Video: Another Times of India miraculous escape? A late go-around by a large Boeing 747-400F freighter

by Devesh Agarwal

I wonder how Times of India, and other sensationalist media in India would classify this late go-around at Amsterdam Schipol airport? Another "miraculous escape"?

Keep in mind the aircraft doing these acrobatic manoeuvres is a 350 ton Boeing 747-400F freighter of AirBridge Cargo registration VP-BIK.

Approaching in extreme cross wind conditions, the pilot decides at the very last minute that landing is not comfortable and opts for a go-around. Observe how smoothly the giant aircraft is handled and taken away from the runway.



A few minutes later, the pilot comes back for a second landing and nails it.

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Video: Emirates operates longest A380 flight Dubai Los Angeles

by Devesh Agarwal

The world's largest A380 operator, Dubai-based Emirates airline recently commenced flying the super-jumbo on its Dubai Los Angeles route. At 16h20m, it is the longest A380 flight. Start the week with a video showing the inaugural flight which received the water cannon salute from the rescue and fire-fighters of Los Angeles airport.

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Video: Interglobe's new A320 flight simulator training centre near New Delhi

by Devesh Agarwal

Late last month we reported on the Interglobe-CAE joint venture simulator training centre near New Delhi. Here is a video promotion of the same facility.


With a hat-tip to @neelammathews

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Video of Asiana crash shows plane cart-wheeling after impact

by Devesh Agarwal

A dramatic video recently released by the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), of the crash of Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 HL7742 performing flight OZ-214 at San Francisco airport shows the plane cart-wheeling after it impacted the sea-wall of the runway.

Update December 13, 2013

Another video of the incident.

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Opinion: The Rahul Gandhi "close shave" - Sensationalism rules at Indian media

by Devesh Agarwal

It appears that exaggeration driven sensationalism still rules the Indian media world, especially at the leading newspapers.

On Tuesday, a private Cessna Citation business jet carrying the ruling family scion Rahul Gandhi had to do a "go-around" when landing at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (coincidentally named after his grandmother). An Indian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 transporter took some extra time to clear the runway ahead of Gandhi's jet which precipitated this action. There is confusion on whether the Il-76 Gajraj was taking off or landing.

Screams The Times of India

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi narrowly escaped a disaster........

Not to be left behind The Hindustan Times blared

Close shave for Rahul at Delhi's IGI airport

Even the normally sober Firstpost joined the sensationalist bandwagon saying

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi reportedly had a close shave while landing at the Delhi airport

One of the only news organisations to take a sober and factual approach to this incident was NDTV whose headline ran

Rahul Gandhi's aircraft aborted landing to avoid collision, probe ordered

While separation between aircraft of 45 seconds is common at the ultra-busy airports around the world, in India, even New Delhi, there is a still a five nautical mile separation rule. In the case of Gandhi's bizjet, the separation was maintain at eight nautical miles (about 15 kilometres) due to "wake turbulence" caused by the Il-76.

Across the world, at the busy airports like New York, London, etc., air traffic controllers are under pressure, especially during peak hours, to maximise the utilisation of the runway. Aviation safety rules say that no two aircraft can occupy the runway at the same time, and ever so-often an aircraft takes some extra time and is not able to clear the runway in time. Thus a landing aircraft will be ordered to perform a "go-around". Sometimes due to cross winds or turbulence, the pilot is not comfortable in the approach and will chose to go-around rather than risk an unsafe landing. Whatever be the reason, the go-around is a fairly routine action, and pilots train for it.

See this video involving a Finnair MD-11 flight 5 being ordered to "go-around" at New York's JFK airport. Around 2m45s in to the video, you can head the tower controller ordering American Airlines flight 116 or 160 (one sixteen or one sixty) to taxi quickly and vacate the runway. When the American flight does not do so, at about 3m10s, when the Finnair is almost over the top of the runway threshold the controller orders it to "go-around". Everything in the cockpit is calm and plane goes around and lands. Its a routine matter.



