Boeing sees no turbulence in China

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Airbus, Aircraft, Airlines, Aviation, Beijing, Boeing, Business, China, China Current Market Outlook, News, Single-Aisle, Transport, Travel, Wide-body

Even as China struggles with the slowest pace of economic growth in years, Boeing is forecasting that the country’s aircraft fleet will almost triple by 2034.

In its annual China Current Market Outlook released in Beijing on Tuesday, the American aircraft manufacturer projected a demand for 6,330 new airplanes worth $950 billion over the next 20 years.

“Despite the current volatility in China’s financial market, we see strong growth in the country’s aviation sector over the long term,” said Randy Tinseth, vice-president of marketing at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

“Over the next 20 years, China’s commercial airplane fleet will nearly triple: from 2,570 airplanes in 2014 to 7,210 airplanes in 2034.”

Boeing projected that the main growth would be in the single-aisle airplane (left) sector with a demand for 4,630 aircraft while the widebody (below) segment will require 1,510 new airplanes.

Boeing also noted that Chinese airlines have more than doubled their long-haul international capacity over the past three years.

“Enabled by China’s growing middle-class population, new visa policies and the underlying strength of its economic growth, this expansion is expected to continue, and in fact accelerate,” Tinseth said.

Images are courtesy of Boeing.

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Cochin becomes world’s 1st fully solar-powered airport

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Airlines, Airports, Aviation, Bosch, Business, Calicut, Cochin, Electricity, Environment, God's Own Country, India, Kannur, Kerala, Kochi, Kozhikode, News, Pollution, Solar Power, Tourism, Transport, Travel, Trivandrum

Cochin International Airport (COK) in southern India was opened just 16 years ago. This week it is celebrating a major environmental milestone – it has become the world’s first fully solar-powered airport.

More than 46,000 solar panels laid across 45 acres are generating 12MW of power, enough to run the airport smoothly.

“Now, Cochin airport will have 50,000 to 60,000 units of electricity per day to be consumed for all its operational functions, which technically make the airport absolutely power neutral,” its operator, Cochin International Airport Ltd., said in a release.

CIAL has been a trendsetter since its launch in the late 1990s. Cochin is the first Indian airport to be built under a public-private partnership model.

The company forecasts the project will help mitigate carbon emissions by more than 300,000 tonnes in the next 25 years. That is equivalent to planting three million trees, it said.

The busiest airport in Kerala state and the fourth largest in India, Cochin handled nearly seven million passengers in 2014-15.

The project was built by Bosch Energy and Building Solutions.

Images are courtesy of CIAL.

Emirates announces world’s longest flight

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Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, Boeing 777-200, Buisness, Dallas-Fort Worth, Dubai, Dubai Airport, Emirates, Longest Flight, News, Panama, Panama Canal, Panama City, Qantas, Sydney, UAE

Emirates is set to launch the world’s longest non-stop flight, from Dubai to Panama City, in February.

The flight from the Gulf emirate to the capital of Panama will last 17 hours and 35 minutes, the airline said Thursday.

Currently Australian carrier Qantas holds the record for the longest flight, one that links Sydney with Dallas in just under 17 hours.

The daily flight will be operated by a Boeing 777-200LR in a 3-class layout — eight in First, 42 in Business, and 216 in Economy, the company said.

“Panama City will be our first destination gateway in Central America, providing a convenient option for our passengers travelling from or through our global hub in Dubai and onward to destinations throughout Central America, the Caribbean and the northern part of South America,” said Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum.

“We’re also pleased to be the only commercial airline to offer a daily, first-class service to travellers on what will be the world’s longest non-stop flight.”

Flight EK251 will depart Dubai at 08:05 and arrive in Panama City at 16:40 daily. The return flight, EK252, will leave Panama City at 22:10, arriving in Dubai at 22:55 the next day.

“It is gratifying to see how diplomatic efforts focused on generating development and prosperity for Panama materialize,” said Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, vice-president of Panama.

“New doors to the country will open with a direct connection to the Middle East — a strong and thriving region with great synergies to both Panama and Latin America.”

Emirates has 235 aircraft in its all wide-body fleet. The airline flies to 147 destinations in 81 countries.

Images are courtesy of Emirates and Tocumen International Airport.