Aviation

10 Interesting things you didn’t know about Virgin Airline.

1.In July 2017, Virgin Atlantic announced their intention to form a joint venture with Air France-KLM. Under the agreement, Air France-KLM will acquire a 31 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic currently held by Virgin Group.

The enhanced joint venture would establish a combined partnership with a duration of at least 15 years. In order to support the success of that cooperation:

Air France-KLM will acquire a 31 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic currently held by Virgin Group for £220 million.

Virgin Group will retain a 20 percent stake and Chairmanship.

2. Virgin produced the first film to be shot at 35,000ft on three commercial flights

In 2012, the romantic comedy Departure Date (starring Ben Feldman and Nicky Whelan) was filmed for eight days straight on flights between LA, London, and Sydney. As per the airline’s regulations, the film crew were only allowed two carry-ons each, and couldn’t film when the seat belt light came on. The cast and crew racked up a total of 28,358 miles, and some of the paying commercial passengers were featured as extras. Watch here.

3. Steve Fossett singlehandedly flew around the world in a Virgin plane

The Scaled Composites Model 311 Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer (registered N277SF) is an aircraft designed by Burt Rutan in which Steve Fossett flew a solo nonstop airplane flight around the world in 2 days 19 hours and 1 minute (67 hours 1 minute) from February 28 to March 3, 2005. The flight speed of 590.7 kilometres per hour (367.0 mph) set the world record for the fastest nonstop non-refueled circumnavigation, beating the mark set by the previous Rutan-designed Voyager aircraft at 9 days 3 minutes and an average speed of 116 miles per hour (187 km/h).

The aircraft was owned by the pilot Steve Fossett, sponsored by Richard Branson’s airline, Virgin Atlantic, and built by Burt Rutan’s company, Scaled Composites. The two companies subsequently went on to work together on Virgin Galactic.

4. Delta Air Lines owns 49 percent of Virgin Atlantic

Yep. In June 2013, Delta Air Lines bought a 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic from Singapore Airlines for $360 million. It might seem like a strange investment, but it’s well worth it for Delta, which now gets to fly its customers more frequently to London’s Heathrow Airport.

5. Virgin Atlantic. Humble with a Touch of Glamour.

Virgin Atlantic is the brainchild of the mildly eclectic CEO, Sir Richard Branson, but did you know it was never his intention to start an airline? Virgin Atlantic was actually born out of a truly magical love story. Sir Richard Branson was on his way from Puerto Rico to meet a beautiful woman in the British Virgin Islands but was unfortunately left stranded along with other passengers. In a momentary act of valour, Richard Branson hired a plane, wrote on a blackboard “Virgin Air, $39 single flight” and the thought of starting Virgin Atlantic was born.

6. Cats and dogs can earn Velocity Frequent Flyer Points when they travel with Virgin Airlines.

Velocity Frequent Flyer, the award-winning loyalty program of Virgin Australia today launched Australia’s first frequent flyer program for pets.

Breaking new ground in the loyalty space, from today, Velocity members can now earn 300 Points each time their dog or cat flies on Virgin Australia’s expansive domestic network. Silver, Gold and Platinum members will also receive a special Points bonus.

Building on the program’s unique family benefits, today’s announcement makes Velocity the only frequent flyer program in Australia to recognize and reward four legged members of the family.

7. Virgin America was the first airline to make foldable boarding passes.

Boarding passes are stupid. They don’t fit in passports, or pockets, or wallets. And by the time you hand over your dog-eared, crumpled document to a clerk behind the check-in desk, you’re bound to get a disapproving sneer.

Well, everyone’s favorite airline Virgin America is finally offering the simple solution in the form of a sexy, fold-friendly boarding pass. The document includes personal details, flight number, departure and arrival time, gate and terminal, along with the cabin and seat allocation. And it fits right into your back pocket, because that makes sense, and it’s ridiculous no airline has done this before.

8. Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin America, owns his very own island.

Richard Branson had been madly trying to come up with a way to impress a girl he had fallen for, so he rang up the realtor, and expressed his interest. they were still in the early days of Virgin Records, and he by no means had the cash to buy an island. Luckily, the realtor didn’t know this and offered me an all-expenses paid trip to see the Islands that weekend. He agreed to go on one condition – if he could bring a guest.

when the realtor quoted the ‘discounted’ asking price of $6 million, Smitten with the unspoilt paradise, and keen to impress his new love, he offered the highest amount he could afford: $100,000. As you can imagine, the realtor was less than impressed, and left us high and dry to find our own way back home.

A year later, a charming man named Derek Dunlop arrived at his houseboat in London and explained that nobody else had made an offer on Necker, and that the owner of the Island was desperate to sell. Virgin Records was in a much better position than it had been a year before, so he quickly agreed to a purchase price of $180,000 – the only condition was that he would need to build a resort on the Island within four years.

9. Virgin Australia has been recognised as the most attractive employer in Australia in 2015 at the annual Randstad Award. It also placed in the top 3 for the last five years, including a top spot in 2011.

Amongst fierce competition, Virgin Australia has been named Australia’s Most Attractive Employer at the annual Randstad Award at Doltone House in Sydney.

With half of all Aussies (50%) claiming they would like to work for the aviation giant, Virgin Australia held off strong competition to edge out two-time winner, the ABC, who came in second place and the Department of Immigration & Border Protection who took out the third spot.

10. Virgin Defunct airlines

V Australia (Rebrand to Virgin Australia with Virgin Blue & Virgin Polynesia)
Virgin Nigeria (rebrand to Air Nigeria)
Virgin Express (rebrand to Brussels Airlines)
Virgin Express France
Virgin Sun (sold and merged into Air 2000)
Virgin Atlantic Little Red
Virgin Samoa

Sharukh Gazi

Aerospace

India is set to build a central command for the Air Traffic Control system, called ISHAN

Coutresy : Boeing planes

India’s air traffic growth has led to increased responsibilities for air traffic control. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is considering centralizing air traffic control for aircraft, dividing the country into four regions. The goal is to consolidate India’s segmented airspace into a single entity to improve air traffic management (ATM) efficiency, safety, and smoothness.

Recently, the AAI invited expressions of interest to develop a detailed project report for the Indian Single Sky Harmonized Air Traffic Management (ISHAN) initiative in Nagpur. Under this plan, air traffic controllers in Nagpur would handle domestic flights flying above 25,000 feet, eliminating the need for coordination among controllers in different regions.

For domestic regional flights operating above 25,000 feet, control would shift to the central command in Nagpur. This consolidation aims to enhance airline operations, increase flight handling capacity, and reduce congestion and flight times for passengers.

Currently, the AAI provides ATM services over Indian airspace and adjoining oceanic areas, covering over 2.8 million square nautical miles. This airspace is divided into four flight information regions (FIRs) in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai, along with a sub-FIR in Guwahati.

FIRs are responsible for providing air traffic services, including weather information, visibility, and search and rescue assistance. The proposed unification under the ISHAN initiative aligns with the projected growth of the aviation industry, which anticipates a doubling of domestic passenger traffic by 2030.

Aviation

Airbus is set to increase the production rate for the A350 as demand surges

Airbus SE is set to boost production of its advanced A350 widebody jet as it capitalizes on rising demand for long-distance travel and wide-body aircraft, amidst the ongoing crisis affecting its competitor Boeing due to issues with the B737 Max.

The surge in orders for Airbus’s A350 aircraft has instilled confidence in the company, prompting them to ramp up production rates. This move is particularly advantageous as Boeing continues to grapple with production quality issues surrounding its 787 and 777x aircraft.

