Find out which airport wins its fourth Arch of Triumph

Budapest Airport has won the Arch of Triumph competition again, securing its first win of 2016 this week, but its fourth in total. Previously the Hungarian airport has won twice in 2014, which included a public vote, and once in 2015. Is this rich vein of success anything to do with the day’s training that the airport received from anna.aero FTWA judges? Who knows. So far in 2016, the average winning score of the 21 weekly winners logged is 33.3, slightly ahead of 2015 full-year result of 33.1. The overall score is way ahead of the average results recorded in 2014 (30.0) and 2013 (28.5). So global standards in FTWAs continue to rise. Keep Monitoring!!

Air Canada Rouge Toronto Pearson to Budapest 10 June

How many ops vehicles does it take to spoil an FTWA picture…three…

Judge’s Comments: I have said this before and I’ll say it again…the Air Canada Rouge pilots have just flown 7,150 kilometres from Toronto to Budapest without having to follow another aircraft all the way in order to make sure they got to Hungary…so why do they need to follow Ops vehicles to navigate the last few kilometres from the end of the runway to the gate? I’ve been to Budapest Airport loads of times…running on the runway too…and it’s not that big…surely the aircraft will not get lost…

Jonny: 7.0; Marc: 7.1; Paul: 7.1; Ralph: 6.5.

Alitalia Rome Fiumicino to Larnaca 8 June

This is a rare sighting of an FTWA for an Alitalia route launch…

Judge’s Comments: When this FTWA first hit the desks of anna.aero this week, many of the judges thought this was the first FTWA for an Alitalia route launch. However, it is actually the second, with the SkyTeam airline having received one last April for the start of services to the home of its airline buddy Etihad Airways. So clearly it’s a rare chance to baptise the Italian national carrier here in Larnaca this week…which they seem to have spectacularly goofed up…non bene!!

Jonny: 4.1; Marc: 3.8; Paul: 4.7; Ralph: 2.1.

Pobeda Moscow Vnukovo to Girona 9 June

Is this a Salvador Dalí-esque FTWA??

Judge’s Comments: 52 kilometres north of Girona Airport is a town called Figueres, home to the Salvador Dalí Museum where you can witness some of the famous Spanish surrealist artist’s most renowned work. Perhaps this FTWA has been inspired by Dalí’s equally well-known moustache (see inset above)…but obviously flipped by 180 degrees…it’s also a bit pointier than his well-groomed facial hair.

Jonny: 6.3; Marc: 6.8; Paul: 6.2; Ralph: 6.8.

Germania Flug Bern to Calvi 12 June

There is nothing subtle about this photo bombing of an FTWA…

Judge’s Comments: We have often had apron clutter, the odd Ops guy or vehicle…but they are normally unplanned and unintentional. However, there is nothing subtle about Stefan Müller (from Rhomberg Reisen), Nanni Kohns (from Germania) and Mathias Gantenbein (from Bern Airport) and their inclusion in this FTWA picture. Next time guys, remember that the aircraft is the star…

Jonny: 3.5; Marc: 3.7; Paul: 5.8; Ralph: 4.0.

Air Canada Rouge Toronto Pearson to Glasgow 13 June

Bang on the centreline…good driving from the AC Rouge jockey…

Judge’s Comments: This FTWA has a nice composition, but it’s let down by the arch itself, which also gets lost in the clouds a bit. Ironically you can see more of the WestJet branding, the airline’s domestic nemesis – and increasingly so on international routes too – than the Air Canada brand in the photo! Oops…

Jonny: 7.5; Marc: 7.0; Paul: 6.9; Ralph: 5.9.