BHX 2008 - The Year in Review - OVERVIEW

Welcome to "BHX 2008 - The Year in Review" brought to you by
the photographers of the "Birmingham Aviation Enthusiasts Group"
.
2008 has been another classic year at Birmingham - BHX - and as
usual the local enthusiasts have had a busy time recording the
ever changing scene at the airport
.
This photographic review is set up to work in several ways - you
can either just scroll down month by month - each month is set
up to appear on a separate "page" with an overview at the top....
.
.... or just looks at the "highlights" which are set out below with
a single "click" bringing all the photos in each particular category
together on one page

.
Alternatively just look down the index (in the panel on the right)
for a photo of a particular aircraft at BHX in 2008 - this is split
into three categories -

A - airliners
B - business and general aviation
C - military

No introduction would be complete without thanks to BAEG's
dedicated team of photographers (again see panel on right)
who not only made this review possible but also record the
daily goings on at BHX and other Midlands airfields on -


http://baeg.blogspot.com/
http://bhxflightguide.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Gordon Stretch


The Highlights -

Star movements

"Star" movements at BHX during 2008 included -

- Tasilli DH4 7T-VCN
- Saudi/Atlas Jet TC-OGT
- Centre-Avia Yakovlev Yak 42D RA-42423
- Samsung Boeing BBJ HL7770
- Belavia Boeing 737-500's EW-251PA and EW-252PA
- Cairo Aviation Tupolev 204-120 SU-EAI
- Falcon 900EX PR-FRU
- Royal Air Force Avro Vulcan G-VLCN/"XH558"
- Air Caraïbes Airbus A330-200 F-OPTP
- Qatar Airways Global Express A7-AAM

To find out what all these aircraft where doing at BHX
and to see see photos of them click here -

The above can only be a personal choice - other "stars"
are included in the following -

New at BHX

Always something "new" at BHX - even if only the next
Ryanair delivery! - during the year Air Bee, AMC, Koral
Blue, Loganair and Turkish Airlines were "new" operators
to the airport....

... while KLM introduced their new Boeing 737-700's and
Embraer 190's onto their BHX services

To see photos of these operators at BHX click here -

http://bhx2008-baeg.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20-%20New

Air India Express deliveries

Unfortunately there was only one Air India Express delivery
via BHX - VT-AXV - to see this at BHX click here -

http://bhx2008-baeg.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20-%20AIX

Diversions

2008 was a good year for diversion! - to see some of the
aircraft that diverted to BHX click here -

http://bhx2008-baeg.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20-%20Diversions

flybe maintenance

flybe have a maintenance base at BHX which covers their
based fleet, usually receives new DH4's on delivery from
Canada and now deals with an increasing amount of third
party work

2008 visitors to the hangars included DH4's of Augsburg,
/Lufthansa Regional, baboo and Tasilli, an Aegean AR1
and a Cimber CR2. To see the photos click here -


Kenn Borek Air/Maldivian Air Taxi transits

The Kenn Borek Twin Otters that ferry back and forward
between the Maldives and Canada returned to BHX this
year - for more information and to to see them at BHX
click here -

Sport charters

European football returned Birmingham - and what was
even better news was than Aston Villa made it through to
the next stage of the UEFA Cup! -

http://bhx2008-baeg.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20-%20UEFA

There were also various other sport charters at BHX and
to see a selection of these click here
-
http://bhx2008-baeg.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20-%20Sport

Sub charters

"Things change...!!"

.... and it was another good year for subcharters! - to
see some of these click here -

http://bhx2008-baeg.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20-%20Sub%20charter

Trooping flights

Our armed forces are now active in many parts of the
world and with the UK only having a limited airlift capacity
this often results in some interesting charters - click
here to see some that visited BHX this year -

http://bhx2008-baeg.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20-%20Trooping

Star colour schemes

Some aircraft are interesting just of the colour scheme they
are in - here are just a few that have visited this year -

http://bhx2008-baeg.blogspot.com/search/label/0%20-%20Star%20scheme

Norwegian special schemes

Norwegian have a number of "logo jets" all of which visited
BHX during 2008 - see them click here -
http://bhx2008-baeg.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20-%20Norwegian

Unfortunately Norwegian have now ceased serving BHX

Farewell

2008 has been a very difficult year for the aviation
industry - by the time the year ended European,
Flightline, LTE and XL Airways - all longstanding
operators to BHX - had gone out of business.
The airport had also said goodbye to its Air Malta
based IT 320, to Norwegian and SkyEurope who
both had ceased their services to BHX while Air India
have temporarily moved their service to Heathrow
- to see photos of these operators at BHX click here -

"Least we forget"

Unfortunately BHX also continued to receive regular visits
of RAF medivac flights from Afghanistan and Iraq carrying
injured service personnel on their way to the Royal Centre
for Defence Medicine, based at Selly Oak Hospital

To see some of the aircraft that have visited click here -

.
The monthly review now starts below!

JANUARY 2008

A good start to the year!
.
The third Tassili Airlines Dash 8Q-400 to visit flybe emerged
from their hangar and was soon on its way back to Algeria....
.
.... at the end of the month it was replaced by a baboo DH4
.
An AtlasJet Boeing 757 operated the sole Saudi Arabian Hajj
charter flight for the year....
.
.... and an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 passed through
on delivery - VT-AXV - unfortunately this was to be the last
one to route via BHX

Tuesday 1 January 2008

New Year's Day 2008 at BHX!
.

