Winter trip to Middle East.....

[billsamuels]

Morning Guys,

And may I offer my sincere welcome to all the new members over the past 48 hours - we're probably one of the friendliest aviation forum's available.  We all log information from around the UK, and beyond, and our membership has some deep and very detailed knowledge of all sorts of aviation....

Anyway, since I've been accused of spending most of my time, since taking retirement, on vacation, I thought I'd better place my latest 'vacation' log on AFA....

Just to give you a bit of background, I received an email from an old mate, who is still in the business, regarding a pre-Christmas winter cruise. Flights with Virgin LHR/DXB, 10 nights on the Celebrity Constellation - easy-peasy!!! We arrived at Dubai to be welcomed with 28c but had to transfer to Abu Dhabi (by road, about 75 minutes) to join the ship.  This was all done and we were on-board by 1pm, for a buffet lunch and to roam the ship to get our bearings. All that done we set sail at about 7pm which was beautiful, as you sail rights past the new Abu Dhabi Louvre art gallery - which sparkles at night. 

Anyway, what follows is my log, from ADU, for the following 11 days.  Some days we were at sea and whilst I am unable to pin-point the exact location for a certain 'Sea King' sighting, I elected to put the location as the nearest point. So when you reach the said 'Sea King', we were in fact out in the Strait of Hormuz, obviously quite close to Iran. It appeared out of no-where and buzzed the ship twice, my wife and I were on deck (11) and had perfect vision but, sadly, no camera readily at hand. The serial (312) was in large numbers on the side so I didn't even need bins to read it off.... I didn't actually know who operated it but having sent messages to Graham/Jeff and the ever resourceful Dave (Basing) they all confirmed that the only likely candidate was the Iranian Navy.... Certainly pot of the trip, may even be year!!!

Apart from arrival/departure, my logging was done totally from the pool deck from the ship. Dubai was fantastic as the aircraft either landed or departed just to the stern of the ship, Abu Dhabi was a bit more complicated as they could be seen but they were a little way off.  Surprisingly there was quite a lot of OTT activity and on this occasion most were producing trails, admittedly not long one's, but even the hint of one makes that process so much easier. Anyway, those sightings marked with an F are new frames for me, R is a scrape and those unmarked have been seen before...

Monday, 27 November, 2017 Dubai
Reg/Code Type C/n Airline/Operator/Owner
F A6-EUO Airbus A380 227 Emirates Airline
F A6-EUQ Airbus A380 229 Emirates Airline
R A6-EUR Airbus A380 232 Emirates Airline
F A6-EUX Airbus A380 241 Emirates Airline
F A6-FEO Boeing B.737NG 40266 flydubai
F A6-FES Boeing B.737NG 40270 flydubai
F A6-FGG Boeing B.737NG 60960 flydubai
F A6-FGH Boeing B.737NG 60961 flydubai
F A6-FGI Boeing B.737NG 60962 flydubai
F A6-FGJ Boeing B.737NG 60963 flydubai
F A6-MAX Boeing B.737MAX 60966 flydubai
R VQ-BKH Airbus A321 841 Ural Airlines

Wednesday, 29 November, 2017 Muscat [Seeb], Oman
Reg/Code Type C/n Airline/Operator/Owner
F 9K-AKI Airbus A320 6500 Kuwait Airways
9K-AKJ Airbus A320 6516 Kuwait Airways
F 9M-MTN Airbus A330 1470 Malaysia Airlines
A4O-BE Boeing B.737NG 37161 Oman Air
F A4O-BG Boeing B.737NG 29664 Oman Air
F A4O-BH Boeing B.737NG 40066 Oman Air
F A4O-BJ Boeing B.737NG 34242 Oman Air
F A4O-BP Boeing B.737NG 35272 Oman Air
A4O-BV Boeing B.737NG 40068 Oman Air
F A4O-BY Boeing B.737NG 44424 Oman Air
F A4O-OVA Airbus A320 3035 SalamAir
F A4O-OVB Airbus A320 3047 SalamAir
A4O-SB Boeing B.787 42379 Oman Air
A6-ANB Airbus A320 4524 Air Arabia
F A6-ANT Airbus A320 5889 Air Arabia
F A6-EUP Airbus A380 228 Emirates Airline
A9C-CF Airbus A321 5336 Gulf Air
AP-BLM Airbus A320 3105 Shaheen Air International
F AP-EDA Airbus A320 3974 AirBlue
B-18701 Boeing B.747 30759 China Airlines
TC-TJS Boeing B.737NG 34252 Corendon Air
VT-AXM Boeing B.737NG 36326 Air India Express
F VT-IEM Airbus A320 4947 IndiGo

