Etihad Airways flight update

Attention to everyone who wants to fly on Etihad Airways to Colombo, Sri Lanka! Etihad will end their service to Columbo this September! So if you're planning to fly with Etihad plan your trip and book your flights fast before it's too late! To book your flight go to www.etihadairways.com.

Airline of the week

America is at war in Afghanistan. You may not think that you can fly into Afghanistan, but trust me you can still fly to Afghanistan! Ariana Afghan Airlines, the national airline of Afghanistan is based at Kabul, Afghanistan's Kabul International Airport (Khwaja Rawash) (IATA:KBL ICAO:OAKB). The was founded in 1955. In the 1970s Ariana many travel experts considered Ariana one of the top notch airlines in the world. During the Taliban regime the Taliban had control of the airline which halted all of its international flights in the 1990s.

In the 1990s when Ariana was still under Taliban control the fleet was reduced to a small handful of Soviet aircraft such as the Antonov An-26, the Yakovlev Yak-40, and only three American built Boeing 727. The 727 was on Ariana's longest domestic services. Later in October 0f 1996 Pakistan offered a maintence and operations base for the airline in Karachi, Pakistan. Three years later in 1999 the airline only flew to the following destinations which included Dubai, United Arab Emirates (IATA:DXB ICAO:OMDB) and Riyadh, Saudi, Arabia (IATA:RUH ICAO:OERK) also the airline flew cargo flights that were limited into China's western provinces. But imposed sanctions by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 forced Ariana to completly halt all of their overseas flights.

below: An Ariana Airbus A300B4-203
taxing on the runway at Kabul, Afghanistan's
International Airport (Khwaja Rawash).










Finally in November 2001 two months after 9/11 all of Ariana's flights were grounded. Later after the fall of the Taliban government, later following the tragedy of 9/11 and later the American invasion of Afghanistan in December 2001 the airline started rebuilding its services. One month later in January 2002 the United Nations sanctions were lifted and the airline began flying service again. Then later government of India gave Ariana three Airbus A300B4-200s which were being operated by Air India because the Indian Government thought of a gesture of good-will and building a step for foreign relations with Afghanistan. Then for the first time since 1999 Ariana flew their first international flight landed at New Delhi, India's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

below:The rear of an Ariana
Boeing 727-228/Adv parked at
the terminal of Kabul International
Airport (Khwaja Rawash).











Unfortunately Ariana later got banned from entering EU airspace but prior to the ban the managed fly into Frankfurt, Germany (IATA:FRA ICAO:EDDF). To book your flight go to www.flyariana.com.

below: An Ariana Antonov An-24RV
preparing to taxi at
Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan (ICAO:OAMS)











fleet breakdown

• 1 Antonov An-24RV (registration:YA-DAL)
  
• 2 Airbus A300B4-200
• 3 Boeing 727-200
• 1 Boeing 727-200F (for cargo flights only)
• 2 Boeing 757-200 (leased aircraft)
• 4 Boeing 737-700 (to be delivered in 2009)

Destinations breakdown

Tajikistan

• Dushanbe (Dushanbe Airport (IATA:DYU ICAO:UTDD)

China

• Urumqi (Diwopu International Airport (IATA:URC ICAO:ZWWW)

Afghanistan

• Kabul (Kabul International Airport (IATA:KBL ICAO:OAKB) (Also known as Khwaja Rawash Airport)
  
• Kandahar (Kandahar International Airport (IATA:KDH ICAO:OAKN)

Pakistan

• Islamabad (Chaklala International Airport (IATA:ISB ICAO:OPRN)

India

• New Delhi (Indira Gandhi International Airport (IATA:DEL ICAO:VIDP)

Turkey

• Ankara (Esenboğa International Airport (IATA:ESB ICAO:LTAC)
• Istanbul (Atatürk International Airport (IATA:IST ICAO:LTBA)

Azerbaijan

• Baku (Heydar Aliyev International Airport (IATA:GYD ICAO:UBBB) (Only used for fuel stops)

United Arab Emirates

• Dubai (Dubai International Airport (IATA:DXB ICAO:OMDB)
  
• Sharjah (Sharjah International Airport (IATA:SHJ ICAO:OMSJ)

Iran

• Tehran (Imam Khomeini International Airport (IATA:IKA ICAO:OIIE)

Russia

• Moscow (Sheremetyevo International Airport (IATA:SVO ICAO:UUEE)
  

Former destinations. These destinations below are destinations that Ariana has halted service to.

Aktyubinsk, Kazakhstan Amritsar, India Amsterdam, The Netherlands Beirut, Lebanon Frankfurt, Germany Herat, Afghanistan Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Kuwait City, Kuwait Lahore, Pakistan London, U.K. Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan Munich, Germany Paris, France Peshawar, Pakistan Quetta, Pakistan Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Rome, Italy and Tashkent, Uzbekistan

below: An Ariana Airbus A300B4-203
parked at Beijing China's Beijing Capital Airport
(IATA:PEK ICAO: ZBAA)















Below: An Ariana Boeing 727-228/Adv
Taking off from Sharjah, UAE.













