Slot times at Sydney airport to be changed after Rex collapse

Following the collapse of Rex Airlines, the management of airline access to Australia's largest airport will undergo significant changes. The Albanese government is set to revamp Sydney Airport's access system, attributing part of Rex's failure to the monopolisation of slots at the nation's busiest airport.

Transport Minister Catherine King has initiated a tender process to select a new manager for the airport's time slots, which have been under the control of a company owned primarily by Qantas and Virgin Australia.

"Our reforms to the slot system at Sydney Airport are crucial for enhancing competition and increasing transparency," stated Ms. King.

The government had previously announced reforms earlier in the year, which are pending introduction to parliament. These include altering the allocation process to release more slots and redefining what constitutes a new entrant, simplifying the process for new airlines to secure time slots.

Prospective slot managers in the tender process are required to show how they will handle and prevent conflicts of interest. These changes are part of a broader reform package for the Sydney Airport slot system announced in February. The government has fulfilled several of these reforms, such as conducting an independent audit of slot usage, with the findings to be disclosed upon completion.

Additionally, the Compliance Committee for Sydney Airport has been reinstated to oversee adherence to the slot regime for the country's most profitable airport. Further reforms aim to modernise the compliance system with penalties targeting anti-competitive behavior, enhance enforcement tools for the government to monitor airlines more closely, and mandate airlines to regularly disclose their slot usage details, including reasons for cancellations or significant delays, which will be made public routinely.

Remembering Korean Air Flight 801

 

KOREAN AIR A380-861 HL-7622 (CN 128)

27 yrs. ago today Korean Air Flight 801 crashed on Nimitz Hill in Asan, Guam, while on approach to Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (IATA: GUM, ICAO: PGUM), also known as Guam International Airport. 

KE801 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Korean Air which travelled from Kimpo International Airport (IATA: GMP / ICAO: RKSS) to Guam. The flight crashed on the 6th of August 1997, while on approach to Antonio Airport, killing 228 of the 254 people aboard. 

The National Transportation Safety Board cites poor communication between the flight crew as probable cause for the crash, along with the captain’s poor decision making on the non-precision approach. Flight 801 departed from Seoul-Kimpo International Airport (now Gimpo Airport) at 8:53 p.m. on the 5th of August on its way to Guam. It carried three flight crew members (the two pilots and the flight engineer), 14 flight attendants, and 237 passenger a total of 254 people. Six of the passengers were Korean Air flight attendants, who were deadheading. (Deadheading is the practice of carrying, free of charge, the company's own staff on a normal passenger trip so that they can be in the right place to begin their duties) 

The flight experienced some turbulence but was uneventful until shortly after 1:00 a.m. on August 6th, as the jet was preparing to land. There was heavy rain at Guam so visibility was significantly reduced, and the crew attempted an instrument landing. The glideslope Instrument Landing System (ILS) for runway 6L was out of service. Captain Park believed it was in service, however, at 1:35 am managed to pick up a signal that was later identified to be from an irrelevant electronic device on the ground. 

The crew noticed that the aircraft was descending very steeply and noted several times that the airport "is not in sight." Despite protests from flight engineer Nam that the detected signal was not the glide-slope indicator, Park pressed on. The crew lowered the landing gear and continued to prepare the aircraft for landing. 12 seconds before impact, the Ground Proximity Warning system activated, warning the crew about their actual altitude. First officer Song declared a missed approach, and captain Park declared a go-around, but it was too late. At 1:42 am, the aircraft's main landing gear struck a fuel pipeline, and crashed into Nimitz Hill. The crash site was about 3 nautical miles (3.5 mi; 5.6 km) short of the runway, at an altitude of 660 feet (200 m).

Flight 801 was normally flown by an Airbus A300; but since Korean Air had to transport the Chamorro athletes to the South Pacific Mini Games in American Samoa, the airline designated a 12-year-old Boeing 747-300 delivered to Korean Air on the 12th of December 1984 to fly the route that night.


Aircraft Information
Airline: Korean Air
Code: KE/KAL
Aircraft: Boeing 747-3B5
Registration: HL7468
Serial Number: 22487
Engines: 4 x PW JT9D-7R4G2
First Flew: 3/12/1984
Age: 12Yrs 8Mts

Frontier Airlines pilot arrested minutes before flight to Dallas-Fort Worth

FRONTIER AIRBUS A320-251 N339FR (MSN 8535)

A pilot flying for Frontier Airlines was arrested at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH/KIAH) in Houston after police said he was wanted in North Texas on an assault-family violence warrant.

The arrest happened around 4 p.m. on Thursday the 1st of August, right before Frontier Airlines Flight 3195, which was scheduled to depart from Houston for Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW/KDFW).

According to the Houston Police Department, officers on patrol at IAH were told that 45-year-old Seymour Walker, a pilot, was aboard a plane at a particular gate.

