Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways jumps into the top ten league for the first time. Etihad Airways was set up as the National Airline of the United Arab Emirates in July 2003 by a Royal decree issued by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, then the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. Dr Sheikh Ahmed bin Saif Al Nahyan was appointed Chairman of the airline.
The Abu Dhabi based Etihad Airways is expanding services at a fast pace. On November 12, 2003, the airline started commercial operations with the launch of a service to Beirut. Soon the company started adding one new route a month. By June 2006, it started flying to over 30 destinations.
By 2010, the company plans to fly to 70 destinations. Etihad was the first to launch a direct flight from the UAE to Geneva (June 2004), Brussels and Toronto (October 2005) and first-ever non-stop flight from Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg.

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand is the 8th best airline in the world. It offers passenger and cargo transport services within New Zealand, Australia, the South West Pacific, Asia, North America and the United Kingdom.
Its main hub is Auckland Airport in New Zealand. Air New Zealand began as TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Limited) in 1940. Today, it has a fleet of 60 aircraft. The airline has gained reputation for innovative and outstanding passenger services at a fair price. Rob Fyfe is the CEO of the company.

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways, a 5-star airline is ranked No.7 in the world. It also bagged the award for ?Best Airline? and 'Best Cabin Staff' for the Middle East region and 'Best Business Class Catering' category.
Qatar has seen an average growth of 35 per cent year-on-year for the past 10 years. The airline is known for high quality services. Akbar Al Baker is the CEO. It has a fleet size of 65 aircraft flying to over 80 international destinations.

Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific is ranked 2nd best airline in the world. It also bagged the award for the world's 'Best First Class', for their new onboard 1st Class product and service concept.
Hong Kong?s largest airline, Cathay offers passenger and cargo services to 120 destinations worldwide. Cathay Pacific is one of only six airlines worldwide to carry a five-star rating from Skytrax. Cathay Pacific Airways was founded in Hong Kong on 24 September 1946 by former air force pilots Roy Farrell and Australian Sydney de Kantzow. The Cathay Pacific Group, including Dragonair and Air Hong Kong, now operates more than 150 aircraft to 130 destinations across the world.
Eighteen years after the company was founded, it celebrated carrying one million passengers. Nine years later, in 1973, the airline had a record of one million people every year. Today, the airline flies about one million passengers each month. Tony Tyler is the CEO of the company.

Singapore

Singapore Airlines has been ranked as the world's best airline for the 3rd time in a decade. The awards are given every year by the Skytrax, which conducts a world airline survey. Singapore Airlines also bagged the award for offering the 'Best Business Class'.
Singapore Airlines took off with three flights per week in the beginning. Today, their network spans across 103 destinations in 41 countries. Singapore Airlines was ranked 17th in 'Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies' rankings in 2007. The airline is known the world over for its innovation, safety and service excellence and profitability. The airline boasts of excellent inflight telecommunication, entertainment services and luxurious amenities that make flying a memorable experience.
The airline started its services on 1 May 1947. Singapore Airlines is also the first airline to fly the world's largest aircraft, the A380. The average age of the passenger fleet is about 6 years. Chew Choon Sen is the company's CEO.
The World Airline Awards are based on the annual World Airline Survey by Skytrax - carried out between August 2007 and June 2008. Which are the other top airlines of the world? Find out...

2005 GULFSTREAM G550

This luxury Gulfstream G550 sits 14 passengers in beautiful leather seating configuration and is equipped with a conference table, two lavatories, two coffee makers, a high temperature oven and microwave, a dish washer, china and crystal storage, a stainless steel sink, two ice compartments, a thermoelectric cooled food storage compartment, a thirty gallon pressurized water system, a hot water heater and air conditioning. This airplane also comes with Internet access, printer and fax machine. The cabin video equipment includes two DVD players, one 20 Inch LCD monitor, one 17 Inch LCD monitor, seven 7 Inch LCD monitors and three more smaller LCD monitors. Additionally there are two digital multi-system converters, two color touch screen remote controls, two RF remote controls and ten 115 volt AC electrical outlets. Also included in this configuration is a fuselage mount forward view camera, fuselage mount aft view camera and a tail mounted camera. While the passenger audio systems includes ten mid range speakers, four subwoofer speakers, seven pages system speakers, 16 stereo headphone jacks and headphones and one CD player.

