Planes and stuff

For the first post (and photos) of the year, a first.... The first time I got Air Baltic at night (also believe it was the first time they flew here during the night but, not sure on that...their flights arrive at Madeira in the morning...) Unfortunally we're still waiting for one of its special liveries... A220 YL-ABT about to start the push-back, for the return flight to Riga... finishing the push-back...runway in use, 23... An extra...on a night-stop, an hybrid: Air Horizont with Air Seven livery, B734 9H-TIA..too bad about the stairs in front... The only other time I got an A220 during the night was back in 2022, with Swiss A220 HB-JCB ( HERE )

Enter Air SP-EXE B737 MAX8 arriving from Katowice with Bonza Airlines hybrid livery, although less hybrid than some time ago...titles already gone and LOT winglets also got a white circle... Built for LOT (note the winglets) but not accepted, it went as a VH-UBI to Bonza Airlines where it was in storage for a few months before finally joining the Enter Air fleet. With fellow airline SP-ESK, that arrived from Warsaw and Eurowings D-ABDU

Smartwings B7308 OK-TVR departing from Madeira's runway 05 to Prague. Detail on winglets, with Travel Service colors and the green part on the tail...

Estava um dia destes a falar com outro spotter relativamente a pinturas Sata e mencionando os 737 deles, lembrei-me desta foto, já de 2004, quando comecei a fotografar... Como ainda não a tinha publicado no blog, tentei tratá-la novamente, a ver se entretanto ficava um pouco melhor que o tratamento que lhe tinha dado originalmente (ao nível das cores e sombras/brilhos), além da resolução (1200x800...nessa altura tratava as fotos para 1024x683) Sata B733 CS-TGP "híbrido", com um nariz TAP, da altura em que a companhia de bandeira portuguesa também utilizava este modelo.... Só por curiosidade, na altura utilizava uma Canon 300D, com uma lente 70-300, da Sigma. Entretanto, fui ver o que era feito deste aparelho...foi sucateado em Agosto de 2020, depois de ter passado também pela Jet2, como G-GDFE. Numa pesquisa rápida, não encontrei nenhuma foto dele por cá ao serviço da Jet2 mas, ainda vou procurar melhor...

 A couple of shots of the arrival of TAP A320NEO CS-TVE, coming to a stop on runway 23 With Enter Air / New Gen Airways hybrid B738 SP-ESK taxiing to runway 23, on Bravo

A few shots of the other Sunwing B738 on summer service for TUI Nederland, which also looks nice...C-FTDW Second time I got it...the first was already almost dark (check HERE ) arriving on runway 23 entering trough taxiway "Charlie"

Time for a new photo of the week...almost at the end of summers season (probably not long for this one to return to Canada) finally managed to make a few shots on this great livery. Leased to Sunwing Airlines by TUI Nederlands, B738 C-FDBD is carrying the Sunny Cars livery, which looks really nice and colorful. Allways a great catch! Seen here arriving from Amsterdam, about to land on runway 05

As already expected, Thomas Cook went down...unfurtunatelly they didn't managed to get the required funding and shut down the operations... Regarding the airlines of the group, Thomas Cook UK was also shutdown and Thomas Cook Scandinavia has suspended operations...some still say there's a probability that the Scandinavian airline will resume activity...I guess we'll have to wait and see... Condor, a major airline flying to Madeira, for now as kept flying, and annouced it was seeking a government-backed bridging loan to preserve liquidity after the collapse of associated tour operator Thomas Cook...let's hope that works out... Regarding Thomas Cook Balearics..it looks like it's still flying also, for now... Thomas Cook UK A321 G-TCDM on final to runway 05, September 2018: Thomas Cook Balearics A320 EC-MTJ on final to runway 05, April 2018: Thomas Cook Scandinavia A321 OK-TVA landing on runway 23, back in November 2011 Thomas Cook with the "r...

