I saw this tour announced today and it immediately caught my attention. Specialist North Korea tour operator Juche Travel Services have put together a tour of North Korea aimed at aircraft enthusiasts.

As author of the book Last Chance to Fly, the reason it caught my attention so much was the fact that you will get to fly on the Ilyushin IL-62, Antonov AN-24, Ilyushin IL-18 and either Tupolev TU154 or TU204. I would love the chance to do this.

I can guarantee this will be one of your last chances to take a flight on these aircraft, as very few now fly passengers anywhere in the world.

The 7 day tour takes place in May 2012 from Beijing, China, and sees you fly to Pyongyang and a number of domestic airports, whilst taking in the sights and local culture on an excellent itinerary.

The price is EUR 1,675 per person.

Sadly this may be a little expensive for me, so I may not get to fly on these classic airliners. But I hope some of you will give it a go and send us some pictures!

You can read more about it on the Juche Travel Services website http://www.juchetravelservices.com/news.html

Cancun is a popular holiday destination and there are often a lot of requests about places to spot at the airport. Therefore we have this comprehensive guide which comes courtesy of a businessman who regularly visits Cancun, with additional information from Mike Nelson and Mark Birchenough.

Before going on holiday to Mexico, I sought the advice of a number of people on spotting at Cancun.  Back in 2000 when I first visited Cancun, there were one or two places inside the terminal which could be used for spotting.  Everything could be seen as long as it moved, because everything took off and landed on the one runway.  I again visited in 2006, not long after the hurricane which devastated the whole area, but I did not have the opportunity for any extensive spotting except on departure.  Since then the airport has changed substantially, particularly with the addition of the new runway.

I set out below the current situation based on information I have received from others, together with my own observations:

Steve has written this report of his spotting observations after recently passing through Halifax Airport in Canada.

Sitting at the above airport waiting for my flight on the first leg of my journey to Portland OR, first hop being on a Air Georgian B1900D to Moncton NB and then on to Toronto ON on a long Jazz CRJ before finally getting my Air Canada E190 flight to Portland. Front cabin seats today compliments of Continental One Pass;-)

Anyway, since I have a bit of time to kill decided to give a short report on viewing from the terminal here at Halifax or more specifically the public viewing area. Said area which is behind glass is located on the top of the terminal reached via elevator from the main lobby level. In the morning as it is now, the sun is right in one’s face so no good for photos which is what I do but one could log happily away, no seems to care, at least of the occasional John Q Public that have wandered in and out since I have been here. From this spot one can see about 10 gates and what is parked on them although the problem would be ID’ing some them while parked. One can see both runways or parts thereof from here so anything on the move is easy with optics. Later in the day photos would be good from this spot and the glass does not look tinted so as to cause a problem although I have not shot anything to test that statement.

Washrooms are provided and the place is comfortably climate controlled. Food and drink is a short elevator ride away so a civilized place for the essentials.

Traffic is as expected here in Canada with Air Canada using mostly narrow body Airbus and Embraer types and an occasional B763. Jazz use the small Dash 8 and both CRJ models they fly although the operation here is not big and the few Dashes repeat all day. Westjet use mostly the 700 series of their only type but do occasionally use the 600 and 800. Porter are pretty frequent, one nosing up to the gate to my right as I type. I already mentioned my Georgian flight and they are in and out all day with 3 airplanes based here.

On the American front, Delta Connection CRJ’s, American Eagle ERJ’s, United/Continental Express will use E170′s, E145′s and Colgan Dash 8′s depending on the season and the final item I can think of off the top of my head is US Airways Express with E170′s just now but could also be a CRJ.

That about covers the terminal traffic which one can expect to see easily from the viewing area. Of course some traffic from the hangars and FBO’s will be seen on the runways but that traffic is subject for another report on another day;-) Today I must have been blessed as in the hour I have been here I have seen 3 “special” liveries, Jetz and Kids Horizon of Air Canada and the Star Alliance CRJ2 of Jazz. I sure hope that is an omen of things to come in the next 10 days at Portland and Seattle with the home team at those places having lots of special liveries to show me;-)

Now, time to sign off and head through the wall of paranoia, er security and up to the departure lounge where the views are about the same as they are here. Hope this report might be of use to someone in the unlikely event they are actually travelling in this rather remote part of the globe.

I flew back to the UK from holiday in Spain last week. The trip was with Ryanair, from Malaga to Leeds Bradford.

