BREAKING VIDEO Two aircraft collide in the air for #AlbaAdriatica #airshow, A pilot has died and another seriously injured

NEWS Actor Harrison Ford back in the skies after March emergency landing

Just months after an emergency forced a hard landing of his World War II-era Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR at the Santa Monica Airport, People Magazine reports the actor was spotted back at the same airport in the cockpit of his Bell 407 helicopter.

NEWS Qatar Airways launches services to Amsterdam

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, has revealed details of the airline’s imminent services to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, highlighting the multiple benefits the new route will offer.

NEWS Etihad Airways in social media focus

Etihad Airways has launched an exclusive Twitter account to engage with Gold and Platinum members of its frequent flyer program – Etihad Guest, on the popular social media platform.

NEWS Air China, Air Canada add flights between Beijing and Montreal

Air China and Air Canada are preparing for the launch of non-stop flights between Beijing and Montreal that will create the first transpacific direct link between Asia and Montreal .

NEWS Investigation after a green laser pointed at the cockpit of several flights leaving JFK in New York Thursday night

VIDEO Japan volcano eruption, All Nippon Airways diverting some flights to Okinawa and South-East Asia

NEWS Google's solar plane crashed earlier this month in New Mexico

According to Bloomberg Business, the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating an incident wherein Google's solar-powered Solara 50 plane reportedly crashed shortly after takeoff. The event occurred on May 1st at a private airfield outside of Albuquerque and no injuries were reported.

NEWS Islamic State seizes control of airport in Sirte, Libya

The Islamic State jihadist group has seized control of the airport in the city of Sirte after forces of a Tripoli-based Libyan government withdrew, a spokesman said Friday.

ALERT Passenger Plane In Drone Near-Miss On Approach Into LaGuardia

A passenger jet nearly hit a drone as it made its final approach into New York City's LaGuardia Airport Friday morning. According to FAA officials, Shuttle America Flight 2708 climbed 200 feet at around 11 a.m. to avoid the unmanned aircraft that was flying over Prospect Park in Brooklyn at an altitude of 2,700 feet. The flight, inbound from Washington, D.C., landed without incident.

NEWS Toddler and pregnant mom kicked off United flight #UA6223

Sarah Blackwood says her 23-month-old son was "grumpy" when she boarded a flight from San Francisco to Vancouver on Wednesday night—but not grumpy enough to endanger aviation. Blackwood, a singer in Canadian band Walk Off the Earth, tells the Hamilton Spectator that she was kicked off United Airlines Flight 6223 after the toddler kept "crying really loud and squirming" and a flight attendant told her she had to control her child.


Helicopter Crashes In Trees Just Outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - A pilot and his passenger are uninjured after their helicopter suffered an in-flight emergency on Friday Afternoon and crash landed into a tall oak tree. The limbs of the tree held the helicopter up and kept it from falling to the ground where both men remained until help arrived.

The pilot stated there was no flat area nearby and the only choice was to ditch the helicopter into the trees. The FAA is helping investigate the incident

To read more about this story, please visit the article on WZZM13.com Below

Helicopter Pilot and Passenger Not Hurt After Crash Landing In Trees

NEWS Emirates coming to Chicago to recruit pilots

Emirates is looking for pilots in the Windy City. Emirates' pilot recruitment team will be tomorrow in Chicago at the Marriott O'Hare to meet with interested applicants looking to explore careers with the carrier.

ALERT British Airways operates 24 charter flights from Heathrow, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen to Europe destinations

29th May:

BA4547 and BA4548 from Edinburgh to Palma on E190 G-LCYU

BA9134 and BA9135 from London Heathrow to Lemnos on A321 G-EUXE

30th May:

From & to Heathrow:
BA9240 and BA9241 to Kos on A320 G-EUYV
BA9216 and BA9217 to Cagliari on A320 G-EUUR
BA9232 and BA9233 to Rhodes on A321 G-EUXK
BA9234 and BA9235 to Bodrum on A320 G-EUUT
BA9238 and BA9239 to Bastia on A320 G-EUYG
BA9218 and BA9219 to Olbia on A320 G-EUUN
BA9228 and BA9229 to Dalaman on A320 G-EUYN
BA9244 and BA9245 to Dalaman on A320 G-EUUK

