Southend Airport Fire

Firefighters were called to a major incident at London Southend Airport this morning that caused alarm among local residents.  Plumes of dark smoke could be seen from miles around the airport and some fearing a crash or explosion.

When firefighters arrived at the scene they found a large hangar, which is used to paint aircraft, was well alight. Six fire engines were requested to help tackle the fire. Luckily the hangar did not have any aeroplanes inside at the time of the fire.

Southend Airport remained open during the fire - "Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is currently dealing with an incident at the Air Livery hanger on the north side of the airfield. London Southend Airport is still open and operating as normal". They said in a statement.

By 1240 the firefighters have almost completely extinguished the fire. Firefighters are using thermal imaging cameras to find remaining hot spots which they will then dampening down to ensure they are completely cooled and extinguished.

A full investigation will be carried out to find the cause of the fire, however at this stage the fire service believe the fire started accidentally.

All photos courtesy of Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.

Ryanair Booze Hypocrisy

Budget low cost airline Ryanair is calling on UK airports to enforce a two-drink limit after recent research revealed the number of passengers arrested for drunken behaviour has increased by around 50percent in the last year alone.

The Irish airline has already banned customers from drinking duty-free alcohol on flights, and barred passengers flying from Glasgow Prestwick and Manchester to Alicante and Ibiza from taking alcohol on board. 

Now the carrier is seeking help from airports to ban the sale of alcohol before 10am and to limit the number of drinks per boarding pass / passenger to a maximum of two.    "This is an issue which the airports must now address, and we are calling for significant changes to prohibit the sale of alcohol at airports, particularly with early morning flights and when flights are delayed," said Ryanair's Kenny Jacobs.

Azul and JetBlue Agree Codeshare Deal.

Photo JetBlue

 Brazilian carrier Azul announced yesterday a brand new tie up with JetBlue Airways through a unilateral codeshare agreement. Azul will place its "AD" code on JetBlue flights between several destinations and JetBlue’s focus cities in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL) and Orlando (MCO). From both Florida gateways Azul operates nonstop service to the airline’s hub at São Paulo, Brazil’s Viracopos International Airport (VCP) and Recife (REC).

Customers purchasing a codeshare itinerary will benefit from having a single ticket issued by Azul that includes flights operated by both Azul and JetBlue and the customer friendly convenience of thru check-in and baggage transfer.

WestJet to launch Dever service.

WestJet's Ed Sims

Canadian carrier WestJet announced this week that it will introduce a daily flight from Calgary to Denver International Airport from 8th March 2018.

"Calgarians have enjoyed WestJet's low fares and great guest experience since our inception and we are proud to bring our trusted brand to the Mile-High City, Denver," said Ed Sims, WestJet Executive Vice-President, Commercial. 

"With its sophisticated business economy and stunning mountain scenery, Denver is a natural for the WestJet network. Connecting through Calgary will also allow Denver's business and leisure travellers year round access to the broader Canadian WestJet network."

Delta's A350 to head to Seoul

Delta has confirmed it will utilize its new Airbus A350 aircraft, featuring the Delta One and Delta Premium Select cabins on its route between its home base of Atlanta and the capital of South Korea, Seoul, beginning 24th March '18.

The route, which debuted in June, links Delta’s Atlanta hub, the world’s busiest airport hub operation, to Seoul-Incheon, home of Delta’s trans-Pacific joint venture partner Korean Air.

A fond farewell - Bye Bye Avro RJ's

Swiss said a fond farewell on Tuesday to a stalwart of their fleet that had served them well for many years - the Avro RJ

Yes, for the last time a Swiss International Air Lines Avro RJ100 flew a commercial flight, departing from Geneva and heading the relatively short distance to Zurich.  

Immediately after landing in Zurich, the aircraft HB-IYZ received the traditional water fountain farewell salute by the airport fire brigade before being officially taken out of service to loud applause from a crowd of employees and aviation fans. 