In 2024 alone, Airbus has received 137 orders for the A350, signaling a need to expand manufacturing capabilities to meet customer demands. With 1,277 orders received and 592 aircraft delivered as of April 2024, Airbus is poised to fulfill pending deliveries efficiently.

The European aircraft manufacturer announced plans to increase production of A350 jets to 12 per month by 2028, surpassing earlier projections aiming for 10 per month by 2026. This decision was disclosed alongside the company’s first-quarter figures.

The Asian market is proving lucrative for the A350, with significant orders from airlines like Indigo and Air India, totaling nearly 70 aircraft commitments for the future. Meanwhile, Airbus is progressing with its A220 and A320 programs, aiming for a monthly production rate of 14 and 75 aircraft, respectively, by 2026. Additionally, the long-range A321XLR is anticipated to commence service in the third quarter of the current year.

In contrast, Boeing has been compelled to scale back production due to regulatory pressures aimed at enhancing factory processes. While Airbus anticipates a positive market outlook, Boeing continues to face challenges with FAA certification and quality approvals, resulting in ongoing delays for its 737 Max and 777x models.

Financially, Boeing reported a significant cash burn of $3.9 billion in the first quarter, leaving it with $7.5 billion in cash and short-term securities by the quarter’s end, down from $16 billion at the beginning of the year. Consequently, Boeing’s stock has plummeted by 38% in the year so far, contrasting with Airbus’s 14% gain, marking Boeing’s lowest performance in over a year.

For a full listing including details on customers and regions, as well as historical data for the previous year, go to the download section below.

March 2024 deliveries: 63 deliveries to 32 customers
March 2024 gross orders: 137
2024 deliveries to date: 142 deliveries to 45 customers

	Single-Aisle	A300/A310	A330	A340	A350	A380	TOTAL
Total Orders	19470	816	1774	377	1277	251	23965
Total Deliveries	11705	816	1598	377	592	251	15339
Aircraft in Operation	11007	271	1482	202	591	234	13787

Aviation

All passengers killed in plane crash, after pilot let his children to control the plane

When boarding a plane, passengers entrust their safety to the skilled hands of the pilot. However, tragedy struck when one of the flight ended in disaster as all passengers lost their lives in a horrific plane crash.

In 1994, during a flight from Moscow to Hong Kong, tragedy struck as an Aeroflot relief pilot made a fateful decision. In a move that would have devastating consequences, the pilot invited his own children into the cockpit to play with the controls. Little did anyone know, this seemingly innocent gesture would lead to the loss of all 75 lives aboard the aircraft.

It was a seemingly innocent act that led to catastrophic results. The relief pilot, Mr. Kudrinsky, invited his two children, Yana, 12, and Eldar, 15, into the cockpit during the late hours of the night. Little did anyone know, this simple gesture would set off a chain of events that would end in tragedy.

Once in the cockpit, the children were allowed to sit in the captain’s chair and play with the controls, unaware that they should have been disabled as the plane was in autopilot mode.

Eldar, perhaps in a moment of curiosity or innocence, held the control column down for a mere 30 seconds. Yet, in those brief moments, the autopilot disengaged, thrusting the aircraft into manual control.

By the time the pilots regained their seats and attempted to regain control, it was too late. Despite their efforts to pull the plane out of a dive, they overcorrected, causing the flight to climb almost vertically, ultimately stalling it.

Final moment Flight 593 crash

In the final moments, as the pilots struggled to stabilize the aircraft, Flight 593 crashed into the Kuznetsk Alatau Mountain range in southern Russia, completely obliterating the plane and claiming the lives of everyone on board.

Investigations revealed a chilling truth: there was no evidence of technical failure. Instead, the crash was attributed to the unthinkable decision to allow inexperienced hands to manipulate the controls of a commercial aircraft.

The black box recording captured the harrowing sequence of events, providing a grim reminder of the human cost of a lapse in judgment. In just over two minutes, the lives of all on board were tragically short, leaving behind a legacy of sorrow and unanswered questions.