnaround. (Prestwick Images © NHS Scotland). |
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This burst football on the banks of the River Clyde was a reminder that the Coronavirus pandemic has caused havoc with not just Scottish football, but all sporting events across the globe, including the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics which had been due to take place in July.
Football in Scotland was suspended last month with eight games left to play in the current season. Continuing their dominance in the Premiership, Celtic sat 13 points clear of rivals Rangers at the top of the table, although the Ibrox side had a game in hand. There is still confusion as to how the situation will be resolved, as each of the three proposed solutions will be unpopular with some clubs depending on their financial situation and current position in the tables. |
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The SPFL could declare the season null and void, a decision taken by Scottish Rugby, but the financial implications and rendering Scottish teams unable to qualify for next season`s European competitions make this the least likely option. Ending the 2019 / 2020 season as it stands will be okay with some, however, any teams facing relegation at the bottom of the table, may feel aggrieved, especially as they could potentially battle back to safety with so many games in hand. The last option would be to find the time to finish, but this would be extremely difficult, particularly with a crammed fixture list combined with potential ongoing restrictions due to the pandemic. Whatever decision is taken it looks as though we won`t be seeing many football-related charter aircraft at Glasgow Airport for a while!
Jet Airliners
With an anticipated recession and downturn in how much people travel, not to mention the enforced grounding of airline fleets worldwide, we will no doubt see a large number of airlines folding. Flybe is the latest casualty, and more will surely follow. Those that survive will likely downsize their fleets to better reflect the demand at the time and reduce schedules accordingly. Both KLM and Qantas have recently retired their Boeing 747 fleets and other carriers will consolidate in a similar fashion, focusing on fewer, more cost-effective types. The following shot shows American Airlines` jets in storage at Tulsa International Airport, Oklahoma. (Image © Reuters / Nick Oxford.)
In the USA, the number of flights at some major airports is already down between 50-70 percent, according to officials. The volume of people who went through U.S. airport checkpoints hit a new low on 1 April at just 136,023, down from 2.2 million a year ago. One of the country`s major carriers, American Airlines, disclosed that it intends to cancel more than 60% of its total international flights this summer, including an 80% reduction in Pacific capacity, a 65% reduction in Atlantic and 48% reduction in Latin America. American, typical of many operators, is also delaying the launch of new international routes until 2021.
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I took these shots of Delta Airlines Boeing 757-2Q8(WL) N702TW and United Boeing 757-224(WL) N33132 at Edinburgh Airport last month, shortly before transatlantic passenger flights between Europe and the US were suspended. Both carriers` 757 jets were regular visitors at Glasgow until late last year.
In an effort to assist the aviation sector, the US government agreed a rescue package totalling roughly $25bn (£19.8bn) for 10 of the country's largest airlines including American Airlines, United, Delta and Southwest. The money will be provided through a combination of low-cost loans and direct grants with carriers expected to repay about 30% of the payroll funds they receive after the crisis has passed. Global airlines group IATA has forecast more than $300bn in losses related to the Coronavirus pandemic and warned that some 25 million jobs are at risk. In the US travel has dropped more than 95%, leading to widespread cancellations, fleet groundings and billions in losses.
The USA`s east coast quickly saw COVID-19 victim numbers spiral out of control. Medical facilities soon became overwhelmed and in an effort to alleviate some of the congestion, US President Donald Trump directed USNS Comfort (T-AH-20), a Mercy-class hospital ship, to sail to New York City. Operated by the Military Sealift Command, Comfort`s primary role is to support the military during times of war, although she has also been designed to function in peacetime in disaster or humanitarian relief situations. Like her sister ship USNS Mercy, Comfort was built as a San Clemente-class oil tanker in 1976 by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company. Her original name was SS Rose City. Her career as a merchant vessel ended when she was delivered to the U.S. Navy on 1 December 1987.
