Tuesday 29 June 2021

Air New Zealand offers employees NZ$1,000 worth of shares

AIR NEW ZEALAND B787-9 (MSN 38180)       File Photo


Air New Zealand has announced it will give NZ$1,000 worth of company shares to all of its permanent employees, in recognition of their efforts during the past year. It comes as the airline anticipates reporting a loss for the 2020-21 financial year of up to NZ$450 million, in light of the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the global travel market. Despite the impending loss, Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran said that the reward of shares to its permanent employees is the “right thing to do” following a year of uncertainty, struggle, wage cuts and stand-downs. It also follows news that Foran himself had been awarded nearly NZ$2 million in shares, in a move the E tū union equated to “rubbing salt into an already painful wound”, following thousands of job losses and millions of dollars in wage cuts due to the pandemic. The share award will be offered to about 8,000 employees across New Zealand and Australia, while employees at overseas bases will be offered a cash equivalent.

The shares will be awarded in Q4 of the 2021 calendar year, the airline said.

“By awarding shares to our employees, we want them to have the chance to benefit from the future success we will really need their help to deliver,” Foran said. “I’m immensely proud of the way our people have responded to the COVID-19 crisis. They have risen to the occasion, working hard to keep New Zealand connected and Kiwis safe.”

Foran noted that some Air New Zealand pilots and cabin crew spent over 100 days in total in isolation in order to fulfil their roles and repatriate New Zealanders back home during the pandemic, while the airline’s cargo team has assisted in sending over 100,000 tonnes of NZ products across the globe. “Day in-and-out our people have done, and continue to do, everything they can in challenging and changing conditions to keep our customers safe,” Foran said. On top of this reward, the airline has committed to return all of its employees on reduced salaries back up to full-time pay from 1 July 2021. “These steps are possible because we’re on a more stable financial footing given our strong domestic business and growing Tasman and Cook Islands revenues,” Foran said. “While a full recovery is still some time away, the changes announced today recognise that we cannot get there without an exceptional and ongoing contribution by our dedicated Air New Zealand team.

“We thank our people for the sacrifices made over the past 15 months and for their ongoing commitment to our customers in the coming year.” Air New Zealand said its domestic capacity now sits at 90 per cent of its pre-pandemic levels, while it’s trans-Tasman capacity sits at around 70 per cent, thanks to the travel bubble announced between Australia and New Zealand in April. A meaningful recovery in long-haul international travel is still some time off however, in light of New Zealand’s strict border restrictions, with current capacity at just 5 per cent of pre-COVID levels.
“The airline has its eyes firmly set on the future as we move out of the ‘survive’ phase and into revival mode,” Foran said, noting that the airline will focus now on strengthening its domestic business, and the customer experience. The airline has recently re-negotiated its delivery date with Boeing for the first of its eight new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, initially ordered in 2019, to now take delivery in 2024.





Story sourced from here
Air New Zealand offers employees NZ$1,000 worth of shares – Australian Aviation

Monday 28 June 2021

Brisbane Airport Spotting

Having today off as an RDO I thought I would venture out to the airport for a look. I haven't been out there for months and of course, as expected there was nothing really exciting. Below are some of the photos I took today.

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA B737-8FE VH-YWD (MSN 41020)
VA605 OFF TO MACKAY

QANTAS B737-838 VH-VXK (MSN 33481)
QF602 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE

QANTASLINK DASH 8 Q400 VH-QOF (MSN 4128)
QF2401 ARRIVING FROM EMERALD

JETSTAR A320'S 

JETSTAR A320-232 VH-VGF (MSN 4497)
JQ930 OFF TO CAIRNS

KNOWN LOCALLY AS THE JAFFA PLANE

ALLIANCE FOKKER 70 VH-JFE (MSN 11545)
QQ2823 ARRIVING FROM EMERALD


QANTASLINK B717-231 VH-NXL (MSN 55093)
QF1775 OFF TO CANBERRA

QANTAS A330-203 VH-EBG (MSN 0887)
QF824 OFF TO DARWIN


ALLIANCE FOKKER 70 VH-QQW (MSN 11569)
QQ4353 ARRIVING FROM MORANBAH

LIFE FLIGHT LEARJET 45 VH-VVI (MSN 45-262)
ARRIVING FROM TAMWORTH


MALAYSIA A330-323 9M-MTO (1489)
MH145 OVERFLYING BRISBANE FOR AUCKLAND

LINK AIRWAYS FAIRCHILD VH-VEK (MSN DC-845B)

