Norway helicopter crash: Super Puma flights suspended in UK

All UK commercial passenger flights using the Airbus EC225LP helicopter - or Super Puma - have been grounded by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) following a fatal crash in Norway.

At least 11 passengers killed in Norwegian helicopter crash

Rescuers in Norway say at least 11 people were killed when a helicopter carrying passengers from an oil rig crashed on a small island in the North Sea on Friday (April 29).

Air traffic controller mistake almost causes plane crash

Channel 2 Action News has obtained a recording of an air traffic controller's apology to pilots moments after a dramatic close call between two Delta  Airlines planes at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Plane crash in Brantford; Pilot walks away

A pilot is lucky to have walked away from a scary situation at the Brantford airport Wednesday night.

Pilot accused of flying drunk on Orlando-to-New York flight

A commercial pilot was under the influence of alcohol while flying a JetBlue airliner carrying 151 passengers last year from Orlando to New York City, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Etihad Airways announces net profit of US$ 103 Million for 2015

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, today announced its strongest annual financial results to date, with a net profit of US$ 103 million on total revenues of US$ 9.02 billion.

Lufthansa defers Brussels Airlines takeover decision

Brussels Airlines (SN, Brussels National) and Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt Int'l) have agreed to extend by a further three months the deadline for Lufthansa to decide on the call option to fully acquire Brussels Airlines’ parent company SN Airholding.

Qatar Airways turns to Boeing as A320neo woes mount

Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad Int'l) is considering acquiring B737NextGen aircraft from Boeing (BOE, Chicago O'Hare) following persistent delays in the resolution of the A320neo's teething problems. 

Pilots Looking for Jobs in Hong Kong: is It Worth It?

While Cathay Pacific is about to welcome its first Airbus A350 (scheduled for May), other Hong Kong-based carriers are also anticipating the expansion of their fleets with dozens of new aircraft to arrive in the upcoming several years. But unfortunately, local carriers are facing the danger of ending up with too many aircraft and too few pilots to fly them. To address the issue, they are already sending out their headhunters to various locations around the world. With that in mind, AviationCV.com looks into the work & living conditions for expat pilots in Hong Kong.

John Travolta’s house is an airport

John Travolta and his lovely wife Kelly Preston was one of the first couples to purchase land in the Jumbolair Aviation Estates, the residential airpark where they live.

3 Injured As Small Plane Crashes in Pompano Beach Neighborhood

Three people were critically injured when the small plane they were riding in crashed into a Pompano Beach, Florida, neighborhood Monday afternoon.

SAA needs board that knows aviation

ON 2 November 2012, 1Time Airline was liquidated after failing to pay for services rendered by the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA).

Last year on 2 December, Skywise was grounded from operating, also due to their failure to pay debts to ACSA.

The demise of airlines is always tragic as these low-cost carriers were able to lower the cost of travelling.

The other advantage of airlines is that it is a high-speed transportation network that is great for business and government and has a social benefit for society.

The social benefit is linked to the ability to travel outside of Mangaung in the morning and being able to sleep at home the same night.

The high-speed transport network provided by aviation is a reflection of the benefit of technology to society. Bloemfontein is classified as a secondary city in terms of geography and this city has so much potential for growth.

The city must be open to more aviation traffic by promoting more competition to the Bram Fischer International Airport.

Another provincial capital city in South Africa that hosted games during the 2010 Fifa World Cup, formed a partnership with Velvet Sky Airways to improve aviation access. Due to this partnership, arrivals to that province increased and it led to a decrease in aviation prices.

The arrival of more airlines in Bloemfontein can be sustained by attracting more visitors and tourists.

This will lead to transport mode-switching from other slower transport forms to the fast transport network provided by aviation.

In the book Flashes of Thought by Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, he wrote about how Emirates, one of the largest airlines today, was established. He reflected on how the open skies policy that Dubai had adopted, was challenged by the airline that controlled more than 70% of the traffic, who requested that the open skies be shelved. But that was turned down by Dubai.

