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World’s Best Airports 2015

World's Best Airports 2015

1. SINGAPORE CHANGI AIRPORT

Changi Airport serves more than 100 airlines flying to some 300 cities in about 80 countries and territories worldwide. Each week, about 6,500 flights land or depart from Changi, with more than 54.1 million passengers passing through the airport in 2014.

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Changi Airport has three passenger terminals with a total annual handling capacity of 66 million passengers. Terminal 1 opened in 1981, followed by Terminal 2 in 1990 and Terminal 3 in 2008. The Budget Terminal, opened on 26 March 2006 and closed on 25 September 2012, will make way for Terminal 4 which will be ready by 2017. Changi Airport Terminal 5 is set to be ready in mid-2020s which will be able to handle 50 million passenger movements per annum

 

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2. INCHEON INT’L AIRPORT

Incheon International Airport is the largest airport in South Korea and one of the busiest airports in the world. It is a former winner of the Airport of the Year title at the World Airport Awards.

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Incheon International Airport is located west of Incheon’s city center, on an artificially created piece of land between Yeongjong and Yongyu islands. The two islands were originally separated by shallow sea.

The airport has a golf course, spa, private sleeping rooms, ice skating rink, a casino, indoor gardens and a Museum of Korean Culture. Airport authorities claim that average departure and arrival takes only 19 minutes (60 minutes world-wide industry average) and 12 minutes (45 minutes) respectively, significantly lower than the rest of the world, making it one of the fastest airports in the world for customs processing The airport also holds an unbreakable record of being ranked the Best Airport Worldwide for 7 consecutive years by the Airports Council International (ACI)’s Airport Service Quality award from year 2005 to 2011, and was also rated the world’s best among airports of its size (25-40m) and region (Asia-Pacific) in year 2012 (wiki source)

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pic credit : Incheon International Airport

3. MUNICH AIRPORT

Munich Airport is the second busiest airport in Germany and the secondary hub for Lufthansa German Airlines. Munich Airport has connections to destinations all over the world, but much more besides. With over 150 retail stores and some 50 places where you can eat and drink, it’s like a city center, offering travelers and visitors plenty to see and do.

Flughafen München, is the international airport of Munich, the capital of Bavaria. It is the second busiest airport in Germany in terms of passenger traffic behind Frankfurt Airport, and the seventh busiest airport in Europe, handling 39.7 million passengers in 2014, an increase of close to 3% from 2013. It is the world’s 14th busiest airport in terms of international passenger traffic, and was the 30th busiest airport worldwide in 2013. As of March 2015, the airport features flights to 228 destinations in 66 countries.

Pic Credit : Munich Airport

4. HONG KONG INT’L AIRPORT

Hong Kong International Airport serves over 100 airlines operating flights to about 180 locations worldwide, including 44 destinations on the Chinese Mainland. It is a former, multiple winner of the Airport of the Year title at the World Airport Awards.

It is located on theisland of Chek Lap Kok, which largely comprises land reclaimed for the construction of the airport itself. The airport is also colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport. The airport has been commercially operational since 1998, replacing the former Kai Tak Airport, and is an important regional trans-shipment centre, passenger hub and gateway for destinations in Mainland China (with 45 destinations) and the rest of Asia. The airport is the world’s busiest cargo gateway and one of the world’s busiest passenger airports

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HKIA is an important contributor to Hong Kong’s economy, with approximately 65,000 employees. More than 100 airlines operate flights from the airport to over 180 cities across the globe. In 2014, HKIA handled 63.3 million passengers,making it the 10th busiest airport worldwide by passenger traffic. It also surpassed Memphis International Airport to become the world’s busiest airport by cargo traffic.

  1. TOKYO INT’L AIRPORT HANEDA

Boasting both domestic and international terminals, Tokyo International Airport Haneda plays a very important role in furthering Japan’s development as a tourism-oriented nation

Haneda handled 72,826,862 passengers in 2014; by passenger throughput, it was the second busiest airport in Asia and the fourth busiest in the world, after Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Beijing Capital International Airport (Asia’s busiest) and London Heathrow Airport

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It is able to handle 90 million passengers per year following its expansion in 2010. With Haneda and Narita combined Tokyo has the third busiest city airport system in the world, after London and New York City.

Pic credit : Tokyo International Airport

  1. ZURICH AIRPORT

Zürich Airport is the largest international airport of Switzerland and is the principal hub for Swiss International Air Lines.