Below: An Ariana Tupolev Tu-154M
Parked At Prague, Czechoslovakia's
Ruzyne Airport in 1988.
(IATA:PRG ICAO: LKPR)

Airline of the week

America is currently at war with Iraq. Some people think you can't fly into Iraq, but trust me you still can. Iraqi Airways(IATA:IA ICAO:IAW) the national airline of Iraq based in Baghdad International Airport(IATA:SDA ICAO:ORBI) is a current member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization. The airline was founded in 1946 and began operations with Dragon Rapide and Vickers Viscount aircraft.

Then in the 1960s Iraqi Airways placed an order for the Tupolev Tu-124 and the Hawker Siddeley Trident aircraft to increase service in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Also in 1960s Iraqi ordered a few Ilyushin Il-76 for cargo flights. Then in the 1970s Iraqi ordered the Boeing 707 and Later the Boeing 747-200 for service to JFK airport. The Iran-Iraq war did undermine Iraqi's operations a little bit. Then in the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 all Iraqi Airways flights are grounded due to the United Nations sanctions against Iraq.

Iraqi Airways at the time had 17 aircraft, and the airline moved all aircraft to secret places. In May 1991 The United Nations allowed the airline to fly helicopter services for domestic routes, but these flights were limited however. Due to cease-fire terms all fixed wing flights were not allowed, the United Nations security council did agree to allow these domestic routes to start again. In January 1992 these flights started using Soviet Antonov An-24 aircraft. Later a United Nations ruling the flights were halted.

Later after the war in Iraq in 2003 Iraqi Airways announced they are planning to restart international flights. The rights to the airline's name got transferred to a new and indepentent airline which was called Air Iraq Company. Air Iraq would help build a new Iraqi Airways and would also protect Iraqi Airways from legal related problems from Saddam Hussien's regime. Finally on October 3, 2004 Iraqi Airways started flying again with their first flight from Baghdad to Amman. Then on June 4, 2005 for the first time since the ending of Hussien's regime Iraqi started their domestic flights started again with the first from Baghdad to Basra with 100 passengers on board a Boeing 727-247.

For the first time in 25 years on November 6, 2005 Iraqi flew a flight from Baghdad to Tehran. The airline's present fleet on its behalf of the Jordanian airline Teebah Airlines. Later in the summer of 2005 Iraqi Airways started more service to Arbil, and Sulaymaniyah. The present destinations that Iraqi Airways serves are: Amman, Athens, Baghdad, Basra, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus, Dubai, Erbil, Kuwait City, London, Sulaymaniyah, and Tehran. The airline is planning to start service to Beijing, Delhi, Frankfurt, Karachi, and New York City in the future.

The airline's present fleet includes 1 Boeing 707, 1 Boeing 727-200, 3 Boeing 737-200, 3 Boeing 747SP, 3 Boeing 747-200, 3 Boeing 757, 1 Boeing 767-200, and one Ilyushin Il-76. The airline has placed an order for five Boeing 737-400 which will be aquired on a lease. The airline did have five orders for the Airbus A310 but the A310 is out of production. So these orders will never be delivered. For more info on Air Iraq go to www.airiraqco.com. To book your Iraqi Airways flight go to www.iraqiairways.co.uk.

below: An Iraqi Airways
Boeing 727-2H3/Adv with no
engines at Baghdad International
Airport.











below: An Iraqi Airways
Ilyushin Il-76MD at Basle, France.










Below: An Iraqi Airways
Boeing 707-730C parked at
Rio De Janerio Galeao International
Airport.










below: An Iraqi Airways
Boeing 727-270/Adv parked
at Prague's Ruzyne airport.

Next Generation Add-On

If you are a flightsim fan who wants to fly the Boeing 737 next generation series well Precision Manuals has the right add on for you! This add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 is called 737 The next generation. This add on has all 737 next generation series aircraft including the -600 -700 and the -800 and -900! Each add on has an excellent realistic 737 Next generation GMAX model almost precisely relevant to the real aircraft! Also included is the regular 2D panel and a absolutely realistic virtual cockpit to enjoy the full realism of this state of the art glass cockpit.

This is the cockpit view I recommend! When you are flying at cruising altitude of your virtual flight and you want to be comfortable just take your seat and sit back and enjoy the spectacular scenery in the well modeled virtual cabin! But that's not all you get in this ultra realistic add on! you also get an operating manual, complete avionics and more! Also featured is an operating to real world standards fully interactive Flight Management computer for more realism! And last but not least are dozens of free liveries to download to fly these aircraft on airlines world wide!

Note: You need to get the add on featuring the -800 and -900 separately and you must have the -600 and the -700 add on to make the -800 and -900 work! If you want this add on for Microsoft Flight Simulator X well there is a version of these two add ons in one that is coming soon! To start your flightsim 737 next generation experience go to www.precisionmanuals.com!

below: the cover of the PMDG
737 NG 600/700 add on.













below: The PMDG 737 800/900
add on cover.











below: A screenshot
of the 737 800/900
virtual cockpit at night
time.











below: a screenshot of the
737-800 in the KLM livery.











below: make yourself comfortable
in the 737NG add on's virtual cabin!











below: The 737NG 600 series
in the livery of Southwest Airlines.