Tag: Aviation

Snake on a plane: AirAsia jet forced to divert

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — An AirAsia passenger plane was forced to divert and make an unscheduled landing after a snake was spotted slithering through the overhead lights, the Malaysian budget carrier confirmed Monday. In a viral video social media users were quick to link with Samuel L. Jackson cult classic “Snakes on a Plane”, the creature’s silhouette could be seen wriggling in the cabin’s light fittings. The incident, which the airline described as “very […]

Japan finds body of missing F-15 crewman

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s airforce said Sunday that it had recovered the body of one of two crewmen of a fighter jet that went missing two weeks ago. The F-15 fighter jet was on a training mission on January 31 when it disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Komatsu airbase in the central Ishikawa region, sparking a search for its missing crew. The airforce said a body was found on Friday by […]

Travel groups call to stop pre-flight Covid tests for vaccinated passengers

  SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — An international coalition of travel-related organizations called on the US government Wednesday to stop requiring vaccinated passengers to present a negative Covid test before boarding US-bound flights. “Travel and aviation’s recovery is dependent on the government taking steps to remove travel restrictions that are no longer justified by current circumstances,” the group argued in a letter addressed to White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeffrey Zients. Among the 29 […]

Search after Japan F15 jet disappears from radar

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s military said Monday it was searching for a fighter jet that disappeared from radar shortly after taking off. “The track of an F15 jet disappeared from the data of the Komatsu control tower after take-off,” a spokesman for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force told AFP. The plane disappeared about five kilometres from the Komatsu airbase in central Ishikawa region, off the Sea of Japan, he added. The spokesman said […]

Hydrogen planes not enough to green aviation: study

PARIS, France (AFP) – The aviation industry looks at hydrogen-fuelled planes as a solution to decarbonise the sector, but a report by an environmental group released Wednesday found that they will only help limit CO2 emissions. Using hydrogen as fuel produces no climate-warming CO2 when it burns, just water. Automakers and planemakers alike have been looking at it as a means to reduce the climate impact of the transportation sector, although currently most production of […]

Slovak flying car receives official certification

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AFP) – Slovakia’s Transport Authority on Tuesday said it had issued a certificate of airworthiness for flying car model AirCar, a first step towards commercial production of the invention. “AirCar certification opens the door for mass production of very efficient flying cars,” said Stefan Klein, founder and chief executive of KleinVision, a company that designed and manufactured the prototype of the dual-mode car-aircraft vehicle. “It is an official and final confirmation of our […]

US suspends 44 passenger flights to China operated by Chinese carriers

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States announced Friday that it was suspending 44 Chinese passenger flights from America to the Asian giant in response to restrictive moves by Beijing on US carriers under its Covid-19 protocols. China maintains strict controls over border entry including slashed flights and a “circuit breaker” policy where routes are halted if too many infections are brought in on the flights. China’s aviation authority used the circuit breaker policy […]

Hong Kong airport bans transit passengers from 153 countries

by Jerome TAYLOR HONG, KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong announced a ban on passengers from more than 150 nations transiting its airport on Friday as China ramps up strict anti-virus travel measures ahead of the Winter Olympics. The move deepens Hong Kong’s global isolation and comes as Beijing battles to stamp out a flurry of Delta and Omicron outbreaks in the only major economy still pursuing a staunch zero-Covid strategy. Like mainland China, Hong […]

Denmark aims for all domestic flights to be green by 2030

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AFP) – Denmark’s government has set an ambitious target of making all Danish domestic flights green by 2030, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Saturday. “Will it be difficult? Yes. Can it be done? Yes, I think so. We’re already on it. Talented researchers and businesses are working on solutions,” Frederiksen said in her New Year’s Day address to the nation. “If we succeed, it will be a green breakthrough. Not just for Denmark, […]

US air travel still messy, with another 2,400 flights scrapped

by Julie CHABANAS Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – Americans returning home from holiday travel had to battle another day of airport chaos Sunday, with more than 2,000 flights cancelled due to bad weather or airline staffing woes sparked by a surge in Covid cases. Further disruptions are predicted for Monday, as a winter storm blows eastward. As of 20H30 GMT Sunday, 2,432 domestic flights or international ones starting or finishing in the […]

Philippine Airlines exits US bankruptcy

Philippine Airlines has said it has emerged from bankruptcy after a US court approved its plan to slash up to $2 billion in debt and obtain additional capital. The national carrier of the Philippines had filed for bankruptcy in the United States in September, seeking relief from creditors as it tried to survive the devastation unleashed on the airline industry by the coronavirus pandemic. Its court-approved reorganisation plan includes a $2 billion debt reduction and […]

US airport chaos as more than 2,600 flights cancelled

Air travel continued to be severely disrupted in the United States on Saturday, with bad weather in parts of the country adding to the impact of a massive spike in Covid-19 infections fuelled by the Omicron variant. The United States had 2,604 cancelled flights, more than half of the 4,529 cancelled worldwide, shortly after 4:30 pm (2130 GMT), according to tracking website FlightAware. In addition, 3,447 domestic flights were delayed on Saturday, out of a total […]