We're just one week away from Etihad opening a brand new direct route between Washington Dulles and Abu Dhabi, but that's not the only thing going on at the airport. In the first 13 weeks of 2013, a lot has gone on here at Dulles, such as:
After a 6 week absence starting in mid-January, Air France's A380 returned on March 1st, operating as AFR54 between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Washington Dulles, the same flight number it flew previously. The flight was operated primarily by a 777-300ER and sometimes a 777-200 in the A380's absence.
On January 30th, Brussels Airlines announced their second transcontinental destination will be to Washington Dulles. Using their partnership with United, who operates a major hub here, the airline intends to reach out to destinations across the US. The route will begin June 18th and will be flown 5 times a week by an A330 with fully lie flat beds in business class and ergonomic economy class seats.
On February 1st, Emirates' Washington to Dubai flight was upgraded from a 777-200LR to a 777-300ER, boosting the route's capacity from nearly 100 seats from 266 to around 360. The route, operating as UAE231, opened in September of 2012 operated by a 777-200LR.
[UNCONFIRMED] While it is unknown whether there is any truth to this rumor, British Airways is rumored to begin flying its 787s to Dulles by the end of the year with flights beginning as early as July 16th, should no further problems occur with the aircraft or its delivery schedule. I must stress that this is only a rumor, and that it should be taken with a grain of salt.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
The 787 Grounding and What it Means for Dulles
As anybody reading this blog knows, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been grounded worldwide for the past seven weeks as a result of an incident of an uncontained battery fire on a Japan Airlines flight. As of this writing, most airlines affected have signaled their distrust in a quick solution by canceling flights out May and beyond. Boeing proposed a containment fix to the problem in late February, but, other than the FAA, various regulatory agencies around the world have yet to clear the plane to fly.
While Washington was the inaugural destination for international service for Ethiopian, as of January 16, when the 787 was grounded, Dulles did not have any 787 service. Ethiopian has been flying a 777-200LR since mid-December, so there is no immediate impact to the airport or to its routes. However, United operates a hub out of Dulles and could potentially open routes out of Dulles, and the fleet grounding could push back the introduction of these new routes.
Overall, the grounding of the 787 will have a much greater affect on mid-sized airports and airlines than it will have on a major international airport such as Washington Dulles. Airports such as San Jose International and San Diego International had recently inaugurated 787 service on All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines respectively to Tokyo and were relying heavily on the traffic and revenue the 787 would bring. Airlines such as United were relying on a strong performance by the 787 on routes such as Denver to Tokyo and Houston to Lagos, but no routes out of Dulles have been announced. Other airlines, LOT Polish in particular, will be especially suffering after counting on the 787 to save them on its Warsaw to Chicago route. Larger airports with flights by foreign airlines such as Chicago O'Hare with LOT Polish, Los Angeles International with LAN Chile, and Washington Dulles with Ethiopian will have little impact, especially considering the flights have been replaced with comparable aircraft.
While Washington was the inaugural destination for international service for Ethiopian, as of January 16, when the 787 was grounded, Dulles did not have any 787 service. Ethiopian has been flying a 777-200LR since mid-December, so there is no immediate impact to the airport or to its routes. However, United operates a hub out of Dulles and could potentially open routes out of Dulles, and the fleet grounding could push back the introduction of these new routes.
Overall, the grounding of the 787 will have a much greater affect on mid-sized airports and airlines than it will have on a major international airport such as Washington Dulles. Airports such as San Jose International and San Diego International had recently inaugurated 787 service on All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines respectively to Tokyo and were relying heavily on the traffic and revenue the 787 would bring. Airlines such as United were relying on a strong performance by the 787 on routes such as Denver to Tokyo and Houston to Lagos, but no routes out of Dulles have been announced. Other airlines, LOT Polish in particular, will be especially suffering after counting on the 787 to save them on its Warsaw to Chicago route. Larger airports with flights by foreign airlines such as Chicago O'Hare with LOT Polish, Los Angeles International with LAN Chile, and Washington Dulles with Ethiopian will have little impact, especially considering the flights have been replaced with comparable aircraft.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Just Wondering
Today marks the one year anniversary of the day I became an AvGeek. On the morning of March 11th a year ago I had no interest in aviation whatsoever. Planes were just a fact of my life living under the approach path of Dulles airport's runway 1R that I had learned to ignore. I didn't care about liveries or aircraft types or airlines, until that afternoon. I just happened to look up as what I now know to be a United 777 passed overhead and wondered to myself where that flight came from. So I downloaded planefinder and a whole world opened up for me. Thousands of flights all over the world instantly at my fingertips. And so an interest that would eventually turn into a passion was born.
I should probably have introduced myself. I'm Jonathan Holt, a 16 year old AvGeek living under the final approach path of Washington Dulles' runway 1R who happens to want to start his own airline. Jet noise has been a part of my life since the day I was born, so much so that I wouldn't hear a thing if a plane passed overhead, I was so used to the noise. When I discovered planefinder, not only did it reveal a whole new world and a new interest, but also a whole new niche community, that I've now snuggled myself into nicely. Whether it be on twitter or blogs, I'm always interacting and soaking up as much information as I can. But I'm still learning.
Therefore, on the one year anniversary of the day I discovered the wonders of aviation, I will be starting a blog myself to disseminate information myself, rather than just soak up postings of others. The purpose of this blog is to not only express my opinions on whatever may be going on across the industry, but also to keep the world updated on what's going on at the international airport at the political center of the free world, Washington Dulles International.
I should probably have introduced myself. I'm Jonathan Holt, a 16 year old AvGeek living under the final approach path of Washington Dulles' runway 1R who happens to want to start his own airline. Jet noise has been a part of my life since the day I was born, so much so that I wouldn't hear a thing if a plane passed overhead, I was so used to the noise. When I discovered planefinder, not only did it reveal a whole new world and a new interest, but also a whole new niche community, that I've now snuggled myself into nicely. Whether it be on twitter or blogs, I'm always interacting and soaking up as much information as I can. But I'm still learning.
Therefore, on the one year anniversary of the day I discovered the wonders of aviation, I will be starting a blog myself to disseminate information myself, rather than just soak up postings of others. The purpose of this blog is to not only express my opinions on whatever may be going on across the industry, but also to keep the world updated on what's going on at the international airport at the political center of the free world, Washington Dulles International.
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