SINGAPORE A350-941 9M-SHQ (MSN 439)
SQ255 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE


ALLIANCE FOKKER 100 VH-FGB  (MSN 11446)
VA1258 ARRIVING FROM EMERALD


ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE BOEING C-17A GLOBEMASTER
A41-209 (MSN 50167)

QANTAS A330-303 VH-QPI (MSN 0705)
QF7604 OFF TO AUCKLAND

REX SAAB 340B VH-ZRC (MSN 340B-390)
PFY9912 ARRIVING FROM LISMORE



AIR NEW ZEALAND B787-9 ZK-NZK (MSN 43217)
NZ145 ARRIVING FROM AUCKLAND


AIR CHARTER SERVICES EMBRAER EMB-505 VH-VKX (MSN 50500316)

ROYAL FLYING DOCTORS BEECH B200C VH-FDM (MSN BL-161)
FD478 ARRIVING FROM GOONDIWINDI

CHINA SOUTHERN A350-941 B-30EA (MSN 398)
CZ382 OFF TO GUANGZHOU





LINK AIRWAYS SAAB 240B VH-VEO (MSN 340B-366)

QANTAS B787-9 VH-ZNI (MSN 66073)
TOWED TO THE GATE 

AWESOME AVIATION BEECH 1900D VH-JYA (MSN UE94)
ARRIVING FROM ROCKHAMPTON





Sunday 27 June 2021

Five flights potentially exposed to COVID-19 as Virgin flight attendant tests positive

    VIRGIN AUSTRALIA B737-800'S          File Photo

Passengers and crew members from five Virgin Australia flights are being contacted after a flight attendant tested positive to COVID-19. Virgin confirmed that the cabin worker returned a positive reading after undertaking a rapid test result on Saturday night. In a statement, the airline said the affected crew member is a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case from a known cluster in Sydney. Virgin said it was contacting all staff who were deemed close contacts. All would be asked to get tested and isolate. NSW Health on Saturday night issued a public health alert for the flights, saying all NSW passengers were being considered close contacts and must call its COVID-19 line (1800 943 553), get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.

Victoria's Department of Public Health has also recorded all public areas of Melbourne Airport Terminal 2 and the terminal's Axil Coffee Roasters as exposure sites between 6.30am and 7.30am on Saturday. Terminal 3 is listed as being an exposure site between 5.20pm and 6.50pm on Friday and again on Saturday between 8am and 9am. Anyone who visited between those hours is asked to get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.

The five Virgin flights affected

Friday, 25th June:
  • VA939 Departed Sydney at 11.51am; arrived Brisbane at 1.25pm
  • VA334 Departed Brisbane at 2.59pm; arrived Melbourne at 5.16pm

Saturday, 26th June:

  • VA827 Departed Melbourne at 9am; arrived Sydney at 10.14am
  • VA517 Departed Sydney at 11.14am; arrived Gold Coast at 12.40pm
  • VA524 Departed Gold Coast at 1.26pm; arrived Sydney 2.47pm
Virgin said the infected crew member was not aware they were a close contact of a positive case until after they completed their last flight on Saturday. The airline said that the flights - with the exception of VA334 between Brisbane and Melbourne - were carrying a "limited number of passengers" due to NSW border restrictions, and facilitating "essential travel" only. "The crew member also had an overnight layover in Melbourne on 25 June 2021, staying at the Holiday Inn Express Southbank," Virgin said in its statement.
"While in Melbourne, the crew member remained in hotel isolation under prescribed COVID protocols for overnighting crew members from New South Wales.
"Any close contact team members will be removed from their rostered duties and will be required to isolate for a minimum of 14 days and test in accordance with appropriate state health protocols.
"In addition, Virgin Australia has asked that household members of close contact team members be tested and isolate for a minimum 14 days in line with state health guidelines."





