Aviation Hub

03/12/2024

Introducing the Emirates A350, a masterpiece of aviation engineering! 🌍🚀

With state-of-the-art technology, enhanced fuel efficiency, and the legendary Emirates hospitality, this aircraft takes comfort and sustainability to new heights. Whether you're traveling for work, leisure, or adventure, the A350 ensures your journey is as exceptional as your destination.

💺 What to Expect:
✔️ Spacious cabins with next-level comfort
✔️ Improved air quality for a fresher flight
✔️ Advanced entertainment systems to keep you entertained from takeoff to landing

As part of Emirates' commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction, the A350 is here to redefine your travel experience. Get ready to take flight on the future of aviation!

📸 Have you spotted the Emirates A350 yet? Share your pics and tag us!

01/12/2023

When water began to leak from the overhead hand luggage storage on an Air India aircraft from London to Amritsar, passengers had an unpleasant experience. In a statement, Air India stated it "regrets this unexpected incident."
Water flowing from the panel gaps of the overhead storage dropped on several of the seats, according to a video released on X, now known as Twitter.
'Air India... fly with us - it's not a trip; it's an immersive experience," the man said in the post.

https://twitter.com/baldwhiner/status/1729856754068959379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1729856754068959379%7Ctwgr%5E6a45950dbae19efaf539eae63c44ebbde2380ffb%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ndtv.com%2Findia-news%2Fvideo-water-leaks-from-overhead-storage-on-london-to-amritsar-air-india-flight-4621373

According to the airline, customers from the impacted rows were transferred to other vacant seats, and the crew did everything possible to make them comfortable given the circumstances.

30/11/2023

The first commercial transatlantic flight fueled entirely by "sustainable" jet fuel has taken off from London Heathrow.
Although scientists and environmental groups remain skeptical,

The Virgin Atlantic flight, which was partially funded by the UK government, has been lauded by the aviation industry and governments as a demonstration of the ability to drastically reduce net carbon emissions from flying.

Airlines have previously flown on a sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) blend of up to 50% alternative fuels, and flight VS100 is running under special dispensation with no paying passengers, using fuel manufactured largely from tallow and other waste products.

One of those on board, Transport Secretary Mark Harper, remarked, "Today's 100% SAF-powered flight shows how we can decarbonise transport both now and in the future, cutting lifecycle emissions by 70% and inspiring the next generation of solutions."

16/04/2023

On Saturday (15th April), Saudia Arabian Airlines confirmed one of its planes was involved in an accident in Khartoum. It said,

“SAUDIA clarifies that its A330 aircraft, flight number SV458 was involved in an accident at Khartoum International Airport before taking off to Riyadh at 0730hrs UTC this morning, Saturday, April 15”.

The Saudi carrier later confirmed that the aircraft was exposed to gunfire damage while preparing for its scheduled departure with guests and crew onboard. All members of the aircraft’s cabin crew have safely arrived at the Saudi Embassy in Sudan, and the company canceled all future flights to and from Sudan. Saudia did not report on the status of the passengers onboard.

11/04/2023

Ryanair jet after its nose wheel collapsed while landing at Dublin Airport following flight from Liverpool

05/07/2022

A Turkish cargo aircraft that was parked on the tarmac at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake met with an accident early this morning (5th July 2022).

The aircraft has been identified as an A330-300 Airbus and had been involved in the accident as it was preparing to depart from the Katunayake airport today.

The cargo aircraft had transported goods from Istanbul, Turkey to Sri Lanka and was set to return to Istanbul with 54 Metric Tonnes of apparel goods when it faced the unfortunate accident.

Several containers that had been placed near the aircraft to be loaded by Sri Lankan Airlines operators had reportedly crashed into the aircraft due to strong winds in and around the airport.

The containers had crashed into engine #2 of the aircraft causing damage.

05/01/2022

On approach to Venetia Mine (South Africa), a SA Airlink Jetstream JS-41, registration ZS-NRJ, was operating a charter flight from Johannesburg to Venetia Mine when a bird impacted the right hand propeller, causing one of the blades to split and pierce the cabin. The plane continued on its way to a safe landing.

On January 4th, 2022, the airline verified the event, saying: "On landing at Venetia airfield yesterday, an Airlink Jetstream 41 aircraft operating a private charter trip collided with a large bird. Neither the passengers nor the crew were hurt, even though the plane was badly damaged."

