Thread: Airline News

^I flew Manila - Taipei - Bkk - Vienna via EVA some years ago. Cattle class, but the service was good. No complaints.

Thailand suspends international flights by some Thai airlines


BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand’s military government has suspended international flights by Thai airlines that have not received new operator certificates from the country’s aviation body, a spokesman said.

The measure will affect 12 airlines which together have a market share of only 2 percent and so will have little impact on the country’s tourism-dependent economy, the head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) said on Tuesday.


Thailand’s aviation industry has been under scrutiny after the U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)downgraded the country in June 2015, giving it a red flag for missing a deadline to resolve significant safety concerns.

The government’s move comes ahead of an ICAO’s visit to Thailand next week.

“They want to see a strict measure. The government had to order CAAT to suspend operations of airlines which did not pass assessment,” government spokesman Sansern Kaewkumnerd told reporters.

The Thai military junta often invokes executive power, known as Article 44, to clear bureaucratic hurdles.

CAAT was set up in 2015 by the military government to tackle flaws in commercial aviation. It is tasked with auditing and recertifying Thai commercial airlines to make sure they are in line with ICAO standards.

Chula Sukmanop, director general of CAAT, told Reuters the suspension will affect 12 airlines, including Orient Thai Airlines and Thai Vietjet Air.

“It’s not that they failed the assessment, but the assessment has not been completed yet,” Chula said.

“They can resume their flights as soon as they pass the assessment,” he said, adding that the two airlines are expected to resume their international flights as soon as next month.

The suspension is expected to be lifted for the other airlines by Jan. 31, 2018, Chula said.

The two airlines named were not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-aviation/thailand-suspends-international-flights-by-some-thai-airlines-idUSKCN1BN13S

Thai Airways are introducing their A350 - 900 in September for all those except 'arry, econ. seats are 32" pitch and 18" seat width.

BKK-LHR A350 and A380 split the flights.

It's a lovely plane that.

Originally Posted by OhOh

Thai Airways are introducing their A350 - 900 in September for all those except 'arry, econ. seats are 32" pitch and 18" seat width.

BKK-LHR A350 and A380 split the flights.

^ Thai have been trying to run the A350 down to Melbourne, but still (?) don't have permission from Australia's CASA (Aviation body) to fly that type in the country. The thinking is this is fallout from the 2015 failed ICAO audit.

Originally Posted by bindog

^ Thai have been trying to run the A350 down to Melbourne, but still (?) don't have permission from Australia's CASA (Aviation body) to fly that type in the country. The thinking is this is fallout from the 2015 failed ICAO audit.

Whose thinking is that?

It's more likely that they have to spend a significant period of time training flight and cabin crew.

When Qatar launched the Screamliner, they used on the DOH-BAH route, all of about 25 minutes, because they were able to rattle everyone through the familiarisation in double quick time.

If it was an ICAO issue, they wouldn't be flying any plane, let alone a brand new one. There are certifications but they should be bog standard.

In fact:

Thai Airways has delayed the debut of its Airbus A350-900 aircraft on its long-haul route to Melbourne, due to “additional inspections and requirements from Australian authorities on Thai’s newest aircraft type”.
The carrier took delivery of its first A350 at the end of August, and had been due to roster the aircraft onto the Bangkok-Melbourne route in mid-September.
But in a statement Thai Airways said that the additional checks meant that “the approval process is not able to be completed in time for Thai to operate the maiden flight by September 16, 2016”.
The carrier said that it now hoped to get approval in time for the start of the winter schedules at the end of October, and said that “In the meantime, Thai will operate the A350 between Bangkok-Chiang Mai and Bangkok-Phuket, which will give passengers in Thailand more opportunities to experience the elegance of the Thai A350”.
The airline said it would continue to operate a normal schedule to Melbourne, with two daily flights.

And....

Bangkok – Melbourne
TG461/462 eff 01AUG17 Boeing 777-300ER replaces -200ER, 1 daily
TG465/466 eff 01OCT17 A350-900XWB tentatively scheduled to replace 777-300ER, 1 daily

So should be quite soon.

Of course it is Thai. So will probably be delayed and overpriced.

Yeah, they've scheduled A350 BKK-MEL twice before and had to postpone due to that “additional inspections and requirements from Australian authorities on Thai’s newest aircraft type”. Third time lucky perhaps.

Singapore, Cathay and Qatar have had no such delays flying their A350 down here. China Airlines or Air China - the Taiwan one - will join the party next month too I believe.

Originally Posted by bindog

Yeah, they've scheduled A350 BKK-MEL twice before and had to postpone due to that “additional inspections and requirements from Australian authorities on Thai’s newest aircraft type”. Third time lucky perhaps.

Singapore, Cathay and Qatar have had no such delays flying their A350 down here. China Airlines or Air China - the Taiwan one - will join the party next month too I believe.

Not unusual, if they are taking their time to train people up. They are using it on the Phuket and Chiang Mai routes at the moment, presumably for exactly that reason.

I'm guessing pilots have to do a certain number of hours on it before they can fly long haul.

a state of the art long haul aircraft is going to be used on commuter routes. Wow. It would seem that are not certified to fly anywhere at this time.

Originally Posted by aging one

a state of the art long haul aircraft is going to be used on commuter routes. Wow. It would seem that are not certified to fly anywhere at this time.

Like I said, Qatar did it on a 25 minute flight with the B787. The quickest way to train hundreds of cabin crew and others in double quick time.

Lives could have been lost in Belfast International take-off incident, report finds


By Jonathan Bell
September 20 2017

A passenger plane could have crashed with multiple fatalities after it hit a runway light at Belfast International Airport, a report has found.


That was the conclusion of a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) into an incident on July 21 this year involving a flight to Corfu in the afternoon.