From & to Glasgow:
BA4519 and BA4520 to Verona on E190 G-LCYS
BA4543 and BA4544 to Venice on E190 G-LCYP
BA4543 and BA4544 to Palma on E190 G-LCYK
BA4521 and BA4522 to Palma on E190 G-LCYR

From & to Edinburgh:
BA4501 and BA4502 from Edinburgh to Palma on E190 G-LCYM

From Edinburgh to Manchester via Ibiza:
BA4511 from Edinburgh to Ibiza on E190 G-LCYJ
BA4512 from Ibiza to Manchester on E190 G-LCYJ

From & to Aberdeen:
BA4503 and BA4504 from Aberdeen to Malaga on E190 G-LCYO

From & to Humberside:
BA4513 and BA4514 from Humberside to Alicante on E170 G-LCYI

From & to Isle of Man:
BA4541 and BA4542 from Isle of Man to Menorca on E170 G-LCYF

Maintenance:
Meanwhile, British Airways City Flyer E170 G-LCYE has positioned from London City to Warsaw for maintenance this morning as BA9769.
Also Embraer E170 G-LCYD has flew from London City to Cambridge for training BA9771.

NEWS Boeing names new Middle East president

Boeing has named Bernie Dunn president of Boeing Middle East. Dunn will be based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and report to Marc Allen, president of Boeing International. The change is effective immediately.

NEWS Emirates adds daily service to Orlando

Emirates is commencing a daily service to Orlando, Florida from 1st September 2015. The route will be served by a US-built Boeing 777-200LR with eight First Class suites, 42 Business Class lie-flat beds and 216 Economy Class seats.

NEWS Etihad Airways reaches record profitability for 2014

Etihad Airways achieved its strongest financial results to date in 2014, posting a net profit of US$ 73 million on total revenues of US$ 7.6 billion. The figures are up 52.1 per cent and 26.7 per cent respectively over the previous year. The performance, which marked the airline’s fourth consecutive year of net profitability, also saw earnings before interest and tax up 32.5 per cent to US$ 257 million.

NEWS: New Study- Flying economy is 25% cheaper than in 1990, but with drawbacks

Flying economy class now costs a quarter of what it did in 1990 when looked at in real terms, and factoring in average wages, a new study claims.

The Australian Aviation Fare Analysis issued by Flight Centre’s corporate travel arm, 4th Dimension Travel, and the CAPA Centre for Aviation, showed that domestic airfares bought for corporate travel rose by an average of 1.5 per cent in 2014 while tickets bought by retail or leisure channels rose by an average of 3.4 per cent.
(News Limited)
However, price changes varied according to the route, with Sydney-Canberra topping the chart with a fare increase of 13 per cent.

Passengers flying from Sydney to Perth or Melbourne experienced price increases of 6.9 per cent and 6.3 per cent, respectively.

The survey comes as airlines take advantage of the end of the so-called “capacity wars’’ to push up airfares and boost profitability.

While contributors to the report noted Australian passengers still enjoy some of the best airline experiences in the world, there are predictions they’ll face new fees and charges.

“The airline industry will remain highly competitive but progressive in its product and service offerings,’’ said Gordon Wilson, chief executive of travel commerce firm Travelport.

“In many cases, consumers will effectively pay the same or perhaps more for tickets despite fuel price reductions as airlines substitute surcharges for baseline price increases and additional fees for unbundled services.”

However, Flight Centre managing director Graham Turner said air travel was still excellent value for money.

“Today’s traveller reaps the benefit of living in the ‘golden era of travel’ and will continue to, for at least another two decades.

“Domestic and international air travel now represents unprecedented value for customers in terms of price and product,” Mr Turner said.

A separate survey by TripAdvisor of 10,000 Australians found that nine out of 10 intended to fly on a short-haul flight this year, compared with 88 per cent last year.

It said 78 per cent of respondents reported they intended to travel on a long-haul flight compared to 75 per cent who did so in 2014.

The survey found the most unpopular aspect of flying (76 per cent) was uncomfortable seats and limited legroom.

Added fees upset 57 per cent of passengers while flight delays and cancellations angered 56 per cent.

Loud and crying kids annoyed 55 per cent of passengers while four out of 10 did not like long security lines and waiting at customs.

Of the passengers who disliked shrinking seat space, 41 per cent said they always or often paid extra for a better seat and almost two-thirds said they were more likely to do that than five years ago.

