http://www.ngrguardiannews.co m/
NCAA grounds two foreign aircraft over airspace violations THE Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has grounded two foreign registered aircraft with immediate effect over airspace violation. The aircraft are Bombardier 700-100 with registration marks G-RBEN Global express S/N 9083 operated by Gama Aviation, United Kingdom (UK) Limited and Embraer 135BJ with registration marks XA-MHA. The operator of G-RBEN aircraft was found operating in Nigeria‟s airspace with falsified flight clearance information and conducting illegal domestic flight operations in Nigeria. Other infractions discovered were conducting illegal commercial revenue flight operations contrary to conditions contained in Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs) Part 10 and other security violations. Preliminary investigations, according to NCAA, showed that the Embraer 135BJ was reported to have landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, from London without any flight clearance on September 10, 2015. “Reports from the Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) indicated that the crew informed them that they possess a ministerial approval for the flight. However, on landing, the crew could not produce any ministerial approval as claimed”, NCAA said.
http://m.thehindu.com/
Air India goes for an overhaul Air India, which has been recently in news for technical glitches in its aircraft, is now trying to ensure safety and cleanliness of its aircraft through surprise checks by senior engineers. Recently, an Air India aircraft faced a tyre burst at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport and only a day later passengers of the airline's Khajuraho-Varanasi-Delhi flight had a close shave after the aircraft faced a hydraulic leak and made an emergency landing in Delhi. An airline spokesperson said that the public carrier has started a dedicated programme to offer its passengers enhanced cabin experience, with increased emphasis on improving and maintaining high standards of cleanliness and safety on its aircraft. “The programme would be managed by dedicated senior management of Executive Director level and immediate action will be taken on the feedback shared by the passengers, cabin crew and cabin engineers,” he said. Senior executives will undertake surprise checks to monitor and supervise the safety and cleanliness inside and outside the aircraft, he added. “They will ensure increased servicing of equipment on-board the aircraft. A senior officer of engineering will closely monitor cleaning service providers for quality of cleaning in the cabins,” he said. The airline also promises to deploy more manpower on each aircraft for cabin upkeep. The airline's new Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani recently visited all the engineering bases of the airline in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The airline is also evaluating its cabin upholstery, curtains, carpets and in-flight entertainment system. “Cabin crew and all concerned with aircraft ground operations like engineers, technicians, helpers, cleaning staff, catering and commercial staff are being sensitised to collectively ensure cabin cleanliness and maintain high standards of service, with the primary objective to make flying on Air India a memorable experience for passengers,” he said.
http://www.travelpulse.com/
Qatar Airways Jet Strikes Runway Lights at Takeoff, Sustains 'Substantial' Damage A computer miscalculation may be the reason a Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300 struck runway lights last week while taking off from Miami,
Doha Newsreported. With the pilots potentially unaware of the impact, the 13.5-hour flight to Doha, Qatar proceeded routinely, despite what the initial Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) report called “substantial” damage to the underbelly of the aircraft. The FAA stated Flight QTR778 impacted “approach lighting system runway lights,” Described by Doha News as a “series of masts” around 20 feet high, located about 200 feet beyond the edge of the runway. Doha News pointed out that normally, flights pass over these lights at an altitude of several hundred feet, but QTR778 was low enough for impact. A notice to airmen (NOTAM) published by Miami International Airport states that the approach lighting system on that runway is currently out of service and won‟t be up and running for a month. This suggests, “that it is seriously damaged,” Doha News said. Pilots calculate a minimum runway length required for takeoff on all flights, taking into account environmental conditions and the airplane‟s weight. The Qatar Airways flight entered the runway at an intersection that subtracted close to a mile of takeoff length after consulting the “electronic flight bag system,” which generates this data automatically, according to Doha News.