Authorities stated that Walker was sought by law enforcement in Dallas-Fort Worth for assault and family violence following a warrant filed by the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Department of Public Safety.

Walker was taken into custody by Houston officers without incident. He has since bonded out of jail. Frontier Airlines released a news release on Saturday, confirming a crew member was taken into custody by police before one of its flights.

The airline said that because of the incident, no other pilot was immediately available, so the flight was canceled.

Aircraft turns back to Launceston after pilot forgets vital pre-flight step

On the 26th of April 2024, at 1447 local time, the pilot of a Cessna Citation departed Launceston Airport, Tasmania (LST/YMLT) on a non-scheduled passenger transport charter to Bankstown Airport, New South Wales (BWU/YSBK). An Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation has concluded and discovered that a pilot who forgot to remove a pitot probe cover from their aircraft before taking off from Launceston Airport was likely distracted. This oversight forced the Cessna, carrying four passengers and two pilots, to return shortly after departure.

According to the ATSB, the crew detected a strange noise outside the plane during the initial climb and noticed that the standby airspeed indicator displayed a different reading to the primary and secondary indicators. The pilot levelled off the aircraft at 4,000 ft and advised air traffic control that they required a return to land. Investigations found that the plane had arrived from Sydney earlier that morning and had been parked up for the day, with the crew installing covers over the three pitot probes as part of the securement process.

(Pitot tubes are vital components on an aircraft, measuring essential data such as airspeed and altitude.)

“At 2pm local time, the crew were informed that the passengers would arrive within 30 minutes. The crew arrived at the aircraft at 2:10pm and reported feeling pressured to complete the pre-flight preparations before the arrival of the passengers,” the ATSB said.

“Before the external inspection had been completed, the passengers arrived and both crews went to meet them.”

The ATSB noted that the safety pilot stayed with the passengers while the pilot returned to the aircraft to continue preparations and minimise further delays.

“The external inspection, which included the removal of pitot probe covers, was not completed and the pilot entered the cockpit to finalise preparations for the flight,” they said.

“The safety pilot loaded the passengers and their luggage before securing the aircraft door for departure.”

A safety review by the operator determined that the presence of a safety pilot in a single-pilot operation might have caused a distraction.

“Pilots must ensure that all pre-flight checks and procedures are carried out systematically as detailed in the flight manual,” the ATSB said. “If interrupted, it is best practice to start again from the beginning to ensure that nothing is missed” the ATSB went on to say.

Aircraft Information:

Owner / Operator: Navair Flight Operations

Aircraft: Cessna 525B Citation CJ3+

Registration: VH-X8X

Serial Number: 525B-0472

First Flew: January 2015

Age: 9 Years

The crash of Emirates flight 521

EMIRATES BOEING 777-21H A6-EWE (MSN 35582)

 

On the 3rd of August 2016, EK 521 carrying 282 passengers and 18 crew crashed while attempting a go round at Dubai International Airport. Emirates Flight 521 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Trivandrum International Airport (TRV/VOTV), India to Dubai International Airport (DXB/OMDB), United Arab Emirates.

All 300 people on board survived the accident; 32 were slightly injured, 4 were seriously injured. 

An airport firefighter died during the rescue operation and another seven firefighters were injured. 

The aircraft departed Trivandrum, India at 05:06 hours UTC. The captain was the pilot flying (PF), and the copilot was the pilot monitoring (PM). As the flight neared Dubai, the crew received the automatic terminal information service (ATIS) Information Zulu, which included a windshear warning for all runways.

During the approach, at 08:36:00 UTC (12:36 local time), with the autothrottle system in SPEED mode, as the aircraft descended through a radio altitude (RA) of 1,100 feet, at 152 knots IAS, the wind direction started to change from a headwind component of 8 knots to a tailwind component.

At 08:37:07, 159 knots IAS, 35 feet RA, the PF started to flare the aircraft. The autothrottle mode transitioned to IDLE and both thrust levers were moving towards the idle position. At 08:37:12, 160 knots IAS, and 5 feet RA, five seconds before touchdown, the wind direction again started to change to a headwind.

At 08:37:23, the aircraft became airborne in an attempt to go-around and was subjected to a headwind component until impact. At 08:37:27, the flap lever was moved to the 20 position. Two seconds later the landing gear lever was selected to the UP position. Subsequently, the landing gear unlocked and began to retract.

At 08:37:28, the air traffic control tower issued a clearance to continue straight ahead and climb to 4,000 feet. The clearance was read back correctly.
The aircraft reached a maximum height of approximately 85 feet RA at 134 knots IAS, with the landing gear in transit to the retracted position. The aircraft then began to sink back onto the runway. Both crewmembers recalled seeing the IAS decreasing and the copilot called out "Check speed." At 08:37:35, three seconds before impact with the runway, both thrust levers were moved from the idle position to full forward. The autothrottle transitioned from IDLE to THRUST mode. Approximately one second later, a ground proximity warning system (GPWS) aural warning of "DON’T SINK, DON’T SINK" was annunciated.