27/12/2021

Three passengers injured & hospitalised after a private aircraft Cessna 172 made an emergency landing in the Kimbulapitiya area in Sri Lanka, Katunayake - Director Operations

This is the 2nd such incident with the same flying school this week.

19/08/2021

Etihad Reviews Travel Data, 70 countries eligible for Visa on Arrival

UAE airline Etihad Airways has updated travel rules and has decided to issue visas on arrival for passengers from 70 countries.

Travellers from these 70 countries that will receive a visa on arrival in Abu Dhabi:

Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR of China), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, People’s Republic of China, Peru, Poland, Republic of Mauritius, Republic of El Salvador, Portugal, Romania, Russian, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Vatican, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Uruguay.

Indians can only travel to Abu Dhabi if they are:

1.UAE citizen, golden/silver visa holder or diplomat.
2.Fully vaccinated resident of the UAE – you must have proof of having received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine within the UAE no less than 14 days before travel.
3.Medical personnel, education sector workers or students studying in the UAE.
4.Travelling for medical reasons.
5. A federal government agency worker.

Indian nationals holding a US visitor visa or green card are also eligible to obtain a visa on arrival in Abu Dhabi. Additionally, Indians who have UK or EU residency valid for at least 6 months.

19/08/2021

A prototype of Russia's new Ilyushin Il-112V military transport aircraft caught fire during a test flight and crashed near Moscow on Tuesday, Russian media reported, citing the United Aircraft Corporation. All Three of the Crew members were killed.

The Il-112V is a light military transport aircraft being developed by the Ilyushin Aviation Complex, which is part of the United Aircraft Corporation. The plane can carry up to five metric tons of either personnel, weapons, or other cargo.

08/07/2021

Dubai-based Emirates Airlines on Thursday announced it will restart passenger services to Mauritius this summer.

The airline will fly two weekly flights from July 15 as the island-nation gradually reopens its borders to international tourists.

According to the Emirates Airlines, the passengers can also enjoy other Indian Ocean destinations, as the airline offers 28 weekly flights to Maldives and seven weekly flights to Seychelles.

Only Thursdays and Saturdays, the Emirates will operate its flights to Mauritius. The airline flight will depart from Dubai International Airport at 2:35hrs and arrive in Mauritius at 9:10hrs local time.

The return flight will operate on Fridays and Sundays. Flight EK704 will depart from Mauritius at 23:10hrs and arrive in Dubai at 5:45hrs local time, the following day.

From July 15, the borders will be reopened only for vaccinated Mauritian nationals and foreign tourists. From Oct.1, the island-nation will start to welcome fully vaccinated foreigners who can explore the country freely with no coronavirus curbs.

The Emirates has also announced it will deploy its iconic Emirates A380 aircraft to Mauritius starting from Aug.1.

Starting from July 15, the route will be served utilizing a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, and from Aug.1, the A380 aircraft of the airline.

From luscious landscapes, crystal clear water and white sandy beaches – the island-nation remains one the most favorite holiday destinations, attracting travelers across the Middle East, Europe and Americas.

-Gulf Today-

05/07/2021

United Airlines has placed the biggest aircraft order in its history,

upto 270 brand new jets, and one of the biggest ever in the U.S. airline market, signaling a very bullish view for a travel demand return. The order, for all narrow-body aircraft, will include planes for both growth and replacement. The airline has been actively marketing the benefits of this order since its announcement, with CEO Scott Kirby touting that the main idea behind the order is for an improved customer experience. This move is the most aggressive United has made, and follows an order just a few weeks ago for 15 supersonic jets from a new company called Boom.
There are a lot of upsides to this new order for United, including a relatively quick refresh of a fleet that has gotten quite old. The two new plane models, the Boeing 737MAX and the Airbus A321NEO, are both highly efficient, fuel-saving airplanes that will be better for the environment than United’s current fleet. But this order has some significant risks, also, and has implications for domestic U.S. capacity, affects on competition, airline labor markets, and the regional airline industry.

