South African Airways to return to Perth, and Cathay doubles flights

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS AIRBUS A340-642 ZS-SNF (MSN 547)

Direct flights between Perth (PER/YPPH) Australia and Johannesburg (JNB/FAOR) South Africa look set to return in March 2024, promises a South African Airways executive, as the Star Alliance member works to rebuild its international network.

Speaking in an online webinar to the South African Tourism Services Association earlier this week, as reported by trade outlet TravelNews.co.za, the airline’s General Manager for Sales, Marketing, e-Commerce and Distribution Carla da Silva said SAA hoped to put its Perth schedule online next week, ahead of a March 2024 launch.

There would initially be three flights a week between Perth and Johannesburg, she added. Da Silva said January 2024 would see the arrival of three newly-leased long-range jets which, alongside a possible Airbus A350, would also allow the restart of flights to London and Frankfurt.

Da Silva noted that after being grounded for some 18 months due to bankruptcy during the global pandemic, the carrier resumed a pared-back service in September 2021 and has slowly been adding flights since then, as well as returning to profitability. The airline also remains a Virgin Australia partner.
Qantas has upgraded its Sydney-Johannesburg route from a Boeing 787 to an Airbus A380 from July 2024, although the flights will no longer run on a daily basis.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRBUS A330-343 B-HLN (MSN 389)

While on Perth, Cathay Pacific is now doubling down on flights between Perth (PER/YPPH) and Hong Kong (HKG/VHHH), increasing connections from three to six per week while also rolling out an aircraft change.

To that end, it’s out with the Airbus A350 and in with the Boeing 777, resulting in an extra two business class flatbeds on every flight, plus a score more premium economy and economy recliners, if that’s where you’ll be for the eight-hour journey.

Taking flight every day except Tuesday, CX140 departs Perth at 12:10am, reaching Hong Kong at 7:45am; the CX171 return leaves Hong Kong at 3:10pm those same six days, arriving into Perth at 10:50pm.

Jetstar takes advantage of Bonza's situation

BONZA BOEING 737 MAX 8 VH-UJT (MSN 62533)

Australia's newest low-cost airline Bonza announced on the 30th of November that most flights to / from the Gold Coast, Bundaberg, Cairns, the Whitsundays, Mildura and Geelong in Victoria were pulled due to a delayed regulatory approval to fly.

JETSTAR AIRBUS A321-251 VH-OFL (MSN 10353)

Jetstar, the biggest airline operating from the Gold Coast Airport, jumps on Bonza's Gold Coast woes with discounted flights Jetstar is offering discounted fares to passengers affected by Bonza's Gold Coast cancellations as more routes are affected by the wait for CASA approval.
Bonza has already axed all Gold Coast-Darwin flights for December, with the
route to now launch on the 2nd January. Other Gold Coast routes, including Melbourne's Avalon Airport and Cairns, have been delayed indefinitely while CASA's approval process continues for its wet-lease agreement with Flair.

BONZA /FLAIR BOEING 737-MAX 8 C-FLKC (MSN 61807)

The rival carrier is offering $117 one-way fares between the Gold Coast and Avalon and $174 one-way fares between the Gold Coast and Cairns for affected passengers. Those looking to claim the discounted fares are being advised to contact Jetstar's Live Chat service with a copy of their original Bonza booking and cancellation notification

"We will continue to monitor the situation and advise if there are additional alternative options for passengers impacted by other Bonza route suspensions," Jetstar said on its website.

Brisbane Airport forecasts 3.7m passengers over holidays

Brisbane Airport has this week revealed their forecast for passenger numbers over the Winter holiday period, which is expected to be 3.7m passengers.
It is understood the range for this is between the 1st of December to the 28th January, which is expected to increase by 20% compared to the same period last year.

Brisbane Airport also outlined what they expect to be the busiest days in that date range from their international terminal:
Rank Date Total passengers International Terminal

 
1 Sat 6th of January 2024 20,200
2 Fri 22nd of December 2023 20,000
3 Sun 7th of January 2023 20,000
4 Sat 23rd of December 2023 19,800
5 Fri 5th of January 2024 19,400

Commenting on this further was Gert-Jan de Graaff, CEO of Brisbane Airport:

“It’s vital our hospitality industry is ready for the return of this powerhouse market”.

“The growth of arrivals from India has been meteoric. This is a rapidly expanding market with a new generation of travelers connecting with friends and family in Queensland.”

“For Queenslanders heading overseas, New Zealand remains the most popular destination simply because we have the biggest number of Kiwis in Australia and many love to connect with family at this time of year. Over the Christmas period there are up to 92 flights per week in each direction, up from 70 last year.

“This is the first Christmas holidays that Queenslanders have been directly connected to Vietnam, thanks to Vietjet, so it is a trending destination.”

"Capacity to Japan has recently quadrupled through Qantas and Jetstar and is very popular for Christmas. And United Airlines has begun it service from Brisbane to Los Angeles, which is expanding capacity to the United States.”

“To think during the darkest days of the pandemic there were days of zero international passengers, and now we are back to 20,000 per day.”

All eyes will be on how Brisbane Airport gets on over this Winter period.

Engine failure on China Eastern A330

CHINA EASTERN AIRBUS A359-941 B-321J (MSN 423)

A China Eastern Airbus A330-300 travelling from Shanghai (SHA/ZSSS) to Hong Kong (HKG/VHHH) suffered a mid-air uncontained engine failure.