One second before impact, both engines started to respond to the thrust lever movement showing an increase in related parameters.

At 08:37:38, the aircraft aft fuselage impacted the runway abeam the November 7 intersection at 125 knots, with a nose-up pitch angle of 9.5 degrees, and at a rate of descent of 900 feet per minute. This was followed by the impact of the engines on the runway. The three landing gears were still in transit to the retracted position. As the aircraft slid along the runway, the No.2 engine-pylon assembly separated from the right hand (RH) wing.

The aircraft continued to slide along the runway on the lower fuselage, the outboard RH wing, and the No.1 engine. An incipient fire started on the underside of the No.1 engine.
The aircraft came to rest adjacent to the Mike 13 taxiway at a magnetic heading of approximately 240 degrees. After the aircraft came to rest, fire was emanating from the No. 2 engine, the damaged RH engine-pylon wing attachment area and from under the aircraft fuselage. Approximately one minute after, the captain transmitted a "MAYDAY" call and informed air traffic control that the aircraft was being evacuated.

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 777-31H with registration A6-EMW, serial number 32700, and line number 434. It was equipped with two Rolls-Royce Trent 892 engines and was thirteen years old, having made its first flight on the 7th of March 2003. It was delivered new to Emirates on the 28th of March 2003.

The accident is the only hull loss of an Emirates aircraft.

KC-46 Flies around the world nonstop

A KC - 46 from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing accomplished something no 767 or KC-46 has ever done before. 

On the 29th of June, the jet took off from McConnell Air Force base and flew west. It landed 45 hours later back at McConnell completing an around the world journey.

Along the way, the Pegasus also air refueled various aircraft including the C-17 Globemaster III, multiple B-2 bombers, F-15E Strike Eagles, and another KC-46.

In order to accomplish such a feat and join the likes of other aircraft that have accomplished a similar feat, the jet also needed to be refueled along the journey. Two KC-46 jets were sent to Guam in advance of the record setting flight. A KC-135 from McConnell was sent to RAF Mildenhall. An additional Stratotanker was sent to the Middle East. There were additional backup aircraft available in case of contingency.

In order to accomplish the mission, the KC-46 crew compliment consisted of 4 experienced pilots, two boom operators, a flight surgeon, and two flying crew chiefs. The crewmembers took shifts, alternating between operating the jet and resting as the jet continued around the world.

While this super-augmented 48-hour day might not become the norm, the article released by Air Mobility Command did seem to indicate that this could be an option available in the future for mission planners. Brig Gen Donahue, Director of Operation for Strategic and Nuclear Integration at Air Mobility Command said, “Not only is the duration of this sortie notable, but we are completing it with just two basic crews. Previously, three pilots were able to fly as an ‘augmented’ crew for up to 24 hours. Going forward, AMC is looking to have a crew of four pilots operating for up to 48 hours.”
Not the first aircraft to accomplish the feat

Flying around the world nonstop is still a fairly rare occurrence. The KC-46 is not the first aircraft to make the journey nonstop though. Back in 1949, a B-50 named Lucky Lady II, made the first around the world trip non-stop in 94 hours. The Rutan Voyager also accomplished the feat in 1986 without any refueling.

Virgin’s Global Flyer also accomplished the feat in 2005 with Steve Fosset at the controls. 

He was the first person to circumnavigate the solo globe nonstop.

Singapore Airlines adds more flights to Brisbane

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHM (MSN 379)

Singapore Airlines regularly graces the skies of Brisbane, currently operating 21 flights weekly between Singapore and the Queensland capital. This frequency is set to increase even further.

Starting this Sunday, the 4th of August, the Star Alliance airline will boost its schedule to four daily flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. This is in addition to the existing thrice-daily services on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. 

• Flight SQ266 will depart Brisbane at 6:10 PM and arrive in Singapore just past midnight at 12:10 AM local time. 
• Flight SQ265 will leave Singapore at 7:00 AM and touch down in Brisbane at 4:35 PM.

The airline will utilize the medium-range Airbus A350.

Other international airlines increasing their service or adding Brisbane include China Southern, Korean Air, and EVA Air, as well as United, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. The latter two are set to commence flights to Dallas and Los Angeles later this year.

Cathay Pacific is also increasing its Brisbane flights from October, introducing a convenient daytime flight to Hong Kong every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.

Moreover, Qatar Airways has expressed interest in enhancing its Brisbane service. Despite last year's setback in their request, the airline's new CEO, Badr Mohammed Al Meer, has confirmed that expanding flights to Australia remains a priority.

Singapore Airlines currently operates 126 weekly flights between Australia and its Singapore hub, serving cities including Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney.