Emirates is offering special pre-launch fares for its Dubai to Panama route, which will start from February 1. The route, operated by a Boeing 777-200 LR, will take a whopping 17 hours and 35 minutes, making it the longest in the world. Emirates said that fares would start from Dh7,205 in economy class and Dh20,250 in business class when booked for travel between February 1 and March 23....
Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways said it raised 220 million pounds (EUR304 million) from Europe's first-ever bonds secured against airport operating slots. The issue, backed by scarce take-off and landing positions at London's Heathrow airport, will help finance long- term investments including the purchase of new aircraft Virgin said. The deal is the company...
A decline in aircraft orders this year shows the order cycle is peaking after five years of torrid growth, industry experts said on Thursday, raising speculation that Boeing Co and Airbus may be forced to scale back higher production rates planned for coming years. "Orders have a history of very high peaks and very low troughs," said Edmund Greenslet, an independent analyst who p...
Thailand's airlines have been spared a ban from European skies despite concerns over flight safety in the country. Last month the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which regulates U.S. air safety, downgraded all Thai airlines to "category 2". While no Thai airlines currently fly to or from the States, the move prevents them from establishing new routes. In March Thai airli...
The three largest U.S. airlines are banning hoverboards because of the potential fire danger from the lithium-ion batteries that power the devices. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines said Thursday they are banning hoverboards in checked or carry-on luggage. JetBlue Airways has already prohibited them. Hoverboards are motorized, two-wheel, skateboard-sized scooters th...
Japan's revised civil aviation law that regulates the use of drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles came into effect on Thursday. The new regulations require operators to get government approval to fly such aircraft in areas designated as densely populated, at events, and near airports, public broadcaster NHK reported. Permission is also required for flying out of the operator's s...
Norwegian Air Shuttle, Europe's third largest low-cost carrier, flew its last Boeing 737-300 from Lasham in the UK to the small town of Bodo in Northern Norway. With all of Norwegian's Boeing 737-300s no longer in operation, the airline's fleet now has an average age of 3.6 years making it one of the most modern and environmentally friendly in Europe. Norwegian has given the reti...
As many as 284 foreign pilots were employed by domestic aviation companies at the end of September, with IndiGo having the highest number of overseas pilots at 94, according to the government. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma today informed the Lok Sabha there were 284 foreign pilots at various aviation companies as on September 30. Out of them, no-frills carrier IndiGo had...
An aviation firm has come forth to claim three Boeing 747s that local airport authorities warned would be auctioned off, and accused Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd of refusing to accept its ownership of the planes. Swift Air Cargo chief executive officer Captain Blue Peterson insisted that his firm was in contact with MAHB the entire time, but this did not stop the airport authority from publis...
South African aviation agency officials have started their investigation into Monday’s crash of an EclipseEA500. The accident, the first fatal mishap involving the very light jet, killed the owner-pilot, 57-year-old South African businessman Kobus Dicks. When he took ownership of the aircraft in 2013, it was the first Eclipse to be registered in the African continent. The aircra...
Pilots of an EasyJet Airbus A319 overflew a ridge at less than 500ft after losing awareness of their position while attempting a visual night landing at Bristol earlier this year. The aircraft was arriving from Glasgow and needed to perform a sharp right turn to line up with Bristol’s runway 27. But the captain executed the turn prematurely and did not realise that the aircraft was nor...
Most of the Boeing 787s delivered to date contain a software defect that, in at least five identified aircraft, have erroneously reported their location to controllers, prompting two air traffic management agencies to put the Dreamliner on a “blacklist” for certain services. Although it denies the software defect creates a safety hazard, Boeing says a service bulletin with instructi...