According to Maktoum, “the first lesson to be learnt is that competition always makes you stronger and better. Competition is feared only by the weak’’.

One of the major challenges is that the laws governing airline ownership require that 75% of domestic airlines must be owned by locals.

This makes the domestic aviation industry unattractive for foreign direct investment (FDI).

FlySafair, one of the latest low-cost carriers to be launched, was interdicted until it restructured its ownership structure.

FlySafair is now operating successfully.

The demise of Skywise Airline may have resulted in the South African public becoming wary of newer airlines. This may cause South Africa to become more loyal to the national carrier.

South African Airways (SAA) is not the challenge as privatisation coalition would make us believe. Privatisation is not the panacea for lack of efficiency at SAA. The air fleet needs proper management and a well-functioning board that understands the aviation industry.

(culled from www.news24.com)

Ethiopian Named 2016 Best African Cargo Airline

Ethiopian Airlines has been voted as the Best Cargo Airline of the Year from Africa and honored as the "2016 Cargo Airline of the Year" at the Air Cargo News awards held at the Lancaster London Hotel, London on last Saturday.

Solar plane arrives California

Solar Impulse 2, an experimental plane flying around the world without consuming a drop of fuel, landed Sunday in California, one leg closer to completing its trailblazing trip. 

SpiceJet Pilot Sacked for Letting Air Hostess Sit in the Cockpit

New Delhi: Bid to flirt with an airhostess has cost a senior SpiceJet pilot his job today.

NCAA receives 1,536 complaints from passengers

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it received a total of 1,536 complaints from both domestic and international air passengers in the first quarter of 2016.

'Crazy' crash landing

Before the small Beechcraft plane crash-landed in eastern Newfoundland, passenger Kris Ralph wondered whether it should have been flying at all.

French air accident investigators say crew failures caused the 2014 Air Algerie crash in Mali, blaming a mixture of mistakes for the disaster that killed 116 people

A series of crew failures likely caused the 2014 Air Algerie crash in Mali, air accident investigators said Friday, although they said they were not assigning responsibility for the disaster that killed 116 people.

Traffic Controllers, Other Pilots Recount Harrowing Exchange with Doomed Pilots

In the minutes before a fatal plane crash on a dreary November afternoon in Akron, air traffic controllers -- one moving in and out of the room during the accident -- shuffled seats to relieve one another from the stressful job.

US air drop goes wrong as Humvees crash to earth

A practice air drop by the US military in Germany didn't exactly go according to plan when three expensive Humvees crashed to earth without their parachutes holding.

Nigeria, others eye 2017 single African air transport

Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Rwanda and Zimbabwe are at the verge of meeting the target of having a single air transport market by the end of January 2017, Elijah Chingosho, secretary general, African Airlines Association (AFRAA), has said.

Japan's first stealth fighter jet takes flight

Japan's first stealth fighter jet successfully took to the skies yesterday as the country joins a select group of world military powers wielding the radar-dodging technology.

Ethiopia’s Private Airlines Form Association To Tackle Red Tape

About 13 private airlines operating in Ethiopia have formed an association that will help them lobby for aviation industry players and cut down on red-tape in dealing with the federal government.

MMIA Maintains Africa’s 5th Busiest Airport

The Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos has been rated Africa’s 5th busiest airport and the fastest growing airport in the continent in terms of passenger volume. The airport comes after the OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, with 19.1 million passengers annually; the Cairo International Airport; the Cape Town International Airport and the Mohammed V International Airport, Casablanca, Morocco in that order.

How to spot a terrorist on your flight

The skies are no longer a very friendly place to fly if you’re brown or “maybe-Muslim”. A few days ago, an Iraq-born researcher at UC Berkeley was removed from a Southwest Airlines plane for speaking Arabic.

