Thursday 31 October 2013 - RAF BAe 146 CC2 ZE700 makes an afternoon visit to the Elmdon apron

RAF BAe 146 CC2 ZE700 was an afternoon arrival....

.... making a brief visited to the Elmdon apron before departing to Cardiff Photo: Mike Hollick

Sikorsky S 92 G-LAWX was an afternoon visitor with the passengers transferring to.... Photo: Mike Hollick

.... Boeing 737-73T BBJ N500LS which was soon on its way to the US

Aviation Beauport Cessna 510 Mustang G-XAVB and....

.... BAe 125-1000B G-GDEZ made brief visits Photos: Mike Hollick

PIA Boeing 777-240LR AP-BGY operated their flight from Islamabad - a rare visit by a long range "77L" to BHX

Wednesday 30 October 2013 - Royal Jet Boeing 737-7Z5 BBJ A6-RJZ spends the day parked up

Royal Jet Boeing 737-7Z5 BBJ A6-RJZ which arrived on Tuesday evening spent the day....

.... parked up on the Elmdon apron next to Boeing 737-73T BBJ N500LS Photos: Mike Hollick

VistaJet Challenger 605 OE-INM was an afternoon visitor departing to Farnborough

Freebird Airbus A320-232 TC-FBR operated their weekly flight to Antalya

Germanwings Airbus A319-112 D-AKNG operated their flight to Berlin Tegel - this aircraft
had previously visited BHX several times when they served Cologne in 2005/06

Monarch Aircraft Engineering completes final testing of new facility - first aircraft visits the new hangar

Monarch Aircraft Engineering (MAEL), the award-winning independent aircraft maintenance provider
has announced that it has completed the commissioning testing for aircraft maintenance at its new
110,000 square foot state-of-the-art maintenance facility at Birmingham Airport in the UK

The new facility is large enough to accommodate two Boeing 777-300ER aircraft or up to 10 narrow
-body aircraft and contains a number of component-repair shops - its size was put into context for
the first time on Tuesday 29 October 2013 when Monarch Airlines Airbus A320-214 G-OZBW was
towed from the terminal at Birmingham Airport onto the new parking stand in front of the hangar....

.... it then became the first aircraft to go inside the hangar to allow final testing to be completed

Commenting on this milestone, Mick Adams, Managing Director of MAEL, said, "I am delighted that we
have opened the hangar doors to the first aircraft in advance of our busy winter maintenance program,
and it was highly appropriate that it was one of Monarch Airlines aircraft to cross the hangar threshold
for the first time. This was a very special moment for the entire team who continue to work tirelessly
to ensure there is a seamless transition to full maintenance operations next Monday. This is another
Monarch Aircraft Engineering project that will be delivered on time, in  budget – safely"

This important milestone is one of the final stages of testing in readiness for next week when on
Monday 4 November 2013 four aircraft - including a Monarch Airlines Airbus A300B4-605R - will
arrive to undergo maintenance in the new Hangar at Birmingham Airport. The new facility
incorporates high levels of technology and will have an industry-leading approach to maintaining
aircraft.  In the last week, MAEL has been providing specialist training and inducting highly skilled
aircraft engineers all of whom will be reporting for aircraft maintenance duties from day one

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Hangar Watch - Wednesday 23 October 2013

A view of the new Monarch Aircraft Engineering Hangar which is now complete and
is being fitted out taken from the terminal side of the airport looking across the runway

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Saturday 26 October 2013 - Hangar8 Challenger 604 G-RCAV is an afternoon arrival on the Elmdon apron

Hangar8 Challenger 604 G-RCAV was an afternoon arrival parking up to night stop

Network Rail Squirrel 2 G-NETR is currently based operating a series of local flights

Aer Lingus Regional/Aer Arann ATR 72-201 EI-REH operated their final service from Knock
- flybe take over the route from Sunday 27 October 2013

Air Bright Antonov 26B LZ-ABR was a lunchtime arrival operating another charter from Prague....

.... it is still in its "The Expendables 3" colour scheme

.... and parked up on the Elmdon apron

.... before positioning out to Katowice to collect another load of freight

Saturday 19 October 2013 - Air Bright "Expendables" Antonov 26B LZ-ABR is a morning arrival from Prague

Air Bright Antonov 26B LZ-ABR was a morning arrival from Prague....

.... it has recently been used in the filming of action movie "The Expendables 3"

.... and continues to wear a camouflage colour scheme with a fine set of teeth!