Malaga is now a Ryanair base, and you can tell. I’ve been coming here for 25 years, and for many of them the most you would see of Ryanair was a solitary Boeing 737-200 from Dublin once a day. Nowadays, there always seems to be a 737-800 from the airline at the gates – never more so than during the morning and evening rush hours.

Malaga Airport itself has come on a great deal. Its new terminal is airy and large. I made sure we checked in with plenty of time (persuading the Ryanair agent to check us in three hours ahead of the flight, which is usually not allowed), in order to avoid the usual rush. This gave me time to look around the terminal, which seamlessly joins the early 1990s-era Pablo Picasso Terminal (which itself joins the original international terminal from the 1970s).

The only giveaway is the sandy colour of the old terminal’s walls and floors, whereas the new one is silver.

The new terminal has plenty of places to view the aircraft parked at its stands, and there are places to see aircraft on the remote ramps, military ramp, and parked at the old terminal’s gates.

However, to see anything parked outside the original terminal and on the GA/executive ramp, you’ll need to be in the B gates, which means passing through Passport Control.

Malaga has a new, second, runway which has recently been completed. It is located slightly askew to the existing runway, so not quite parallel. On my visit it looked like it wasn’t far off

opening, with all taxiways, signs and lighting in place (and most importantly, no workmen in sight). You will be able to see aircraft on this runway quite easily from the new terminal, and also from the car parks.

Our flight boarded from B11 at 2150 – the time we were meant to depart. Ryanair seem to operate a bus service, where departing passengers are already waiting to board as the previous passengers deplane. Gone are the days of a 1 hour turnaround!

The flight this evening was on EI-DWY. We departed around 20 minutes late, but the flight was a quick 2 hours 30 minutes, passing over central Spain, western France, the England/Wales border, Manchester, and then across to Leeds Bradford.

We landed with a thump just before midnight. The runway at Leeds always seems a little short – so much so that I was pushing against the seat in front as we slowed down just to steady myself.

All in all a good flight and journey, but I can’t finish without mentioning my gripes about Ryanair forcing you to pay to check in online, and then still making you wait in a line to drop your bag off and ‘check in’ that takes just as long as a regular flight that you haven’t checked in online for!

Regular readers of the blog may know that I recently travelled to Sweden and spent some time at Stockholm’s two airports – in particular Arlanda.

Another big reason for my trip was to fly on the now rare British Aerospace ATP aircraft.

Only one airline currently flies the type in passenger service, and that’s Next Jet, who have three examples flying domestic routes out of Arlanda. Here’s my trip report:

Mark Williams has posted this helpful and informative post on the current spotting situation at Zurich Airport. I hope you find it useful:

Once through immigration on the arrivals floor, head out of the terminal and turn right. You will see signs for the observation hall and ramp tours – simply head towards the hangars and as the road/perimeter fence turns left you will see the cabin on your right. Purchase a ticket from the machine at the entrance on your left if you only want to go to the observation hall (cost 2CHF – the machine accepts notes also although having the correct change might be wise) and then head to the security point where you and your belongings will go through an x-ray machine. Don’t forget you are going airside so the appropriate security measures need to be completed. There was no problem taking bottles of liquid through, especially important as there is only limited vending facilities on the deck itself. Once through, you then wait in a small room for the next bus to take you to the viewing deck atop Terminal E, situated in the middle of theairfield at the heart of the action. Buses are every 30 minutes during the summer weekends, running at 15 and 45 past the hour (the first one being 07:45). Last buses back are at 19:00 and 19:30 with the final departure back to the terminal at 20:00. Please note these are summer weekend times. Check on the excellent Zurich Airport website for winter and weekday schedules. The airport tour, which includes the hangar area, biz jet parking and a stop at the runway intersection for photos is also still available at 8CHF, but I didn’t go on it this time. Make sure you time it well for the bus, as I arrived just a couple of minutes after one had departed and the half hour wait in a stuffy room with very little in the way of views was a touch frustrating.

Arlanda is the busiest airport in Sweden, and the main international gateway to the country. It is one of two airports at Stockholm (the other is Bromma, close to the city centre), and is a busy hub for airlines such as SAS, Norwegian, Skyways, Next Jet and Golden Air.

In addition to these, all major European carriers fly here a number of times per day, plus airlines from the USA, Russia and Asia. Highlights include a daily Thai 747, Qatar A330, Continental/United 757, Delta 757, Rossiya and Aeroflot flights from Russia, and lots of traffic to Eastern Europe and neighbouring Finland, Estonia and Latvia.

Arlanda has three runways – 01L/19R, 01R/19L, 08/26.