Thursday, 30 November, 2017 Muscat [Seeb], Oman
Reg/Code Type C/n Airline/Operator/Owner
F 9M-MTH Airbus A330 1336 Malaysia Airlines
F A4O-BK Boeing B.737NG 40070 Oman Air
F A6-AOI Airbus A320 6553 Air Arabia
F RP-C8760 Airbus A330 1510 Philippine Airlines
F RP-C8766 Airbus A330 1566 Philippine Airlines

Friday, 1 December, 2017 Muscat [Seeb], Oman
Reg/Code Type C/n Airline/Operator/Owner
F 8-2312 Agusta-Sikorsky Sea King Iranian Navy

Sunday, 3 December, 2017 Dubai
Reg/Code Type C/n Airline/Operator/Owner
F 4K-AZ86 Airbus A340 894 Azerbaijan Airlines
4R-ABQ Airbus A321 3397 SriLankan Airlines
F 5Y-CYB Boeing B.737NG 40550 Kenya Airways
F A4O-BAG Boeing B.737NG 41351 Oman Air
F A4O-BD Boeing B.737NG 35287 Oman Air
F A6-EQH Boeing B.777 42353 Emirates Airline
F A6-FDW Boeing B.737NG 40250 flydubai
A6-FEO Boeing B.737NG 40266 flydubai
F A6-FGF Boeing B.737NG 60959 flydubai
R A6-SEA Cessna 208 208-00118 Seawings
F A6-SEB Cessna 208 208-00401 Seawings
A9C-AB Airbus A320 4030 Gulf Air
A9C-AD Airbus A320 4083 Gulf Air
A9C-DHJ Boeing B.767 23146 DHL International Aviatio
AP-BLB Airbus A320 2155 Pakistan International Ai
F AP-BLD Airbus A320 2274 Pakistan International Ai
AP-BLS Airbus A320 3060 Pakistan International Ai
AP-EDA Airbus A320 3974 AirBlue
R EP-FQU Avro 146 E3374 Qeshm Air
R EP-MMF Airbus A340 376 Mahan Air
F EZ-A018 Boeing B.737NG 61573 Turkmenistan Airlines
F HZ-AQ21 Airbus A330 1766 Saudia
F HZ-AS22 Airbus A320 4484 Saudia
F HZ-AS42 Airbus A320 4501 Saudia
N256UP McDonnell Douglas 48405 United Parcel Service
N356UP Boeing B.767 37869 United Parcel Service
N570UP Boeing B.747 35667 United Parcel Service
N595FE McDonnell Douglas 48553 FedEx Express
F N607UP Boeing B.747 64265 United Parcel Service
OH-LZH Airbus A321 5803 Finnair
F P4-KDB Airbus A321 5404 Air Astana
SU-GEG Boeing B.737NG 63799 Egypt Air
R TF-AAJ Boeing B.747 32869 Saudia
UK78701 Boeing B.787 38363 Uzbekistan Airways
F UR-CNF Boeing B.737 27126 Eritrean Airlines
R VP-CXP Airbus A320 3889 Flynas
F VP-CXY Airbus A320 3396 Flynas
F VQ-BTZ Airbus A319 3388 Ural Airlines
F VQ-BWD Boeing B.737NG 41211 Aeroflot Russian Airlines
F VT-AXH Boeing B.737NG 36323 Air India Express
VT-AXR Boeing B.737NG 36330 Air India Express
VT-AXU Boeing B.737NG 36332 Air India Express
VT-GHD Boeing B.737NG 60697 Air India Express
R VT-IDU Airbus A320 2457 IndiGo
F VT-JBB Boeing B.737NG 36846 Jet Airways
F VT-JBW Boeing B.737NG 37960 Jet Airways
F VT-JFB Boeing B.737NG 39401 Jet Airways
VT-JGP Boeing B.737NG 34798 Jet Airways
F VT-NAC Boeing B.787 36299 Air India
F VT-PPB Airbus A321 3146 Air India
F VT-SZI Boeing B.737NG 37364 SpiceJet
F VT-SZK Boeing B.737NG 41398 SpiceJet
F YI-ASW Boeing B.737NG 40085 Iraqi Airways

