Door of new model reportedly exploded outwards during ground-based stress testing
Boeing has suspended load testing of its new widebody 777X aircraft as media reports said a cargo door failed in a ground stress test.
“During final load testing on the 777X static test airplane, the team encountered an issue that required suspension of the test,” Boeing spokesman Paul Bergman said in a statement on Saturday.
Continue reading...Potential impacts of rise in vertical shear include longer, bumpier and dearer flights
The climate crisis could be making transatlantic flights more bumpy, according to research into the impact of global heating on the jet stream.
Jet streams are powerful currents of air at the altitudes which planes fly. . They result from the air temperature gradient between the poles and the tropics, and reach speeds of up to 250mph (400kmph). They also sometimes meander.
Continue reading...More than 500 flights cancelled or delayed by IT glitch affecting London airports
British Airways was facing passenger anger on Wednesday as more than 500 flights were cancelled or delayed as a result of a systems failure.
In the latest in a series of operational problems to hit the airline, and the travel plans of tens of thousands with holiday and business plans, London’s Heathrow, Gatwick and City were the airports most affected by the computer failure. BA refused to reveal the number of flights affected but according to Flightstats.com, which tracks arrivals and departures, by 5.30pm the airline had cancelled 140 flights and a further 370 had been delayed.
Continue reading...Nearly 200 people evacuated and three taken to hospital after landing in Valencia
Nearly 200 people had to be evacuated from a British Airways flight after smoke poured into the cabin minutes before it was due to land in Valencia.
Three people were taken to hospital after the incident on Monday, and each was later discharged.
Continue reading...Airline suspended flights to Egyptian capital last Saturday as a precautionary measure
British Airways said on Thursday it would resume flights to Cairo following a week’s suspension, having reviewed its security measures.
BA flights to and from the Egyptian capital will start again on Friday, it said in a statement.
Continue reading...The company lost $2.9bn in the three months to the end of June, compared to a profit of $2.2bn for the same period last year
Boeing said it could halt production of the 737 Max jet on Wednesday as it reported the company’s largest ever quarterly loss following two fatal accidents involving the plane.
The company lost $2.9bn in the three months to the end of June, compared to a profit of $2.2bn for the same period last year. Sales fell 35% to $15.8bn. Chief executive Dennis Muilenburg said production of the plane could be slowed or halted if regulators do not move to lift the ban on the plane.
Continue reading...Holidaymakers’ flights could be disrupted as court rejects airline’s challenge to action
British Airways has lost its legal attempt to block planned strikes by pilots, which could take place next month and disrupt the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers.
The airline had sought an injunction challenging the ballot in the high court. But the court ruled in favour of the union, Balpa, which can now call strike dates with two weeks’ notice. However, it has yet to set dates and both sides have said they remain open to talks.
Continue reading...Services to Egyptian capital halted for seven days to allow for security review, says airline
British Airways has suspended all flights to Cairo for seven days as a security precaution.
The airline made the surprise announcement last night that all flights into the Egyptian capital were halted.
Continue reading...Southwest, American and United Airlines all put back return date for troubled jet
The swift return of Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft to the skies was put further in doubt this week with airlines signalling that they do not hope to operate the plane any time soon.
With more than four months already elapsed since the plane was grounded by regulators, Southwest and American, two of the jet’s main US operators, followed United Airlines in saying they would be taking the Max out of their schedules until November.
Continue reading...Budget airline says it plans to close some bases and will carry fewer passengers
Ryanair has warned delays to deliveries of Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft will reduce passenger numbers next year and it plans to downsize or close bases at some airports as a result.
Europe’s biggest budget carrier has ordered 135 of the 737 Max models, which remain grounded after two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed a total of 346 people. Boeing has yet to convince regulators that software modifications are sufficient to ensure the plane’s safety.
Continue reading...Decision fuels speculation that troubled plane will be rebranded once it is given all clear to fly
A Boeing 737 Max due to be delivered to Ryanair has had the name Max dropped from the livery, further fuelling speculation that the manufacturer and airlines will seek to rebrand the troubled plane once it is given the all clear to fly again.