I recently spent a couple of days at Arlanda, so got a good sense of the best spots at the airport for watching aircraft. Here are some suggestions:

Runway in use varies a lot depending on the wind, and seems to change at different times of day depending on traffic. Busiest for departures was 19R, whilst landings were mainly on 19L and 26 during my visit.

Spotting Hut
This purpose-built hut is on a rocky outcrop overlooking the airfield. It is fantastic when aircraft are landing on 19L as they fly past you very close. They’ll also taxi a few metres away from you a lot of the time. From this spot you can also see aircraft on the 08/26 runway, and most of the storage area. It is alongside the two preserved Caravelle aircraft.

Runway 26
A road leads past the end of runway 26. You can reach it by going past the Spotting Hut, and then turning left after the lake. Just before the end of the runway is a small track and parking area on the right. This place is great for photographing 26 arrivals, but you won’t see anything else.

Sky City
Sky City is a modern, glass-fronted food court and shopping area between Terminals 4 and 5. It is open to non-passengers and has views across a number of stands, and across to runway 01R/19L. You will see about 90% of movements from here if conditions are right. There is a mezzanine seating area which is both comfortable and has great views!

Terminal 3
The small domestic pier of Terminal 3 is open to anyone to access. You can use it to note aircraft parked on the domestic stands, and also on the cargo ramp and remote parking stands.

Airside
If you’re flying out of  Terminal 5, you have a lot of options for viewing aircraft. The terminal has three piers, so you will have to do some walking to see all aircraft. Large windows front all gate areas. Going to the end of the piers is best if you want to see action on runways 01R/19L and 08/26.

Caravelles
As mentioned earlier, there are Caravelles to see at Arlanda. Two are parked next to the Spotting Hut (easy to photograph). One is parked outside the fire station alongside runway 01R/19L (with its nose missing). You can see it from the spotting hut, but can’t get close enough for photos. The final example is on the fire dump alongside runway 01L/19R. You can see it on the right side of the aircraft when taxying for 19R departures.

Hotels
I stayed at both the Radisson Blu and the Jumbo Hostel (see post here) on my visit. Both had acceptable views of aircraft movements when runway use permitted. Both also gave free wireless internet access, so this made tying up movements easy with Flightradar24 on.

The best, but most expensive, hotel for views is the Radisson Sky City, situated inside the terminal building and looking out on Terminal 4 and part of 5, plus runway 01L/19R.

Another option is the Ibis, which apparently has some distant views.
Tips

• Stockholm Arlanda’s website lists departures and arrivals up to two days in advance, so you can plan what you want to see.
• Food and drink is very expensive in Sweden. I found the small newsagent/convenience stores in Sky City and Terminal 4 to be the best value
• Hire car company offices are located in the car parks (next to Radisson Blu hotel). Take the free bus 17 to get there. This is also a good way of getting around if you’re staying on sit.
• Speed limits in Sweden are much slower than elsewhere, and speeding is heavily policed. Don’t risk it.
• I was occasionally able to pick up free internet in the mezzanine seating area of Sky City.

Whilst visiting Sweden recently, I took the opportunity to spend a night at Stockholm Arlanda’s new novelty item – the Jumbo Hostel!

This Boeing 747-200B was dragged from storage at the airport into a new spot next to a taxiway and the main road to the airport and converted into an upmarket hostel to join the other hotel offerings at Arlanda.

The aircraft (c/n 21162/283) had previously flown with Singapore Airlines (9V-SQE), Pan Am (N727PA), Nationair (C-FNXP), Tower Air (N514DC / N620FF), Air Club International (C-GCIH), Transjet Airways (SE-RBN), and North East Airlines (3D-NEE), before retiring in 2004.

Oscar Diös, a hostel magnate, heard about the aircraft for sale and snapped it up. He set about transforming it by stripping out much of the interior and turning it into a unique hostel.

You can’t really miss the aircraft as it stands high above the road and is visible from the terminal area too. To enter, you climb the steps or use the lift to reach the L1 door. Remember to leave your shoes in the rack at the door as I was told off immediately!

The reception is directly in front of you, next to the original spiral staircase. To the left, in the nose of the aircraft, is the cafeteria area where you can have a drink, watch TV, or have breakfast in the morning (60SEK). To the right, the main cabin of the aircraft has been partitioned into rooms on either side of the central corridor.

I had chosen a single room, however dormitories are available too at less cost, and upstairs they have a suite in the cockpit. I entered my room and was confronted with original overhead lockers (still usable) with their original seat numbers in place (29ABC for my room). There were also a few of the original windows, giving a view out over the massive wing.

