Boeing 777 Freighter joins Volga-Dnepr Group

A Boeing 777 Freighter joined the Volga-Dnepr Group fleet of aircraft on Monday, departing Paine Field in Everett, Wash. The fuel efficient twin-engine freighter will begin operations with AirBridgeCargo, a subsidiary of Volga-Dnepr. AirBridgeCargo will operate the airplane via a sale-leaseback agreement with Dubai Aerospace Enterprise.

Volga-Dnepr Group is among the world's largest Boeing freighter operators, flying 17 747 freighters and five 737 freighters, including 13 747-8F, four 747-400ERF, two 737-800BCF and three 737-400SF.

The 777 Freighter, which can fly 4,970 nautical miles (9,200 kilometers), can carry a payload of 224,900 lbs. (102,010 kg), more cargo capacity than any other twin-engine freighter. Of all production freighters, only the 747F and 777 Freighter are capable of carrying tall and outsized cargo loads on three-meter (10-foot) tall pallets. In addition, the 777F main deck side cargo door is extraordinarily wide at 3.72 meters (146.5 inches), giving that airplane outsized carriage capability beyond tall payloads.

Boeing provides more than 90 percent of the worldwide dedicated freighter capacity. Customers have ordered 231 777 Freighters since the program began in 2005. Volga-Dnepr becomes the 19^th operator to date to use the large-capacity twin-engine freighter.

Air Canada reconfigures three Boeing 777s to transport COVID-19 supplies

Air Canada is reconfiguring the cabins of three of its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to give them additional cargo capacity to combat the COVID-19 crisis, the company announced on Saturday. The first aircraft conversion is complete and is now in service, with the second and third aircraft to be completed shortly.

"The transformation of the Boeing 777-300ERs doubles the capacity of each flight and will enable more goods to move more quickly," said Tim Strauss, Vice President – Cargo at Air Canada.

"Air Canada's engineering team worked around the clock to oversee the conversion work. The next two aircraft are on track to be completed and will be in operation within the coming days," said Richard Steer, Senior Vice President, Operations at Air Canada.

The three Boeing 777-300ER aircraft are being converted by Avianor, an aircraft maintenance and cabin integration specialist, at its Montreal-Mirabel facility. Avianor developed a specific engineering solution to remove 422 passenger seats and designate cargo loading zones for light weight boxes containing medical equipment and restrained with cargo nets. This modification has been developed, produced and implemented within six days.

Air Canada has operated 40 all-cargo flights since March 22 and plans to operate up to 20 all-cargo flights per week using a combination of the three newly converted Boeing 777s, Boeing 787s and Boeing 777s.

Etihad Airways change aircraft on two key US markets

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, continues to optimize its United States network with equipment changes on two key markets in 2016.

Currently Etihad operates leased Jet Airways Boeing 777-300ER aircraft for its daily flight to and from San Francisco. These aircraft will be replaced with Etihad Airways Boeing 777-200LRs from April 25.

The daily EY101 flight from Abu Dhabi to New York's JFK airport and the return EY100 service will also see leased Jet Airways Boeing 777-300ER aircraft replaced by Etihad Airways Boeing 777-300ERs from June 1.

The second daily Etihad Airways service to and from New York JFK, EY103 and EY102, will continue to be operated with the airline's flagship A380 aircraft in 2016.

The Etihad Airways Boeing 777-200LR to be deployed on the San Francisco route will be configured to carry 239 guests in three cabins, with eight First Class seats, 40 Business Class seats and 191 Economy Class seats.

The Boeing 777-300ER to be deployed by Etihad Airways on the New York route will be configured to carry 328 guests also in three cabins, with eight First Class seats, 40 Business Class seats, and 280 Economy Class seats.

All Etihad Airways guests flying to the United States pass through U.S. Preclearance at Abu Dhabi Airport meaning they clear U.S. immigration and customs before boarding their flight and arriving in America as domestic passengers.

Etihad Airways currently operates daily to New York JFK, a daily service to Chicago, daily to Washington D.C., daily to Los Angeles LAX, daily to San Francisco, and three flights a week to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Etihad Airways began operations in 2003, and in 2014 carried 14.8 million passengers. The airline has a fleet of 120 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and approximately 200 aircraft on firm order, including 66 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and five Airbus A380s.

Turkish Airlines to receive 12 Boeing planes this year

Turkish Airlines recently celebrated a milestone with the delivery of the airline's 125^th airplane purchased from Boeing – a Next-Generation 737-900ER – and one of 12 aircraft the Turkish carrier will take delivery of this year.

