2024 Trips

14th to the 15th January 2024

Madrid & Lisbon

The 14th January saw us depart MAN at 07.44 on FR3187 (Ryanair B737-800 EI-EKP) for Madrid arriving just before 11am local time. This was our first visit since February 2020 (just before Covid19 hit Europe!). As it had been nearly four years I needed a fair amount of the based airliners, nearly thirty from Iberia and almost twenty of the Air Europa fleet. We did very well on those with almost all of the required frames seen, the remainder of them being sat out in South America awaiting their return flights the next morning. Sadly the weather was pretty awful all day so we remained airside for the day photographing through the windows.

Nice to catch one of the hybrid Norse / Air Europa B787-9s with EC-NVY

Our main target for the day, BOA Bolivian Airlines A330-200 CP-3209

Registration of the day .... definitely Pilatus PC12 OH-FUK!  

The last interesting movement in the daylight, Aerotrans Cargo B747-400 ER-BBJ arriving just as darkness fell.

Typically arriving after dark, Wizz Air used one of their Hungarian registered aircraft that were transferred from their Abu Dhabi sister carrier, HA-LGD here still wearing the former's tail scheme.

We had some dinner in the terminal and waited a couple of hours until it was time to board TAP Express Emb.195 CS-TAX for the short hop over to Lisbon. We departed MAD at 21.24 arriving LIS almost an hour later at 21.22 local. We collected our hire car and made our way to our hotel for the night, the Holiday Inn Express just a few minutes from the terminal.

A successful day with 67 new numbers in Madrid and another 6 added on arrival at Lisbon.

Up early morning for breakfast and we made our way over to the spot opposite the terminal that overlooks the runway, we spent the whole day here but again, sadly, the weather wasn't on our side. 

The following were taken with a few highlights amongst them .....

One of my highlights of the day, Cabo Verde Airlines B737-MAX8 D4-CCJ

A nice surprise, Portuguese Air Force KC390 26901 which arrived mid afternoon and departed a short while later to the Azores. 

As there was nothing else of interest due we elected to leave and get some food before taking the car back, we then went through to the terminal to await our flight home. Total for the day was a meagre twenty but I was happy with fleeting TAP Air Portugal (for now!) 

Our flight home was on board Ryanair B737-800 EI-DCR, departing a little late at 22.18 thanks to the late arriving inbound flight, finally landing back at MAN at 00.43!

A great couple of days slightly dampened by the poor weather but my thanks to Ashley, Gary and Fraser for their company and for all the laughs.

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