All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 63
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NewsGlideslope fluctuation preceded Icelandair 737 Max’s hard landing
Canadian investigators have disclosed that an Icelandair Boeing 737 Max 9 sustained tail-skid damage during a hard landing at Toronto in early March. The aircraft had been conducting an approach to runway 33R when it experienced glideslope fluctuation, says Transportation Safety Board of Canada, and the autopilot disconnected. Although the ...
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NewsGlobal Knafaim caught up in dispute after A330-200 buyer pulls out
Israeli lessor Global Knafaim Leasing is embroiled in a dispute over the sale of an Airbus A330-200, after the prospective buyer pulled out of the deal. Global Knafaim says the purchaser notified the lessor on 9 March that it was cancelling the deal, claiming that the aircraft does not meet ...
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NewsSaudi government unveils new national airline Riyadh Air
Saudi Arabia’s government has unveiled its new national airline, branding it Riyadh Air, headed by former Etihad Aviation Group chief Tony Douglas. Riyadh Air will operate from a hub in the Saudi capital with a network expanding to more than 100 destinations by 2030. It has not detailed its planned ...
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NewsAir Baltic revisits ‘Latvia’ colour scheme for latest A220
Air Baltic has taken its fleet of Airbus A220-300s to 40 aircraft, receiving the latest twinjet in a colour scheme reflecting the Latvian national flag. The airline unveiled the livery on the aircraft (YL-ABN) during a ceremony at Montreal Mirabel. It will join another A220 (YL-CSL) which already carries a ...
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NewsPlay shifting from rapid expansion to ‘surgical’ network tightening: CEO
Icelandic low-cost airline Play’s chief executive, Birgir Jonsson, appears prepared to turn off the seat-belt sign nearly two years after the carrier embarked on its rapid ascent through an uncertain and tempestuous air transport sector.
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NewsCockpit oxygen system suspected in Hangzhou Tu-204 fire
Russian investigators believe the fire on a Tupolev Tu-204 freighter which broke out in Hangzhou in January last year started in the aircraft’s cockpit. The aircraft, operated by Russian carrier Aviastar-Tu, was being prepared for a service to Novosibirsk with 22t of freight. Eight personnel were on board the twinjet ...
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NewsAir Baltic A220 inspected after landing incident in snowy Riga
Latvian carrier Air Baltic is inspecting one of its Airbus A220-300s after a landing incident at Riga during poor weather. The incident involved the airline’s BT694 service from Paris Charles de Gaulle, which touched down on runway 18 at 23:17 on 8 March. According to Air Baltic the aircraft’s nose-wheel ...
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NewsTaby’s converted Saab 2000 freighter conducts maiden flight
Swedish modification specialist Taby Air Maintenance has conducted the maiden flight of its new Saab 2000 freighter conversion. The aircraft was rolled out from the company’s Orebro airport facility on 6 March, the company says, and underwent a post-maintenance flight concentrated on system tests. TAM states that the turboprop has ...
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NewsColombian transport authority steps in to manage Viva Air re-organisation
Colombia’s transportation superintendent, the oversight authority for the sector, has taken control of troubled budget airline Viva Air and is seeking to submit the carrier to a business recovery process. The superintendent states that the control decision sets out tasks including drawing up, within two days, an immediate improvement scheme ...
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NewsQatar to start introducing 737 Max 8s on short-haul network
Qatar Airways is to start introducing its own Boeing 737 Max jets, to support capacity growth in short-haul sectors. The airline says it recently had an “opportunity” to acquire a “small number” of 737 Max 8s, without elaborating on the details of the agreement. Qatar Airways says the twinjets – ...
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NewsQatar Airways A350 and A321neo orders restored to Airbus backlog
Qatar Airways’ order for 23 Airbus A350-1000s and 50 A321neos has been reinstated on the airframer’s backlog as part of its activity in February. Airbus had previously cancelled the orders during the legal row over skin-paint deterioration on Qatar’s A350 fleet. But the two sides eventually avoided a high-profile trial ...
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NewsSAS recruits BA executive as chief operating officer
Former British Airways chief operating officer Jason Mahoney is to take up an equivalent role at Scandinavian carrier SAS. Mahoney will take up the post at SAS on 1 May, succeeding Simon Pauck Hansen who stepped down in January. While he served as chief operating officer at BA, Mahoney’s most ...
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NewsIcelandair backs domestic sustainable fuel initiative with offtake agreement
Icelandair is to support a domestic initiative to produce sustainable aviation fuel by provisionally agreeing to an offtake of the fuel. It has entered the memorandum of understanding with IdunnH2, a company established in 2020 which is developing a commercial-scale synthetic fuel facility in Helguvik Harbour, close to Icelandair’s base ...
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NewsSchiphol to improve runway efficiency with time-based arrival spacing
Amsterdam Schiphol’s air traffic control service has introduced a time-based spacing tool for arriving aircraft, intended to improve runway efficiency in various weather conditions. Air navigation service LVNL implemented the approach system on 26 January, following a three-year development programme conducted in co-operation with UK counterpart NATS and technology firm ...
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NewsCargojet pushes back 777 freighter conversions citing slowdown risk
Canadian operator Cargojet is to defer freight conversion of several Boeing 777s and 767 in response to forecasts of slower global economic growth rates. It had been planning to introduce eight 777s to expand its international charter reach and reinforce its domestic network. Cargojet allocated four of these, all 777-200s, ...
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NewsEl Al plots five-year fleet expansion including 737 replacement
Israeli flag-carrier El Al is considering options to increase its fleet by up to 13 aircraft to keep up with its targets for passenger traffic and market share over the next five years. It is aiming to align the expansion with plans to replace its older Boeing 737 jets from ...
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NewsSwedish DHC-2 fatal crash probe urges formal rating training for skydive pilots
Pilots conducting parachute operations should undergo training for a specific rating, Swedish investigators are recommending, following a fatal accident involving a De Havilland Canada DHC-2. None of the nine occupants, comprising the pilot and eight parachutists, survived the crash, which occurred shortly after take-off from Orebro on 8 July 2021. ...
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NewsAir Baltic leasing A320s to protect schedule from supply-chain snags
Latvia’s Air Baltic is to underpin capacity for the summer by wet-leasing four Airbus A320s, aimed at protecting the airline’s flights from possible supply-chain problems. The twinjets, which will be supplied by charter carrier Avion Express, will be configured with an all-economy layout comprising 180 seats. Air Baltic operates a ...
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NewsAir Nostrum-CityJet tie-up re-cleared by EU regulators
Spanish carrier Air Nostrum’s joint-venture tie-up with Irish operator CityJet has been re-cleared by European competition regulators, more than three years after initially being approved. The two airlines disclosed plans to combine and form a new regional airline group in 2018, operating under a holding company and aiming to offer ...
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NewsIsrael’s El Al returns to full-year profit
Israeli flag-carrier El Al has generated a full-year operating profit of $113 million, and ended the period with a net surplus of $109 million. The airline says it achieved a fourth-quarter net profit – a figure of $8.5 million – for the first time since 2015, although it points out ...