The rear cargo ramp lowered as it taxied onto the Elmdon apron....

.... and it was soon unloaded

Thomson Boeing 757-28A G-OOBD was an afternoon arrival from Stockholm Arlanda
- it wears "TCS and Starquest Expeditions" titles in preparation of winter operations

KLM cityhopper Embraer 190-100LR PH-EZX which is in the "Skyteam" colour scheme
operated their morning flight to Amsterdam

Sunday 20 October 2013 - "F1" Lewis Hamilton's Challenger 605 G-LCDH diverts in from Oxford

TAG Aviation Challenger 605 G-LCDH was a late afternoon arrival when it diverted in due to
poor weather at Oxford - it is operated on behalf of "Formula1" driver Lewis Hamilton....

.... hence the registration G-LCDH being the initials of Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton
- it parked up on the Elmdon apron to night stop at BHX Photos: Nick Broome

Beechjet 400A G-ERIE made a brief morning visit

Netjets Citation Bravo CS-DHQ also visited during the morning

Cirrus SR-22 HA-CIB which had arrived on Friday was a morning departure

Arena Aviation Eurocopter Squirrel G-TVHD was based for the weekend in connection with 
the filming of the "Great Birmingham Run" that took place in Birmingham city centre on Sunday

Germanwings to take over services from Berlin and Hamburg to Birmingham on Sunday 27 October 2013

Germanwings will be returning to Birmingham Airport on Sunday 27 October 2013

when they take over the Lufthansa services from Berlin Tegel and Hamburg...

.... this is part of a Lufthansa Group re branding that will see all their regional

/non Frankfurt and Munich hub services flown under the Germanwings brand

- the routes from Berlin and Hamburg transfer from the start of the winter 2013

schedules - Birmingham to Dusseldorf will become a Germanwings route in 2014

While this change does not result in any additional flights it will mean that

Germanwings branded aircraft will be back at Birmingham - they previously

operated from Cologne to Birmingham between April 2005 and March 2006

The Hamburg flights will continue to be operated by Eurowings Canadair CRJ900s

aircraft with the Berlin Tegel flights being operated by Airbus A319s - some current

Lufthansa aircraft and crew are being transferred to Germanwings

Germanwings schedule at Birmingham from Sunday 27 October 2013

0840/0920 4U8330/8331 319 from/to Berlin Tegel
- operates Monday to Friday - Germanwings
0935/1015 4U8330/8331 319 from/to Berlin Tegel
- operates on Sunday to 3.11.13 - Germanwings
1050/1125 4U7330/7331 CR9 from/to Hamburg
- operates Monday to Friday - Eurowings flying for Germanwings
1415/1455 4U8330/8331 319 from/to Berlin Tegel
- operates on Sunday from 10.11.13 - Germanwings
1445/1520 4U7330/7331 CR9 from/to Hamburg
- operates on Sunday - Eurowings flying for Germanwings

 www.germanwings.com

Monday 21 October 2013

Monday 14 October 2013 - Austrian Dash 8Q-402 OE-LGH flying for Brussles Airlines

Austrian Dash 8Q-402 OE-LGH operated the mid-morning Brussels Airlines flight replacing
the usual OE-LGC - the aircraft now wears Austrian - rather than Austrian Arrows - titles
and is operated on their behalf by Tyrolean

Lufthansa "Sharklet" equipped Airbus A320-214 D-AIZX operated their afternoon service
from Frankfurt - its first visit to BHX

Thomas Cook Boeing 757-28A G-FCLF operated their flight from Las Palmas - its last revenue flight
before it positioning out to Southend prior to return to lessor

Hawker 800XP M-YCEF which has been parked at BHX since mid-August was an afternoon departure

Sunday 13 October 2013 - JOTA Aviation King Air G-JOTA is an afternoon visitor to the Elmdon apron

JOTA Aviation King Air G-JOTA was an afternoon visitor to the Elmdon apron

Specsavers Super King Air M-SPEC was a day stopping visitor

Diamond DA-42 Twin Star G-DSKY made a brief late afternoon visit

Saturday 12 October 2013 - Cello BAe 146-200 G-RAJJ spends the day parked on the Elmdon apron

Cello Aviation BAe 146-200 G-RAJJ spent the day parked on the Elmdon apron....

.... with Hawker 800XP M-YCEF and numerous other aircraft including Flightline Merlin IVA EC-JCV