Merry Christmas!

2020 is almost over, this year has been very complicated while the pandemic is still with us. This year for me has been a disaster just for me, everyone who works for aviation. Travelling has really impacted me as well as aviation spotting so let's start at the beginning. 

We start in January when I was in Malta for the New Year celebration with my friends when Coronavirus has started to spread slowly across Europe. After I went to the UK from Malta, I've started to feel very unwell all of the sudden so I might have caught it maybe a symptom without even knowing so I had it for two and the half weeks & fully recovered. Later on in January I went to Amsterdam, The Netherlands for couple of days of my birthday it was great for a tourist other than plane spotting because my old digital camera has almost kicked the bucket other than Holland still very cold for spotting. 

January was special for my UK friends because, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland including Gibraltar has left the European Union with a transition period ending next Thursday. I'm curious about my rights are because I'm an EU Citizen so 1st January 2021, UK wakes up independently & new rules to UK Immigration.

In March, lockdown has started until June & this is when it started to effect my travels. If you remember, I was suppose to go to Greece connecting to Asia travelling to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Coronavirus has gone out of control on these Asian countries apart from Greece so I decided to postponed it. I was thinking to go to Greece in Athens anyway but lockdown talks started in February where this trips meant to start so it's better to postponed everything. Following the pandemic, I travelled with Flybe from Holland in January then less than two months later, it ceased operations one of first UK regional to go during the pandemic. 

In the Summer, borders re-opening for some here in Europe so I wanted to get away from this mess & head to Amsterdam again in August. However, when I arrived their UK Government has put on quarantine so lucky I arrived in Holland before it happened. Before I went to Holland, I bought a brand new DSLR Camera  Canon EOS400D. I've used it in parts of the spotting area in Amsterdam Airport & it came somewhat success due to my lens being short range at 75mm so I'm currently browsing for a new long lens. 

In September I went back to Malta without doing Flight Report due to family concern from Covid lucky their ok now. Malta International Airshow meant to start in that month until it's postponed to next year due to high infection rates. Back in the UK, I was quarantined yet again in early October.

And finally this month in December we've come to an end. Sadly I can't travel due to Covid test requirement I can't to during the Christmas week so we'll have to wait in January. Well see what 2021 will give us hope for travel & into the future. 

To my fans, I like to wish you all a very Merry & healthy Christmas 2020 and wish you all a Happy New Year for 2021. 

                                        Merry Christmas! 

                                      "il-Milied It-Tajjeb!"

                             From Aircraft Aviation in Europe

                                              See you in 2021.

Top 5 aircraft photos for 2020

As the Coronavirus has impact aviation all over the world, 2020 has been very difficult for plane spotting for me. I didn't do much spotting this year due to the pandemic so let's take a look at my top 5 aviaiton spotting pics for 2020 taken on my old Fujifilm to my new Canon camera.

5: In loving memory of Flybe

Taken on my phone. This was taken on a scheduled flight from Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Southampton, UK on a normal early 2020 taken in the end of January with Flybe. As the Coronavirus Pandemic started in the UK, Flybe ceased operation in 5th March 2020. Although Flybe struggled before the pandemic & promising Virgin Connect was meant to re-rand it didn't started & completely abandoned after Flybe collapsed. This was my first & recent flight from January until I didn't travel in August when lockdown in June was eased. Their are rumours since October, Flybe might return in 2021 so we'll wait & see.

4:  Farewell retro (Air Malta)

Used my old camera. Almost every airliners around the world have retro livery some still have, some don't and some left the fleet. Taken in New Years Day 2020, Air Malta on scheduled flight as normal months before the pandemic started. 9H-AEI Airbus A320 had months left before the end of the lease until it was withdrawn from Air Malta in March 2020. Originally one of my fleet information it was planned to joined Getjet airlines, it has dropped & now with Trade Air 9A-BTI. As our lovely retro is gone, few more Airbus A320neos are on order but will we see retro painted again? no one knows. Sadly it did not have a send off when Malta was in lockdown.

3: In loving memory of Queen of the Skies (Passengers on some airliners)

Taken before the Coronavirus Pandemic in January, many airliners in Europe started it's plans to withdraw it's Boeing 747-400 for good from KLM, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic in the mid 2020's. Lufthansa however is still hanging on but still in storage. Rossiya - Russian Airlines is still using their 747's in service.  BA, Virgin and KLM have retired all their Queen of the Skies so this is my tribute. 

2:  Goodnight KLM

This was originally going to be number one which is a very tough decision to choose. What you can see here is a KLM Asia Boeing 777-200 arrived in Malta from Amsterdam, The Netherlands for a re-paint to modern KLM livery including it's Asian titles. I cheated a little because the image at night time was not the best being taken from my phone, my previous camera didn't take better night time photo unless theirs extra lighting so this mobile image deserves the best.  

1: Approaching Amsterdam

To celebrate using my brand new Canon EOS400D DSLR camera, I've did a little test on lower aircraft with an attachable lens with a max of 75mm. I must say on my blog on Aviation in Amsterdam, The Netherlands back in August, this must be the best photo I've ever took and this get's my top favourite spotting photo for 2020. This KLM Boeing 777 aircraft on final from Tokyo Narita, Japan during a overcast/rainy condition ish.  

And  their you have it, I know this year was disappointed due to Covid-19 let's hope what joy can we bring to 2021. I am returning to Malta in December so top 5 pics will not be changed just for fun.