Australia's Taipan helicopter fleet grounded permanently

                    

     AUSTRALIAN ARMY MRH 90 TAIPAN A40-019 (CN TAUA 19)

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed yesterday that Australia’s Taipan helicopters have now been permanently grounded. This news comes just months after four crew members died in a horror crash during a military exercise in the Whitsundays. 

Captain Daniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Corporal Alexander Naggs and Warrant Officer Joseph Laycock, died after their Taipan crashed near Hamilton Island during Exercise Talisman Sabre in July this year.

Previous concerns had been raised over the MRH90 helicopters' reliability and serviceability, including incidents involving engine failures and performance issues.

In a statement released last week Defence Minister Richard Marles announced the fleet would not return to flying operations ahead of its planned withdrawal date of 2024.

“The government’s highest priority is the safety and wellbeing of our people," Mr Marles said.

The fleet will be replaced with 40 UH-60M Black Hawks, which are already flying in Australia after arriving from the United States. 

The permanent grounding of the fleet of 47 Taipans will leave the Defence Force with a capability gap until the full supply of replacement Black Hawk helicopters arrives from the US.

The MRH90 choppers were grounded on the day of the catastrophic crash and were to remain out of service until they were deemed safe to operate.

The MRH90 has been plagued with issues from the start.

On the 28th of July 2023 four soldiers were killed when their Taipan (040-040) crashed near Townsville.

On the 22nd of March 2023 another Taipan (040-025) made a forced landing in Jervis Bay off New South Wales during a nighttime antiterrorist exercise.

In April 2021 the fleet was again grounded over safety concerns. Defence says it’s a precaution: “The issue related to the application of the helicopter’s maintenance policy in the helicopter’s IT support system.” Insiders paint the issue as more serious and “potentially catastrophic”.

In March 2020 more than half the fleet was reportedly grounded due to an issue with cabin doors.

In July 2019 the entire fleet was grounded because of an issue with the helicopter’s tail rotor blade.

Turkish Airlines applies for Sydney & Melbourne routes

TURKISH AIRLINES B777-3F2 TC-LJJ (MSN 60405)

Turkish Airlines has made an application with the relevant authorities to operate Sydney & Melbourne flights. According to the report, the submission of the application would allow the carrier to begin such flights within 12 months. It is understood that Turkish Airlines aims to service the Sydney & Melbourne flights using its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
If approved, the plan would be to have around five weekly services, before eventually going to daily frequencies, as the country sees demand for flights into the other end of the world.

For the airline one route will be serviced up to daily first before alternating over to the other city, with this process expected to take around two years to do after first flight. In terms of the competition aspect, the report stated that Australian carrier Qantas will not oppose these new flights to Sydney & Melbourne with Turkish Airlines.

This comes amid the continued backlash that the airline has had over CEO pay, as well as the blocked addition of Qatar Airways flights into the country, as well as coordination with China Eastern.

Looking ahead, all eyes are now on the Transport Ministry in Australia to see whether these flights will be approved, and whether this could represent a new step in international operations for Turkish Airlines.

“We have had our eyes on Australia for a really long time. The fact that our office in Sydney celebrates its 35th year alone is a testament to Turkish Airlines’ desire to add Australia to our wide flight network.

“The warmth of the Australian people, the large number of Turkish people that have made these lands their home, and the international vision as well as the Australian people’s desire to travel excite us at Turkish Airlines as we look to commence our flights to this beautiful country in the coming future.

“We are eager to add Australia to our network and connect Australian people to the world with our award-winning service quality.

Rex’s jet fleet continues to grow

REX BOEING 737-85R VH-MFM (MSN 42805)

A ninth Boeing 737-800NG is the latest addition to Rex’s jet fleet as it continues to grow, arriving on Friday the 22nd of September in Brisbane after a ferry flight from Singapore. VH-8JS (MSN 44218) is fresh out of maintenance and already scheduled to enter service in October.
The recently announced service between Adelaide and Brisbane will have its inaugural flight on the 30th of October. This will be the tenth domestic route between capital cities in Australia for Rex.