Zurich Airport is also known Kloten Airport, is the largestinternational airport of Switzerland and the principal hub of Swiss International Air Lines. It serves Zürich, Switzerland’s largest city, and, with its surface transport links, much of the rest of the country. The airport is located 13 kilometres (8 mi) north of central Zürich, in the municipalities of Kloten, Rümlang, Oberglatt, Winkel and Opfikon, all of which are within the canton of Zürich.

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The new terminal B opened in November 2011, and provides segregated access to and from aircraft for Schengen and non-Schengen passengers.  Zurich Airport handled 25.5 million passengers in 2014, up 2.5 percent from 2013.

pic credit : zurich airport (wiki)

Swiss International Air Lines Airbus A330-300 and Airbus A340-300 at Zurich Airport

  1. CENTRAL JAPAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

In 2014,  9.8 million passengers travelled through Central Japan International Airport in Nagoya, better known as Centrair. The airport has a large domestic traffic percentage, with a number of regional routes operated to Asiana cities such as Bangkok and Singapore. Longer haul routes include Helsinki, Frankfurt, Honolulu and Detroit.

Centrair is classified as a first class airport and is the main international gateway for the Chūbu (“central”) region of Japan. The name “Centrair” is an abbreviation of Central Japan International Airport, an alternate translation used in the English name of the airport’s operating company, Central Japan International Airport Co., Ltd

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Chūbu is Japan’s third off-shore airport, after Nagasaki Airport and Kansai International Airport, and is also the second airport built in Japan on a manmade island. There are currently 5 offshore airports in Japan, including Kobe Airport andKitakyushu Airport.

Chubu Central Airport aerial view.jpg

  1. LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT

London Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in the UK and busiest airport in Europe by passenger traffic, and having been world’s busiest airport for international passengers, it has recently lost this title to Dubai Airport.

Heathrow Airport  is a major international airport in west London, England. Heathrow is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the busiest airport in Europe by passenger traffic. Heathrow is also the third busiest airport in the world by total passenger traffic. In 2014, it handled a record 73.4 million passengers, a 1.4 percent increase from 2013

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Heathrow Airport is used by over 90 airlines flying to 170 destinations worldwide. The airport is the primary hub of British Airways, and is a base for Virgin Atlantic. It has four passenger terminals (numbered 2 to 5) and a cargo terminal. Of Heathrow’s 73.4 million passengers in 2014, 93% were international travellers; the remaining 7% were bound for UK destinations

Terminal 4 bird’s-eye view

  1. AMSTERDAM SCHIPHOL AIRPORT

In 2014, 55 million passengers travelled via Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, which describes itself as an AirportCity, much more than just a place where you wait until your flight takes off.

Schiphol Airport is an important European airport, ranking as Europe’s 5th busiest and the world’s 14th busiest by total passenger traffic in 2013 (16th in 2012). It also ranks as the world’s 6th busiest by international passenger traffic and the world’s 16th busiest for cargo tonnage. 52.569 million passengers passed through the airport in 2013, a 3% increase compared with 2012.[4] Schiphol’s main competitors in terms of passenger traffic and cargo throughput are London Heathrow Airport, Frankfurt Airport, Paris–Charles de Gaulle Airport and Madrid–Barajas Airport.Schiphol Airport operated as of 2015 , 54,978,023 Passengers , 1,633,195 Freight (tonnes) 438,296 Aircraft movements

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Pic credit : Schiphol Airport

Pic credit : pixter.com

  1. BEIJING CAPITAL INT’L AIRPORT

Beijing Capital International Airport is the main international airport serving Beijing and from 2014, the second-busiest airport in the world.

Beijing Capital has rapidly ascended in rankings of the world’s busiest airports in the past decade. It had become the busiest airport in Asia in terms of passenger traffic and total traffic movements by 2009. It was the world’s second busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic from 2010-2013 and as of March 1, 2014 it was the second-busiest airport in the world in 2014. The airport registered 557,167 aircraft movements (take-offs and landings), which ranked 6th in the world in 2012. In terms of cargo traffic, Beijing airport has also witnessed rapid growth. By 2012, the airport had become the 13th busiest airport in the world by cargo traffic, registering 1,787,027 tonnes

Source : Skytrack, wiki source

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entrance into the main hall of Terminal 3

 

 

 

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He is an aviation journalist and the founder of Jetline Marvel. Dawal gained a comprehensive understanding of the commercial aviation industry.  He has worked in a range of roles for more than 9 years in the aviation and aerospace industry. He has written more than 1700 articles in the aerospace industry. When he was 19 years old, he received a national award for his general innovations and holds the patent. He completed two postgraduate degrees simultaneously, one in Aerospace and the other in Management. Additionally, he authored nearly six textbooks on aviation and aerospace tailored for students in various educational institutions. jetlinem4(at)gmail.com

Aerospace

The LCA Tejas Aircraft Crash: Understanding the Reasons – Air Marshal GS Bedi’s Perspective

The LCA Tejas Aircraft Crash: Understanding the Reasons - Air Marshal GS Bedi's Perspective

Air Marshal GS Bedi, a renowned fighter jet pilot and experienced crew member, recently participated in a YouTube interview with Def Talks hosted by Aadi. During the interview, he provided insights into the recent Tejas aircraft crash in Rajasthan, which marks one of the first crashes involving an aircraft from the Tejas family since its production commenced 20 years ago.