The U.S. Navy hospital ship arrived at New York Harbour on 30 March, initially to only treat patients who did not have the virus, freeing up beds in land-based hospitals to focus on patients with COVID-19. However, as of late evening on Thursday 2 April, the 1,000-bed vessel had only 20 patients. In the city alone by then, there were more than 49,000 confirmed cases with tens of thousands more in the wider New York State. Screening protocols have since been modified to enable more people to access the ship. If Coronavirus symptoms became apparent while under care on board, those infected were transferred to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, commonly known as the Javits Center. This public building was recently adapted by medics from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for use as a temporary 2,000-bed field hospital to treat COVID-19 patients. The number of beds has now been expanded to accommodate 2,910 patients. Comfort`s sister ship , USNS Mercy was sent to Los Angeles to assist there.
The U.S. Navy hospital ship arrived at New York Harbour on 30 March, initially to only treat patients who did not have the virus, freeing up beds in land-based hospitals to focus on patients with COVID-19. However, as of late evening on Thursday 2 April, the 1,000-bed vessel had only 20 patients. In the city alone by then, there were more than 49,000 confirmed cases with tens of thousands more in the wider New York State. Screening protocols have since been modified to enable more people to access the ship. If Coronavirus symptoms became apparent while under care on board, those infected were transferred to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, commonly known as the Javits Center. This public building was recently adapted by medics from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for use as a temporary 2,000-bed field hospital to treat COVID-19 patients. The number of beds has now been expanded to accommodate 2,910 patients. Comfort`s sister ship , USNS Mercy was sent to Los Angeles to assist there.
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By the end of April, the USA`s COVID-19 death toll had soared to above 55,000 meaning that more Americans had died of the virus by then, than during the entire Vietnam War. As its stands, well over one million citizens are currently infected.
(USNS Comfort images © Getty/ NY Times / Reuters).
US President Donald Trump was lambasted by the medical community after suggesting research be carried out to determine whether Coronavirus might be treated by injecting disinfectant into the body.
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Concern following Trump`s statement was such that a leading disinfectant producer immediately issued a strong warning not to use its products on the human body. The owner of brands including Lysol, Dettol, Vanish and Cillit Bang, said its products should not be administered `through injection, ingestion or any other route`. Soon after the extent of the backlash regarding Trump`s latest clanger became apparent, he insisted that his comments had meant to be taken as sarcasm.
Above image © Getty.
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It was nothing but bad news for British Airways this month. Firstly, a number of the carrier`s cabin crew feared that they may have contracted COVID-19 after operating long-haul flights over the past weeks. Unions immediately called on airlines to do more to minimise the exposure of staff, after BA pilots and flight attendants said the airline was slow to take action to protect them from the virus. BA responded by saying it had taken steps to reduce contact between customers and crew, adding that personal protective gear, such as masks and gloves, had been available. Even so, employees stated that equipment was not always accessible and that staff sometimes travelled shoulder-to-shoulder on buses at airports.
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Despite slashing its flight schedule by around 95% amid travel restrictions, British Airways is still operating some international flights to destinations which initially included New York, the epicentre of the Coronavirus outbreak in the USA. BA also helped repatriate thousands of British nationals stranded abroad including many from Peru. Then, on 28 April, British Airways` parent company International Airlines Group (IAG), which had lost almost half a billion pounds in the first three months of 2019, announced that it will likely be forced to make up to 12,000 BA staff redundant as a direct result of the pandemic. IAG, also includes Aer Lingus, Iberia of Spain and the low-cost carrier, Vueling, all of which face an uncertain future.
British Airways currently has nearly 23,000 staff furloughed under the UK government's Job Retention Scheme. Consultation with unions representing British Airways pilots, cabin crew and ground-based staff over redundancies began, with the scale of the proposed job losses due to affect around 30% of the workforce. Figures indicate that BA intends to trim its flying schedule by one-quarter and it has even been suggested that the carrier may abandon London Gatwick as a major operating base altogether and concentrate on flying from Heathrow. BA’s fleet will also shrink significantly. The carrier has already flown some of its ageing Boeing 747s to be scrapped, and the future of its 12 Airbus A380 `SuperJumbo` aircraft is uncertain. The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) called BA’s announcement `a bolt out of the blue`.
