Tag: Aviation

Australian pilots call on Qantas chairman to resign

SYDNEY, Sept 25, 2023 (AFP) – Qantas pilots called Tuesday on the Australian carrier’s chairman Richard Goyder to resign for presiding over “woeful decisions” that have battered morale and the airline’s reputation. The call comes after former chief executive Alan Joyce took early retirement on September 5 as Qantas battled criticism over high prices, mass ground staff layoffs and allegations it sold thousands of tickets for already-cancelled flights. “Richard Goyder has overseen one of the […]

RTX engine issue to hit profit by up to $3.5 bn

NEW YORK, Sept 11, 2023 (AFP) – RTX, parent company of aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, said Monday that its profit could take a hit of up to $3.5 billion over the removal of hundreds of engines powering Airbus A320neo jets as it conducts quality checks. The aviation and defense giant RTX, formerly known as Raytheon, added in a statement that about 600 to 700 engines will be removed for inspection over three years. The […]

Airlines hunting for suspected fake engine parts

PARIS, Sept 4, 2023 (AFP) – Aircraft engine manufacturer CFM, a joint venture between GE and Safran, has alerted its clients to a supplier who may have sold non-certified parts. The engines concerned are the CFM56 used on the previous generation of the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft. Some 34,000 CFM56 engines were manufactured but there is as yet no information as how many may have been fitted with fake parts, which Bloomberg News […]

Airlines count cost of UK traffic control failure

LONDON, Aug 30, 2023 (AFP) – The worst disruption to UK air traffic control in almost a decade following a technical fault risks costing carriers around £100 million, the head of global airline body IATA estimated Wednesday. Passengers continued to be affected by cancelled flights owing to Monday’s incident, but far more planes were able to fly. “I would imagine that at an industry-level, we’ll be getting close to £100 million ($127 million) of additional […]

Three dead after FSB helicopter crash in Russia

MOSCOW, Aug 29, 2023 (AFP) – An FSB security services helicopter crashed Tuesday in central Russia leaving three people dead, regional officials said. The MI-8 helicopter went down near the village of Krasnoe Pole in the Chelyabinsk region, the governor said without indicating a cause for the incident. “According to preliminary information, three people died,” governor Aleksei Teksler said on social media. There was no damage to buildings or individuals on the ground, he added […]

‘Absolute lie’: Kremlin denies Prigozhin killed on its orders

MOSCOW, Aug 25, 2023 (AFP) – The Kremlin on Friday dismissed rumours it orchestrated the death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, presumed dead in a plane crash two months after leading a mutiny in Russia. It also announced by decree that Russian paramilitary fighters will be obliged to swear an oath to the Russian flag, as part of measures to rein in groups like Wagner in wake of the uprising. Speculation the Kremlin may have […]

Indonesia, Boeing agree deal for sale of F-15 jets

JAKARTA, Aug 22, 2023 (AFP) – Indonesia and US aircraft manufacturer Boeing have agreed a deal for the sale of two dozen F-15EX fighter jets as Southeast Asia’s biggest economy moves to modernise its fleet, Jakarta’s defence minister said Tuesday. Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) committing to the sale on Monday between Indonesian airforce and Boeing officials at the company’s St Louis facility. “MoU signing commitment to […]

Ten killed in light plane crash near Malaysian capital

A light plane crashed into a four-lane road near Malaysia’s capital on Thursday, killing eight people on board and two motorists on the ground, the local police chief said. The plane exploded into a fireball on impact, with thick black smoke seen rising from the site, video clips from the scene showed. “For now, I can say at least 10 people were killed in the plane crash. Two passing motorists — one in a car […]

PAL cancels six flights to Japan due to Typhoon Lan

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has canceled six flights between Manila and Japan scheduled for Tuesday due to Typhoon Lan (international name). The flights that were canceled are: PR 438/437 Manila-Nagoya-Manila PR 412/411 Manila-Osaka-Manila PR 407/408 Manila-Osaka-Manila In an advisory on Monday, PAL said it will coordinate closely with concerned airport authorities in Japan and keep a close watch on weather forecasts in case the airline needs to make other adjustments. Affected passengers may choose […]

Cathay Pacific rebounds to first-half profit as travel picks up

HONG KONG, Aug 9, 2023 (AFP) – Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific on Wednesday swung to a healthy profit in the first half of the year thanks to a pick-up in travel, with the airline expecting passenger capacity to reach 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels by end of the year. The airline said it made a $546 million profit in January-June, rebounding from a loss of $640 million in the same period last year. It […]

Largest commercial aircraft orders

LE BOURGET, France, June 19, 2023 (AFP) – Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo said Monday it had ordered a 500 A320 airliners from European manufacturer Airbus at the Paris Air Show in the largest ever civil aviation deal. Here is a list of major orders by size: 2023 On the first day of the Paris Air Show IndiGo places a “historic” order of 500 A320 family aircraft. The order is worth $55 billion at list prices […]