Monday, 4 December, 2017 Dubai
Reg/Code Type C/n Airline/Operator/Owner
4R-ALP Airbus A330 1669 SriLankan Airlines
9H-GCM Bombardier Global 9076 Jet Magic Limited
F 9K-AKK Airbus A320 6538 Kuwait Airways
F A4O-BL Boeing B.737NG 40067 Oman Air
F A4O-EC Embraer ERJ-175 17000349 Oman Air
F A6-EPT Boeing B.777 42339 Emirates Airline
F A6-EPU Boeing B.777 42340 Emirates Airline
F A6-EUK Airbus A380 223 Emirates Airline
F A6-EUM Airbus A380 225 Emirates Airline
F A6-EUN Airbus A380 226 Emirates Airline
F A6-EUS Airbus A380 234 Emirates Airline
F A6-EUV Airbus A380 239 Emirates Airline
F A6-FEW Boeing B.737NG 40276 flydubai
A6-RJY Boeing B.737NG 29857 Royal Jet
A9C-AD Airbus A320 4083 Gulf Air
R AP-BLC Airbus A320 2212 Pakistan International Ai
B-6080 Airbus A330 815 Air China
F B-LBB Airbus A330 1436 Cathay Pacific Airways
EP-IEF Airbus A320 312 Iran Air
R EP-MMI Airbus A340 416 Mahan Air
F HZ-AQ26 Airbus A330 1797 Saudia
F HZ-AQE Airbus A330 1147 Saudia
F HZ-AQI Airbus A330 1454 Saudia
HZ-AR11 Boeing B.787 40045 Saudia
F HZ-AS32 Airbus A320 4273 Saudia
F HZ-AS35 Airbus A320 4391 Saudia
F HZ-AS58 Airbus A320 7718 Saudia
R OK-TSP Boeing B.737NG 31716 flydubai
R RP-C3348 Airbus A330 1789 Cebu Pacific Air
F VP-BYB Boeing B.737NG 30160 AzurAir
F VP-CXE Airbus A320 2199 Flynas
VP-CYC Airbus A320 4061 Flynas
F VT-AYC Boeing B.737NG 36339 Air India Express
F VT-GHB Boeing B.737NG 60695 Air India Express
F VT-IAX Airbus A320 6287 IndiGo
F VT-IFP Airbus A320 5676 IndiGo
F VT-JGE Boeing B.737NG 32663 Jet Airways
F VT-JGT Boeing B.737NG 34801 Jet Airways
F VT-PPF Airbus A321 3340 Air India
F VT-PPI Airbus A321 3557 Air India
F VT-PPM Airbus A321 3792 Air India
F VT-PPU Airbus A321 4096 Air India
F VT-SLO Boeing B.737NG 30721 SpiceJet
F VT-SLO Boeing B.737NG 30721 SpiceJet
F YI-ASI Boeing B.737NG 40077 Iraqi Airways
YI-ASW Boeing B.737NG 40085 Iraqi Airways