Another UK airline assisting with the repatriation was Jet2. On 7 April, due to the ongoing uncertainty caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the carrier took the decision to hold-off until at least 17 June 2020 before recommencing its flights programme.
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As of Wednesday 1 April 2020, the following airliners remained in long term storage at Glasgow International: Airbus A321s G-EUXC, G-EUXG, G-EUXH, G-EUXK, G-EUXL, G-EUXM, G-MEDF, G-MEDG and G-MEDU; A320s G-EUUF, G-EUYH and A319 G-DBCE, making a bakers`s dozen from the British Airways fleet.
Also in storage were Virgin Atlantic`s Boeing 747-41R G-VXLG and Airbus A330-223 G-VMIK, plus, from the TUI stable, Boeing 757-204(WL) G-BYAY, Boeing 737-8K5(WL)s G-TAWX and G-FDZD. The trio of ex-Flybe Dash 8s G-JECP, G-JEDV and G-ECOB remained parked on Area R. (See Turboprop section below).
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The billionaire Sir Richard Branson, who founded Virgin Atlantic in 1984 and retains a 51% stake alongside US airline Delta with 49%, is pleading for UK government support. But the appeal has prompted a substantial backlash, with rivals pointing out that the entrepreneur has paid the exchequer no personal income tax since moving to the tax-free British Virgin Islands 14 years ago. Branson said in an open letter to staff that he was asking for a commercial loan, believed to be £500m. He added that his luxury island resort Necker Island could be used as collateral to help secure state aid. The move came after the group's airline in Australia entered administration. Virgin Australia is seeking new buyers and investors, after failing to get a loan from Australia's government.
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The first of only two airliners of note to appear at Glasgow this month flew in on 1 April in the shape of BA`s retro-liveried Airbus A319-131 G-EUPJ (left). It sports the British European Airways (BEA) colour scheme which adorned the fleet between 1959-1968. This is a long distance shot from the house while it was descending over Clydebank on finals for Runway 23.
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Boeing 777-369(ER) 9K-AOD of Kuwait Airways from Kuwait City was a surprise visitor on Monday 27 April. I presume it was a repatriation flight or it may have brought in badly needed Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for health and care workers. The aircraft left after a 2 hour stopover but returned the next morning followed by another round trip on the 29th. I managed these shots on the 28th, while out for a stint of exercise as permitted during the lockdown, conveniently passing the airport.
Emirates had been due to resume operating its A380 into Glasgow at the end of last month but COVID-19 saw the carrier suspending all passenger flights on March 25 following a UAE government directive. The Super Jumbo had been utilised on the lunchtime flight from / to Dubai last summer with the a Boeing 777 continuing to cover the evening flight.
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The carrier had planned to revert to two Triple-sevens over the coming winter but the huge aircraft proved so popular that Emirates announced it would continue to fly here year-round. It remains to be seen whether the A380 will reappear here later this year, but on a promising note, Emirates resumed passenger flights on April 6, flying four times per week to London Heathrow (LHR) and offering three weekly services to Brussels (BRU), Frankfurt (FRA), Paris (CDG) and Zurich (ZRH). These aircraft will only carry outbound passengers from the UAE but the airliners will carry belly-hold cargo in both directions. (I took these shots of the Emirates heavyweights at Glasgow on various days last summer).
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So far, KLM`s Amsterdam-Glasgow link has continued throughout the crisis, albeit at a drastically reduced frequency. Snapped from my back window, this is Cityhopper Embraer ERJ-190STD PH-EZZ on approach for Runway 23 on Tuesday 7 April.
