http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/monarch-flights-valencia-split-naples-13225767

I fully believe that the relationship between Mael amd Boeing will continue to become further entwined, but I doubt it will be full ownership.[/QUOTE

Only a matter of time IMO Boeing are growing thier maintenance business Monarch engineering would be a ideal acquisition and provide much needed cash for the airline

I note from FR24 that it has been doing lot's of training sorties but when is the 738 due to enter scheduled service?

Starts flying commercial flights on Thursday. :ok:

She's looking great having seen her overhead and in the circuit at NQY quite a lot recently

Caught her taking off at BHX recently:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/UEF1az.jpg

Anyone else notice a small but interesting detail on the exterior of this aircraft - a first for Monarch I think?

The British flag by the Registration?

The first airline to act after Brexit. :E

Yes, no Monarch aircraft has ever displayed that before. Perhaps the team who painted it in Istanbul exceeded their authority, but it looks good. The previous black/yellow/white scheme caused many passengers to ask if Monarch was a German airline, and you could see why.

The flag has been taken from the original livery drawn up by Boeing for the Max. :ok:

Whistling in the dark........Monarch must be very exposed now

In what way is this post evidence based. Actions on here can have unintended consequences. And anyway exposed to what?

The Union flag will play well with Monarch's passenger heartland - so why not use it?

The Daily Mail would

Well, one final day of blasting round the polygon - anticlockwise in the morning, clockwise in the afternoon - and off somewhere completely different tomorrow!

:)

The comments in this thread are becoming more oblique than a Monty Python script. Whistling in the dark and blasting round polygons - could someone kindly explain in plain English what on earth is being discussed?

Suspect the final reference is about the final days training flights today and off on normal ops tomorrow

Whistling in the dark.....That's the anti Monarch lot again ☹️

I totally agree as it's really annoying when some posters feel they need to write such rubbish.

How could the previous Black/Yellow on white livery be confused with a German airline especially with the Monarch name, I have never come across anyone who has ever thought that!

OK, I will explain.
1. I am writing from the point of view of a pilot who flew for Monarch in the era when it was virtually 100% charter. The only scheduled route was the Luton-Menorca Crown Service.
2. It was quite commonplace for passengers to tell us that that they'd never heard of Monarch before flying with us - because they'd booked with a tour operator - and asking about our somewhat 'Germanic' colour scheme.
3. I was one of the original Monarch Boeing 737-200 ADV pilots - Course 2 November 1980.
4. Long since retired, I have viewed, after a gap of some twenty years, the return of the Boeing 737 to Monarch.
5. With the passage of time virtually nobody is left in Monarch with 737 know-how.
6. With eight 737 MAX 8s scheduled for delivery next year, Monarch have obtained a seven year old 737-800 - G-ZBAV - to build up a corps of pilots with type experience.
7. For the past month, G-ZBAV has flown something approaching 150 non-revenue sectors, morning Birmingham-Darlington-Prestwick-Shannon-Newquay-Birmingham, reverse direction in the afternoon. This is the polygon to which I refer - sorry for being so opaque.
8. I've never seen this done before. I have to presume that the considerable non-revenue cost is being borne by the overall order package, the largest in Monarch's history by a substantial margin.
9. I take no responsibility for the 'whistling in the dark' comment.