In this video Qatar Airways flight QR1 goes around at the last minute on the choice of its pilots. Keep in mind, the Airbus A340-600 is not known for its power and climb capabilities. The whole incident is routine.



In this video from Japan's Narita airport, the massive 747-400, an aircraft that weighs over 350 tons at take-off, goes around while midway down the runway. It appears the approach was not stable, and pilot chooses to go-around rather than risk an unsafe landing. Again very routine.



In August 2010, we witnessed a Jet Airways Boeing 737-800 which touched down hard at Bangalore airport and as a result the aircraft was de-stabilised. The pilot did a "go-around" and landed ten minutes later. While Bangalore Aviation reported it in a routine manner, the newspapers went around with their scaremongering headlines of "close shave", "narrowly averted disaster", etc.

One has to question the motives and capabilities of the Indian media, which tries to make mountains out of grains of sand, not just molehills.

Almost every one in the aviation world knows that The Times of India is more of a tabloid than a newspaper. Is their scaremongering tactics a reflection on the hypocrisy of its readers who derive vicarious pleasure in these sensationalist headlines? It appears so, since other papers and news organisations are forced to descend to these low levels in order to compete. After all The Times of India is the most widely circulated paper in the world, not just India.

Isn't it time we took the high road?

Do share your comments and thoughts via a comment.

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Cathay Pacific unveils third "Spirit of Hong" special livery Boeing 777-300ER

Cathay Pacific Airways unveiled the third edition of the airline’s “Spirit of Hong Kong” livery painted on one its Boeing 777-300ER B-KPB.

Time lapse video at the end of the article.

The livery design carries the silhouettes of the 110 “The Spirit of Hong Kong” campaign winners.
“The Spirit of Hong Kong” campaign called for entries that best represented the spirit of Hong Kong in terms of the relevance of the message, the ability to inspire, creativity and presentation quality. 200 weekly winners were selected by public voting, then a judging panel selected 100 Top Winners and 10 Champions.

Cathay Pacific began highlighting the spirit of its home city in 1997, when the airline created a special livery for one of its aircraft that showcased the Hong Kong skyline in celebration of the transfer of sovereignty. In 2000, the airline unveiled its second “Spirit of Hong Kong” aircraft, created through a livery design competition, that highlighted the resilience of Hong Kong and urged people to come together to overcome the challenges the city faced.

Time lapse video on the painting of the livery

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Pictures: Cathay Pacific's new lounge at Hong Kong - The Bridge

by Devesh Agarwal

Cathay Pacific Airways has opened a new lounge called The Bridge, the airline’s sixth passenger lounge at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).

Video at the end of the article

The lounge is 2,567 square metres and located near Gate 35, on level 5 of the West Concourse and is open for first and business class passengers, Silver or above Marco Polo Club members, and Sapphire or above oneworld members who departing or transiting in Hong Kong. Opening hours are from 5:30am until the last departure.

Architectural firm Foster + Partners have developed The Bridge with a more residential design intent, offering a more “at home” feel.

The Bridge consists of North and South wings, each extending from the central Reception area.

The luminous reception wall, made of Venetian glass tiles by Fabbian of Italy.

The North Wing features The Bakery, which offers freshly baked bread and pizzas, as well as sandwiches, pastries, Asian and Western soups, and fresh salads. The North Wing also features the airline’s iconic Long Bar together with a television lounge and general seating area.

The Bakery

The South Wing features The Bistro, a self-service area where passengers can enjoy a variety of high-quality Asian and Western hot dishes and cold food selections, including delicious desserts and light leafy salads. At the Coffee Loft, passengers are treated to freshly brewed coffee and specialty tea, accompanied by freshly baked muffins, pastries and cookies.

Cathay's iconic Long Bar

The nine Shower Suites located in the South Wing are furnished with natural Travertine stone, complemented by oak slat walls with a full a spacious shower, providing a calm, relaxing and private sanctuary in which passengers can freshen up before their journey.