The things travellers most liked about air travel was the thrill of getting to a destination, a sense of adventure, in-flight amenities and looking out of the window during landings and takeoff.

About a quarter said they enjoyed the chance to get a break from work and email during the flight.

Among the biggest improvements passengers saw in air travel were ease of booking online, the ability to comparison shop online, better flight options and improved in-flight entertainment.


By The Australian's Steve Creedy

ALERT Emirates #EK82 from Lyon to Dubai is holding just after take off

NEWS VIDEO Unidentified aircraft with engine on fire intercepted by Colombia Air Force crashs into water

An unidentified Hawker 800 jet crashed into the waters off Puerto Colombia, after being intercepted by a Colombian Air Force plane after illegally flying into Colombian airspace. The body of an unidentified man was recovered.

Full article on ASN

NEWS Incorrectly Installed Engine Software Caused A400M Crash

Incorrectly installed engine control software caused the fatal crash of an A400M airlifter in Spain on May 9, a seniorAirbus Group official says.
In an interview with the German financial newspaper Handelsblatt, Airbus Chief Strategy Officer Marwan Lahoud said the incorrect installation took place during final assembly of the aircraft, which led to engine failure and the resulting crash.
Lahoud said that data extracted from the flight data recorder this week and seen by Airbus engineers confirmed the internal hypothesis that there had been no problem with the aircraft.
“The black boxes attest to that there are no structural defects [with the aircraft], but we have a serious quality problem in the final assembly,” Lahoud told the newspaper.

Aviationweek article

VIDEO A MiG-29 flying at edge of space (up to 60,000ft!)



All details can be found here

NEWS Thomas Cook #TCX1603 to London Gatwick declared an emergency and diverted to Stansted




LIVE Thomson Dreamlier just delivered to the airline is en-route after departing Stansted

http://planefinder.net/flight/TOM9201

NEWS American Airlines to be first airline to fly Airbus A321s to Hawaii

American Airlines will phase out its Boeing 757-200 aircraft on some of its Hawaii routes and replace them with the single-aisle Airbus A321 aircraft, according to a report from Airways News. The aircraft will have wing sharklets to extend its range and will be a subfleet of its A321 operations with Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards, or ETOPS, certification.

ALERT 4 flights hit by green beam lasers after taking off from New York's JFK airport

NEWS Austrian Airlines sets date for Manchester arrival

Austrian Airlines will join the other carriers of the Lufthansa Airline Group at Manchester with the start of a new daily service to Vienna on September 10th, 2015. In addition to providing a point to point service to one of Europe’s most frequently visited cities, the new flight also completes access for the Lufthansa Group’s customers in the north of England to the 360 degree onward connection offering across the airline group worldwide network.

VIDEO Strong turbulence on board Turkish Airlines flight #TK10 from Los Angeles to Istanbul on May 23rd

NEWS Emirates set to fly into Bologna, Italy, from November

Emirates will launch a daily service to Bologna, Italy, from its base in Dubai on November 3rd, 2015. The capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, Bologna will be Emirates’ fourth Italian destination bringing Emirates’ weekly flights to Italy to 56. Set to be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER in a three class configuration, Emirates will offer the only long-haul wide-bodied service to and from Bologna.

LIVE First @Airbus A330 242 tonnes is on delivery flight for @Delta

Today, Delta Air Lines took delivery of the first ever Airbus A330-300 with a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 242 tons. This improved variant of the A330, known as the “A330-300 242T”, allows airlines to fly with higher payloads (more passengers & cargo) on longer routes more efficiently than ever before.
  Courtesy of PlaneFinder

ALERT EasyJet flight #U22083 from London LTN to Tel Aviv is returning

BREAKING We're recieving reports of radioactive leak at #Delhi's Indira Gandhi Intl Airport

A radioactive leak has been detected at India’s capital IGI Airport, Press Trust of India reported. Packets with radioactive material were reportedly spotted onboard a flight from Turkey.

“A consignment of sodium iodide class 7 category liquid reached the IGI Airport in Turkish Airlines around 4.35 a.m. As it was being moved to a secure place from where it had to be sent to Fortis Hospital, a leak was noticed,” a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officer told IANS on condition of anonymity.


NDRF team and atomic energy experts site of radioactive leak at Delhi IGI airport

UPDATE The leak has stopped.

