I had a week of intended winter 2 weeks ago (from 29-01 to 5-2-14) in fureteventura in the Canaries - the name means windy island and for much of the time it was! unfortunately the weather didnt play ball for the first 3 days with quite a lot of cloud at times but with a strategically positioned hotel at Caletta del Fuste, I managed 2 holidays in one! - 2.5 miles from the airport and 700m from the flight path the inbounds (and they were landing from the south all week) were passing at about 800 ft - my holiday bonus, the approach runs south to north so unfortunately by 2pm the sun was going round to the wrong side. Mainly european holiday flights, Brits and Germans seem to be the main customers with a few scandinavian flights on some days, also some regular inter island flights to add a bit of interest of aircraft not normally seen in the UK, these were the January captures:
Binter is the main airline within the Canaries and they were regular visitors throughout the week
Thomas Cook & Condor were one of the most common visitors
Transavia did a few flights bringing sun hungry Dutch people to the island..
Novair brought in some Scandinavian visitors - Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays seemed to be the Scandinavian change over days, with Novair, SAS and Primera all putting in a few flights
I said it was cloudy at times and this proves it, TUI and it's various offshoots were also regulars..
Iberia Express did a few flights, generally 2 per day
and Canary Fly also operated some inter island flights (but only a couple per day)
Continuing my week away , into February when for the first 2 days the weather was pretty grot, early morning sun soon turned to cloud:mad: the last 2 days made up for it though and some of these were taken by the poolside - much to the amazement and amusement of the other hotel guests who wondered what sort of holiday photos i was going to have to show my friends!
All the pics were taken using my sigma 18-250 zoom, I left the canon 100-400 at home, if I'd started waving that around at the poolside I would probably have been in trouble
:oops:
one that did arrive when it was sunny:
then it clouded up completely until the evening, and of couse a Germania 737 arrived in an unusual colour scheme which wasnt done justice by the weather
likewise this Hamburg AW A319 could have arrived in better weather , another arrived on Tuesday morning in bright sun but it made a very short approach turn and by the time i saw it I was too late (it was to the east of me rather than the west and crept in over the back of the hotel)
Thomas cook put in this 757 with an advert for Egypt on the side (they also had an A321 in similar markings the same day)
a spanish flight for a change!
the Condor lovehearts 757, again when the weather wasn't at it's best
a few more of the less common airlines in Fuerteventura..
Primera operated several flights on the tuesday morning
Another one which made a short approach turn, an Air Berlin 737 which I just caught on my way down to the poolside
an Air Berling 737 on a more conventional approach path (Air Berlin put in 2 or 3 flights most days)
.... sometimes using A321s:
more German flights
and some italians, 2 Meridiana A 320s, one in old colours and 1 in new
and a Thomas Cook Scandinavia arrival
and finally 2 more of the local Canaries airline, Binter's ATR72s in different schemes:
then on Wednesday it was off to the airport and back to the wet english weather
these few were taken at the airport while I waited for my flight home, not brilliant I'm afraid as they were taken through (dirty) glass but the give an idea of the views available, due to the glass effect the runway was a bit too far for my 18-250 lens but the ones on the pans were okay. If you're ever waiting there and want a spot where there isnt 2 layers of glass these were taken by a telephone booth between the walkways to gates 16 & 17 - just a useful little tip for you!
as I said , a bit too far off really..
didnt see any of these during my time at the hotel but 3 were scheduled while i was waiting for my flight
an ice special colour scheme on this Thomas Cook Belgian registered A320
Thomson B737 turning towards the stands (not my flight though , I was on G-TAWC both ways)
and finally a Binter ATR72 leaving it's stand (reversing out - honestly! then taxiing to the runway)