In January 2024, the Singapore flag carrier will take Le Le the giant panda cub back to China onboard a specially arranged B747-400F flight.

Born in August 2021, Le Le is Singapore精东影业 first giant panda cub. His parents, Kai Kai and Jia Jia, are on loan from China under China精东影业 wildlife goodwill gesture known as the 鈥減anda diplomacy鈥�.

Under the diplomacy program, host countries receive pandas on a 10-year renewable basis. Kai Kai and Jia Jia will remain in Singapore for five more years.

Two year-old Le Le, however, will return to China because zoologists believe it is in the best interest of the pandas and the conservation program that the animals should eventually return to their natural habitat.

Le Le had his final day in Singapore精东影业 Pavilion Capital Giant Panda Forest at River Wonders on December 13, 2023. He is currently in quarantine until he departs for China on January 16, 2023.

Singapore Airlines is sponsoring Le Le精东影业 homecoming trip to Chengdu, where he will be accompanied by two dedicated keepers and a veterinarian. The cabin精东影业 ambient temperature will be maintained between 15-16 degrees Celsius (50-60 degrees Fahrenheit), consistent with the temperature at the River Wonders Panda Forest where Le Le spent the first two years of his life.

According to a report by Channel News Asia, the B747-400F精东影业 nose door can be opened upwards to accommodate Le Le精东影业 custom-made crate, as well as his travel essentials 鈥� including an in-flight meal of up to 50kg of bamboo, bamboo shoots, fruit, pellets and water.

Le Le精东影业 care team has been conditioning him for the flight using positive reinforcement training, which involves food rewards to encourage him to voluntarily enter the crate and get comfortable being inside.

Bear escapes aircraft cargo crate, causing delays in Dubai Airport

• Air Cargo
• This is interesting!

byJean Carmela Lim

August 7, 2023

A group of theater actors decided to jazz up the in-flight entertainment by using business class seat amenities to act out a scene from a musical. 

鈥楥hicago鈥� is celebrating its 25th year with a world tour, and has just wrapped more than two months of shows in South Korea. 

After the cast had flown back to the United States, one of the cast members, Garrett Alan James, uploaded a clip of a mini show performed on the 14-hour flight.

The 12-second video clip shows pans to a business class seat with a partition. While the partition automatically goes down, a mobile phone spotlight shines on James, who hams it up for the camera to the score of 鈥淎ll that Jazz鈥�. 

The video now has over 1.7 million views, and has garnered positive and encouraging comments.

Many of the comments lamented why their flights were never 鈥渢his fun鈥�, while plenty complained that 12 seconds was too short, and demanded to see more.

Based on the aircraft seats and aircraft type, the clip appears to have been shot in the business class cabin of a Korean Air Boeing 747

Low-cost carriers turn to songs, parlor games by crew as in-flight entertainment

• Airlines
• This is interesting!

byJean Carmela Lim

July 6, 2023

A bogie is the attaching mechanism used when more than two wheels are attached to a landing gear strut.

The 23-year-old Boeing 747-400, with registration code LX-OCV, was scheduled to operate from Luxembourg Airport (LUX) to Chicago精东影业 O鈥橦are International Airport (ORD) on May 14, 2023.

However, upon takeoff from LUX airport the aircraft was unable to retract its landing gear, Cargolux said in a press .

The decision was made to return to LUX airport. But with the large jet full of fuel for a long-haul flight, the aircraft circled around the area while it dumped fuel in order to reach the maximum landing weight.

The aircraft landed in LUX airport 52 minutes after departure, but not without hiccups. 

鈥淥n its landing roll its right body landing gear detached from the aircraft. The aircraft however came to a controlled stop and was attended to by the emergency services,鈥� the carrier confirmed.

Various video footage of the aircraft精东影业 landing have been uploaded to Twitter, and show the landing gear bogie detaching before flying away from the aircraft.

The Luxembourgian flag carrier cargo airline confirmed that no persons on board nor on the ground suffered any injuries.

Following the incident, LUX airport shut the runway, forcing the diversion of several flights.   

At 00:53 local time on May 15, 2023, the airport operator said that the runway had reopened and that flights had resumed.

Another landing gear accident

Update: On May 20, 2023, another Cargolux Boeing 747-8F aircraft involved in another landing gear incident.