Air Berlin Files For Bankruptcy

Air Berlin, the second largest airline in German has filed for bankruptcy protection after its main shareholder investor Etihad, confirmed it would no longer prop up the troubled carrier after trying unsuccessfully for years to turnaround the loss-making enterprise.

Air Berlin transports roughly 80,000 people every day on it's mainly short-haul routes around Europe and employs over 7000 staff.  

Etihad Airways who own just over 29% of  Air Berlin, stated the bankruptcy filing was "extremely disappointing for all parties," especially Abu Dhabi based company had supported Air Berlin for over six years, but revealed it could no longer continue subsidising the German carrier.  "As a minority shareholder, Etihad cannot offer funding that would further increase our financial exposure. We remain open to helping find a commercially viable solution for all parties," Etihad said in a statement released on Tuesday.

Norwegian New York Expansion

On the 10th August, the long-haul low cost airline, Norwegian, launched a new second daily service to New York City.  As it is the carrier's second daily flight to the big apple it means there passengers can now fly to New York and back in the same day!  That might sound unrealistic, but with fares as a low as £149 it is distinctly possible

The new flight departs London Gatwick in the morning and arrives into John F Kennedy airport for 9am. Those trans-atlantic day trippers can spend the whole day exploring the city before returning on the 11pm over night or ‘red eye’ flight from JFK airport which arrives back at London Gatwick the following day. 

Revamp For Ethiopian Airlines 767's

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airline of Africa has retrofitted the first of its B767-300ER aircraft with a complete refurbishment that includes lie flat seats, super in inflight entertainment system and wifi.

The Cloud Nine business class seats feature 17-inch TV screens and in-seat power sockets. The aircraft’s economy cabin has also been refurbished, with new seats offering wifi IFE accessible on passengers’ personal devices.

Loganair and British Airways Deal?

Loganair has confirmed that it is in discussion with British Airways on an expanded code share agreement, with a view to its introduction in the near future.

The two airlines have a business relationship stretching back almost a quarter of a century, indeed for a period of 14 years Loganair flew in the BA Livery under a franchise deal that ran from 1994 until 2008. 

ATR & Stobart Renew Deal

After ten years of cooperation, ATR, the world’s leading turboprop manufacturer, and the Irish regional airline Stobart Air announce the extension of their Global Maintenance Agreement (GMA). This new six-year contract covers the repair, overhaul and pooling services of Line Replaceable Units, along with Propellers’ availability and maintenance.

 

PenAir Files Chapter 11 in US

The Small regional Alaskan Airline PenAir filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week after its major expansion to hub airports beyond its home in Alaska failed to generate as many passengers as expected.

Peninsula Airways Inc, which advertises the PenAir brand as the "Spirit of Alaska" mainly flies government-subsidized routes to small towns such as Boston to Presque Isle, Maine and Anchorage to King Salmon in Alaska.

Green light for Virgin Australia China and Hong Kong

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has authorised Virgin Australia to coordinate airline services for five years with the HNA Aviation Group, Hong Kong Airlines and Hong Kong Express Airways.

“The Alliance Framework Agreement may see additional airline services operate between Australia and mainland China, and Australia and Hong Kong,” the ACCC stated.

“The ACCC considers the alliance will likely realise significant public benefits, primarily through supporting the introduction of new services between Australia and mainland China and Hong Kong including by Virgin,” ACCC Commissioner Roger Featherston said.

Hong Kong Airlines A350 Takes First Flight

The first A350-900 for Hong Kong Airlines has completed its maiden flight in Toulouse, France last week.  Now the modern aircraft will enter the its final phase of production, followed by further ground checks and test flights. Then the aircraft will be prepared for delivery towards the end of August.

Minsters Consider Laser Pen Licensing

Sales of laser pointers could be licensed in an attempt to protect pilots and train drivers from attacks that could cause fatal crashes.

The devices are more commonly used in meetings and conferences to highlight items in presentations. However, airline pilots are increasingly concerned that pointing laser pointers at planes could cause aircraft to crash.

There were 1,258 laser attacks on planes landing or taking off from UK airports last year, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.