Category Archives: Air transport

Nepal plane crash: data recorders found as day of mourning begins

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So-called ‘black boxes’ are in good condition, says official investigating deaths of at least 68 people when Yeti Airlines flight plummeted into a gorge

The black box and cockpit voice recorder from the Yeti Airlines plane that crashed in Nepal have been located, as the country observed a day of mourning on Monday for the victims of its deadliest aviation disaster in three decades.

Teknath Sitaula, a Kathmandu Airport official, said the so-called black boxes were “in a good condition now. They look good from outside.”

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Cloud shot up in front of Hawaiian Airlines plane that hit severe turbulence last month

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Plane was unable to change course within seconds, investigation finds, leading to 25 people injured

A cloud shot up vertically like a plume of smoke in a matter of seconds before a Hawaiian Airlines flight last month hit severe turbulence and 25 people on board were injured, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The captain of the 18 December flight from Phoenix to Honolulu told investigators that flight conditions had been smooth with clear skies when the cloud shot up in front of the plane and there was no time to change course, the report said.

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Cat call: Bolivia state airline enlists psychic to find missing feline

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‘Interspecies communicator’ consulted to track down cat lost in transit, prompting criticism of country’s state companies

Bolivia’s state airline has enlisted an “interspecies communicator” – or animal psychic – to track down a lost cat, after a passenger’s pet went missing in transit.

The incident has prompted pointed questions over the performance of Bolivia’s many state companies, a continual source of debate between the leftist government and its opposition.

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Travel between China and Australia tipped to rebound rapidly as Chinese airlines ramp up flights

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Industry hopes China’s reopening might bring wider benefits for travellers with more airfare price competition

Chinese airlines are ramping up flights to Australia as Covid restrictions ease, boosting the prospects for a rapid rebound in travel between the two nations.

Airports said the market was dynamic with carriers large and small restarting routes dormant during the pandemic years, with more flights likely to be added as demand picks up.

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Aviation expert says quick-turnaround helicopter rides may be reconsidered after Gold Coast crash

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Neil Hansford says operators around Australia face pressures after a fall in patronage during pandemic

Investigators will likely examine the number of helicopter joyrides operating at Sea World after a mid-air collision killed four people, an expert says.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating the cause of the crash which occurred when one helicopter was landing and the other had taken off at the Gold Coast theme park on Monday afternoon.

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Two Britons among four killed in helicopter collision in Australia

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Mid-air collision near Sea World on the Gold Coast also left three people critically injured

Two British people were among four killed after two helicopters collided in mid-air near a marine theme park on Australia’s Gold Coast, it has been confirmed.

A UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of two British nationals who died in Australia and are in contact with the local authorities.”

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Worker dies after being ‘ingested into engine’ at airport in Alabama

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Ground crew worker employed by American Airlines subsidiary involved in accident while aircraft parked at gate in Montgomery

A US ground crew worker has died after being “ingested into the engine” of an aircraft while they worked a shift at an airport in Montgomery, Alabama.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement to Insider that the tragic accident happened while an American Airlines Embraer 170 was parked at the gate with at least one engine on.

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Three people feared dead after two helicopters collide on Gold Coast

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Queensland police say one aircraft landed but ‘there are injuries in the other helicopter with emergency services working at the scene’ near Sea World

At least 13 people are being assessed by the Queensland ambulance service after two helicopters collided on the Gold Coast in a “major incident”.

Newswire AAP reported “it is believed three people have been killed and two injured”.

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Southwest Airlines vows refunds after mass cancelations left travelers stranded

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Airline says it will also reimburse related expenses as other carriers are capping fares to assist stranded travelers

Southwest Airlines has promised to refund tickets and reimburse passengers for hotels, car rentals and other expenses after its mass cancelations left thousands of people stranded across the country.

The airline’s chief commercial officer, Ryan Green, told reporters on Thursday that it would take several weeks to repay customers, but that the airline would cover costs people incurred when they were forced to make alternative travel arrangements, including paying for meals and gas. The company said it would also pay to ship people’s baggage to them.

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Civil service union warns of possible strikes by junior doctors and teachers

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General secretary Mark Serwotka predicts ‘coordinated and synchronised’ action from January

The head of the largest civil servants union has warned ministers that “coordinated and synchronised” strike action across the economy will “significantly escalate” from January.

Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), was speaking as his members employed in passport control for Border Force set up picket lines at Britain’s largest airports on Wednesday, in a four-day strike set to continue until New Year’s Eve.

