All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 182
-
NewsEl Al pilots absent as negotiators reach cockpit savings agreement
Israeli trade union centre Histadrut has reached a new efficiency agreement covering flag-carrier El Al’s pilots, although the pact has been arranged without the pilots’ representatives. Histadrut states that the agreement, reached on 15 July after discussions with the transport workers’ union, will enable the carrier to save $105 million ...
-
NewsUnstable approach rate rose sharply as air transport crisis unfolded
Analysis of flight operations data during the downturn in air transport activity has revealed a sharp increase in the proportion of unstable approaches. The number of unstable approaches per 1,000 operations increased to around 28 in April and 37 in May, two months in which air transport was badly affected ...
-
NewsHelvetic converts E2 order to larger variant
Swiss operator Helvetic Airways is to switch part of its order for Embraer regional jets to the larger E195-E2 variant. Helvetic will configure the aircraft with 134 seats, in a single-class layout, compared with the 110 seats of its E190-E2s. The airline had originally ordered 12 E190-E2s, powered by Pratt ...
-
NewsVolga-Dnepr Group overhaul to bring three freight airlines together
Russian outsize freight specialist Volga-Dnepr Group is preparing to undergo a restructuring to improve management efficiency across its business divisions. Volga-Dnepr has revamped its board of directors and discussed a new strategy to transform the business into a “monocompany”, it states. This would “optimise” the group’s operating divisions, it adds. ...
-
NewsDoncaster Sheffield runway shuts after cargo 747 excursion
Doncaster Sheffield airport in the UK has been forced to close its runway after a Boeing 747-400F ran onto rough ground. The aircraft – bearing the Icelandic registration TF-AMU – is pictured on social media with its nose-gear and main landing-gear in the grass. It bears the logo of Kenya’s ...
-
NewsStability tests conducted on proposed An-124 successor
Researchers have analysed low-speed behaviour of a proposed successor to the Antonov An-124 heavy freighter, and are set to assess its aerodynamics in cruise. The proposed aircraft, dubbed ‘Slon’, would be powered by Aviadvigatel PD-35 engines, and have a payload capability of 180t and a range of 3,800nm. Using a ...
-
NewsWizz Air’s Abu Dhabi division sets out initial route network
Wizz Air’s new Middle Eastern operation is to focus initially on the eastern Mediterranean and Caucasus when it commences services in October. The new venture, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, will station two Airbus A321neo in the United Arab Emirates capital. But this fleet will be expanded to six aircraft in ...
-
NewsGovernment tries to divide SAA pilots as creditor vote looms
South Africa’s government is appealing to individual South African Airways pilots to break from their union’s position and accept voluntary severance packages, as the beleaguered airline faces a critical creditor vote on its proposed rescue. Cockpit union SAAPA has put forward alternative proposals intended to reduce retrenchments and increase the ...
-
NewsATR 72 struck sea surface after crew turned off ground-proximity system
Investigators have determined that a Royal Air Maroc Express ATR 72-600 twice struck the surface of the Mediterranean Sea during an extraordinary botched approach to Al Hoceima airport, badly damaging the turboprop before its crew diverted to Nador. Analysis of the incident showed the pilots had proceeded with an unstable ...
-
NewsEl Al faces class-action suit alleging unpaid ticket refunds
Israeli flag-carrier El Al is facing a lawsuit over allegations that it failed to reimburse customers for cancelled flights, and did not inform the public about their right to receive a refund. The class-action suit has been brought before a district court by all passengers who were due to fly ...
-
NewsUIA 737 shot down as command chain broke after defence system blunder
Two missiles were fired at a Boeing 737-800 over Tehran after a misaligned defence system, and a breakdown of communications and procedures, led the aircraft to be misidentified as a hostile intruder. Evidence from Iranian investigators indicates that only the first missile hit the Ukraine International Airlines aircraft, although the ...
-
NewsGerman air force to use A321LRs for troop and medevac roles
Two Airbus A321LR twinjets are to be modified for troop transport and medical evacuation roles on behalf of the German air force. The aircraft are to be delivered to maintenance and modification specialist Lufthansa Technik’s facilities in Hamburg in August and October next year. Lufthansa Technik says its VIP and ...
-
NewsSAA pilots seeking ‘unaffordable’ staff retention: government
South African Airways pilots have sought to more than halve the proposed number of employee retrenchments, and instead retain almost 3,100 personnel for the carrier’s relaunch, according to the country’s government. But the proposal has been dismissed by the department of public enterprises, which insists it is “not prepared to ...
-
NewsLaminar-flow nacelle being explored for PD-35 engine
Russian researchers are exploring the use of laminar flow to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of nacelles for the planned Aviadvigatel PD-35 engine. The PD-35 is a higher-thrust evolution of the PD-14 – the powerplant for the Irkut MC-21 – and intended for the proposed Russian-Chinese long-haul CRAIC CR929 twinjet. Aviadvigatel ...
-
NewsPilots’ dual-control obstructed A320’s collision-avoidance manoeuvres
Dual-control inputs from a Condor Airbus A320’s pilots badly obstructed its response to collision-avoidance orders during a low-altitude conflict, investigators have determined. The incident culminated in a serious air-proximity encounter and a terrain alert, shortly after departure from Kavala airport in Greece on 16 August 2018. After the aircraft (D-AICD) ...
-
NewsSky Gates 747 inaugurates new Moscow Zhukovsky freight complex
Russian freight operator Sky Gates is to be the base carrier for a newly-commissioned cargo complex at Moscow Zhukovsky airport. Transport minster Yevgeny Ditrikh and federal transport regulator Rosaviatsia’s chief, Alexander Neradko, attended the opening of the logistics centre which will be able to accommodate four widebody or six medium-sized ...
-
NewsUK government clears Manston to re-open as air freight hub
UK transport secretary Grant Shapps’s office has given crucial government approval for re-opening and developing Manston airport – located some 100km east of London – as an air freight facility. The development consent order for the project was granted on 9 July. Under the proposal, put forward by RiverOak Strategic ...
-
NewsUS investment firm picks up Corsair’s 747-400 fleet
Three Boeing 747-400s formerly part of the fleet of French leisure airline Corsair have been sold to the aviation division of a US-based transport and energy sector investor. Fortress Transportation & Infrastructure Investors, located in New York, is picking up the 747-400s – identified as bearing serial numbers 26880, 26877 ...
-
NewsRolls-Royce clears parked 787 backlog after Trent 1000 blade progress
Rolls-Royce has eliminated the backlog of Boeing 787s grounded while they await maintenance in relation to Trent 1000 blade-durability issues. The powerplant manufacturer had expected to reduce the number of 787s awaiting work to single digits by the end of the second quarter of this year. Rolls-Royce says the clearance ...