The room had a double bed on the bottom, and single bed above, so there is room for two or a family to share. It was very comfortable, and included a TV.

At the rear of the cabin, down the corridor, is an enclosed wash area which sits outside the rear door and has fantastic views over the surrounding. There are also three private toilet/sink/shower rooms for everyone to use which were very clean and had soap dispensers provided. My room had clean towels provided.

Free wireless internet was included (access key is printed on your door key), so once settled it was on with the laptop and Flightradar24 to keep an eye on the evening arrivals at Arlanda. My room on the port side of the aircraft looked out on the distant runway 19L/01R and taxiway which linked it to the cargo ramp/Terminal 2. I could also see some departures from runway 19R after they turned.

The other side of the aircraft has views over the cargo ramp at Arlanda, and part of Terminal 2 and runway 19R/01L.

Breakfast the next morning wasn’t anything special, but it was enough to get me going. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed staying the night in this aircraft.

You can visit their website at www.jumbostay.com

Here are some pictures of the stay:

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Ian Weepers recently wrote this interesting report from his visit to Kota Kinabalu Airport serving Borneo and eastern Malaysia.
Kota Kinabalu is the main airport serving the Sabah province of Borneo. The airport has two terminals, Terminal One is used predominately by Malaysian Airlines, there is no viewing area landside, but once you are airside, you get good views of all parked aircraft. I positioned myself in the area between Gates B4 and B5; from here you can read off any landing traffic on Runway 20. MAS have a maintenance hangar here, and you can get a good view into the hangar from Gate B3. Terminal Two is used solely by AirAsia, once again there are no views landside. On the left hand side of the terminal is the Cargo area, during the day Transmile have their B727 and B737 parked here, also parked in this area during my visit, were helicopters involved in transporting personal to the nearby oil rigs.
On the right hand side of the terminal, is an area where you can get reasonable photographs of aircraft parked in front of the terminal and also aircraft taxiing to the holding point of runway 02. From this point you can walk past the Sabah Flying club, the only aircraft noted here during my visit was 9M-LLI GAF Nomad, walking through the car park and bearing right you will find a track that takes you past the Sabah Air Aviation hangar, about 100 metres along from here on the left is the Malaysian Police hanger, 9M-PSQ C208 was noted on most of my visits.

After passing the police hanger you can follow the road down to the local viewing area, from here you get views of aircraft parked at Terminal One and have good views of the runway and aircraft taxiing to the holding point of runway 02, but unless you have an air conditioned car I don`t think you could last long here as the heat and humidity are oppressive.
We stayed at The Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa during our visit and it took about 40 minutes to walk along the adjacent beach to the viewing area
mentioned above.

A selection of aircraft noted during 13/03-25/03.

A319…9V-SBH, RP-C3193, RP-C3196, V8-RBR.
A320… 9M-AFO,AFR,AHC,AHD,AH I,AH J,AHO,AHQ,AHS,AHV,AHZ,AQA,B, V8-RBS,RBT.
AS350/5…9M-LLV, 9M-PHK.
ATR 72…9M-MWA,MWB,MWC,MWD,MWE,MWF,MWG,MWH,MWI,MWJ.
B350…9M-PTB.
B727F…9M-TGB,TGG, TGH.
B737F..9M-PMW.
B737NG…9M-FFA, FFB, 9M-MXA, MXB, HL8204.
B777…V8-BLB.BLC.BLD,BLF.
DHC6…9M-MDK, MDL,
EC225…9M-AIT.
LJ45…VH-PFS.
S76…9M-AIK.
S92…9M-AIH.

With thanks to Ian Weepers.

Have you been to any unusual airports? Can you write a report for us to post? Get in touch if so!

Various enthusiasts sites exist for some of the airports in Scotland which can help in planning a trip to any of them, or in simply finding out what’s been happening up there. We have collated this information for some of the airports:

Glasgow Airport
EGPF.co.uk
Enthusiasts site for Glasgow Airport, with timetables, SBS list, spotting locations and charts, photos, live arrivals & departures, and logs of recent movements.

Prestwick Airport
Prestwick Airport Movements Site
Similar to the Glasgow enthusiasts site, with movements, photos, spotting information, airfield charts and live flight information.

Edinburgh Airport
EGPH.co.uk
A similar site for Edinburgh Airport enthusiasts. Lists frequencies, live flight arrivals & departures, airline information, photos and SBS information.

egphforum.co.uk
A forum for discussing Edinburgh Airport and its operations.