Video of Japan Fedex Plane crash

Dramatic footage is released of the plane crash showing the plane bouncing off the runway twice before veering off the runway. This is very dramatic to say the least.

Jet Airways doubles capacity on Mumbai-Dubai Route

Effective April 19 2009, Jet Airways will add another daily flight between Mumbai and Dubai. The flight is expected to be operated by a Boeing 737-800 Next Generation Jet. The timetable is as follows

9W 542 BOM – DXB 0930 1105 
9W 541 DXB – BOM 1235 1710

9W 546 MAA – DXB 1245 1530 
9W 545 DXB – MAA 1630 2215

Fedex Plane crashes on landing at Tokyo Narita Airport

 

A FedEx cargo plane burst into flames after bouncing off a runway in unusually high winds at Tokyo’s main international airport Monday, killing the pilot and copilot and closing a major runway for several hours.

The flight from Guangzhou, China, skipped along the main runway at Narita Airport before skidding to a fiery halt, according to footage from airport security cameras. Firefighters and rescuers immediately swarmed the plane. The pilot and copilot — the only people onboard the flight — were pulled from the cockpit and taken to a local hospital, where they were later confirmed dead.

The plane smashed into the longer of Narita’s two runways, which remained closed Monday morning with all incoming flights diverted, said airport spokeswoman Misuho Fukuda.

Unusually strong winds of up to about 47 miles per hour (76 kilometers per hour) were blowing through Narita City on Monday morning around the time of the crash, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Airport officials said it was too early to say whether the strong winds caused the crash.

Local news reports said the plane was an MD-11, a widebody airliner built by McDonnell Douglas and based on the DC-10.

Strong winds and turbulence have caused other recent incidents at the airport. Last month a flight from the Philippines was jolted by severe turbulence as it circled prior to landing, injuring 50 passengers and crew members.

 

VIDEO AT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWgauHymjwc

North Korea to close 2 air routes for satellite launch

Japan and South Korea say North Korea has informed them it will close some air routes during its planned satellite launch next month.

The North sent notification to the International Civil Aviation Organization on Saturday, South Korea’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority said. The authority says two routes will be closed.

The North has said it plans to launch a satellite sometime from April 4-8. Many regional powers are concerned, however, that the launch is a cover for a test of missile technology.

Japan’s Transportation Ministry also reported the closure. The ministry said there are no planes scheduled to arrive in or depart from Japan that use the routes that North Korea is referring to.

Global Airlines 2009 Loss May Exceed $2.5 Billion

Airlines worldwide may report a larger-than-expected loss this year as the global recession saps demand for air travel, according to IATA.  Airlines globally are shedding jobs, cutting routes and grounding planes to survive a slowdown that has pushed BA, Cathay Pacific and JAL to losses. Carriers last year posted losses of as much as $8 billion, according to the Geneva- and Montreal-based trade group, which represents 230 airlines worldwide.

The December forecast was based on a 3 percent drop in passenger demand and a 5 percent drop in cargo. Last month, the trade group said passenger traffic fell 5.6 percent in January, while cargo tumbled 23 percent. While carriers parked 73 planes in January, that has been insufficient to align supply with demand, as load factors, or seat-occupancy rates, fell an average of 3 percentage points in January, IATA said earlier this month.

The total number of planes grounded increased to 1,127 in January from 1,086 a month earlier, according to OAG/BACK Aviation Solutions. The number held in long-term storage stood at 829, compared with 673 aircraft in June.

Air India Entry To Star Delayed Until 2010

Air India is now expected to join the Star Alliance in the first quarter of 2010, one year later than its scheduled plan for entry in March 2009. 

While Star Alliance and Air India signed a non-disclosure agreement last year, the compliance is yet to be done. According to an airline official, the basic coordination between Air India and erstwhile Indian Airlines (now under the Air India banner) is proving to be a harrowing experience as “it is not clear who has to do what.” 

The two airlines (Air India and Indian Airlines) have yet to integrate their different IT platforms under one common system. Also, AI has not yet confirmed to Star its decision on which IT platform it will be using.

Doomed Turkish Airlines plane may have run out of fuel

The Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 that crashed Wednesday (February 25th) near the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam may have run out of fuel. A total of nine people died — including the pilots — and 86 people suffered injuries. The plane was flying from Istanbul to Amsterdam with 134 people onboard. According to experts quoted by the Dutch media, the simultaneous stoppage of both engines shortly before landing indicates empty fuel tanks.

