Thread: Airline News

Originally Posted by David48atTD

Kim Jong-un's Soviet-era Ilyushin-62M plane set to fly him from North Korea to Singapore

What is an Ilyushin-62M?


The cockpit of an Ilyushin Il-62 plane.

It's a Soviet-era airliner first conceived in Russia in the 1960s, with the last ones produced in the mid-1990s.
It was said to be the world's biggest jet airliner when it was first flown in 1963.

Full thread is here ... https://teakdoor.com/the-teakdoor-lou...ng-prayer.html

^The brown seat covers are optional I presume.

I flew on the Il62M on many occasions in Russia in the early 90's before Russian airlines were able to purchase Western aircraft. Lovely plane. Strange mid fuselage entry door and limited toilets at the rear. The bonus was that the seats when raised folded flat to the seat back.... I saw a man bring a great Dane on at Moscow and he simply folded the seats up and the dog lay down. He pushed it under the seats and then returned then to their original position. I was visiting an office outpost once and the crew had a live-onboard cat. During the flight it wandered up and down the cabin and upon arrival just sat at the exit door waiting for everyone to leave. Russian aviation was amazing.

Originally Posted by toslti

limited toilets at the rear

Do Russian toilets ever work?

Originally Posted by cisco999

Do Russian toilets ever work?

They seemed to work ok but were used more as smoking rooms as the flights were all non-smoking. Indeed all Russian airports and public buildings are non-smoking.

A British Airways pilot has been jailed for eight months after being caught more than four times over the alcohol limit while on duty.


Julian Monaghan drank three double vodkas and diet Pepsi in his hotel room on an empty stomach before he was due onboard a long-haul flight from Gatwick to Mauritius on 18 January.

Police were called when Verity McAllen, a technician who was checking the Boeing 777 before takeoff, noticed a strong smell of alcohol on Monaghan’s breath.

Passengers had already started to board the plane when he was taken from the cockpit in handcuffs on suspicion of reporting for duty as a pilot while his level of alcohol was over the limit.

Three hundred people were on the 12-hour flight, which was scheduled to leave at 9.20pm but was delayed for nearly two hours while a replacement pilot was found. It eventually left at about 11pm.

The 49-year-old pleaded guilty after tests revealed he had 86mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system – more than four times the 20mg limit for a pilot.

Monaghan, who worked for BA for 17 years, initially queried the results, but resigned two months after his arrest when further tests confirmed the samples were accurate.

Sentencing him at Lewes crown court on Tuesday, the judge Janet Waddicor said: “You took a risk and it didn’t pay off because you were caught. You are in charge of a huge aircraft. The safety, if not the lives, indeed, of passengers and crew members are in the hands of the pilot. They are entitled to feel that they are safe.”

Monaghan lowered his head as he was handed his sentence before being led to the cells while a woman in the public gallery blew him a kiss.

Monaghan insisted he obeyed by the airline’s eight-hour “bottle to throttle rule”, which forbids pilots from drinking for that period of time before going on duty, and claimed he “felt fine”.

In a prepared statement given to police on his arrest, he said he drank a glass of wine on his overnight flight as a passenger from Cape Town to Heathrow while travelling to report for duty.

Then, when he was in his hotel resting before his shift, he drank a “measure” of vodka with diet Pepsi at about 10.15am and nothing after. He had not eaten and barely slept.

In court, Emlyn Jones, defending, said Monaghan had since remembered drinking three miniature bottles of vodka – each of which are the equivalent to a double bar serving – which he could buy at a discount in a duty-free scheme available to airline staff.

Amy Packham, prosecuting, said the reading taken at 10.30pm remained so high that he must have drunk a “significant amount” just before the eight-hour limit.

Jones said Monaghan was shocked by his arrest and surprised by the readings, and his fall from grace had been very public and had caused huge embarrassment.

His teenage son had not spoken to him since and, due to a costly divorce a decade ago, he had no savings. He was hoping to find work in South Africa – where he was living – by re-training as a drone pilot to take pictures of homes for estate agents, the court heard.

Jones said Monaghan, who gave his address as care of his solicitors, had an “impressive career” after gaining his pilot licence before he was 20. His childhood dream was to be a pilot and he was “proud and delighted” to work for BA, where he was well-liked and trusted by colleagues.

