by Josh Lew
Last updated: 9:30 AM ET, Tue March 1, 2016
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
 | Original Boeing 727 Takes Its Final Flight
The 727, which became one of Boeing's best sellers, first took to the skies in 1963. That original plane may fly again soon after a two-decade restoration effort spearheaded by a 71-year-old former Boeing engineer named Bob Bogash. |
 |
Tonga Hopes for Boost from Major Airport Upgrade
Tonga has invested $28 million to upgrade its modest Fua'amotu International Airport. Most of the funding for the upgrades came from the World Bank. The project focused on practical renovations such as increasing the length of the runway and repaving the tarmac. |
 | 747 Still The World's Fastest Plane
Despite the fact that airlines are talking about retiring it, the Boeing 747 is still the world's fastest commercial airliner. The four-engine airliner can cruise at Mach 0.92. Most new commercial jets fly at about Mach 0.8. Even though they are slower, the other jets are popular because of their technological upgrades and greater fuel efficiency. |
 |
Tokyo Increasing Airport Capacity Ahead of 2020 Games
Tokyo has been trying to promote its second airport, Haneda, in order to increase the city's overall air capacity before the 2020 Olympics. This past year, Haneda, which has long had a domestic focus, saw 12.8 million international arrivals. This is an impressive number considering that just a few short years ago, almost all international flights landed at Tokyo's other airport, Narita. |
JUST THE LINKS
Norwegian Air and Finnair have announced that they will join the European airline alliance Airlines for Europe (A4E). The trade group was founded by Air France KLM, easyJet, IAG, Lufthansa and Ryanair and lobbies for airline rights in Europe.
There are no direct flights from Amsterdam to Las Vegas, but 120,000 people searched for such a service on Skyscanner.net during 2015. Air France/KLM is in the best position to offer such a service.
Boeing said that it is considering offering voluntary layoffs to high-level engineers, managers and executives. If they accept the offer, these workers will not be replaced.
Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways are engaged in a price war as they try to capture a larger share of what has become a lucrative market. Fares on all three airlines have dropped by as much as 10 percent this year.
Ireland's film industry is celebrating the announcement that Aer Lingus will launch Dublin-Los Angeles flights on May 4. A number of Irish actors and film makers work in Hollywood, and there is a large expat community in Southern California.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
