Wednesday 4 February 2015 - Marine Nationale/French Navy Falcon 10MER 101 is an afternoon visitor

Marine Nationale/French Navy Falcon 10MER 101 was an afternoon visitor arriving
from Bergen and continuing onto Landivisiau Naval Air Base in Brittany Photo: Brett Allen

Beechjet Premier 1 M-GDRS made a brief afternoon visit to the Elmdon apron

Network Rail Twin Squirrel 2 G-NLDR was an afternoon arrival parking up to night stop
- it is operated on behalf of Network Rail by PDG Helicopters

Ukraine Air Alliance Antonov 12BP UR-CGW which arrived from Graz on Tuesday evening spent the day parked up

Birmingham Airport welcomes Thomas Cook Airlines first ever father and daughter flight crew

Last December, Thomas Cook Airlines welcomed the first of its new Airbus A321 aircraft

to be based at Birmingham Airport, and today, Friday 6 February 2015, another first takes

off from the airport – on board the same aircraft

Taking control on the flight deck of the A321 and flying holidaymakers from Birmingham

to Tenerife, was Thomas Cook Airlines’ first ever Father-and-Daughter flight crew

Captain Peter Elliott, one of the airlines’ most senior pilots, and his daughter, Senior First

Officer Laura Elliott, who recently returned to the airline, flew together for first time on

board the new aircraft

Speaking about this remarkable coincidence, SFO Laura Elliott said, "It’s pure chance that

we’ve been rostered on the same flight – I’ve recently come back to Thomas Cook Airlines

and with my Dad moving over to fly the same type of aircraft as me, we were hoping it

would happen one day.  We’re both very proud and we’re really happy to be sharing this

with the airport, our colleagues on board and our customers flying with us"

With 15,500 hours of flying and a pilot trainer for 25 years, Captain Elliott will take command

of the aircraft having moved from operating Boeing to Airbus aircraft ahead of Thomas Cook

Airlines bringing more A321 to Birmingham in 2015.  Alongside him, SFO Elliott joined Thomas

Cook Airlines as a cadet in 2009 and has acquired over 2,500 hours on Airbus type aircraft

Over the last few months, Thomas Cook Airlines has added six brand new Airbus A321 aircraft

to its UK fleet, and this is set to continue in 2015 with three further deliveries from Airbus as

part of the 25 aircraft being delivered to the Thomas Cook Group Airlines by 2016

With the airlines new fleet based at airports across the UK , Birmingham Airport is featuring

the new aircraft in the airlines new Sunny Heart livery.  This follows the news in July last year

that the airline would base four Airbus aircraft at Birmingham in Summer 2015, replacing the

outgoing Boeing 757 fleet - this summer the airline will offer 47,000 more flight seats and

holidays to customers in the Midlands

www.thomascookairlines.com

Friday 6 February 2015

Tuesday 3 February 2015 - Royal New Zealand Air Force Beechcraft T-6C Texans depart to Bournemouth

The two Royal New Zealand Air Force Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIs that had arrived on Monday
departed to Bournemouth after a change of plan - first to go was N2763B/(NZ1408)....

.... followed by N2770B/(NZ1409) Photos: Nick Broome

.... both aircraft had spent the night on the Elmdon apron and had originally
been expected to depart to Naples, Italy Photo: Brett Allen

Friday 30 January 2015 - Monarch Airbus A320-214 G-ZBAA now repainted into Frontier colours

"Sharklet" Airbus A320-214 G-ZBAA is towed back to the Monarch hangar in the afternoon sun
after performing some engine runs…. Photo: Mike Hollick

…. it had earlier arrived back from Bournemouth after being painted into Frontier Airlines
colour scheme - the US airline based in Denver - unfortunately with an all white tail

…. parking on the crowded apron in front of the hangar that also included Airbus A319-115CJ G-NMAK,
Monarch Airbus A321-231 G-OZBS - that is due to go to Aegean Airlines - and West Atlantic Airlines
Boeing 767-232SF now wears registration N747AX again (rather than SE-RLA)

Bright Flight Antonov 26B LZ-FLL made it second visit when it positioned in from Valencia to collect....

.... a Red Bull car as testing starts for the 2015 "Formula1" motor racing season Photos: Mike Hollick

Arcus Air Embraer Phenom 100 D-IAAD which had diverted in from East Midlands due
to snow on Thursday was a morning departure to Berne while....

London Executive Cessna 510 Mustang G-LEAB was a day stopping visitor to the Elmdon apron Photos: Mike Hollick

Monday 2 February 2015 - Two Royal New Zealand Air Force Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIs arrive from Iceland

Two Royal New Zealand Air Force Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIs where afternoon arrivals
from Keflavik, Iceland, on their long delivery flight from the US to New Zealand....