Solar-Powered Plane Takes Off from Kalaeloa Airport

Hawaii residents bid farewell to the Solar Impulse 2 today, as the aircraft powered only by the sun's rays ended a nine-month layover in the islands and resumed its round-the-world journey.

Crowds cheered as Solar Impulse 2 took to the sky at 6:15 a.m. with Swiss Pilot Bertrand Piccard at the controls. The departure came after a brief scare when winds forced crew to roll the aircraft back into the hangar for an hour delay.

Piccard is attempting to fly to Moffett Airfield in Mountain View, Calif., south of San Francisco. The flight from Hawaii to California will take approximately three days as Piccard is expected to land Saturday.

Before boarding, Piccard said it was tough to leave Hawaii because of the friends he and the team have met since the aircraft landed in July.

"Moving from here is emotional but we're happy to continue the flight," Piccard said. "Thank you for your support. We are leaving a lot of friends."

Solar Impulse 2 has been sitting at Kalaeloa Airport since Piccard's partner, Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg, touched down from Japan in July after five days of non-stop flying. The journey from Japan to Hawaii set a record for the longest solar flight both by time and distance.

"I share Bertrand's feeling (about Hawaii)," Borschberg said. "It's hard to leave this island."

After nine months of waiting for battery repairs, longer daylight hours and good weather Solar Impulse 2 was cleared for takeoff.

"I'm extremely happy that Bertrand is in the air," Borschberg said. "We have one window and if you miss it, it is postponed for a few days."

Families, friends and aspiring aviators gathered to see the plane off, some arriving as early as 1:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Native Hawaiian master navigator Nainoa Thompson hugged the pilots goodbye and presented them with fishhooks made by Kamehameha Schools students. Thompson said the hooks were symbolic for the great fishhook of the Hawaiian mythology culture hero and ancient Chief Maui.

Thompson is the captain of the Hokulea, the Polynesian voyaging canoe sailing around the globe promoting sustainability.

The Hokulea crew also gave the fishhooks to Desmond Mpilo Tutu, a South African social rights activist and retired Anglican bishop; the Dalai Lama; and Sir Richard Branson.

"When (Hokulea) runs around the world, we give the fishhooks to those who are making a difference to the earth," Thompson said. "When you get a chance to sit down with the pilots, it is very similar to what we go through."

Hawaii was the first of five U.S. destinations for the plane. After California, Solar Impulse 2 will stop in Phoenix, head to an as-yet-undetermined stop in the Midwest, land in New York before the Atlantic crossing. After New York the plane will land in either North Africa or South Europe and then head back to Abu Dhabi where the journey began.

Since leaving Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in March 2015, the plane has traveled to Muscat, Oman; Ahmedabad and Varanasi, India; Mandalay, Myanmar; Chongqing and Nanjing, China; and Nagoya, Japan.

Piccard and Borschberg alternate who pilots the plane at each stop. Together, Piccard and Borschberg will rack up about 500 flight hours during the around-the-world voyage in the plane's 4-by-6 1/2-foot cockpit.

The plane's wings were built using more than 17,000 solar cells, four electric motors and lithium batteries to replace the need for fuel. Its 236-foot wingspan matches that of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet and it weighs the same as a family car with the power of a small motorcycle. Solar Impulse 2 has a team of 80 engineers and technicians.

(Culled from aviationpros.com)

FAA Orders ‘Urgent’ 787 Repair After Engine Fails at 20,000 Feet

Airlines flying Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner jets with the latest General Electric Co. engines were ordered to repair them, or swap out at least one with an older model, in an urgent safety directive issued after an in-flight failure.

Arik Suspends Domestic Operations

The Aviation Union in the industry have grounded the operations of Nigeria’s carrier, Arik Air over what they described as a large debt of N12.5billion to Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.

A Trump Campaign Plane is Flying With Expired Registration

One of Donald Trump's jets has been flying for months with an expired registration, Federal Aviation Administration records showed Tuesday.

