Three Britons and a South African were aboard the UK-registered DA42 plane, UAE authorities said. The four-seat plane flies around the world to inspect and calibrate navigation aids – which include radars and landing systems for airports and airfields. The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) says an investigation is under way. According to local media…
Boeing has completed development of the updated software for the 737 MAX, along with associated simulator testing and the company’s engineering test flight. To date, Boeing has flown the 737 MAX with updated MCAS software for more than 360 hours on 207 flights. Boeing is now providing additional information to address Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)…
These instrument landing systems (ILS) are considered precision approach systems, because unlike GPS and other navigation systems, they provide crucial real-time guidance about both the plane’s horizontal alignment with a runway and its vertical angle of descent. In many settings—particularly during foggy or rainy night-time landings—this radio-based navigation is the primary means for ensuring planes…
The closure of the Belgian airspace from 09:30 to 13:00 today affected thousands of passengers. At the airports of Zaventem and Charleroi, a total of 100 flights were cancelled, in addition to the many flights whose take-off or landing were delayed. Many flights in Brussels Airport Zaventem are delayed until 13:00, at which time the…
According to an Airbus A220 airworthiness directive issued by Transport Canada on May 13, the fuel flowing to engines could be blocked due to fuel tubes eroded by a clamp. The directive says that operators have reported damages on multiple aircraft caused by bonding clamps that are touching the tubes. Transport Canada mandated Airbus A220…
The U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday ordered the suspension of all commercial passenger and cargo flights between the United States and Venezuela, citing reports of unrest and violence around airports in the South American country. In a letter to the Transportation Department requesting the halt, the Department of Homeland Security said “conditions in Venezuela…
Qantas has announced a “points plane.” The flight can only be booked with Qantas Frequent Flier Points. The first Qantas points plane will be an A380 flying Melbourne to Tokyo on 21 October, with seat bookings opening 7:00am AEST 16 May. The flight will have 14 first class, 64 Business, 35 Premium Economy and 371…
Drake revealed his very own “Air Drake” on Friday, a massive plane emblazoned with his own logos. Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, created the personalized private plane with Cargojet, a Canadian airline. The company announced their partnership with the rapper earlier this month. The rapper purchased a Boeing 767 cargo plane and…
Today, VINCI Airports completed the acquisition of a majority shareholding (50.01%) in London Gatwick airport, a freehold property and the UK’s second-largest airport. With this transaction, VINCI Airports becomes the world’s second-largest airport operator with over 240 million passengers a year including 46 million at London Gatwick. VINCI Airports now operates the world’s largest and…
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…
