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Qatar Airways operate their inaugural Boeing 787 flight from Doha to Birmingham Airport‏

Pictured with a celebratory cake replicating the iconic Museum of Islamic Art in Doha are, left to right; Richard Oliver,
Qatar Airways Country Manager U.K. & Ireland; His Excellency Mr. Ajay Sharma, U.K Ambassador to Qatar; Paul Kehoe,
Chief Executive Officer of Birmingham Airport; Dr. Hugh Dunleavy, Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer; His Excellency
Mr. Hamad Al Muftah, Qatari Deputy Ambassador to the U.K. and Jonathan Harding, Qatar Airways Senior Vice President NSW Europe
Qatar Airways has today, Wednesday 30 March 2016, inaugurated the airline’s fourth United Kingdom
gateway with the start of direct flights between Doha and Birmingham connecting the city with more
than 150 destinations worldwide

The addition of Birmingham marks the fourth UK gateway for Qatar Airways after London Heathrow, Manchester
and Edinburgh, with the eight weekly services operated by a Boeing 787 "dreamliner" aircraft

The inaugural flight touched down at sunrise was greeted by a traditional water salute while Qatar Airways’ Chief
Commercial Officer Dr. Hugh Dunleavy, who travelled on board the inaugural flight with UK Ambassador to Qatar
Mr. Ajay Sharma, were greeted at the arrival gate by Birmingham Airport’s Chief Executive Officer, Paul Kehoe

Qatar Airways' inaugural flight to Birmingham touched down at sunrise and was greeted by a traditional water salute
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: "We are delighted to commence
services to Birmingham, our fourth UK gateway. This vibrant and economically powerful region represents an
important addition to our worldwide network and is a testament to our commitment to the UK. Passengers now
have access to more than 150 global destinations, accessed via 73 flights per week from the UK, facilitated by
smooth transfers through our home and hub, Hamad International Airport, Doha"

Birmingham Airport Chief Executive, Paul Kehoe said: "We are extremely excited to be welcoming Qatar Airways
to Birmingham. Connecting the economically vibrant West Midlands region with the rapidly developing capital city
of Doha will be beneficial to passengers at both ends of the route. The large selection of onward connections
on Qatar’s network gives our travellers access to more of the most popular destinations around the world

Qatar Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, Dr. Hugh Dunleavy (right), who travelled on board the inaugural flight
from Doha was greeted on arrival by Birmingham Airport’s Chief Executive, Paul Kehoe
The Birmingham route is operated by a Boeing 787 "dreamliner" in a two-cabin configuration, comprising of
22 seats in Business Class and 232 Economy Class seats. All seats include individual television screens, with
Economy Class customers benefitting from a screen 10.6 inches wide, offering the latest inflight entertainment
comprised of up to 3,000 options, complimented by the airline’s award-winning service

Connections between countries such as Pakistan and Australia from Birmingham have never been easier
thanks to Qatar Airways. In Pakistan, the airline serves seven destinations including Karachi, Multan, Faisalabad,
Sialkot, Peshawar and Islamabad. From 2 March 2016 the airline commenced a new service to Sydney, Australia
and from 2 May 2016 Adelaide will also complement the existing Perth and Melbourne services

Qatar Airways weekly schedule from Wednesday 30 March 2016 

Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday:
Birmingham (BHX) to Doha (DOH) departure 08:55 arrival 17:35
Doha (DOH) to Birmingham (BHX) departure 01:30 arrival 06:50

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday:
Birmingham (BHX) to Doha (DOH) departure 16:20 arrival 01:00 (next day)
Doha (DOH) to Birmingham (BHX) departure 07:00 arrival 12:20

Wednesday 30 March 2016
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Wednesday 30 March 2016 - Qatar Boeing 787-8 A7-BDA operates their inaugural flight from Doha

Qatar Airways Boeing 787-8 A7-BDA arrives on their inaugural flight from Doha
receiving a water canon salute from the Birmingham Airport Fire Service
More photos later
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Blue Air operate their inaugural twice weekly flight from Bucharest, Romania, to Birmingham Airport

The cabin crew operating the inaugural Blue Air flight from Birmingham to Bucharest are pictured celebrating
the arrival of the new airline and route with William Pearson, Aviation Development Director, Birmingham Airport
 Blue Air, Romania’s largest hybrid carrier, today, Tuesday 29 March 2016 launched twice
 weekly flights to Bucharest from Birmingham. Operating Boeing 737 aircraft, the carrier
will fly to the Romanian capital each Tuesday and Saturday
 
