An interesting article has just appeared on Cincinnati.com‘s website entitled Why CVG lost half of all flight.

As the title suggests, it covers the steady plummet of flights ans passenger numbers at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport since 2003. In the 10 years prior, the airport enjoyed massive success in what, some would say, was an unlikely place ringed by other successful airports.

The success was all down to Delta and their feeder Comair, who introduced the Regional Jet. Between them they kept out low-cost carriers by lowering fares, and then raising them (once the threat was gone) to some of the highest in the country.

Today it is a shadow of its former self. Have a read of the article here:

Why CVG lost half of all flights.

Brett Snyder at the excellent The Cranky Flier blog has posted this observation on the new terminal construction at Sacramento Airport in California.

It makes an interesting read and has some nice pictures of the plans for the building, the work that’s been carried out so far, and the existing (outdated) terminal buildings.

Click the link below to read the full article:

Sacramento’s Big Build Will Create a Monstrously Expensive New Terminal.

Those of you passing through Budapest Ferihegy airport any time soon should see a sight that hasn’t been seen for a while – an Ilyushin IL-14 aircraft in Malev colours.

The aircraft – HA-MAL – is part of the smart little museum collection of Russian types outside the main terminal at the airport.

For many years the aircraft has been in the colours of Hungarian Air Force and registered 04 RED. But now, as you can see from the colours, it has been restored to the 1950s colour scheme of Malev, who used to fly the type.

The team would be happy to accept donations for continuing restoration of the aircraft. Details to follow soon…

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Charleston Airport, in South Carolina, is about to see it’s most important change as Boeing opens its new 787 production line on the site.

Dubbed Boeing South Carolina, the site will take the strain from the Seattle production line, manufacturing the new state-of-the-art aircraft simultaneously. This has proved a necessary step due to the popularity of the aircraft, and the backlog that has built up as the programme has slipped. At the time of writing, Charleston was about to begin constructing its first production models of the 787 as the test models complete the certification process elsewhere.

Charleston is also an important and busy Air Force Base, which is home to the 437th Airlift Wing and their C-17 aircraft. The 315th Airlift Wing is also based here, and also uses these aircraft.

The base takes up most of the airfield site, with a large apron running north to south alongside the associated buildings and hangars. There is a small airpark with a number of preserved aircraft related to the base.

On the south side of the airfield, alongside the new Boeing plant, is the passenger terminal and its two piers. It is served by AirTran, American Eagle, Continental, Delta, United Express and US Airways

This map shows the two main locations for spotting at Charleston Airport. They are:

1. Terminal Car Parks
The car parks outside the passenger terminal each have views over some gates, and the cargo ramp. It is not advised to loiter here for too long, but a quick check from each car park will allow you to log most passenger aircraft and some of the military ramp.

2. Airpark
The small collection of preserved aircraft, known as the Charleston AFB Airpark, is situated alongside runway 15 and has views of aircraft using this runway. The collection is worth seeing.

Frequencies
Ground            121.9
Tower            126.0
Approach (151-330)    120.7
Approach (331-150)    135.8
Approach        119.3
Clearance Delivery    127.325
ATIS            124.75

For more information on Charleston, and nearly 70 other US airports, Airport Spotting Guides USA is an excellent resource book packed full of information.

Southend Airport is a great place to catch up with airliners that are in transition from one airline to another due to the maintenance and painting work that is regularly carried out there on behalf of a number of leasing companies and airlines.

The airport is only 40 miles from central London, and has tried to bill itself as London Southend in order to attract new airline services. At the moment, only seasonal flights are operated to Jersey with Flybe Q400′s.

There are a number of smaller cargo operators passing through the airport on a daily basic.

For the spotter, Southend has many nooks and crannies to explore and you’ll often find aircraft hidden in different places. Most prominent will be those parked around the terminal, and outside the spray hangars. These are the easiest to spot, simply by following signs to the airport terminal and entering the car park to the side.

After this, if you follow signs to the Southend Flying Club, it will bring you to another vantage point with views of other aircraft parked outside the hangars or on the main apron.

Next, it’s wise to head to the opposite side of the airfield, where many other aircraft are stored or receiving maintenance. In recent years, there have always been a large number of BAe 146 and Avro RJ airliners here at any time, with other HS.748 and BAe ATP aircraft to compliment them. Sadly the number of aircraft in residence here – particularly the more exciting Boeing 707s, 727s and 737s have all but gone now.

To reach the opposite side, drive back to the airport entrance and turn right onto Eastwoodbury Lane. Follow this past the runway end, and turn right along Aviation Way (next to the church). If you follow this road, you will eventually come to a dead end, but on your right you will see many vantage points to quickly log and photograph aircraft on the various ramps. Don’t loiter too long as it may cause suspicion.

Here are some recent photos from Southend:

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