Photo: Gordon Stretch

Wednesday 2 January 2008

BritishJet/Hello MD 90 HB-JIB operated the return sector of
an extra flight over Chritmas and the New Year - its last visit
as such as Air Malta then took over the flying for the Tour
Operator using this service
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch

Thursday 3 January 2008

Tassili Airlines Dash 8Q-400 7T-VCN emerged from the flybe
hangar at lunchtime and then taxied over to the terminal side
of the airport to test run its engines on Taxiway Echo. It
departed back to Algeria in the early evening
.

Photos: Gordon Stretch

Friday 4 January 2008

Omni Air International DC 10 N621AX diverted
in due to poor visability at RAF Brize Norton
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch

Saturday 5 January 2008

Onur Air Airbus A321 TC-OAK operated the return sector
of an extra IT flight for Christmas and the New Year
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch

Sunday 6 January 2008

SAS Airbus A319 OY-KBR operated the morning SAS service
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch
easyJet Boeing 737-700 G-EZJV operated their flight to Grenoble
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch
Sunday 6 January 2008

Tuesday 8 January 2008

Air France used Regional Embraer 145 F-GRGC on their morning
service from Lyon in place of the usual BritAir Canadair CRJ 100
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch

Wednesday 9 January 2008

Norwegian used Boeing 737-300 LN-KKS - the aircraft in the
"Unicef" scheme - on their service from Warsaw
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch

Saturday 12 January 2008

Saudi Arabian operated their return Hajj charter flight into BHX
in the early hours of Saturday morning. The flight was operated
by AtlasJet Boeing 757 TC-OGT in a hybrid colour scheme with
the aircraft spending the day parked on the 70's stands before
positioning out in the evening
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch
Austrian Arrows used Dash 8Q-400 OE-LGI on their weekly IT
flight - it was delayed due to snow at Bolzano with the inbound
flight arriving from Verona
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch
Saturday 12 January 2008
BA Cityflyer Avro RJ100 G-BZAV was based operating ski charters
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch
Saturday 12 January 2008
flybe BAe 146-300 G-JEBG is in a "Mansion" logo jet colour scheme
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch
Saturday 12 January 2008

Tuesday 15 January 2008

Michael O'Leary comes to town!!
.
Ryanair hold a press conference to launch BHX as their 25th base
.
Michael O'Leary with Peter Vella, Business Development Director
of Birmingham International Airport

Wednesday 16 January 2008

Blue Line Fokker 100 F-GNLG operated the early
morning Air France service from Paris CDG
.
Photo: Ian Bowley

Thursday 17 January 2008

Air India Express Boeing 737-800 VT-AXV arrived from Toronto
on its delivery flight shortly after 0800 and spent the day and
night parked on stand 24
.
Photo: Ron Kosys
.

Photo: Mike Hollick
Hamburg Boeing 737-700 D-AHID operated a charter flight to Lyon
.
Photo: Mike Hollick
Thursday 17 January 2008

Friday 18 January 2008

Air India Express Boeing 737-800 VT-AXV departed to
Sharjah on the next stage of its delivery flight to India
.
Photo: Ian Bowley
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch

Monday 21 January 2008

flybe Dash 8Q-400 G-JEDP wears a special scheme
and "low cost but not at any cost" titles
.
Photo: Ian Bowley

Thursday 24 January 2008

European Boeing 737-200 G-GPFI operated the return of a
charter flight from Faro - the aircraft is in the colour scheme
of OzJet their former Australian subsidiary
.
Photo: Ian Bowley

Friday 25 January 2008

Air France used Hex Air Embraer 145 F-HBPE on both their Lyon
services in place of the usual Brit Air Canadair Regional Jet
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch
Eastern Airways Saab 2000 G-CDKB operated a charter flight to Wick
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch
Friday 25 January 2008
The latest Dash 8Q-400 for flybe - G-ECOB - starts up to taxy to
the terminal after the completion of its post delivery inspection
.
Photo: Ron Kosys
Friday 25 January 2008
Lufthansa Regional Canadair CRJ 900 D-ACKH operated
their mid morning service to Munich
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch
Friday 25 January 2008

Saturday 26 January 2008

SAS used Spanair MD 87 EC-KJE on their service from Copenhagen
- the aircraft is in the "Star Alliance" colour scheme
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch
Titan Boeing 737-300 G-POWC operated their
weekly IT flight from Chambery
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch
Saturday 26 January 2008

Sunday 27 January 2008

flybaboo Dash 8Q-400 HB-JQA visited flybe for maintenance
and departed back to Geneva in the early afternoon
.
Photo: Ron Kosys

Tuesday 29 January 2008

NetJets Beech 1900 CS-DOC visited on a training flight from Luton
.
Photo: Ron Kosys

Thursday 31 January 2008

KLM used Fokker 50 PH-LXK on their lunchtime
service from Amsterdam
.
Photo: Gordon Stretch
For FEBRUARY 2008 and the rest of the
year click "Older Posts" on the right below