All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 137
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NewsEU blacklists Russia’s SKOL but lifts ban on Moldovan carriers
Russian carrier SKOL has been blacklisted by the European Commission over safety concerns, but restrictions on all Moldovan operators have been lifted. SKOL became immersed in a dispute with Russian federal regulator Rosaviatsia earlier this year after the authority ordered withdrawal of more than 30 aircraft from its operating certificate ...
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NewsUkrainian start-up Air Ocean begins flights with An-148 fleet
Ukrainian carrier Air Ocean Airlines has commenced commercial services, operating an initial network of domestic routes using Antonov An-148 twinjets. The airline, which secured an air operator’s certificate on 23 October, has opened sales for scheduled services to Lviv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia and Chernivtsi. It carried out its first flight – ...
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NewsUkrainian government outlines plan to create new national airline
Ukraine’s government is to invest in creating a new state carrier, under the working name of Ukrainian National Airlines, as part of a programme of economic development. President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled the plan during a forum on aviation and tourism, stating that the government was “moving to practical implementation”. “This ...
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InterviewWhy Apollo 16’s Charlie Duke is still a lunar rover
Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke says private spaceflight encourages smaller firms to think big and develop technologies the whole world could benefit from in future.
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NewsEASA project seeks better data on battery risk posed by personal devices
Safety regulators are seeking a better understanding of the threat posed by lithium battery-powered personal electronic devices, through a newly-initiated European research project. Lithium batteries have the potential to ignite from thermal runaway, generating fire and toxic smoke, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency is looking to characterise the ...
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NewsUS attorneys instructed to prioritise pursuit of unruly passengers
US attorney general Merrick Garland is putting pressure on prosecutors to address the rise in unruly behaviour by passengers on commercial flights, ahead of the holiday travel season. Garland is instructing US attorneys to “prioritise” prosecution of federal crimes on aircraft which threaten passenger and crew safety. In a 24 ...
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NewsSmartLynx to operate A320s for Nigeria’s Air Peace
Nigerian carrier Air Peace is to introduce a pair of Airbus A320s through Latvian-based wet-lease specialist SmartLynx Airlines. Air Peace will become a new customer for the operator, says SmartLynx. It will station a pair of A320s in Lagos until mid-May next year. Air Peace chief operating officer Oluwatoyin Olajide ...
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NewsRed Wings Superjet involved in Norilsk landing excursion
Russian investigators are probing a runway excursion involving a Red Wings Sukhoi Superjet 100 during landing at Norilsk. The aircraft had been operating the Chelyabinsk-Norilsk service on 24 November but, having landed on runway 19 it “rolled out” by some 30m, according to the Krasnoyarsk transport division of the federal ...
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NewsConsultancy formally invites investor interest in Frankfurt Hahn airport
German consultancy firm FalkenSteg is formally seeking expressions of interest to participate in the investment process for Frankfurt Hahn airport. The Dusseldorf-based company has been commissioned by the airport operator’s provisional insolvency administrator, Jan Markus Plathner, to look for “one or more” buyers for the airport or its assets. “Investors ...
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NewsMEA full-year financial performance hammered by successive calamities
Lebanese flag-carrier Middle East Airlines has disclosed full-year losses of LL68.1 billion ($45 million) for 2020, a year in which the country faced an economic crisis, the effects of the pandemic, and the fallout from the Beirut port explosion. The loss contrasted with the near-LL130 billion profit for the carrier ...
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NewsNorwegian names former Kongsberg executive as finance chief
Scandinavian budget carrier Norwegian has named Hans-Jorgen Wibstad as its new chief financial officer, succeeding Geir Karlsen. Karlsen retained the top financial post after he took over as the airline’s chief executive in mid-year. Wibstad will step into the role by June 2022. He is a former chief financial officer ...
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NewsEl Al’s nine-month losses top $300m
Israeli flag-carrier El Al has turned in net losses of $136 million for the third quarter, taking total losses over the first nine months to $303 million. El Al generated third-quarter revenues of $253 million, the carrier has disclosed in its latest financial statement. The carrier is still trying to ...
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NewsSwedish and UK investigators dispute US conclusions on fatal PenAir Saab overrun
Swedish and UK authorities have formally objected to the conclusions reached by a US inquiry into the fatal PenAir Saab 2000 overrun at Unalaska two years ago. The aircraft – arriving from Anchorage on 17 October 2019 – overran while landing on the short runway 13 in a significant tailwind ...
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NewsIcelandair splits commercial division as part of realignment for recovery
Icelandair Group is restructuring its organisation, splitting its commercial operation into two divisions – focused on customers and revenue – and recruiting a former director, who also served with defunct budget carrier Wow, to head the revenue side. The revenue division will comprise the network, revenue management and sales functions ...
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NewsOmni 767 crew underestimated take-off abort speed before brake fire
Irish investigators have determined that an Omni Air International Boeing 767-300ER crew rejected a take-off above the V1 threshold shortly before a brake-fire incident that triggered an evacuation. The pilots rejected the take-off at 149kt – compared with the calculated V1 of 146kt – after hearing a noise traced to ...
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NewsEl Al details loan and share issue to secure $30m in state aid
Israeli flag-carrier El Al has detailed an agreement for funding support from the government and its controlling shareholder, Kanfei Nesharim, which includes a commitment to a share offering by mid-September next year. Under the 22 November agreement Kanfei Nesharim will provide El Al with $63 million through four loans. Three ...
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NewsHi Fly details pioneering A340 flight to Antarctic runway
Wet-lease operator Hi Fly has detailed its landing of an Airbus A340-300 on an Antarctic ice runway, the first time the four-engined type has carried out such an operation. The Maltese-registered aircraft (9H-SOL) conducted the flight from Cape Town to the runway at Wolf’s Fang – a distance of some ...
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NewsEASA seeks to tighten engine certification criteria for uncontained debris
Safety regulators in Europe are aiming to tighten engine certification requirements to take into account forward and rearward release of uncontained debris in the event of a powerplant failure. Analysis of fan-blade failures indicates that certification of engines could be improved, says the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, particularly by ...
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NewsUK competition regulator opens inquiry into IAG-Air Europa merger
UK competition regulators have opened a two-month initial inquiry into British Airways parent IAG’s proposed acquisition of Spanish carrier Air Europa. The Competition and Markets Authority is inviting comments on whether the acquisition is likely to result in a “substantial lessening” of competition within any of the UK markets. It ...
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NewsIsraeli government to offer additional state-aid package to airlines
Israel’s government is to offer additional financial support to the country’s troubled airlines, approving a proposal for a state aid package worth up to $44 million. The finance and transport ministries say they have jointly put forward the proposal to provide “immediate cash-flow assistance” given the “exceptional damage” inflicted on ...