Russian investigators say that a fault with the wing flaps of the military plane that recently went down over the Black Sea was the reason it crashed and killed all of its 92 passengers. The Tu-154 jet was heading to Syria when it went down off Russia’s coastal resort of Sochi on Sunday. Its passengers included 68 musicians, eight crew members and several journalists. According to Russian media, all three of the plane’s black boxes flight recorders were recovered on Tuesday. Unconfirmed...
Two helicopters, reportedly owned by one of Kenya’s media moguls but operated by Corporate Helicopters, yesterday blew up a proverbial sandstorm on Chale Island on the Kenyan coast, when they landed on the beach with an apparent lack of proper authorization. Mr. Fabio Beltramini, a former Ugandan resident, was on location at the time for a vacation and took pictures. He confirmed through the resort manager that no permission had been given to land two rotor aircraft on the beach of the...
Korean Air Lines crew members have been given the go-ahead to “readily use stun guns” to subdue violent passengers in a “fast and efficient manner.” The move comes after the South Korean carrier came under fire for its handling of an onboard incident. “We have decided to improve our conditions and procedure on using Taser guns to cope with violent acts and disturbances on board in a fast and efficient manner,” Korean Air Lines said in a statement, announcing its new crew guidelines. A spokesman...
At least 12 people were injured while evacuating a Jet Airways plane which skidded off the runway at Goa’s Dabolim Airport. The accident occurred just hours before a separate incident in Delhi, which saw two planes come face-to-face on the runway. A major incident was averted at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday morning, as two planes from two different airlines – IndiGo and SpiceJet – came face-to-face on the runway. That incident was due to a...
Qatar Airways has introduced signature Nappa Dori amenity kits on board for all of its premium passengers traveling on short and medium haul flights. The artisan brand, Nappa Dori, which has gained global recognition for its luxury handcrafted travel and fashion accessories, has created bespoke amenity kits that celebrate the airline’s global network by featuring images from the more than 150 destinations Qatar Airways serves. Qatar Airways is the first airline to launch an exclusive worldwide...
Terrorism and Social Media, there is a connection, and US Homeland security knows it. Would a visitor to the United States put his or her social media information on a form necessary to enter the USA? Uncle Sam thinks so, and Homeland security orders so. Starting this week, the United States Federal Government began asking some travelers to the U.S. to supply details about their social media accounts. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter is supposed to tell US agents about visitors. The collection...
The LaMia airlines plane that crashed last month near the northwestern city of Medellin, Colombia, killing 71 people, the majority of them members of Brazil’s Chapecoense soccer club, was low on fuel and overloaded, Colombian civil aviation agency Aerocivil said in its preliminary report on the accident Monday. LaMia, short for Línea Aérea Mérida Internacional de Aviación, is a Bolivian charter airline headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. It has its origins in the failed Venezuelan...
At least 30 members and fans of a local soccer team have lost their lives when their overloaded boat capsized in Lake Albert, police say. “There was a party on the boat, the passengers were dancing and others were drunk. The boat was overloaded with 45 people, all members of the football team and local fans,” said police commander John Rutagira on Monday. The victims were all from the village of Kawaibenda in the Buliisa district in western Uganda, near the border of the Democratic Republic of...
Police in the Russian capital of Moscow are evacuating people at three railway stations over an anonymous bomb threat, local media say. Some 3,000 people were evacuated from the Kazansky, Leningradsky, and Yaroslavsky railway stations in the Russian capital on Monday. The three stations are located on the same square in Moscow. Police, who earlier received the anonymous bomb threat, are planning to use sniffer dogs to search the stations for potential bombs. On December 19, Russia’s Ambassador...
Many trains delayed are delayed this morning at Kanpur Central railway station as fog envelops different areas in Uttar Pradesh, India Kanpur Central is one of five “Central” railway stations in India. It is a major intercity rail and commuter rail station in the city of Kanpur, and is situated on the Howrah – Delhi broad gauge route passing through Uttar Pradesh Kanpur Central is one of five “Central” railway stations in India. It is a major intercity rail and...