Etihad Airline’s Diamond Seat

The world’s leading new airline, Etihad Airways are back onto the top-luxury slot with their in-flight innovation with the arrival of its new purpose-built Airbus 340-500 and the revolutionary Diamond Seat. The luxury seat can rotate 180 degrees, enabling guests to hold meetings and dine with one another, all in the Diamond zone’s luxurious surroundings. The seat also features a 23′ personal LCD video screen and mood lighting to add to the luxury travel experience. Besides the 180 degrees swivel feature, the seat also features a six-way movement headrest with built-in massage facility and the seat even converts into luxurious 6 feet 1 inch flat bed at the touch of a button to provide home like comforts when traveling. The Diamond zone is also equipped with fold-and-swivel meal tables, an integrated personal mirror, pneumatic lumbar support, reading light and desk lamp apart from the surrounding luxuries that includes a coatroom and mini-bar. So, if you think traveling is a weary-experience then you need to discover the new levels of comfort when traveling with Etihad Airways revolutionary Diamond Seat.

Aeroscraft ML866 aircraft

Shaped like a whale, the Aeroscraft ML866 aircraft is as big as a superyacht and touts a range of over 3000 miles. Boasting a top speed of 138 mph (222 km/h), the ML866 comes with its own airport and features over 5,000 sq ft of cabin space to put you into extreme lavishness. The aircraft is able to take off vertically like a helicopter to reduce the runaway time. The most prominent aspect of the ML866 design is its spacious and comfy space, which is almost half the size of a football field. One of the Aeroscraft ML866 configurations to be offered is an airborne business center that will be equipped with an automated office, video conferencing facility, a sophisticated communications package, transformable interior, personal state room and a physical conference space.

Strato Cruiser Airship

Though the luxurious Strato Cruiser Airship by Tino Schaedler and Michael J Brown is a concept yet this luxury helium-filled airship will feature a gourmet restaurant, a spa, a swimming pool, a resident DJ, library, and private mini-offices, to name a few.The Strato Cruiser airship combines the luxury cruise experience with Richard Branson’s futuristic visions of space travel. The travelers will be pampered with spa treatments - massage, personal trainers, yoga classes and beauty care so the travelers will come out energized instead of looking weary. Further, its doughnut hole atrium reinvents the zeppelin concept with a sky lounge on top, the earthward viewing restaurant and bar on the underside and a recreational climbing wall in between. Private suites are sheltered away from public spaces on the ship’s belly.

B-2 Spirit: $2.4 billion

The B-2 bomber was so costly that Congress cut its initial 1987 purchase order from 132 to 21. (A 2008 crash leaves the current number at 20.) The B-2 is hard to detect via infrared, acoustic, electromagnetic, visual or radar signals. This stealth capability makes it able to attack enemy targets with less fear of retaliation. In use since 1993, the B-2 has been deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan.

F-22 Raptor: $350 million

First conceived during the Cold War as an airframe to vie with Soviet aircraft that was never built, the F-22 is touted by manufacturer Lockheed Martin as the best overall combat plane in the world — not to mention the most expensive. It can shoot down enemy cruise missiles, fly long distances at supersonic speeds and avoid nearly all types of radar detection. But the Senate debate over whether to build seven more — at a taxpayer cost of $1.67 billion — eventually came down to the plane's job-creating abilities. The axed project would have employed 25,000 Americans.

C17A Globemaster III: $328 million

The Air Force military-transport plane is used to move troops into war zones, perform medical evacuations and conduct airdrop missions. There are 190 C17As in service; the aircraft is propelled by four turbofan engines (of the same type used on the twin-engine Boeing 757) and can drop 102 paratroopers at once. In operation since 1993, it has been used to deliver troops and humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and Iraq.

P-8A Poseidon: $290 million

Boeing's spruced-up military version of its 737 jet will be used by the Navy to conduct anti-submarine warfare and gather intelligence. It can carry torpedoes, missiles, depth charges and other weapons. The P-8A is expected to go into service in 2013.

