WestJet says it has agreed to be acquired by Onex Corp. and will become a private company in a transaction valued at $5 billion including debt. The deal that came as a surprise to some, including the head of the pilots union. Under the agreement announced Monday, Onex will pay $31 per share, or $3.5…
Ryanair announced the deployment of GlobalBeacon, a live flight monitoring platform that combines FlightAware’s data processing capabilities and web-interface with global flight tracking coverage from Aireon. The Aireon network tracks aircraft via their ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) out antennas, which are mandated in many parts of the world including throughout Europe. This enables most airlines…
A couple was removed from an Air New Zealand flight after they refused to listen to the safety briefing on Tuesday. NZ424 from Wellington to Auckland was forced to turn back to the gate to offload the passengers, who were seated in an exit row. The plane was met at the gate by airport police…
Qantas performed the worlds first zero waste flight – QF 739 between Sydney and Adelaide – on Wednesday. Every product on board will either be re-used, recycled or composted – a total of 34kg of waste will be diverted from landfill. 9News reports that Qantas currently produces 13,000 tonnes of waste that goes to landfill…
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released a report into a “serious accident” after a trainee solo pilot from Flight Training Adelaide became “unconscious” for 40 minutes while in the air. The pilot of the Diamond DA40 had set off from Port Augusta Airport and was heading to Parafield Airport. The pilot fell unconscious…
Yamal Airlines has cancelled its planned order of 10 Sukhol Superjet 100s following the fiery crash at Moscow according to Reuters. The airline stated the servicing costs were too high for the Russian type. Yamal is Russia’s second biggest operator of the type behind Aeroflot.
Boeing statement: On every airplane delivered to our customers, including the MAX, all flight data and information needed to safely operate the aircraft is provided in the flight deck on the primary flight deck displays. This information is provided full-time in the pilots’ primary field of view, and it always has been. Air speed, attitude,…
Air Arabia is likely to place an order for 100 aircraft in the next three or four months, according to CEO Adel Ali. Speaking on a panel at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, Ali said that the airline had yet to take a decision on what aircraft it would order, but said that it…
An 11-year-old girl somehow survived after she was carried alone in a hot air balloon for seven miles in Crimea. The child had gone for a ride with her parents, another adult and an instructor. But the balloon hit the ground and all passengers except the girl fell out of the basket before it rose…
Air India has been forced to ground as many as 20 of its aircraft from a fleet of 127 due to lack of funds to replace their engines, a senior official has said. The debt-ridden airline, surviving on public doles, needs at least Rs. 1,500 crore to get new engines for these planes, and with…
Fiji Airways has adopted the A350 XWB as part of its expansion plans to broaden its international network. Two A350-900s will be leased from Dubai based DAE Capital, making Fiji Airways the newest operator and DAE Capital the latest customer. With its common type rating with the A330 Family, the A350 XWB was the natural…
Boeing statement: We want to provide a response to several news stories yesterday and today reporting on the disagree alert on the 737 MAX. Boeing included the disagree alert as a standard feature on the MAX, although this alert has not been considered a safety feature on airplanes and is not necessary for the safe…
