Revisiting the history of European aviation in Belgrade

I was being driven to Belgrade's Nicola Tesla international airport to take my flight back home after a couple of fruitful days in Serbia's capital when something caught my eye...right to the side of the main airport terminal there was what looked like a spectacular display of old aircraft types.

Fortunately enough the field in question was within walking distance of the terminal and I had plenty of time before the departure of my flight, so, trolley in hand, I walked towards this open-air museum to have a closer look...the 7min. walk was well worth it!

The place itself has a somewhat derelict look, like a legacy from a bygone era, when other architectural styles were in fashion (somehow the main building reminded me of the Atomium, in Brussels!), but this is possibly the best setting for one of the most amazing displays of communist-era aircraft that I have ever seen.





I am not an expert in military aviation but I think most of the airplanes are old Yugoslav-made Galebs (that curiously enough, happen to be in the news these days because of the conflict in Libya!). However, what I found to be the star of the exhibit, and certainly of much interest to someone like me interested in the history of commercial aviation, is this JAT-Yugoslav Airways Caravelle, an icon of European commercial aviation history.



The SUD-Caravelle was one of the first jet-powered commercial airliners and a big commercial success in its day. This French-made aircraft came to dominate European short and medium haul routes in the pre-Airbus era. It carried around 80 passengers, although the latest version, developed in the early 70s and called Super-Caravelle, could carry up to 140 passengers. I ignore whether there is any Caravelle left flying in some remote corner of the planet, but, in any case, Belgrade's open-air aviation museum is a great opportunity to come face to face with this mythical aircraft!

As per JAT Airways, what used to be the flag carrier of the former Yugoslavia has reinvented itself as the flag carrier of Serbia and it operates under a new logo and a renovated image and fleet. It flies to some 35 scheduled destinations with a fleet of Boeing 737s and ATR-42s.

Aurigny (& 2)

In a previous post I wrote about this Guernsey-based airline called Aurigny Air Services after I spotted one of its aircraft at Stansted. Well, last week I had another sighting, this time at Gatwick (LGW) and took this rather nice pic. I hope you like it.


Foto: Aurigny Air ATR-72 next to an Easyjet A319

Aurigny

I use Stansted airport (STN) very often and I have never found it to be particularly interesting for planespotting, given the dominance of Easyjet and Ryanair with their homogeneous fleets, however, this time as a bit different, maybe because I was flying around midday instead of the usual peak hours, there were some interesting sights, like this Aurigny Air Services ATR-72. I felt some curiosity about this airline so I did some research.



Aurigny operates out of the Channel Island of Guernsey and ts network covers the Channel Islands as well as some airports in mainland Britain and France. This ATR-72 is one of the three the airline currently has, they entered service in 2009. As a curosity, Aurigny Air Services is the longest standing operator of Britten Norman Trislander aircraft. I have to admit I had never heard of this aircraft type, I found its engine configuration remarkable, to say the least.


Foto: Britten Norman Trislander, by Wikipedia

Another curious fact of this airline is that, according to Wikipedia, the name Aurigny comes from the local French/Auregnais name for Alderney, one of the lesser Channel Islands, a language that was made extinct by the evacuation of islanders during the occupation of the Channel Islands in World War II.

Planespotting in India (I)

India has curently one of the World's most vibrant airline sectors, with the rapid growth of local low-cost airlines such as GoAir, Spicejet and Indigo, and expanding private full-service airline such as Kingfisher and Jet Airways (with their respective low-cost subsidiaries). There are some voices questioning the economic sustainability of so many carriers competing with each other, but the reality is that there are a number of factors that make that flying is today, by far, the most convenient and efficient way to travel across India. Low fares, brand-new fleets, the difficulty of moving over land, the large distances and the expanding economy all play a part on this state of things.

My recent visit to India was a great opportunity to have a first hand experience of the local airline market, specially since the trip involved several domestic flights (stopping at Mumbai, Kochi, Madurai and Chennai airports) in addition to the flights in and out of India, with Gulf Air via Bahrain.



Here are some pictures of the Kingfisher ATR-72 about to take us from Madurai (IXM) to Chennai (MAA)



Arrival at Chennai airport, another Kingfisher ATR-72, the airline uses this aircraft mostly for regional flights in South India.

More pics to follow shortly...