South African Express grounded over safety concerns

South African Express (XZ, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) has been forced to suspend operations after the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), on Saturday, April 30, suspended its AOC citing safety concerns. 

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.