The aircraft, registered as LX-VCB, was forced to declare an emergency after the crew received an alert that the aircraft精东影业 landing gear had not properly deployed on approach to Luxembourg Findel Airport (LUX).

The Boeing 747-8F was coming into land at LUX during the operation of flight CV5486 from Chicago O鈥橦are International Airport (ORD) on May 20, 2023, when the crew received a notification on the Engine-indicating and crew-alerting system (EICAS) warning that the aircraft精东影业 landing gear had not deployed properly.

鈥淭hey executed a low fly past to confirm that all gears were down. The aircraft landed safely with the emergency services on hand,鈥� Cargolux said in a statement released on May 20, 2023.

Data from Flightradar24.com showed the aircraft was on its final approach at around 11:30 am local time (UTC +2) when the crew decided to abort the landing attempt and circle around LUX in a holding pattern at 3,900 feet. Subsequently, the Cargolux pilots performed the low fly-past in what was likely to have been a chance for Air Traffic Control (ATC) to assess whether the landing gear had been deployed before attempting to land once again at 11:47 am local time (UTC +2).

The crew squawked 7700, the code for a general emergency, just prior to landing at LUX at 11:57 am local time (UTC +2), before successfully landing the Boeing 747-8F at the airport at 12:00 pm local time (UTC +2).

On May 14, 2023, another Cargolux Boeing 747F, a -400F, lost its right-body landing gear bogie after it detached after landing at LUX. Although it had lost its landing gear bogie, the aircraft came to a controlled stop without any injuries onboard or on the ground. The operator of LUX shut down the runway after the incident and resumed operations on May 15, 2023.

Video shows Cargolux Boeing 747 engine strike at Luxembourg Findel Airport

• Aviation Safety

byRytis Beresnevicius

April 17, 2023

The Boeing 747SP 鈥楽OFIA鈥� jetliner, which was modified to carry a reflecting telescope, performed its final flight from NASA精东影业 Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, California, to Tucson on December 13, 2022, NASA said in a . 

The aircraft will eventually be on public display at Pima Air & Space Museum, the statement added. 

鈥淭he SOFIA mission has a powerful potential to inspire, from its discoveries about the unknown in our universe, to the engineering achievements that broke new ground, to the international cooperation that made it all possible,鈥� said Paul Hertz, senior advisor for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA.  

While NASA精东影业 Boeing 747SP has been retired, Hertz said that SOFIA will continue to engage a diverse new generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers.  

World精东影业 most powerful rocket SLS blasts off with NASA精东影业 Artemis I mission

• Space

by精东影业 Team

November 16, 2022

A successful eight-year run 

Initial development of the SOFIA aircraft began in 1996, with the jet reaching full operational capability in 2014.   

Since 2014, SOFIA completed a five-year primary mission in 2019 and concluded a three-year mission extension in 2022, NASA noted in a released in April 2022.  

The SOFIA jetliner was equipped with a large door in the fuselage that remained open while the aircraft was in flight. During flight, the reflecting telescope would observe infrared light from the Moon, planets, stars, star-forming regions, and nearby galaxies.  

An evaluation made by the National Academies鈥� report that SOFIA精东影业 science productivity did not justify its operating costs.  The report found that SOFIA精东影业 capabilities did not significantly overlap with the science priorities that had been identified by the Decadal Survey for the next decade.  

Operations for the SOFIA mission concluded on September 30, 2022. 

NASA精东影业 Orion spacecraft finishes Moon mission, heads home to Earth

• Space

byValius Venckunas

December 5, 2022

The iconic Boeing 747 was the first wide-body aircraft in the history of aviation, and the first aircraft to be called a 鈥楯umbo Jet鈥� due to its enormous size.  

鈥淚 might go back to some ground instructing or something like that, because I really enjoyed being around the young people coming through. And they seem to think that maybe I know something. I don’t think I know much more than they do, but they like to hear the stories anyway.鈥� 

Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental vs Airbus A380 | Quiz

• Aviation Quiz

byVyte Klisauskaite

April 16, 2022

 

Germany daily Bild reported that the CargoLogicAir UK jumbo, which was at HHN for maintenance, will remain in Germany for an unspecified period of time. CargoLogicAir UK has two B747-400 freighters and is part of the Volga-Dnepr Group.  

鈥淏ecause the airline Cargologicair UK and its aircraft are subject to EU sanctions, a take-off ban has been placed on the B747, which was at Frankfurt-Hahn for maintenance,鈥� the daily cited local aviation authorities as saying.  

