Thursday, June 2, 2016

Onur A321 over Hungaria to Czechia on May 29th 2016, loss of communication

TC-ATR AtlasGlobal Airbus A321-211 photographed at Erfurt (ERF / EDDE) by Maximilian Hartmann

An Onur Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration TC-ATR performing flight 8Q-825 from Antalya (Turkey) to Dusseldorf (Germany), was enroute at FL340 over Hungary when radio contact between aircraft and air traffic control was lost. The aircraft continued normally across Slovakia into Czech Republic without reporting with any air traffic control center. Germany dispatched fighter aircraft to intercept the aircraft as it entered German Airspace near Nuremberg (Germany), communication with the crew was then restored. The crew never set the transponder code for loss of communication. The aircraft continued to Dusseldorf for a safe landing.

The aircraft departed Dusseldorf for the return flight about 45 minutes after landing.



Incident: Onur A321 over Hungaria to Czechia on May 29th 2016, loss of communication

Egyptair MS804: Blackbox found?



On Jun 1st 2016 Egypt's Civil Aviation Authority reported, that the French vessel "Laplace" has located pings presumed to originate from one of two black boxes. Vessel "John Lethbridge" of DOS is estimated to join the search in a week in order to retrieve the blackbox(es). The search for the second pinger continues.

On Jun 1st 2016 the French BEA confirmed that Egyptian Authorities have confirmed a "signal that may come from one of the recorders" of flight MS-804. The BEA did NOT confirm that a black box has been located though (unlike many media are reporting as breaking news).


Crash: Egypt A320 over Mediterranean on May 19th 2016, aircraft found crashed, ACARS messages indicate fire on board

COBALT: Στους αιθέρες από σήμερα η νέα αεροπορική της Κύπρου | Airnews





Η νέα αεροπορική εταιρεία της Κύπρου που φιλοδοξεί να γίνει Cyprus Airways- με το 90% των υπαλλήλων της να προέρχονται από την παλιά ένδοξη αεροπορική εταιρεία- ξεκινά πτήσεις προς Ελλάδα και όχι μόνο, δίνοντας έμφαση στην ποιοτική εξυπηρέτηση και στις ανταγωνιστικές τιμές
Η πρώτη πτήση της COBALT– του νέου κυπριακού αερομεταφορέα – πραγματοποιήθηκε σήμερα, Τετάρτη 1η Ιουνίου, με αφετηρία τη Λάρνακα και προορισμό την Αθήνα.
Πρόκειται για μια πτήση γνωριμίας με δημοσιογράφους και ξεχωριστούς καλεσμένους, που σηματοδότησε την επίσημη έναρξη λειτουργίας της νέας αεροπορικής εταιρείας της Κύπρου.
Το αεροσκάφος, τύπου Airbus A320, αναχώρησε σήμερα το πρωί από τον Διεθνή Αερολιμένα Λάρνακας για τον Διεθνή Αερολιμένα «Ελευθέριος Βενιζέλος» στην Αθήνα.
Αμέσως μετά την προσγείωση ακολούθησε σύντομη εκδήλωση στο ξενοδοχείο Sofitel Athens Airport, στην οποία παρευρέθηκαν αρκετοί δημοσιογράφοι από Κύπρο και Ελλάδα.

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O κ. Γρηγόρης Διάκου, Πρόεδρος, COBALT, o κ. Andrew Pyne, CEO, COBALT και ο κ. Φιλόκυπρος Ρουσουνίδης, Chief Corporate Affairs, COBALT

Όπως τόνισε ο Πρόεδρος της COBALT κ. Γρηγόρης Διάκου «Αναγνωρίζοντας την κορυφαία θέση που έχει η Ελλάδα στις προτιμήσεις, αλλά και τις καρδιές των Κυπρίων, επιλέξαμε την Αθήνα σαν προορισμό για την πρώτη μας πτήση. Λαμβάνοντας αυτό το δεδομένο υπόψη, και κατανοώντας τη σημασία της Αθήνας, αλλά και ολόκληρης της Ελλάδας για τους κατοίκους τους νησιού μας, η COBALT θα πραγματοποιεί 3 καθημερινές πτήσεις από τη Λάρνακα στην Αθήνα, δημιουργώντας μια γέφυρα που θα ενώνει την Κύπρο με την Ελλάδα σε καθημερινή βάση».

