Remembering Air India Flight 101

On the 24th of January 1966 an Air lndia Boeing 707 traveling from Beirut International Airport (BEY/OLBA) to Genève-Cointrin Airport (GVA/LSGG) crashed into Mont Blanc in France killing all 117 people on board.

The investigation concluded the pilot-in-command calculated his position in relation to Mont Blanc and reported his own estimate of this position to the controller; the radar controller noted a different position of the aircraft and passed a communication to the pilots which would enable it to change its position.

Then the pilot who, under the mistaken impression that he had passed the ridge leading to the summit continued his descent. At flight level 190 (19,000 feet) the crew were instructed to descend for Geneva International Airport after the aircraft had passed Mont Blanc. The pilot, thinking that he had passed Mont Blanc, started to descend and flew into the Mont Blanc massif in France near the Rocher de la Tournette, at an elevation of 4,750 metres (15,584 feet). All 106 passengers and 11 crew were killed.

The aircraft was named Kanchenjunga, after the third highest mountain in the world.


Aircraft Information: 

Airline: Air India
Code: AI/AIC

Aircraft: Boeing 707-437

Registration: VT-DMN 

Serial Number: 18055/200

Engines: Rolls-Royce Conway 508

First Flew: 5 April 1961

Age: 4.10 Years 

We’re keeping the families and friends in our thoughts as they honor and remember their loved ones today.

Etihad to bring life back into its last two A380s

Etihad Airways has stated it will bring its last two Airbus A380s back into service over the next year, taking advantage of the premium travel boom with its luxuriously outfitted superjumbos. Like many A380's around the world, the original Etihad fleet of ten double-decker jets was retired in 2020 during the global pandemic, with one being dismantled in July 2025. That aircraft was A6-APA (MSN 166).

A6-APA was the first Airbus A380 to be delivered to Etihad Airways, but the 150th A380 to be delivered overall.

ETIHAD AIRBUS A380-861 A6-APC (MSN 176)

Seven superjumbos are now back in service, flying daily from Abu Dhabi to London, Paris, Toronto, and Singapore.

The eighth aircraft, believed to be A6-APC (MSN 176) has just arrived back in Abu Dhabi after long-term storage in Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport, France, (LDE/LFBT) and following a heavy maintenance check at Etihad Engineering, it will be scheduled for daily flights to Tokyo Narita starting June 2026, just in time for the busy northern summer travel season.

That leaves just one more A380 waiting in the wings, A6-APB (MSN 170). It is believed this ninth and final jet, which is also parked at Tarbes, will return later this year, for daily flights to another Asian destination – tipped to be Seoul – from January 2027.

Etihad Airways now plans for its revitalized fleet of nine A380s to keep flying well into the next decade, with CEO Antonoaldo Neves saying last year he aims to keep them in service “at least until 2032.” This is great news for premium leisure and corporate travelers who appreciate the A380 Studio business class, as each superjumbo offers 70 business seats to meet the ongoing high demand.

Looking back on Royal Jordanian 707 crash

On the 22nd of January 1973, a Royal Jordanian Boeing 707 travelling from Jeddah International Airport (JED/OEJD), Saudi Arabia to Lagos/Ikeja International Airport (LOS/DNMM), Nigeria crashed while attempting to land at Kano International Airport (KAN/DNKN). The aircraft had been chartered by Nigeria Airways to fly pilgrims back from Jeddah to Lagos. But unfortunately, bad weather at Lagos forced the crew to divert to Kano.

Amid strong winds, on the aircraft's final approach, the pilot-in-command was met with mist during the last phase. Subsequently, control was lost, and the plane in a nose down position hit the runway surface with its nose gear first. The nose gear then collapsed, and both main gears punctured the fuel tanks. The 707 then lost both left engines before making an opposite turn and going up in flames. 

As the fire took hold, and after a prolonged pause, some of the passengers and crew evacuated. 

Sadly 176 passengers and crew perished in the crash. There were 26 survivors.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Alia Royal Jordanian Airlines
Code: RJ/RJA
Aircraft: Boeing 707-3D3C
Registration: JY-ADO
Serial Number: 20494
Engines: 4 Pratt & Whitney JT3D

First Flew: 14/01/1971

Age 2 Yrs

We’re keeping the families and friends in our thoughts as they honor and remember their loved ones today.

Tuesday morning spotting at Brisbane airport

Yesterday morning, my wife and daughter were returning from Singapore on an early flight, so I set my alarm for 4:30 a.m. to catch their arrival, along with two American 787s and the daily Emirates A380. I got to the airport at 5:40 a.m., but the only drawback to early-morning plane spotting is that aircraft landing on 19L are backlit by the sun.

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-303 VH-QPA (MSN 553)
QF62 ARRIVING FROM TOKYO (NRT) 22 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-303 VH-QPF (MSN 595)
QF52 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE (SIN) 21 YEARS

ALLIANCE EMBRAER E190AR VH-A3U (MSN 19000629)
QQ4823 OFF TO THE GRANITES (GTS) 13 YEARS

AMERICAN AIRLINES BOEING 787-9 N849AN (MSN 66018)
AA7 ARRIVING FROM DALLAS (DFW) 5 MONTHS

QANTASLINK DASH 8 400 VH-84B (MSN 4456)
QLK454D OFF TO MORANBAH (MOV) 12 YEARS

KOREAN AIR BOEING 787-9 HL7208 (MSN 34817)
KE807 ARRIVING FROM SEOUL (ICN) 7 YEARS

AMERICAN AIRLINES BOEING 787-9 N825AA (MSN 40644)
AA42 ARRIVING FROM LOS ANGELES (LAX) 9 YEARS

EMIRATES AIRBUS A380-861 A6-EOM (MSN 187)
EK434 ARRIVING FROM DUBAI (DXB) 10 YEARS

QANTASLINK EMBRAER E190AR VH-UYY (MSN 19000212)
QF1880 OFF TO CAIRNS (CNS) 18 YEARS

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKF (MSN 36231)
JQ10 ARRIVING FROM TOKYO (NRT) 11 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A321-231 VH-VWU (MSN 3948)
JQ811 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 16 YEARS