There were 185 people on board including six crew.


The AAIB has put out a special bulletin on the incident to inform others so that the same mistake is not made. It said the plane's thrust setting was "significantly below that required".


An investigation found that outside air temperature data was incorrectly entered into the plane's flight management systems which meant it was slow to accelerate off the runway.


Witnesses said they noticed the Boeing 737 take a "significant time to lift off before climbing at a very shallow angle".


A wheel of the plane subsequently hit and damaged a light almost 30 metres off the end of the runway.


Such was the seriousness of the incident, the AAIB determined it required "in-depth investigation".


It said that in "slightly different circumstances, this event could have resulted in the loss of the aircraft with multiple fatalities".


"Examples of such circumstances considered were: the same event taking place on a slightly shorter runway than was actually the case with the aircraft unable to lift off before the end of the runway; obstacles or terrain in the takeoff path; or engine failure ... with a decision by the commander to continue the takeoff."


The report did not give details of the plane operator. However, it was flown by Sunwing for Thomson. Both have been asked for a comment.


There is nothing in the report to suggest wrongdoing on the part of Belfast International Airport or Boeing.


The incident was not reported by aircraft commander, aircraft operator or the tour operator to the AAIB but was reported to the Transportation Safety Board in Canada by the aircraft operator, the report found.


Air traffic controllers at Belfast International Airport also reported the incident.


However, because the AAIB only became aware of the incident 58 hours after the event it meant crucial recording material was lost.


"This has been detrimental to the investigation and may hinder the identification of all the safety issues," the report said.


The AAIB concluded that the only way for the thrust setting to be wrong was for an incorrect figure for the outside air temperature to be input to the take-off systems. The report said there was no indicator to alert pilots to the error and there had been examples in the past of pilots not noticing slow acceleration for take-off.


Investigators said that the software was not up-to-date and a later version would reject temperature data if it did not correlate with sensor readings.


"The updates to the software are offered by Boeing as upgrade service bulletins at nominal cost," the report said.


The report recommended operators update the flight management software on all Boeing 737 planes. It also advised Boeing to inform operators who use the 737 of the incident in order to highlight the importance of the matter.


"Given the serious potential consequences of this type of data entry error, it was considered important to inform Boeing 737 operators of this event," the report said.


Belfast Telegraph Digital


Lives could have been lost in Belfast International take-off incident, report finds - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

Must have hit a flying pig.

A Badr Airlines aircraft suffered a bird strike yesterday near Khartoum in Sudan .





ALERT Impressive photos of Badr Airlines Boeing 737 bird strike yesterday in Sudan | AIRLIVE.net

Looks like they're still using frozen chickens....

Originally Posted by OhOh

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-air-france-canada/air-france-flight-with-engine-damage-makes-emergency-landing-in-canada-idUSKCN1C50PV



"Air France Flight 66, originating at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, landed at Goose Bay in Labrador at 1542 GMT, the airline said, and no one was hurt in the incident. “The regularly trained pilots and cabin crew handled this serious incident perfectly,” the airline said in a statement.
The aircraft involved in the incident was an Airbus 380 that was about seven years old, according to airfleets.net, an aircraft database. The engine was made by Engine Alliance, a joint venture between General Electric Co and United Technologies Corp’s Pratt & Whitney unit. "

That will teach them not to by RR engines.

Fuck me, good job they do those engine failures tests eh?

Visions of UA232.

Also give EVA the thumbs up in all classes. Great service, good food, comfy seats and they were not stingy with the grog, even in economy.

Quite the mess out of the UK



U.K. scrambles to help stranded citizens after airline goes bustU.K. scrambles to help stranded citizens after airline goes bust

Monarch: U.K. scrambles to help travelers after airline goes bust - Oct. 1, 2017

Originally Posted by aging one

Quite the mess out of the UK



U.K. scrambles to help stranded citizens after airline goes bustU.K. scrambles to help stranded citizens after airline goes bust

Monarch: U.K. scrambles to help travelers after airline goes bust - Oct. 1, 2017

Looks like most of those already travelling will be OK.

If you bought a package holiday through Monarch while the licence was still in effect – up until midnight on Sunday/Monday – you will be Atol-protected. That means if you are abroad, you will be put on an alternative flight home with another carrier. If you are in the UK, you will be entitled to a refund.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Looks like most of those already travelling will be OK.

ATOL protection only applies if you buy a package holiday. Those who just bought flights are hosed.

Originally Posted by DrB0b

ATOL protection only applies if you buy a package holiday. Those who just bought flights are hosed.

Unless it's over 100 quid and they paid by credit card, in which case they'll get it back.

The bad news is that RyanAir can take advantage and try and poach the flight deck.

Originally Posted by DrB0b

ATOL protection only applies if you buy a package holiday. Those who just bought flights are hosed.

"This is an unprecedented situation and because there are up to 110,000 passengers abroad, the UK government has asked the CAA to co-ordinate flights back to the UK for all Monarch customers currently overseas.

"These new flights will be at no extra cost to you." Some 300,000 future Monarch bookings were also cancelled, the Press Association reported.
Monarch's collapse, which came as it failed to have a crucial licence renewed, was the largest to hit a British airline.
The UK government's "extraordinary operation" to bring customers home - to include chartering more than 30 aircraft - was Britain's "biggest ever peacetime repatriation," Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said.

Monarch, once an innovative airline, suffered badly from the Sharm El Sheikh terrorist attacks and also a down turn in traffic to Turkey which also put people off. They had to turn to the once traditional market of Spain and Portugal. Unfortunately the likes of Ryan Air and EasyJet had ramped up their presence and dropped their prices. Monarch didn't have a chance in that market. Despite flying more passengers it was at a lower revenue.

Bye Bye Spotty M... sad to see you go.