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TURKEY Makes Tighter Rules on Pilots Wishing to Leave
for foreign airlines can leave their posts.
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As Europe cries out for staff including pilots, Turkey is trying to protects its aviation sector by changing the terms of leaving. There are approx. 10,500 Turkish pilots in Turkey and with Germany issuing fast-track work permits and visas to attract foreign airport workers, it seems the situation is to empty one pot into another.
The Turkish Civil Aviation Authority said a ‘letter of consent’ from previous employer will be necessary for pilots who want to work for foreign airlines. Therefore if a pilot resigns without a consent letter, then their application for verification will not be processed for 6 months by the authority.
The pilots union said this new rule is an intervention to pilots’ freedom of labour and individual rights and will raise the matter with the Transport Ministry and civil aviation officials.
CONDOR AIRLINES RENEWS FLEET WITH AIRBUS A320NEO
German Airline Condor has modernised its fleet with an order for 41 aircraft of the A320neo family. The aircraft will be delivered from the spring of 2024.
“It is the logical next step for us to modernise our short- and medium-haul fleet as well. With our new A320neo and A321neo aircraft, we are consistently developing our fleet and ourselves as a company, and also taking care of our own aspiration to enable responsible and at the same time comfortable travel with significantly reduced CO2 emissions, significantly lower fuel consumption and less noise,” says Ralf Teckentrup, CEO of Condor.
AIRBUS’ ZEPHYR DRONE BREAKS FLIGHT RECORD
Airbus has broken the record for the longest flight of an unmanned aircraft. The solar-powered Zephyr drone beat its own record for time spent airborne as an with 36 days completed so far, beating the previous record of 26 days in 2018.
The aircraft has been flying 70,000ft over Arizona to Belize in Central America, and back again. The first stratospheric UAS of its kind, Zephyr can fly continuously for months at a time, high in the atmosphere, to avoid commercial air traffic and adverse weather. It has a wingspan of 82 feet and weighs less than 166 pounds.
The flight tests the aircraft’s durability and energy storage capacity. It is powered by solar energy, with on-board batteries to keep it airborne overnight, so it does not need to stop to re-supply fuel.