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‘Unacceptable’: Southwest flight chaos and cancellations lead to US inquiry

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The airline cancelled about 8,000 flights, stranding customers and leading to hours-long queues to speak with overworked staff

The US Department of Transportation will examine thousands of flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines over the holiday weekend, a massive disruption which left thousands of holiday travelers grounded, even in areas of the country not suffering from winter storms.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Joe Biden said: “Thousands of flights nationwide have been canceled around the holidays. Our administration is working to ensure airlines are held accountable.”

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UK Border Force strike: armed forces cannot detain people, emails reveal

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Exclusive: those covering for staff have no power to stop suspected criminals if they have valid travel documents

Soldiers and sailors covering for striking Border Force staff at passport control do not have the power to detain people they suspect of criminal activity, leaked documents show.

Emails reveal that people suspected of crimes such as carrying a false passport, drug smuggling, people trafficking and victims of modern slavery cannot be stopped by members of the armed forces if they hold valid travel documents.

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Army of stand-in workers quashes fears of Heathrow chaos

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Passengers report shorter queues than usual despite Border Force strike as military brought in to help

Passengers entered Heathrow braced for the sight of queues snaking their way around the airport and departure boards coldly telling them that their festive season was ruined.

With concerns that travel problems could run into the new year as 1,000 Border Force staff began the first of eight days of strikes, those travelling through Europe’s busiest airport on the Friday before Christmas were apprehensive.

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British Airways apologises after flights delayed in US and Caribbean

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Airline blames technical issue for disruption at airports including Denver, New York and Miami

British Airways has apologised after a technical issue triggered a wave of flight delays across the US and the Caribbean.

The airline said problems with its third-party flight planning supplier were behind the delays, as customers reported disruption in departing cities including Denver, New York and Miami.

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Hawaii flight turbulence injures 20 passengers, 11 seriously

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One passenger lost consciousness while others suffered cuts, bumps and bruises after severe turbulence on flight from Arizona to Hawaii

Eleven people were seriously injured when a flight to Hawaii was rocked by severe turbulence about 30 minutes outside Honolulu, emergency services have said.

Nine others were transported in a stable condition, the Honolulu Emergency Medical Services said in a statement.

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Rules on liquids and laptops to be eased at UK airports from June 2024

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Passengers at most airports to be allowed two-litre containers of liquid, in major relaxation of 2006 rules

Rules around taking liquids and laptops through airport security will be eased from June 2024, the government has said.

The announcement of the biggest relaxation of aviation security regulations in decades confirms reports last month that the change would come in the year after next.

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UK cold weather: National Grid puts contingency coal units on standby as travel is disrupted by snow – live

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Snowfall causes issues across parts of UK as cold snap intensifies

Daniel Duffield, a 22-year-old off-duty paramedic, was stuck on the M25 for more than two-and-a-half hours this morning, while attempting to travel home to Birmingham from London.

He told PA Media that vehicles have been “stationary with very small movement”.

I expected some traffic due to weather but nothing this bad. Traffic appeared to be at a standstill for miles and miles. Other drivers were turning their engines off presumably to save fuel due to the uncertainty. A few people were stretching their legs due to delays too.

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Consumer watchdog puts Australian airlines on notice over high domestic air fares

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ACCC says they will closely monitor companies to ensure they do not keep prices high through artificial scarcity

The consumer watchdog has put airlines on notice, warning carriers they will be “closely” monitored to ensure they aren’t deliberately slowing their return to full service capacity so they can “keep air fares high”.

In its quarterly airline competition report, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found a 27% increase in all air fare types between October 2019 and October 2022. It noted the price of discounted economy fares had increased the most because “with fewer flights but strong demand, the airlines don’t currently need to offer special fares to fill their planes”.

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X-ray discovers cat trapped inside checked bag at New York’s JFK airport

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Security agent spotted cat inside bag last week and saved it from being transported on to aircraft luggage hold

A cat that sneaked into an air traveller’s luggage was trapped there until it was discovered by an X-ray machine at JFK airport in New York, possibly saving it from a grim fate in an aircraft luggage hold, travel authorities said.

NBC News reported that the cat’s brush with potential tragedy was detected on 16 November when a bag was checked from JFK to Atlanta for a connecting flight to Florida.

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Heathrow ‘ready for Christmas rush’ after making plans to avoid disruption

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Airport vows passengers will not face daily cap during biggest festive getaway in three years

Heathrow airport has said it is prepared for the biggest Christmas getaway in three years and promised that passengers will not have to face a return of the daily cap that was introduced as summer holiday travel descended into chaos.

Europe’s busiest airport, which said last month that on the busiest travel days over the festive period travellers may have to fly outside peak times to manage the festive rush, said it was working on contingency plans for potential strike action over the period.

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