Delhi shows off its winners certificate for Shandong Airlines FTWA

The Delhi Airport fire team were out in force to parade its second Arch of Triumph certificate. The Indian facility intends to use these two wins as the springboard to a top 10 finish in next year’s competition.

With the end of the 2015 competition just weeks away, its time to tally up just how successful this year has been in global FTWA production and delivery. In terms of the basic metrics we have had more FTWAs – 298 so far this year versus 285 last year by this stage. We also had more entries at the start of the S15 and W15/16 operational seasons when we allow the public to vote. Across those four weeks of public voting there were 52 entries in 2015, up on the 45 received in last year’s competition. The average winning score has also improved, rising from 30 last year to 32.8 so far in 2015. So all the signs are good for 2016…the anna.aero judges will go into their fourth year of the battle for Arch of Triumph glory expecting even more FTWAs and improved scores again. Keep Monitoring!!

Norwegian Baltimore/Washington to Fort de France 4 December

New fire truck discovered at BWI – one that shoots out rainbows…

Judge’s Comments:  When it’s all said and done…this is not a great arch. What has earnt the BWI team this week’s win is the fact that this is probably the best rainbow effect the anna.aero judges have seen so far in the three-year-old competition. Points were also scored because you can see both trucks and the airline clearly, so it has a lot going for it…aside from the average arch…

Jonny: 8.2; Marc: 8.2; Paul: 8.5; Ralph: 9.2.

Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi to Dar es Salaam 1 December

Witness the latest craze in Dar es Salaam…apron football…without a ball…

Judge’s Comments:  This arch is very similar to the one produced 12,700 kilometres away in Baltimore/Washington…but with one very stark difference. No rainbow. With a rainbow this FTWA may well have been a contender this week…

Jonny: 6.5; Marc: 5.8; Paul: 5.9; Ralph: 5.5.

Philippine Airlines Manila to Cairns 2 December

The plane was wetter before it went under the arch…

Judge’s Comments:  This FTWA is crying out for a coloured water jet or two. Apparently the airport’s marketeers were crying when they woke up to those skies on the morning of 1 November…not because of the FTWA plans being damaged…but because they had an outdoor, three-hour lunch (short one obviously because they were busy) scheduled to celebrate their new route success…so they took one for the team…and did it inside instead…but extended it to four hours to make themselves feel better…

Jonny: 7.9; Marc: 8.8; Paul: 8.8; Ralph: 8.1. 

Avianca Bogota to Barbados 2 December

I forgot to have a shower this morning…so this will have to do…

Judge’s Comments:  In my time in this business I have seen many bad things done by ramp operatives (or whatever politically correct name you want to give to our beloved colleagues also self-described as bag chucking monkeys), and also lots of times when these people have gone well beyond the call of duty. However, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wing walker take one for the team in quite this manner – standing under an FTWA on push-back. Good lad/lass…

Jonny: 4.8; Marc: 6.9; Paul: 5.8; Ralph: 5.8.

Ethiopian Airlines Cargo Addis Ababa to Bengaluru 2 December

Took us a while to even spot the arch with grey on grey. 50 Shades of Grey anyone…?

Judge’s Comments:  This is only the third valid cargo service FTWA we have received in the anna.aero offices. Unfortunately for Bengaluru, the other two we have received, both for Qatar Airways Cargo (one in Dubai Al Maktoum and one in Brussels), were both weekly winners. This one is not. At least they do still hold eighth spot overall for a passenger service FTWA…

Jonny: 3.6; Marc: 5.5; Paul: 4.2; Ralph: 3.4.

Ryanair Milan Malpensa to Bucharest 2 December

Nice aircraft line up in Bucharest…

Judge’s Comments:  This FTWA has been awarded some extra marks for the nice line-up of aircraft in the background (especially the hulking Antonov in the distance) and also for having decent weather…unlike many of the other FTWAs we have received this week…

Jonny: 8.0; Marc: 7.5; Paul: 7.9; Ralph: 8.2.

VivaColombia Medellin to Miami 2 December

Looks like a fire hydrant has sprung a leak…and no sign of trucks or an arch…

Judge’s Comments:  This FTWA has one thing going for it…the night time lighting. So often we receive arches at night and you can’t really see them. Clearly the lighting for this shot was given a lot of thought…and then the photographer obviously ran out of brain power and decided to get us a picture with no trucks and no arch…

Jonny: 2.8; Marc: 3.8; Paul: 3.1; Ralph: 2.8.

flynas Riyadh to Bahrain 3 December

Almost an arch, can almost see both fire trucks, almost worthy of a good score…

Judge’s Comments: A third place for Bahrain’s first ever FTWA…not a bad effort either. The pilot on this flynas aircraft was clearly so busy on navigating the correct path through the FTWA that he veered away from the taxiway centreline markings…

Jonny: 8.2; Marc: 8.8; Paul: 8.1; Ralph: 7.3.

Monarch Airlines London Luton to Tel Aviv 3 December

Did the photographer have another urgent appointment he had to dash off for so snapped this about five seconds before he should have done…?

Judge’s Comments: Another first-timer, joining Bahrain is Tel Aviv…however with not as an impressive outcome as the airport 1,657 kilometres away across the Middle East. Maybe the guy in the foreground of the picture should have been the one sending us in the photo??

Jonny: 7.0; Marc: 7.2; Paul: 5.8; Ralph: 3.1.

Tigerair Singapore Singapore to Lucknow 3 December

Do you see what we were saying about night time shots now…

Judge’s Comments:  If you know that you are having a night-time route launch, perhaps get the airfield electrician to put in some higher wattage bulbs into the apron lights close to where you are planning to do your FTWA. The guys in the fire truck are doing their best to throw some extra light out…but should have really been concentrating on creating an arch and not a cross…

Jonny: 7.0; Marc: 6.7; Paul: 6.3; Ralph: 5.1.

Virgin America San Francisco to Kahului 3 December

This type of FTWA is known as a Grass Skirt…

Judge’s Comments: Half an FTWA means only half a score is possible. It’s a shame because from what we can see it looks like it could be a good angle for an A320 FTWA. Unless of course it’s a speciality FTWA known locally as a Grass Skirt…and practised only in the eight major Hawaiian Islands…and involves the firefighters being appropriately dressed for that type of FTWA…now that would have been a picture…

Jonny: 3.8; Marc: 4.1; Paul: 4.2; Ralph: 4.8.