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After retiring their 747 passenger fleet last month, KLM will press two of their 747-400 Combi aircraft back into service carrying only cargo between Amsterdam and China. The Combi planes normally carry passengers in the front half and cargo on the main deck in the rear half.
(Above image © Icelandair.com).
Aircraft from the Icelandair fleet have been a familiar sight at Glasgow Airport for decades. The country`s national carrier has encountered various challenges in recent years, but now it has been forced to lay off over 2,000 employees, which represents the vast majority of its staff. This figure includes nearly 900 of the airline’s 940 flight attendants, as well as 421 pilots, with only 26 pilots remaining in the company’s ranks. It is the biggest mass layoff in Icelandic history, exceeding the number of layoffs resulting from WOW air’s bankruptcy last year.
Turboprop Airliners
ex-Flybe Dash 8s G-JECP, G-JEDV and G-ECOB are parked on Area R, a location usually reserved for larger biz-jets stopping over for a night or more.
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Although most of the UK`s regional flights have been suspended, Loganair are still operating a reduced service to some of the islands off Scotland`s West Coast using their Saab 340 and Twin Otter aircraft.
Around lunchtime on Sunday 5 April, one of the latter type, G-BVVK, veered off the runway at Glasgow on landing and ended up on the grass area between Links Echo and Delta. (Above Image © Glasgow Herald / Evening Times).
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The captain of the aircraft, which had been inbound from Barra on flight number LM452, had touched down on Runway 05. I took this shot of the same aircraft descending on the 05 approach last month from the Gleniffer Braes. A ground incident was declared prompting a response from the on-site emergency services but there were no passengers on board and the flight crew, fortunately uninjured, exited safely. The Civil Aviation Authority and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) were informed as per standard procedure. The plane was undamaged and permission was given for G-BVVK to taxi back onto the paved area. The cause of the mishap, so far, is unclear.
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.
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Above: Loganair Saab 340B G-LGNF sets-off for one of the islands on a dismal morning. Thursday 9 April.
Apart from turboprops from the Loganair fleet including Twin Otter G-SGTS above, ATR 72-202(F) EI-FXK (below) of Federal Express (FedEx) / ASL Airlines Ireland was present every day this month, presumably having been parked up rather than operating a daily early morning service from Newcastle on which it`s usually employed.
Biz-Jets
Very few corporate visitors to report; Hawker 400XP SP-ATT of Smart Jet Sp arrived & departed (4th); Cessna Citation Bravo G-CMBC (6th, 8th and 9th) plus Hawker 400XP SP-TAT on the 11th. I was passing the airport on Thursday 9 April when Manx-registered Global 5000 M-PORT touched down at 08:20 hrs. It was a dismal morning.
Challenger 604 D-AFAB of FAI Flight-Ambulance arrived here about 05:30 hrs on Sunday 26 April. The organisation`s website has further information including details of other aircraft in the fleet, some of which have been specially adapted to transfer COVID-19 patients: www.fai.ag.
Challenger 604 interior images © FAI Aviation Group.
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The last biz jets to visit this month were Cessna Citation Excel CS-DXN which arrived and departed on 27 April, followed by Cessna 510 Mustang G-FFFC on the 29th.
General Aviation
Scottish Ambulance Service helicopter flights made up a large portion of Glasgow Airport movements this month. I captured three together in the same frame on Wednesday 22 April, one of which had just taken off to collect another patient for speedy transfer to hospital. It may have been Eurocopter EC145T2 G-GMAH, a non-based machine which called in that day. The only other visitor in this category was King Air 200 G-WCCP which made an appearance on the 24th.
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On Tuesday 21 April, the Kilpatrick Hills were still very much ablaze due to a wildfire which had broken out almost 24 hours previously. Gale force winds had escalated the situation to such an extent that on Monday evening the Fire Service abandoned their efforts to contain the blaze until morning. Towering flames on the ridge, even more dramatic against the clear night sky, could be seen from miles away. The fire continued throughout Tuesday with the smoke plumes being blown well beyond Dumbarton. The distant telephoto shot below of Bell 212 G-BIGB was taken from the house, late afternoon. I believe this chopper had been brought in to assist with the fire-fighting operation, possibly transporting personnel as well as acting as an `eye-in-the-sky`.