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-YFV (MSN 41030)
VA908 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 10 YEARS

QANTASLINK AIRBUS A220-300 VH-X4D (MSN 55298)
QLK1253 OFF TO MELBOURNE (MEL) 1 YEAR

ALLIANCE FOKKER 100 VH-UQF (MSN 11456)
QQ4730 OFF TO MOUNT ISA (ISA) 32 YEARS

ALLIANCE FOKKER 70 VH-NUU (MSN 11532) 30 YEARS
QQ4072 OFF TO SUNSHINE COAST (MCY) 30 YEARS

LINK AIRWAYS SAAB 340B-VH-VEP (MSN 340B-377)
SF34 OFF TO SUNSHINE COAST (MCY) 30 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND AIRBUS A321-271NX ZK-NNG (MSN 8908)
NZ271 ARRIVING FROM WELLINGTON (WLG) 6 YEARS

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHK (MSN 369)
SQ235 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE (SIN) 6 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND AIRBUS A321-271NX ZK-NNC (MSN 8573)
NZ141 ARRIVING FROM AUCKLAND (AKL) 7 YEARS

QANTASLINK AIRBUS A220-300 VH-X4G (MSN 55352)
QLK1250 OARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 8 MONTHS

NATIONAL JET EXPRESS DASH 8 400 VH-8QA (MSN 4582)
WO344 OFF TO MORANBAH (MOV) 7 YEARS

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-VUG (MSN 34438)
VA9946 OFF TO NADI (NAN) 19 YEARS

BATIK AIR BOEING 737 MAX 8 9M-LRV (MSN 42998)
OD157 OFF TO DENPASAR (DPS) 7 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A321-251N VH-OYW (MSN 12183)
JQ57 OFF TO DENPASAR (DPS) 1 YEAR

Jet2 passengers forced to look on in horror as flight leaves without them

More than three dozen Jet2 passengers saw their holidays thrown into disarray when their Alicante-bound flight departed from Manchester Airport without them on Monday morning.

Despite having their passports checked and boarding passes scanned, the passengers were left stranded in a terminal stairwell ahead of the 7am departure. The group waited for more than 40 minutes with no announcements or assistance, unaware that their aircraft had already taken off.

Travellers had expected airport staff to unlock the door at the bottom of the stairs or provide a bus to transport them to the plane. Instead, they were left in limbo as frustration mounted and no information was provided.

An airport employee eventually approached the group to ask why they were waiting in the stairwell, only to inform them that their flight had already departed.

Passengers were later told the incident was caused by an “error in stairwell directions given by cabin crew,” with Jet2 staff describing the situation as unprecedented.

One affected passenger told the media that he and his son had arrived at the gate with plenty of time to spare before confusion followed the initial boarding announcement.

“There were some stairs, and everyone just followed each other,” he said. “There were a lot of us.”

All affected passengers were issued £10 vouchers by the airline while they await rebooking on a later flight. 

Jet2 has confirmed that an urgent investigation into the incident is now underway and is trying to work out how an aircraft could leave with passengers' luggage on board but no passengers on board.

India’s biggest airline slapped with a record £2 million fine

India’s aviation regulator has slapped a record $2.45 million (£1.8m) fine on IndiGo, issued stern warnings to senior executives, and ordered the removal of the airline’s head of operations control.

This move comes after the airline faced massive flight cancellations last month. In the first weeks of December, the country’s biggest carrier cut about 4,500 flights, stranding three hundred thousand passengers across the nation. The chaos also highlighted worries about the lack of competition in the world’s fastest-growing aviation market.

IndiGo has admitted that poor pilot roster planning was the main reason for the disruption. A later investigation by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found several operational shortcomings at the airline, especially after stricter pilot rest and duty rules were introduced last year, according to the regulator.

IndiGo INGL.NS, which holds 65 per cent of India's domestic market, failed to properly identify planning gaps or maintain adequate operational buffers, the DGCA said, adding that the airline had an "overriding focus" on maximising the use of crew, aircraft, and network resources.

The DGCA stated that IndiGo’s approach undermined roster integrity and negatively affected operational resilience.

According to a government source, the fine was the largest ever imposed by the authority, though it represented only 0.31% of IndiGo’s annual profit for the 2024/25 fiscal year. 

In a statement, IndiGo said its board and management are committed to fully acknowledging the orders and will take appropriate actions thoughtfully and in due time.

Brisbane Airport breaks three records

Brisbane Airport has wrapped up its centenary with even more reason to celebrate after recording its busiest year ever.

The airport broke three records in 2025, with previous marks for busiest month, busiest day and busiest year all shattered as almost 25 million passengers travelled through the international and domestic terminals.

December set a new record for the busiest month with more than 2.3 million passengers going through the airport, while the 20th of December was the busiest day ever for the international terminal with 26,111 passengers arriving or departing, smashing a record which had stood since before the coronavirus pandemic.

Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff said it had been a stellar year with brighter signs ahead as a host of new air routes come online in the coming months

"We didn't just break the daily record in the international terminal which has stood since 2020, we smashed it," he said.
"That kind of jump in passenger numbers shows the momentum building at Brisbane Airport and mirrors the momentum building right across Southeast Queensland as the clock counts down to 2032.

"This year will see even more transformation at the international terminal, with passport control relocating to the same level as check-in."