Η πρώτη πτήση της COBALT πραγματοποιήθηκε ακριβώς δύο εβδομάδες μετά την έκδοση του Πιστοποιητικού Αερομεταφορέα από το Τμήμα Πολιτικής Αεροπορίας της Κύπρου.
Πτήσεις προς το Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο και άλλους ευρωπαϊκούς προορισμούς θα προστεθούν στο πτητικό πρόγραμμα της COBALT μέχρι το τέλος Ιουνίου, περίοδος κατά την οποία ο στόλος της εταιρείας θα ενισχυθεί με ακόμα τρία αεροσκάφη.
Σύμφωνα με τους σχεδιασμούς της, η εταιρεία θα πετάει σε Αθήνα, Θεσσαλονίκη, Ηράκλειο, Χανιά, Λονδίνο, Μάντσεστερ, Δουβλίνο και Παρίσι, ενώ περισσότεροι προορισμοί θα προστεθούν σύντομα.
Η νέα αεροπορική εταιρεία, όπως επισημαίνει ο επικεφαλής της, έχει στόχο να χτίσει πάνω στην επιτυχία των αεροπορικών εταιρειών χαμηλού κόστους, φιλοδοξώντας να προσφέρει υπηρεσίες που όχι απλώς θα γεμίσουν το κενό που άφησαν οι Κυπριακές Αερογραμμές, αλλά και να ενδυναμώσει την εικόνα της Κύπρου σαν προορισμό για όλο τον χρόνο και σαν περιφερειακή αεροπορική βάση. Έμφαση θα δοθεί επίσης στην καινοτομία και τις νέες τεχνολογίες.
«Το χαμηλό κόστος είναι το κλειδί της επιτυχίας, επειδή μας επιτρέπει να δημιουργήσουμε νέα επιβατική κίνηση. Εκτός από αυτό, όμως, σκοπεύουμε να είμαστε ευρηματικοί και δημιουργικοί όσον αφορά τις υπηρεσίες που θα προσφέρουμε. Θέλουμε να προσφέρουμε εξαιρετικές υπηρεσίες σε οικονομικές τιμές στις αγορές που δραστηριοποιούμαστε», πρόσθεσε ο επικεφαλής της COBALT.
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O κ. Γρηγόρης Διάκου, Πρόεδρος, COBALT και η κ. Ιωάννα Παπαδοπούλου, Διευθύντρια Επικοινωνίας & Μάρκετινγκ, ΔΑΑ

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Lufthansa: Safety Database



Operator info
name: Lufthansa
country:  Germany
ICAO code: DLH
IATA code: LH
Founded: 1926

IOSA registered Lufthansa passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) benchmark for global safety management 
Related airlines:
» Deutsche Lufthansa relaunched as Lufthansa in 1954

Lufthansa- Accident & incidents:
30 occurrences in the ASN safety database

Norwegian Adds 2 Manchester Routes | AIRLIVE.net

Picture from Norwegian.

Low-cost airline Norwegian continues its growth at Manchester Airport with the addition of two new routes to Malaga and Alicante taking-off this week. Passengers in Manchester and the North West now have access to approximately 130,000 more seats in time for the summer.
From, Thursday 2nd June, four weekly flights will depart Manchester to Malaga, followed by two weekly flights to Alicante commencing from 3rd June. The new routes will be serviced by Norwegian’s brand new 186 seat aircraft that keep passengers connected in the skies with free Wi-Fi.
Thomas Ramdahl, Chief Commercial Officer at Norwegian said: “Norwegian’s expansion plans at Manchester are only at the beginning. 380,000 passengers have already enjoyed our services including free Wi-Fi, comfortable seating and brand new aircraft all at affordable fares to and from Manchester Airport. With our new routes to Malaga and Alicante, customers now have even more choice to lighten the load on their wallets by flying to this summer’s hotspots with Norwegian.”
NEWS Norwegian Adds 2 Manchester Routes | AIRLIVE.net

Thomas Cook Inaugurates Manchester-Boston Route | AIRLIVE.net



On May 30th, Thomas Cook Inaugurated their first Manchester-Boston flight, using their Airbus A330 aircraft. The Boston Weekender programme, which runs twice a week throughout June to the middle of September,  will take culture vultures and explorers to one of the US’s most historic cities, with a flight schedule that makes long weekends available like never before. 
At the inaugural flight celebrations, customers were treated to an exciting US-themed check-in experience and Boston’s own Samuel Adams beer and burgers at the departure gate. A fun baseball simulator added to the amazing buzz among customers on the first flight.
Thomas Cook’s Chief Airlines and Hotels Officer, Christoph Debus, said: “When we launch our new routes, we really go big for our customers and Boston is no exception. This route opens up great new possibilities for our customers to enjoy long weekends in one of the America’s greatest cities. The three-night stay is short enough to dodge jet-lag, the city is close enough for a long weekend;  it’s affordable even in Premium class; and our £100M refurbished interiors are comfortable enough to rest on the way back home to work – even our specialist cats testing team think they’re great. This is our second inaugural flight to the US route in May, with our Los Angeles programme now four weeks old and our schedule for Boston makes it ideal for a long weekend. We are the largest long-haul carrier from Manchester Airport and offer the best US leisure destinations for holiday makers in the north west and will keep putting our customers at the heart of everything we do.”
Stephen Turner, Commercial Director at Manchester Airport, said: “We are absolutely delighted today to see Thomas Cook Airlines’ inaugural flight to Boston leave from Manchester Airport, the UK’s global gateway for the North. This route makes Manchester the only UK airport outside of London to offer a direct service to Boston, and offers our 23.5m annual passengers easy access to the USA. Furthermore, it showcases the role Manchester Airport plays in UK aviation, offering a wealth of long haul destinations, which no other UK airport outside of London has. I am sure this route will be a success and hope all the passengers on the first flight have a great trip to the USA.”
The Thomas Cook Group Airlines consist of four sun and beach focused leisure airlines: Thomas Cook Airlines UK , Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium, Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia and Condor Flugdienst. The airlines carry 17.2m passengers per year, generating revenues of £2.7bn. The combined fleet consists of 91 aircraft. The invest of 100 million GBP of the Thomas Cook Group in the cabin refurbishment of all aircraft and the new Airbus A321 was the biggest invest in the airlines and the guest’s comfort in the company’s history. By mid-2016, the Thomas Cook Group Airlines will have integrated 25 brand new A321.State-of-the-art engine technology and enhanced aerodynamics cut kerosene consumption thus reducing emissions and improving sound protection.
NEWS Thomas Cook Inaugurates Manchester-Boston Route | AIRLIVE.net

