NAIROBI, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – A student pilot and instructor died on Tuesday when their aircraft collided with a passenger plane over the Kenyan capital Nairobi, police said. The mid-air incident between local carrier Safarilink and the 99 Flying training school occurred Tuesday morning, Kenyan authorities said. Nairobi police Adamson Bungei confirmed the deaths to AFP via text message without providing further details. An earlier police report seen by AFP said the passenger plane […]
Tag: Aviation
Germany braces for fresh rail, air travel strikes
By Michelle FITZPATRICK FRANKFURT, Germany, March 4, 2024 (AFP) – German travellers braced for fresh upheaval after unions on Monday called for renewed walkouts at Lufthansa and rail operator Deutsche Bahn, the latest escalation in a series of rows over inflation-busting pay rises. Lufthansa ground staff will stage a two-day strike from Thursday, the Verdi union announced, accusing management at the airline group of showing “no willingness” to come up with an improved offer. The […]
Rat on a plane sparks worries for Sri Lanka’s airline
COLOMBO, Feb 27, 2024 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s national airline on Tuesday blamed a rat for grounding a plane for three days, sparking chaotic delays and fears it will scare off investors for the cash-strapped carrier. The stowaway rodent was spotted enjoying the SriLankan Airlines Airbus A330 flight from the Pakistani city of Lahore on Thursday, triggering an aircraft search to ensure it had not chewed through critical components. An airline official said the plane […]
Boeing, Airbus grapple with supply chain woes, delaying billion-dollar orders
By Martin ABBUGAO SINGAPORE, Feb 23, 2024 (AFP) – Boeing and Airbus struck deals to sell billions of dollars’ worth of planes at this week’s airshow in Singapore, but supply chain disruptions mean they may struggle to deliver them on time, analysts said. Plane makers are already behind in their current orders due to parts shortages and lack of skilled labour, as the travel sector recovers from the havoc caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. From […]
Boeing 737 MAX program chief departs months after Alaska Airlines’ mid-air scare
NEW YORK, Feb 21, 2024 (AFP) – Boeing announced Wednesday that the head of its 737 MAX program is departing the aviation giant less than two months after a major safety incident temporarily grounded 171 planes. Ed Clark, an 18-year Boeing veteran is “leaving the program,” Boeing Commercial Aviation (BCA) chief Stan Deal said in a memo released by the company. Katie Ringgold has been named as his replacement. The move comes after a 737 […]
Vietjet inks deal for 20 Airbus A330-900s, modernizing fleet and expanding network
SINGAPORE, Feb 22, 2024 (AFP) – European aviation giant Airbus said Thursday that Vietnamese airline Vietjet Air has agreed to buy 20 of its A330-900 planes. Vietjet signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus for the widebody aircraft, which will replace its current fleet of leased A330-300 planes, Airbus said in a statement. “We are excited to work with Vietjet on the next phase of the carrier’s expansion,” said Christian Scherer, chief executive of Airbus’s […]
Hong Kong airport ground worker killed by plane in freak accident
HONG KONG, Feb 6, 2024 (AFP) – A Hong Kong airport ground worker was killed when he was hit by a towed aircraft on Tuesday, authorities said, a rare incident that prompted an arrest for dangerous driving. The unnamed victim, a 34-year-old Jordanian national working in Hong Kong, is believed to have been riding in the passenger seat of a tow truck when he fell out of the vehicle and hit by the plane being […]
Lufthansa says strike to axe up to 90% of flights
FRANKFURT, Germany, Feb 6, 2024 (AFP) – Up to 90 percent of Lufthansa’s flight schedule will be cancelled Wednesday due to a walkout by ground staff, the carrier warned, the latest strike-related travel chaos to hit Germany. Some 25,000 staff will take part in the walkout over pay, which will last for around 27 hours from 4:00 am (0300 GMT), the union Verdi announced this week. The strike will affect Germany’s biggest airport in Frankfurt […]
Japanese airliners ‘clip wings’, no injuries
TOKYO, Feb 1, 2024 (AFP) – The wing tips of two passenger jets “scratched” each other at a Japanese airport Thursday, an airport operator said, the latest in a string of aviation mishaps in the country. Reports said no one was injured in the incident involving the two All Nippon Airways aircraft at Osaka’s Itami airport for domestic flights. “We’ve been told wing tips of two ANA planes scratched each other” shortly after 10:00 am […]
US approves inspection program to return Boeing 737 MAX to service
By John BIERS NEW YORK, Jan 25, 2024 (AFP) – US regulators approved a detailed inspection framework that would allow the return to service of Boeing 737 MAX planes grounded after an emergency landing earlier this month, officials said Wednesday. Shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration announced inspection protocols on the Boeing 737 MAX 9, United Airlines said it expects grounded aircraft to return to service starting Sunday. “We will only return each MAX 9 […]
Six dead in commuter plane crash in Canada’s far north
OTTAWA, Jan 24, 2024 (AFP) – Six people died when a small commuter plane carrying workers to a mine in Canada’s far north crashed Tuesday shortly after taking off, a source said. One person survived, according to this aviation source with knowledge of the crash probe, who asked not to be named as they were not authorized to speak to the media. The survivor’s condition was not released. The military and federal police responded to […]
Heavy snow, freezing rain hobble European travel
By Deborah COLE BERLIN, Jan 17, 2024 (AFP) – Severe winter weather in northern Europe prompted the cancellation of hundreds of flights Wednesday at Frankfurt airport, Germany’s busiest, while heavy snow in Scandinavia shut down air travel in Oslo for several hours. A Frankfurt airport spokeswoman said 570 of 1,047 flights had been axed by late morning as Germany’s business capital prepared for dramatic weather conditions. By early afternoon, all remaining departures were temporarily struck […]
