Comment / VP-BQC operated a series of supporter shuttles between St Petersburg and Manchester for the UEFA Cup Final at the City of Manchester stadium. She is no stranger to UK shores having previously flown with Virgin Atlantic as G-VPUF, and before that as ZK-NZY with Air New Zealand.

Comment / Transaero operates a fleet of half a dozen Boeing 747-200s, including this example, VP-BQC, seen here touching down on runway 05R on UEFA Cup Final day at Manchester.

Comment / Arriving at Stansted on a sunny evening from Indianapolis, with a cargo of Formula 1 cars for the next round of European Grand Prix. F-GCBH was first delivered as a combi aircraft in 1986.

Comment / Another view of this fine aircraft - pristine white paint and highly polished chrome!

Comment / I've been trying to catch A6-GDP in bright sunlight for months, and you can't ask for much better weather than this! Kept busy flying race horses around the globe, this Boeing 747-200 (which once served with BA as G-BLVF, incidentally) is registered after Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin stables.

Comment / Although delivered as a convertible, PH-MCE is now occupied solely on cargo duties, and is seen here departing Stansted as Martinair 094 in some milky winter afternoon sunlight. This aircraft turns 20 next month - click here for a photo of PH-MCE arriving at Amsterdam on her delivery flight in 1987!

Comment / Atlas Air are currently operating a 747-200F out of Stansted on behalf of British Airways World Cargo, complimenting the three 747-400Fs of Global Supply Systems. It is a controversial arrangement though, with many other British cargo operators claiming that the BA contract should be fulfilled by a British registered airline and aircraft. N528MC is seen here arriving from Atlanta.

Comment / With it getting lighter earlier in the mornings it is now possible to catch the Nippon Cargo flights arriving in sunshine. Here JA8167 arrives after a long journey from Anchorage, Alaska.

Comment / El Al seemed to have uppped their schedules to Stansted in recent weeks. Over the 27th and 28th October, Stansted saw no less than three arrivals from Tel Aviv in 24 hours, including this lovely B747-200 Classic seen here arriving on runway 23 as LY213.