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SpringHeeledJack
22nd Jan 2012, 20:40
Whilst passing through Hamburg today (22.jan) a B777 was seen on the ground, near the Lufthansa Technik hangers. All that was seen was 'International.....' and it had a brown/purple tail design not unlike the UPS tail in a way which thinned down to a cheat line that passed along a white/cream fuselage. It was raining heavily, so the colours might be slightly off! Might it have been one of the travel clubs such as 'Ports of Call' of yesteryear ? One is just curious, no kittens will die if this mystery doesn't get solved ;)

AircraftOperations
22nd Jan 2012, 21:23
Omni Air 777?

Possibly on a sub charter or miltary flight

Reimers
22nd Jan 2012, 22:20
A B-777 of Ceiba International (http://www.airliners.net/photo/Ceiba-Intercontinental/Boeing-777-2FB-LR/1979807/L/&sid=85c98383406cfdb16af6963ff4ebd302) is currently undergoing outfitting as a VVIP jet for the head of state of oil rich Equatorial Guinea. While it doesn't exactly fit the description, I think it more likely than a US military charter, which usually use Leipzig.

SpringHeeledJack
23rd Jan 2012, 06:17
Mr Reimers would appear to have hit the jackpot :ok: As I said the weather wasn't helpful, very grey low cloud and heavy rain showers, so the colours were a bit off. I could only see the starboard side just forward of the wing and it seemed slightly different to the photo shown, but very similar, there was no Ceiba, only the 'Intercontinental'. I suppose that because of Lufthansa Technik most exotic visitors will be of the VVIP variety. I thought that Ceiba was in the Phillippines or thereabouts ?

Reimers
23rd Jan 2012, 09:39
There are other pictuers posted on airliners.net with the "Ceiba" part missing, so the livery might have been modified.
While Cebu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cebu_%28island%29) is indeed an island of the Philippines, the aircraft's registration 3C-LLS belongs to Equatorial Guinea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equatorial_Guinea). Also, there is a PPrune thread (http://www.pprune.org/african-aviation/371582-ceiba-intercontinental-airlines-equatorial-guinea.html) in African Aviation on Ceiba International.
I have no clue if they operate scheduled flights, but several european airlines (Lufthansa, Air France) have started flights to Malabo to serve the oil industry, whose taxes may have helped pay for this 777.

To tell you the truth, I was just as startled to see this aircraft sitting in HAM when I landed here.

SpringHeeledJack
23rd Jan 2012, 15:03
Ah yes :O Cebu, not Ceiba is in the Phillippines. Well there certainly is a lot of new oil money washing around Equitorial Guinea, a neighbour is currently cracking the whip on an offshore platform. I wonder where would the 777 operate to ? New York or maybe Houston (oil workers) ? Seems strange for such a small country. Maybe it was just a willy waving exercise ;)

edi_local
23rd Jan 2012, 17:07
Pretty sure this exact same aircraft was parked in the same place when I flew through HAM about a week before Christmas. Had me wondering too when I clocked it on take off!