Photos have emerged of a 737 Max in Ryanair colours outside Boeing’s manufacturing hub, with the designation 737-8200 – instead of 737 Max – on the nose. The 737-8200 is a type name for the aircraft that is used by aviation agencies.
Continue reading...Experts suggest heat sensors could help detect people hiding in landing gear compartment
There have been calls for fresh scrutiny of aviation security as efforts continue to identify a man whose frozen body fell into a garden in London from the landing gear of a Kenya Airways plane.
Investigations have centred on Nairobi airport, where the man is believed to have concealed himself in the aircraft, but one aviation expert suggested airlines and plane manufacturers could take steps including fitting heat sensors to detect stowaways.
Continue reading...Air Canada’s planned C$520m purchase of Air Transat could be bad news for passengers who already pay double what Americans do
For most Canadians, flying from one corner of their country to the other can be a pricey endeavour – so expensive, in fact, that they could fly to Europe or Asia for nearly the same price.
Online travel agency Kiwi noted in its 2017 flight price index that Canadians pay more than twice the price Americans do for similar-distance domestic flights.
Continue reading...No survivors in crash on the North Shore of Oahu after plane burst into flames
Eleven passengers and crew were killed on Friday evening when their plane crashed near an airfield in Hawaii, authorities said.
The twin-engine King Air plane, with eleven people onboard, went down soon after take off from Dillingham Airfield, on Oahu’s North Shore, and there were no survivors, the Hawaii Department of Transportation said.
Continue reading...‘National security’ measure seriously escalates tensions after clashes in Tbilisi during protests against visit by Russian MP
Vladimir Putin has banned Russia’s airlines from flying to Georgia, a day after a Russian lawmaker’s visit to the country prompted violent clashes between protesters and police.
The ban is a serious escalation in tensions between the neighbouring countries, which fought a war in 2008. The suspension of flights is designed to put pressure on Georgia’s tourism industry, which accounted for 7.6% of the country’s GDP in 2018. More than 1.4 million Russians visited Georgia last year.
Continue reading...Military operation was called off, New York Times reports, as Democratic leaders warn the US could ‘bumble into a war’ with Iran
Donald Trump reportedly gave initial approval for the military to launch strikes on Iran in retaliation for Tehran shooting down a US drone, before pulling back at the last minute.
Planes were in the air and ships were in position, but no missiles had been fired when word came to stand down on Thursday night, the New York Times quoted an unnamed official as saying.
Continue reading...Move will free up extra 1m seats on high demand routes but business and premium seats will require more points
Qantas frequent flyer point users will spend less getting economy seats but more getting business and first class upgrades under changes announced on Thursday.
In what the airline described as the “single biggest overhaul” to the frequent flyer point system since it was established, the national airline has rebalanced the scales in favour of the cheap seats.
Continue reading...Airline pilots have voiced fears over the safety of a fleet of Boeing aircraft after a crucial fire-fighting system has been found to have the potential to malfunction.
Boeing has issued an alert to airlines using its flagship B787 Dreamliner, warning that the switch used to extinguish an engine fire has failed in a “small number” of instances. The switch also severs the fuel supply and the hydraulic fluid to prevent flames spreading.
Continue reading...Airlines told to check aircraft as affected components may be at risk of premature failure
Safety regulators in the US have identified a further problem in Boeing’s grounded 737 Max model and the generation of planes that preceded it.
The Federal Aviation Administration has told airlines to check more than 300 737 aircraft, including 179 of the Max model, for improperly manufactured parts.
Continue reading...Plane taken out of service after Ethiopian Airlines crash may not fly before peak season
The Boeing 737 Max aircraft will not return to the skies before August, according to the boss of aviation’s main trade body.
The 737 Max was grounded by regulators in the wake of two crashes, and although manufacturer Boeing has been working on a fix to allay safety concerns, the timetable is now likely to see it out of service for another 10 to 12 weeks, into peak season for many airlines.
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