It was only mid-August when Rex added what was then their 6th capital city, with the Hobart route. Highlighting the expansion and desire for enhanced services from those at the head of the airline.

Rex Deputy Chairman, the Hon John Sharp AM, said: “Australians are crying out for an airline like Rex that has over 20 years of safe, reliable service delivered with heartfelt country hospitality and integrity.”

“Besides being consistently Australia’s most reliable airline, they stated they were proud that during COVID, they refunded every passenger who requested a COVID-related refund.”

Their latest addition started its life with Silk Air back on the 8th of March 2014 as 9V-MGB.
It was then stored from March 2020 to February 2021

In March 2021 9V-MGB was repainted and started its life with Singapore Airlines until May 2022

It was once again stored in May 2022 until REX Airlines acquired this aircraft. 

On the 20th of September 2023 9V-MGB was reregistered as VH-8JS and is now in the hands of REX (Regional Express)

Rex is Australia’s largest independent regional and domestic airline operating a fleet of 58 Saab 340 and 9 Boeing 737-800NG aircraft to 57 destinations throughout all states in Australia. In addition to Rex Airlines, the Rex Group comprises wholly owned subsidiaries Pel-Air Aviation (air freight, aeromedical and charter operator), the Australian Airline Pilot Academy and propeller maintenance organisation, Australian Aerospace Propeller Maintenance. Rex is also a 50% shareholder of National Jet Express (NJE), a premier Fly-In-Fly-Out (FIFO), charter and freight operator.

Drunk Jetstar passenger facing $27,500 fine

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKB (MSN 36228)

A Jetstar passenger whose allegedly drunken, disruptive and abusive behaviour that led to a flight from Perth to Sydney being turned around is facing the prospect of $27,500 in fines after being charged by Australian Federal Police.
The pilot of Jetstar flight JQ989 was forced to turn back shortly after take-off after the man allegedly verbally abused the crew and ignored their directions while intoxicated.
After the flight arrived back in Perth, the 33-year-old was arrested by AFP officers and later charged with offensive or disorderly behaviour in aircraft and failing to comply with safety instructions by cabin crew.
Each of those charges carries a maximum fine of $13,750.
"Airline staff are there to ensure the safety of passengers and they, along with every other passenger onboard, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect," AFP superintendent Peter Hatch said.
"Verbally abusing airline staff and failing to comply with their directions are serious offences. These matters are not something the AFP takes lightly."

JQ989 departed Perth from runway 21 at 12.08am on Tuesday morning and climbed to 35,000 feet. Fifty-two minutes into the flight, the pilot's made the decision to turn the aircraft around, landing back in Perth on runway 21 at 2.23 am.

Australians among hundreds stranded by Air Vanuatu flight cancellations.

AIR VANUATU BOEING 737-8SH YJ-AV8 (MSN 42052)

Hundreds of travellers have been stranded in Vanuatu after the country's sole international aircraft was grounded due to mechanical issues.

Air Vanuatu says its Boeing 737 is grounded in Brisbane "awaiting a mechanical part", meaning more than 20 Air Vanuatu flights to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji have been cancelled or rescheduled since last Friday. The airline says it is "deeply sorry" for the "significant disruptions" and is promising to resume its international schedule by the end of this week.

Ulladulla resident Janice O'Neil said she was en route to the airport on Friday when she received an email saying her flight from Sydney to Vanuatu was cancelled.

