Archive News - 2006

2006 NEWS;

February 19th 2006.
With a great deal of help from Jan-Erik of the MD80 International Forum we have set up an MD11 forum through the MD80 Forum web site, moderated by myself. It is still in its infancy and with me being on night shift for the next few weeks there won't be an awful done to it but please check it out and add anything you wish to discuss/mention. You will have to register to use it but will have access to the excellent MD80 forum as well. Please follow the link below. Many Thanks to Jan-Erik for
his work in setting this up.

MD11 Forum

March 29th 2006;
The 4 Thai MD11's have been sold to the ALG (Aviation Leasing Group) of Kansas, USA for a total of $136 million. So we're still really in the dark about their future! I'm still going for Aeroflot though! Pity i never won the Euromillions Lottery last year when it rolled over- i could of afforded 2 of them i think!

April 11th 2006.
UPS have acquired 6 more MD11's-The 4 ex Thai aircraft and 2 from World (803DE and 804DE).
Aeroflot have acquired 4 MD11's leased from Boeing. All 4 are Varig machines (and before that Garuda).
Finnair are to fly to Kuala Lumpur from May 2007 3 times a week. Summer schedules will be updated shortly for all airlines.

17th April 2006.
KLM MD11 PH-KCA visited London Heathrow today on KL1019 from Amsterdam. Quiet a rare occurance this although i have actually flown to Heathrow on KCA after it was diverted due to a technical fault on the way to Amsterdam from Miami. I can't recall the last time one operated a scheduled service from Amsterdam though. I guess this was due to the Bank Holiday today.

May 9th 2006;
Former Thai MD11 HS-TMG has been re-registered to N257UP in line with its new life as freighter. Not sure at this time where it is going for conversion but beleived to be in the USA somewhere.
Former Delta and World MD11 N801DE is now registered to UPS as well and will await freighter conversion.

June 4th 2006;
Been a few weeks since i've been able to update with being rather busy at work. First off:

Todays JM001/002 Jamaica/Heathrow vv was operated by World MD11 N803DE.
Varig MD11 PP-VTH operated its last service on 25/05 from Madrid to Sao Paolo and is now destined for UPS.
I-DUPU is in service ( has been for a few months) with Alitalia Cargo and will retain its Italian reg unlike the other 4 MD11's which are caryyng Irish EI- markings.
Finnairs new flight to Nagoya got underway yesterday 03/06. AY079/080 operates 3 times a week.

June 21st;

Ethiopian Airways are to lease World MD11 N801DE from 20/06 until 31/08 2006 to meet capacity demands. The aircraft will retain its current livery (shame) and is leased on an ACMI basis. Not sure at this stage where it is to be used.

The 3 former Delta MD11's leased to World Airways (801/803/804DE) have had their leases extended until March 2008. (thanks to Per Søtvik for this info (World Airways press release at http://www.worldair.com/news/20060412.html))

Finnair MD11's OH-LGB/F have had Moomins characters painted on each side for the Summer season and will be used mainly on flights to Japan where the Moomins are very popular.

On the subject of Finnair, the carrier recieved its first A340 this week, a former Virgin Atlantic aircraft. It will be used initially on domestic flights but will operate AY057/58 to/from Shanghai from sometime in July.

July 20th;

Not much in the way of updates lately as i've been travelling around the US and Canada for 2 weeks. I have added a page about our trip to Anchorage and some pictures.

News on the MD11 front i have is N801DE has entered service for Ethiopian on its lease from World Airways on the Addis Abbaba/Washington route.

Varig have grounded most of its fleet as bankruptcy moves ever closer. A court decision is expected next Tuesday 25th July. Varig Log had put in a takeover bid but it was not enough to satisfy the creditors. Hopefully they can sort out things over the next few days and keep flying.

Air Namibia's sole remaining MD11 V5-NMD is expected to remain with the carrier until November now instead of the end of this month before it is replaced with an A340.

July 26th;

Varig have been taken over by Varig Log. They continue to operate a limited service with 13 aircraft operating 5 domestic and 5 international routes. MD11's PP-VTI/K/P are the only 3 currently in service with several others parked up. They hope to expand to something like the 'old' airline within 6 months but wether MD11's are involved in future plans time will tell-i fear not though as most are leased in and when the lease expires are destined for UPS.

July 31st;

Aeroflot are to acquire 8 MD11 freighters now, leased from Boeing Capital. Originally they wanted 6 and gpt 4 from Varig (PP-VQF/H/J/K). Not sure of the i.d of the other 4 but with Varig in financial difficulty it could be more of theirs. The link below is a press story of the deal. Thanks to Bas for sending me that.

August 3rd;

KLM MD11 PH-KCG operated KL1019/1020 Amsterdam-Heathrow and vv today-still quite rare to see them on that route or in the UK at all.

August 10th;

Another KLM MD11 visited Heathrow today, PH-KCF on KL1007/008. I gather this was in relation to the flight chaos caused by terrorist threats and to help shift some of the back log. Thats 2 MD11's to Heathrow in a week now-shame i wasn't around to see either of them!

Boeing Press Release/Aeroflot Deal

September 3rd;

Finnair are shuffling around thier long haul services in the Winter timetable due to planned MD11 maintenance. Currently their sole A340 operates to Shanghai. From 29 October till 2nd December the A340 will operate the Osaka and Nagoya flights vice MD11 and from 2nd December the A340 will revert back to the Shanghai route.
From June 2007 after the arrival of 2 new A340's, Beijing and Delhi will be operated by the new aircraft. Bangkok will be have 13 flights a week from May 2007, all MD11 operated with 4 flights continuing to Singapore and 3 onto the new destiantion of Kuala Lumpur. Hong Kong flights will revert to non stop operations for the Summer period instead if via Bangkok. Thanks to Ikka Mannikainen for this info.


