Aviation News Daily (13.04.2020)
Hello! It has been a while since the last Aviation News Daily. I can guarantee that they will return for this week, but I cannot do so for the coming weeks. I’m sorry for posting this article well into the next day. Enjoy!
Hi Fly Makes History – Flies One OF The Longest A340 Flights Ever: 16 Hours Over Antarctica
One Hi Fly crew has ventured far from their normal flight paths over the weekend. A chartered Hi Fly A340-300 flew a repatriation flight from Montevideo to Melbourne. The flight landed at 06:45 local time on Sunday, April 12th. The flight was noteworthy for several reasons, one of which is the fact that it was the longest A340 flight ever.
Etihad Further Expands Repatriation Flights
Etihad Airways announced that it is expanding its offerings of repatriation flights. Starting the week of April 12th, Etihad will introduce flights onboard Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft to five new cities around the world to help bring passengers home. The cities are Tokyo, Dublin, London, Brussels and Zurich.
Does Japan Airlines Fly The Most Comfortable 787s?
Few aircraft types took to the skies with more fanfare and higher expectations than Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. The plane was going to turn the travel experience on its head. Instead, most passengers were left lamenting the end of the spacious 747 while they were squeezed into the tighter seats of the Dreamliner. However, one airline bucked that trend – Japan Airlines. They’ve always had a good reputation, and their 787s made it even better. The economy class cabin is in a 2-4-2 configuration, meaning that economy class passengers have more space than they would in similar aircraft of other airlines, such as British Airways and All Nippon Airlines.
Delta Boeing 737 Engine Ingests 2 Geese While Accelerating
On April 12th, a Delta Airlines flight from San Francisco to Atlanta was canceled after the aircraft performed a rejected takeoff after an engine ingested two geese. The aircraft returned to the gate safely. The service was cancelled and the aircraft’s engines are going through a thorough inspection.
Australian Government Could Subsidize Airline Routes
The Australian government is in discussions with Virgin Australia and Qantas to subsidies domestic flights. This would ensure connectivity to regional centers and that those returning Australians can get to their home cities.
SpiceJet To Introduce Social Distancing – Will This Affect Prices?
As airlines around the world start to think about how they will accommodate passengers with social distancing rules in place, SpiceJet has prepared a plan that will start operating once operations commence. A part of the plan is removing the option to choose your own seat. From now until the COVID-19 pandemic goes away, software will automatically assign people seats.
South African Airways Operates First Miami Service In 20 Years
South African Airways sent a nearly-new Airbus A350 registered as ZS-SDD with a stop in Dakar on the way. The purpose of the flight was to get stuck South African citizens back to South Africa.
British Airways A380s In Aircraft Storage
The French aircraft graveyard Chateuaroux released some sad footage of some of British Airways’ grounded A380s. They are the A380s registered as G-XLEA, G-XLEC, G-XLEF, G-XLEI, G-XLEJ and G-XLEL. They are due to be joined by 5 other A380s still in London, making the total A380s belonging to the British flag carrier grounded at Chateauroux 11. The final of the 12 A380s is effectively grounded in Manila, undergoing heavy maintenance.
Bird Nest Found In Vueling Airbus A320 Wing
Not only streets, beaches and parks are being occupied by animals during the Coronavirus lockdowns. Aircraft wings also fall into that category. While maintenance was carried out on a parked Airbus A320 belonging to the Spanish low-cost carrier Vueling on Monday, birds were discovered to have built a nest under its wing.
Like New Again – Etihad Takes Advantage Of Grounded Fleet
While the UAE’s flag carrier has grounded almost it’s entire fleet, it’s not entirely bad. Etihad has decided to renovate its plane while they’re not airborne. They take their time to deep clean and renovate the airplanes’ interiors. They are also performing maintenance on the grounded aircraft.
LOT Polish Airlines Owner Pulls Out OF Condor Purchase
The owner of LOT Polish Airlines has pulled out of a bid to purchase the German carrier Condor. In January, it was announced that LOT’s owners, PGL, would purchase the German carrier following its split from Thomas Cook last year. The purchase was cancelled due to the current Coronavirus pandemic.
Europe’s Borders Could Remain Closed Until September
The French President has raised concerns about a second wave of the Coronavirus outbreak if Europe’s borders are reopened too soon. In a videoconference on Friday, Macron suggested that the entire Schengen area should remain locked down with closed borders until September. This would mean that air travel could be completely restricted for another five months.
German Luftwaffe Converts An Airbus A319 Into Flying Intensive Care
Germany’s air force (Luftwaffe) has converted two of its Airbus A319 Corporate Jets into valuable intensive care patient transport. Each Airbus has had its interior removed and has been equipped with the facilities to move two high dependency coronavirus patients as the German military gears up for the war on COVID-19.
AirAsia Jobs Won’t be Cut Due To Current Aviation Climate
AirAsia Group has pledged a commitment to keep all of its staff members on its books amid the global aviation crisis. Even though 96% of its fleet is grounded, the Malaysian outfit will ensure that its employees won’t go unemployed during the downturn.
LATAM CEO Believes Demand Will Take Years To Recover
The demand in air travel will take two to three years to recover, stated LATAM Brazil’s president Jerome Cadier. The same has been stated by airline executives in the last few weeks.
United Part Of Israel Refund Class Action Lawsuit
The Israel Consumer Council has launched a class suit against several carriers including United Airlines. The group has accused these firms of breaking Israeli law due to not refunding tickets that they cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Other accused airlines include Aegean, Ukraine Airlines and Vueling.
Qantas Staff Eye Action In Response To Coronavirus Infections
Qantas faces the prospect of legal action as employee labor groups criticize the airline over its response to the Coronavirus crisis. Nearly 60 Qantas employees have the virus. Now there’s talk of class action. Several labor groups say Qantas failed to adequately protect its employees against the virus. Qantas isn’t having any of it, saying that it takes the health and safety of its employees very seriously.
That’s all, Folks!
I hope you enjoyed today’s news summary of yesterday’s news. Sorry for the late update on yesterday’s news and sorry for not posting the Aviation News Daily for 2 weeks. I’m going to try and optimize my time schedule, so I will be able to do both schoolwork and Aviation News Daily.
All news stories are from SimpleFlying’s website. Any critiques, tips, opinions, comment and advice is awaited, respected and appreciated!