The flight departed Shanghai's runway 36L at 08.32 and climbed to flt lvl 340. An hour and ten minutes into the flight, the crew reported a malfunction to the aircraft's left engine. This was followed by extreme vibration and very loud noises.

The aircraft immediately made an emergency landing in Xiamen (XMN/ZSAM). No injuries have been reported in the incident.

Once on the ground, engineers discovered that one and a half of the fan blades broke from the engine and ejected through the top of the engine.

Aircraft Information:
Airline: China Eastern Airlines

Code: MU/CES

Aircraft: Airbus A330-343

Registration: B-8970

Serial Number: 1798

Engine: 2 x RR Trent 772B-60

First Flew: 19/05/2017

Age: 6.5Yrs

Airline serves baffled passengers 'dog food' in awkward translation blunder

Plane passengers were left confused by a mistranslation blunder after 'imported dog food' was seen on the menu by those flying business class with China Eastern Airlines

Plane passengers were left baffled after they were offered "imported dog food" on their flight as a menu option, rather than more palatable dishes you would usually tuck into.

When flying business class, passengers tend to expect a range of fancy dishes to be served up. But when dog food appeared as an option, alongside "smoke pepper beef" and "cucumber", people were left with many questions.

The China Eastern Airlines Business Class dinner menu was posted on Facebook by Conrad Ru, who wrote "What exactly is it?". It subsequently landed on Reddit, where people were quick to point out that "most likely the translation has gone wrong", joking "Besides, how bad could dog food be?"

In response to the "dog food" on the menu, someone wrote: "Pretty certain that it is a mistranslation. But a severe loss of face for the huge airline." Another added: "Never attribute to malice what can be attributed to laziness."

Someone saw the opportunity to make a pun, commenting: "Dog food can be canned and is safe to eat. If imported, it can have high safety standards. Standards that are through the woof."

A fan backed the airline though, saying that they loved flying with them - but there were no excuses for the bad translation. They said: "I love this airline. I only flew it once but it once but it was a long flight and I changed planes twice (same airline) and the flight crew was so awesome!! Incredibly friendly and helpful [...]The food was really yummy too. It's sad to see them making such mistakes when they have plenty of experts in China who could proofread things for them. 

Delta pilot threatens to shoot captain over medical diversion

DELTA BOEING 737-832 N374DA (MSN 29622)

Federal authorities in Utah have charged a former Delta Air Lines pilot for allegedly threatening to shoot the captain during a flight last year. Jonathan Dunn was charged in a Utah District Court for disrupting the crew's operations on a commercial flight.

According to an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Office of Inspector General, Dunn used a firearm to assault and intimidate the flight's captain. This incident happened on a Delta flight between two unspecified destinations on the 22nd of August 2022.

The DOT released this statement about the incident:

"After a disagreement about a potential flight diversion due to a passenger medical event, Dunn told the Captain he would be shot multiple times if he diverted the flight."

Meanwhile, the federal court in Utah said about Dunn's indictment:

"The indictment alleges that, on or about the 22nd of August 2022, Dunn, the crew's First Officer, interfered with the performance of a crew member by using a dangerous weapon to assault and intimidate the Captain. Dunn was authorized to carry a firearm through the Transportation Security Administration's Federal Flight Desk Officer program."

Why did the First Officer have a gun and how did it get past security you ask?

The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) created the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program as an additional security measure after the terrorist attacks on September 11. 

The FFDO program allows flight crew to receive specialized training and carry weapons onboard to protect against terrorism. The participants are federal law enforcement officers certified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FFDOs have jurisdiction over the cabins of commercial or cargo aircraft while on duty.

It is unknown what caused Dunn to misbehave while on duty. Dunn had no previous health issues severe enough to prevent him from flying since he had a medical certificate while working at Delta. Dunn got his medical certificate revoked after the incident, with Delta later revealing in a statement that he was no longer employed there. The DOT, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are conducting the investigation. Dunn is scheduled to face a federal court again in Salt Lake City late November.

Same airport, same day, two crashes

On the 28th of November, two Embraer EMB-120 crashed at Kikoboga Airstrip (HTMK) in Tanzania.

The first crash involved a Unity Air Zanzibar EMB-120.

As the aircraft landed, its right-hand main landing gear collapsed. The aircraft then veered off the runway and came to a stop on the grass. No injuries were reported from the 30 passengers and three crew.

However, just six hours later, at the same airport, another Embraer EMB-120 crashed on the same runway. 

The aircraft this time was operated by Sindbard Air which was travelling from Kikoboga (HTMK) to Zanzibar (ZNZ/HTZA).
As the aircraft was accelerating for takeoff, its nose gear collapsed. It veered off the runway and collided with a building. Just like before, no injuries were reported.

Kikoboga Airstrip is an airstrip serving the Mikumi National Park in the Morogoro Region of Tanzania and is owned by the Government of Tanzania. The airstrip is 1,737 ft / 529 m AMSL.

Aircraft Information: No:1

Owner / Operator: UnityAir Zanzibar

Code: AFD

Aircraft: Embraer EMB 120ER Brasilia

Registration: 5H-MJH

Serial Number: 120358

Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney PW118

First Flew: Sept 2004

Aircraft Information: No:2

Owner / Operator: Sindbard Air

Code: -

Aircraft: Embraer EMB 120ER Brasilia

Registration: 5H-FLM

Serial Number: 120325

Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney PW118

First Flew: March 2008