The Qatar news outlet stated it is “unclear why this system failed,” but the result was Flight QTR 778 “did become airborne substantially later than would have been expected under normal circumstances.” Aviation Herald reports communication between Miami air traffic control and the flight crew was “routine” and Doha News said it isn‟t yet known whether the pilots knew the 777 had hit the lights or sustained damage. Despite the safe trip, the “substantial” underside damage has compelled the FAA to label this an “accident.” According to airliner tracking app Flightradar, this particular aircraft has not flown since Wednesday, which “suggests that the aircraft has been out of service,” Doha News said.
http://www.travelweekly.com/
Agents concerned about Lufthansa's GDS surcharge Three weeks after Lufthansa Group implemented its controversial 16 euro surcharge on GDS bookings, some agents are starting to avoid booking its airlines and are expressing anxiety about other carriers implementing similar fees down the road. The fee, which was not levied on bookings made directly with Lufthansa Group carriers (Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines) went into effect on Sept. 1. “I‟m sure they‟ll see some pushback,” airline analyst Robert Mann said of Lufthansa‟s attempt to lower distribution costs. “The issue is whether or not, on the broad scale, they will win the war.” Recently, Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, sent a letter with 134 signatories to Lufthansa, stating that a “high-level industry delegation” would share its concerns with competition authorities in the U.S. and Europe. Additionally, the European Travel Agents Association, the European Tour Operators Association and the European Technology and Travel Services Association filed complaints against the move with the European Commission, claiming the fee violates European Union (EU) rules governing anti-competitive practices. Industry groups aren‟t the only ones upset with the surcharge. “In a nutshell, it is a dominant airline in its own country playing bully boy with the corporate customer,” said Robert Daykin, director and managing consultant of London-based Corporate Travel Partners. Even so, Daykin said, corporate clients “will take into account the „total cost‟ of the ticket, not just the face value of it. Savvy ones will work out who provides the best value, and whoever does is going to win the business.”
Jason Olson, president of True Vacation Travel of Redding, Calif., said the surcharge could affect bookings. “At the moment, we don‟t have many „brand loyal‟ clients to Lufthansa,” he said. “So as a result, when we‟re looking for flights, we‟re looking for the „best flights,‟ which is a combination of multiple factors, including price. This new fee increases their overall price, so that factors into things.” Olson also said his office booked only through a GDS and would not be “going the extra step” to book directly because the manual booking fee his office charges would exceed the GDS booking surcharge imposed by Lufthansa. Wido Schaefer, CEO of Los Angeles-based TravelStore, said the company was “adjusting to the marketplace, and there‟s other choices.” Corporate accounts that have contracts with Lufthansa are “annoyed by Lufthansa‟s policies.” The airline is asking those accounts to book directly, but most corporations‟ systems aren‟t set up to do that. Schaefer also noted recent job actions by Lufthansa pilots as an example of why the carrier is “not really seen by our agents as a reliable supplier.” Linda Contract, owner of Contract Travel in Santa Monica, Calif., and an industry veteran since the early 1970s, called the surcharge a “bad move,” the latest hit in a decades-long strained relationship between airlines and travel agents. “This has been going on for 15 or 20 years with the airlines and the travel industry,” she said. “There are always glitches, no matter what the issues are, who the parties are.” While Contract said she will book a Lufthansa flight if a customer asks her to, “do I want to book Lufthansa anymore? The answer is no.” Many agents expressed concern that other airlines will put similar fees in place.
“I‟m almost surprised that nobody else has jumped on the bandwagon,” Schaefer said, noting many airlines applauded Lufthansa‟s move but “nobody had the guts to do the same thing.” Contract said “the handwriting is on the wall,” and she “absolutely” believes other airlines will follow suit. Mitchell agreed, saying, “Ultimately, the surcharge could be increased from 16 to 100 euros, or more. With this development we would, of course, expect to see the economics of online travel agencies collapse, traditional travel agencies‟ valuations plummet, GDSs shrink and consumers greatly harmed by a severe reduction of efficient comparison-shopping opportunities, followed by higher airfares and ancillary fees and harmful airline policies and practices.” Mann pointed out that any airline could have put such a surcharge into effect and that Lufthansa was likely the first simply due to the timing of GDS contract negotiations. “Lufthansa has been so impacted by a series of structural and extremely unfortunate events,” he said, ranging from the EU recession to the onslaught of low-cost carriers. “They‟re at the forefront [of] a bunch of battles, so for them to take on one additional high stakes, but very winnable, battle is not surprising.”
ادارة العالقات العامة -الشركة القابضة لمصر للطيران