Numerous questions have emerged regarding the circumstances surrounding the Tejas aircraft crash and the potential causes of failure. Air Marshal Bedi adeptly addressed these concerns by outlining possible scenarios that could have led to the crash. His expertise shed light on the complexities involved in such incidents and provided valuable perspective on the aviation community’s understanding of the event.

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At the outset, Tejas lacked a simulator and a trainer aircraft for initial training. However, pilots were provided with simulation trials before flying the Tejas aircraft. Initial reviews indicated stability during flight, with the aircraft maintaining a straight glide. However, there was an incident where the aircraft experienced an engine malfunction, prompting the pilot to eject safely.

Pilot Safe Ejections

The decision to eject was made as a precautionary measure, considering the aircraft’s low altitude and steep descent angle. With the aircraft’s altitude dropping rapidly, attempting to balance and land it was deemed too risky. Ejecting ensured the pilot’s safety, as deploying a parachute at such low altitudes could have been disastrous.

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He chose to eject to ensure a safer distance from the ground. The aircraft is at an angle of less than 3 degrees during the approach. At a height of 100 meters, the aircraft is nearly 20 times its length away from the ground. This means the touchdown point will be approximately 4 kilometers ahead.

However, as the altitude decreases, the approach becomes too short due to the rapid descent rate. Consequently, the pilot opts to eject rather than attempt to stabilize the aircraft for a ground landing. If he had not ejected, there’s a high probability that his parachute would have deployed at that low altitude.

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LCA Tejas engine Issue

Investigations revealed the engine malfunction was likely due to lubrication issues or other technical faults. Such split-second decisions underscore the potentially catastrophic outcomes that can result from technical failures.

The pilot involved was highly experienced and well-trained for airshow displays, suggesting timely decision-making. Nevertheless, accidents can stem from technical glitches, human errors, or unforeseen circumstances like bird strikes.

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Air Marshal Bedi emphasized the importance of pilots being trained for emergency situations, including ejecting from the aircraft when control is lost. Despite advancements in technology, technical issues remain unpredictable, necessitating ongoing learning and improvements in aircraft systems.

Today, the Tejas mk1A aircraft completed its inaugural flight at the Bangalore station, marking the dawn of a new, advanced version of the Tejas aircraft. This iteration boasts enhanced avionics and improved aircraft structure.

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China is secretly testing its next-generation medium combat helicopter Z21

China is secretly testing its next-generation medium combat helicopter Z21

China consistently keeps aviation enthusiasts surprised with its advancements in fighter jets and other aircraft. Leading the pack in Asia, China continuously pushes boundaries in developing domestically-built aircraft.

Recently, images circulating on the internet reveal China’s latest creation, the Z-21 helicopter. Resembling its predecessor, the Z-10, this helicopter boasts enhanced fighter capabilities. The emergence of these images sparks questions regarding the fate of plans to acquire Russian-made Ka-52K attack helicopters, particularly the naval version.

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Observing the helicopter in flight, it shares design elements with the Harbin Z-10, notably in the front fuselage and cockpit canopy. The wing stubs for weapon mounts exhibit similar shapes, though with less pronounced angular features. With a tandem seating arrangement, the Z-21 also draws comparisons to the Mil Mi-28, featuring an elongated body with five rotor blades and weapon bays on its sides.

The unveiling of the Z-21 has triggered speculation about its potential role in future military operations. Analysts suggest that beyond its firepower, its introduction could signal significant technological advancements. There’s particular interest in whether China will incorporate a ‘manned-unmanned teaming’ system akin to later Apache models, enabling the Z-21 to control armed drones for reconnaissance and attacks, reducing risks to the helicopter itself.

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The emergence of the Z-21 underscores China’s increasing military prowess and its commitment to developing cutting-edge weaponry. Its deployment and capabilities will be closely monitored, especially concerning regional security dynamics.