Senate clears key aviation bill

The Senate on Tuesday cleared an overhaul of the Federal Aviation Administration that includes new safeguards against terrorism, new consumer protections for airline travelers and new regulations for the nascent drone industry.

Making history: Pattani native becomes first woman to apply for job as air force pilot

A Pattani native became the first woman to apply for a job as a pilot in the Royal Thai Air Force after the organization started recruiting female pilots for the first time in its history yesterday.

EasyJet opens recruitment for 450 pilot positions

Positions available range from Cadet pilots starting their career, experienced co-pilots from other airlines to Direct Entry Captains and as well as introducing new talent to easyJet, opportunities will also be available for more than 140 of the airline's current First Officers to be promoted to Captains. 

Saudia launches low cost Flyadeal airline

Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) is setting up a low cost airline called Flyadeal to serve Saudi Arabian cities and key regional destinations from mid-2017.

Nigeria: Airlines May Ground Flights As Fuel Scarcity Bites Harder

Airline operators have urged passengers to expect more delays or cancelled flights as the scarcity of aviation fuel, known as Jet A1, bites harder, adding that scheduled operations may stop altogether, unless more fuel is delivered in the next few days.

I hear what you’re saying but I will still recline my seat if I want to!

Flinging their legs over arm rests. Kicking off their sweaty shoes and creating a biohazard. Hogging precious overhead compartment space with more carry-on bags than they’re even allowed to bring on board.

Striking Controllers Close Brussels Airport Again

Continuing unofficial strike action by Belgian air traffic controllers has already caused hundreds of flight cancellations at several airports in Belgium including the country’s main gateway Brussels Airport.

Call for regulations after drone hits plane in UK

The pilot of flight BA727 from Geneva in Switzerland reported being hit as the Airbus A320 approached the west London hub yesterday afternoon with 132 passengers and five crew on board.

British Airways plane carrying 137 people on board is struck by drone as it prepares to land at Heathrow

A British Airways flight was struck by what is thought to have been a drone as the aircraft prepared to land at Heathrow Airport.

Expert Kicks Against Influx Of Expatriates In Aviation Industry

A former President of the Aviation Round Table (ART), Capt. Dele Ore, has kicked against the influx of expatriates into Nigeria’s aviation industry.

Airline allegedly shames sexual assault victim

A Sydney teenager claims a major American airline made her feel like she “was asking for it” after a passenger allegedly groped her.

MALAYSIA AIRLINES FLIGHT MH370: PLANE DEBRIS ‘PLANTED’ DELIBERATELY, EXPERT SAYS — BUT WHO DID IT AND WHY?

Three possible pieces of debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 discovered this year on beaches in the west Indian Ocean did not just wash up naturally on the shores — but were “planted” there deliberately by a person or persons unknown as part of “a tightly focused military operation,” a prominent expert on the bizarre case of the vanished airliner wrote this week.

Technical issue diverts Etihad flight to Munich

An Etihad Airways flight from Paris to Abu Dhabi diverted overnight to Munich in Germany due to a “technical issue,” an airline spokesperson told Gulf News on Sunday.

Plane turns back to Sydney after "unusual odour" detected

A flight bound for San Francisco was turned back to Sydney on Sunday afternoon when an "unusual odour" was detected onboard.

CAA to probe, record statements over SL flight in Singapore

The Civil Aviation Authority announced it will record statements and probe the detention of five passengers from flight UL 309 which was diverted back to Singapore on Friday.

Malawi: Main Airport KIA Blacklisted - SAA Cancels Flights to Lilongwe

Kamuzu International Airport (KIA), Malawi's major international airport, being blacklisted international airlines over aviation safety issues with South African Airways (SAA) cancelling flights on Friday.

Indian shareholders in control of airline, not us: AirAsia

Under fire on charges of violating India's foreign direct investment (FDI) norms, AirAsia said on Friday that its majority Indian shareholders — Tata Sons and its executives — were in control of the airline. It also blamed ‘vested interests’ for stifling the airline’s growth in the country.