Cathay Pacific Adds New A350 Routes in NW16 :: Routesonline


Cathay Pacific in today (31MAY16)’s schedule update has opened reservation for additional destinations to be served by Airbus A350-900XWB aircraft. At the launch of winter 2016/17 season, A350 will begin serving following long-haul routes.
eff 30OCT16 Hong Kong – Auckland CX117/118 1 daily
eff 31OCT16 Hong Kong – Paris CDG CX279/278 3 weekly
eff 31OCT16 Hong Kong – Rome 


Planned A350 operation remains subject to change.

Cathay Pacific Adds New A350 Routes in NW16 :: Routesonline

Virgin Atlantic Adds Manchester - New York Service from May 2017 :: Routesonline



Virgin Atlantic in summer 2017 season plans to introduce new Manchester – New York JFK operation, based on the week of 29MAY16’s OAG Schedules Analyser update. This daily service will replace existing DELTA’s daily flight, effective from 25MAY17. Reservation will open at a later date.

VS127 MAN1045 – 1335JFK 333 D
VS128 JFK1930 – 0715+1MAN 333 D


Virgin Atlantic Adds Manchester - New York Service from May 2017 :: Routesonline

United B738 at Tampa on May 30th 2016, rejected takeoff due to blown tyre results in gear fire


A United Boeing 737-800, registration N33284 performing flight UA-1948 from Tampa,FL to Houston Intercontinental,TX (USA) with 131 people on board, was accelerating for takeoff from Tampa's runway 19R when a bang occurred prompting the crew to reject the takeoff at high speed, smoke was seen from the left hand engine. The crew stopped the aircraft about 1700 meters/5800 feet down the runway and reported they had rejected takeoff and might be on fire. Tower advised that he didn't see any flames yet, there was smoke however, emergency services were on their way. Subsequently tower reported the smoke was increasing, it appeared the left hand engine was on fire, subsequently confirming, the left hand engine was on fire. Emergency services put out a left main gear fire. Then the passengers disembarked onto the runway via mobile stairs.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N33264 reached Houston with a delay of 6.5 hours.

The airline reported a tyre blew on takeoff prompting the crew to reject takeoff. The passengers disembarked via stairs and were returned to the terminal.

Passengers reported there was a small fire on the left hand main gear following the rejected takeoff, which was put out quickly after emergency services arrived.



Incident: United B738 at Tampa on May 30th 2016, rejected takeoff due to blown tyre results in gear fire

Sunwing B738 over Gulf of Mexico on May 12th 2016, instrumentation failure



A Sunwing Boeing 737-800, registration C-FLSW performing flight WG-488 from Cancun (Mexico) to Calgary,AB (Canada), was enroute at FL340 over the Gulf of Mexico about 210nm south of New Orleans,LA (USA), 340nm northnorthwest of Cancun and about 430nm southwest of Orlando,FL (USA) when the crew declared PAN reporting an instrumentation failure, decided to divert to Orlando, requested emergency services on stand by and advised they would request progressive taxi after landing. The aircraft landed safely on Orlando's runway 17R about 75 minutes after the decision to divert to Orlando and about 40 minutes after leaving FL340.

The aircraft remained on the ground in Orlando for 16.5 hours, then continued the journey and reached Calgary with a delay of 17.5 hours.

A passenger reported the crew announced navigation system problems.

On May 31st 2016 the Canadian TSB reported the crew was enroute over the Gulf of Mexico when the crew contacted Houston Center to request deviations around weather. The aircraft subsequently entered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and was radar-identified. After about 5 minutes in IMC the crew received multiple failures in close succession including IAS Disagree, ALT Disagree, Master Caution - Engine, EEC ALTN, Low Airspeed Audio Warning, AIRSPEED TOO LOW, AT LIM, CA Airspeed and Altitude erratic indications, VNAV disconnect and Alpha Floor on MCP Panel. The crew declared emergency with Houston Area Control Center and turned east to get out of IMC. The fault indications continued for about 20-30 minutes. Once out of IMC and after working the related checklists the fault indications ceased and the instruments returned to normal operation. The aircraft diverted to Orlando for a landing without further incidents.


http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWG488/history/20160512/2140Z/MMUN/CYYC


Incident: Sunwing B738 over Gulf of Mexico on May 12th 2016, instrumentation failure