Not authorized to fly...the man who crashed helicopter into hotel in Cairns.

Police are still investigating the reasons why a member of Nautilus Aviation's ground crew stole one of their helicopters and crashed into the roof of a hotel in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. 

The company confirmed that the man, named locally as Blake Wilson was a staff member. While he had previously held a helicopter pilot's license in New Zealand, he was not authorized to fly the company's helicopters and had not flown in Australia before. 

Nautilus Aviation said he had worked for the firm for four months and had been at an informal party for Wilson who had been promoted within the company.  Investigators have said they believe the helicopter was taken from the Cairns Airport before flying into the no-fly zone over the central business district. 

About 400 people were evacuated from the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel as a result of the crash and subsequent fire, two were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. 

Steven Miles, Premier of Queensland indicated it was too early to review security, "Cairns Airport may well consider to look at their specific arrangements, but I think it's probably too early to tell," he said.

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A world first sustainable aviation fuel production facility at Oxford Airport opens........

OXCCU, a leading carbon-to-value company converting carbon dioxide into fuels, chemicals and plastics, proudly announces the launch of its first official demonstration plant, OX1, at Oxford Airport. OXCCU, a climate tech spin-out company from the University of Oxford, is developing novel catalysts and reactor designs to convert carbon dioxide and hydrogen into hydrocarbons with high conversion and selectivity for use as fuels, chemicals and plastics. The company is headquartered in the UK, with operations at Begbroke Science Park, Oxford, and London Oxford Airport.

The OX1 plant represents a significant advancement in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production. Through its novel catalyst and reactor design, the subject of over a decade of research at the University of Oxford, the plant will convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) directly to long-chain hydrocarbons with high conversion and selectivity for use as SAF, named OX•EFUEL™.

This FOAK facility, based at London Oxford Airport and designed and operated by OXCCU, will produce 1 kg (~1.2 litres) of liquid fuel per day and will start operations in September 2024. The plant will be the world’s first demonstration of the direct conversion of CO2 and H2 to jet fuel range hydrocarbons in a single step with minimal oxygenated byproducts using OXCCU’s novel catalyst. The plant is part of OXCCU’s strategic scale up journey as the first OXCCU plant out of the lab. It will provide the data key to the design, build and operations of the 160 kg (200 litres) per day OX2 plant, previously announced, which will operate at Saltend Chemical Park Hull in 2026. Commercial plants supplying the UK and elsewhere with PtL SAF will then follow.

Unlike other firms working on Power-to-Liquid (PtL) fuels, OXCCU has reduced a traditionally multi-step process to a single step, avoiding the need to first convert CO2 to CO – a difficult to electrify and energy intensive first step. This innovative approach is key to reducing the cost of PtL SAF, which is currently the main barrier to PtL SAF adoption.

Key Highlights:

The OX1 plant at Oxford Airport is the first demonstration plant to convert CO2 and H2 into long-chain hydrocarbons through its one-step process, setting a new standard in SAF production.

OX•EFUEL™, produced through OXCCU’s patented single step process, offers a cost-effective and scalable solution to aviation fuel needs, with significantly lower capital and operational costs than other PtL SAF pathways.

This plant showcases British innovation at its best, developed through a decade of research at the University of Oxford and supported by significant industry and government investment.

Andrew Symes, CEO of OXCCU, said: “We’re beyond excited to launch the OX1 plant, located close to where OXCCU was born. The fuel we’ve already made in a single step from CO2 in the lab has created great excitement with its potential to massively reduce the cost of SAF, but the scale up is key, and this plant will generate the data and litres of fuel we need. Our mission is to enable future generations to fly without a climate impact, and to do that we need cost-effective PtL SAF. This launch marks a key step in achieving that goal.”

LATAM returns to Porto Alegre

From 21 October, LATAM will operate 10 daily flights between Salgado Filho airport and 3 other destinations in Brazil. The offer increases from October 27, with 15 to 17 daily flights to 5 domestic destinations. The resumption of 100% of flights in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul will be carried out from December 16, according to the concessionaire Fraport, when LATAM will offer 20 to 22 daily flights to 5 domestic destinations. Before the floods, LATAM operated 23 daily flights between Porto Alegre and 8 destinations in Brazil.