Boeing and Turkish Airlines' relationship stretches back to 1968 when the airline first purchased one McDonnell Douglas DC-9. In 1974, it began operating the first of the Boeing 7 Series, taking delivery of two 727-200s. Since then, Turkish has grown to become one of the world's leading carriers and currently operates a mix of Boeing 777-300ERs and 737 Next-Generation airplanes.

"Boeing has played a pivotal role in the development of Turkish Airlines and these deliveries continue to enable this airline to compete, expand and reach new short and long-range destinations nonstop from our hubs in Istanbul," said Ahmet Bolat, Chief Investment and Technology Officer, Turkish Airlines.

"We are incredibly proud of our long standing relationship with Turkish Airlines, which now stretches back over 40 years with over 100 777 and 737 airplanes delivered," commented Todd Nelp, vice president of European Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

The Next-Generation 737-900ER is a short-to-medium range twinjet.

Fast & Furious 7 goes airborne with Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and Universal Pictures unveiled the luxury Fast & Furious Boeing 777 airliner at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Wednesday. Actor/producer Vin Diesel was on hand as Etihad Airways Flight 171 arrived from Abu Dhabi to kick off the global junket and world premiere of Furious 7. The film arrives in theaters on April 3.

The Fast & Furious 777 plane will fly the direct route between Abu Dhabi and Los Angeles, which Etihad Airways opened in June 2014. The airline is also a sponsor of the Furious 7 world premiere, which takes place in Los Angeles on April 1.

The Fast & Furious decal will remain on the plane for the next four to six months.

Etihad Airways began operations in 2003, and in 2014 carried 14.8 million passengers. From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to 111 existing or announced passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The airline has a fleet of 111 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and more than 200 aircraft on firm order, including 69 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777-X, 62 Airbus A350s and nine Airbus A380s.

EVA Air plans non-stop flights between Taipei and Houston

EVA Air will initiate non-stop flights between Taipei and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport on June 19, 2015. The airline will start the new service with three flights a week and increase frequency to four on July 1, 2015. The route will give passengers a comfortable way to fly from the Southwestern region of the United States to Taipei and, with just one easy stop, connect onward to major destinations throughout Asia, including Mainland China, Singapore and Vietnam.

EVA will serve the route with a brand-new Boeing 777-300ER equipped with Wi-Fi, the latest inflight entertainment system and SMS roaming service that passengers can use to send and receive short messages on their own mobile phones. The aircraft is scheduled for delivery in May 2015 and will be specially painted nose-to-tail with Texas-sized Hello Kitty and Sanrio characters. It will have 333 seats, configured with 39 in Royal Laurel Class business, 56 in Elite premium economy and 238 in Economy.

Cathay Pacific Airways new daily service from Newark to Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific Airways launched a new daily service from Newark Liberty International Airport to Hong Kong on Sunday with a first flight celebration that included a lion dance and traditional roast pig cutting ceremony.

The new service complements Cathay Pacific's current four-times-daily service from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. “The launch of the Newark service provides more convenience and greater flexibility for passengers traveling to and from the New York metropolitan area,” the airline said in a press statement.

The Newark service is operated by Boeing 777-300ER aircraft featuring Cathay Pacific's new cabin products, including the awarding-winning Business Class, Premium Economy Class and the new Economy Class seats.

Cathay Pacific Senior Vice President, Americas, Tom Owen said, "The introduction of Cathay Pacific's Newark to Hong Kong service demonstrates our commitment to the New York Metropolitan area, which has been instrumental in the development of our North American operations.”

Newark is Cathay Pacific's fifth gateway in the United States, and seventh in North America. The airline currently serves Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver.

Cathay Pacific Airways flies daily to Hong Kong and beyond, including over 22 destinations in mainland China, from Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.

Receive DCNewsroom email alerts, subscribe here.

Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 crashes at San Francisco airport

At 2:36 p.m. EDT Saturday, Asiana Airlines Flight 214, a Boeing 777 arriving from Seoul, South Korea, crashed while landing on runway 28L at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in California. Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the accident.

Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are already gathering information on the crash, a "Go Team" is being sent to the scene, the agency reported on Twitter.

David Eun, a passenger on the Asiana flight, reported on Twitter, “I just crash landed at SFO. Tail ripped off. Most everyone seems fine. I'm OK. Surreal. Fire and rescue people all over the place. They're evacuating the injured. Haven't felt this way since 9/11. Lots of activity here. Friends, please don't call right now. I'm fine. Most people are totally calm.”

Los Angeles International Airport officials report, "Due to the accident at SFO, some flights scheduled to land at SFO are being diverted to LAX. Please contact airline for details."

Air traffic control communications with Asiana Airlines flight 214, click here.

Frontier Airlines reports, "Due to the unfortunate incident at SFO, the airport is closed and our flights today have been canceled. Please call reservations to rebook."

Follow DCNewsroom on Twitter and Facebook.