Below message was taken from the Air Vanuatu website

Dear Guests,
We deeply regret to inform you that, despite our best efforts, we are faced with extended delays in returning to our regular international flight schedule. The completion of necessary work has encountered unexpected challenges, making it impossible for us to provide an exact timeframe for resuming our regular schedules. At this stage, we anticipate the possible resumption of international flights by the end of this week.
We have engaged Nauru airlines to operate a number of limited services between Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland and Nadi to and from Port Vila. Our teams have been working on re-routing guests via Nadi, Honiara and Brisbane.
We ask Guests on cancelled Air Vanuatu services to not present themselves at the airport for check-in.
For information on those flights that have been cancelled and rescheduled services, please visit: https://www.airvanuatu.com/.../akl_syd_mel_bne-service...
If you no longer wish to travel, you have refund options available. If your booking was made through a Travel Agent, kindly reach out to your Travel Agent to initiate a refund with us.
For those who booked directly with Air Vanuatu, please email our team on customercare@airvanuatu.vu to assist with processing your refund. In order to speed up the process, please provide your booking reference and the name(s) of those booked.
If you wish to contact us please reach out using any of the following numbers:
• Call Center: +678 23838 (Open Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm Vanuatu time) 

(On weekends and public holidays: 8am to 3pm Vanuatu time)
• Australia: 1300 780 737 (toll-free) / +612 8335 4600 (if calling from overseas) (Open 9am to 5pm AEST)
• New Zealand: +64 (9) 373 3435 (Open 9am to 5pm NZ time)
We can also be contacted via email reservation@airvanuatu.vu
We appreciate the significance of your travel plans and are committed to providing you with the best possible assistance during this situation.

Air Vanuatu only have two aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 and an ATR 72

Virgin Australia grounds some 737s

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-YFX (MSN 41013)

Australian airline Virgin Australia has been forced to ground two of its Boeing 737-800s following engine troubles.

The airline’s findings relate to aircraft potentially fitted with falsely documented parts to the engine. Therefore, this is a substantial safety concern for the major airline.

Virgin Australia only became aware of the possible issues following falsified certification documents from AOG Technics, a key supplier in Britain surfacing.

The part is currently being removed on VH-YFR, which has become the second aircraft Virgin Australia has been made aware of that has been affected. These replacements are taking place in Brisbane, Australia. Brisbane remains a crucial city for the carrier, which offers services around Australia.

Since its restructuring and filing for administration many years back, Virgin Australia has heavily relied on the Boeing 737 to power its network and acquired its first 737 MAX only a month ago.

However, this problem impacting a handful of its 737s isn’t new, with other customers being affected thus far. CFM International launched legal action against AOG Technics after 68 engines were reportedly uncovered to have falsely certified documents, a very valid concern.

One of the main inconsistencies highlighted through recent reports is concerns over the age of the parts being installed. ACOG’s documentation has not lined up with the CFM claim, saying that the installed parts have been very clearly used.

According to reports, Southwest Airlines  and United Airlines have also found fake engine parts. The fake parts were supplied from AOG Technics.

Southwest revealed on the 8th of September that it had removed a pair of low-pressure turbine blades from one of its Boeing 737 NG aircraft. The part was removed out of caution.

United Airlines has also revealed that it

as found two faulty engine parts on two

separate aircraft. The airline said that the

part will be replaced before returning 

Chasing more Beluga's, part two

Looking at the Toulouse airport spotting page, we found a few good locations to go to. Some were walking distance from the hotel, like the north and south carparks. But some, like "The Hill" needed a car to get to. So, after visiting the carparks, while the sun was behind, we grabbed an Uber and headed to the hill for a few hours. We saw the new blue Condor going out for a test flight. A China Southern A350 leaving for its new home, and even a diversion from Lufthansa (in the skyteam livery) due to low fuel because of storms.

