Monthly Archives: February 2018

Ryanair To Close Glasgow Base, 300 Jobs At Risk

Europe’s biggest budget airline is to close its base at Glasgow in November. Ryanair will move the aircraft that currently operates five routes from Glasgow to Edinburgh. It blames Air Passenger Duty (APD), the £13 tax on all departing passengers aged 16 or over. The airline’s chief commercial officer, David O’Brien said: “Ryanair regrets these […]

United plane blows tire on takeoff from Newark, continues flying

United Airlines domestic flight from Newark, New Jersey to Portland, Oregon, blew a tire during takeoff late on February 25, 2018. The airplane continued its flight and landed safely, officials said. United said the plane, a Boeing 737, blew one of its tires on takeoff from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), New Jersey, and alerted […]

Ethiopian starts first A350 XWB training in Africa

Ethiopian Airlines announced on February 23, 2018, that it has become an Airbus A350 XWB full-flight training simulator operator. The simulator is the first of this kind in Africa. The A350 XWB Simulator is fitted with a full electrical motion system which delivers improved performance while providing energy savings and environmental benefits. “The introduction of […]

Pratt & Whitney claims solving A320neo PW1100G-JM engine problem

Pratt & Whitney announced on February 21, 2018, that it has found a solution to the PW1100G-JM engine problem. The problem came to spotlight earlier in February 2018, when both the European and U.S. aviation authority bodies deemed Airbus A320neo aircraft – powered by the engine – unsafe to use. As a result, several A320neo […]

The tragic An-148 flight: technical or human error to blame?

The Russian An-148 airliner, carrying out a domestic flight, crashed in the Moscow Region on February 11, 2018, killing all 71 people onboard. Investigators maintain that wrong data of flight speed, apparently due to icing, could have led to the crash. The yet unanswered crucial question is whether the pilots failed to switch on the […]

Airbus delivers newest A350 XWB jetliner to launch customer Qatar

The new kid on a block is ready to take off. Airbus announced on February 20, 2018, the delivery of its brand-new A350-1000 – the longest-fuselage version of A350 XWB jetliner – to launch customer Qatar Airways. The aircraft is the first of 37 A350-1000s ordered by Qatar. The carrier is both the largest Airbus A350 XWB […]

Meridiana becomes Air Italy, aims to become new national carrier

On February 19, 2018, the Italian airline Meridiana merged with its subsidiary Air Italy, taking up a new name, a new hub and a new ambitious strategy. Under its new owners, the airline will seek to grow its fleet and passenger numbers fourfold by 2022, having a goal to replace Alitalia and become the country’s […]

Iranian rescuers find ATR-72 crash wreckage, search continues

The wreckage of an Iranian plane that crashed with 65 people onboard was found in central Iran on Monday, February 19, 2018, officials from the region told state media, although aviation authorities could not confirm the report. Severe weather in the mountainous area has hampered search operations. The Aserman Airlines flight disappeared from radar screens […]

Agonising wait continues for relatives of Iran plane crash

Relatives of 66 people who were on board a plane that crashed in Iran are desperately waiting for any news, as rescue teams search for wreckage BBC News reports. The Aseman Airlines ATR72 passenger plane crashed in Zagros Mountains in Iran on February 18, 2018. All 66 people onboard the flight EP3704 are presumed to […]

Pratt & Whitney under fire from U.S. regulators for engine risks

Engines manufactured by Pratt & Whitney for the latest Airbus A320neo single-aisle jetliner pose a shutdown risk, the U.S. aviation regulator warns. The warning comes after European regulators raised their concerns about potential inflight shutdown and rejected takeoffs. The Federal Aviation Association (FAA) warning, issued on February 14, 2018, cites a “knife edge seal failure” […]