Vedant Agarwal

A frequent flyer for both work and pleasure - Vedant has held elite status on many of the major alliances and airlines. Also an avid aviation photographer, his pictures have been published in and on the covers of many international publications.

Boeing KC-46A tanker completes successful first flight

The KC-46A takes off on it's maiden flight. Boeing Image.

American airframer Boeing successfully completed the first flight of the KC-46A tanker aircraft last friday. The aircraft took off from Paine Field at 1:24 p.m. (PST) and landed four hours later at Boeing Field in Seattle. The KC-46A is based on the 767-200 passenger aircraft, which is also being used by many air forces as a tanker in the form …

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Final assembly begins on first 737MAX

1st 737 Max on line. Boeing Image.

American airframer Boeing has started final assembly of the first 737 MAX 8, in Renton, Washington. Keith Leverkuhn, vice president and general manager, 737 MAX program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes “We continue to meet our plan on the 737 MAX program thanks to the dedication of our employee team and our suppliers, We have a lot more work still ahead of …

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Through the lens: Leased Spicejets, Air India Sharklet and more

Air India Boeing 787-8 VT-ANE.

First up in this Through the lens is VT-EXC. EXC is the latest Airbus A320 in Air India’s fleet and sports the new ‘Sharklet’ wingtips, it has been leased from China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited (CALC). It is the third out of five aircrafts that will be leased from CALC by the airline. The aircraft is powered by two …

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Emirates celebrates it’s 150th 777 delivery

American airframer Boeing and Emirates Airline today celebrated the airlines 150th Boeing 777 delivery. The airline took simultaneous delivery of three 777s – two 777-300ERs and one 777 Freighter which marked the entry of the 150th 777 into Emirates’ fleet. The two 777-300ER’s are registered A6-EPA and A6-EPB while the 777F is A6-EFS. The delivery marks the first time in …

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Nepal Airlines, Thai AirAsia and Kuwait Airways begin Bangalore service

Kuwait Airways Airbus A300B4-605R 9K-AMA at Frankfurt Main airport. Kuwait Airways Airbus A300B4-605R 9K-AMA at Frankfurt Main airport. Photo by Devesh Agarwal.

Three new foreign carriers are beining services to Bangalore today. The first Nepal Airlines RA-225 was operated by an Airbus A320 (9N-AKX), the service will operate thrice a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Flight Number Origin Destination STD STA RA-225 Kathmandu Bangalore 12:40 15:35 RA-226 Bangalore Kathmandu 16:25 19:40 The second airline to commence service today is Thai Air …

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Boeing completes firm configuration of the 777X

American airframer Boeing announced today the completion of the firm configuration for the 777-9, the first of the 777X family to be developed. The Boeing 777X team reached this significant design milestone after working closely with airline customers and key suppliers to optimize the configuration of the new airplane. The firm configuration marks the completion of configuration trade studies required …

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Boeing delivers Korean Air’s first 747-8i

Korean Air Boeing 747-8i. Boeing Image.

Korean Air has taken delivery of the airline’s first 747-8 Intercontinental. The aircraft is the first of 10 747-8i’s the carrier has on order. Korean Air has configured the aircraft with 368 seats. The First class feature the brand new Kosmo Suite 2.0, which includes a sliding door and higher partitions to provide added privacy for passengers. The suites are …

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ANA unveils two new Star Wars jets

All three ANA Star Wars liveried jets. ANA Image.

Japanese carrier, ANA announced that two more of its planes will be decorated with Star Wars characters. BB-8, a brand new character from Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be displayed on the livery of the BB-8™ ANA Jet, a Boeing 777-300ER and the Star Wars™ ANA Jet, which will showcase both BB-8 and R2-D2 on the outside of a …

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Tigerair to operate Lucknow service

Tigerair Airbus A320 9V-TRN.

Singapore based low cost carrier, Tigerair will begin a non-stop service between Singapore and Lucknow from 3rd December 2015. The airline will be the first to offer a non-stop flight between Changi International Airport and Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport. The flights to Lucknow will be available three days a week operating on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Lucknow marks the …

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Air China to begin a direct Mumbai-Beijing service

Air China's first Boeing 747-8i. Boeing 747-89L B-2485 LN (MSN) 41191.