Turkish Airlines Jan-Feb passenger numbers up 9%

 

Turkish Airlines carried 3.1 million passengers in the first two months of the year, a rise of 9 percent from a year earlier, the company said on Thursday.

 

The Turkish flag carrier said available seat kilometres rose 11.6 percent to 7.2 billion, and revenue passenger kilometres rose 8.8 percent to 4.8 billion during the two-month period.

 

The Istanbul-based airline has launched a large-scale expansion programme, with plans to buy up to 105 wide-bodied and single-aisle aircraft from Boeing and Airbus.

 

THY said business class passenger numbers on its international flights rose 7.8 percent in January-February, while international transit passengers were up 51 percent. The load factor, an indication of seats sold as a percentage of capacity, fell 1.7 percentage points to 66.2 percent, while landings rose 8 percent to 28,606, and cargo-mail increased 3.4 percent to 28,839 tonnes. (Writing by Daren Butler, editing by Will Waterman)

Southwest adds Minneapolis St.Paul to its growing network

Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) became the airline’s 65th airport when it began serving Chicago Midway (MDW) with eight daily flights. With the high frequency Southwest will be offering one stop flights to over 40 of its network destinations through its Chicago Midway hub. Minneapolis/St. Paul is a Northwest/Delta hub (with an 80% share of scheduled seat capacity) and Northwest currently serves Midway with 66 weekly flights as well as Chicago O’Hare with 63 weekly flights.

Air Asia Begins services to Bangladesh

AirAsia now flies to Bangladesh. Daily flights to Dhaka (DAC) began this week from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) using an A320. Other carriers on this route are Biman Bangladesh, GMG Airlines and Malaysia Airlines who provide daily, or almost-daily, services.

Etihad Airways announces new world wide campaign from Kuwait via Abu Dhabi

Etihad’s newly launched additional frequency flight from Kuwait now allows passengers to connect to new destinations across the world.  The national airline of the United Arab Emirates has set its strategy to enhance its extensive route network around the world and position itself as a serious contender for other major carriers operating in this sector. 

The company’s new promotion from Kuwait includes popular cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, London, New York, Casablanca, Johannesburg, Manila, and many more well known destinations.The launch of Etihad Airways’ new promotion from Kuwait via Abu Dhabi comes in the midst of its expansion strategy, which is set to focus on enhancing competitive routes and rates to gain more market share.

East Star suspends flights

EAST Star, a privately-run Chinese airline, was ordered to suspend its flights on Sunday because of a failure to pay plane rental fees, state press reported.China’s civil aviation administration told East Star to cease its 20 domestic passenger routes in and out of Wuhan, in central China, after the company failed to pay US-based General Electric Aviation for the hire of its planes, Xinhua said.

GE Aviation had sought help from the Wuhan city government over the unpaid fees and had started legal proceedings, the report added.

East Star, which began operation in May 2006, had been the target of an intended buy-out by flag carrier Air China, but no agreement had been reached, Xinhua said.

Chinese airlines, like their counterparts around the world, have come under increasing pressure from volatile fuel prices and falling passenger numbers.

In December last year, Okay Airlines, China’s first-ever private air company suspended its operations after building up massive debt.

Okay, based in the northern port city of Tianjin, had racked up 200 million yuan (S$48 million) in debt since its launch in 2005, according to state media.

China’s small number of private airlines are especially vulnerable during the current economic downturn because their passenger base is relatively small and they do not have the same access to funding as state-owned competitors.

JAL plane makes emergency landing in China

A Japan Airlines plane bound for Tokyo made an emergency landing in Shanghai shortly after take-off due to “engine problems”, Xinhua news agency said on Sunday.

 

 

Ten minutes after taking off from Shanghai’s Hongqiao airport on Saturday afternoon, the crew “noticed engine problems and the plane began to shake slightly,” Xinhua said, citing border inspection authorities.

 

The plane landed at Shanghai’s other international airport in Pudong about 45 minutes later. No injuries were reported among its 208 passengers and 14 crew, Xinhua said.

 

An initial probe showed the aircraft had hit birds after take-off, but the cause was being investigated, Xinhua said.

 

Calls placed to JAL offices in Tokyo and Hong Kong went unanswered. Staff contacted at Pudong airport were unable to confirm the report.

Rolls-Royce Warned About Plane Engine Design

The National Transportation Safety Board issued an “urgent” safety recommendation Wednesday night, telling the maker of a popular jet engine to change the way a part of the engine is designed. 

In its statement, the NTSB said a redesign of the problematic engine part is the “only acceptable” long-term solution. 