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This veteran helicopter, which dates from 1977, is currently operated by Heli-Lift Services and previously bore the US registration N362EH. I last saw it on Saturday 4 November 2017 when I was driving up Loch Lomondside on the A82 between Ardlui and Inverarnan, heading to Oban for the Mull ferry.
As well as fire-fighting, the machine performs various other roles including forestry operations assistance, heavy-load carriage and crop spraying. G-BIGB crossed above the airport at an altitude of 700ft and continued towards the East Kilbride area. |
The Bell 212 first flew in 1968, having originally been developed for the Canadian Forces as the CUH-1N. It was later re-designated as the CH-135. The Canadians took delivery of 50 starting in May 1971. At the same time the United States military services ordered 294 of the type under the designation UH-1N. Known as the Iroquois, these helicopters were used extensively throughout the Vietnam War. Over 16,000 have been built to date and the type, although greatly modified, are still in service with various forces and agencies across the world.
UH-1H 69-16011 (G-UHIH) (above) is pictured performing at Scotland`s National Airshow, held at East Fortune in 2016. This particular aircraft was manufactured by the Bell Helicopter Company in 1972, purchased by the US Army that year, and immediately shipped to Vietnam. In July 1972, it joined the 129 Assault Helicopter Company and went on to make 108 flights totalling 559 combat hours before it was returned to the US in February 1973. It then served in the National Guard and various support units unit 2000 when it was placed in storage. Now based in the UK. this is the only flying Huey in Europe with a Vietnam History.
More shots of N362EH on Loch Lomondside in November 2017.
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Military
I can`t let this month go, without mentioning the inspirational efforts of a remarkable old soldier; `Captain Tom`, full name Thomas Moore, (born 30 April 1920), is a former British Army officer who served in Burma and India during the Second World War. On the run-up to his 100th birthday, despite having suffered a shattered hip as a result of a recent fall, he set out to raise £1,000 for NHS charities before his centenary by completing one hundred 25 metre (27 yd) laps of his garden, ten laps per day, with the help of a walking frame. The initial target was reached on 10 April but as people learned of his quest, money flooded in and the total swelled to a staggering £32 million by the end of the month. He also starred on a cover version of the song "You'll Never Walk Alone" with Michael Ball and the single immediately topped the UK music charts and made him the oldest person to achieve a UK number one. Proceeds from record sales and downloads further boosted the NHS charities.
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(Captain Tom Images © ITV, InterNewscast, British Army / MOD, Tes.com and Radio Exe).
His 100th birthday was marked in a number of ways, including a flypast by a Spitfire and Hurricane of the RAF`s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight which he watched from his garden with his daughter. He received over 150,000 cards, and a representative from his local regiment presented him with the Yorkshire Regiment Medal for his "outstanding contribution to our military effectiveness and military reputation", and appointed him as Honorary Colonel of the Army Foundation College, Harrogate.
At Glasgow, pair of RAF BAe 146 CC.2, ZE700 and ZE701, called in at the airport for a time on Wednesday 1 April, possibly bringing military personnel involved in establishing the emergency hospital at the SEC in the city. The former aircraft made a return visit on the 2nd and RAF Airbus A400M Atlas C.1 ZM403 followed on April 4. The appearance of the Atlas was not related to the coronavirus pandemic, rather the transfer of a critically ill patient from the Orkney Islands to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the city. The 46-year old was flown from Kirkwall to Glasgow under the supervision of a critical care team. This was the second medical evacuation by the RAF from the Scottish islands; on March 22 another Atlas A400M flew a critically ill patient from the Shetland Islands to intensive care in Aberdeen. BAe 146 ZE701 was back at Glasgow on Monday 6 and 16th April.
