F-16 pilot’s parachute got caught in electricity line after he ejected from jet in Brittany
A Belgian F-16 fighter pilot has been rescued from a high-voltage electricity line after his jet crashed in Brittany, France.
The plane came down over the town of Pluvigner at about 10.30am local time on Thursday, narrowly missing a house. The two pilots were able to eject, with one safely picked up on the ground.
Continue reading...Control panel was damaged during Condor flight after captain put cup on tray table
A pilot spilling coffee in the cockpit of a plane flying over the Atlantic Ocean forced it to turn back and land in Ireland.
The hot coffee damaged an audio control panel, which gave off an electrical burning smell and smoke, an accident report found. It created significant communication difficulty for the pilots flying the Airbus A330, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said.
Continue reading...Pilot of Airbus A320 aircraft with up to 186 passengers was forced to take avoiding action
An airliner carrying up to 186 passengers was forced to take avoiding action after a drone was spotted, a near-miss report has revealed.
The incident involved an Airbus A320 approaching Gatwick airport and a dark-coloured drone, the UK Airprox Board (UKAB) said.
Continue reading...Flight from Manchester to Madeira rerouted amid reports a passenger assisted landing
A pilot fell ill at the controls of an aeroplane flying from Manchester to the Atlantic island of Madeira, forcing the flight to be diverted to northern Portugal.
The airline, Jet2, confirmed that the aircraft had to land in Porto on Monday, adding that a replacement aircraft and crew had been dispatched to get passengers to their proper destination.
Continue reading...Man says crew of Delta connecting partner SkyWest did not allow his brother, who has nonverbal autism, to sit with a family member
Delta and their connection partner airline, SkyWest, are the latest airlines to come under fire for discrimination, over an incident involving a passenger with autism.
Ayo Isola said he was traveling from Detroit back home to Houston with his mother, sister and brother, Tayo, who has nonverbal autism and often experiences sensory overload. Upon boarding their flight, Isola realized his family was not seated together.
Continue reading...Social media posts show serious congestion as ‘temporary’ issue affects hubs including JFK and LAX
Thousands of travelers at major US airports faced congested terminals and long lines on Friday due to a temporary computer outage that affected the US Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) processing systems.
Related: Passenger anger as tens of thousands hit by BA systems failure
Continue reading...Pilots to get state awards for safe landing outside Moscow having collided with flock of birds
The Kremlin has lauded two Russian pilots as heroes and said they would be given state awards after they landed a plane carrying 233 people in a cornfield outside Moscow having struck a flock of birds during takeoff.
The Ural Airlines Airbus 321 came down in a field south-east of Moscow with its landing gear up after colliding with a passing flock of gulls, which disrupted the plane’s engines.
Continue reading...A passenger jet with 233 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing in a cornfield after striking a flock of birds as it took off. The pilot, Damir Yusupov, was hailed a hero by Russian media after landing the plane with its engines off and landing gear up. All onboard survived the incident, although the Russian health ministry said 23 people had been injured
Continue reading...Hundreds stage a new rally at Hong Kong's airport, a day after a huge demonstration there triggered a shutdown
Continue reading...Hundreds of demonstrators stage new rally a day after shutdown at key transport hub
Hong Kong’s airport authority has suspended flights for a second day as thousands of protesters staged another rally at the busy international travel hub.
Tuesday’s action marked the fifth consecutive day of protests at the airport, as pro-democracy demonstrations in the Chinese territory entered their 10th week, with both sides showing few signs of backing down.
Continue reading...Disruption on Monday stopped flights to UK, US and Australia and will be felt worldwide
The closure of Hong Kong international airport has shone a fresh global spotlight on the city’s protest movement.
The airport was forced to cancel all remaining passenger flights on Monday – more than 100 – after thousands of demonstrators flooded into the main terminal during the afternoon. The disruption will be felt worldwide, with cancellations including long-haul departures to the US, Australia and the UK.
Continue reading...Luton airport apologises after heavy rainfall caused water to pour through the roof of the terminal on Friday. Passengers posted videos on social media of flooding inside the building. The airport reported damage at a number of locations after a period of unprecedented rainfall
Continue reading...Outage caused travel chaos and cut electricity to almost 1m people in England and Wales
The energy watchdog, Ofgem, is demanding answers from the National Grid after a power cut left people stuck in trains for up to nine hours and cut electricity to almost 1 million people in England and Wales.
The biggest power outage in a decade caused widespread disruption on the rail network during the evening rush hour on Friday. Traffic light systems stopped working, causing gridlock in some areas, and Newcastle airport was left in darkness. Power had been restored to 900,000 customers by Saturday, but the rail network was struggling to get services back to normal.
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...Staff at Hong Kong international airport have begun an 11-hour protest in an attempt to hold the government to account for violent attacks on residents by suspected gang members last week. Flight attendants and airport staff were joined by demonstrators dressed in black, the signature colour of the territory's protest movement. Protesters could be heard chanting 'free Hong Kong' as travellers arrived at the terminal
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...Chloe Haines, 25, allegedly tried to open aircraft doors on Jet2 flight from Stansted to Turkey
A passenger who allegedly caused two RAF jets to be scrambled to escort a plane back to Stansted airport has been sent a bill for £85,000 by the airline.
Chloe Haines has been accused by Jet2 of a “catalogue of aggressive, abusive and dangerous behaviour” on a flight bound for Dalaman in Turkey in June, including trying to open the aircraft doors during the flight.
Continue reading...Popular video blogger whose image of the menu went viral now faces police inquiry
Indonesia’s national airline has come under fire for banning the taking of in-flight images after a popular video blogger posted a photo online showing a handwritten menu he was handed in business class.
The travel v-logger Rius Vernandes was also reported to police after the post, which led to the airline Garuda Indonesia being widely mocked online. The photo was uploaded with the caption: “The menu is still being printed sir.”
Continue reading...‘We all hit the roof,’ passenger says after plane forced to land in Honolulu
Dozens of people on an Air Canada flight to Australia have been injured after the plane encountered unexpected turbulence, forcing it to land in Hawaii.
The flight from Vancouver to Sydney encountered “unforecasted and sudden turbulence” about two hours past Hawaii and diverted to Honolulu, according to an Air Canada spokeswoman, Angela Mah.
Continue reading...