Thread: Airline News

Hong Kong campaign to give away over 500,000 plane tickets in bid to revive tourism

Hong Kong is offering free airline tickets, spending vouchers and special events in their efforts to bring travelers back after COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted.


On Thursday, Hong Kong leader John Lee launched the $2 billion “Hello Hong Kong” travel revitalization plan that had been in preparation for over two years.


Starting on Mar. 1, Hong Kong-based airlines Cathay Pacific, HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines will distribute 500,000 free tickets for six months, reported Fred Lam Tin-Fuk, Airport Authority Hong Kong’s chief executive officer.


The tickets were purchased in 2020 as part of a relief package offered to airlines as support during the pandemic, costing the city 2 billion Hong Kong dollars (approximately $255 million).

During the launch ceremony, Lee called the initiative “probably the world’s biggest welcome ever.”

Southeast Asia residents will be the first group eligible for the “World of Winners” giveaway in March, followed by mainland China in April.

MORE Hong Kong campaign to give away over 500,000 plane tickets in bid to revive tourism


World Of Winners | Hong Kong International Airport

Russian plane carrying 321 tourists bursts into flames at 120 mph


Tourist plane takeoff with 321 on board aborted after engine inferno and tyres exploding during take off in Phuket

A loud bang was heard just moments before the wing almost completely caught fire as the plane tried to take off from Phuket and was heading towards Russia (Picture: Igor Zhorov/east2west news)

Passengers on a Russian tourist plane in Phuket were left fearing for their lives when an engine burst into flames and tyres exploded during take-off.

The Boeing 767-306ER caught fire as it left Phuket Airport heading to Moscow, and was carrying around 300 tourists and 12 crew.

All of those onboard the plane were evacuated and told they had to wait for a new flight.

Dramatic pictures and footage showed the plane hit by sudden fire due to an ‘engine surge’.

There were reports of a ‘loud bang’ in the take-off emergency.

The landing gear also ignited in flames on the same right side of the aircraft as the aircraft aborted its departure, it was reported.

A suspicion is that Russian airlines are cutting corners with safety and seeking to operate ageing aircraft without proper maintenance following tough Western sanctions over Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Russian plane carrying 321 tourists bursts into flames at 120 mph | Metro News

Looked like a rejected take-off following an engine suffering compressor stalls. Media do love to over dramatise things.

Bangkok Airways suspends Bangkok-Hat Yai and Bangkok-Da Nang services

Bangkok Airways has announced the suspension of Bangkok-Hat Yai-Bangkok and Bangkok-Da Nang-Bangkok routes, effective March 1st and May 1st respectively.


No reason was given for the suspension of the services, but the airline says that customers who have already made advance bookings for flights on the two routes can request a refund in the form of either a travel voucher, which can be used to buy tickets on other airlines, or cash.


More information is available at Bangkok Airways - Asia's Boutique Airline.


Customers can choose to use the services of the other airlines by calling 1771 or 0-2270-6699 from 8am to 8pm, by using PG Live Chat at https://bit.ly/PGLiveChatTH or via the ticketing service of Bangkok Airways.

Bangkok Airways suspends Bangkok-Hat Yai and Bangkok-Da Nang services | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

Originally Posted by Troy

Looked like a rejected take-off following an engine suffering compressor stalls. Media do love to over dramatise things.

Well it was pretty.

Originally Posted by malmomike77

Tourist plane takeoff with 321 on board

From the same article:

"The Russian airlines said: ‘Airline technical specialists have already started work to eliminate the malfunctions." That's a comfort.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

From AvHerald:

On Feb 6th 2023 Nepal's AIC reported that both flight data and cockpit voice recorders were successfully read out in Singapore. According to first analysis of the flight data recorders both propellers of the aircraft went into the feather position. The reason for the feathering of both propellers is still being determined, human factors as well as technical factors are still under investigation.

The Aviation Herald

Both engines feathered, to be determined if the engines failed and feathered or if it was uncommanded due to technical fault.

That's a horrible thing to happen on what is a difficult approach anyway. My apologies to the pilots for suggesting they screwed up...

Feathering


Description


On many variable pitch propellers, the blade pitch can be increased to the point that the chord line of the blade is approximately parallel to the on-coming airflow. This process is referred to as feathering.


The inflight feathering of the propeller, on an engine that has failed or has been intentionally shut down, greatly reduces the drag that would occur with the blade pitch in any other position. On a single engine aircraft such as a motor glider, feathering the propeller when the engine is shut down results in a significant increase in gliding distance. On a multi-engine aircraft, feathering the propeller of a failed engine results in both a reduction in drag and a reduction in adverse yaw vastly improving the engine-out handling characteristics and the engine-out flight performance of the aircraft.

