NewsAIR ASIA QZ8501
Indonesia AirAsia flight bound for Singapore missing
AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501 has lost contact with air traffic control. In a statement on its Facebook page, AirAsia says the flight from Surabaya to Singapore lost contact at 07:24 Singapore time. The aircraft was an Airbus A320, registered PK-AXC. AirAsia says that search and rescue operations are underway and that the airline is cooperating with the relevant authorities.
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Indonesia AirAsia jet vanished just south of Borneo
Indonesia’s search and rescue (SAR) agency Basarnas indicates that contact was lost with the missing Indonesia AirAsia Airbus A320 aircraft just south of the Indonesia province of West Kalimantan. Quoting a statement from Soekarno Hatta air traffic control, the agency says the last known aircraft coordinate was 03 09 15 S and 111 28 21 E. This coordinate places the last known location of the aircraft about 16nm south of West Kalimantan, an Indonesian province on the island of Borneo. Flight QZ8501 was operating on the Surabaya-Singapore route with about 155 passengers and seven crew members aboard when it vanished.
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Missing Indonesia AirAsia A320 owned by Doric
Indonesia AirAsia’s missing Airbus A320 is a 2008-built aircraft managed by Doric and on lease from a special purpose vehicle called Doric 10 Labuan Limited Company. Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets database shows that the aircraft, registered PK-AXC, is powered by CFM International CFM 56-5B engines. It bears the manufacturer serial number 3648. Airbus says the aircraft has accumulated approximately 23,000 flight hours in some 13,600 flights. The aircraft was delivered to AirAsia on 15 October 2008, and operated by the low-cost group’s Indonesia unit.
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162 on board missing Indonesia AirAsia A320
Indonesia AirAsia has confirmed that flight QZ8501 took off with 162 people on board, and that the aircraft was requesting a deviation from its flight plan due to weather, when it lost contact with air traffic control. Of the 155 passengers, there are 138 adults, 16 children and an infant. A majority (157) of the passengers are from Indonesia, with three from South Korea, and also a passenger each from Malaysia and Singapore.
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Indonesia AirAsia has clean safety record
Indonesia AirAsia has kept a clean safety record throughout its years of operations. Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets database shows only a minor incident involving the carrier on 25 May 2007. The Boeing 737-300, registered PK-AWP, was operating a flight on the Jakarta-Medan route when the incident happened. The aircraft was in the final stage of approach to runway 05 at Medan when the captain took over because the aircraft was going “fast”.
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Weather, nightfall could hamper QZ8501 search
Stormy, rainy weather over Southeast Asia could hamper the search for the missing Indonesia AirAsia Airbus A320 aircraft. Flight QZ8501 lost contact with Indonesian air traffic controllers this morning at 07:24 Singapore time while operating the Surabaya-Singapore route. Before its disappearance, it had requested a change in flight plan owing to inclement weather. Imagery on weather reporting site Accuweather suggests overcast, stormy conditions at the time of the aircraft’s disappearance. Indonesian officials have said the last known aircraft coordinate was 03 09 15 S and 111 28 21 E. This coordinate places the last known location of the aircraft about 16nm south of West Kalimantan, an Indonesian province on the island of Borneo.
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Singapore deploys C-130 to join in search for missing A320
Singapore has deployed a Lockheed Martin C-130 to assist Indonesia in the search for the missing Indonesia AirAsia Airbus A320. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) says the Indonesian government has accepted its offer to assist in the search for flight QZ8501, and that it has another C-130 from its fleet of five on standby. Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency (Barsanas) says a sea search is ongoing, aided by ships from the Indonesian navy. Helicopters from the Indonesian air force have also been deployed. Malaysia's transport minister Liow Tiong Lai tweeted that the country has set up a rescue coordination center at Subang and is also deploying assets to aid search efforts led by Indonesia.
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Indonesian authorities detail lead up to A320 disappearance
Indonesia’s transport ministry says the missing Indonesia AirAsia Airbus A320 disappeared from the radar of Jakarta’s air traffic control (ATC) at 06:18 local time, 43 minutes after it took off from Surabaya's Juanda International airport. In a series of tweets, the ministry said that the aircraft had followed flight pathway M-635, and made contact with Jakarta’s ATC at 06:12 local time. At that point, it was cruising at 32,000ft. The flight crew then requested to ascend to 38,000ft so as to avoid clouds. The ministry says the aircraft could still be seen on the ATC's radar screen at 06:16, but could only be identified through the automated dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) signal a minute later.
