British Airways celebrates new London City - Rome route with Julius Caesar

Left-right): Valeria Manfredi, Richard Hill,
Luke Hayhoe, Kayleigh Webb and Marco Tagliaferri

British Airways is celebrating the launch of new flights to the Italian capital city of Rome from London City this week. The new flight runs from Sunday to Friday on Embraer E190 aircraft and rather unexpectedly the carrier chose to welcome passengers on the first flight with a special bust of one of Rome’s most infamous forefathers, Julius Caesar!

Yes, the dictator, the man who ordered the murder of hundreds of thousands of people, waged numerous wars, the man who invaded Britain, was drafted in by British Airways to greet customers on the first flight.  The bust was welcomed on board the Embraer 190 jet by British Airways’ in-flight business manager and fellow Italian Marco Tagliaferri.

British Airways’ airport manager, Andrea Sperini, is also Italian although he was born in Venice said, “I’m very proud to see the Italian capital becoming part of our network. It is one of the oldest cities in Europe and a treasury of art, history, traditions, politics and local food - almost anyone can find something to explore and enjoy. “

Richard Hill, Chief Commercial Officer at London City Airport, said: “By adding another major European city to its network, British Airways is creating further choice for tourists and business travellers who want to use London’s most central airport as their bridge to the continent. Like London, Rome is an iconic destination, bursting with culture, history, and home to an international business district, and the route is an attractive addition for customers to and from Italy’s capital city. Ahead of a 20 per cent boost in capacity during 2019, this new service further underlines British Airways’ continued investment in their London City operation.”

• London City to Rome timetable:Flight No          Depart             Arrive              Days
  BA7349           10.50am           2.20pm             Mon-Fri & Sun
  
• Rome-London City timetable:Flight No          Depart             Arrive              Days
  BA7348           3.05pm             4.40pm             Mon-Fri & Sun
  

(Images British Airways)

Embraer delivers 15 commercial and 24 executive jets during the third quarter

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Microburst - a factor in the Aeromexico Connect E190 crash but Aeromexico still sacks the pilots

The Mexican Investigators charged with looking into the crash of an Embraer E190 of Aeromexico Connect at Durango, Mexico, on 31st July this year have issued a preliminary report which indicates that a microburst wind shear event was a factor in the crash.

The aircraft, an Embraer ERJ-190-100 registration  XA-GAL operated by Aeroméxico Connect was performing Flight AM2431 on 31st July was talking off from Guadalupe Victoria International Airport 's runway 03.  It had reached a height of 30 feet when it suddenly came down and collided with the ground, a fire then ensued, but remarkably all 105 people on the aircraft survived. 

New routes for Georgian Airways for summer 2019

Georgian Airways has announced plans to start an additional two new routes for summer 2019, starting in April. 

The airline will use an Embraer E190 to fly from Tbilisi twice a week to Ufa and also operate three times a week to Vilnius.

At the moment the provisional schedule for the Ufa flight departs Tbilisi at 2030 with arrival at Ufa, Russia at 2355. The return is scheduled to leave at 0100 to land back in at 0230. Flying out on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The Vilnius flight is scheduled to depart Tbilisi at 1900 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with an arrival time of 2100. The return will leave Vilnius at 2200 local time with an arrival back in Tbilisi estimated for 0200 the next morning.

Both routes are due to be served by an Embraer E190 with a configuration of 97 seats, split between 88 seats in the economy cabin and 9 in business class.  

103 people survive Embraer 190 crash in Durango, Mexico - Aeromexico issue statement

Looking at the news reports and photos, it is remarkable that anyone got out of the wreckage of the Aeromexico Connect Embraer 190 aircraft alive, yet astonishingly, all 103 people on board survived the crash.

The aircraft, registration XA-GAL, had just taken off from Guadalupe Victoria International / Durango International Airport operating flight AM2431 to Mexico City when the crash happened.

According to state Governor José Rosas Aispuro the aircraft was hit by a gust of wind, which caused the sudden descent. Its left wing then came in contact with the ground and both engines came off.  The Governor also said the cabin crew were able to deploy the evacuation slides shortly after the crash when the aircraft came to a halt, which allowed those still on board to leave the plane safely before the flames spread and many of the passengers were able to walk and run from the aircraft.

It is understood that the pilot is one of two people that were seriously injured in the crash and is said to have had a spinal operation. A young girl was the other seriously injured person, sustaining burns.  Ninety-seven other people were taken to hospital, yet the vast majority had only "very light" injuries, officials have said.

(Photo  AFP)

Jacqueline Flores a passenger on the E190 has been telling local media of her ordeal,  "When we were already aloft, up high, it felt like the plane was going to level out but just then it plunged to the ground," she said. "I think we fell back on the runway because it was a hard surface, then we skidded on the ground until it stopped," 

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Mauritania Airlines placed a firm order for two E175 jets. The aircraft will be configured with 76 seats in a comfortable dual-class layout with deliveries to take place in 2019. "The acquisition of the E175 is part of our fleet modernization, replacing old aircraft and complementing our young narrow-body aircraft", said Mr Mohamed Radhy Bennahi, CEO of Mauritania Airlines. "We are certain that with E175 we'll be able to offer an even better service to our customers, with greater comfort, adding more frequencies and new destinations."

Wataniya Airways signed the papers for 10 E195-E2 aircraft. the Kuwaiti airline also took purchase rights for a further 10 aircraft. The airline will configure the new aircraft in a comfortable layout of 118 seats, with 12 in business class and 106 in economy class and is the worldwide launch customer for Embraer's new staggered business class seating. "The E195-E2 will allow us to open non-served markets and increase frequencies, delivering better connectivity to the Kuwait market", said Rakan Al-Tuwaijri, CEO of Wataniya Airways. "We have chosen the staggered seats to differentiate ourselves from the competition, offering a superior product with extra legroom and better privacy for our customers."

Buta Airways Launch 1st September

Azerbaijan Airlines has taken delivery of a leased Embraer E190 all ready for the launch of its new low cost budget airline Buta Airways subsidiary, which is scheduled to launch on 1st September. 

Buta Airways was set up in December 2016 by Azerbaijan Airlines and will have its own all Embraer aircraft fleet, staff and livery which features a mythological bird called the Simurg bird. It also includes the colours of the Azerbaijan flag. 

Read more to see where they will be flying to- 

Air Astana Goes For E190 Replacement

Air Astana have announced they will be welcoming five Embraer E190-E2s on long-term lease deals from AerCap. Deliveres of the second-generation E-Jets will start in the autumn of next year and will replace the airline's existing E190 fleet.