Do you know that now there are direct flights between China and Taiwan?

Taiwan, seat of the exiled Republic of China since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, has banned direct sea, air, and trade links with China since 1949, and has banned Chinese mainlanders from entering Taiwan. On Friday 4 July 2008, China and Taiwan started regular direct flights for the first time in 59 years. The first flight from China to Taiwan was operated by China Southern Airlines and China Airlines operated from Taiwan to China.

Do you know which airline is the first airline to use the Boeing 747-800 Freighter?

Cargolux is the launch customer for the 747-8, and will take delivery of the first of its 13 Boeing 747-800 Freighters in 2009. Cargolux’s new 747-800 Freighters will offer significant capacity benefits over their 747-400 Freighter fleet, with a maximum structural payload capacity of 154 tons and 16 percent more revenue cargo volume.

Did you know that Garuda Indonesia is going to be the newest member of the SkyTeam Alliance ?

Garuda Indonesia and Korean Air have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to 'Enhance Co-operations in Marketing' which will broaden their code share agreement. The new deal will allow Garuda and Korean to increase seat allocations from 20 to 30 seats on the Jakarta/Denpasar - Seoul service. And as founder of the SkyTeam Alliance, Korean Air has also signaled its endorsement of Garuda Indonesia’s wish to join the alliance.The airline has set its sight on becoming a four star airline by 2009 and a five star airline by the following year. And by entering the SkyTeam Alliance Garuda will get closer to achieving its targets.

Did you know that Singapore Airlines was named airline of the year 2008 in World Airline Awards ?

Singapore Airlines wins consecutive airline of the year award for the second year running source from SKYTRAX which is a specialist research advisors to the air transport industry. The survey was operated over an 11 month period (August 2007 to June 2008). The Top 10 airlines in the 2008 World Airline Awards : 1. Singapore Airlines 2. Cathay Pacific 3. Qantas 4. Thai Airways 5. Asiana Airlines 6. Malaysia Airlines 7. Qatar Airways 8. Air New Zealand 9. Emirates 10. Etihad Airways

Did you know that Delta Air Lines Inc. merged with Northwest Airlines Corp. ?

Delta Air Lines Inc. merged with Northwest Airlines Corp. after the approval from the U.S. Department of Justice. The deal was worth an estimated 2.6 billion dollars and the merger will rank the carrier as the largest airline in the world by passenger traffic. The new airline, called Delta Air Lines and headquartered in Atlanta, offers service to more than 375 destinations worldwide in over 66 countries.

Do you know which airline is the largest carrier in Europe ?

Lufthansa has bought the shares of Austrian Airlines after the approval from the supervisory board, making it the largest carrier in Europe. On Friday, 5 December 2008, both carriers will sign their respective contracts to approve the transaction. The contracts state that Lufthansa will be holding at least 75 percent of Austrian Airlines shares.

Do you know which airline is the oldest airline in the world ?

2009 will be a very special year for KLM. On 7 October 2009, it will have been 90 years since KLMwas first founded. This makes KLM the oldest airline in the world and is still operating under its original name.On 1 January 2009, KLM will ring in the New Year with a festive flight – it’s Celebration Flight. The flight will beoperated over the Netherlands’ twelve provinces. The public will be involved in the event in the form of a photographycontest. KLM is inviting everyone to take pictures of the Celebration Flight from a recognizable point in the country.KLM will award the makers of the twelve best photographs with two tickets to an intercontinental destination.Throughout the year, KLM will be announcing new and different anniversary activities.

Do you know the maximum flow rate of the hydrant dispenser trucks ?

On February 5, 2008, the Airbus A380 has become the first commercial flight to complete a flight using liquid fuel processed from gas. The three-hour flight from the UK to France was the first stage of a test flight program to evaluate the enviromental impact of alternative fuels in the airline market.

Did you know that it is believed that soya oil can be used with commercial aircrafts and can reduce greenhouse gas levels ?

A group of American biochemists believe that soya oil is just the thing to give aviation fuel a greener future. They say that an aircraft fuel based on soya oil and traditional jet fuel will slash consumption of fossil fuel, and help slow the rise in greenhouse gas levels by using carbon from renewable sources. Commercial jets run on a petroleum fuel called Jet A1. Like all fossil fuels, it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when burnt. Biofuels like soya oil, on the other hand, are " carbon neutral " because the carbon the release came from the atmosphere only recently.

Did you know that aerospace engineers have discovered a method for an aircraft to self-repair itself ?

A new technique that mimics healing process found in nature could enable damaged aircraft to mend themselves automatically, even during a flight, developed by aerospace engineers at Bristol University, could make it possible to design lighter airplanes in the future. This would lead to fuel savings, cutting costs for airlines and passengers and reducing carbon emissions. The technique is if a tiny hole or crack appears in an aircraft, the epoxy resin would “ bleed “ from embedded vessels nearby and quickly seal it up.