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Indonesia search agency believes lost A320 on seafloor
Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Barsanas) has reportedly said that the missing Indonesia AirAsia Airbus A320 is likely to have crashed into the Java Sea. The agency’s chief Bambang Soelistyo told reporters at a Jakarta press conference that based on the coordinates it has, it is working on the assumption that the aircraft has crashed into the sea, and could be lying on the seafloor. Barsanas' search is focused on waters east of Pulau Belitung, an island in the Java Sea.
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Indonesia expands search area for missing A320
Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Barsanas) has expanded the search area for flight QZ8501, as the Indonesia AirAsia Airbus A320 aircraft remains missing over 30 hours after losing contact with air traffic control. The agency says the search area, previously focused on four sectors spanning 120 by 240nm, has been expanded to seven sectors. “The division of the sector is based on preliminary data received when the plane lost contact as well as other supporting data related to natural conditions,” it adds.
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Search Resumes For Missing AirAsia Plane
Indonesia resumed the search on Monday for an AirAsia plane carrying 162 people that went missing after its pilot failed to gain permission to alter course to avoid a storm cell during a flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. AirAsia flight QZ8501 did not issue a distress signal and disappeared five minutes after requesting a change of course on Sunday, government and transport officials said. Air Force spokesman Hadi Thahjanto said two C-130 Hercules planes were focusing their search efforts in areas northeast of Indonesia's Bangka island, which lies roughly halfway between Surabaya and Singapore, in the Java Sea. Singapore said it had sent two naval vessels to help look for the Airbus A320 operated by Indonesia AirAsia, adding a C-130 took part in the search on Sunday.
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Boeing completes first flight of new freighter and tanker
Boeing on 28 December completed a 3h, 32min flight of the 767-2C prototype that will be modified to become the first US Air Force KC-46A tanker. The first take-off of the 767-2C – powered with Pratt & Whitney PW4062 engines – from Boeing’s widebody final assembly center in Everett, Washington, comes nearly three months behind schedule, as the contractor announced a $272 million forward loss on the program in July due to problems installing the wiring harnesses.
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Warning issued vs fake airline promo - Cebu Pacific
Budget airline Cebu Pacific yesterday warned of a fake online promo promising 1,000 free flights for two to any destination next year. “Please beware of this Facebook page who claim to be Cebu Pacific Air,” the airline company said in a post in its official Facebook account. “We will coordinate with authorities to identify parties behind this page, so we can take necessary legal action. We have also already reported this page to Facebook, and will continue reminding everyone to be vigilant,” it added. The airline company had to issue a statement after thousands reportedly fell for the fake promo, posted in a supposed Facebook page of Cebu Pacific on Friday.
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Delta Air Lines to continue growth in 2015
Delta Air Lines will likely report around 7% growth in its top line for 2014, experts say. The carrier should also continue its strong results next year. "In 2015, we anticipate the carrier to continue to grow its results as the macro environment is expected to further improve," writes the Trefis Team.
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Etihad celebrates inaugural A380 flight
Etihad Airways celebrated the departure of its inaugural Airbus A380 flight at Abu Dhabi International Airport today. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the departure gate as part of the festivities, attended on behalf of Etihad Airways by Richard Hill, Chief Operations Officer, Chris Youlten, Senior Vice President Network Operations, Jeff Wilkinson, Senior Vice President Technical, Calum Laming, Vice President Guest Experience, and Aubrey Tiedt, Vice President Guest Services. The event, which took place before Flight EY11 took-off to London Heathrow at 02.35am, was also attended by Eng. Ahmad Al Haddabi, Abu Dhabi Airports Chief Operations Officer.
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Etihad Airways selects female butler for inaugural A380 service to London
The world’s first in-flight butler will be a woman from Merseyside who will take to the skies on board Etihad Airways’ first superjumbo A380 journey from its Abu Dhabi base to London’s Heathrow airport. Georgina Henderson, 28, from Southport will be the first butler manning the brand new Residence by Etihad, the unique new premium product on the airline’s first Airbus A380 service into London Heathrow on 27 December.