Replacement Of Regional Jets
According to United’s press release, many of these planes will replace 50-seat regional jets (RJs). This has plenty of interesting implications. These replacements will mean a step function increase in size per departure compared with the RJs, meaning that the schedule may need to change in terms of frequency or otherwise a lot more people will be needed for each flight. The RJs are flown by regional airlines on a cost-plus basis for United, making these flights a much lower per-trip cost than a United-flown flight. This is partly because the regional airlines use labor not covered by United’s unions and these work at generally lower wage rates. When a 737 replaces an RJ, it is now United pilots flying the plane and the regional carrier must redeploy their plane with United or find something else to do with it. The larger plane will burn more absolute fuel although likely less fuel per seat, and since it is heavier it will cost more to land it at most airports and it will be more expensive to insure.
Other Fleet Moves Expected
Not long ago, CEO Scott Kirby spoke positively about United keeping more wide-body planes than his primary competitors, and he saw this as a strength for when long-haul business travel returns. Not sure if he still believes this, as both the 737MAX-10 and the A321NEOs just ordered can replace the carriers’ Boeing 767 fleet if not more. Using a long-range narrow-body instead of a wide-body aircraft reduces the financial risk of a flight significantly and allows more destinations to to be added from hubs like Newark and Houston. This order suggests that United will soon be announcing a retirement schedule for some of their older wide-bodies.

18/06/2021

Boeing 787-8 (G-ZBJB) British Airways suffered a nose gear collapse while parked at London Heathrow this morning, June 18th.

The matter is still under investigation.

17/06/2021

Thai Airways International Pcl is seeking new loans to help fund operations after the court approved its plan to restructure at least 170 billion baht ($5.5 billion) of debt.

The carrier has been in talks with some banks for loans of as much as 25 billion baht as part of the debt-rehabilitation program, Chief Financial Officer Chai Eamsiri told a video conference with reporters on Wednesday. The Central Bankruptcy Court today endorsed the proposal, which is backed by most creditors, the airline said.

“We would like to secure new loans as soon as possible because our operating revenue can’t cover the operating costs,” said Chai. “Our existing cash and revenue now can cover operations only through the end of this year.”

The airline, whose biggest shareholder is the Finance Ministry, in March proposed a three-year freeze on loan payments and a deferment of bond repayments for six years. To help it return to profitability -- it posted a record loss of 141 billion baht last year -- the carrier also plans to cut its workforce by half, sell property and seek 50 billion baht in new capital.

“All related parties should go ahead and help Thai Air succeed in its rehabilitation plan,” Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha told a news conference after a weekly Cabinet meeting Tuesday.

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The approved debt plan includes some $7.4 billion in claims from dozens of aircraft lessors and engine-service providers. Bangkok-based Thai Air challenged that in March, saying it isn’t liable for because those claims involve future expenses and were incurred after the airline received bankruptcy protection.

Thai Air has confidence in its ability to be profitable again once the coronavirus pandemic passes, Chief Executive Officer Chansin Treenuchagron told a press conference. Thailand is one of the top travel destinations in the world and the carrier will be able to capitalize on this popularity, he said

-Bloomberg_

10/05/2021

24/04/2021

Etihad Airways Group CEO Tony Douglas has revealed this week that the Abu Dhabi-based airline will retire its entire Boeing 777-300ER passenger fleet by the end of 2021.
Currently Etihad Airways Operates 19 of the type.

17/12/2020

SriLankan Airlines will soon announce a Request for Proposals (RFP) for two dedicated freighters, Chairman Ashok Pathirage told UAE's The National newspaper.

"There's so much cargo business at the moment. Exports have picked up, so there’s huge demand and we want to help the national economy. One lesson learnt from COVID is to not be completely dependent on passenger business and to look for other alternatives," he said.

While SriLankan Airlines does not operate dedicated freighters, it's aggressively expanded in the cargo market since COVID-related border closure completely closed its international-only scheduled passenger business. The carrier currently operates one A321-200N, three A330-200s, and six A330-300s on cargo-only flights.

Despite its budding freight ambitions, SriLankan Airlines also hopes to recover and expand its passenger business in the future. Pathirage reaffirmed the airline's plans to turn Colombo Int'l into an international hub connecting Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa.

Sri Lanka expects to reopen airports to international arrivals in January 2021. The flag carrier hopes to restructure and achieve profitability - which was not the case before COVID - by the end of 2022.