Story sourced from here

Bomb threat forces emergency landing on Smartwings flight

Croatian police are investigating the anonymous threat called in on a flight from Prague yesterday afternoon. Czech airline Smartwings has confirmed information by Croatian broadcaster N1 that Sunwings flight 1082 heading from Prague (PRG/LKPR) to Split (SPU/LDSP) made an emergency landing in Split after an anonymous person called in a bomb threat on the plane. The information was also confirmed by Croatian police, who said the aircraft landed in accordance with standard procedure in the case of a bomb threat. "A plane that was flying from Prague to Split was ordered to land in Split after the pilot reported emergency situation," N1 quoted the local air navigation service, adding that the crew received the threat after the plane had entered Croatia's airspace. Later in the afternoon, HRT wrote that a police search of the plane and of all its passengers and members of the crew did not result in any findings, citing the Interior Ministry. Information about the bomb threat was received by Prague airport in the afternoon. "We immediately handed the information over to all security and operational units, the Czech police, the air carrier, and the Czech Air Navigation Service," airport spokeswoman Klára Divíšková said. Smartwings spokeswoman Vladimíra Dufková said that after receiving the threat, the company coordinated its reaction with police and security forces, and acted in concert with standard procedures in such cases. The plane landed in Split at 13:49, with 141 passengers and five members of the crew aboard. All had to disembark quickly, without their baggage, while the plane was examined by Croatian security forces including bomb disposal experts.

Aircraft Information:
Airline: Smartwings
Code: QS/TVS
Aircraft: Boeing 737-7Q8
Registration: OK-SWW
Serial Number: 28254




Story sourced from here 

Saturday 26 June 2021

10 Soldiers die, 13 hurt as military chopper crash lands in Kajiado

Ten Kenya Air Force personnel have died while 13 others sustained injuries after the military aircraft they were in crash landed and burst into flames in Oltepesi, Kajiado West, during training. According to a statement signed by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Spokesperson Zipporah Kioko, the Mi 171E helicopter crash landed around 9am on Thursday. Col Kioko added that those who were injured were taken to the Defence Forces Memorial Hospital in Nairobi. She said aircraft accident investigators had arrived at the scene to establish the cause of the crash. Kajiado West Deputy County Commissioner Muranga Morakwa said that KDF has been training in the area for a long time. Prior to the crash, the helicopter circled in the air for over 20 minutes as those on board scrambled to jump out.


Aircraft Information.
Owner / Operator: Kenya Air Force (KAF)
Aircraft: Mil Mi-171E
Registration: 110
Serial Number: ??



THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO THE IMMEDIATE FAMILIES AND FRIENDS AND EVERYONE AT THE KAF.

Thursday 24 June 2021

Queensland plane crash: Two men dead after aircraft goes down

Two men have died after the light plane, a Cessna 150, they were in crashed into bushland in the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane, yesterday.

A multi-agency search was launched around 5.30pm at Peachester, near the Glasshouse Mountains, when the aircraft was reported overdue in returning to Maroochydore airport (MCY/YBSU). Initial investigations suggest the plane crashed in bushland along Commissioners Flat Road and was found about 8.30pm. Two men, a 30-year-old from the northern Brisbane region, and a 46-year-old from the Sunshine Coast region, were found dead at the scene. The Forensic Crash Unit and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau were investigating the incident.


Aircraft Information
Owner / Operator: Sunshine Coast Aero Club
Aircraft: Cessna A150M Aerobat
Registration VH-CYO
Serial Number: A1500655



THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO THE IMMEDIATE FAMILIES AND FRIENDS.