But he had been “extremely stupid” and bitterly regretted his actions, and wanted to apologise to the court, the public, passengers and his family, Jones said.

He added: “He didn’t knowingly arrive at work over the limit. Certainly he will never fly as a commercial pilot again. He appears before your honour as a shadow of the man he once was. His career and livelihood and personal and professional reputation are all up in smoke.”

Jones said being four times over the limit “sounds terrible” but there was no evidence his conduct caused direct harm, adding: “He was not falling down drunk, making mistakes, being rude, picking fights.”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jun/12/british-airways-pilot-jailed-drunk-in-cockpit-boeing-777

Time is running out for foreign airlines to comply with one-China policy



"In late April, China’s Civil Aviation Administration sent a letter to 44 foreign air carriers, pointing out that their websites’ references to Taiwan violate Chinese laws and go against the one-China policy. The letter requested that these companies immediately revise their websites.

As of now, Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways have revised their websites.

As of May 25, 18 of the 44 airlines have corrected their websites. Due to technical reasons, the remaining 26 have requested an extension until July 25. China’s Civil Aviation Administration approved their request.

There is a saying in Chinese that if you know you have made a mistake, correct it. For that, the above companies should be praised.




However, some airlines refuse to correct their mistakes. This list includes United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, and Air India. They’re taking the Chinese people’s money with one hand, and slapping them in the face with the other.

Japan’s two biggest airlines, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, recently announced that they have already changed “Taiwan” to “China Taiwan” on their websites.

However, a reporter discovered that these two airlines did not change their websites in Japanese and other languages.

Although Australia’s Qantas has yet to make relevant corrections, Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said in a statment that the company intends to fully comply with Beijing’s request by the deadline.

Any multinational company that invests in other countries has to comply with local laws and regulations. Companies doing business in China must acknowledge that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is a part of China. It’s just doing business in China 101.


In response to a question at a regular press conference on June 19, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said there is only one China in the world and Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan have always been parts of China. “This is an objective fact and common sense, as well as the general consensus of the international community,” Geng said.

As the Foreign Ministry noted at the press conference, companies operating in China must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China, abide by Chinese laws, and respect the national feelings of the Chinese people. “This is the basic requirement for any foreign company doing business in China,” Geng said."

Time is running out for foreign airlines to comply with one-China policy - People's Daily Online

An announcement was made, an extension allowed and now a second reminder of the Chinese law. Who will give up on the lucrative Chinese market and who will get sanctioned/denied landing rights, due to "security" concerns?

Possibly a twat will get their attention.

I'm sure the offending airlines will recognise China, as many western created institutions, including the UN and IATA, already do and will follow Chinese laws. As the airlines do in other countries.

C919 makes more test flights




"A C919 airplane takes off from the Shanghai Pudong International Airport for a test flight to Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, on Nov 10, 2017. [Photo by Chen Zikuan/For China Daily]


The first and second prototypes of the C919 aircraft, China's first domestically produced narrow-body passenger jet, made additional test flights in Shanghai and Xi'an, Shaanxi province, on Friday morning, indicating that the airworthiness certification work of the C919 model is advancing steadily, an industry expert said.

The 101 prototype test aircraft of the C919 took off at 11:05 am from the testing base in Yanliang district, in north eastern Xi'an, and flew for three hours and 10 minutes. The 102 prototype test aircraft took off at 7:13 am at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and returned at 8:47 am, said Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, its manufacturer.

The manufacturer said both aircraft finished stability tests and systematic inspections. Meanwhile, the third prototype test aircraft has finished the wing and body abutment and airtight rain test. Workers are now assembling cable and airborne systems, COMAC said.

"The research and manufacturing of commercial aircraft has extremely high requirements of industrial capabilities and technological innovations," said Lin Zhijie, an aviation industry analyst and columnist at carnoc.com, one of China's biggest civil aviation websites.

"We should have a tolerant attitude toward and firm belief in the C919 aircraft. Some new models of Boeing Co and Airbus SE face multiple challenges as well during their R&D phases, and some delayed the delivery. It's not necessary that everything should go smoothly for aircraft manufacturing, given its difficulty," he said.

COMAC earlier said it would send six aircraft on test flights, and complete more than 1,000 compliance tests. Two other aircraft will only undergo ground tests, including static and fatigue tests.