.... first to land was N2770B Photo: Nick Broome

.... which will become "NZ1409" Photo: Mike Hollick

.... followed in by N2763B Photo: Nick Broome

.... which will become "NZ1408" Photo: Mike Hollick

.... with both aircraft parking up to night stop on the Elmdon apron - they are expected to continue to

Naples, Italy, on Tuesday morning - note destination later changed to Bournemouth Photo: Mike Hollick

Valair Embraer Phenom 100 CS-DTC was a day stopping visitor from Geneva....

.... while GlobeAir Cessna 510 Mustang was a morning arrival parking up to night stop Photos: Mike Hollick

DHL Air Boeing 767-3JHF G-DHLE arrived in the early hours of Monday morning on
its first visit to BHX for attention by Monarch Aircraft Engineering initially parking on
Stand 82 on the terminal side of the airport - it was later towed across to the hangar

Saturday 31 January 2015 - Thomson Boeing 787-8 G-TUIG makes its first visit to BHX

Thomson Boeing 787-8 G-TUIG was an early morning arrival on its first visit to BHX when it positioned in....

.... from Manchester to cover for the later arrival of G-TUIA - it then operated their flight to Barbados
its first revenue service having only arrived in the UK on delivery from the US on Friday morning

Austrian Airlines Airbus A320-214 OE-LBP which wears their 1958 "retro" colour scheme....

.... again operated their weekly IT flight to Innsbruck

Former ABX Air Boeing 767-232SF now wears registration N747AX again - while it had been
towed out of the Monarch Hangar on Wednesday with West Atlantic Airlines titles and marked
as SE-RLA - photo here - it remains on the US Register as N747AX

Sunday 1 February 2015 - Vulkan Air Antonov 26B EW-378TG is a morning departure to Jerez

Vulkan Air Antonov 26B EW-378TG which had arrived on Saturday was a morning departure to Jerez
taking a Lotus "Formula1" car out as testing starts for the 2015 motor racing season.... Photo: Mike Hollick

.... the aircraft is operated on behalf of South African based Vulkan Air by Grodno Aviakompania
and had previously visited BHX when it was YL-RAE with RAF Avia

AirExplore Boeing 737-8Q8 OM-FEX was a morning arrival from Copenhagen as it positioned
back to BHX after flying for Danish airline Jettime

Thursday 29 January 2015 - Bright Flight Antonov 26B LZ-FLL is a morning visitor to the Elmdon apron

Bright Flight Antonov 26B LZ-FLL was an early morning visitor to the Elmdon apron operating a
priority freight charter - it had previously visited as HA-TCV when it was with CityLine Hungary

Tuesday 13 January 2015 - Embraer Legacy N809TD is a late afternoon visitor to the Elmdon apron

Embraer Legacy N809TD was a late afternoon arrival on the Elmdon apron from Farnborough....

.... after a short stop it continued onto Teterboro, New York, via Gander Photo: Mike Hollick

Topjet Beechcraft 400XP I-TOPX which had arrived on Monday was an afternoon departure

Air France Airbus A321-212 F-GTAJ operated their morning service to Paris CDG

Eastern BAe Jetstream 41 G-MAJT operated their morning service to Newcastle

Monday 12 January 2015 - Valair Embraer Phenom 100 CS-DTC is a day stopping visitor to the Elmdon apron

Valair Embraer Phenom 100 CS-DTC was a day stopping visitor to the Elmdon apron

Topjet Beechcraft 400XP I-TOPX was a morning arrival parking up to night  stop Photo: Mike Hollick

Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-8F2 TC-JVG operated their morning flight to Istanbul

Sunday 11 January 2015 - Germanwings Airbus A319-132 D-AGWW makes its first visit to BHX

Germanwings Airbus A319-132 D-AGWW operated their flight to Hamburg - its first visit to BHX

Titan Boeing 757-256 G-POWH operated their weekly ski IT/inclusive tour flight from Chambery

Saturday 10 January 2015 - Austrian Airbus A320-214 OE-LBP flying in their 1958 "retro" colour scheme

Austrian Airlines Airbus A320-214 OE-LBP again operated their weekly IT flight to Innsbruck....

.... the aircraft wears their 1958 "retro" scheme to mark the airlines 50th anniversary in 2008

easyJet Swiss Airbus A319-111 HB-JZI operated their morning service to Geneva while....

easyJet Airbus A320-214 G-EZUW operated their afternoon service from Geneva - its first visit to BHX

Air India Boeing 787-8 VT-ANE which had gone "tech" on arrival on Thursday spent
the day parked up on Stand 86C before departing back to Delhi during the evening

West Air Europe/Atlantic Airlines BAe ATP G-MANO positioned in to spend the day parked up on the
Elmdon apron in preparation for operating the Sunday morning newspaper flight to the Isle of Man

Monarch Boeing 757-2T7 G-MONJ has now been moved to Stand 502 on the Elmdon apron