E-2D Advanced Hawkeye: $232 million

A major step forward for surveillance and reconnaissance, the Advanced Hawkeye's powerful new radar system will increase the range of territory an aircraft can monitor by 300%. "It can probably watch the pistachios pop in Iran," an analyst for the think tank Lexington Institute told National Defense in July. Though development of the plane is on track and two test versions have been delivered to the Navy, budget cuts may keep the planes grounded for at least a year longer than planned.

F-35 Lightning II: $122 million

Lockheed Martin's 2001 deal to build these stealth, supersonic fighter jets was at the time the largest military contract ever. The F-35s, intended to replace an aging aircraft arsenal, were developed as part of a Joint Strike Fighter program between the U.S. and its allies and were criticized as underpowered and overweight — and therefore easy targets. Making matters worse, from 2007 to 2008, cyberspies infiltrated the 7.5 million lines of computer code that powered the Joint Strike Fighter, raising concerns that enemies could copy the F-35's design and exploit its weaknesses. In April 2009, Lockheed Martin said it did not believe the program had been compromised.

Top 10 Most Expensive Military PlanesNext Back 3 of 11 Next Back V-22 Osprey: $118 million

This tiltrotor aircraft, which takes off and lands like a helicopter but can fly faster and farther like a fixed-wing plane, was first used in combat in Iraq in 2007. The Osprey's production has been bedeviled by design and construction problems: the craft claimed the lives of at least 30 Marines and civilians during its development alone (former Vice President Dick Cheney tried repeatedly to ground the plane). Still, because of its range and versatility, the Marine Corps plans to deploy a squadron of V-22s to Afghanistan by the end of the year.

EA-18G Growler: $102 million

Hot off the presses, the Growler is a lightly armed version of the F/A-18 fighter that has been updated for electronic warfare (it is currently being delivered to the Navy). Growlers are capable of not only finding and disrupting anti-aircraft radar, but also jamming enemy communications.

F/A-18 Hornet: $94 million

First entering service in the 1980s, the twin-engine fighter plane was the U.S.'s first strike fighter — an aircraft capable of attacking both ground and aerial targets. It has seen action in Operation Desert Storm and as the aircraft of the Navy's Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron. The F/A-18 is also used by Canada, Australia, Finland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Spain and Switzerland.

Cessna 525B CJ3 Citation Jet Like Harrison Ford's

This isn't movie star Harrison Ford's own plane, but he owns a Cessna CJ3 Citation Jet just like it. Unveiled in 2002, the CJ3 carries six people in comfort for some 1,900 nautical miles. Ford is a keen pilot and pilots his own aircraft. Ford is considered so good a pilot that the FAA asked him to be its spokesman to appear on posters and publicity materials for the runway incursion awareness and prevention campaign that the agency began in 2001. The CJ3 in this picture was built in 2005 and is registered to a company called Ross Aviation, based in Cortland, Ohio.

Owned by a Washington state-based company called Challenger Administration LLC on Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates' behalf, this Bombardier B

Although Blockbuster founder and Miami Dolphins pro football team owner Wayne Huizenga also owns a 737-700 Boeing Business Jet painted in his team's colors, his Twin Otter seaplane is especially interesting. Bearing the tail number N300WH and Miami Dolphins colors, the aircraft appears in a seaplane chase scene in the new version of the James Bond film "Casino Royale." One of the most rugged and reliable utility transport aircraft ever built, the unpressurized Twin Otter carries up to 19 people and can take off and land from rough strips as short as 100 yards. Many Twin Otters were fitted with skis or floats for operation in snow or from water. De Havilland Canada -- now Bombardier -- stopped manufacturing the Twin Otter in 1988 after building more than 840. But the type has proved so irreplaceable throughout the world -- including the Antarctic -- that a company called Viking Air bought the production rights from Bombardier and is planning to restart production at an assembly line at Calgary, Alberta in December.

Bill Gates' Bombardier BD-700 Global Express

Owned by a Washington state-based company called Challenger Administration LLC on Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates' behalf, this Bombardier BD-700-1A10 Global Express was built in 1999. It is rumored that the initials "WM" in the N887WM tail number stand for "William" and "Mary," the first names of Gates' parents. Bombardier's top-of-the-line business jet, the Global Express can carry eight people far above the weather at a cruising altitude of 51,000 feet for a distance of 6,500 nautical miles -- a range that permits nonstop Tokyo-New York or Los Angeles-Moscow flights.