The helicopter presents a significant challenge to American-built Apache and other medium helicopters, boasting superior capacity for flying at higher altitudes and more powerful speed and combat capabilities, thus enhancing its effectiveness on the battlefield. On the other hand, amidst ongoing Indian border tensions, this aircraft is poised to play a crucial role in surveillance along the sensitive China border and beyond.

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Qantas Airbus A330 Makes Safe Landing After Engine Blowout

Woman spends tortuous three months trying to resolve huge Qantas errors

A Qantas Airbus A330 Aircraft, flight number QF781, has landed safely without incident in
Perth after the passengers on the Perth-bound flight reported hearing a ‘loud bang’ from one
side of the twin-engined plane engine. The Airbus A330 aircraft made a priority landing at
Perth Airport around 9:37pm local time on 25 March, arriving approximately 52 minutes
behind schedule.


Upon landing, emergency services met with the aircraft on the tarmac. However, the aircraft
taxied to the gate without assistance, with the passengers disembarking normally.
The ‘loud bang’ heard by passengers happened due to a mid-air engine blowout, therefore
resulting in the pilots having to manually shut off the affected engine, together with
requesting a priority landing into Perth Airport. Qantas also added in a statement that the
Airbus A330 aircraft was designed to operate with one engine too.

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Qantas QF781 is a daily scheduled flight from Melbourne to Perth, utilising the Airbus A330
on the route. The Aircraft in question is VH-EBA, an approximately 21 years aircraft,
equipped with 2 GE CF6 engines according to airfleets.net. The Airbus A330 have been a
frequent regional workhorse in Qantas’ fleet, connecting major australian cities with major
destinations within Asia. the Airbus A330 is also used on high-density domestic routes,
similar to QF781, from Melbourne to Perth.

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Engine Issues – Should you be concerned?


While engine issues are highly uncommon due to the stringent checks and quality control on
each component within the engine, there might still be exceptional occasions where such
incidents happen. However, while recognising the risks of dual engines, Aircraft
Manufacturers and Organisations have actually came up with standards so as to ensure that
an aircraft can also land on a single engine, similar to what we saw on QF781.


One of the most well known standard is Extended-range Twin-engine Operations
Performance Standards (ETOPS) which is an acronym for twin-engine operation in an
airspace further than one hour from a diversion airport at a designated one engine
inoperable speed. This ensures that twin-engined aircraft could safely operate routes over
water or remote land without an alternative airport near the flight path, which once required
aircraft with 3 or 4 engines to fly on that route.

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In this case, the Airbus A330 has been certified to fly ‘Beyond ETOPS 180’, and have
received ETOPS 240 certification, which is a certification to enable the twin-engined aircraft
to fly for up to a maximum of 240 minutes with 1 engine inoperative in a cruise condition.
Currently, most twin-engined widebody aircraft in operation would generally have an ETOPS
certification of at least ETOPS 180, with the new Airbus A321LR also having ETOPS 180
certification, therefore enabling the narrowbody to fly long haul flights.

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Boeing CEO Resigns Amid 737 MAX Crisis, Ignites Management Overhaul

Boeing CEO Resigns Amid 737 MAX Crisis, Ignites Management Overhaul

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun has announced his resignation amidst the ongoing 737 MAX crisis, signaling a significant top management shakeup at the aerospace giant.

While Calhoun will continue leading the company until the end of 2024, his decision comes amid mounting pressure following a series of setbacks, including the recent incident involving an Alaska Airlines flight. This departure coincides with the retirement of Boeing Commercial President and CEO Stan Deal, who is succeeded by Stephanie Pope, the current Chief Operating Officer.

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The announcement, made by Larry Kellner, boeing products chairman, outlines a broader restructuring within the company’s leadership. Steve Mollenkopf, a Boeing director since 2020 and former CEO of Qualcomm, will take over as chairman and lead the board in selecting a new CEO. This strategic move comes at a critical juncture as boeing airplanes
faces intense regulatory scrutiny and production constraints due to safety and quality issues.

The market’s initial response to the news was positive, with Boeing’s shares rising by 2 percent before regular trading. However, the boeing aircraft company stock had experienced a significant decline earlier in the year, reflecting investor concerns about boeing distribution aviall the ongoing challenges and uncertainties surrounding the 737 MAX program.

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Calhoun stressed the company’s commitment to transparency, safety, and quality in a letter to employees.“We must continue to respond to this accident with humility and complete transparency. We also must inculcate a total commitment to safety and quality at every level of our company,” he said.

“The eyes of the world are on us, and I know we will come through this moment a better company, building on all the learnings we accumulated as we worked together to rebuild Boeing over the last number of years.”

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