William Pearson, Aviation Development Director, Birmingham Airport, said: "Bucharest is
a bustling metropolis and a popular weekend break destination so we are delighted that
Blue Air has recognised the strong business and leisure market from the Midlands. We look
forward to working together to make the route a success over the coming months"
The Blue Air inaugual flight from Bucharest received a traditional water canon salute
 Tudor Constantinescu, Chief Commercial Officer, Blue Air, said: "Since we began our first
service to the UK in 2008, hundreds of thousands of people have been transported between
the two countries. With the growth of the IT industry and trade between the UK and Romania,
and especially Bucharest, we are now looking forward to welcoming even more passengers
on this valuable route. Today’s introduction of twice-weekly flights is an important milestone
for Blue Air and we expect this long-awaited Birmingham link to be among the favourites for
both British and Romanian travellers"
 

Blue Air fleet currently includes 15 aircraft and this summer it will reach a total of 28 Boeing 737
aircraft. At present, Blue Air has three operational bases in Romania and two overseas bases in
Turin, Italy and Larnaca, Cyprus. This summer, Blue Air will operate over 70 routes. The airline
has been operating from United Kingdom since 2008
 
Blue Air will fly to the Romanian capital twice a week using Boeing 737s -
  
Tuesdays:
Depart Bucharest 15:00hrs / Arrive Birmingham 16:30hrs
Depart Birmingham 17:15hrs / Arrive Bucharest 22:35hrs

Saturdays:
Depart Bucharest 07:45hrs / Arrive Birmingham 09:15hrs
Depart Birmingham 10:00hrs / Arrive Bucharest 15:20hrs

Tuesday 29 March 2016

Sunday 27 March 2016 - Emirates Airbus A380-861 A6-EOR operates their inaurgural A380 flight

Emirates Airbus A380-861 A6-EOR departs off Runway 15 on their inaugural A380 flight to Dubai....

.... it had earlier arrived to a water canon salute

.... from the Birmingham Airport Fire Service

The arrival was watched by hundreds of spectators around the airport....

.... as the aircraft touched down on Runway 15

Welcome to Birmingham Airport!!

After a two hour stay the aircraft was on its way again....

.... with a large crowd in Sheldon Country Park

.... to watch the aircraft climb away off Runway 15

.... passing the Air Traffic Control Tower on its way to Dubai

#A380Birmingham
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Norwegian marks its first anniversary at Birmingham Airport by increasing its weekly flights to Malaga

Norwegian is the fastest growing airline at Birmingham Airport having launched more
new routes than any other airline over the past year. Norwegian is marking its one year
anniversary since taking off from Birmingham Airport for the first time by increasing flights
to Malaga for the summer and putting on sale the first of its winter flights

Over 125,000 passengers have flown with Norwegian to five destinations from Birmingham
- Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga and since November, Tenerife and Gran Canaria. From June,
Norwegian will increase its service to Malaga with four weekly flights

Thomas Ramdahl, Chief Commercial Officer at Norwegian said: "Our first year at Birmingham
has flown by and has seen Norwegian become the fastest growing carrier at the airport. Our
unique combination of high quality, low fares and free Wi-Fi is setting us apart as passengers
in Birmingham continue to take advantage of our services

William Pearson, Aviation Development Director at Birmingham Airport said: "Norwegian has
excelled at Birmingham Airport over the last year.  This rapid expansion has earned Norwegian
the title of our fastest growing airline. This is not surprising as Norwegian offers an excellent
and affordable product to passengers combined with a growing choice of popular Spanish
destinations including Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Tenerife and Gran Canaria"

"We congratulate the airline on its outstanding 12 months here and we look forward to seeing
further exciting new routes and services. We are confident that Norwegian will go from strength
-to-strength and continue seeing increasing demand from passengers for seats on its expanding
list of top destinations"

Norwegian first launched flights from Birmingham in March 2015 and has grown to become
the 16th largest airline operating at Birmingham Airport
Tuesday 29 March 2016

The Emirates Airbus A380 is coming to Birmingham from Sunday 27 March 2016 - when and where to see it

Emirates will be launching a daily Airbus A380 "super jumbo" flight from Dubai
to Birmingham Airport on Easter Sunday 27 March 2016....

.... the Airbus A380 will replace the Boeing 777-300ER on their lunch time
service and will arrive daily at 1220 - departing back to Dubai at 1420
 
During its daily visit to Birmingham the Emirates Airbus A380 will park at the
end of the International Pier on "Stand 54C"....