Tuesday, 5 December, 2017 Dubai
Reg/Code Type C/n Airline/Operator/Owner
F 4R-ANB Airbus A320 7535 SriLankan Airlines
F 9K-CAK Airbus A320 4162 Jazeera Airways
F 9XR-WQ Boeing B.737NG 42057 RwandAir
F A4O-BAC Boeing B.737NG 60393 Oman Air
F A4O-BAC Boeing B.737NG 60393 Oman Air
F A4O-EB Embraer ERJ-175 17000324 Oman Air
A6-ANB Airbus A320 4524 Air Arabia
A6-ANS Airbus A320 5772 Air Arabia
F A6-ANW Airbus A320 6000 Air Arabia
F A6-AOF Airbus A320 6444 Air Arabia
A6-AOJ Airbus A320 6665 Air Arabia
F A6-AOK Airbus A320 6737 Air Arabia
A6-AOO Airbus A320 7226 Air Arabia
F A6-AOT Airbus A320 7797 Air Arabia
F A6-EIR Airbus A320 5407 Etihad Airways
A6-EIU Airbus A320 5821 Etihad Airways
F A6-EUT Airbus A380 236 Emirates Airline
F A6-EUZ Airbus A380 244 Emirates Airline
F A9C-AI Airbus A320 4255 Gulf Air
F A9C-CA Airbus A321 5025 Gulf Air
F AP-BNK Airbus A319 2452 Shaheen Air International
F AP-BNN Airbus A319 2738 Shaheen Air International
F B-8332 Airbus A330 1662 Sichuan Airlines
R EP-IEB Airbus A320 575 Iran Air
EP-LCL McDonnell Douglas 53229 Kish Air
ET-APX Boeing B.777 42101 Ethiopian Airlines
F EZ-A019 Boeing B.737NG 61574 Turkmenistan Airlines
F HZ-AQ15 Airbus A330 1734 Saudia
F HZ-AQ25 Airbus A330 1790 Saudia
F HZ-AQC Airbus A330 1137 Saudia
F HZ-AQF Airbus A330 1153 Saudia
F HZ-AQH Airbus A330 1189 Saudia
HZ-AS45 Airbus A320 4823 Saudia
F HZ-AS53 Airbus A320 7444 Saudia
F HZ-AS57 Airbus A320 7666 Saudia
F JY-AYW Airbus A320 5367 Royal Jordanian Airlines
F JY-PTD Airbus A320 2764 Air Arabia Jordan
F P4-KBE Airbus A320 5968 Air Astana
F RP-C3346 Airbus A330 1602 Cebu Pacific Air
RP-C8789 Airbus A330 1504 Philippine Airlines
F TC-TJU Boeing B.737NG 29681 Corendon Air
R UR-PSO Boeing B.737NG 30628 Ukraine International Air
F VP-BOA Boeing B.737NG 41232 Rossiya Russian Airlines
F VP-CXI Airbus A320 3218 Flynas
VP-CXJ Airbus A320 5716 Flynas
F VP-CXK Airbus A320 4055 Flynas
F VQ-BDJ Airbus A320 2175 Ural Airlines
VQ-BKH Airbus A321 841 Ural Airlines
R VQ-BOZ Airbus A321 2117 Ural Airlines
F VQ-BWA Boeing B.737NG 41207 Aeroflot Russian Airlines
F VQ-BWF Boeing B.737NG 41214 Aeroflot Russian Airlines
F VT-AXT Boeing B.737NG 36331 Air India Express
F VT-GHF Boeing B.737NG 60699 Air India Express
F VT-IAN Airbus A320 6010 IndiGo
F VT-IAY Airbus A320 6336 IndiGo
F VT-INT Airbus A320 3497 IndiGo
F VT-JBP Boeing B.737NG 36819 Jet Airways
F VT-JBU Boeing B.737NG 36825 Jet Airways
F VT-JBV Boeing B.737NG 36827 Jet Airways
F VT-PPA Airbus A321 3130 Air India
F VT-PPJ Airbus A321 3573 Air India
F VT-SCJ Airbus A319 3305 Air India
F VT-SLI Boeing B.737NG 29670 SpiceJet
YI-ASW Boeing B.737NG 40085 Iraqi Airways

