All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 219
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NewsA220 crew missed low-thrust indications during laboured take-off
Investigators probing a Swiss Airbus A220 low-thrust incident during departure at Porto found that the pilots only belatedly realised that the autothrottle had not engaged before the take-off roll. Swiss investigation authority SUST found the A220-300, bound for Geneva, had conducted a de-rated rolling take-off from intersection C of runway ...
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NewsEuropean aviation stocks punished after US travel ban
European airline and aerospace stocks have been hammered in early trading after the US government imposed a drastic ban on transatlantic travel. Air France-KLM and Norwegian shares sank by close to 20% as the markets opened on 12 March, while shares in other major operators including IAG, Lufthansa and SAS ...
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NewsKuwait’s government to halt all air services indefinitely
Kuwait’s government has disclosed that all flights to and from the emirate will be suspended from 13 March. The suspension over the coronavirus outbreak will remain in effect “until further notice”, the government has declared. Only Kuwaiti citizens and their immediate relatives will be permitted to fly into the Gulf ...
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NewsConviction for Pan Am 747 bombing over Lockerbie set for appeal
Scottish judicial authorities have referred the case of the Pan Am Boeing 747-100 bombing over Lockerbie to a court of appeal, 19 years after the only conviction for the attack was secured. The bombing on 21 December 1988 resulted in 259 fatalities from the aircraft, operating flight PA103 to New ...
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NewsAir Baltic to cut staff as coronavirus ends positive run
Latvia’s Air Baltic is to cut its workforce by up to 250 personnel in a measure to stave off the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Air Baltic, which employs around 1,600 staff, says it will “temporarily” reduce the workforce – mainly by cutting crew. It says it ...
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NewsSouthwest uncertain over growth once 737 Max deliveries resume
Almost one year after the Boeing 737 Max was grounded, Southwest Airlines chief Gary Kelly has alluded to a fringe financial benefit from the Max situation as the budget carrier braces for the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Kelly says the severity of the decline has been “breathtaking”, with the ...
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NewsCarriers not necessarily exempt from coronavirus payouts: UK CAA
UK regulators are warning that European airlines might not be completely exempt from passenger compensation payments relating to the coronavirus outbreak, although much of the disruption is likely to fall under ‘extraordinary circumstance’ immunity. The Civil Aviation Authority has outlined its interpretation of European Union compensation rules in light of ...
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NewsEuropean Commission plans moratorium on 'use it or lose it' slot rule
European regulators are set to release airlines from slot-use obligations to ease pressure on carriers as they cut capacity to cope with coronavirus outbreak effects. The European Commission says it will put forward “targeted legislation” which will “temporarily alleviate” airlines from the need to follow slot usage rules. Transport commissioner ...
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NewsBA takes back Flybe’s Heathrow remedy slots
British Airways has reacquired London Heathrow slots from defunct UK regional carrier Flybe which had originally been divested to satisfy competition regulators. Flybe had been serving several routes from Heathrow before the airline ceased operations in early March. Documentation from UK airport co-ordinator ACL states that slots for 12 daily ...
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NewsUnintentional missile hit on MH17 ‘irrelevant’ to murder charge: prosecutor
Dutch prosecutors have taken into account that Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 might have been unintentionally shot down, mistaken for a military aircraft, but stress that this does not alter the criminal charges directed at the suspects. In his opening statement to the trial – in absentia – of four suspects ...
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NewsQantas grounds eight A380s for six months
Australia’s Qantas Group is to ground eight Airbus A380s for six months, as it cuts capacity by nearly a quarter over the period to September 2020. Only two A380s will remain flying, because two others are undergoing scheduled maintenance and cabin upgrades. The measures follow the continuing downturn in demand ...
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NewsHong Kong probing fourth 787 ILS deviation incident
Investigators have revealed a fourth incident involving a Boeing 787 deviation from the localiser path, during an ILS approach to runway 25R at Hong Kong last year. The incident occurred to an Ethiopian Airlines 787-8 which had been arriving on 18 July. It had been cleared for the ILS approach ...
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NewsEthiopian 737 Max pilots battled intense pitch and trim forces
Investigators probing the fatal Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max accident have given additional insight into a crucial period during which the crew, having temporarily stopped the aircraft from automatically nosing down, struggled vainly to regain pitch and trim control. In an interim update into the 10 March 2019 crash near ...
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NewsNorwegian authorities aim for electric aircraft debut by 2030
Norwegian authorities have drawn up a programme for introduction of electric aircraft, as part of a national transport plan to published in spring next year and put to the country’s parliament. Air navigation service Avinor and the Norwegian civil aviation administration have set out objectives including the initial operation of ...
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NewsEASA puts forward measures to cut tyre-pressure accident risk
European safety authorities are proposing certification and operational measures to reduce risks linked to under-inflated tyres. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has published a proposal to require monitoring to ensure tyre pressure does not fall below the minimum serviceable inflation threshold during operations. EASA says this can be achieved ...
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NewsCriminal trial over MH17 shoot-down set to begin in Netherlands
Criminal proceedings are set to commence against four individuals accused of murder in connection with the destruction of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine six years ago. The four initial suspects are being prosecuted, in absentia, in a Dutch court in the The Hague over the 298 fatalities which ...
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NewsAlitalia’s Milan operations crippled by Lombardy lockdown
Italian flag-carrier Alitalia is suspending all operations at Milan Malpensa, and limiting Milan Linate to domestic services, following the extraordinary government decree locking down the Lombardy region over the coronavirus outbreak. The airline says it will halt all services at Malpensa, its northern intercontinental base, from 9 March. ...
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NewsIberia hands Spanish slots to Volotea to ease IAG-Air Europa approval
Spanish carrier Volotea is poised to ease Iberia parent IAG’s acquisition of Air Europa, by reinforcing competition on overlap routes that might otherwise attract European regulatory objections. Under a provisional agreement with IAG, Volotea would open at least two, and up to four, bases in Spain in order to pick ...
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NewsVirgin 787s suffered Hong Kong ILS deviations after Etihad incident
Investigators in Hong Kong have revealed two other serious localiser deviation incidents, both involving Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9s, which occurred within a few weeks of a similar occurrence to an Etihad Airways 787-9. One of Virgin’s services from London Heathrow had been conducting an ILS approach to runway 25R on ...
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NewsMRO firm cites Brexit concerns as UK arm shifts to Tallinn
Maintenance firm Magnetic MRO has transferred a UK production centre to Estonia, in order to remain within the European Union given the uncertainty over the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The strategic decision affects its UK-based MAC Aero Interiors subsidiary, acquired in 2016, and has been taken as a result ...