^ There were warnings issued due to faulty installation/maintenance of prop control units causing uncommanded feathering. Both engines at the same time? Sounds very unlucky.
I don't know if the props auto feather following fuel starvation. There was an incident in 2005 where wrong fuel computer was fitted to an atr-72 that led to ditching near Palermo. I think they forgot to feather engines for best glide performance. Suggests no auto feather in that case.

Originally Posted by Troy

^ There were warnings issued due to faulty installation/maintenance of prop control units causing uncommanded feathering. Both engines at the same time? Sounds very unlucky.
I don't know if the props auto feather following fuel starvation. There was an incident in 2005 where wrong fuel computer was fitted to an atr-72 that led to ditching near Palermo. I think they forgot to feather engines for best glide performance. Suggests no auto feather in that case.

Would it be a reasonable assumption that if it happened in the middle of a low speed, already high angle turn it could drop the wing, and at that altitude it's pretty well unrecoverable?

Well I didn't realise that was a factor in the TransAsia crash. From PP:

The ASC found that the accident was prompted by a spurious activation of the propeller autofeather system.
Moreover, the council’s final report indicated that even before the accident occurred the morning of Feb. 4, 2015, there was evidence that the system could fail. It had happened twice (without further mishap) due to intermittent signal discontinuities related to aging of the system, and the engine manufacturer had issued service instructions to address the problem.
The ASC found that the airline, TransAsia Airways, had not adequately informed its flight crews of the problem and had not issued clear instructions that a takeoff must be rejected if there are any signs that the autofeather system is not working properly.
The ASC’s report said that the accident pilots had noticed a system anomaly but had continued the takeoff. And when the right propeller feathered on takeoff, they did not act according to their training in identifying the cause of the loss of thrust and handling it appropriately.
“Following the uncommanded autofeather of engine number 2, the flight crew failed to perform the documented failure identification procedure before executing any actions,” the report said. “That resulted in the pilot flying’s confusion regarding the identification and nature of the actual propulsion system malfunction.”
In his confusion, the pilot reduced power on the operative engine and then shut it down. The report said that inappropriate flight control inputs following the total loss of power led to a stall and loss of control. The aircraft flew over part of the city before it struck the overpass and descended into the Keelung River.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Would it be a reasonable assumption that if it happened in the middle of a low speed, already high angle turn it could drop the wing, and at that altitude it's pretty well unrecoverable?

Pretty much a given that such a loss of power would lead to speed dropping and stall. Not enough altitude to recover, just horriblr if that is what happened. Initial report should be out next week so we shall see.

Laptop battery fire forces United flight to land, hospitalizes 4

A United Airlines flight returned to San Diego International Airport Tuesday morning after the crew reported a laptop fire in the cabin, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The flight, which was headed to Newark Liberty International Airport, departed San Diego at 7:07 a.m. and returned at 7:51 a.m., according to tracking data from FlightAware. United Airlines said the flight returned “after a customer’s battery pack ignited.”


Four flight attendants were taken to the hospital, United said, while two customers were evaluated on-site.

The flight later left San Diego for Newark, and no other operations were impacted.


“We thank our crew for their quick actions in prioritizing the safety of everyone on board the aircraft,” United said in a statement.

Lithium batteries can smoke or catch fire when they overheat or get damaged. The FAA requires spare lithium ion and lithium metal batteries, including power banks and cellphone battery charging cases, to be carried in carry-on baggage only. When a bag is gate-checked, all spare lithium batteries and power banks must be removed from the bag.

The FAA has size limits on lithium batteries, but says the requirements allow for “nearly all types of lithium batteries used by the average person in their electronic devices.”


According to FAA data, from March 2006 to October 2022 there were 414 incidents involving lithium batteries and smoke, fire or extreme heat on flights. Battery packs accounted for 179 of the incidents; e-cigarettes and vapes caused 80, and laptops were responsible for 49.


Is the age of unplugging on planes over?


“There’s definitely a concern,” said Hassan Shahidi, president and chief executive of the Flight Safety Foundation. “We’ve seen the trend not going down, because people are increasingly having more of these devices onboard.”


To reduce the risk, Shahidi says to protect your electronics in a sleeve or its original case. Avoid putting any pressure on it, such as placing it under a heavy object. If your gadget slips between the seats, alert a crew member, who is trained to extract it.


“Don’t move the seat yourself. It could add pressure, and inadvertently cracking or damaging it is not a good thing,” he said. “The crew can take the seat out.”


If you notice a device spewing fire or smoke, notify a crew member, who can put out the fire by placing the item in a thermal containment bag or using a fire extinguisher. Shahidi warns against throwing the flaming item on the ground and endangering other passengers.