Wednesday 23 June 2021

Remembering Air India 182 - 36 yrs on

       AIR INDIA B787-8 VT-AND (CN 36287)        












On the 23rd June 1985, at 7:13 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time, Air India 182, a Boeing 747-200 disintegrated in mid-air at an altitude of 31,000 feet (9,448 m), while doing the Montreal, Mirabel (YMX / CYMX) - London, Heathrow (LHR / EGLL) leg as a result of the explosion from a bomb planted by Canadian Sikh terrorists. The aircraft took off from Montreal at 02:18 UTC. Its estimated time of arrival at London was 08:33 UTC. Around 07:13 UTC, at FL310 over the Atlantic Ocean an explosion occurred in the forward cargo compartment, causing a rapid decompression. The aft portion of the aircraft separated from the forward portion before striking the water. The wreckage sank to a depth of 6700 feet into the Atlantic Ocean approximately 120 miles (193km) west-southwest of the southwest tip of Ireland, killing all aboard. It carried 329 people, including 278 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens and 24 Indian citizens. 82 of those killed were children under the age of 13. The bombing of Air India Flight 182 is the largest mass killing in Canadian history, and was the deadliest act of aviation terrorism until the September 11 attacks in 2001. The bombing of this flight occurred at the same time as the Narita Airport bombing; investigators believe that the two plots were linked, and that those responsible were aiming for a double bombing. However, the bomb at Narita exploded before it could be loaded onto the plane. Canadian law enforcement determined the main suspects in the bombing were members of the Sikh militant group Babbar Khalsa. The attack is thought to have been in retaliation for the Indian government's Operation Blue Star in which the Indian Army entered the Golden Temple in Amritsar to remove occupying Sikh militants. Although a handful of members were arrested and tried for the Air India bombing, the only person convicted was Inderjit Singh Reyat, a Canadian national and a member of the ISYF, who pleaded guilty in 2003 to manslaughter. He was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for assembling the bombs that exploded on board Air India Flight 182 and at Narita.
Air India 182 was only 45 minutes away from landing in London.
When the wreckage of AI 182 was retrieved no direct evidence was found of an explosive device. However, there is a considerable amount of circumstantial and other evidence that an explosive device had caused the occurrence. Mainly because of the explosive device that detonated in Tokyo the same day. Just before Air-India 182 crashed, a bag from CP Air Flight 003 exploded at Tokyo-Narita Airport 55 minutes before Air India 182 crashed. This was probably an interlined unaccompanied suitcase to be placed on Air-India Flight 301 to Bangkok. Investigation determined that the suitcase was also interlined unaccompanied from Vancouver via CP Air Flight 060 to Toronto. VT-EFO's first flight date was 19th June 1978 - the explosion was 22nd June 1985


Aircraft Information
Airline: Air India
Code: AI/AIC
Aircraft: Boeing 747-237B
Registration: VT-EFO
Serial Number: 21473 / 330
Age 7 Yrs 3 Days

Tuesday 22 June 2021

Light plane crashes at Melbourne golf course

A light plane has crashed at a golf course at Heatherton in Melbourne, trapping the pilot. The aircraft, a Piper PA-32 Cherokee , sustained substantial damage subsequent to the noseover during an apparent forced landing to open field terrain shortly after takeoff from Moorabbin Airport (MBW/YMMB), Victoria. Victoria Police confirmed the pilot was the sole occupant. "It is believed the light plane crashed into trees shortly after take-off from the Airport just after midday." Ambulance Victoria said "a man in his 50s was taken by road to The Alfred hospital in a stable condition". He was admitted with minor upper and lower body injuries. Witness Abel Teke said he was driving a truck out of a nearby quarry when he looked up through his windshield and noticed the plane. "I thought to myself, 'Jeez, that's a bit too low'," he said. "And then next minute, it clipped a tree and dived nose first, straight into the ground." Mr Teke and his workmates then called emergency services and rushed to the scene to help the pilot. "I was worried a little bit because there was smoke coming out, but we got the fire extinguisher," he said. He said they kept speaking to the pilot to keep him awake and stopped him moving about before paramedics arrived, in case he had suffered spinal injuries. Mr Teke said he had never witnessed a plane crash before and it was "a bit of a traumatic thing to see". "Hopefully he gets better real soon," he said.
Victoria Police said the cause of the crash was not yet known and the investigation was ongoing.