In the Japanese tourism world, Sapporo, capital city of the mountainous northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, is famous for its beer, skiing and annual Sapporo Snow Festival featuring enormous ice sculptures. Hokkaido had heavy snow Friday, with Sapporo observing the heaviest snowfall in 50 years for December, and nearly 50,000 people were affected after air and railway traffic was disrupted. The snowfall in the prefectural capital reached 96 cm (over 37 inches) as of 9 p.m. Friday, topping 90...
In time for the peak travel season in Kenya, Safarilink earlier today has taken delivery of a new DHC Dash 8-315 aircraft, boosting their fleet even further after added deliveries of Cessna Grand Caravans throughout the year. The new bird will be adding much needed capacity as the holiday season travel goes into overdrive and fly tourists and locals to the national park, upcountry destinations and notably the Kenya coast where Safarilink serves Lamu, Ukunda / Diani and the Vipingo Ride –...
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced that its enforcement of federal rail safety rules has led to the highest-ever civil penalty collection rate in the agency’s 50-year history, surpassing last year’s record-breaking rate. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, the agency expects to collect 79 percent of the civil penalties it issued to railroads, hazardous materials shippers and others for violating federal safety regulations, a 4-percent increase over FY2015, and the largest...
All passengers and crew have been released from the Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A320 in Malta, after hijackers from the pro-Gaddafi group Al Fatah Al Gadida surrendered and exited the Libyan plane. “Hijackers surrendered, searched and taken in custody,” tweeted Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat after a protracted hostage situation. It’s understood the plane was making an internal flight in Libya from Sebha to Tripoli before it was diverted to Malta International Airport, where...
Uber was big in China… including its financial losses. The company has since abandoned its operations in the country. Now, even without China factored into the equation, from January to September of this year, the company has lost more than US$2.2 billion. On August 1, Uber came to an agreement with Didi Chuxing to exit China in exchange for 17.5 percent of the Chinese company. The deal included Didi investing $1 billion in Uber. In Uber’s home market in the US, the company lost US$100...
Korean Air presented a gift of 3,200 books at the opening of a special library at a local community in support of multicultural families in Seoul. The opening ceremony was held on December 21st at ‘Gangseogu Multicultural Family Support Center’ located in Seoul. Mr. Mu Chol Shin, Korean Air Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications, and Ms. Jeong Suk Park, the head of Gangseogu Multicultural Family Support Center, attended the ceremony to celebrate the donation of about 3,200 books by...
STX France and MSC Cruises today announced the coming into force of the final contract for two “Meraviglia-Plus” mega cruise ships. The two underlying options had been confirmed by MSC Cruises’ Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago on February 1, 2016, now the two companies have agreed on all ship specifications hence construction will be able to begin in earnest in due time. The two next-generation ships – the largest ships ever built for a European cruise line and the second largest globally...
A unique event for aircraft fans: From the 22nd to the 31st of December, 2016 Lufthansa’s new Airbus A350-900 jet will be at various German airports. This will allow the world’s most modern long-haul aircraft to be experienced in the week up to New Year’s Eve outside of Munich. For weather reasons, it may be necessary to cancel or change a flight from the place of departure or to the destination at short notice. The times may vary as well. Sunday, December 25, 2016 11:00 am...
The head of Frontier’s pilot’s union compared the airline to a “house of cards” in a letter to their members today. Capt. Brian Ketchum, Chairman of the Frontier Airlines Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association stated: “It goes without saying that this has been a horrible week for Frontier Airlines,” A passenger tweeted today: Frontier is the WORST Airline. I literally been trying to get to Charlotte since Saturday. Another passenger added: Frontier didn’t have...
Today, Travel Leaders Group revealed the results of its 2017 Business Travel Trends Survey, which indicates that there is no slowing down for business travel. According to the survey, 86% of Travel Leaders Group’s business travel-focused agents are reporting that they expect bookings to remain as high or higher than the same time last year. The participating travel agents also noted that while business travelers’ top concerns are travel logistics, ranging from delayed or canceled...
