Emirates introduces the A380 on the route to Amsterdam

EMIRATES INTRODUCES THE A380 ON THE AMSTERDAM ROUTE

A regular source at the Emirates office in Kampala has confirmed that the airline is now deploying the worlds largest passenger aircraft on the route between Dubai and Amsterdam, making the Dutch city the 19th A380 destination now being served by Dubais award winning airline.
Emirates flies daily between Entebbe and Dubai, offering a nonstop service on the route, and passengers from Uganda and other East African destinations, with final destination Amsterdam, can with immediate effect enjoy flying on the double decker sky giant when connecting in Dubai.
The source also pointed out in the communication that additional A380 destinations would be launched in 2012 and 2013, moving from the B777 to the larger aircraft on selected routes, when more of the aircraft were being delivered to the airline.
Emirates presently have 22 A380 on the fleet but many more on order, making it the largest A380 operator in the world. Besides the daily flights to Entebbe Emirates also flies twice a day to Nairobi and to Dar es Salaam, although latest indications are that flights might be introduced to Kilimanjaro International Airport outside Arusha, probably in combination with Dar.
Meanwhile has Emirates celebrated 25 years of operation from Dubai to Britain, where the airline now serves 6 destinations with a total of 19 flights per day, including of course the use of the A380 aircraft on flights to Heathrow. The first flight from Dubai to Londons Gatwick Airport took place on 06th July 1987. Watch this space.

Kampala Aero Club adds classic 1954 De Havilland Super Chipmunk to their acrobatics fleet

WILD SKIES OVER KAJJANSI RELAOADED VERSION 3.0

The skies over Kajjansi just got wilder, when news broke that the Kampala Aero Club and Flight Training Centre now operates a third aircraft dedicated purely to acrobatic flying.
Besides the classic single seat Jungmeister, owned and lovingly maintained by Capt. Howard Davenport, the Aeroclub also has an equally classic Great Lakes two seater biplane on their books, which is used to take those thrill seeking adrenaline junkies daring enough into the skies over Kajjansi, where they can experience the half hour ride of their lives while expertly taken through the motions of loopings, dives, spins, eights, rolls and of course inverted flight, during which the world is truly turned upside down.
The two existing aircraft are now joined by a 1954 De Havilland Super Chipmunk. This unique bird, only 7 Super Chipmunks exist in the world now, had its wings shortened by 3 feet, the tail and centre section modified and strengthened, the rudder enlarged, has been given longer ailerons and the engine was spruced up to 260 HP with a fully inverted system to provide the raw power needed when flying acrobatic maneuvers.

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(Pictures courtesy of KAFTC showing the 1954 De Havilland Super Chipmunk flying inverted over Kajjansi before doing a trial run for a ribbon cut)

The arrival of a third acrobatics plane in Kajjansi now makes this airfield outside Kampala the centre of acrobatic flying in Eastern Africa, as not one other aviation company, nor airfield, can boast of that number of dedicated and actively flown planes used for aerial acrobatics flying and displays anywhere in the region, another first for the Kampala Aero Club which only recently became Ugandas first certified carbon neutral aviation company.
Capt. Davenport will be using the Chipmunk on the occasion of the annual Royal Ascot Goat Races, this year to be held at the Commonwealth and Speke Resort in Munyonyo on Saturday the 01st September, to perform his signature RibbonCut move over the open water of Lake Victoria in front of the usual ten thousand plus strong crowd. Watch this space for breaking and regular news from East Africas aviation sector.

Seychelles announces bid for membership in UNSC for 2017 / 2018

SEYCHELLES GET AFRICAN UNION NOD TO BID FOR 2017/18 UN SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT

The Seychelles have started their campaign to be elected to the UN Security Council as a non permanent member for the years 2017 and 2018, after being cleared by the African Union as a continental candidate. The tiny Indian Ocean country has in recent years distinguished itself before the African and world community by being part of a number of global initiatives, amongst them the fight against the Somali piracy menace where it not only provides a base for aerial surveillance but also actively participates in hunting down pirates, including several successful rescue missions. Another area in the international arena for the Seychelles has been the building of a global coalition of island nations, now facing the stark prospect of rising ocean waters due to global warming and the melting of the worlds ice caps, where President Michel has made it his personal mission to lobby amongst fellow heads of state for measures to slow global warming down. The Seychelles have never before been elected to serve on the UNSC, a fact not lost on the friends of the Creole tropical island paradise, to whom the country is now turning on the continent to secure the necessary votes and commitment to be elected as African representative to the UNs most important organ.
President James Alix Michel, when making the announcement to the assembled Seychellois Ambassadors and High Commissioners, was reported to have said: We can bring a unique perspective to the work of the Security Council. We have demonstrated our readiness for this seat by playing a leading role in the fight against piracy and for the advancement of peace and stability in Somalia. More recently, our mediation efforts in resolving the crisis in Madagascar have been internationally recognized by our partners. And we shall continue to provide the leadership and the support that are required in this process. It would be naïve to pretend that we live in a just multilateral system. We have made great strides but many inequalities remain. Humanity remains confronted with poverty, wars, conflicts, disease, injustice. We have become so blasé towards them, so inured to them, that more often than not they merit just a passing mention in the international media. Yet, we can make a difference. This small nation of ours, whose flag bearers you are, can make a difference. We have values that we can share with and impart to the rest of the world. These values are solidly anchored in our abiding faith in the inherent goodness of humanity.
It is understood from a reliable source in Mahe that the Seychelles efforts to become a UNSC member for the years 2017 / 2018 will be anchored not only in regular diplomatic efforts but also find its way in the PR and marketing juggernaut of promoting the archipelago as one of the worlds most sought after tourism destinations, to gain new friends from around the world and make the global community take notice of a country, which has well over 50 percent of its land mass dedicated to conservation and the protection of biodiversity. Watch this space.