Oxygen masks deploy when there is a loss of pressure, not when a cabin fills up with smoke. The cabin crew will recommend opening up the air vents. “Aircraft circulates air very rapidly, so turning on the fans is very helpful,” he said.

Laptop battery fire forces United flight to land, hospitalizes 4

Since 2020, no fewer than 64 airlines have ceased operations, according to aviation website and podcast AllPlane.tv, which has been keeping a tally as they go.

How the pandemic killed off 64 airlines | CNN Travel

Boeing announced one of the largest orders in its history Tuesday. But it was still topped by rival Airbus.
Both aircraft makers announced massive orders from Air India, which is gearing up its own expansion plans.
Boeing’s order, which was announced by President Joe Biden after a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was for 220 firm jet orders: 190 of Boeing 737 Max single-aisle planes, 20 of 787 Dreamliners widebodies and 10 of 777X, the newest version of its widebody now undergoing the certification process.
It’s the third biggest sale of all time for Boeing.
But Airbus announced orders for 250 jets, including 140 A320neo and 70 A321neo single-aisle planes, along with 34 A350-1000 and six A350-900 widebodies.
It’s a sign of the competitive disadvantage that Boeing still finds itself facing, especially in selling narrow-body, single-aisle jets, a segment of the market that Airbus continues to dominate.
Boeing has been narrowing the gap with Airbus in orders, helped especially by an even larger order from United late last year. For all of 2022, Boeing announced a total of 808 net commercial aircraft orders, up from 535 a year earlier. But Airbus edged it out with 820 orders.

Boeing lands massive Air India order, but still loses out to Airbus | CNN Business

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Have you ever heard of dual uncommanded feathering on a twin prop?

I've never heard of such a thing.

If they feather in the event of engine failure, could it have been a fuel issue?

Either way, if that's what happened, the plane was doomed.

Feathered props = no thrust = no lift = stall.

The initial report is out, you can find it here:

Yeti Airlines flight 691 preliminary report released | Flightradar24 Blog

Moving the flaps to 30.... oops wrong levers?

Originally Posted by Troy

The initial report is out, you can find it here:

Yeti Airlines flight 691 preliminary report released | Flightradar24 Blog

Moving the flaps to 30.... oops wrong levers?

Fucking hell.

Also:

When both propellers were feathered, the investigation team observed that
both engines of 9N-ANC were running flight idle condition during the event flight
to prevent over torque. As per the FDR data, all the recorded parameters
related to engines did not show any anomaly. At 10:56:50 when the radio
altitude callout for five hundred feet3 was annunciated, another “click” sound
was heard4. The aircraft reached a maximum bank angle of 30 degrees at this
altitude. The recorded Np and Tq data remained invalid. The yaw damper
disconnected four seconds later. The PF consulted the PM on whether to
continue the left turn and the PM replied to continue the turn. Subsequently,
the PF asked the PM on whether to continue descend and the PM responded
it was not necessary and instructed to apply a little power. At 10:56:54, another
click was heard, followed by the flaps surface movement to the 30 degrees
position.

Any bets on how many weeks - or days - it lasts this time?

Low-cost carrier Nok Air plans to connect Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok to northeast Thailand in the coming months with a new direct flight to Nakhon Ratchasima, aka “Korat.”

Chief Executive Officer of Nok Air, Wuttipoom Churankun, said the Bangkok – Korat route should begin after Songkran Festival in April 2023.

The date of the route’s inaugural flight hasn’t yet been set because Nok Air wants to operate the route from the airport’s 1st Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) Wing – a Thai Air Force base – and is still awaiting permission from the RTAF.

The new route will be the only commercial flight flying in and out of Korat Airport since Nok Air suspended the Chiang Mai – Korat route in September last year just six weeks after its launch.

Nok Air to launch Bangkok - Korat route | Thaiger

Originally Posted by aging one

So because you watched some videos you feel confident in giving your opinion on a air crash?

That is sad.

Well now we know what happened.

Here was my original comment. It was a combination of 2 things I mentioned.

The plane entered an aerodynamic stall. A flamed out engine shouldnt have caused this on its own

My guess is that this plane was overloaded and had had technical difficulty and the pilots had the wrong flap settings in the moment

Thai Airways and Thai Smile to merge to "cut losses".

Thai Smile-THAI merger 'to cut losses'

Originally Posted by Backspin

A flamed out engine

is backspit your topgun nickname ?

they fcuked up their speed on approach and stalled a wing

Originally Posted by baldrick

is backspit your topgun nickname ?

they fcuked up their speed on approach and stalled a wing

Obviously cut and paste the wrong opinion and tried to pass it off as his own as usual.

Supposedly a Thai Smile A320 lost an engine on the way into Phuket and had a tail strike on landing.

But no official announcement.

The Aviation Herald