Aircraft Information:
Owner / Operator: Blue Demon Aviation
Aircraft: Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six
Registration: VH-CWK
Serial Number: 32-7840052



Happy Birthday SkyTeam


On the 22nd June 2000, representatives of Delta Air Lines, Aeroméxico, Air France, and Korean Air held a meeting in New York to form a third airline Alliance. (SkyTeam was the last of the three major airline alliances to be formed, the first two being Star Alliance and Oneworld.) These became the four founding carriers of SkyTeam. Upon its formation, SkyTeam would offer its customers a total of 6,402 daily flights to 451 destinations in 98 countries.

CHINA SOUTHERN' S SKYTEAM  A330-323 B-5928 (CN 1430) 

















In September 2000, the Alliance established a cargo Alliance, SkyTeam Cargo. The group's inaugural members were Aeromexpress, Air France Cargo, Delta Air Logistics and Korean Air Cargo. The following month, SkyTeam announced its intentions to incorporate CSA (Czech Airlines) as the 5th member early the following year. CSA Czech Airlines joined on the 25th of March 2001; Alitalia entered SkyTeam on the 27th of July the same year, with its membership scheduled to become effective 1st of November that year. On the 30th of September 2003, the Alliance received KLM's application for membership, following the airline's plans to create a leading airline group with Air France. In 2019 SkyTeam's annual passenger count was 630 million, making it the second largest of the three major alliances. Its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, is based at the World Trade Centre Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands.

Skyteam Logo 001.svg

In 2004, the Alliance had its biggest expansion when Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines and KLM simultaneously joined as full members. In 2010, along with the joining or upgrading status of four airlines, followed by the announcements of Aerolíneas Argentina's, China Airlines, and Garuda Indonesia to become full members, the Alliance celebrated its 10th anniversary with the introduction of a new special livery. The livery consisted of an all-metallic silver fuselage and a dark blue empennage with SkyTeam's logo on it. The Alliance emblem is painted on both sides of the fuselage. The SkyTeam livery is currently worn by 52 aircraft worldwide. In January 2011, SkyTeam incorporated both Saudi Arabian Airlines and Middle East Airlines during 2012; these events effectively took place in May and June 2012, respectively, whereas Aerolíneas Argentina's and Xiamen Airlines memberships were activated in August and November the same year, respectively. Garuda Indonesia entered the Alliance in March 2014.

CHINA EASTERN'S SKYTEAM A330-243 B-5908 (CN 1372)   














Before the Corona Virus hit SkyTeam flew to 1,150 destinations in more than 175 countries and operated more than 14,500 daily flights moving 630 million passengers. The alliance and its members have 750 lounges worldwide.
As of January 2020, SkyTeam consists of 19 carriers from five continents and operates with the slogan "Caring more about you"


KOREAN AIR'S SKYTEAM B777-3B5 HL-7783 (CN 37644)   
















Member Airlines

Full members and their member affiliates


Member airlineJoinedMember affiliates
Russia Aeroflot14 April 2006 N/A
Argentina Aerolíneas Argentinas29 August 2012N/A
Mexico Aeroméxico22 June 2000N/A
Spain Air Europa4 September 2007 N/A
France Air France22 June 2000N/A
Italy Alitalia13 January 2009Italy Alitalia CityLiner
Taiwan China Airlines28 September 2011 N/A
China China Eastern Airlines21 June 2011China Shanghai Airlines 
Czech Republic Czech Airlines25 March 2001N/A
United States Delta Air Lines22 June 2000N/A
Indonesia Garuda Indonesia5 March 2014N/A
Kenya Kenya Airways4 September 2007 N/A
Netherlands KLM13 September 2004N/A
South Korea Korean Air22 June 2000South Korea Jin Air
Lebanon Middle East Airlines28 June 2012N/A
Saudi Arabia Saudia29 May 2012N/A
Romania TAROM25 June 2010 N/A
Vietnam Vietnam Airlines10 June 2010N/A
China XiamenAir21 November 2012 N/A 
Continental and COPA joined SkyTeam in 2004 and left in 2009
China Southern joined SkyTeam in November 2007 and left in December 2018
www.skyteam.com