The opening of The Bridge means that Cathay Pacific now has six lounges at its Hong Kong hub, offering passengers an unrivalled selection of lounges, each with its own individual identity.

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Video - Making of SpiceJet's SpiceRoute magazine, Christmas issue

For your weekend viewing pleasure

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Video: Interview with Indian civil aviation minister Ajit Singh

Another interview more on promise, and less on substance.

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Video - Boeing updates on 737 MAX

Boeing has put together this nice compact tongue in cheek video update on the 737 MAX. Enjoy the weekend. Comments are welcome as always.

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Boeing launches 777X program - images and video

by Devesh Agarwal

Boeing 777-9X. Boeing image.

The Dubai Airshow is known for releasing multi-billion dollar orders from the major Gulf carriers, and yesterday was no exception.

Boeing was the clear winner on day one of the show, and the star was the yet to be commenced Boeing 777X program which is an upgrade of the already ultra-popular Boeing 777 twin engine wide body jetliner which today commands 71% of the in-service fleet worldwide.

Video at the end of the story

Despite receiving a order for 34 777-9X from German carrier Lufthansa two months ago, Boeing formally launched the 777X program at the 2013 Dubai Airshow, in deference to its largest 777 customer, Dubai-based Emirates airline, whose CEO, Tim Clark, has been the biggest demander of the new aircraft. (Watch a video of Tim Clark talking about wide body aircraft including the 777X).

Reflecting customer faith in the yet to be developed aircraft, Boeing took in orders and commitments for a whopping 225 aircraft, racking up its tally to 259, making the 777X, the largest product launch in commercial jetliner history by value.

Boeing image

Boeing received orders and commitments from Etihad Airways with 25 77X aircraft (17 777-9X and 8 777-8X), Qatar Airways with 50 777-9X; and Emirates with 150 777X (115 777-9X and 35 777-8X), with an option for 50 more. The combined value of the agreements is more than $95 billion at list prices.

The consistent large orders from the Gulf majors is not unexpected. As Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates, explained

"In recent years, much of the action in global aviation has shifted to the Middle East because countries like the U.A.E. and Qatar have tapped into our geographical advantage to build new air transport connections for the world,"

The 777X will build on the market leading 777 and will introduce new technologies in multiple places. A new composite wing similar to the 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 Jumbo will feature folding raked wingtips, allowing the new plane to fit into existing gates at airports. The new GE9X is touted as the most advanced commercial engine ever. Giving airlines what they desire most, lower seat-mile costs.

Mini-jumbo battle

Boeing 777-9X and 777-8X CGI. Boeing image.

The existing 777-300ER (77W) will be upgraded to the 777-9X with a list price of $377.2 million, an expected entry in to service (EIS) date of 2020, range of 8,200 nm (15,185 km), and passenger capacity of 406. The 777-200LR will be upgraded to the ultra-long-haul (ULH) 777-8X with a list price of $349.8 million, an EIS about 18 months after the -9X, range of 9,300 nm (17,220 km), and passenger capacity of 350 which is close to that of the existing 777-300ER.

The "mini-jumbo" segment is hotly contested, pitting the 777X against the A350 XWB from European major, Airbus.

While Boeing claims "the 777-8X competes directly with the A350-1000, while the 777-9X is in a class by itself", Airbus counters saying Boeing has driven up passenger numbers to justify operating economics using the ultra-dense 17 inch width seating, as practised by Emirates and Etihad, when compared to the wider 18 inch seat width used by Airbus to arrive at its 350 seat A350-1000, which is due to enter service in 2017.

Video of 777X

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Finnair celebrates its 90th anniversary

By BA Staff

Finnair celebrated its 90th anniversary on Friday, 1 November 2013.

 The world’s fifth-oldest airline still in operation, Finnair was established in 1923.

Today, Finnair specialises in flights between Europe and Asia, offering direct connections from Helsinki to over 60 European destinations and 13 Asian destinations.

