NewsIncidents/Accidents
ITA pilot fired for allegedly falling asleep during transatlantic flight
A pilot of the Italian air carrier ITA Airways has been fired after reportedly falling asleep at the controls of his airliner.
The incident took place during flight AZ609, from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Rome–Fiumicino International Airport (FCO), on April 30, 2022.
The Airbus A330 was crossing French airspace when the air traffic control center located in Marseille lost contact with the flight crew for 10 minutes. The lack of communication triggered a terrorist alert, with two French fighter jets taking off to intercept the flight and monitor the situation.
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C-130 pilot receives medal for safely landing after mid-air collision
A United States Marine Corps (USMC) pilot who managed to land his KC-130J following a mid-air collision with an F-35B fighter in 2020 has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
On September 29, 2020, the two aircraft were conducting air-to-air refueling operations as part of Weapons and Tactics Instructor training when they made contact. Consequently, the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II crashed near Salton City, in California. The pilot managed to successfully eject. No ground injuries were reported.
The Lockheed KC-130J Hercules, registration number 166765, lost two engines in the collision. Fortunately, Captain Michael Wolff, assisted by his co-pilot and six Marine crew members, managed to land the aircraft with its gear-up in a field in Riverside County, also in California. The tanker was subsequently written off and scrapped.
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Qatar Airways issues new statement on A350 row, says ready to go to trial
Qatar Airways is not backing down in an increasingly acrimonious row with Airbus over flaws to the surface of A350 jets. In a fresh statement, the Gulf carrier said it is ready to go to trial.
Qatar’s civil aviation authority has grounded the airline’s A350 fleet over the surface degradation and Qatar Airways has refused to take further deliveries of A350s. In response Airbus has canceled A321 aircraft that Qatar Airways has ordered. The two have resorted to legal action in the row.
The High Court in London ruled on May 26, 2022, that the matter will be brought to trial in the summer of 2023 under an expedited process.
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SpiceJet fined $12,873 for training Boeing 737 MAX pilots on faulty simulator
India’s civil aviation authority has fined airline SpiceJet Rs 10 lakh ($12,873) for training its pilots on a faulty Boeing 737 MAX simulator.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued the fine on May 30, 2022, according to local media.
“Training being imparted by SpiceJet could have adversely affected flight safety and was nullified,” the Business Standard daily cited the regulator as saying.
The DGCA in April suspended 90 SpiceJet pilots from operating the 737 MAX until they received further training. The low-cost airline operates 11 737 MAX aircraft and said at the time that the pilots in question were still authorized to operate other Boeing 737 aircraft.
LinkAirlines
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays announce major expansion for Summer 2023
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have once again responded to strong demand for flights and holidays by announcing a significantly expanded programme for Summer 2023 from three of their biggest UK bases. The companies are today announcing more flights, more holidays and brand-new destinations for next summer from Birmingham, London Stansted and Manchester Airports, with an additional aircraft coming into operation at the airline and tour operator’s three biggest bases to support the extension.
On the back of being recognized as Which? Travel Brand of the Year, the leading leisure airline and UK’s leading tour operator to many leisure destinations across the Mediterranean and Canary Islands have added brand-new Sicily and Sardinia from Birmingham Airport and Tivat from Manchester Airport.
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SAS reports a loss in the first quarter as traffic increases
SAS continues the ramp-up and has during the quarter seen the highest number of passengers since the pandemic started. Meanwhile, the work with the necessary transformation plan, SAS FORWARD, continues.
The plan was presented when the Q1 results were released on February 22 and is designed to secure long-term competitiveness. It will allow SAS to effectuate a deleveraging of its balance sheet while substantially improving its liquidity position. In addition to reducing the cost structure and improve efficiencies, SAS is seeking to convert approximately SEK 20 billion of debt and hybrid notes into common equity and will also seek to raise not less than SEK 9.5 billion in new equity capital. The success of the plan depends upon SAS attracting potential new capital from the capital markets and other sources and upon SAS fully achieving the targeted SEK 7.5 billion annual cost reduction by fiscal year 2026.
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Lufthansa Cargo, Cathay Pacific add Swiss WorldCargo to air freight agreement
Lufthansa Cargo and Cathay Pacific have expanded their cargo partnership to include Swiss WorldCargo, which they say will provide customers with more choice.
The freight arm of Germany’s Lufthansa Group and the Hong Kong-based airline first set up their cargo joint business agreement in 2016, allowing them to coordinate sales, pricing, contracts, and the handling of shipments between Hong Kong and Europe.
Adding Swiss WorldCargo to the agreement will see the airlines initially cooperate on traffic from Hong Kong to Zurich and Frankfurt. Traffic to and from Hong Kong and the rest of Europe will be included in the expansion with Swiss WorldCargo later this year, the carriers said.
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Virgin Atlantic allows flight attendants to display arm tattoos
Virgin Atlantic will allow cabin crew to display tattoos on their arms, becoming the first British airline to relax restrictions on visible body art.
“At Virgin Atlantic, we want everyone to be themselves and know that they belong. Many people use tattoos to express their unique identities and our customer-facing and uniformed colleagues should not be excluded from doing so if they choose,” Estelle Hollingsworth, Chief People Officer at Virgin Atlantic, said.
Virgin (VAH) said that face, neck, and head inkings must remain covered for the time being. However, the airline said it hopes to change this policy in the near future. Offensive tattoos are still required to be covered up.
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Revived British airline Flybe boosts capacity with Dash 8-400 turboprop
British airline Flybe, which officially relaunched operations in April 2022, has taken delivery of an additional De Havilland-Canada Q400 turboprop regional aircraft, bringing its current fleet to a total of five planes of the type.
Speaking to Aviator on May 30, 2022, Flybe CEO Dave Pflieger confirmed the aircraft had joined the airline’s fleet under a long-term lease agreement with Dublin-based airplane leasing company Aergo Capital. The recent delivery will allow the airline to continue growing its planned fleet to a total of 32 aircraft over the next few years, according to the airline.
LinkMilitary
Pentagon approves $117 million sale of AIM-9X missiles to the Netherlands
The US State Department has approved the sale of the AIM-9X, the new US-made heat-seeking air-to-air missile, to the Netherlands.
The $117 million contract was approved on May 26, 2022 the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency reports.
According to the press release, the Government of the Netherlands inquired about 23 Aim-9X Block II and 43 AIM-9X Block II+ missiles plus one Tactical Guidance unit and cases for them. Later, the inquiry was supplemented by an additional 72 Block II and 43 Block II+ AIM9Xes.
The missile, manufactured by Raytheon, is the latest iteration of the AIM-9 Sidewinder. It was developed in the 1990s as a response to the latest generation of supermaneuverable fighter jets, significantly improving the maneuverability and short-range performance of the original Sidewinder.
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Aviation Quote
Airline P.A.: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Glasgow, we hope you enjoyed your flight and thank you for flying Easyjet. If you didn't enjoy your flight, thank you for flying Ryanair.
- heard by a Great Aviation Quotes reader, 2005.
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