Archive for category: News

Swiss has begun flying Bombardier CS100 aircraft from London City Airport.

The aircraft, which seats 125 passengers in a two-class configuration of economy and business, is the largest aircraft using London City and received clearance for the “steep approach” – 5.5 degrees required for London City instead of the more normal three degrees, in July 2017.

The approval is complex as the aircraft has to demonstrate firstly the ability to fly a 5.5 degree glidepath which will require increased drag to prevent airspeed runaway whilst also maintaining a relatively high thrust on position to enable the spool up for thrust in the event of a go-around at short notice.

The airline would also have to conduct extensive research on take off and landing performance especially when the runway is wet. Landing distance available is a mere 1300m and TORA is just under 1200m.

The airline will also have to comply with extremely strict noise regulations at the airport meaning if full thrust is required they are likely to exceed the noise restrictions which is evaluated on an average basis. With the distances Swiss will be flying, full thrust should not be required very often, perhaps on wet, warm days with little or no headwind. 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released preliminary findings on the July 7 near-miss incident at San Francisco Airport.

An Air Canada aircraft from Toronto was just metres from the ground when the pilot aborted the landing, federal investigators said. The jet, which was lined up over a crowded taxiway in error rather than the runway, had already passed over one jet awaiting take off before carrying out a missed approach.

It was thought to be as low as 59 feet above ground before pulling up to attempt another landing. The captain had more than 20,000 hours of flying time, while the co-pilot had about 10,000 hours.

The pilots told NTSB investigators ‘they did not recall seeing aircraft but that something did not look right’.

 
British Airways and easyJet have started texting passengers to warn them to expect long queues as European airports prepare for their busiest days of the summer.

Thousands of tourists have been told to expect delays of up to four hours in passport queues at airports after new rules were introduced following the recent terror attacks.

The European regulation, that came into effect on April 7, requires every passport to be checked when arriving and leaving the Schengen Area comprising most EU countries, which excludes the UK and Ireland.

Aage Dünhaupt, from industry body Airlines For Europe, which has called for passport control points to be properly staffed, said: “With the busiest summer travel days ahead we fear even longer queues, especially at airports in Majorca with nearly 200,000 passengers arriving and leaving on one day the situation can be tense. Passengers should try to be at the airport earlier.”

We reported this around 10 days ago, unfortunately it appears there has been no improvement.

South African Airways has run out of money and is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, according to information given to the country’s parliament.

It is thought the national carrier may soon be unable to pay salaries. It says that matters may improve if it gets a £45m bailout from the government by September.

The airline has lost money in each of the past seven years. Acting chief executive Musa Zwane, who has led the company for the last 18 months, has been trying to put together a recovery plan since January.

Long term it is widely reported that it requires a £743 million (13 billion rand) cash injection in order to stave off bankruptcy.

Unprofitable routes and older aircraft have all combined to ensure years of losses for the failing airline. Having received state funds in July to repay debts and £1.14 billion (20 billion rand) in government guarantees to keep it solvent, the cash is required to keep it afloat.

Credit ratings agencies have already said SAA needs to reform if it is to remain viable. They added the airline is a drain on the resources of the country which has been in recession since March and which has seen its financial ratings fall to “junk”.

Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba said: “We are in discussions about that (a bailout) and at the medium-term budget statement in October I will make the necessary announcement.”