Category Archives: Air transport

‘Wake-up call’: ministers launch urgent investigation into Heathrow shutdown

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Government says lessons need to be learned after the substation fire that caused chaos for 300,000 passengers

The government has launched an urgent investigation into the power shutdown that crippled Heathrow airport, with experts warning it was a “wake-up call” about vulnerabilities in the nation’s critical infrastructure.

The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has commissioned the independent National Energy System Operator (Neso) to investigate the incident and assess the UK’s energy resilience. The regulator Ofgem warned it would “not hesitate” to take action if there were any breaches of standards or licence obligations.

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Heathrow boss defends running of airport after criticism of shutdown

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Thomas Woldbye says most other airports operate similar back-up power systems to Heathrow, as Ed Miliband announces investigation

The chief executive of Heathrow has defended the running of the airport after a fire at an electrical substation stopped about 1,300 planes and disrupted the journeys of hundreds of thousands of global passengers.

It comes after Willie Walsh, the International Air Transport Association’s director general, criticised Heathrow for the disruption, while the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has now ordered the National Energy System Operator to “urgently investigate” the outage.

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Teenager who allegedly tried to force way on to Jetstar flight in Victoria charged with attempted hijacking

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The 17-year-old was originally charged with 12 Victorian offences but is now facing further federal charges

A 17-year-old boy who allegedly tried to force his way on to a Jetstar flight at Victoria’s second largest airport with a shotgun earlier this month, before being dramatically overpowered by passengers, is facing fresh commonwealth charges including attempted hijacking.

Police allege the boy climbed through a hole in a fence at Avalon airport, near Geelong, on 6 March before making his way on foot to the aircraft at about 2.20pm.

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FedEx plane catches fire after bird strike in New Jersey, makes emergency landing

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Cargo aircraft caught fire after striking bird shortly after departure from Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday morning

A FedEx cargo airplane caught on fire after striking a bird shortly after the plane’s departure from Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday morning, according to officials.

There were no injuries reported onboard, and the plane made an emergency return to Newark Liberty international airport.

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Plane crashes have people freaked out – but here’s what US data for 2025 shows

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This year’s 16 fatal accidents fall below average rate of 20 per month, yet recent crashes were US’s deadliest in a decade

People across the US are worried about flight safety after several high-profile plane crashes this year, including a commercial crash in Washington DC that killed 67 people. Google searches for “is flying safe” have jumped in recent weeks. But the numbers suggest 2025 has actually been a relatively safe year to fly – at least in terms of the overall number of accidents.

January and February typically have about 20 fatal aviation accidents per month, according to numbers from the National Transportation Safety Board. By contrast, this January, there were only 10 fatal aviation accidents, and in February there were six. The data covers all US civil aviation, from large commercial planes to private jets.

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Americans’ confidence in air travel falls after string of plane crashes, poll shows

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Survey indicates 64% of Americans believe flying is safe, down from 71% who said so last year

Americans’ confidence in aviation has slipped following a string of plane crashes in 2025, according to a new poll.

As of this year 64% of Americans said they believe air travel is very or somewhat safe, marking a decrease from 71% of Americans who indicated so last year, said the poll, conducted by AP-NORC and released on Wednesday.

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New footage shows Delta plane flipping over in fiery crash landing in Toronto

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Accident at Pearson, Canada’s busiest airport, sent 21 to hospital including three in critical condition on Monday

Footage has emerged of the fiery plane crash at Toronto’s Pearson airport on Monday, showing the Delta Air Lines jet skidding along the runway and then flipping over, as a wing rips off and the tail is engulfed in flames. The crash, which occurred at Canada’s busiest airport, sent 21 people to the hospital, including three in critical condition.

Soon after the crash, mobile phone clips captured the harrowing moments when passengers escaped through the plane’s upside-down doors and into the bitter cold. Blasts of fire retardant hung in the air and some of the passengers stood dazed in the snow. Others unleashed a string of expletives as they processed the unfolding chaos.

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Trump administration firing hundreds of FAA employees despite four deadly crashes in four weeks

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President moves to cut Federal Aviation Administration workforce, including safety workers, as critics say public could be endangered

The Trump administration has begun firing hundreds of employees at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including some who maintain critical air traffic control infrastructure, despite four deadly crashes since inauguration day.

According to the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (Pass) union, “several hundred” workers received termination notices on Friday.

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Flight costs from France to rise as government more than doubles air tax

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‘Solidarity tax’ to go up in move criticised as ‘irresponsible’ by Air France, as Ryanair threatens to cut flights in country

The cost of flights from France will rise next month when the government more than doubles its “solidarity tax” on tickets.

The French government has said the increases are fair on ecological and fiscal grounds but critics say it will hit France’s ability to compete globally.

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Reeves’s Heathrow third runway report was commissioned by London airport

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The chancellor is under fire after a study cited as evidence for expanding the terminal to boost the UK’s economic growth was ordered by Heathrow itself

Rachel Reeves was facing criticism on Saturday night as it was confirmed that a report she cited as evidence that a third ­runway at Heathrow would boost the UK economy was commissioned by the airport itself.