UPDATE No radiation found after scare at India's Delhi airport.



SPOTTING A330 China Southern landing in toulouse (@THOFBOSS)

NEWS Vietjet launches new flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Taipei

Vietjet has announced that it will increase the frequency of its service between Ho Chi Minh City and Taipei. The new flights will take off on June 18th 2015. From five return flights a week, the airline will now increase it to operate on a daily basis to meet flourishing demand from business and leisure travellers on this route.

NEWS Etihad Airways reaches record profitability for 2014

Etihad Airways achieved its strongest financial results to date in 2014, posting a net profit of US$ 73 million on total revenues of US$ 7.6 billion. The figures are up 52.1 per cent and 26.7 per cent respectively over the previous year. The performance, which marked the airline’s fourth consecutive year of net profitability, also saw earnings before interest and tax up 32.5 per cent to US$ 257 million.

NEWS Delta Pilot Orders Pizza For His Delayed Flight

What to do with a plane full of angry passengers stuck on a plane with no end in sight? Order them pizza. A 2pm Delta flight Tuesday from Philadelphia to Atlanta ended up sitting on the Knoxville tarmac for several hours after weather in Georgia prevented them landing. Passengers, stuck on the plane for the duration, were pleasantly surprised when a baggage cart laden down with Pizza Hut chugged out from the airport and pulled up to their aircraft.

NEWS Singapore Airlines is investigating how one of its jets suffered a loss of power in both engines and descended 13,000 feet

Singapore Airlines says it's investigating how one of its jets suffered a loss of power in both of its engines over the weekend and descended 13,000 feet—nearly 2.5 miles—before regaining altitude en route from Singapore to Shanghai. 

The Airbus A330-300 was carrying 182 passengers and 12 crew members at 39,000 feet when the incident occurred Saturday, the airline says in a statement. The jet lost power in both engines after hitting bad weather several hours into the flight, but one engine quickly resumed normal operations, according to the statement.

NEWS Inaugural British Airways flight to Malaysia arrives at Kuala Lumpur

The inaugural British Airways Boeing 777-200ER flight to Malaysia, arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 2:35pm today. 

This is the first time the British Airways landed at KLIA in 14 years as the airline last flew to the Malaysian capital in 2001.

VIDEO The A350 XWB tours Asia: May 2015

Airbus' A350 XWB jetliner visited Taipei, Taiwan and Manila, Philippines during May 2015 on an Asian demonstration tour. Experience the sights and sounds from the trip, as Airbus showcased the benefits of this highly-efficient next-generation widebody jetliner in the region.

NEWS London City Airport begins expansion work on Western Pier

Work has begun to reconfigure the London City Airport’s Western Pier, which houses 70 per cent of its departure gates. Built in 1987, the airport was designed for tens of thousands of passengers, not the millions that use it today. The new Western Pier will create a bright, open-plan space with modern seating, electronic boarding gates, workspaces, quiet areas and charging points.

NEWS Oman Air launches new flights to Kuala Lumpur

Oman Air is to step up its operation from Muscat to Kuala Lumpur by offering daily non-stop flights to the Malaysian capital from June 1st 2015. The new service will meet growing demand for fast and convenient flights between the two cities, and will build on the success of the stopping service that Oman Air launched in 2010. Flights from Muscat will depart at 09:00 and arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 20:10, while flights from Kuala Lumpur will depart at 09:45 and touch down in Muscat at 12:30.

NEWS Emirates announces a new route to Bologna from Dubai to begin on the 3rd November

The new daily service:

EK092 departs DXB at 0845 and arrives at BLQ at 1220

EK093 departs BLQ at 1440 and arrives back at DXB at 2330

Service begins at 03rd November, on a 3-class Boeing B777-300ER

NEWS Malaysia Airlines battles to convey ‘business as normal’ message

Malaysia Airlines has moved to reassure the flying public that daily operations are very much business as usual as it finalises the restructure that owner Khazanah, Malaysia’s sovereign fund, commenced last year. Airline operations are to be transitioned to a new company, Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB), on September 1st. To effect this change and facilitate the transfer of selected assets and liabilities from the existing organisation, Malaysian Airline System Berhad (MAS), Khazanah appointed an administrator earlier this week.