With the resumption of flights in Porto Alegre, the extraordinary operation at the Canoas Air Base (RS) will end as of October 21. All passengers who purchased tickets to/from the military base for flights from this date onwards will be reaccommodated on flights already scheduled to/from Porto Alegre. 

Regarding its international operation, LATAM plans to resume flights Porto Alegre-Lima and Porto Alegre-Santiago from January.

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New song for Cathay.....

The new song deepens Cathay’s emotional connection with customers and extends its purpose to move people forward in life

Cathay has released its new sonic branding, Song of Cathay — an uplifting, inspirational and journey-like musical composition designed to forge deeper ties with customers and create an auditory expression of its purpose to move people forward in life.

Adding a new dimension to Cathay’s already established brand identity, Song of Cathay draws inspiration from its heritage as a leading airline and travel brand. The musical composition, instrumentation and arrangements come together to captivate customers by evoking fond memories of travel, capturing the spirit of adventure, and exuding the warm sense of hospitality that embodies every journey flown with Cathay Pacific.

Customers can experience the new soundtrack designed by sonic branding agency Sixième Son through a wide range of touchpoints. Song of Cathay will be progressively rolled out and played in Cathay Pacific’s lounges and aircraft, in the Cathay Shop at Cityplaza, and on Cathay’s mobile apps, global contact centre hotlines and Spotify playlists, creating a holistic brand experience whenever customers engage with Cathay. ​

To celebrate the launch, Cathay collaborated with the Asian Youth Orchestra to bring Song of Cathay to life. The orchestra recorded the new sonic identity at its Rehearsal Camp in Tianjin last month and debuted it during its concert “Celebrating 34 Years of Excellence” at Hong Kong City Hall on 3 August as part of its Asian Concert Tour. Cathay has long been a supporter of youth development, arts and culture in Hong Kong, and has been a sponsor of the Asian Youth Orchestra since its inception in 1990.

London Stansted records busiest ever July

The start of the peak summer holiday getaway helped London Stansted record its busiest ever July as 2.9 million passengers passed through the terminal.

The monthly passenger total was an increase of 3.4% on the same month last year, and the third busiest month in Stansted’s history.

July also saw the airport record its busiest ever departure day as nearly 53,000 passengers took to the skies on 26 July, the first Friday of the school holiday.

The top destinations in the month were Dublin, Istanbul and Palma de Mallorca, with the most popular countries being Spain, Italy and Turkey.

The 12-month total to the end of July stood at 29.12 million passengers, an increase of 8.5% on the previous year.

Operational performance in July remained good with 99% of departing passengers passing through security in 15 minutes or less, with an average queue time of less than four minutes 30 seconds during the main departure peaks. In addition, the airport’s services to passengers with reduced mobility and disabilities was last week rated as “very good” by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the highest award possible, for the second consecutive year.

The month also saw the launch of the airport’s latest Little Book of Travel Tales, which was created as part of a World Book Day competition. Children from schools surrounding the airport were given the chance to share their stories with themes including flights, aircraft, holidays and working at the airport. The book is being handed out by airport colleagues in the terminal to entertain young travellers across the summer holiday.

Delta takes fast, free Wi-Fi international

Delta has started rolling out fast, free Wi-Fi presented by T-Mobile on select long-haul international routes – a major milestone in the airline’s journey to bring reliable, streaming quality connectivity to its entire global fleet for free. Most transatlantic flights are expected to be in service with free Wi-Fi by the end of the summer. 

Delta’s industry-leading Wi-Fi rollout is taking off internationally. Starting this summer, customers on select Viasat-equipped long-haul international flights can enjoy fast, free Wi-Fi presented by T-Mobile – bringing the airline one step closer to recognizing its goal of offering free Wi-Fi on its entire global fleet.  

Today, free, streaming-quality connectivity is available on nearly 700 aircraft – more than 90% of Delta’s domestic mainline fleet – and the airline expects the vast majority of customers will have access to the product by the end of the year.   

