Tag: Aviation

UPDATED: At least seven dead as World War II plane crashes in the US: reports

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — At least seven people were killed when a World War II bomber carrying 13 passengers and crew crashed at an airport in the northeastern US state of Connecticut Wednesday, local media reported. The Boeing B-17 aircraft, which the US Air Force deployed against Germany and Japan, crashed at Bradley International Airport while trying to land around 10:00 am (1400 GMT). Ten passengers and three crew were on the aircraft, […]

Boeing settles 1st Lion Air cases with MAX families, $1.2 million per victim: source

by John BIERS NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Boeing has reached settlements with 11 families of victims from October’s Lion Air crash, the first agreements following two deadly crashes that killed 346 people, a plaintiffs attorney said Wednesday. The Wisner Law Firm, which specializes in aviation cases, is also “optimistic” about reaching settlements on its remaining six cases for families affected by the crash in Indonesia, said attorney Alexandra Wisner. The settlements pay out […]

Beijing opens glitzy airport ahead of China’s 70th anniversary

by Poornima WEERASEKARA BEIJING, China (AFP) — A futuristic new airport in Beijing, which is expected to become one of the busiest in the world, was opened by President Xi Jinping on Wednesday. Xi declared the starfish-shaped airport open in brief remarks at a ceremony inside the huge terminal, days before the country holds a grand celebration to mark 70 years of Communist rule. Located 46 kilometres (29 miles) south of Tiananmen Square, the Beijing […]

Four bodies recovered from crashed Indonesia cargo plane

TIMIKA, Indonesia (AFP) — The bodies of four passengers on an Indonesian cargo plane that went missing in the jungles of Papua a week ago have been recovered, the search and rescue agency said Wednesday. The DHC-6 Twin Otter took off from the city of Timika for a short flight to Ilaga, a mountainous region in the remote eastern province of Papua. Local authorities declared the plane — carrying three crew, a police officer and […]

Boeing not able to respond to regulators on MAX at August meeting

  NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Boeing was not able to respond to regulator questions on modifications made to the 737 MAX flight control system at an August meeting with international officials, sources said Tuesday. The planes have been grounded globally since mid-March, following two crashes that killed 346 people. Boeing is now seeking a green light to return the jets to service after developing fixes for the jets’ flight control computers. “Yes, we […]

Cathay Pacific’s torrid week ends with shock CEO resignation

  by Jerome TAYLOR / Elaine YU Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Cathay Pacific announced the shock resignation on Friday of its CEO Rupert Hogg, compounding a torrid week for the Hong Kong carrier after it was excoriated by Beijing because some staff supported pro-democracy protests. The 72-year-old airline has been left reeling after it became ensnared in the hardening of rhetoric from the communist mainland over ten weeks of anti-government protests […]

Russians hail ‘hero’ pilot after Moscow emergency landing

by Michael MAINVILLE MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — A Russian pilot was hailed as a hero Thursday for safely landing an Airbus carrying more than 230 people in a Moscow cornfield after a bird strike. The Ural Airlines A321 flying to Crimea hit a flock of seagulls shortly after take-off from Moscow’s Zhukovsky airport early Thursday, the Rosaviatsia air transport agency said in a statement. Birds were sucked into the engines and the crew decided to […]

Cathay Pacific shares plunge after China warning on protests

  HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Shares in Hong Kong’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific plunged more than four percent on Monday, after Beijing banned airline staff supporting Hong Kong protesters from flights going through the mainland. Cathay shares lost 4.37 percent to HK$9.85 by the break in Hong Kong, with the carrier’s parent company Swire Pacific Ltd. plunging 5.26 percent to HK$77.50. The nosedive comes as the airline is caught up in pro-democracy protests that […]

‘Majestic’ WWII Spitfire takes off on round-the-world flight

by Robin MILLARD © Agence France-Presse CHICHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) — An original Spitfire plane took off from Britain on Monday on an unprecedented attempt to fly the iconic World War II fighter around the globe. The gleaming silver aircraft set off from Goodwood Aerodrome outside Chichester near the south coast of England for the first leg of the epic four-month journey. The restored 76-year-old fighter served in World War II but has been de-militarized, […]

Flying Frenchman to attempt pioneering Channel ‘flyboard’ crossing

SANGATTE, France (AFP) — A daredevil French inventor is Thursday to attempt a flight across the Channel standing on a jet-powered “flyboard”, in an ambitious crossing he sees as following in the footsteps of the aviation pioneers. Franky Zapata, a former jet-skiing champion, aims to soar above the Channel “like a bird” in the crossing from northern France to southern England, in a scene likely to resemble a science fiction film. In a tribute to […]

Ryanair says closing some bases due to Boeing 737 MAX problems

by Roland JACKSON LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Ryanair said Tuesday it will close some of its bases because of problems with Boeing’s crisis-hit 737 MAX jet, which has been grounded after two fatal accidents. The Irish no-frills airline said in a statement that it expected to take delivery of just 30 Boeing 737 MAX 200 jets by the end of May 2020, instead of the 58 that it originally expected for its summer schedule. […]

Small-aircraft crash kills nine in Sweden

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) — Nine people died Sunday when a small aircraft being used for tourism crashed in northwest Sweden, the regional authority said. “The nine people on board are dead,” Gabriella Bandling, spokeswoman for the Vaesterbotten region, told AFP. She did not say who they were. According to Swedish media reports, the plane was carrying people for a parachute jump but crashed a little after 2:00 pm (1200 GMT). The plane, a GippsAero GA8 […]