"We are carrying out static tests, ground tests and related upgrading work for the first two test aircraft. The project is advancing steadily according to the plan," COMAC said in a statement on Friday.

In addition, the 102 prototype test aircraft will transfer soon to the testing base of Dongying, Shandong province, since it has finished various test flights and inspections in Shanghai.

So far, 815 orders from 28 customers throughout China and abroad have been placed for the C919.

C919 makes more test flights - People's Daily Online

THAI cancels Bali flights due to volcanic eruptions

BANGKOK, 29 June 2018 (NNT) – Thai Airways International has canceled flights to and from Denpasar (Bali), Indonesia, due to volcanic eruptions forcing the airport to temporarily close.

THAI announced the cancelation of Bangkok - Denpasar (Bali) flights due to the recent eruptions of Mount Agung volcano about 75 kilometers from Denpasar airport, causing ash clouds to cover the sky, forcing it to close temporarily from 7.00 p.m. Indonesian time yesterday.

For safety reasons, Flight TG 431 Bangkok - Denpasar, and Flight TG 432 Denpasar - Bangkok departing today were canceled. The airline will continue to monitor the situation and resume the service when the situation is considered safe. Passengers booked on this route were advised to closely follow updates from the airline.

THAI operates a daily flight to Denpasar departing Suvarnabhumi airport at 9:35 a.m., arriving in Denpasar airport at 2:55 p.m., departing Denpasar Airport at 4:55 p.m. and returning to Suvarnabhumi airport at 8:05 p.m.

National News Bureau Of Thailand | THAI cancels Bali flights due to volcanic eruptions

Saw on NHK TV that the "new" Mitsubishi is progressing with test flights

An emergency descent by an Air China aircraft after cabin oxygen levels dropped has been linked to a co-pilot smoking an e-cigarette
during the flight

Uhuh

Smoke diffused into the passenger cabin

Uhuh

Ryanair flight loses cabin pressure and 'descends 26,000ft in minutes' leaving 33 people in hospital


More than 30 people were taken to hospital after a Ryanair flight lost cabin pressure and descended 26,000ft in just seven minutes, according to officials.


German police said some passengers were left bleeding from their ears after the cabin became depressurised on the Dublin to Croatia flight.


Oxygen masks were deployed on the plane which was forced to divert to Frankfurt, Germany.


The airline said there was a shortage of accommodation for passengers who had to wait until Saturday morning for another flight.


A passenger reported on Facebook that the air went cold and the oxygen masks dropped, adding that there was a "dive of 3000 metres in less than one minute".


He said a lot of people complained about sore ears, but praised the pilots for doing an "excellent job".

According to Flight Radar, the plane descended 26,000ft in just seven minutes.


The Tagesspiegel newspaper reported that 33 passengers were taken to hospital, adding that Federal Police said passengers were complaining of "headache and earache and suffered from nausea".


There were 189 passengers on board.


"We get on the plane, we're flying and next of all the oxygen mask comes down, we're left in darkness for 15 minutes, there's no reassurance just people shouting 'emergency, emergency'," Sarah McGarry told Irish Times newspaper.


"There was a newborn baby and children on the flight, people are screaming and we don't know what's going on for 15 minutes. Then finally we're told that we're going to Germany."


Another person said the experience was "really scary" and that the plane was "falling fast".


One person tweeted a picture of a bloodied oxygen mask from the flight with the caption: "A picture from one of the passengers of the flight FR7312, from Dublin to Zadar. She cannot fly due her injuries. We are still in the Frankfurt-Hahn."


A Ryanair spokesman said: "This flight from Dublin to Zadar [July 13] diverted to Frankfurt Hahn due to an inflight depressurisation.


"In line with standard procedure, the crew deployed oxygen masks and initiated a controlled descent.


"The aircraft landed normally and customers disembarked, where a small number received medical attention as a precaution.


"Customers were provided with refreshment vouchers and hotel accommodation was authorised, however there was a shortage of available accommodation.


"Customers will board a replacement aircraft which will depart to Zadar this morning and Ryanair sincerely apologised for any inconvenience."



https://www.standard.co.uk/news/worl...-a3887351.html

I see from PPrune that a number of people are commenting at how bad it was of them to land at Hahn where they have a maintenance base and no local hospital or accomodation, when they could have landed at Frankfurt, which presumably would have cost them more.

