Aviation

The Boeing 747 El Al’s last operated commercial flight has completed a “Sky Painting”

After 48 years of dedicated service, El Al is operating its final Boeing 747 service. About two hours into flight LY1747 from Rome Fiumicino, Italy to Tel Aviv, Israel the “Queen of the Skies” will descend to flightlevel 10,000 and draw a special tribute to the 747 in the sky southwest of Cyprus.

idding farewell to the jumbo jet, El Al’s final commercial Boeing 747 flight landed at Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday afternoon.

Flight LY1747 from Rome to Tel Aviv signed off 48 years of jumbo activity by creating a “sky painting” of a Boeing 747 near southern Cyprus, visible to those tracking the aircraft online.

Follow the last commercial flight of the #ELAL 747 aircraft this Sun at 4am EST. The aircraft will fly on a historic flight path to create a "sky painting" of a Boeing 747, broadcast live in cooperation with Flightradar24. https://t.co/xGdVUFBrDG ?Sivan Farag & Yochai Mossi pic.twitter.com/2kMYEPQOKQ
— EL AL USA (@ELALUSA) November 1, 2019

The closure of the national carrier’s famous jumbo fleet marks part of the company’s strategic move to remove old aircraft from service and replace them with new, advanced planes.

The fleet will ultimately be replaced by El Al’s new Dreamliner series, which will be operated on the company’s non-stop routes to a range of North American destinations, including New York, Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto. The growing fleet is also in operation on routes to London, Paris and Hong Kong.

El Al has already welcomed 12 of a total of 16 Dreamliners, renewing its long-haul fleet at a cost exceeding $1.25 billion. The carrier expects to welcome two more aircraft by the end of the year, and the final two aircraft by March 2020.

Courtesy : The Jerusalem Post

Aviation

Airbus Enhances A350 Cabin with 10-Abreast Seating

Airbus has announced a new partnership with Jiatai Aircraft Equipment, a Chinese aircraft seating manufacturer, to supply upgraded economy-class seats for the A350 widebody series.

This collaboration, unveiled at the 2024 Airshow China, focuses on developing a newly designed economy seat tailored for the A350‘s New Production Standard (NPS) cabin.

One of the key features of the NPS cabin is the ability to accommodate 17-inch wide economy seats, compared to the previous 16.5-inch wide seats that airlines were limited to in the A350’s earlier configurations.

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This change is made possible by the expanded space in the NPS cabin, which is 35 inches longer and 4 inches wider than the previous version. This extra space is achieved by slightly moving the cockpit wall forward and shifting the rear pressure bulkhead back by one frame.

The wider cabin allows airlines to add up to 30 extra economy seats without compromising comfort. For airlines opting for a 3-4-3 seating layout, the 17-inch wide seats are an excellent choice for a more comfortable passenger experience. However, some airlines, such as Iberia, may choose to retain a 9-abreast layout with wider seats for added comfort.

The NPS cabin also offers enhanced flexibility for airline operators. One major advantage is the ability to easily switch between a 9-abreast and 10-abreast seating configuration without requiring significant downtime for aircraft reconfiguration. Airlines can use the same seat rails, tracks, and IFE interfaces, making the transition smoother and quicker.

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In addition, the design of the floor attachments and air-conditioning systems has been optimized for 10-abreast seating, meaning airlines can upgrade their cabins without needing to make substantial modifications to the aircraft’s structure.

Though it’s still unclear when Jiatai’s economy-class seats will be officially added to the A350’s Buyer Furnished Equipment (BFE) catalogue, the collaboration marks a significant step toward enhancing the A350’s cabin offerings.

With this partnership, Airbus is providing more seating options for airlines, ensuring that they can meet diverse customer needs while improving overall operational efficiency.