Wednesday, 6 December, 2017 Abu Dhabi
Reg/Code Type C/n Airline/Operator/Owner
F A4O-BT Boeing B.737NG 40071 Oman Air
F A4O-SE Boeing B.787 39291 Oman Air
F A6-AEA Airbus A321 5836 Etihad Airways
F A6-BLO Boeing B.787 39660 Etihad Airways
F A6-EIC Airbus A320 2167 Etihad Airways
F A6-EIF Airbus A320 3004 Etihad Airways
F A6-EIK Airbus A320 3676 Etihad Airways
F A6-EIV Airbus A320 5882 Etihad Airways
F A6-EIW Airbus A320 5924 Etihad Airways
F A6-EJA Airbus A320 6527 Etihad Airways
F A6-ETI Boeing B.777 39684 Etihad Airways
F A6-EYT Airbus A330 1486 Etihad Airways
F A6-SBK Leonardo-Finmeccan69031 Falcon Aviation Services

Thursday, 7 December, 2017 Dubai
Reg/Code Type C/n Airline/Operator/Owner
A4O-BJ Boeing B.737NG 34242 Oman Air
F A4O-SA Boeing B.787 42378 Oman Air
F A6-EQB Boeing B.777 42347 Emirates Airline
A6-EUM Airbus A380 225 Emirates Airline
A6-EUP Airbus A380 228 Emirates Airline
A6-FGE Boeing B.737NG 60958 flydubai
A6-FLH Gulfstream Aerospa4155 Falcon Aviation Services
R AP-BLA Airbus A320 3031 Pakistan International Ai
EP-IEG Airbus A320 2054 Iran Air
EP-LCJ McDonnell Douglas 53221 Kish Air
R EP-SUS Fokker F.100 11487 Naft Airlines
F EZ-A020 Boeing B.737NG 61575 Turkmenistan Airlines
G-VUFO Airbus A330 1352 Virgin Atlantic Airways
HZ-AQ24 Airbus A330 1781 Saudia
F HZ-AS55 Airbus A320 7550 Saudia
HZ-AS59 Airbus A320 7789 Saudia
HZ-ASW Airbus A321 5549 Saudia
N595FE McDonnell Douglas 48553 FedEx Express
OD-MRR Airbus A320 3837 Middle East Airlines
F P4-NAS Airbus A321 1042 Air Astana
F SU-GEL Boeing B.737NG 63804 Egypt Air
R UK67008 Boeing B.767 33078 Uzbekistan Airways
VP-CXK Airbus A320 4055 Flynas
F VT-IEL Airbus A320 4888 IndiGo
VT-IEM Airbus A320 4947 IndiGo
F VT-IES Airbus A320 5090 IndiGo
F VT-IFO Airbus A320 5641 IndiGo
F VT-JBM Boeing B.737NG 36817 Jet Airways
F VT-JBN Boeing B.737NG 36818 Jet Airways

Thursday, 7 December, 2017 Dubai World Central
Reg/Code Type C/n Airline/Operator/Owner
R VQ-BRF Boeing B.737NG 34970 Royal Flight

Thursday, 7 December, 2017 London Heathrow
Reg/Code Type C/n Airline/Operator/Owner
B-2047 Boeing B.777 60374 Air China
R ET-AUC Airbus A350 147 Ethiopian Airlines

P4-MAS Boeing B.757 28833 Air Astana

So overall, I was quite pleased with the trip, having been there a year earlier... If anyone fancies some winter sun this is the place to go.  The trip (flights/cruise) was £999 per person and the temperature didn't drop below 28c for the whole time we were there... The old body feels so much better for it....

Anyway, back to Graham's comments about spending most of my time on holiday which, of course, is totally untrue, but our next jaunt will be December 20th, when we are driving to Cervinia, Italy to spend Christmas with the family on snowy (hopefully) slopes of the Alps... ;-)

Cheers lads....