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JetBlue offers complimentary travel for police officers attending NYPD funerals
JetBlue Airways is offering free flights to police officers across the U.S. who wish to attend the funerals of two NYPD officers killed by a suicidal gunman. "We're honored to do what we can to support the communities we serve, and our team has made flights available to law enforcement agencies," said Sharon Jones, a spokeswoman for JetBlue.
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JetBlue's Fly-Fi key to customer satisfaction
In-flight Internet service Exceed In The Air is celebrating its one-year anniversary. Since launching last year on JetBlue, more than 2.5 million devices connected to the service and data use has doubled. "[W]e decided to do something revolutionary -- provide our passengers with a fantastic high speed onboard Wi-Fi offering at no charge," said Jamie Perry, director, product development at JetBlue. "We believe that Fly-Fi, powered by Exede Internet, is an important component of our passengers' positive experience and loyalty to us."
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Jetblue adds three routes from Ronald Reagan Airport
JetBlue Airways is adding three more nonstop routes from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), all to Florida: Fort Myers (RSW), Jacksonville (JAX) and West Palm Beach (PBI). Service to Jacksonville is twice daily, while Fort Myers and West Palm Beach will enjoy daily service. During the holiday season from December 19 to January 4, 2015, JetBlue will offer a second daily service to both Fort Myers and West Palm Beach.
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Ryanair launches US website
Ryanair launched its new United States Ryanair website, making it even easier for US customers to book Europe’s lowest fares on www.ryanair.com/us. Thousands of American customers explore Europe every year on Ryanair’s low fares with London, Dublin, Barcelona, Rome and Paris the top five destinations for US customers, with the most visitors coming from California, New York, Texas, Florida and New Jersey.
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Virgin Atlantic boosts Orlando flights from Manchester
Virgin Atlantic has announced it is increasing capacity from Manchester to Orlando and Las Vegas for summer 2015. To meet high demand to two of its most popular leisure destinations, Sir Richard Branson’s airline is adding 24 additional flights to Orlando and Las Vegas, amounting to over 8,000 additional departure seats for the summer season. Virgin Atlantic is adding a second daily flight from Manchester to Orlando on Thursdays and Sundays during July and August.
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Aviation Quote
Low Flight
Oh! I've slipped through the swirling clouds of dust,
a few feet from the dirt,
I've flown the Phantom low enough,
to make my bottom hurt.
I've TFO'd the deserts, hills,
valleys and mountains too,
Frolicked in the trees,
where only flying squirrels flew.
Chased the frightened cows along,
disturbed the ram and ewe,
And done a hundred other things,
that you'd not care to do.
I've smacked the tiny sparrow,
bluebird, robin, all the rest,
I've ingested baby eaglets,
simply sucked them from their nest!
I've streaked through total darkness,
just the other guy and me,
And spent the night in terror of
things I could not see.
I've turned my eyes to heaven,
as I sweated through the flight,
Put out my hand and touched,
the master caution light.
On This Date
---In 1921... Edward Stinson and Lloyd Bertaud set a world endurance record of 26 hours, 18 minutes and 35 seconds flying a BMW-engined Junkers-Larsen over Roosevelt Field.
---In 1972… Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 crashes into the Florida Everglades after the pilots are distracted by a faulty lightbulb; 101 people die.
---In 1975…A bomb explodes at LaGuardia airport, killing 11, injuring 74.
---In 2012…Red Wings Airlines Flight 9268, a Tupolev Tu-204 on a repositioning flight, overruns the runway on landing at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport, then breaks apart and catches fire; five of the eight crew on board are killed in the first fatal accident involving the Tu-204.
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Trivia
Who Was The Pilot
1. The developer of the Spruce Goose as well as its pilot. Who was it?
John Glenn
Amelia Earhart
Howard Hughes
Charles Lindbergh
2. Who was the pilot of 'The Flyer'?
3. Who was the pilot of Freedom 7?
Gus Grissom
John Glenn
Wally Schirra
Alan Shephard
4. Who was the first pilot to break the sound barrier?
5. Who was the pilot (commander) of Apollo 13?
Tom Hanks
Buzz Aldrin
James Lovell
Neil Armstrong