Bild cited the German transport ministry as saying that the airline is owned by Russian citizens and is therefore subject to EU sanctions.  

The grounding could bring some useful income for Hahn airport, which is currently insolvent. A spokesman for the insolvency administrators told the paper it can charge parking fees of around 1,200 euros per day for the 747.  

How the invasion of Ukraine impacted global aviation

• War in Ukraine

byClement Charpentreau

March 29, 2022

While it精东影业 exciting to explore the aircraft, it精东影业 also important to look back at how presidential aircraft have evolved through the decades. After all, it精东影业 been almost 80 years since the first US presidential flight, and Air Force One has certainly come a long way since then. 

As we look forward to 2024, when the new Air Force One (which will reportedly cost more than $5 million) will enter service, 精东影业 looks back at US presidential planes from 1943 to 1990, chronicling the evolution of one of history精东影业 most iconic aircraft and the aircraft that preceded the iconic Boeing 747. 

Theodore Roosevelt (in office 1901 -1909)

Technically, Theodore 鈥楾eddy鈥� Roosevelt did not officially fly as president of the United States, but he was the first president to travel outside the country while still in office. 

During the early 20th century, was the way to go, and if the president was required to leave the country, he would need to sail. Crossing the Atlantic in the early 1900s took about five days. 

The USS Louisiana. Image source: Wikipedia

Since travel was time-consuming, presidents rarely went overseas at the time, remaining close to the seat of power instead. In 1906, Roosevelt had to inspect work being carried out on the Panama Canal. He embarked on a 17-day trip to South America aboard a 16,000-ton battleship, the USS Louisiana. 

That trip made Theodore Roosevelt the while still in office.  

The first presidential flight

Franklin D. Roosevelt  (in office 1933-1945) 

In a twist of fate, it was another Roosevelt who made history in terms of presidential travel.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, of Theodore Roosevelt, was the first US president to travel by plane in 1943.

At that time, Franklin Roosevelt needed to join other allied leaders, including British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, for a .

Franklin Roosevelt avoided sailing, the usual mode of transportation at the time, as the journey would have taken at least a week. 

Boeing 314 the Dixie Clipper. Image source: Wikipedia

Atlas operates the world精东影业 largest fleet of 747 freighters, plus provides customers with Boeing 747, 777, 767 and 737 aircraft for domestic, regional and international cargo and passenger operations. 

The airline, which operates services for FedEx and DHL among many others, reported 2021 revenue of $4 billion and net income of $493.3 million, up from $3.2 billion and $360.3 million in 2020.  

Atlas Air said it expects the strong air freight environment to continue. The company is benefitting from supply chain bottlenecks pushing more volumes towards air freight 

鈥淲e are leveraging our world-class fleet and global operating capabilities to increase aircraft utilization and capitalize on strong demand for our services and dedicated freighters, as well as on higher airfreight yields,鈥� chief executive John Dietrich said in the financial results statement on February 17, 2022.  

ACMI operators boost cargo operations amid freight boom

• ACMI Month

byVictoria Bryan

February 7, 2022

Atlas Air said it had placed all four of its new and incoming 747-8Fs under long-term agreements. The aircraft are due to be delivered between May and October this year.  

It also says there is strong demand for the four new 777-200LRF that it ordered in January 2022, with one due to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2022 and the other three in 2023.  

Atlas Air orders four Boeing 777 freighters

• Air Cargo

byVyte Klisauskaite

January 6, 2022

Atlas Air has also recently been buying 747s that it used to lease. It purchased six of its existing 747-400Fs in 2021 and said it will buy another five during 2022 when their leases end.  

鈥淎cquiring these widebody freighters underscores our confidence in the demand for dedicated international airfreight capacity, particularly in express, e-Commerce and fast-growing global markets,鈥� Atlas Air said.  

For the first quarter of 2022, Atlas Air is expecting a strong performance, with net profit similar to the first quarter of 2021 and revenue of around $1 billion.  

Dietrich concluded: 鈥淲e also have a strong position and look forward to growing our Titan dry leasing business. And our strategic focus on express, e-Commerce and fast-growing markets will continue to drive our business forward.鈥� 

In October 2020, Avatar Airlines offered British Airways a 22% stake in exchange for its retired fleet of 26 Boeing 747-400s. However, the airline had not raised enough money and the British government refused to process the application.