NEWS Etihad expects contribution to US economy to double by 2020

Etihad Airways will contribute US$2.9 billion to the US economy and support 23,400 American jobs this year, according to new research by the global consultancy Oxford Economics. The study, commissioned by the United Arab Emirates’ flag-carrier, projects that by 2020, the airline’s operating expenditure and capital investments will almost double to support 46,200 American jobs and deliver US$6.2 billion a year.

BREAKING EasyJet flight #U26923 from Edinburgh to Amsterdam is declaring an emergency

New Details In AF953 Investigation Which Almost Crashed Into Mt. Cameroon

FRANCE - After narrowly missing flying directly into the side of Central Africa's highest mountain, Mt. Cameroon, French investigators have opened a probe into the incident and have released new details of the incident which took place on May 2nd, 2015.

The Boeing 777 was carrying only 37 total on board when it was cruising at approximately 9,000 feet. After departure from Malabo, the pilots decided to divert northbound to avoid storm clouds seemingly unaware of the terrain and Mt. Cameroon. The 777 was en route to Douala to pick up more passengers before continuing onto France.

A ground-proximity warning was triggered in the cockpit alerting the crew of impending doom and a collision with the mountain unless they took immediate action. Thankfully, the crew climbed directly and steeply to 13,000 feet to avoid the collision. Mt. Cameroon is 13,400 ft at it's highest point and is also an active volcano.

Air France released a statement stating that the crew reacted exactly as their training taught them. However, they have been taken off flying duties to receive more training. Air France also issued new briefings regarding the terrain around the area where the incident occurred to their flight crews.



VIDEO Fascinating Approach of a TAP A330 (Samuel Passos)

Fascinating View Unique Approach SUPERB A330

Posted by Airliner Models on lundi 25 mai 2015

EMERGENCY Southwest Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing at LAX

A Southwest Airlines flight made an emergency landing Tuesday night at LAX over concerns a fire had erupted in the cargo hold.
Passengers aboard flight 737 were escorted off the plane after a heat sensor activated in the cargo hold.
The Los Angeles Fire Department inspected the aircraft on the ground to determine if there was actually a fire, but found no signs of a blaze.
Passengers were allowed back on the plane to collect their things.

NEWS EVA Air flight #BR12 to Los Angeles from Taipei was the target Tuesday of a bomb threat

EVA Air flight en route to Los Angeles from Taipei was the target Tuesday of a bomb threat that turned out to be false, authorities said.

Shortly after landing at LAX about 3:40 p.m., EVA Air Flight 12 was taken to a secure area as airport officials and federal agents investigated the threat, which was made via telephone, according to law enforcement sources.

Los Angeles Airport Police and the LAPD inspected the plane, the passengers and luggage onboard but found no explosives, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.

Passengers were escorted off the plane around 5:30 p.m. and taken to the Tom Bradley International Terminal, Eimiller said. None of the passengers was taken into custody in connection with the threat.

Federal officials said they were working to determine the individual or group responsible for the threat.

NEWS IAG to acquire Irish government stake in Aer Lingus

International Airlines Group has agreed to purchase the Irish government held stake of flag-carrier Aer Lingus for approximately €1.4 billion. Existing Aer Lingus shareholders will receive €2.55 in cash for each Share, comprising a cash payment of €2.50 per share and a cash dividend of €0.05 per share. The terms of the transaction represent a premium of approximately 40 per cent on the closing price of €1.82 per Aer Lingus Share on December 17th 2014, the last dealing day prior to the first IAG offer.

BREAKING Belgium airspace closed till 14:00 due to power shortage at air control

Because of a technical failure with air traffic control no departures or landings are possible at Brussels Airport till 14.00h. This is a nation wide problem. Belgian Air traffic Controller Belgocontrol does its utmost best to restart the installations as quickly as possible. This electrical failure causes a lot of delays. A number of flights has been diverted to airports in the neighbourhood.




14:10 A gradual restarting of the air traffic control systems has started, some flights to/from Brussels
147 cancellations & 32 diversions (20,000 passengers) due to ATC technical problem

12:36 
Belgocontrol restarting systems

12:02
Brussels FIR closure now extended to 15:30 UTC, 17:30 local time

11:50
109 cancelled flights - 25 diverted
 

NEWS Boeing delivers first Next-Generation 737-800 to Transaero

Boeing has delivered Transaero’s first Next-Generation 737-800. The airplane, sporting a new livery, arrived at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport earlier. Transaero’s newest 737 has a recognizable radome “bump” on top of the fuselage just behind the wings.