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Ten temporary critical care hospitals have been set up by the National Health Service and British Army as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Glasgow`s facility is named after Scottish nurse Louisa Jordan, who died in service during the First World War. The new NHS Louisa Jordan initially provided an initial 300 beds but it can accommodate many more if required.
Fortunately, Glasgow`s facility has not been needed so far, as NHS Scotland continues to cope with admissions needing specialist care as a result of the pandemic. (SEC Centre Images © NHS / PA. Puma Images © RAF). |
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London is the epicentre of the UK`s outbreak and a massive temporary hospital, NHS Nightingale Hospital London, was created at the ExCel Convention Centre in the East End. The nearby London City Airport closed to commercial traffic on 26 March 2020 and was re-designated RAF Nightingale. It now accommodates RAF C-130 Hercules aircraft transferring COVID-19 patients in connection with the hospital. The facility, which was constructed with military assistance, formally opened on 3 April and received its first patients on 7 April 2020.
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Royal Air Force helicopters have been put on standby as part of a UK-wide coronavirus aviation task force to support the NHS. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) said the force will help with "medical transports", as well as general support including the movement of personnel and equipment. Three RAF Pumas were sent to Kinloss Barracks in Moray at the end of last month as part of the force.
The Pumas are true veterans, and initially entered service with the RAF in June 1971, to replace the ageing Westland Whirlwind HC.MK.10. The Kinloss-based Pumas will be used alongside two in North Yorkshire to meet requests for assistance from the NHS across Scotland and northern England. Meanwhile, a second helicopter facility at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire will cover the Midlands and southern England. On Friday 3rd April, one of the helicopters namely Puma HC.2 XW220 (left) call-sign `WARLOCK 2`called in several times at Glasgow Airport in between some local flying. The crews may have been familiarising themselves with the landing pads at the various hospitals in the area. I managed a snap from the back window as XW220 flew over the house. |
Puma HC.2 XW220 visited Glasgow Airport again on Wednesday 15 and Wednesday 22 April. On the latter date AgustaWestland AW109SP serial number GZ100 / civilian registration G-ZIOO also made an appearance. This chopper belongs to Sloan Helicopters but is now used continuously by the RAF. BN-2A Islander-2T-4S ZG996 of the Army Air Corps did two touch-and-goes of Runway 05 about 21:15 hrs on Monday 27 April.
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This distant telephoto shot of Westland Puma HC.2 ZA935 was taken from the house, late afternoon on Tuesday 21 April, not long before Bell 212 G-BIGB passed over in the opposite direction. The RAF chopper had made its way north towards the Loch Lomond area after crossing above Glasgow Airport, flying over the the Kilpatrick Hills en route.
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The helipad on top of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (left) at Govan can also be seen in the following image. The landing pad can accommodate both the Scottish Ambulance Service Eurocopters and larger AW189 and Sikorsky S-91s of HM Coastguard. I snapped the Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier Sebat from Newshot Island on the afternoon of Wednesday 15 April as she made her way out to sea after a visit to Shieldhall. (QEUH Image: © NHSGGC).
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Sebat had left the town of Dernice, Turkey, on March 21 and sailed via Istanbul to Liverpool then north to the Clyde with soda ash after part discharging her cargo on the Mersey. Derince`s port is one of the few ports in Turkey under government control, in this case operated by the Turkish State Railways. As can be seen it looks as though only some of the vessel`s crew are wearing face masks. There is still some debate as to whether these types of masks offer protection from the virus.
Although Glasgow Airport`s Runway 23 was operational, there was absolutely no traffic whatsoever, the scanner was dead, and the sky above was devoid of contrails from high-flying jets - very unusual on such a clear day, especially at this time of year.
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The last military visitor to Glasgow Airport this month was RAF Airbus A400M Atlas C.1 ZM400, which did two go-arounds of Runway 05 and two touch-and-goes about 13:20 hrs on Tuesday 28th.