On November 5, 2020, Thai Airways announced the sale of all 10 of its Boeing 747-400 jets. The company was soon after approached by Avatar Airlines with an intention for purchase. The terms of the offer are still unclear. 

鈥淥ur offer to Thai Airlines is part of a bigger partnership opportunity that we believe will not only accelerate Avatar精东影业 plans to start flying within 12-18 months, but also position Thai Airways for a codeshare entry into the U.S. market and a long-term relationship between our two companies,鈥�  said Avatar精东影业 founder and Chief Executive Officer Barry Michaels in a press release. 

Avatar Airlines has not gotten off the ground since its creation in 1992. The company plans to operate 鈥渦ltra-low fare鈥� non-stop flights within the Continental US and Hawaii, exclusively flying the Boeing 747 aircraft. The fares would be as low as $19 one-way. 

According to the company’s website, Avatar would make exclusive use of the jumbo Boeing 747 and 鈥渨ill pioneer a new age of budget travel for a new millennium.鈥� It intends to start operations with four Boeing 747-400 aircraft, later adding eight more and  own a total of 30 Boeing 747s by the end of the third year. 

The start-up airline plans to become the leader in the industry by affordability and cost-effectiveness. It plans to operate service between Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York JFK and Miami. 

The unique business model would include the airline offering an annual membership for unlimited flights bookable within 72 hours for just the cost of taxes and fees. Furthermore, the company精东影业 aircraft would serve as flying billboards and the overhead bins in the passenger’s cabin would also be used for advertisement. 

Thai Airways rushes to sell-out whole Boeing 747 fleet

• Airlines

byGabriele Petrauskaite

November 6, 2020

Of course, dozens of private and government-operated Boeing 747s are still in service and show no signs of retirement. But not everyone can boast of a possibility to hop on Air Force One or its many sisters.

Then here is cargo hauling. Unexpected upside of COVID-19 induced crisis came in an exploding demand for long-range heavyweights that can carry everything from humanitarian aid to dramatic increase in Amazon shipments, so 747 freighters are roaming the skies as if it精东影业 still the 80s. But you would have to pack yourself in a cardboard box to catch one of those flights and not everyone may find it convenient.

Luckily, passenger Whales are not yet extinct. So, a small list of carriers that still offer tickets on their 747s can be compiled, giving you a possibility to experience the double-decker before it goes away forever. Just keep in mind that travel restrictions and quarantines are still in place in many countries, so, although there are many chances, most of them are not for everybody.

Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA)

After British Airways suddenly retired its jumbo jets, Germany精东影业 Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) remains the largest operator of the aircraft and amongst the last in Europe. The amount of flights is still impressive though, as the carrier精东影业 Boeing 747-8s fly daily between Frankfurt (FRA) and Chicago (ORD), Mexico City (MEX), Los Angeles (LAX), Bangkok (BKK), Nanjing (NKG), San Paolo (GRU), Shanghai (PVG) and Johannesburg (JNB), covering four continents and providing the most convenient opportunity to say farewell to the Queen.

()

Air China

Third-largest Chinese airline still operates two models of the aircraft: it flies new 747-89L between Guangzhou (CAN) and Beijing (PEK) on a weekly basis, and two slightly older 747-4J6s: one between Chongqing (CKG), Beijing (PEK), London (LHR) and Shanghai (SHA), another between Tianjin (TSN), Madrid (MAD and Beijing (PEK).

()

 

Rossiya

A part of Aeroflot group, Rossiya specializes in internal flights within Russia. Its Boeing 747-400s 鈥� slightly older model  鈥� are still in use connecting the European part with Russia精东影业 Far East. With relatively loose restrictions on domestic travel, once in the country, you can find various daily or semi-daily flights between Moscow (SVO), Sochi (AER), Yekaterinburg (SVX), Khabarovsk (KHV), Vladivostok (VVO) and Simfeopol (SIP).

()

 

Asiana 

This South Korean carrier still retains one last 747-400 and operates it on weekly flights between Seoul (ICN), Nanjing (NKG) and ChangChun (CGQ). 

()

 

Mahan Air

Iranian carrier精东影业 sole Boeing 747-400 was returned from storage last year and is now used for flights between Teheran (THR) and Kerman (KRM). Although the same route is usually serviced by various Airbus wide body airplanes, according to Flightradar24, the jumbo jet is still occasionally used.

()