NEWS Avis Budget Group strikes deal with Iberia

Iberia has announced a new partnership agreement with Avis Budget Group, which has become the exclusive car rental partner of the airline’s loyalty programme, Iberia Plus. The partnership launch campaign, ‘We Travel Together’, highlights the opportunity for Iberia Plus members to earn Avios for every rental booked.

NEWS Qatar Airways prepares fleet for Paris Air Show 2015

Qatar Airways is preparing to showcase the newest and best of its fleet with a display of five aircraft at the 2015 Paris Air Show, which takes place next month at Le Bourget in Paris. The planes include the Airbus A380 and A350 XWB, both of which entered service for the airline recently, with Qatar Airways receiving the A350 as Global Launch Customer.

NEWS Air France plane narrowly avoids Mount Cameroon crash

A Boeing 777 operated by Air France narrowly missed crashing into Mount Cameroon earlier this month French investigators have revealed. Flight AF953 was travelling from Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, to Douala, the largest city in Cameroon, when it came close to Africa’s highest mountain.

NEWS IAG to acquire Irish government stake in Aer Lingus

International Airlines Group has agreed to purchase the Irish government held stake of flag-carrier Aer Lingus for approximately €1.4 billion. Existing Aer Lingus shareholders will receive €2.55 in cash for each Share, comprising a cash payment of €2.50 per share and a cash dividend of €0.05 per share. The terms of the transaction represent a premium of approximately 40 per cent on the closing price of €1.82 per Aer Lingus Share on December 17th 2014, the last dealing day prior to the first IAG offer.

NEWS Air France boosts Cuba connections as tourism soars

Air France has confirmed it will operate an additional weekly flight to Havana in Cuba from October 2015, increasing its offer to 11 weekly departures during winter 2015. Air France has offered flights to Cuba for the past 17 years, operating daily services from the UK to Havana via Paris-Charles de Gaulle throughout the summer season.

NEWS British Airways to Launch Boeing 787 on Tel Aviv Service

BA from the 26th October is to launch the 787 on service to Tel Aviv

BA163 will operate on the 787 on (2230-0515) Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
BA162 the return, will operate on (0735-1100) on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

NEWS Thomas Cook is the plan a one-off service to Las Vegas from Belfast

Thomas Cook TCX124 departs Belfast International at 1010, arrives in Las Vegas at 1205 on 5th July

The return flight TCX125 departs Las Vegas at 1355 on 12th July and arrives back in Belfast at 7am the following day.

The flight is to operate on an A330 instead of the planned 757

ALERT Sinkhole Reported at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport

Departure delays have been reported at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport after a sinkhole was discovered near one of the runways, according to the airport.

BREAKING Singapore Airlines flight #SQ836 lost power on both engines during flight on saturday

Singapore Airlines flight #SQ836 lost power on both engines during flight on saturday.
The A330 from Singapore to Shanghai encountered bad weather over China coast when it lost power for about 30 mins and still continued to Shanghai where it safely landed.



NEWS American Airlines #AA131 from Birmingham to New York flight made emergency landing after chemical weapons threat

A flight from Birmingham to New York city was forced to make an emergency landing last night after chemical weapon threats.

American Airlines was notified that its flight 131 from Birmingham was among the planes mentioned in the threats, but the flight landed without incident.

Threats were made against at least six flights landing at airports in the New York area including flight Air France AF22, escorted by F15 fighters.

NEWS HNA Group joins with NetEase for new online travel venture

NetEase, one of China’s leading Internet and online game services providers, has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Lede Technology has signed a partnership agreement with HNA Group to form a joint venture company. The new venture will establish an all-new internet travel company. In December 2014, the two companies had signed a strategic framework cooperation agreement to become partners in the sectors of Internet travel and travel finance.

NEWS Mueller moves to allay Malaysia Airlines fears following administrator appointment

Christoph Mueller, chief executive of Malaysian Airline System Berhad and CEO-designate of the new airline, Malaysia Airlines Berhad, has assured customers MAS operations will continue as normal with the appointment of the administrator. Malaysia Airlines remains continues to implement a restructuring plan which will see it cut upward of a third of its workforce in an effort to recover after two plane tragedies last year.