Over eight million passengers per year fly on Finnair’s all-Airbus fleet.

CEO Pekka Vauramo says:

“We build on a legacy of building better connections between Europe and Asia and our vision of doubling our Asian revenue by 2020."

Finnair celebrated its 90 years of flying in various ways. As one of the special events to mark its jubilee year, Finnair distributed a special Finnair-themed edition of the Donald Duck comic book to all passengers on long-haul flights on Friday, 1 November. Finnair also commissioned a special batch of posters by Finnish graphic designer Erik Bruun to celebrate its 90th anniversary.

As part of the jubilee year, Finnair renewed its service concept and now uses tableware and textiles designed by Marimekko for Finnair on all flights in both Business and Economy Class. (See video below)



In addition, Finnair launched cooperation with two renowned Finnish chefs, Pekka Terävä and Tomi Björck, in September. (See video below)



The entertainment systems of Finnair’s aircraft have also been upgraded, nearly doubling the selection of entertainment on long-haul flights with 72 films and over 150 television programmes available in both Business and Economy class.

Finnair is harmonising its fleet and became the first airline to take delivery of the new Airbus 321 Sharklet aircraft in September. Finnair is also installing new, fully reclining seats in most of its long-haul fleet from January 2014 onwards. See fleet video below.



In spring 2014, Finnair will open a new Premium Lounge at Helsinki Airport. The Premium Lounge will be located next to the existing Finnair Lounge between gates 36 and 37 in the non-Schengen area and will complement its services. As part of the renewal, a sauna and private showers will be opened between the lounges, and a new tax free shop will be opened in front of the existing Finnair Lounge.

Finnair has received international recognition in its anniversary year: Finnair became the first airline to be selected in the Leadership Index of the global Carbon Disclosure Project on carbon dioxide emissions. Finnair is also the only Nordic airline to be awarded four stars by Skytrax, and it has been named Northern Europe’s Best Airline at the World Airline Awards for the last four years. In addition, it was recently named Best European Airline at the annual TTG Travel Awards. Finnair is a member of oneworld alliance, which is formed by the world’s leading airlines.

See more videos from Finnair celebrating various aspects of their 90 years in aviation.

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Delta to add more flights on New York JFK Los Angeles route with full flat-bed seats

by Devesh Agarwal

Delta Air Lines will debut three updated Boeing 757 aircraft on the transcontinental route between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport beginning July 1, 2014.

These will be the first 757 aircraft in service to feature Delta's previously announced upgrades which will include full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite on transcon flights between New York-JFK and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. All transcon flights on these routes will feature flat-bed seats by summer 2015.

The aircraft will include 16 full flat-bed seats arranged in a 2-2 configuration in the BusinessElite cabin. Each seat is 20 inches wide – expandable up to 22 inches – with an average bed length of 76 inches. Cabin mood lighting and high definition 16-inch video monitor at each seat will further improve the onboard experience.

The addition of flat-bed seats to the 757 transcon fleet will complement Delta's existing Boeing 767 transcon flights which already feature flat-bed seats for a total of eight daily flights on the route. Customers will enjoy a gourmet three-course menu from renowned chef Michael Chiarello paired with wine from Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson's specially curated Delta Winemaker Series, Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding, a Tumi amenity kit featuring skincare products from Malin+Goetz, a noise-reduction headset, Starbucks coffee and sparkling wine round out the BusinessElite experience.

Delta Boeing 757 BusinessElite cabin

The 757s transcontinental fleet will add an Economy Comfort class with 44 extra-legroom seats offering 35 inches of pitch and 50 percent more recline in a 3-3 configuration. This is in addition to 108 standard economy seats.

All seats in the economy cabin will feature a slim-line design for more personal space, an adjustable headrest, a nine-inch video monitor and standard 110v and USB power ports available at every seat.