Elvis Presley's Convair 880

Although he owned other aircraft, Elvis bought his own personal jet airliner, a former Delta Air Lines Convair CV.880, in 1975 for the then-substantial sum of $250,000. He named it "Lisa Marie" after his daughter. Presley had the interior of the Convair 880 customized with 28 seats instead of the 110 seats with which the type was usually fitted in airline service. He also had the tail of the now-preserved jet painted with his personal "TCB" logo, which stands for "Takin' Care of Business." By the end of 2005, "Lisa Marie" was one of only nine CV.880s that remained, out of 65 originally built.

Mark Cuban's Boeing 767-277

This Boeing 767-200, which originally was operated by Australia's Ansett Airlines but now is registered N767MW, is owned by a company called MLW Aviation and operated by hush-hush charter operator Pace Airlines on behalf of billionaire Mark Cuban and his sports team. Cuban, who made his fortune in personal computers and stock ownership, owns the Dallas Mavericks NBA professional basketball team and reportedly has had custom-made seats installed on the aircraft that are large enough to accommodate the team's very tall players.

Air Force One

At present the aircraft used to transport President George W. Bush on important state and domestic visits, Air Force One is the property of the United States Government and is the official presidential aircraft -- along with several back-up aircraft (including a Boeing 757) used to fly other members of the president's cabinet and staff and members of the press on state visits. Known as the VC-25A in U.S. Air Force service, Air Force One is a Boeing 747-200B that has been heavily modified with secure communications systems, electronic equipment, a self-contained baggage loader, front and aft air-stairs, and given the ability to refuel in-flight. Along with the other aircraft of the presidential flight, Air Force One is flown and maintained by the specially detailed crews of the Presidential Airlift Group, part of the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command's 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Here, Air Force One is seen flying over Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

Jimmy Buffett's Grumman HU-16 Albatross

Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, known for extolling an island-escapism lifestyle in his music and businesses, owns this former military Grumman HU-16 Albatross amphibian aircraft, which can be operated from water or land. Buffett named the aircraft "The Hemisphere Dancer." While carrying Buffett and U2's singer Bono in Jamaica in 1996, it was shot at by local police, who suspected it of carrying drugs. Nobody on board was hurt, but the plane received some bullet holes. Buffett memorialized the incident in a song he titled "Jamaica Mistaica."

The Sultan of Brunei's Boeing 747-430

The head of state of the tiny, oil-rich nation of Brunei on the island of Borneo, the Sultan is reputedly the richest monarch in the world. The Sultan bought the aircraft brand-new for $100 million or more using Lufthansa as a conduit, hence the -30, which is Boeing's customer code for the German airline. Then he had it fitted with a special interior and features such as washbasins of solid-gold and Lalique crystal at an additional cost of some $120 million. The 747-400 is the Sultan of Brunei's largest aircraft, but His Majesty the Sultan's Flight also operates several other VVIP widebody jets, among them two Airbus A340s and a 767.

The Boeing 767-33A of Roman Abramovich

Said to be Russia's richest man, Roman Abramovich made his money mainly during the privatization of Russia's oil industry and from a private investment company called Millhouse Capital. However, he is possibly best-known outside Russia as the owner of Chelsea Football Club, and his private Boeing 767-33A is a common site at Luton Airport some 40 miles north of London, where Abramovich spends much of his time. The 767's sleek but understated paint job belies an interior reportedly outfitted with chestnut and decorated with gold. Although the 767-300ER makes a huge private jet, Abramovich may be upgrading soon to something much larger: he is widely reported as being the customer for an Airbus A380 superjumbo that Airbus recently said had been ordered privately.

Donald Trump's Boeing 727-23

Originally operated by American Airlines, this 1968-vintage Boeing 727-100-series jet was bought by D.J. Aerospace, one of Donald Trump's companies, for use as the real estate tycoon's personal jet. Reconfigured to hold 23 in luxurious comfort, with soft pale-leather armchairs, gold-plated seatbelt buckles, oil paintings, Waterford-crystal lamps, the 727 flies with a flight attendant to make sure those onboard receive top-class service. The tail number VP-BDJ shows the aircraft is registered in Bermuda, and the "DJ" in the registration stands for "Donald John," Trump's first names. The "Trump" logo on the side is 30 feet long and four feet high and is made of 23-carat gold leaf.