Bill

       

[graham]

Great log and report Bill, thanks very much. After writing all that you must be really tired so I'm pleased to hear that the next holiday is just around the corner....;0)

[denwil189]

Great report Bill, I am going on a cruise in March 2018 which includes 2 days in Dubai and then Oman. Cruise starts in Hong Kong then Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka then onto Dubai etc eventually back to Southampton, really looking forward to seeing some interesting aircraft on route. Note sure my Wife knows what to expect yet !!!
Den

[billsamuels]

Hi Den,

Hope you are well mate...

I’m sure your ship will dock in a similar position as our’s, you’ll be very close to the customs/immigration terminal which means that the arrival/departures will cross the bow of the vessel. With a descent lens photos are pretty easy and if you take an iPad or iPhone with a VR you’ll be able to spot with considerable ease.

I had all 3 VR’s but the best was FR24, then Planefinder but sadly ADSB was virtually useless...

We’d been to Dubai a year earlier so my wife wasn’t keen to go ashore, not even for shopping which, frankly, isn’t as cheap as it used to be... So three days on deck spotting was a fantastic benefit.

The rest of your cruise sounds brilliant mate, hope you have a fantastic trip, as we did.

Happy Christmas Den.

Bill

P.S.

The dock in Oman is quite good as well, it’s a few miles from the airport but if they are landing from the east they go past the port at about 2000ft and again FR24 was invaluable because there are quite a lot of OTT’s coming up the straits.... 

During your transit between Muscat and Dubai, try to spend as much time as you can on deck, the Iranian Navy Sea King was a shockingly good pot... I get the impression it’s not an unusual occurrence. 

Good luck.

[denwil189]

Thanks for the all the tips Bill, yer it was my intention to work FR24 throughout the trip, I am hoping to spend as much time as possible between the various transit legs, straits of Hormuz, Suez Canal especially. The only slight concern I have is using the Camera with the 300 and 600mm lenses attached whilst in Port, as I know they can get a bit sensitive around the Middle East at the moment.

Merry Christmas and a good spotting New Year
Den

[billsamuels]

Hi Den,

Yeah there is a concern about large lens, when I stayed over by the airport last year they were very sensitive and I don’t think that’s improved much over there.

I was using my Big Bertha Bins, 20 x 80’s, and wasn’t bothered once. in fact 9 or 10 decks up, they would be hard pressed to see any one... The hotel near the airport, on the other hand, is almost next door to the local Police Station which is one of the reasons they make such an issue about spotters. Scopes, long lenses etc protruding over the side of the building generated quite a lot of negative attention and subsequent redress by the law....

Great shame really but, wherever you spot in the Middle East, discretion is the name of the game....

Cheers.

Bill

[denwil189]

Thanks Bill
I will be cautious when using the camera, hopefully I will be able to find a suitable discrete position on the upper decks.

Thanks again
Den

[jerryrowe]

Den

I did exactly the same cruise last year. Stayed at the Taj hotel in Dubai, had fleeting views of DXB departures as they passed between skyscrapers but FR24 was excellent, could plot them as they taxied, took off and a minute or so later they appeared if you knew where to look!  Made over 100 in the 2 days. Could also see some Sharjah departures (Air Arabia) but overflights were difficult, no trails.

I assume Istanbul is one of your ports of call. Well worth getting up early as there is a steady stream of arrivals at IST visible between 05.00 and 06.00 (mainly Turkish, but a few exotica), and on departure you should be able to see the SAW inbounds, mainly Pegasus.

Aqaba in Jordan is interesting, there are a lot of overflights here which take a devious route to avoid Israeli airspace and go overhead. You can see Eilat movements across the water. Busier than Aqaba itself.

Good luck!

[denwil189]

Hi Jerry Ship is going onto Aqaba, Shamel Sheik, through the Suez then Naples, Cadiz and finally Soton. Hopefully should make a good log over the period of the cruise. Will send in a log of the interesting types seen over the trip. Still have to do the tourist part with my Wife in between times !!

Marry Christmas and good 2018

Den