The type has been operational with the RAF since 2014, and provides tactical airlift and strategic oversized lift capabilities complementing those of the C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster fleets. Atlas aircraft usually train at Prestwick rather than here, so this was a welcome appearance. I took this rather grainy shot of the big transport at altitude of 3,000 feet on the climb out from my back garden. ZM400 had last been training at Prestwick on 26 April, with ZM416 doing likewise on the 27th / 28th. |
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Following an operational pause in sorties since March 23 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, resumed limited training from RAF Scampton on 15 April. (Images Above & Right: © RAF / MOD).
The activity involved single aircraft flights only, which enabled the Red Arrows pilots to maintain flying proficiency requirements. To do so the team’s pilots are required to take to the air at least once every 31 days. As well as practising in the skies around Scampton, flying activity involving the team`s distinctive Hawks took place in the vicinity of Doncaster, Humberside, Leeds/Bradford, and Manchester airports. |
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I last saw the RAF`s world-famous aerobatic team in action at RIAT Fairford last year and had been hoping to photograph them again in July this year but the event has understandably been cancelled. In addition to their normal displays, the Red Arrows did two special flypasts; one with a retro-liveried British Airways Jumbo and another with the French Air Force`s aerobatic team, the Patrouille de France.
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More information on last year`s Royal International Air Tattoo and lots of photos can be found here.
Joint Warrior JW 20:1
Above image: © Seawaves Magazine.
Despite the current pandemic, JW 20:1, the first of this year`s two Joint Warrior military exercises went ahead in the waters and presumably skies off Western Scotland, albeit on a drastically reduced scale. It ran for two weeks, wrapping up on 9 April 2020. Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) staff supported the exercise together with the British Joint Tactical Exercise Planning Staff (JTEPS). The aim of this event was to train both submarines and surface units in different environments and tactics at sea. Among the vessels thought to be involved were USS Donald Cook (DDG-75), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, HMS Sutherland (F81), the British auxiliary ship RFA Tideforce (A139), KNM Otto Sverdrup (F312), HDMS Absalon (L16) (above) of the Royal Danish Navy and FGS Rhon (A1443). There was also at least one participating submarine from both the UK and Norway. It also appears that, for the first time in years, Prestwick didn`t host any Joint Warrior aircraft. There is usually a substantial air element testing the warships` response to incursions so some planes may have flown directly to the exercise area from their home bases.
Construction & Development
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Just a few shots of the new AMIDS development in Abbotsinch Road. They were all taken at the end of the month.
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It may be a while before iPark, the airport`s latest offsite car park, which is located at the south end of Abbotsinch Road, is utilised to full effect.
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The shots show the north end of Abbotsinch Rd at its junction with the A8. This is where the new pedestrian / cycle bridge will span the Black Cart Water. It will run parallel with the existing stone bridge, on its south side and should make this busy location much safer for anyone travelling through on a bike.
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Although work on the new housing development adjacent to the Inchinnan Woods, between Inchinnan village and Erskine, has been temporarily halted due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the first phase is almost complete and on-site showhomes will be available for inspection once social distancing measures are relaxed.
This is yet another local wildlife-rich area that has disappeared with Cala Homes in the process of cramming 195 terraced, semi-detached and detached houses into the funnel-shaped grassy field that runs along the wood`s northern edge. The following image was taken in spring 2019, while the land was still under offer. McGill`s Bus Depot can be seen on the left. |
Lockdown in the Garden
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I consider myself very fortunate to have a garden, especially so during the current restrictions as millions of people struggle to access open spaces and enjoy some fresh air. I`ve seen a good variety of wildlife from my window over the years with the latest batch shown here.
With hardly any visits to the airport this month, the only wildlife seen around the perimeter was a distant view of this hare in the fields near Walkinshaw Rd.
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April 2020
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May 2020
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