A310 to Boston

Azores Airlines, former SATA International, brought their Airbus A310 to Madeira on a flight from Boston (KBOS/BOS), which arrived in the morning.
Here are some photos from the departure back to the origin as flight S4 2209.

 CS-TGV / Airbus A310-304 / Azores Airlines (SATA International)

Closing Spotting Season 2012

And there it is, the last plane spotting day of 2012, at least for me.
Unfortunately there wasn't any last hour surprise traffic, like an A310 or B767 or something more eye catching than the regular airplanes that we are used to have in this part of the world. Yet the regular traffic together with the sunny weather and the company of fellow spotters was even better than a different traffic movement.

LN-NGD / Boeing 737-8JP/W / Norwegian Air Shuttle

CS-TTQ / Airbus 319-111 / TAP Air Portugal

D-AIZK / Airbus 320-214 / Lufthansa

D-AIZH / Airbus 320-214 / Lufthansa

CS-TRD / De Havilland Canada 8-402 Dash 8 / SATA Air Açores

LN-NGA / Boeing 737-8JP/W / Norwegian Air Shuttle

CS-AIC / Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee C / Aeroclube da Madeira (Air Club)

CS-TNQ / Airbus 320-214 / TAP Air Portugal

LPMA - Tower and apron overview
On the apron from left to right; CS-TTQ, F-HBAO, LN-NGA.

G-EZTG / Airbus 320-214 / easyJet

Icelandair

This Tuesday we had a visit of a B757 from Icelandair. This is not a first at Madeira airport, the last time this airline stopped around here, with a B757, was in May 2010. Unfortunately the last time I photographed this airline was in March 2008.
As I've already mencioned, the flight was made by a B757 with registration TF-FIP.
Arrived at LPMA/FNC at 13:45 from Reykjavik and about one hour later took off to the Canary Islands, more precisely to GCLP/LPA. From Gran Canaria it would fly back to Reykjavik this time without stopping by Madeira Airport.
TF-FIP / Boeing 757-208 / Icelandair

The shortest takeoff I've ever seen performed by a Boeing 757, just used 800 meters of runway.

Edelweiss

If this wasn't a blog dedicated to aviation, just by looking at the title of this message you could think that I would be writing about a flower (although it's somehow related), a beer, a grape type, a glider model among many other things. But no, today I'm writing about Edelweiss Air (which logo it's a edelweiss flower which is the origin of the airline name) that made it's premiere in LPMA/FNC.
It arrived at 11:41 from Zurich as flight WK284 and was entitled to a water cannon salute and the passengers were gifted with some souvenirs. Departed about one hour later, also to Zurich, as flight WK285.
HB-IHZ / Airbus 320-214 / Edelweiss Air
Touchdown for the first time in LPMA.
Water cannon salute performed by Madeira airport fire brigade.
Rotating on rwy 05.