The safety board’s decision to issue the warning comes after two incidents in the sky. In both cases, Rolls-Royce Trent engines on Boeing 777s experienced a loss of thrust in flight, apparently because of ice build-up on a fuel exchanger in the engine. 

One of the planes, a British Airways 777, crashed short of a runway at London Heathrow Airport in January 2008. Nine passengers on board were injured, one seriously. 

In the second incident, a Delta Airlines 777 experienced an “engine rollback” in flight in November 2008 over Montana. The crew was able to recover and land the plane safety. 

Investigators say they believe ice buildup is occurring because of water that is normally found in all jet fuel, and not from icy weather. 

Fort Worth-based American Airlines uses the same engine on its fleet of 777s, but American has not reported any problems in flight. 

American operates 777s at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on routes including Tokyo, Frankfurt, London, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Chicago. 

A spokesman for the airline, Tim Smith, said American’s flight crews have been complying with an FAA directive issued earlier to address the issue. Smith said those procedures have “worked well.” 

The FAA directive instructs flight crews on procedures to operate the engines in a way that reduces the chance of ice buildup. 

The board said Rolls-Royce is working on a redesign and hopes to have the part ready for installation in 12 months.

Rs.1750 crore Green Field Airport to come up at Ludhiana

Punjab took a major stride towards becoming India’s densest civil aviation destination with the clearance of a new Greenfield International Airport near Ludhiana. This would be the third international airport in Punjab after the ones at Amritsar and Mohali, and the second to come up within a span of just 14 months. 

The state government received a communication from the ministries of defense and civil aviation giving their final approval to the new project yesterday. 

Disclosing this, Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister said here that clearance to this dream project “signals the entry of Punjab into a higher orbit of international air connectivity and makes Punjab one of the finest and most easily accessible tourist destinations in South Asia. This would also propel the state into the zone of high intensity international trade and commerce.” He said that the economic prosperity and development of any place depended on “ports and airports.” Since Punjab is a land locked state with no access to sea, it desperately needed to open up its skies for increased air connectivity since that was the only way for it to have access to global economies. 

The Aerotropolis would be built in the Private Sector by M/s. Bengal Aerotropolis and has Changi International Airport of Singapore as partner. 

The Deputy Chief Minister described the setting up of two international airports within the space of just over a year in a state as small as Punjab as “totally unprecedented in the history of civil aviation in the country. This would put Punjab in league with some of the most advanced aviation zones in countries like the United States and would open up the doors to its becoming an up-market economy.” 

To be developed in the nature of an aerotopolis, a modern age concept of a township-oriented airport, along the Singapore-Frankfurt model, with a total fiscal lay out of Rs. 17500 crore, this would be the biggest infrastructure development project in Punjab after Guru Gobind Singh Oil Refinery near Bathinda and would be decisively push economic horizon of the region. 

The aerotropolis, the first of its kind in the country, would come up in an area covering 3000 acres and would be the first green-field international airport in north India to be set-up in the private sector. The entire project would not only put the region between Ludhiana and Chandigarh on the high road to modern infrastructure development but would also act as one of the greatest drivers to the economy of the entire state, said Mr. Badal, adding that this would greatly off set the handicap of Punjab as a land-locked province. The state in general and its industrial hub, Ludhiana had suffered immense drag in international competition due to lack of air connectivity. The airport near Ludhiana would help it emerge as Industrial Export hub of South Asia, said the Deputy Chief Minister.

Nepal Airlines to restart Bombay-Kathmandu

Nepal Airlines Corporation is reportedly planning to resume Kathmandu-Bombay service in Apr-09 – see Route Changes Table for more information (Himalayan Times, 01-Mar-09). The service was suspended two years ago.  The service is expected to be twice Weekly from 1-Apr-09 
on a Boeing 757 -200. 

The BOM flight details are as follows: 

RA-201 KTM/BOM 1400/1620 
RA-202 BOM/KTM 1720/2025

Cathay Pacific to fly daily from Delhi to Bangkok

With Thailand exempting the tourist visa fee for three months from Thursday, Hong Kong’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has announced the launch of a daily non-stop flight from here to Bangkok from March 30. 

“Bangkok is not new to us. It is well known how popular and affordable Bangkok is. We believe that there is untapped potential and this new route promises to serve the unmet needs,” Tom Wright, the airline’s general manager for India, Middle-East, Africa and Pakistan said at a press conference here on Friday. 