Delta has been enhancing the transcon experience from nose to tail throughout 2013 with the addition of products such as complimentary Starbucks coffee and headsets for all passengers. The entire transcon fleet will feature in-flight Wi-Fi and all upgraded aircraft will offer an entertainment library of more than 1,000 on-demand options. Additionally, the 757 fleet will feature 18 channels of live satellite TV.

New York passengers will depart and arrive at Delta's new Terminal 4 (see video below) and at Los Angeles it is Terminal 5 which is being overhauled with a $229 million investment in progress.

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Video tours of the British Airways Boeing 787 and Airbus A380

by Devesh Agarwal

Flag carrier British Airways, by coincidence, has received the latest aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus around the same time.

Take video tours of the carrier's Airbus A380 double-decker super-jumbo and the composite fuel efficient Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

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Interesting trivia: It takes 96 people to fly an airline passenger

by Devesh Agarwal

A montage of photos to create a globe. Image courtesy BA.

British Airways has calculated the number of essential people involved in the customer journey in order to fly.

It is 96 different roles, across 18 different departments, using over 11 external suppliers in the process. This figures rises to 107 for premium customers, which normally includes the additional benefits of additional personalised service, fast track boarding, lounge access, and transportation, meet and greets, etc.

Before flying there are 23 crucial roles behind the scenes working to ensure everything is in place for your flight. On the day you fly, there are 38 people that contribute directly to getting you in the air. On board there is an average flight team of 16 people, including cabin crew, flight crew, may be engineers, and upon landing a further 19 people ensure your safe arrival and exit.

If one looks at just one strand in the chain; as an example a fish dish served to customers on board;

• it starts at Severn and Wye smokery in Gloucestershire, in the United Kingdom, where the fish is farmed and pre-prepared. 
• At Gate Gourmet, the flight kitchen, in London, meal trays are assembled and dishes freshly prepared ahead of flying. 
• Global logistics major Kuehne and Nagel deliver the cutlery, crockery, and tableware for the meal trays. 
• The menu has been considered for quality, taste and seasonality in advance by Mark Tazzioli, the menu manager at British Airways. 
• The meal is loaded in to food carts which are sealed by a security inspector, transported on special meal trucks that undergo more elaborate security checks, before being loaded in to the aircraft's galley. 
• On board a member of cabin crew prepares and another delivers the meal. 
• Once enjoyed, the process is reversed. The meal tray is stacked in to food carts, and returned to the galley. For premium passengers the tray is cleared and loaded into the food carts in the galley. When the aircraft lands, the containers are offloaded and returned to Gate Gourmet for cleaning, and the whole process starts again.

The equipment carried is equally challenging. On board a typical long-haul British Airways Boeing 747 flight, there will be 1,263 items of metal cutlery, 735 glasses, 233 toothpicks, 337 copies of the in-flight magazine, 2,000 ice cubes, 99 full bottles and 326 quarter bottles of wine, 58 toilet rolls, 337 donation envelopes to ‘Flying Start’ charity, and 40 skyflyer packs for children.

Abigail Comber, British Airways head of marketing, said:

“Our new TV advert shows the work that goes on behind the scenes, in order to get 100,000 people in the air every day. The research gave us a real appreciation for every single person that makes flying a seamless process. From the tug driver to the ramp agent, from NATS air traffic control to our chefs – there’s more people than you realise, that get you from A to Z.”

See the TV advert here.

Share your interesting aviation trivia via a comment.

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Air India's Boeing 787 promotional video

by Devesh Agarwal

Through non-official channels a promotional video by Air India of their new Boeing 787. Now that the airline has a new toy to play with, all the 777s procured just a few years ago lie forgotten and rotting on the tarmac. Read my op-ed piece here. You can also see our cabin walk-though pictures and video here.