NEWS Mueller moves to allay Malaysia Airlines fears following administrator appointment

Christoph Mueller, chief executive of Malaysian Airline System Berhad and CEO-designate of the new airline, Malaysia Airlines Berhad, has assured customers MAS operations will continue as normal with the appointment of the administrator. Malaysia Airlines remains continues to implement a restructuring plan which will see it cut upward of a third of its workforce in an effort to recover after two plane tragedies last year.

NEWS International Air Transport Association workshop visits Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi has played host to the International Air Transport Association workshop aiming to play its part in improving all aspects of air travel for passengers with some blue-sky thinking. The two-day workshop, held at the Rotana Hotel on the emirate’s Yas Island, was organised by IATA and welcomed airline professionals from across the Middle East and North Africa region in a bid to discuss and create innovative solutions to make the industry easier to do business with for both customers and partners, to improve the customer experience as well as to reduce industry costs.

NEWS Air France boosts Cuba connections as tourism soars

Air France has confirmed it will operate an additional weekly flight to Havana in Cuba from October 2015, increasing its offer to 11 weekly departures during winter 2015. Air France has offered flights to Cuba for the past 17 years, operating daily services from the UK to Havana via Paris-Charles de Gaulle throughout the summer season.

NEWS Mueller moves to allay Malaysia Airline fears following administration appointment

Christoph Mueller, chief executive of Malaysian Airline System Berhad and CEO-designate of the new airline, Malaysia Airlines Berhad, has assured customers MAS operations will continue as normal with the appointment of the administrator. Malaysia Airlines remains continues to implement a restructuring plan which will see it cut upward of a third of its workforce in an effort to recover after two plane tragedies last year.

NEWS International Air Transport Association workshop visit Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi has played host to the International Air Transport Association workshop aiming to play its part in improving all aspects of air travel for passengers with some blue-sky thinking. The two-day workshop, held at the Rotana Hotel on the emirate’s Yas Island, was organised by IATA and welcomed airline professionals from across the Middle East and North Africa region in a bid to discuss and create innovative solutions to make the industry easier to do business with for both customers and partners, to improve the customer experience as well as to reduce industry costs.

NEWS Mueller moves to allay Malaysia Airline fears following administration appointment

Christoph Mueller, chief executive of Malaysian Airline System Berhad and CEO-designate of the new airline, Malaysia Airlines Berhad, has assured customers MAS operations will continue as normal with the appointment of the administrator. Malaysia Airlines remains continues to implement a restructuring plan which will see it cut upward of a third of its workforce in an effort to recover after two plane tragedies last year.

NEWS Ryanair sees profits rise as customer service overhaul pays dividend

Low-cost carrier Ryanair has seen profits rise 66 per cent for the year to the end of March, reporting net full-year profits of €867 million. The ‘Always Getting Better’ customer experience programme launched by Ryanair had attracted “millions of new customers to Ryanair” chief executive Michael O’Leary said, leaving figures slightly ahead of analysts’ expectations.

NEWS Etihad appoints general manager for Kazakhstan

Etihad Airways has appointed Robert “Dougie” Douglas as its General Manager for Kazakhstan.

NEWS Etihad Airways adds new departures on Bangkok route

Etihad Airways will add a fourth daily service between Abu Dhabi and Bangkok from July 1st 2015. Operated by a B777-300ER aircraft, the new service will increase the number of round-trip flights which Etihad Airways operates between the two cities to 28 per week, and add approximately 5,000 weekly seats to the route.

NEWS Ryanair steps up Manchester - Dublin service

Ryanair will increase flights on its Manchester to Dublin service from 5 to 6 times daily, due to overwhelming demand, offering UK business customers even more low fares to Dublin.

NEWS Singapore Airlines unveiles new premium economy seats

Singapore Airlines has unveiled its new Premium Economy Class seats and the in- flight offerings that customers will enjoy when the new cabin class enters service in August.