^ A lot of talk about problems with pax but not much on what caused the rapid decompression. Anyone read the reason for it yet? Was it a genuine problem and what caused it is more important than beds and burgers imho.

Originally Posted by Troy

^ A lot of talk about problems with pax but not much on what caused the rapid decompression. Anyone read the reason for it yet? Was it a genuine problem and what caused it is more important than beds and burgers imho.

It's important for sure, but it also shows a callous disregard for passenger welfare if they could have landed at Frankfurt.

German aircraft accident investigators have begun an inquiry into the sudden loss of cabin pressure on a Ryanair flight from Dublin to Croatia on Friday.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/irel...arts-1.3565537

^ I have never flown Ryanair and never will. I also refuse to take last flights of the day. Those that do deserve to suffer the fate of missed flights, lost baggage and inconvenient drop-offs. After all, you get what you pay for.

Airbus fury over loss of RAF deal after Brexit warning

• Alan Tovey, Industry Editor

14 July 2018 • 8:00pm




"Airbus bosses are furious after the Government spurred them to publish a dire forecast of the impact of Brexit before handing a prize £2bn RAF contract to US rival Boeing without a competition.

The Telegraph has learnt that last month’s bombshell warning from Airbus that it could be forced to leave the UK came after discussions with senior Remainer ministers preparing for the Chequers summit.


Theresa May used the summit to impose on the Cabinet a vision of Brexit that would keep Britain in the single market for goods by maintaining close customs ties with Brussels, triggering a wave of Brexiteer resignations and claims from Donald Trump, the US 
president that the country was in “turmoil”.

Sources..."

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/07/14/airbus-fury-loss-raf-deal-brexit-warning/






So far only on ST behind a paywall.

More serious ameristanis have declared the airport gropers are above the law.


TSA Agents Can Now Grope Travelers Without Fear Of Pesky Lawsuits





"Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners have gained the upper glove when it comes to being sued by travelers subjected to assaults, false arrests or other abuses, thanks to a Wednesday ruling by a federal appeals court."

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...pesky-lawsuits

^ hmmm...Airbus don't have anything to compete with the E-7. DT appear to be stirring something that is best left unstirred.

Originally Posted by OhOh

Airbus fury over loss of RAF deal after Brexit warning

• Alan Tovey, Industry Editor

14 July 2018 • 8:00pm




"Airbus bosses are furious after the Government spurred them to publish a dire forecast of the impact of Brexit before handing a prize £2bn RAF contract to US rival Boeing without a competition.

The Telegraph has learnt that last month’s bombshell warning from Airbus that it could be forced to leave the UK came after discussions with senior Remainer ministers preparing for the Chequers summit.


Theresa May used the summit to impose on the Cabinet a vision of Brexit that would keep Britain in the single market for goods by maintaining close customs ties with Brussels, triggering a wave of Brexiteer resignations and claims from Donald Trump, the US 
president that the country was in “turmoil”.

Sources..."

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/07/14/airbus-fury-loss-raf-deal-brexit-warning/






So far only on ST behind a paywall.

Which Airline is this again?

Emirates flights reductions APRIL -MAY 2019

I realise that many live here but I am sure that a lot FIFO or use Emirates to get here.

Due to scheduled runway upgrading at DXB there will be a pretty major reduction in flights over this period in 2019.

It affects flights to and from many destinations and I reckon that dynamic pricing will go apeshit with the reduced seats available.

Full details...

https://www.routesonline.com/news/38...route-20180710

Global pilot shortage


With demand for pilots increasing, Qantas wants another 350 by the end of the year.

Passengers are becoming used to flights being cancelled due to weather, or even volcanoes, but now a new trend is
beginning to upset travel plans across the country.

Key points:

• A shortage of 640,000 pilots (world wide) is expected in the next 20 years
• In Australia, regional airlines are feeling the pinch as Qantas, Virgin poach talent
• Flights in rural areas are being cancelled, and metropolitan flights could be next

Airlines are having to cancel flights, and even entire routes, because there literally isn't anyone available to fly the plane.

The most recent statistics from Boeing predict over the next two decades that 640,000 new pilots will be needed to sustain
the industry, with almost 40 per cent of those required in the Asia Pacific region.