Bangkok has one of the highest inflow of tourists and is considered a short getaway destination. Thailand currently gives Indian citizens visa on arrival for a stay not exceeding 15 days. 

The Delhi-Bangkok non-stop flight will take five-and-a-half hours. It will leave New Delhi at 3.30 am and reach Bangkok at 8.55 am. The airline will leave Bangkok at 5.25 pm and reach New Delhi at 7.45 pm (local time). 

At present the airlines flies to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore and has almost 44 flights to these cities. It has two daily flights from Delhi to Hong Kong and 10 flights a week from Mumbai. 

The airline also intends to strengthen its cargo network. “We are looking at expanding our cargo business in India and we see a huge opportunity here,” said Wright. 

The carrier, however, has deferred plans for the construction of a new cargo terminal at the Hong Kong International Airport in order to keep capacity expansion in line with market demand. 

Cathay Pacific posted a net loss of $85.5 billion in the first half of 2008, against a net profit of about $333 million in the same period a year before. 

Cathay Pacific’s passenger load factor, or the proportion of seats filled on its flights, fell by 5.3 per cent in 2008 from a year earlier to 75.5 per cent.

Kingfisher Airlines defers Dubai launch until June

Kingfisher Airlines has put off its plan to launch Dubai services until June, according to an airline source and Dubai-based travel agents. 

The Bangaluru-based airline had earlier decided to launch Dubai route on March 7, but has now deferred it given the current slowdown in air travel and declining airfares. 

“We would be launching a daily Bangaluru-Dubai service now sometime in June, though no specific date has been decided yet. The reason for deferring the launch is the current situation wherein airfares have dropped to very low levels,” the airline source told Emirates Business. 

At present UAE carriers such as Emirates and Etihad Airways are offering return airfares to India at below Dh1,000 levels, according to travel agents, who pointed out that Etihad Airways’ India fares recently went down to as low as Dh530. “We would have also had to join the bandwagon had we launched as planned, on March 7. There has been a drastic change in air travel in the region. So we took a decision to defer it until June when it would be a peak travel season,” said the airline source. 

He said the airline would launch one more destination out of India in June, besides Bangaluru, connecting to Dubai. “We are currently studying various options including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Ahmedabad. The Kingfisher team is working on the feasibility of the routes, after which we will decide one of these four cities to connect to Dubai.” 

Meanwhile, Kingfisher Airlines has plans to launch three to four new global destinations this year from Bangaluru, despite the economic downturn. 

Also, this is the second time Kingfisher has deferred its Dubai launch. The earlier plan was to launch flights between Bangaluru and Dubai in February 8 this year. The airline had said in January that it will fly the Airbus A320 aircraft for its daily Dubai flights with a single-class economy offering. 

“With Dubai’s daily service, Bangaluru will become Kingfisher’s new hub in India with seamless transit without any change of airports to directly connect to over 26 cities in India,” the airline said this in a memo to one of the Dubai-based travel agents. 

Kingfisher launched its international operations in September 2008, connecting Bangaluru with a daily non-stop London flight, followed by a Mumbai-London flight that commenced in January this year.

Air Asia Launches Low Cost Long haul Ops to London

Air Asia launched it s Low cost long haul operations from Kuala Lumpur To London Stanstead last week. The Aircraft is a Ex- Air Canada A 340. Initial publicity suggested fares in Asia of RM499 and in the UK of £99 one way on the airline. However, checking the website now, prices have risen considerably, with a return fare from London Stansted in June costing £645 return. Additional charges are levied for all checked baggage (£4 [up to 15kg]; £12 up to 20kg and £22 [up to 25kg] each way), as well as amenity bags and in-flight entertainment. The A340-300 aircraft will be configured with 256 economy seats (with a seat pitch of 32 inches) and 30 “XL” seats (60-inch pitch)

Virgin Atlantin Suspends Mumbai-London

Virgin Atlantic is to temporarily suspend its London Heathrow to Mumbai service with effect from early May. Passenger numbers to and from Mumbai have been falling for many months, a trend which started even before the global economic slowdown hit. Despite the drop in numbers, more airlines than ever are operating irrationally and servicing the route at a loss. Virgin Atlantic intends to begin flying again to Mumbai when it is economically viable to do so.

The last flight will be VS350 on Saturday 2nd May from London Heathrow and flight VS351 on Sunday 3rd May from Mumbai. Virgin Atlantic continues to operate its successful, daily service between London Heathrow and Delhi and will explore flying to other Indian cities in future, where there is much less capacity.