Planes and stuff

Was checking some older pics and found this one that I still hadn't publish... Belair A320 HB-IOS (Air Berlin titles), departing from runway 05, back in November 2015... On that day, we also got Air Berlin / Etihad special livery....check HERE

A memory pic from exactly 10 years ago...18.Mar.2010...Air Berlin was still around and more...still around with A330... This must be one of the strangest pics I've taken, with the low cloud ceiling just visualy above of the top of the fuselage, on a dark day... Air Berlin's D-AERK landing on runway 23...

Retrieving an almost 10 years old pic...from July 2010, Air Berlin D-ABKM on one of the few night-shots I made to Air Berlin ... Currently on operation with Eurowings (leased from Tuifly )

This week's photo is dedicated to Tuifly...a long time flyer to Madeira. When I stared photographing planes more seriously, back in 2004 they were already flying to Madeira, as Hapag-Lloyd...not long after, were rebranded as Hapagfly, before turning into Tuifly. It's a long time flying to Madeira and they must be the airline that brought us more special liveries than any other... Last Tuesday, there were 6 Tuifly flights...not a bad number...for the photo of the week, this double pic of B738's D-ABKA, a former Air Berlin plane and D-ATUI, with Robinson special livery. D-ABKA, back in May 2010, with Air Berlin colors

Back in October 2017, when we said farewell to Air Berlin after its bankruptcy, didn't think I'd still be seeing planes flying in its colors in 2019... Still, the German airlines that received their planes don't seem too eager to wipe out the Air Berlin livery...  from a couple of week's ago, B738 D-ABMV performing a Eurowings flight

From last December, 9th 2017.. the last Niki flight I managed to photograph...I guess it really reflects the kind of messy bussiness relations around those german airlines...Niki flight, with an Air Berlin livery plane, operated by Tuifly....4 days later, Niki annouced its shutdown... B738 D-ABMQ landing on runway 05

After more than one month flying to Madeira, Eurowings finally brought a plane with its own livery... A319 D-AGWD arriving from Cologne A nice and colorful apron where we can still see Air Berlin colors...Niki flight...which according to some news is about to follow its german "sister" on the bankrupt.... The taxi to runway 05 with the captain interested and filming something on the side of the runway.... For the the departure, on low light, tryed a 1/25 panning...turned out nice...

When you see an airline making the first flight ever to a new destination with a plane carrying the colors of another closed bankrupt airline , you can't help wondering if they have a Marketing Department....(a working one, at least.....) What we tought it would be the first flight of a new airline around here, ended up beeing a well deserved farewell bath to a plane with Air Berlin colors :) D-ABFC landing on runway 05... Arriving at the stand with the fire department trucks waiting for the welcome bath... F/O filming... feel happy for the Air Berlin crew. Glad to see you still in bussiness. Wish you the best of lucks!  Ending the bath...curious about the new airline around here? Well....if they didn't bother to celebrate it, I guess it's not worth mentioning....

Missing Air Berlin?  Well... around here it's still possible to see some airplanes with AB full livery or at least with some small memories on the german airline ;)

Air Berlin made its last flight yesterday...the farewell to an airline that I was used to see around here for many years and definitely one with an important role on Madeira Tourism. Saw it with Boeing and with Airbus, with narrow-bodies and wide-bodies...it was one of the few airlines that, at some point had some regular wide-bodies fligths to Madeira... Bye bye Air Berlin...and the best of luck for all your employees... A few shots of Air Berlin at Madeira during my spotting sessons...maybe not my best shots nor the most important but tryed to go for a wide selections of types, colors and ocasions.... Check all Air Berlin pic's I've published on the blog, HERE  B738 D-ABME with the One World livery take-off, with an amazing rainbow May, 2014 a dificult catch....we waited about 2 years for the oportunity of getting D-ABDU, with the Etihad special livery... Down on the apron, Swiss (former Belair) Air Berlin A320 HB-IOZ A330 D-ALPB, Jan.2009, already o...

Despite we will still have a few more Air Berlin flights during next week, today was most probably my last oportunity to photograph the Air Berlin before the scheduled shut as from Oct.28th 2017... A320 D-ABFG arriving from Berlin-Tegel A321 OE-LCC preparing to return to Munich The stickers resume pretty much the last days of operation to Madeira...Niki callsign, Austrian registration and Niki stickers....I guess not much of Air Berlin left, just the main titles on the fuselage... 

This Week's photo is dedicated to LTU's A330. An airline that was bought by Air Berlin . By the date of this photo (29.Jan.2009) it already flying to Air Berlin, although it still mantained LTU's latest livery. D-ALPB departing from Madeira's runway 23 This memory is of course because the news that came out this week of Air Berlin's long-haul flights beeing terminated, as the planes are beeing returned to the lessors...

A330 D-ABXA landing on runway 23, at Madeira, back in 2015 According to reports, Airberlin will need to cease its long-haul flight operations by 15 October 2017, as the aircraft leasing companies are gradually withdrawing their Airbus A330 jets. According to the info published on their site: " https://www.airberlin.com/en/site/landingpages/flight_information.php " " Adjustments to the airberlin schedule airberlin will need to cease its long-haul flight operations by 15 October 2017, as the aircraft leasing companies are gradually withdrawing their Airbus A330 jets. The connection between Dusseldorf and Los Angeles will therefore be discontinued on 25 September 2017. Further cancellations will follow on 16 October 2017. On 29 September 2017, airberlin will discontinue services between Hamburg and Munich and between Cologne/Bonn and Munich. We regret the inconvenience for our passengers."

On a German day at Madeira, you can't stop asking youself if white is the new German fashion color.... :P Hope not... Tuifly B738 D-AHFV, Air Berlin D-ABAG and Condor A321 D-AIAH

Some days ago, got an "old" Air Berlin that I suppose it's really the image of the airline these last days.... D-ABAG is a plane I remembered getting a few years ago still with an old livery and now it was all white with a sly sticker bearing the airberlin titles and a also a small operated by Tui sticker, all together in a Niki callsign.... D-ABAG landing on runway 05 last August Back in 2009, still with the old livery departing from runway 23 with another Air Berlin taxiing in the back to the same runway....old times...

For today, the landing of Air Berlin (Niki flight, Operated by Tui sticker....) B738 D-ABKM at Madeira's runway 05: The take-off of this plane was already Photo of the Week...check HERE

Saturday was back to the "couves" day :) Couves...(check for it at the portuguese / english translator...lol) is the name of a spot I where I haven't photographed for a long time... Allways nice to get some afternoon take-offs from that spot and with the last news on the Etihad / Tuifly lack of agreement, who knows what will be Air Berlin's future... After a nice landing (pics on that later), the departure was also a nice one...so, first published pic of the year for Air Berlin... Air Berlin / Niki B738 D-ABKM departing from runway 05

As far as I can remember, last time we had a B767 here was las year, in July, with Thomson G-OBYG making a flight to return home some passengers of Black Watch cruise ship that caught fire while on it's way to Madeira (Check HERE ) and the last time I got a Condor 767, I still was shooting with my Bigma (and it was some of its last shots....) check HERE So, a Condor 767 was well worth a run to the airport, even if it was just a "touch and go" before returning to Funchal, on a busy day, even to get one with a regular livery...(Still waiting for a retro, Condor....) B763 D-ABUI, landing at runway 05  Definitely a German day at Madeira...despite the lonely Austrian, there in the middle :)