US Senate debating whether to introduce WIRE CAGE between the cockpit and cabin on passenger planes

The US Senate is debating whether wire cages between plane cockpits and cabins will improve aviation security.

Indonesian homegrown aircraft set for Aug 10 debut

JAKARTA: Indonesian homegrown aircraft N219 is scheduled to make its maiden flight on Aug 10 in Bandung.

'Hangry' passenger on Air New Zealand flight to Shanghai spat at crew

A "hangry" passenger on an Air New Zealand flight to Shanghai allegedly scratched and spat at cabin crew because they didn't have her choice of meal.

Supersonic plane sends shock waves rippling across the sun

A supersonic plane recently zoomed past the sun, and its light-bending shock waves were captured in a stunning new image.

World’s Oldest Active Pilot Dies

George Neal, declared as the world’s oldest active pilotby Guinness until he hung up his helmet and goggles last year, has died at the age of 97.

Group Demands Investigation After Maryland Woman Kicked Off Flight

An advocacy group is calling for an investigation after a Muslim woman from Maryland said she was removed Wednesday from a Southwest Airlines flight "without any credible explanation."

Entebbe plane crash survivors demand sh569m compensation

Two fishermen, who survived death by a whisker when a cargo plane crashed in Lake Victoria destroying their boat, are seeking compensation worth sh569m for loss of property and damages.

Two air traffic control officers charged for Taiwan's worst crash in decade

Taiwan has charged two air traffic control officers for the TransAsia plane crash that killed 49 people in 2014, the first prosecutions in the country's worst air disaster in a decade.

Senator Aims to Weaken Pilot Experience Rule Enacted After Flight 3407 Crash

A U.S. senator from South Dakota is trying to weaken the tough pilot experience requirements that Congress put in place after the crash of Continental Flight 3407 in Clarence in 2009, and the families of the crash victims and Sen. Charles E. Schumer aren't happy about it.

ATNS identifies African aviation barriers

Two primary barriers are inhibiting growth of African air travel: physical infrastructure (airports and fleets) and safety.

Comair staff picket after wage negotiations deadlock

More than 100 ground staff affiliated to the trade union United Association of South Africa (UASA) are picketing outside Comair offices in Kempton Park on the East Rand.

Akanu Ibiam Airport cleared for flights to USA, China, others

The Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Emene, Enugu State in Nigeria, has been approved for international flight operations to and from Atlanta, United States of America; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Johannesburg, South Africa; Mubia, India and Gwuanzuo, China.

Minimum display heights increased after Shoreham Airshow disaster

Pilots of ex-military jets must perform aerobatic manoeuvres at higher altitudes as part of enhanced airshow safety requirements in the wake of the Shoreham Airshow disaster.

Multiple deaths after plane crashes in Papua New Guinea

Twelve people are thought to be dead after a plane crash in Papua New Guinea. 

African airlines record highest passenger traffic growth – IATA

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says African airlines posted the strongest demand growth globally with February traffic up by 12.7 per cent compared to same month in 2015.

Boeing Faces 'Challenging Road' to Delivering KC-46A Tanker

Boeing has a “challenging road ahead” to finish developmental testing of the KC-46A tanker before delivering it to the U.S. Air Force, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). In response, the manufacturer expressed confidence that it will fulfill its commitment to the service.

Africa takes a stand on aviation security

Windhoek – Even though Africa remains one of the fastest growing air travel markets, concerns abounds over aviation security on the continent.

South African Farmers Flock To Drone Schools For Flying Lessons

Farmers in South Africa are ditching muddy boots  in favor of drone monitoring of their fields, thanks for new drone legislation passed in mid-2015 that has provided a framework for unmanned aircraft use in the country.

79 Foreign Pilots Quit Korean Air Last Year Just after Enjoying Training

Despite high salaries, Korean Air had no choice but to say good bye to 79 foreign pilots last year alone.