Thanks for all your responses again.

MSR777 – Seems to be an entry on LAMs wikipedia page (of all reliable places) which would support your sighting in Berlin before the wall fell.

Glad you’ve seen photos of yet another ‘gem’ Culpano at Southend…

8674planes – Thanks also, and it was a surprise to me to see it in that livery, an airline which I had not heard of (perhaps unsurprisingly) before.

keithnewsome – Yes it was done by Air Livery, painted at lightning speed as well, it only took 4 days which is far shorter than I have ever known before. They must have been working around the clock.

27vet – Very interesting to see that photo, the world of aviation seems so small. Thanks so much for positing that.

Thanks for all of your comments, and I’m glad you liked them. Sorry to disappoint Newforest, been at least a couple of years since the last Japanese airline was at Southend.

Thanks you all for your comments Indiaecho, EGTC, Culpano and MSR777. Certainly sad to see the acquisition of the bmi group taking effect with the loss of bmibaby. I saw a couple of former bmi aircraft now wearing the BA livery with crest. Always sad to see variety go from the skies, so I’m glad I’ve ‘done’ bmi before it was too late. Unfortunately my sole shot of bmibaby was a heat hazed one in the distance from the viewing terrace at AMS.

As with bmi, more and more of their routes continue to end, with aircraft being repainted almost on a weekly basis. Only bmi Airbus flight was scheduled for when I was there, so seeing a further 2 suggests that some in the bmi livery have been transferred to the BA AOC already, and are operating under BA callsigns, despite being in the bmi livery.

Many thanks for your comments Iain, EGTC and Culpano.

Culpano – Just had to point out that Southend is not easily outdone by Manchester!! Glad you got the not so subtle hint.

Iain – it’s been exceptionally busy for maintenance movements recently, which is great but unfortunately not always the case. although it is hard for me to belive at the moment, there are periods sometimes as long as 2 weeks, when there aren’t any unusual movements at all, and Southend can then be a rather dull place.

Infact got one more today, the latest acquisition for Jet2, G-GDFL, their first Boeing 737-300 with winglets, to make their fleet even more mismatched. Never photographed an aircraft in the colourful Jet2 Holidays livery a fortnight ago, but now have caught, the 757, 737-300 and 800…

G-GDFL Jet2 Holidays B733 at Southend EGMC by AeroPics, on Flickr

Thanks EGTC and markyharky, been very strange with the maintenance movements, there’s been more in the last couple of days than the month before hand. Got a bit more today, albeit withe less variety, as I missed an Icelandair Crago 757.

Arriving from Glasgow for minor maintenance, the first Jet2 737-800 to visit:

G-GDFD Jet2 Holidays B738 at Southend EGMC by AeroPics, on Flickr

And G-LSAN coming back from Norwich, also in the Jet2 Holidays scheme.

G-LSAN Jet2 Holidays B752 at Southend EGMC by AeroPics, on Flickr

Thanks for your comments EGTC and MSR777. There were some very nice catches indeed, making the trip down there exceptionally worthwhile. I was surprised that the IL62 showed up on Flightradar24. As with the North Koreans, presumably they came in via China on scheduled flights?