Aviation Jobs, Gist and Rumors!: January 2017

Tuesday, 31 January 2017

SIA casts net wide to hire more cadet pilots

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is actively reaching out to more nationalities, as it ramps up its cadet pilot recruitment to meet future needs.

Kenya Airways has marked its 40th anniversary as a dedicated and highly successful airline, since its incorporation in 1977.

At 9.15am on Monday 30 January, a piece of aviation history was made. On a day when the headlines were filled with tougher US restrictions on travellers, including “extreme vetting” of some nationalities, Scottish aviation made a move for more relaxed, passenger-friendly travel.

Nigeria's Arik Air has revised its Boeing order book, reports ch-aviation.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has disclosed that airlines operating in Nigeria realised about N330.59 billion from ticket sales between January and October last year.

Major airlines including Deutsche Lufthansa and Emirates are modifying staff rosters to keep crew members from getting caught up in President Donald Trump's executive order barring people from seven predominantly Muslim states from entering the U.S.

American Airlines does away with screens

American Airlines is getting rid of seat-back screens in its new fleet of domestic Boeing aircraft.

The government has withdrawn commercial aviation rights for Emirates Airlines to operate a third daily flight to Kenya.

The civil aviation ministry has asked the Qatar government, which runs Qatar Airways, to start an airline in India and participate in the country’s growth story.

Officials of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and management of Air Peace Airlines yesterday traded blames over circumstances that caused an Enugu bound aircraft, to return to Lagos, its take off point, without landing as its destination airport was closed.

United Airlines Domestic Flights Grounded for 2 Hours by Computer Outage

All of United Airlines' domestic flights were grounded for more than two hours Sunday night because of a computer outage, the Federal Aviation Administration said as scores of angry travelers sounded off on social media.

Nigeria may consider itself a regional aviation hub but years of mismanagement and now recession have blighted domestic airline operations, making delays and cancelations the norm.

Ghana to open new domestic airports at Ho and Wa

Two new domestic airports are set to open in Ghana, as part of the government's plan to ensure each of the country's ten regions has an airport. Ho Airport, in the Volta Region of Ghana's south east, is a brand new facility, while Wa, in the Upper West Region, has undergone extensive renovations.

Some French investigators think a co-pilot’s iPad mini 4 or iPhone 6s may be linked to the mysterious crash of EgyptAir flight MS804, which went down on May 19th of last year, killing 66. The theory, which has no official status and has been dismissed by some commentators, was disclosed to French newspaper Le Parisien by unnamed sources.

The underwater search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has come to an end, with passengers’ families informed that the effort to find the plane has been suspended.

Air pilot 'pulled wrong lever' on plane, killing 92

A Russian military plane plunged into the sea killing all 92 people on board after a co-pilot mistakenly pulled a lever to operate the wing flaps, it is thought.

An engine failure caused a private plane carrying gold to crash-land in southern Zimbabwe, injuring two people on Tuesday, officials say, but ownership of the cargo still remains unclear.

United Airlines president Scott Kirby announced through a company-wide memo that United would be retiring its “Queen of the Skies” 747 aircraft by the end of 2017.

One of Nigeria’s domestic carriers, Med-View Airline, will on Tuesday, January 31, lists its shares valued at N14.63 billion by way of introduction on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).
Med-View Airline will be listing 9.75 billion units of its shares at N1.50 per share, sources close to this development told BusinessDay on Wednesday.

On the day Airbus handed over the first A321 of a landmark 100-aircraft order for a mix of single-aisle and widebody aircraft to Iran Air, Airbus Commercial Aircraft president Fabrice Brégier revealed that the airframer delivered a record number of 688 aircraft during the year, including 111 in December alone, and expects the figure to top 700 in 2017.

Ethiopian Airlines secures AfDB financing

Ethiopian Airlines has secured a US$159mn loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to help finance its expansion plan and fleet modernisation programme.

In July 2012, aviation experts and diplomats from across the African continent met in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, to figure out how to fix Africa’s disastrous aviation safety record.

Four heads of parastatal agencies and college in the nation’s aviation industry have been sacked, according to a government statement.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today issued a final rule (PDF) that allows general aviation pilots to fly without holding an FAA medical certificate as long as they meet certain requirements outlined in Congressional legislation.

Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has said that for the aviation industry to be transformed in Nigeria in particular and Africa in general, the principle of Yamoussoukro Decision whose focus is the liberalization of the airspace, should be made sacrosanct.

The prospect of a pilot passed out drunk in the cockpit shortly before take off with 99 passengers on board — as police alleged happened last week on a flight from Calgary to Cancun — is about as scary a flight tale as any passenger would want, short of a crash or hijacking.

The Federal Government has installed the Low Level Windshear Alert System, LLWAS, at the Umar Musa Yar’Adua Airport Katsina and 12 others to ensure safety.

Lost luggage, endless delays and a broken runway: the perils of Nigerian air travel

Local travelers endure immense amounts of stress getting around Africa’s most populous country by air. The biggest airports are usually overcrowded with poor air conditioning while check-in desks overflow with passengers trying to get on to planes which can be canceled after hours of delay.