Chinese national carrier, Air China will launch a direct service from Mumbai, India to Beijing, China from 25 October 2015. The service will be operated by an Airbus A330-300 in a 301 passenger configuration with 30 seats in Business class, 16 seats in Premium Economy and 255 seats in Economy Class. The airline will be discontinuing it’s existing Mumbai – …

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SpiceJet adds 137 new connections to it’s flight schedule

SpiceJet Bombardier Q400 Dash 8 VT-SUB lands at Kempegowda airport Bangalore. Photo by Vedant Agarwal. All rights reserved.

Low cost carrier SpiceJet announced the addition of three new flights and 137 new connections to its current network. All of these new flights and connections are between cities currently served by the airline. The new flights being added effective 29 August 2015 are Delhi: 1. Guwahati – Agartala vv (daily) 2. Bengaluru – Kolkata – Guwahati vv (daily) 3. …

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Embraer’s Legacy 450 recieves Brazilian certification

Marco Túlio Pellegrini, President & CEO da Embraer Executive Jets receives Legacy 450's type certification from Dino Ishikura, ANAC's Airworthiness Superintendent.

Brazilian airframer Embraer has recieved type certification for it’s Legacy 450 mid-light executive jet from the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil – ANAC) yesterday at a ceremony at the Latin American Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (LABACE) in São Paulo, Brazil. The flight test program was carried out with two prototype aircraft, the first with flight …

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Emirates airline offers low cost interior connectivity with America’s Pass

Emirates_A380-800 A6-EDF arrives at London. Photo copyright Devesh Agarwal.

Dubai based behemoth Emirates airline has solved a key weakness faced by its passengers to the Americas, interior travel. The airline flies to 10 gateway cities in the Americas and many of its passengers would like to visit cities beyond these 10. By introducing its America’s Pass the airline’s passengers can now connect to over 90 cities in the USA, …

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Air Pegasus to start service to Chennai, Hyderabad, Tuticorin and Pondicherry

Air Pegasus ATR 72-500 VT-APA. I really like the smiley face on the nose of the aircraft.

Regional carrier Air Pegasus completed 100 days of operations yesterday. The airline currently operates to from its hub in Bangalore to Hubli, Trivandrum, Madurai and Kadapa and is planning to begin services to Chennai, Hyderabad, Tuticorin and Pondicherry shortly. Shyson Thomas, Air Pegasus “To serve the increasing number of sectors, we intend to lease in three more aircrafts in the …

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Spicejet offers tickets on EMI

Low cost carrier Spicejet, has launched an Equated Monthly Installment (EMI) scheme called ‘Book Now, Pay Later’. The scheme allows passengers to save up to 70% interest on deferred/delayed payment interest costs relative to traditional credit card fees and is valid on credit cards of Axis Bank, HSBC Bank, Kotak Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank which are issued in India. …

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Lockheed Martin to accuire Sikorsky

United Technologies has announced that it has reached an agreement to sell Sikorsky Aircraft to Lockheed Martin for $9 billion in cash. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions and adjustments, is projected to close by year-end or in the first quarter of 2016. Proceeds from the sale are expected to be used to fund …

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Delhi to be first 787-9 destination for British Airways

British Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner G-ZBJC. Image Copyright Devesh Agarwal.

British Airways has announced that it will operate it’s first Boeing 787-9 dreamliner from London Heathrow to New Delhi. The airline will begin the dreamliner service from the 25th of October. The airline will initially operate the 787-9 five days a week and will increase to seven from late March. Flight Number Departure STD Arrival STA BA257 London Heathrow 1930 …

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Air India celebrates 1st anniversary with Star Alliance

July 11th marked the successful completion of one year of the Air India’s membership in Star Alliance. To mark this occasion the airline on 10 of it’s domestic metro flights, passengers were treated to an exclusive, personalized inflight experience with a chef on board who interacted with the passengers and assisted cabin crew in the service. The airline also organized …

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Pictures: New Indian carrier Flyeasy’s first Embraer E190

Soon to be launched regional airline Flyeasy’s first aircraft is out of the paint-shop with the airlines livery. After some tracing we believe the aircraft is ex-VP-CQZ (MSN 19000217) which is leased from flynas. The aircraft is a six year old Embraer ERJ-190. The aircraft will most likely be registered VT-VVA. The aircraft is powered by two General Electric CF34 …

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Indonesian C-130 crashes in Medan

An Indonesian Airforce Lockheed C-130 Hercules has crashed into a residential area in Medan, Indonesia’s third largest city. The aircraft took off from Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma Airport on with around 113 people on board, but the aircraft made two stops in Pekanbaru and Dumai before it crashed, due to which it is not clear how many people were on the …

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