Europe and Asia battle it out in the latest Arch of Triumph competition

Since the start of the year, anna.aero has received 19 water arches from airports throughout the world. While this is down compared to this time last year, the average score of airports’ water salutes has gone up, going from an average of 25.9 to 30.1. With that, it really does show that in most cases it is all about quality and not quantity. For 2019 so far, Asia continues to be the supreme continent for inaugural water arch salutes, accounting for 42% of all entries. However, with the start of the S19 season just around the corner, it will be interesting to see if the region is able to stay on top. Keep Monitoring!!!

Bamboo Airways Hanoi to Can Tho 10 March

This Bamboo Airways FTWA is certainly wetting the palate of anna.aero’s resident pandas…

Judges’ Comments: Is it a case of beginners luck in Can Tho? Firstly, this is the first FTWA that we have received for Bamboo Airways, a Vietnamese airline which commenced scheduled operations in January, and secondly, this is the first-ever water salute that we have been sent from Can Tho in Vietnam for the seven years in which this competition has been running. It’s safe to say that they have certainly put down a strong entry for their first-ever attempt at this competition, and we hope they keep it up! If only the tenders matched, as this could have been close to the perfect 40!

Jonny: 9.4; Kerry: 9.1; Paul: 9.2; Nick: 9.1. 

Pobeda Moscow Vnukovo to Ostend 7 March 

From Russia with ‘water arch’ love.

Judges’ Comments: Ostend on average sees 32 inches of rain per year, making it one of the wettest places in Europe. Don’t let this put you off going though, because when the sun is out, it has one of the best beach views on the continent. However, with it usually raining, it’s nice to see that Ostend’s finest firefighters are giving a sneak peek of what the Russian passengers on-board can realistically expect on their visit to the coastal town, rather than the dry day of 7 March.

Jonny: 8.1; Kerry: 7.7; Paul: 7.6; Nick: 7.9.

Thai Lion Air Bangkok Don Mueang to Nagoya 8 March 

Nice rear-shot from the guys at Nagoya.

Judges’ Comments: Did the team at Nagoya paint their tenders to match the corporate colours of Thai Lion Air? Or was it just a brilliant coincidence? Either way, anna.aero’s judges love this rear-angled shot from the guys at Nagoya, and we’re sure it is an angle that even Kim Kardashian would be proud of. Could an FTWA ever win ‘Rear of the Year’? We think so! 

Jonny: 7.7; Kerry: 8.2; Paul: 8.1; Nick: 7.8.

Wizz Air Ohrid to Malmö 18 March 

A gravity-defying FTWA!!!

Judges’ Comments: When anna.aero’s judges received this picture from Ohrid we could not believe what we saw, a water tender shooting a water spray that appears to be defying gravity! What makes this even more impressive, is that the angle of the jet propulsion matches that of the mountains in the background. While both tenders are not in shot, the airport gets bonus points for the physical wonder that they have created, breaking the laws of physics…

Jonny: 6.8; Kerry: 6.1; Paul: 6.9; Nick: 6.5.