Killer-whale airplanes (Southwest Airlines)

Southwest Airlines named Boeing 737, "Shamu", which is one of three aircrafts that were painted in a killer whale color scheme to represent the SeaWorld Adventure Parks. Just horrible.

UCAV

The future of military aircraft might keep pilots out of harm's way altogether. Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles have been in the testing phases by the U.S. Military for years, and wide-scale use in wartime is likely not far off. Besides lives, researchers hope to eventually save production costs with these compact fliers, which have no need for a cockpit, canopy or control panels.

Stealth Bomber

All odd angles and clunky appearance, the Stealth bomber might not look good but it sure can do damage on the ground. Stealth aircraft aren't invisible to radar, but are designed to deflect it enough to attack an opponent before being detected itself. The technology has been used for high-value target missions during the recent Middle Eastern wars.

F-18 Hornet

If you've seen any military or action movie in recent years, you've probably seen an F-18 Hornet. Variants of the popular all-purpose jet have been the darlings of the U.S. Air Force and Navy since the early 80s, seeing action in the First Gulf War and in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pilots love its easy flick-of-a-switch versatility.

MiG-21

For many who served in the U.S. Military, the MiG-21 is the definitive symbol of Communism and the Cold War. The USSR's powerful supersonic jet first saw action in the Vietnam War and became a favorite of Eastern Bloc countries due to its low production costs. Many developing nations still fly hand-me-down MiG-21 fighters.

F-86 Sabre

Few fighter aircraft are as recognizable as the U.S. Air Force's F-86 Sabre, with its gaping open front-end often compared to a shark's mouth ready to attack. Production on the Sabres began shortly after WWII, using information gleaned from Germany's defunct Luftwaffe. It was just in time for the Korean War, where the plane performed so well that 25 other countries would later adopt its design.

P-51 Mustang

Despite arriving late on the World War II scene, the macho P-51 Mustang managed to become one of the war's elite planes. A Rolls-Royce engine gave the P-51 amazing range and speed, allowing its American fighters to register more kills on its wings than they did with any other aircraft.

Supermarine Spitfire

More than for any superior technical capability, the Allies' Supermarine Spitfire is best known for its iconic status as the plane that won the Second World War. This small, good-lookin' fighter with a fiery personality was loved by pilots and saw action in every theatre of the conflict.

Messerschmitt

German aircraft-maker Messerschmitt was a warhorse of production during the heaviest fighting of the Second World War. Its super speedy Bf 109 would become the Royal Air Force's most dreaded foe, easily outrunning its competition during the Battle of Britain. The 109 was also the first fighter plane to incorporate modern, retractable landing gear.

Mitsubishi Zero

Never to be ranked among the sturdiest planes in history, Japan's long-range fighter the Mitsubishi Zero was built purely for speed and maneuverability. Its brittle aluminum body was very light and could dip and dive better than any other plane during World War II. The Zero would become the cornerstone of Japan's suicide "kamikaze" squadrons.

Three-Wing Fokker

Almost every German air force pilot flew a version of this distinctive tri-level plane in the later years of World War I. But the Fokker, which could make even a mediocre pilot great, made the Red Baron a legend. Flying ace Captain von Richthofen and his fighter struck fear into the hearts of Allied forces until the end of the war in 1918.

F-27 Striker Radio Remote Controlled RC ARF Jet AirplaneThis new range of models are outstanding - They are all made form EPP Foam which makes them ve

This new range of models are outstanding - They are all made form EPP Foam which makes them very very tough, In a crash the will bounce! if they do break then you can easily repair them with either 5 min Araldite or UHU Por Glue. The Dragonfly XST-11 plane is one of the newest jet bodied planes on the market! Modeled after the newest Russian battle plane, the XST-11 is a blast to fly! Full 3 channel control and a powerful 380 motor will make this a fast plane. After a few minutes of putting this plane together, you will be ready for loops, dives, figure 8, and inverted flight. The 8.4v 650Mah battery will give 20 minutes if your ease off the throttle or 10 minutes if you keep the “pedal to the metal” type flight!