All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 87
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NewsTAP insists union hostility will not derail crucial restructuring
Portuguese flag-carrier TAP’s management has signalled that it is losing patience with union sniping over the airline’s efforts to keep its restructuring programme on track. TAP has acknowledged the difficult conditions – including large cuts to salaries – which were imposed as part of a restructuring scheme approved by the ...
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NewsEdelweiss to expand A340 fleet as long-haul demand picks up
Swiss leisure carrier Edelweiss Air is to introduce an additional Airbus A340 to its long-haul fleet from next year. The Lufthansa Group airline is to bring in the A340-300 in July 2023, taking its fleet of the type to five. Edelweiss will source the aircraft from its sister operator Swiss. ...
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NewsHeathrow seeks to tap more ground-handling capacity as it extends passenger cap
London Heathrow’s operator has opened a review into airline ground-handling in order to determine whether it can achieve additional capacity gains in the short and longer term. Ground-handling resource remains a “core constraint” on the airport’s capacity, it says, and the cap aims to alleviate pressure on ground-handling operations which, ...
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NewsVulcan trust floats ferry flight to transfer preserved bomber to new home
Trustees of a preserved Avro Vulcan are not ruling out a ferry flight to a new location, following a decision not to extend the parking agreement for the bomber at Doncaster Sheffield airport. The loss-making airport is facing uncertainty and potential closure after its operator initiated a strategic review of ...
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NewsPilot incapacitation preceded Citation V’s fatal spiral dive
US investigators believe the pilot of a Cessna Citation V became incapacitated before the aircraft entered a tight spiral descent from 31,000ft and disintegrated on impact with terrain in Oregon’s Mutton mountain range. The pilot was not type-rated on the executive jet – having discontinued training before completion – and ...
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NewsPost-evacuation procedures sought to cut risk of straying passengers
Standardised guidance to prevent hazards involving straying passengers, following an aircraft evacuation, is being sought by delegates to the upcoming ICAO Assembly. Several incidents involving aircraft evacuation – such as that involving a Gulf Air Airbus A321 at Kuwait in July last year – have resulted in passengers wandering into ...
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NewsThai A350 sank far below glideslope after shortened approach stressed pilots
German investigators believe a shortened approach route given to a Thai Airways Airbus A350-900 crew generated increased time stress, resulting in a botched high-speed descent to Frankfurt that took the twinjet far below the glideslope. The aircraft, arriving at night, was just 668ft above ground, while still 6.43nm from the ...
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NewsSAS secures $700m bridge financing for Chapter 11 restructuring
Scandinavian operator SAS has reached a bridge financing agreement for $700 million, as part of its restructuring programme, sourcing funds through Apollo Global Management. The debtor-in-possession credit agreement – plus the company’s own revenue streams – will be used to meet obligations as SAS continues its ‘SAS Forward’ re-organisation scheme ...
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NewsRussian cargo veteran Isaikin withdraws from outsize specialist Volga-Dnepr
Russian outsize freight carrier Volga-Dnepr Airlines’ veteran founder, Alexei Isaikin, has withdrawn from the company’s shareholders. The carrier states that Isaikin, who has worked in the aviation sector for 45 years, is transferring control to the company’s management. Volga-Dnepr Airlines was founded in 1990 and carries out charter air cargo ...
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NewsIATA to press for ICAO review of pilot upper age limits
IATA is seeking a review of commercial pilot age limits to help relieve forecast demand for cockpit crews. It has submitted a paper to the upcoming ICAO Assembly which refers to the age limit of 65 imposed on pilots by the Chicago Convention. The paper urges ICAO to examine the ...
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NewsMC-21 model reflecting domestic-composite wing undergoes flutter tests
Russian analysts are conducting tests with an Irkut MC-21-300 model with wings representative of those created with domestically-sourced composites. The research at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute is intended to explore the potential for flutter on the twinjet. Irkut and RSK MiG have assisted with development of the 1:7-scale model which ...
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NewsEl Al to consider wet-leases and more 787s to address capacity shortfall
Israeli flag-carrier El Al is to explore the possibility of additional Boeing 787s from the second half of next year, once it completes introduction of its current fleet. The airline has 15 of the type – comprising 12 787-9s and three 787-8s – and it is expecting to receive one ...
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NewsTUI 737 tail-strike pilot’s training interrupted by pandemic
UK investigators believe pandemic-related interruptions to a first officer’s flight training probably contributed to a Boeing 737-800 tail-strike incident on take-off from Manchester earlier this year. The first officer rotated the TUI Airways jet too rapidly on departure from runway 23R, causing the tail to contact the ground, and the ...
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NewsEl Al works to restore activity levels as recovery gains traction
Israeli carrier El Al made a pre-tax loss of $90 million for the first half of the year, although a tax gain pushed the airline into a net profit of $34 million. The airline generated revenues of nearly $799 million over the six months to 30 June. El Al says ...
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NewsAirbus operational single-aisle fleet passes 10,000
Airbus A220s have helped lift the airframer’s total global operational single-aisle fleet into five figures, according to the company’s latest backlog data. Its official single-aisle fleet total passed the 10,000 mark in July 2022. Almost three-quarters of these aircraft – some 7,466 – were older A320-family jets, including just over ...
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NewsSiberia’s KrasAvia to acquire LMS-901 fleet for regional connectivity
Siberian operator KrasAvia has entered a provisional agreement to acquire 10 UZGA LMS-901 multi-purpose aircraft. Deliveries of the Russian-built, single-engined high-wing type will commence in 2025 and run to 2029. KrasAvia says it will become “one of the first customers” for the new aircraft in Russia as a result of ...
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NewsProfitable Air Arabia progresses with new joint-venture carriers
Middle Eastern budget carrier Air Arabia’s new Armenian operator Fly Arna commenced operations in July. The Yerevan-based operation obtained its air operator’s certificate in June and subsequently opened services to the Egyptian resorts of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh. Air Arabia also states that it has reached an “advanced stage” of ...
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NewsBeta ALIA becomes latest eVTOL to secure Bristow custom
Helicopter operator Bristow Group is ordering up to 55 eVTOL aircraft, further cementing its venture into the emerging electric aviation sector. The company has signed for US firm Beta Technologies’ ALIA-250 which will be capable of accommodating a pilot and five passengers. Bristow’s agreement for five firm and 50 optioned ...
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NewsTUI blames UK flight-disruption costs for third-quarter losses
Leisure company TUI would have generated positive third-quarter earnings but for the operational disruption to its flights, mainly at UK airports, during the period. TUI puts the cost of flight disruption at €75 million ($76 million) but states that the resulting EBIT loss of €27 million for the three months ...
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NewsAvianca seeks urgent integration of financially-pressured Viva
Colombian operator Avianca is seeking to accelerate closer ties with Latin American low-cost carrier Viva, in order to protect the budget airline. Avianca has requested authorisation from the Colombian civil aviation regulator to integrate Viva over concerns about Viva’s ability to compete in the face of increased financial pressures. Viva ...