Experts and green groups also challenged Reeves’s view that advances in the production of ­sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) had been a “gamechanger” that would substantially limit the environmental damage of flying, ­saying the claims were overblown and did not stand up to scrutiny.

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Rachel Reeves says cabinet ‘united’ in backing Heathrow third runway plan – UK politics live

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Chancellor says she has support of cabinet as climate minister Ed Miliband reported to be sceptical over Heathrow plans

Richard Madeley goes next.

Q: The Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary says you are wrong, and the third runway won’t be built until you are 70. You are 45 now. Why is he wrong?

We’re signing off decisions on wind farms, on solar farms, a commitment to a new stadium at Old Trafford. We are upgrading the Transpennine route to make journey times easier between York and Manchester via Leeds and Huddersfield. Those things are happening right now.

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Passengers and crew evacuated as plane catches fire on South Korean runway

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All 176 people onboard escaped safely after blaze began inside Airbus jet preparing to take off from Gimhae airport

An Airbus plane belonging to South Korean carrier Air Busan has caught fire on a runway at Gimhae international airport in the country’s south while preparing for departure to Hong Kong, fire authorities said on Tuesday.

All 169 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated, with three having minor injuries, fire authorities in Busan said.

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Bird remains found in both engines of crashed Jeju Air jet, report says

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Plane appears to have hit ducks before it crashed in Muan, South Korea, last month killing 179 people onboard

An investigation into the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil has found duck remains in both engines, according to a preliminary report, suggesting the passenger jet hit birds before slamming down on the runway.

While officials have not yet determined the cause of last month’s Jeju Air crash that killed all but two of the 181 people onboard, the report released on Monday said feathers and bird bloodstains were found inside the Boeing 737-800’s engines.

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Reeves: third Heathrow runway would be hard decision but good for growth

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Chancellor expected to unveil new building projects and revise planning rules to stimulate UK economy

Rachel Reeves has given her strongest hint yet that she will back a third runway at Heathrow airport, arguing that she is willing to make difficult decisions while pursuing economic growth.

The chancellor is poised to make a significant speech this week where she will outline her plans to boost the British economy by radically altering planning rules and accelerating building projects.

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Rachel Reeves indicates support for third runway at Heathrow

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Chancellor says runway would mean fewer planes circling London, and points to moves towards sustainable flying

Rachel Reeves has indicated her support for building a third runway at Heathrow airport, arguing that it would have environmental benefits such as fewer planes circling London.

Ahead of a major speech on economic growth this coming week, the chancellor made the case for Heathrow expansion and said there was “huge investment” in more sustainable aviation.

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At least six people seriously injured on flight from Nigeria to Washington DC

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Nigerian officials say a Boeing 787-800 belonging to United Airlines was forced to make an emergency return last Friday

Multiple people were injured on a United Airlines flight heading from Lagos, Nigeria, to Washington DC last week.

In a statement released on Friday, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria said that a Boeing 787-800 belonging to United Airlines was forced to make an emergency return last Friday.

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Labour risks ‘powder keg’ clash with environmentalists as it puts growth before going green

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As chancellor Rachel Reeves’ plan to expand London airports gains traction, the party is accused of back-pedalling on its green commitments

Labour is being warned it is hurtling towards a “powder keg” confrontation with environmentalists, green groups and a swathe of its own supporters in the next few weeks, amid its claims that “blockers” are standing in the way of economic growth.

A flurry of pro-growth measures have been announced by ministers in recent days as part of a government fightback against claims that the economy is stalling.

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Southwest Airlines pilot charged with DUI while preparing for takeoff

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Officers said pilot had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol before planned flight from Savannah to Chicago

Police at a Georgia airport arrested an airline pilot on a DUI charge as he was making pre-flight checks aboard a Southwest Airlines flight with bloodshot eyes and reeking of what smelled like alcohol, according to a police report.

Passengers had boarded the Southwest Airlines flight from Savannah to Chicago and were awaiting takeoff on Wednesday morning when police boarded the plane and took the pilot away in handcuffs.

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Intoxicated ‘nervous flyer’ caused New York flight to divert to Dublin

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American Zachary Greear, 34, receives suspended sentence after unruly behaviour on United Airlines plane

A “nervous flyer” whose unruly behaviour caused his transatlantic flight to be diverted to Dublin has been given a two-month suspended sentence.

Dublin district court heard that the 34-year-old American had mixed the tranquilliser Xanax with alcohol to combat his anxiety before becoming disruptive on the United Airlines flight on Monday.

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Black boxes on crashed South Korean plane cut out before impact, inquiry finds

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Recording of flight data ceased four minutes before Jeju Air crash that killed 179 people, says transport ministry

Flight data and cockpit voice recorders on the Jeju Air plane that crashed in South Korea in December, killing 179 people, stopped recording about four minutes before the airliner hit a concrete structure at Muan airport, the transport ministry said.

Authorities investigating the disaster, the worst plane crash on South Korean soil, plan to analyse what caused the black boxes to stop recording, the ministry said.

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