World's biggest plane first ever heaviest load landed Cebu to deliver 140-ton power generator in the Philippines

An Antonov 225 super cargo plane lands in Mactan International Airport in Cebu on Tuesday, November 12, carrying a 140-ton generator to help restore power to Yolanda-hit areas. AFP 

Lopez-led First Gen Corp. on Tuesday said it has taken delivery of the new transformer for its wholly-owned subsidiary FGP Corp. which operates a natural gas-fired power plant in Batangas.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Tuesday, First Gen noted the 150-ton replacement transformer was successfully flown into using an Antonov 255 aircraft, which landed at Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

It marked the first time that the Antonov 225 landed in the Philippines. Its 150-ton load is the heaviest cargo to be loaded into an airplane in one piece and flown into the Philippines.

FGP will install the transformer in the San Lorenzo plant, a key asset to the Luzon grid, to replace similar equipment which caught fire a few months ago. 

The world's largest plane is delivering a power generator to a plant in the Philippines, a freelance photojournalist network site reported over the weekend.

Demotix.com said over the weekend the Ukrainian Antonov AN-225 landed in Zagreb airport Pleso to ship a power generator to the San Lorenzo power plant.

"Due to thunder strike Philippine power plant San Lorenzo lost one of two generators that were made by ... Croatian electric company Koncar. Because of this a lot of Philippine population is without electrical energy and Philippine power plant is in hurry to get a new generator," it said.

It added the operation to lift the 140-ton generator with special cranes took all day.

FGP saw a need to expedite the manufacture and delivery of the replacement transformer to ensure sufficient power supply and stability in the Luzon grid," the disclosure read.  

The transformer raises electricity voltage produced by the generator from 16.5 kilovolts (kV) to 240 kV, enabling the delivery of electricity through transmission lines of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

FGP tapped the help of an international team to speed up the delivery of the new transformer, which will replace a similar piece of equipment that caught fire a few months ago. The fire rendered Unit 60 of San Lorenzo inoperable and resulted in the loss of half—or approximately 250 megawatts—of San Lorenzo's 500-MW supply of electricity to the Luzon electrical grid.

FGP tapped an international team composed of Siemens Power Operations Inc., Siemens Koncar, Antonov Company, ACE, AIG and Inter Hanover, and Loss Adjusters Crawford and Company for the acquisition and delivery of the transformer.  

Royal Cargo Combined Logistics will transport the transformer from Mactan to the plant site in Batangas City.   

The Antonov AN-225 is capable of transporting weight up to 250 tons, the site noted.

Demotix said that while Kon?ar made the new 310-MVA generator a month ahead of schedule, the generator's weight presented a problem in terms of transport.

Transporting it by sea "would take another 45 days," it added.

Because of this, it said the Philippine power plant's insurer hired Antonov airlines to get the job done.

Demotix noted the Antonov AN-225 weighs 300 tons empty and has a wingspan of 88 meters.

"It was designed for military purposes, but today it servers as mega cargo plane used for transporting extremely heavy loads," it said. – Inquirer / GMA News  

 

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60 years discussion finally ended- Israel and Philippines Agreed to Increase Flights Direct and stop over India, Rome

World's largest Flags: Israel's national flag is displayed beside the Philippine flag  - Image Juicy

It took just 60 years for the Philippines and Israel to agree to a new air service agreement updating a document that was signed more than six decades ago.

Under the new agreement, airlines in the Philippines will be able and entitled to an increased number of flights to Israel and permission to use Tel Aviv as a stopover point on the way to Europe. Officials from both countries met to discuss details of the new agreement on November 5 and 6 (2013).

According to Carmelo Arcilla, Executive Director of the Civil Aeronautics Board, the new agreement enables designated airlines of each country to operate up to 21 flights per week between Israel and the Philippines.

"We've concluded a new air service agreement with Israel today," said Arcilla. "Under the new agreement, the designated airlines of each country are entitled to a total of 21 flights per week between any points in the Philippines and Israel." He added that three fifth freedom rights were also included as part of the new agreement involving the cities of Mumbai and Madrid. "This means that a Philippine carrier can fly to India, unload and pick up passengers and proceed to Israel, or unload and pick up in Israel and proceed to Madrid," Arcilla said.

The third fifth freedom right negotiated pertained to stopover and co-terminal rights to any third country for any of the 21 weekly flights. "This means that a Philippine carrier can bring passengers to Tel Aviv and proceed to say, Rome, or bring passengers to Tel Aviv, and pick them up again after several days for the onward travel to say, Rome," Arcilla added.

The last time officials from both countries met to sign an air service agreement was in 1951. Philippine Airlines used to operate flights to Israel in the 1950's and 60's. Arcilla noted that the government agency was unable to locate any records of previous entitlements but that it was likely a low number as was the trend in that era.

Israeli diplomats revealed last July that their government was seeking to establish direct flights to Manila in an effort to increase exchanges between the two countries in the areas of trade and tourism. Recent statistics indicate that more Filipinos are travelling to Israel than Israelis headed to the Philippines. In 2012, approximately 13,450 Filipinos visited the Holy Land while only 5,895 Israelis visited the Philippines. Filipinos are entitled to visit Israel visa-free for up to 90 days.

However, Israeli officials believe that the Philippines could prove to be a popular destinations for Israelis especially the younger generation. Many younger Israelis are touring all over Asia seeking cheaper destinations. With all of the beautiful beaches around the country and plenty of shopping and restaurants in Manila, the Philippines is expected to be a good fit for Israeli tourists. Other Asian countries like Thailand have already enjoyed much success receiving nearly 200,000 Israeli tourists each year. There are presently two daily-direct flights between Israel and Thailand.

One of the main challenges for Israeli tourists trying to reach the Philippines has been the need to connect in Hong Kong or Bangkok. But under the new air service agreement, it is hoped that tourists from both nations can soon enjoy a direct flight. It remains unclear which Philippine carrier may be designated to operate service to Israel. However, earlier reports suggest that Israel was interested in inviting Philippine Airlines after the airline was lifted off the European blacklist.

The opportunity to use Israel as a stopover point could prove to be lucrative for Philippine Airlines that has ambitious expansion plans in Europe. If PAL is unable to secure enough traffic flying direct to certain European cities, a stopover in Israel could assist in making future routes sustainable. In addition, the opportunity to pick up passengers in India would give the Philippines renewed access to the Indian market. Philippine Airlines previously operated flights to New Delhi but later cancelled them citing weak demand. While trade between the Philippines and Israel sits at just $200 million. Trade between Israel and India is $5 billion representing a solid opportunity for Philippine Airlines to make a route viable between the three nations. In addition, if Cebu Pacific was to use Tel Aviv as a stopover point as part of its plans to serve Europe, it could comfortably serve all parts of Western Europe given the present limitations of its long-haul fleet.

The Aquino Administration has been actively pursuing the air talks with a number of countries as part of a plan to draw 10 million tourists to the Philippines by 2016. This was the sixth air service agreement signed by the Philippine government this year. Future air talks are expected with Russia and France in the near future. - Philippine Flight Network 

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