KLM are to revise their services to the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba with all services from the Summer 2007 time table MD11 operated, including St Maarten! As mentioned earlier, the MD11's are to be refurbished throughout wih new seating in business and economy. Click on the link below for KLM's press release.

September 4th;

Air Namibia's sole remaining MD11 V5-NMD was retired from service on August 24th and the airline have leased a B747 until their next A340 arrives later this year. The MD11 flew to back to its old base at Zurich and will shortly be converted to a freighter and join UPS as N286UP

KLM Press release

Pictured at Washington's Dulles airport on July 3rd is World MD11 N801DE operating for Ethiopian Airlines. (Photo courtesy of Omar Sherbini)

October 6th;

2 video clips recently sent to me featuring MD11's are well worth a look. The first from Stefan Lorenz is made up of clips from flight simulators and is very well put together.
Clicking on the link will download a file which will then require winzip to open and then a windows media player to view.

Stefans Flight Sim Clips Link;

The second clip is done with KLM MD11's and has cockpit views on a flight from Bonaire to Lima and rtn and another Bonaire-Quito-Guayaquil-Bonaire. It is done to music (like the first clip), plays as a windows media player clip and is again very well put together by Maurits Dijksterhuis.

KLM MD11 clips

October 7th;

Ethiopian Airlines are to lease an MD11F for cargo flights from January to May 2007 operating Addis Abbab to Brussels. Not sure at this stage where the aircraft will be leased from-maybe World after their recent passenger lease? Watch this space.

October 18th;

Reports on airliners.net say TAM are to lease 2 MD11's from Varig. I am trying to confirm this at this stage. Hopefully its true and they will fly in TAM colours

October 19th;

Finnair cabin staff are on strike today from 0400 Finish time. No long haul flights will operate though some European flights will.
An MD11 will operate Helsinki to London Heathrow today at 0800 on flight AY8431 and return at 1010 on AY8432 via Paris.
The last Finnair MD11 to visit Heathrow was OH-LGB in 1997. There were a little more common in the early nineties though. OH-LGC has visited London Gatwick this year on a charter.

Popped into Heathrow after work this morning in time to see OH-LGG land at 0948 on AY4831 from Helsinki-pity its a one off, it'll be lovely to see them in here regularly!

October 20th;

No Finnair long haul flights again today. I went to Heathrow this morning to see MD11 OH-LGE operating the morning Finnair flight Helsinki - Heathrow and rtn AY831/832. It departed at 1158 around 90minutes late.
Also, OH-LGB operated a Helsinki-Brussles-Paris CDG-Helsinki today as AY4871/4872. It is pictured below arriving at Brussels in what is believed to be the first visit of a Finnair MD11. As can be seen, LGB has Santa Claus stickers applied for the forthcoming festive season. (Thanks to Robin Bamps for the info and picture)

October 23rd;

During Finnairs industrial action on Friday 20th MD11 OH-LGD operated Helsinki-Barcelona and rtn AY905/906.

Ethiopians MD11F to be leased during the winter will be from Gemini Cargo. See below for more details. (October 7th post).

October 28th;

Varig Log MD11F PR-LGE is making its first visit to Heathrow today on flight VL9792, eta 1850. The flight has been a DC10 every week so far.

October 29th.

World MD11 N279WA was unvieled in the carriers new livery recently. It is pictured at Brussels hot off the press this morning landing at Brussels on the weekly Air Canada Flight from Toronto. (Many thanks to Robin Bamps for this picture).

November 2nd;

Finnairs new service to Delhi commenced Sat 30th October, AY021/22 being operated by OH-LGG. (Thanks to IIkka Mannikainen for this info)

November 3rd;

Great news today confirming earlier posting. It was announced today that TAM are to lease 3 MD11's from Boeing Co until the Summer of 2008 as part of the deal which also saw them order 4 B777's. Details of the aircraft invovled in the deal are not yet available but Varig have several MD11's stored in Brazil at this time and it iS expected these will be the ones TAM use. No news on routes either that the MD11's will be used on yet but i will keep looking and will post any news as soon as i get it. At least we'll get another new operator flying passenger birds, albeit for a short time. Hope they come to Heathrow!

November 5th;

Varig Log MD11 PR-LGD will make its first visit to Heathrow today, eta is 1350. Talking of Varig, they are operating MD11's to Frankfurt at the moment on long haul flights. PP-VTP has been noticed recently at FRA in service.

November 15th;

Lufthansa MD11 D-ALCC made a rare visit to Heathrow tonight, having been diverted from East Midlands on flight LH8281

November 26th;

Just been to Aruba with KLM, flying out on PH-KCK and back on PH-KCB, had a very nice week in the sun. PH-KCA/B have been re-configured to 3-3-3 in economy with new seats too. There are panels in the seat backs for ptv's to be installed. All KLM flights to the Netherlands Antilles (AUA/CUR/BON/SXM) should be MD11 operated from November 2007. For Summer 2007, Newark (EWR) will see a KLM MD11 but San Francisco will be B747 operated.

December 8th;

The 3 MD11's for TAM are confirmed as the following;

PP-VQJ cn 48755 to be PT-MSH
PP-VQK cn 48758 to be PT-MSI
PP-VQX cn 48769 to be PT-MSJ

PP-VQJ/K are ER models. PP-VQX has been stored at Rio since May 2005 so it will be nice to see that back in service next year sometime.

December 17th;

Shanghai Airlines have acquired another MD11F from Eva-N105EV and re-registered it as B-2177.