Aerospace

British Airways to Bring back All Its A380s

British Airways to fly from 26 US cities direct to London this summer with:
Portland, Oregon route launching June 3, the only direct London route for PDX
Pittsburgh relaunches June 3 and San Jose, California on June 13
A daytime flight launches from Newark to London, supporting business travel returning
A380 sees a return to North America airports to accommodate increasing demand

Thursday June 2, 2022 – British Airways is ramping up its US route network this summer, taking its direct US routes to London to 26. Tomorrow Portland, Oregon becomes the newest destination on the v route map, providing the city’s only direct route to the UK.

A warm local welcome is anticipated as inaugural flight BA0267 touches down at Portland International Airport (PDX). The brand-new route will operate five times per week – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Neil Chernoff, British Airways’ Director of Networks and Alliances said: “This summer British Airways will be flying from 26 US cities to London and we’re very excited to be adding Portland to our list of transatlantic destinations. Not only are we the only airline to offer direct flights from Portland to London, but this new route also opens a wide variety of connections for our customers. Through Alaska Airlines, our oneworld partner, British Airways will offer codeshare connections to several destinations operated by Alaska Airlines from Portland.”

Tomorrow, British Airways also relaunches its direct route from Pittsburgh to London. It remains the only airline to offer a direct flight from the Pennsylvanian city to London. The airline will resume a year-round four-per-week service – Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

The daytime flight will depart at 7.55am from Newark – a convenient option for travelers wishing to spend an extra night in the New York area before departing, or for those who wish to arrive just in time for an evening in London. With this additional flight time, British Airways along with its joint business partner, American Airlines will offer the most extensive network from the New York area to London with 15 daily departures this summer, including 11 daily flights from JFK to Heathrow and 1 daily flight from JFK to Gatwick.

This summer also marks the return of daily direct flights from San Jose, California, to London on June 13; and the return of A380 aircraft to more North American airports. Chicago and Vancouver were the latest cities to welcome home the Airbus earlier this week. Meanwhile, Dallas Fort Worth is preparing to welcome the A380 for the first time on July 1. The aircraft, which is British Airways’ and the airline industry’s largest, offers a choice of First, Club World, World Traveller Plus and World Traveller cabins and has a total of 469 seats. There are 12 A380s in the British Airways fleet.

Aerospace

When Ratan Tata was denied entry to the airfield at the Aero India show, he waited

During our visit to Aero India 2019, we had the unexpected opportunity to see Ratan Tata at the event, which was a thrilling moment for us. However, there was a surprising hiccup when the security staff didn’t allow him to enter due to a lack of a security pass.

Despite this, he remained calm and patiently waited for about 20 minutes until a member of the Tata team brought him the required pass, after which he calmly proceeded inside. It was a humbling sight, showcasing his composed demeanor even in such situations.

Ratan Tata ji is not only a renowned industrialist but also a trained pilot, holding a pilot’s license. In 2007, he became the first Indian civilian to fly the F-16 Falcon during the Aero India show in Bangalore—a proud moment for the nation.

His passion for aviation extended beyond flying, as he played a key role in shaping India’s aerospace industry. Under his leadership, Tata ventured into manufacturing and maintaining aerospace components while upholding its legacy of quality. Notably, Tata’s collaboration with Airbus to develop and manufacture the C295 aircraft is a testament to its growing influence in the sector.