VISTARA AIRBUS A320-200N F-WWTN (MSN N/A)

ROYAL AIR MORAC BOEING 737-85E (MSN 33978)

CONDOR AIRBUS 330- F-WWYE (MSN N/A)

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRBUS A350-941 B-32EW (MSN 625)

AIR CORSICA AIRBUS A320-214 F-HZDP (MSN 3325)

AIR FRANCE AIRBUS A318-111 F-GUGQ (MSN 2972)

AIRBUS A321-253NY F-WWAB (MSN 11080)

AIR ALGERIE BOEING 737-8D6 7T-VKC (MSN 34166)

EASY JET AUSTRIA AIRBUS A320-214 OE-INE (MSN 7750)

RYAN AIR BOEING 737-8AS 9H-QEN (MSN 44827)

FLYNAS AIRBUS A320-200N F-WWIF (MSN N/A)

TAP EXPRESS EMBRAER ER195 CS-TTZ (MSN 19000628)

AVANTI AIR DASH 8 Q400 D-AASH (MSN 4187)

AIRBUS BELUGA (No 5) AIRBUS A330-743L F-GXLN (MSN 2027)

LUFTHANSA AIRBUS A319-114 D-AILP (MSN 0717)

ZIMEX ATR 42-500 HB-ALN (MSN 0528)

EASY JET AUSTRIA AIRBUS A319-111 OE-LQQ (MSN 3845)

LUFTHANSA AIRBUS A320-214 D-AIUM (MSN 6577)

Chasing Beluga's at Toulouse Airport

Having an obsession with commercial aviation, seeing the Beluga was the last huge aircraft on my bucket list. I have seen the Antonov Myra 225, I have seen the Boeing Dreamlifter, twice. And now I have seen the Airbus Beluga. As we were in Paris on holidays, it was my wife's suggestion we go to Toulouse and visit the home of Airbus. In Brisbane, Australia, where we live, we might see one or two con trails from aircraft a day. During our trip to Amsterdam, Paris and now Toulouse, the contrails never end. Maybe 20 an hour every hour. We stayed at the NH Hotel right at the airport, and we asked for a high room overlooking the airport. So a lot of these photos were taken from the hotel room.

LUMI WINGS BOEING 737-7K2 SX-LWC (MSN 30659)

FLY ARYSTAN AIRBUS A320-200 (MSN N/A)

AIR FRANCE AIRBUS A220-300 F-HZUL (MSN 55174)

AIRBUS A321-253NY F-WWAB (MSN N/A)

LUFTHANSA AIRBUS A319-114 D-AILT (MSN 0738)

AIRBUS A320-271 F-WNEO (MSN N/A)

IBERIA REGIONAL CRJ1000 EC-MLO (MSN 19050)

VOLOTEA AIRBUS A319-111 EC-NHP (MSN 2870)

BRUSSELS AIRLINES AIRBUS A319-111 (MSN 2287)

TURKISH BOEING 737-MAX 8 TC-LCU (MSN 60068)

BUSINESS AVIATION ASIA DASSAULT FALCON 7X B-8205 (MSN 209)

AIRBUS A320-200 F-WWBM (MSN N/A)

AIR INDIA AIRBUS A320-200N F-WWDO (MSN N/A)

ROYAL AIR MAROC BOEING 737-8B6 CN-ROY (MSN 33070)

AVIANCA AIRBUS 320-200 F-WWIK (MSN N/A)

AIRBUS BELUGA (No 6) AIRBUS A330-743 XL F-WWYX (MSN N/A)

AIRBUS BELUGA (No 4) AIRBUS A330-743L F-GXLJ (MSN 1985)

AIRBUS A380-841 F-WWOW (MSN 001)

AIRBUS BELUGA (No 6) AIRBUS A330-743L F-WWYX (MSN N/A)

SAS AIRBUS A320-200N F-WWB (MSN N/A)

IBERIA AIRBUS A350-941 F-WWAW (MSN N/A)

LUFTHANSA AIRBUS A350-941 F-WZFQ (MSN N/A)

EMBRAER PHENOM 300 F-HRDG (MSN 50500644)

VOLOTEA AIRBUS A319-111 EC-NDH (MSN 3403)

LUFTHANSA AIRBUS A319-114 D-AILK (MSN 679)

AIRBUS BELUGA (No 4) AIRBUS A330-743L F-GXLJ (MSN 1985)

TUNISAIR AIRBUS A320-214 TS-ITA (MSN 4502)