VIDEO Saudi Airline flight #SVR21 surrounded by police at JFK after chemical threat

NEWS The Federal Bureau of Investigation Looking Into Chemical Weapons Threat Against Planes

The FBI is looking into a series of threats phoned in Monday morning by a single person, claiming chemical weapons were aboard airplanes.
The threats are not deemed credible, but the information has been passed along to the airlines anyway, out of an abundance of caution.
The male caller made threats against 10 flights in a quick series of calls to local police around the country. All but three planes have landed with nothing of concern found.
Two military jets flew alongside an Air France flight into New York as a precaution, after U.S. officials had difficulty reaching Air France on what is Memorial Day in the U.S. and also a holiday in France — the day after Pentecost Sunday, otherwise known as Whit Sunday.
Two F-15s escorted the plane to John F. Kennedy International Airport, and a security crew swept the plane on the ground. The plane was cleared.
The FBI said in a statement that there were "no incidents or hazards" reported by passengers or crew on the plane, Flight 22 from Paris.

BREAKING Police surrounding a SouthWest plane on runway at Buffalo Airport

UPDATE No explosive found, plane is being re-boarded.

The plane landed at around 1:15 p.m. in Buffalo from Baltimore.
Police is surrounding the plane and dogs are looking for explosive.

NEWS Airbus sees 'significant' orders at Paris Airshow #PAS15

Airbus (AIR.PA) expects to win a "significant number" of orders at next month's Paris Airshow, a senior executive said on Thursday. Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer Marwan Lahoud was speaking at a news conference hosted by France's GIFAS aerospace industry association, of which he is also president.

BREAKING Air France flight is escorted to JFK Airport after anonymous threat

UPDATE Air France #AF22 Nothing found on board, all clear

An Air France flight was escorted to Kennedy Airport Monday morning after an anonymous threat was made against the flight.

U.S. authorities scrambled fighter jets because Air France did not immediately respond to U.S. government requests for information.

The Airbus A-330 plane, Flight 22 from Charles de Gaulle Airport, landed in a secure area at Kennedy Airport, between runways 22L and 22R, to be searched.




NEWS Dutch Government Blocks Gulf Carriers From Expanding

The Dutch Government is blocking the Gulf carriers from expanding at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. According to the newspaper Financieele Dagblad, the government cites “unfair competition with Air France-KLM” as the reason for its actions.

NEWS He made a bomb threat to delay the plane of his friend

Thursday morning, a man did not hesitate to make a false bomb threat to her friend not miss her plane from Bordeaux (France).

He called the airport around 7 pm 30 and launched a threatening tone: "There has a bomb, there is a bomb. "

The author of the anonymous phone call wasquickly identified and arrested at his home.

VIDEO Major fire at a hangar in Hooks Airport north of Houston yesterday

NEWS Lufthansa Group airlines achieve 3.84 litre/100 km fuel efficiency

Passenger aircraft of Lufthansa Group airlines have once again set a record for airplane fuel efficiency in 2014, consuming an average of 3.84 litres of kerosene to carry a passenger 100 kilometres.

NEWS: Delta Airlines' new safety video featuring popular video memes begins showing today


A new Delta safety video will begin showing on May 25, featuring 23 popular YouTube video memes.




Iberia Express flight #IB3877 from Santiago to Madrid is declaring an emergency

NEWS Lufthansa CEO Advocates Random Psychological Tests For Pilots

Random checks of pilots' psychological fitness could help reduce risks in the aviation sector, Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr said in his first newspaper interview since the crash of a Germanwings plane in March. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung cited Spohr as saying surprise checks were a possible way to reduce uncertainty over whether pilots suffer from any mental health issues.

NEWS Thomson orders larger Dreamliner Travel operator to take delivery of four 787-9 aircraft in support of its long-haul programme

Holiday airline has announced it will take delivery of up to four new, larger Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft to expand its long-haul programme. Demonstrating its continued commitment to the Dreamliner, Thomson Airways has converted two existing orders for 787-8 (for delivery in summer 2016) to the new larger capacity 787-9 aircraft. The airline has also placed an order for a third 787-9 with an option to purchase a fourth, growing its Dreamliner fleet to 13 aircraft by June 2016.

VIDEO Vortices Airplane Wake Vortex Propeller Takeoff Slow Motion (@WorldAviationHD)

VIDEO Airbus A380 VISUAL Approach + Airbus A400 Departure

The Airbus A380 of the Airbus Company made a stunning visual approach during the Farnborough Air Show 2014. Shortly before the Arrival of the "super Airbus" you can see the departure of an Airbus A400 of Airbus Military. This was a stunning show for the audience of the Farnborough Air Show.


NEWS Etihad appoints general manager for Kazakhstan

Etihad Airways has appointed Robert “Dougie” Douglas as its General Manager for Kazakhstan.