Kenya Airways Cargo will open a new state of the art Express Center to handle express shipments in the fast-growing e-commerce industry. The Express Center targets major courier and e-commerce players globally and is aimed at improving KQ Cargo revenue as part of Operation Pride. The Express Center will be a one-stop shop for airlines and freight forwarders that will enhance efficiency in e-commerce logistics, electronic customs clearance, and cargo handling services, mail handling and airport...
Over the last year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has made great strides toward integrating unmanned aircraft – popularly called “drones” – into the nation’s airspace. The first big step took place last December 21, when a new, web-based drone registration system went online. During the last year, the system has registered more than 616,000 owners and individual drones. As part of the process, applicants receive and must acknowledge some basic safety information. That means more...
In the first quarter of 2017, Wilken Bormann will take over as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lufthansa Hub Munich. In this role, Bormann will be responsible for the commercial management and ongoing development of the second-largest hub of the Lufthansa Group, as well as for operations. He succeeds Thomas Winkelmann, who will be joining Air Berlin on 1 February 2017 as CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board. “I am pleased that we have gained Wilken Bormann, a proven economic specialist and...
Following a competitive process, Dubai Airports, operator of Dubai International (DXB), the world’s busiest international airport and Dubai World Central (DWC), has awarded a 10-year parking concession to Saudi-based National Parking Company (Mawgif) to manage, operate and maintain all car parks at both the airports. The agreement, which will see Mawgif deploy its state of the art parking access control and payment technology at all locations at DXB and DWC, as well as airport employee parking...
What is “service?” What really defines “service?” What does it mean when it comes to serving the billions of local, regional and international travelers of the world? Especially at a time of year when the world’s travelling community seems to be on the move to be able to be with what, and who, is most important to them? Expectations of exceptional service delivery perfectly reflect expectations of Santa showing up exactly at midnight, everywhere, for everyone. The term “service” has become a...
This week FlyersRights filed a brief in the US Supreme Court, supporting airline passenger rights and interests. This is the second time that Flyersrights has filed a brief in the US Supreme Court as amici curiae, in support of the passenger. We’re asking the Court to reverse a 9th Circuit Appeal Court ruling that refused to recognize filing a lawsuit in another country satisfies the two-year statute of limitations for claims against airlines on international trips. In FlyersRights’...
The upcoming Christmas holiday period may cost 314 people their lives on the roadways, according to National Safety Council estimates. Another 364 fatalities are expected during the three-day New Year’s holiday period. The Council also estimates 37,200 may be seriously injuredi on the roads during the Christmas holiday, and another 41,900 during the New Year’s holiday. “Safety is the greatest gift you can give, not only to your family but to those who share the roads with...
In a move that extends its reach across East Africa, Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, earlier today announced that it has entered into a codeshare agreement with Precision Air, Tanzania’s leading domestic airline. Under the new codeshare agreement, Etihad Airways will place its EY code on Precision Air flights between Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Mtwara, Nairobi, Zanzibar, Pemba and between Nairobi and Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar. Precision Air will place...
Emirates, voted the World’s Best Airline in the 2016 Skytrax World Airline Awards, announced today that it will operate the first ever commercial Airbus A380 flight to Morocco and North Africa, when it takes the iconic double decker aircraft to Casablanca on 26 March 2017. The airline’s flagship aircraft, which continues to excite travellers and aviation enthusiasts alike, will replace the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft currently used on the Dubai-Casablanca route, offering increased seat capacity...
The expansion of Heathrow has emerged as a bright spot for Parliament – with 74% of MPs now saying they back a third runway at Britain’s hub airport, a record level for the project. As the Government announced its backing for the project in October, MPs ranked an expanded Heathrow as one of Britain’s top infrastructure projects – providing the most long-term benefit to the economy and benefitting all the regions of the UK. With support for the project remaining at a similar level both...