.... where an additional "double decker" air bridge has been installed to allow
passengers direct access to the upper deck of the Airbus A380

Where to see the Emirates Airbus A380

When Runway 15 is in use - aircraft landing from the north/taking off to the south

Sheldon Country Park surrounds the north end of the airfield and allows excellent views
of aircraft landing, taking off and on the runway with plenty of free car parking

The roof of the Multi Storey Car Park on the Elmdon/Sheldon side of the airport gives
panoramic views over the whole airfield and runway - it costs £3.50 for two hours

When Runway 33 is in use - aircraft landing from the south/taking off to the north

There is a network of public footpaths on the south side of the A45 - accessible from Catherine
de Barnes Lane/Clock Lane, Bickenhill, that give an excellent view of the South end of Runway 33

There is also an on-site "Viewing Area" in Car Park 5 that is right next to the Runway
and the Taxiway the Emirates Airbus A380 will use to depart

Beware - while this is the closest view you can get of an Airbus A380 anywhere
in the UK on-airport parking is expensive - it costs £4.70 an hour in this Car Park

NOTE - the Runway in use will be determined by the wind direction - if the wind is from the
North/West then Runway 33 will be use - from the South/East then Runway 15 will be used

Emirates Airbus A380 at Birmingham - Photo competition 

Emirates have organised a photo competition to mark the start of their Airbus A380
from Dubai to Birmingham - details of this will appear on their Facebook page at -

https://www.facebook.com/Emirates/
  
- on Saturday morning - more information will also be on their Twitter and Instagram
accounts - if you add a photo use the hash tag #A380Birmingham

Thursday 24 March 2016

Friday 25 March 2016 - Air India Express Boeing 737-86N VT-GHA arrives on its delivery flight

Air India Express Boeing 737-86N VT-GHA was an early morning arrival from Toronto on its delivery flight
from Seattle to India - the aircraft will now night stop at BHX and continue its journey on Saturday
More photos later!
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Tuesday 22 March 2016 - Emirates Airbus A380-861 F-WWSJ arrives from Finkenwerder, Hamburg

Emirates Airbus A380-861 F-WWSJ was an afternoon arrival from Finkenwerder, Hamburg.... Photo: Mike Hollick

.... the German home of Airbus - it was operating a "test flight" in preparation for Emirates launching

.... daily Airbus A380 flights from Dubai to Birmingham on Sunday 27 March 2016 - after landing on Runway 15

.... the aircraft turned onto Taxiway Sierra displaying its full wing span

.... and "double deck" fuselage!

Big at BHX! - after holding on Taxiway Sierra for some tests - while wearing....

....a French registration for the flight this new Aircraft it is due to become A6-EOW when it is delivered to Emirates

.... it then continued along Taxiway Echo round onto Delta

.... parking on Stand 54C which has had an additional air bridge fitted - it will
remain on Stand at BHX until it returns to Finkenwerder at 1800 on Wednesday

Eurowings Airbus A320-214 D-AEWC operated their morning service to Dusseldorf....

.... departing off Runway 33 - its first visit to BHX

Norwegian Boeing 737-8JP EI-FJJ was an afternoon arrival from Tenerife operating their Monday evening
service that had been delayed nearly 24 hours by the French ATC dispute - it was also on its first visit to BHX

Gulfstream V N626JE was a morning arrival from Farnborough....

.... parking on the Elmdon apron before departing to San Francisco Photo: Mike Hollick
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Friday 18 March 2016 - Bombardier C Series CS100 C-FFCO is a morning visitor from Zurich

Bombardier C Series CS100 C-FFCO was a morning visitor operating a route proving flight from Zurich....

.... the aircraft is currently based in Zurich performing a series of flights in conjunction with Swiss who
are the first European customer for the C Series - this was the first visit of this type of aircraft to BHX
More photos later
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Sunday 13 March 2016 - Wamos Air ex Monarch Airbus A330-243 G-EOMA departs to Teruel, Spain

Wamos Air Airbus A330-243 G-EOMA which will become EC-MJS in due course was a morning departure....

.... to Teruel in Spain - this brought to an end of Airbus A330 and wide body aircraft operations by Monarch
who now have a fleet of Airbus A320s and A321s until they receive their first new Boeing 737MAXs in 2018

Enter Air Boeing 737-43Q SP-ENI was a morning departure to Kiruna in Sweden via Newcastle
operating a one off IT/inclusive tour flight to the Arctic

easyJet Airbus A320-214 G-EZTH which had arrived from Agadir in the early hours of the morning
after it diverted in from Gatwick due to fog positioned out

Ryanair Boeing 737-8AS EI-FOO operated their morning service to Dublin - its first visit to BHX

Eurowings "Sharklet" Airbus A320-214 D-AEWA operated their flight to Hamburg - another first to BHX
although the registration had previous been used on a Eurowings BAe 146-300 - photo here - while....

Eurowings Canadair CRJ 900LR D-ACNQ operated their afternoon flight from Dusseldorf

Thomas Cook "Sharklet" Airbus A321-211 G-TCDB operated their flight to Arrecife

flybe/Stobart Air ATR 72-212A EI-REM operated their service from the Isle of Man

Small Planet Airbus A320-233 SP-HAH operated their flight to Paderborn

easyJet Switzerland Airbus A319-111 HB-JYM operated their afternoon flight to Geneva
- a first visit as such although the aircraft had previously visited as G-EZGH

Titan Boeing 757-256 G-ZAPX which is now in their new colour scheme
operated their weekly IT/inclusive tour flight to Chambery
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