Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/347048
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 16 JULY 2014 16 Events Emirates takes milestone delivery of 50th A380 aircraft Jazz Fringe good time vibe continues tonight at Hotel Phoenicia EMIRATES has received its 50th A380 aircraft, strengthening its po- sition as the world's largest interna- tional airline. This latest delivery takes Emirates' all wide-body fleet to 224 aircraft, representing the world's largest fleet of A380s, and also the world's larg- est fleet of Boeing 777s. After the entry of its 50th A380 aircraft into service by early August, Emirates will offer on a weekly ba- sis a total of 5.7 billion available seat kilometres (ASKMs) to 145 desti- nations, which span the globe from Los Angeles to Auckland. Since April 2010, Emirates has received 96 aircraft (all A380s and Boeing 777s), increasing its overall capacity by 64% in ATKMs and 71% in ASKMs, while consistently main- taining seat load factors of close to 80%. During this period, Emirates also added 48 cities to its global des- tination network. Sir Tim Clark, President of Emir- ates Airline said: "Emirates has seen tremendous organic growth in the past 4 years, probably the fastest of any airline in history. We've literally added capacity equivalent to what some mid-sized airlines operate, but more significantly, we have main- tained high seat loads and profit- ability." John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operat- ing Officer, Customers said: "The A380 is pleasing its operators by in- creasing passenger traffic, strength- ening load factors and improving their market share. The delivery of the 50th A380 to Emirates shows the profit enhancing capabilities of this aircraft and the extraordinary vision of Emirates and Sir Tim." Largest A380 operator Emirates has the biggest A380 route network of any commercial airline, currently serving 27 air- ports on 5 continents. Its Dubai-Los Angeles route is the world's longest A380 flight in operation. By the end of this year, the number of destinations served by an Emir- ates A380 will increase to 33, with the addition of Kuwait on 16th July, Mumbai on 21st July, Frankfurt from 1st September, Dallas from 1st October, San Francisco from 1st December and Houston from 3rd December. Emirates currently has over 10,000 cabin crew and 900 flight deck crew specially trained to operate its grow- ing A380 fleet. Order book creates and supports jobs across supply chain Emirates has 299 wide-body air- craft on its order book, including 90 more A380s, creating and sustain- ing thousands of jobs across the air- craft manufacturing supply chain. Many of these new jets have been earmarked to replace the older air- craft in Emirates' current fleet. Emirates currently operates daily scheduled flights from Malta to Du- bai using a Boeing 777 aircraft. Sandro Zerafa trio play Jazz on the Fringe al fresco tonight in the 7.5 acres of imposing gardens at Hotel Phoenicia. Entrance is free to the public and the performance will commence at 8:30pm Vodafone Malta Foundation supports families of Special Olympics Athletes THIS year's Family Health Forum, organised in May with the support of Vodafone Malta Foundation has been designed to engage families of Special Olympics Athletes and offer them an environment where parents gain di- rect access to health information, re- sources and support. "We are always looking for ways to help the Maltese community at large and with the main objective of the Family Health Forum that of conduct- ing increased outreach programs to families of individuals with intellectu- al disabilities and providing families of Special Olympics Athletes with direct access to commuity and health care professionals we are truly ecstatic that we can be there for such a great cause," said Roberta Pace, Administrator for the Vodafone Malta Foundation. The Family Health Forum is meant to raise awareness to new families as to what Special Olympics is and the services it provides for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The forum also provides health care professionals and community leaders, the opportunity to learn more about the challenges of athletes with intel- lectual disabilities and to explore ways to facilitate better access to health care, education and participation in the community. This year's forum provided informa- tion on the various programs offered by Special Olympics Malta, including the highly acclaimed Young Athletes Program and the Healthy Athletes Program. Emphasis was given to the Healthy Athletes accredited health disciplines including the Special Smiles discipline, where oral health care issues were addressed. The talks emphasized why health screening is so fundamental, when to seek help and how referrals and follow-up care can be taken up. Other topics included parental roles and re- sponsibilities in relation to social net- working. Parallel workshops were held to ad- dress online safety issues directed to youngsters with intellectual disabili- ties. This was in collaboration with the Malta Communication Authority and Agenzija Appogg. Beers, bands and more at Farsons Beer Festival 2014 THE 34th edition of the Farsons Beer Festival promises to be an- other major local celebration of the finest and freshest beers on the island. Beer lovers and music fans will be entertained over the festival's 10 days, from 25 July to 3 August 2014, at Ta' Qali National Park, from 8pm. Featuring over 70 beer draught installations, 13 branded bars, 15 food stalls and over 50 local and international artistes, the popular open air festival provides a unique setting for all round entertain- ment. "The Farsons Beer Festival has always served as a showpiece for our beers and a platform for talent- ed artistes and performers," said Shawn Caruana, Business Man- ager and Beer Festival Organiser. "This year, we have once again en- gaged a very strong line-up of local favourites, such as Tribali, Airport Impressions, Lauren Aquilina, Fakawi, The Rifffs, Xtruppaw, Pink Floyd (Tribute Band), and Firelight and many more will perform on the Main Stage and Rock Stage." Offering the widest local selec- tion of beers, visitors will be able to enjoy a variety of local and in- ternational beer styles including the complete Cisk Lager range and latest variant Cisk Chill Berry. Cisk Excel will also be available on tap as well as the Classic 'smooth and creamy' Blue Label, Kilkenny Irish Cream, Guinness and John Smith's Extra Smooth Ale. International lager brands such as Corona Extra, Budweiser, Carlsberg and Becks will be widely available alongside a unique selec- tion of speciality brews and UK bottle conditioned ales, available from the International Bar. Pre- mium cider brands such as Strong- bow and Bulmer's Cider f lavoured range will also be on offer. In addition to the popular food court which offers a wide mix of dishes, is the BBQ & Grill- ing Association and a new Kombi cocktail bar. Members of the As- sociation will be sharing recipes and will prepare a mix of grilled and barbequed dishes cooked with beer while a variety of beer based cocktails will be available from the Rock Area. With every purchase made from the Farsons Brand Store, cus- tomers have a chance of winning this year's grand prize which is a Yamaha YZF – R125 sports motor- bike and the collectable 2014 Beer Festival Mug will be available until stocks last. The Festival can be followed on Facebook: https://www.facebook. com/thefarsonsgreatbeerfestival?f ref=ts for the latest news, informa- tion and promotions or via the free Farsons Beer Festival app. Farsons' Business Manager Shawn Caruana showing this year's grand prize - a Yamaha YZF – R125 sports motorbike, in the presence of Farsons' Head Business Support Michael Farrugia, Vodafone Brand Executive Claude Muscat Doublesin, and Ta' Qali National Park Director Herman Galea