Back to Madeira, from last month, a couple of Condor pic's, lining up on runway 05, in the morning... (yeah...not the regular heart livery, for a change...) A320 D-AICA, still with the retro livery, back from the 50's Hybrid Afriqiyah / Small Planet A320 performing a Condor flight

More than ever, aviation is a global business :) This is specially visible during summer season, when airlines try to get planes wherever they are to answer the high levels of demand... From last week, a plane that really meets the "Global Inc." spirit, with a great looking mix :) An hybrid, still with the livery of Libyan Afriqiyah Airways, with Small Planet titles, Lithuania registration, leased to a german airline (Condor)... A320 LY-ONJ on short final to runway 05, with a shy sun, hiting the right spot, on the plane...

Yeah...I know it's a corny title... ;) Anyway, just as Thomas Cook Uk resumed its flights to Madeira I tought of getting this one. After all, allways liked Monarch's livery (specially on the A321) and (in my opinion) this hybrid livery looks a lot better than the regular Thomas Cook one.... Despite the good weather a few km from the airport, at LPMA it was dark and raining... Didn't managed to get the landing but, still managed a quick touch&go of my own for its departure... G-TCVB (former Monarch's G-ZBAE) pushing back to ruway 05 Departure with the beacons :) Not too shiny but still, hardly ever get them, so it's nice enough :)

You know you're getting lazy on the pics when you realise you are about to delete a card with the pics of a one time catch and still haven't copied them to you HDD....almost one month later... Still, managed to save them... Tui Nederlands (Arke) made some flights to Madeira using Sunwing hybrid planes. Already had caught C-FTOH (check HERE ) but after spotting C-GOWG over Amsterdam (high on the sky) they finally brought it to Madeira at least a couple of times...got it once... Landing on 05 A colorful TUI apron :) (Tuifly's CEWE, D-ATUH still with the white nose, after its birdstrike the previous week, at Madeira)

Reparei hoje que a Travel Service tem um dos seus aparelhos com pintura híbrida Travel Service / Oman Air (acabado de regressar, após aluguer de Inverno àquela companhia). A única vez que tive oportunidade de fotografar um híbrido Oman Air foi já em 2009, o  G-CEJP da Flyglobespan , companhia que entretanto faliu no final desse ano (Dezembro 2009)... Mais alguns registos desse dia, AQUI

Hybrid planes are allways nice catch, specially if the main livery is of an airline that doesn't visit us... :) This week we got lucky with the Travel Service flight from Innsbruck/Vienna to Madeira as it was carried through by OK-TVU, a Smartwings B738 still with the full Air Transat titles / tail. A big thumbs up to Christoph for the heads-up on this one! ;) After a morning with several diverted planes due to cross winds, on the afternoon, the traffic was already landing without much trouble... landing runway 05 arriving at the gates with Thomson B738 G-TAWP on its side.

While browsing some older pics, found these couple of shots from June 2014 of OLT Express / Niki hybrid landing on runway 05 at late afternoon... Thought that I'd already shared it here but looks like I hadn't... OE-LEL was trying out a diferent spot, on higher ground...it's a nice one...have to try it some more...

Hybrids are always nice catches. Travel Service 's OK-TSL has been coming to Madeira  for some time but, only yesterday managed to get it, on its departure back to Prague. On taxiway Charlie , entering runway 05 The inside of the winglets still showing Canjet titles

Today, Transavia's flight from Amsterdam was carried through by something a little bit different: PH-HZA that's still "wearing" an hybrid livery of the Kulula Airlines. It fits really nice on the Transavia livery! They should think of updating its livery with some of this green. Unfortunately, while I was at the airport, this would have to be the only plane landing while the sun was behind clouds....crap!! After the landing, went to the airport's balcony... PH-HZA in the apron with its "French brother", Transavia France F-GZHB landing in the back, from Lyon / Porto Unfortunately, looks like there are plans for closing this amazing balcony, with the remodeling of the terminal that it's schedulled to start in 2015..... It's one of Madeira's Ex-Libris...hope they reconsider this... Pushing-back to runway 05