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Video: British Airways' latest TV advertisement showcases its Boeing 787 Dreamliner

by BA Staff

British Airways' latest TV advertisement is focussed on the carrier's new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The video showcases the airline’s heritage and decades of flying know-how and innovation. The video follows a customer’s journey using a ‘micro to macro’ style of filming. The footage shows close up shots of the intimate details of flying, panning to wide shots of the aircraft in motion. The end frame poignantly shows the British Airways’ logo being stitched into fabric, with the voice-over commenting ‘To Fly. To Serve. Today. Tomorrow.’

The music featured in the ad is 'Experience (Starkey Remix)' by Ludovico Einaudi



Transcript:
To pioneer.
To engineer.
To innovate.
To imagine.
To Fly.
To Serve.
Today.
Tomorrow.

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Videos: Singapore Airlines launches its new ad campaign "The lengths we go to"

by Devesh Agarwal

Iconic national carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) has launched a new global brand campaign named “The Lengths We Go To”, showcasing the airline’s commitment to putting the customer at the heart of everything it does.

Explaining the thinking behind Singapore Airlines service experience, and the brand campaign, Singapore Airlines’ Executive Vice President Commercial, Mr Mak Swee Wah, said

“Making every customer feel at home when they fly with us has always been the cornerstone of our service philosophy. Our customers’ preferences have always been the foremost consideration in the curation process for our new products which are sourced from all over the world. This new campaign sets out to reaffirm this commitment.”

Tan Pee Teck, Senior Vice President of Product and Services at Singapore Airlines, along with three of his colleagues explain the customer centric focus of Singapore Airlines in this video which also shows insights on the rigorous training regime that goes to make the iconic Singapore Girl cabin crew.



Mak further explains

“The scenarios in the advertisements are examples of our commitment to delivering a special experience to our customers, with the Singapore Girl symbolising the lengths we go to. Despite the progression of time, the essence of the Singapore Girl and her gentle, caring ways remain especially relevant today, in an increasingly competitive environment where service excellence is the key differentiator,”

And the Singapore Girl, plays the protagonist in all three commercials which were filmed on location – Fujian in China, Glasgow in Scotland, and Venice in Italy – and involved local production crews of hundreds of people.

The first commercial depicts how SIA tailors quality products to suit the needs of its customers. A tea plantation and teahouse in Fujian were selected as the setting as this is the region from which SIA sources Jasmine tea.



The second commercial illustrates how SIA delivers the comforts of home through innovative products and services. Renowned Glasgow-based Andrew Muirhead and Son, Europe’s oldest tannery, was used as the filming location as it is where the leather used in SIA’s Business Class seats is produced.



The third commercial demonstrates SIA’s focus on curation to offer customers the best entertainment from around the world. It is set in Venice and features the Venice Film Festival, for which SIA is the Official Airline this year.



The commercials will be released progressively over three weeks, with the first being broadcast from today. A combination film, incorporating all three advertisements, will be released later this month.

The airline has also made a video showing the making of the advertisements.

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Videos: All the NTSB media briefings on the crash of UPS Airbus A300-600F at Birmingham, Alabama, USA

The United States National Transportation Safety Board which is investigating the fatal crash of a UPS flight 5X-1354, an Airbus A300-600 aircraft registration N155UP at Birmingham, Alabama, USA, on August 14, 2013, held four briefings for the media. Below are the videos of the briefings all together for your continuous viewing.

UPS Airbus A300-600F freighter registration N162UP approaches Boston Logan Airport in rainy weather

For an in-depth report of the crash, we recommend Simon Hradecky's Aviation Herald.

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Video: Emirates' Tim Clark talks about the A350, 787, and 777X

Dubai-based Emirates airline is a behemoth in the world of wide-body aircraft. The airline's president, Tim Clark, is considered a world authority on wide-body aircraft and is always pushing the envelope, demanding increasingly better performance from the two wide-body airframers, Boeing and Airbus SAS.

Watch below, a very informative 16 minute video of Clark talking with Bloomberg's Christopher Jasper, on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show 2013, about Airbus' A350, Boeing's 787-10 and 777X models, and industry demand for wide-body aircraft. (Source: Bloomberg)

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