The year 2016 was very challenging for Nigeria as the country entered into an economic recession which affected almost all the sectors of its economy.

There was no sign of Samuel L Jackson, but a snake on a plane led to the cancellation of a flight from Muscat to Dubai on Sunday.

Iran Air (IR, Tehran Mehrabad) has taken ownership of its first A321-200 (sl) marking the first official delivery of a new aircraft to Iran by a Western manufacturer since 1994.

Fans pay tribute to the players of Brazilian team Chapecoense Real who were killed in a plane accident in the Colombian mountains on Nov. 29. (Heuler Andrey /Getty Images)

The November crash of a flight carrying a Brazilian soccer team, which killed all but six of the 77 people on board, was one of 18 fatal airline crashes in 2016, an increase from 14 fatal aviation accidents in 2015, according the Aviation Safety Network.

A drone smashed into a Boeing plane with 80 passengers and 6 crew on board, causing substantial damage to the aircraft as it prepared to land at an airport in Mozambique.

It’s hard to top a record year for airplane deliveries, and that was certainly the case for Boeing in 2016.

What are the world's safest airlines for 2017?

Good news has been in short supply the last 12 months, but for nervous fliers there's one ray of light: 2016 was one of the safest years in aviation history.

Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, Wednesday, assured that Nigeria’s new national airline will commence scheduled flight operations before the end of 2017.

FG approves weapons for Aviation Security

The Federal Government has approved that the Aviation Security personnel should bear arms to enhance the security of passengers and installations across the nation’s airports.

Arik Air on Thursday lamented incessant attacks by some aggrieved passengers on its staff and property at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

Africa World Airlines serving half of Ghana’s aviation

Ghana’s Africa World Airlines, is a joint venture by Chinese and Ghanaian investors, and the carrier has grown to serve a larger and larger section of the potential market in Ghana.

Airports, airlines recovering from U.S. Customs computer outage

Airlines, airports and travelers around the country are working to recover from a Monday evening computer glitch that shut down U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing systems at numerous airports for several hours.

While allegations of airlines fudging one-time performance (OTP) fly, the aviation industry insiders and experts claim that the average OTP of the airlines may deteriorate in coming years due to several factors, primarily the addition of more capacity which may further congest the airspace of major airports.

Hijacker nears sentence end

New Zealand's only convicted airline hijacker will complete her sentence next month but health officials have the power to keep her detained for mental health treatment.

China's corruption watchdog is investigating a former vice-minister of the aviation regulator for disciplinary violations, saying he had paid below market price for property during his tenure.

There’s apparently just one way a baggage handler locked in the cargo hold of an outbound Charlotte flight could have survived his weekend ordeal, an aviation expert said Tuesday.

Emirates (EK, Dubai Int'l) has taken delivery of its first three Rolls-Royce-powered A380-800s following the arrival of A6-EUM (msn 225), A6-EUN (msn 226), and A6-EUO (msn 227) at Dubai Int'l in late December 2016.

Med-View Airline (VL, Kano) is planning to list on the Nigerian Stock Exchange after it secured approval from the bourse's regulatory committee official documents seen by The Nation newspaper have indicated.

Airline Investigated After Passenger Flight Mishaps

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority is investigating Jambojet after thousands of the domestic airline's passengers were booked on too a large plane that could not land at Ukunda Airstrip in Kwale County.

Airline operators having more than 20 aircraft of one type should compulsorily have simulator training facility within India, aviation watchdog DGCA has said months after detecting lapses at an overseas simulator training facility used by IndiGo.

Africa’s largest Airline Group, Ethiopian Airlines enjoyed a fast and profitable growth in 2016. While the carrier has increased its fleet by 8 aircraft in 2016, it has also expanded its flight network. Besides several awards received in 2016 for its high quality product and services, Ethiopian is also proud of its new Aviation Academy.

It was 7 a.m., and 99 passengers and six crew members were aboard a 737 on the tarmac at Calgary International Airport, bound for a sunny holiday in Cancun, Mexico. There was one problem, however. The flight’s captain was passed out in the cockpit, apparently from drinking.

Nigeria moves up to level 3 in global aviation rating

Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Monday said Nigeria had attained another high level safety rating which placed it among the world leaders in aviation safety. The NCAA made the announcement in a statement by its General Manager, Public Relations, Mr Sam Adurogboye and obtained by newsmen in Lagos.

US plane-maker Boeing is reported to be taking over a new privately funded search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Three people have been killed after two small planes collided in midair near McKinney, Texas.

Mainstream media excels at reporting deadly plane crashes and hijackings – but what about all the planes that landed safely?

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has expressed concern over challenges faced by airlines and passengers in the past few days, due to reduced flight visibility at the airports.

Tuesday, 31 January 2017

Thursday, 26 January 2017

Monday, 23 January 2017

Tuesday, 17 January 2017

Thursday, 12 January 2017

Wednesday, 11 January 2017

Saturday, 7 January 2017

Wednesday, 4 January 2017

Tuesday, 3 January 2017

Monday, 2 January 2017