“As we continue to roll out fast, free Wi-Fi and the in-flight experiences it powers, we’re able to serve customers travelling both domestically and internationally in new, in-the-moment ways,” says Ranjan Goswami, S.V.P. – Customer Experience Design. “The scale at which we’re bringing free Wi-Fi to customers is unmatched in the airline industry, and it’s a testament to the incredible efforts of Delta teams across the business that have expertly navigated an extremely complex rollout.” 

What’s Next  

To ensure Delta is delivering the premium service customers expect, the airline is rolling out fast, free Wi-Fi on Viasat-equipped widebody aircraft on a route-by-route basis. Additional routes will be phased in as high-quality, reliable service becomes available. This strategy mirrors the approach taken with domestic installations in 2022.  

As free Wi-Fi rolls out internationally, the international Wi-Fi portal will not require a SkyMiles log-in initially. Later this year, all Viasat Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft will officially convert to the personalized Delta Sync Wi-Fi experience unlocked by customers’ SkyMiles memberships for exclusive onboard experiences and offers.  

More people finding more to enjoy at East Midlands Airport

Growing numbers of people are enjoying starting their holidays at East Midlands Airport, according to the latest figures.

Last month saw more than 521,000 holidaymakers travel through the airport, a 5.2% increase on last July, as the peak summer season got underway.

And EMA has a host of new features in the terminal this summer to enhance people’s experience. As well as an existing seating area being upgraded earlier this year, a whole new seating area has recently been created in the departure lounge providing 60 extra seats for customers close to boarding gates.

Also in the departure lounge, a new Changing Places toilet and a modern baby changing facility have recently opened, with a new multi-faith room due to open soon in addition to an existing facility in the check-in hall. EMA customers will also notice a brand new bar, The Yard by Castle Rock, alongside a complete refurbishment of the popular Castle Rock Bar & Kitchen, toilet facilities and JD Sports shop.

Proving popular is the Little Book of Travel Tales for children as part of the airport’s newly-launched Little Flyers Club, whose five colourful cartoon characters can be seen on a selfie board in the terminal for young travellers to be pictured with. The book being handed out by customer ambassadors this summer has stories and activities to keep children occupied while on their travels.

LATAM Group begins renewal of cargo fleet.....

LATAM Group has taken delivery of a Boeing 767BCF freighter aircraft as part of the carrier's strategy to operate with a more efficient and modern cargo fleet. And, at just 11 years old, this jet is one of the company's youngest freighter aircraft.

Currently, LATAM Group operates a total fleet of 340 aircraft, including 57 Boeing passenger aircraft, including 767, 777 and 787 and 262 Airbus aircraft spread between the following models, A319, A320, A320neo, A321 and A321neo.

The company previously announced a plan to grow its cargo fleet, with the inclusion of eight passenger aircraft converted to cargo and an increase in capacity by more than 70% compared to pre-pandemic levels. Now, with 21 Boeing 767 freighters, the group offers the most extensive cargo operation in the region, connecting 166 destinations in 33 countries, of which 18 are cargo-only.

Gudny Genskowsky, Senior Vice President of Network and Cargo Alliances at LATAM said:  "Complementing our capacity offering in the passenger aircraft holds with the incorporation of a new Boeing 767BCF, in line with our strategy of renewing the fleet with younger and more efficient aircraft, will allow us to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs and continue to offer a more reliable and sustainable service to our customers," 

 

Aeroflot resumes direct flights from Yekaterinburg to Goa

Following support from the Indian government, the Russian airline Aeroflot will resume direct scheduled flights between Yekaterinburg to the Indian state of Goa from 2nd October this year.

Three flights each week will operate from Koltsovo Airport, on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The airline says it will operate Boeing 737-800 aircraft in a two-class cabin layout: 20 Business class seats and 138 Economy class seats on the route,  with the aircraft servicing taking place in India to bypass U.S. sanctions on spare parts.

Goa is said to be one of the favourite places for Russians to relax on the beach and residents of the Sverdlovsk region and the nearest regions can comfortably and directly get to the coast of the Indian Ocean.

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A busy month for Las Vegas Airport.....

Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport experienced its third busiest month in its history in June with more than 5 million passengers passing through the airport. 

The budget carrier, Southwest was responsible for a large proportion of domestic passengers, with 1,890,825 people travelling with the airline during June. Delta Air Lines was the second leading carrier with domestic passengers amounting to 469,848, American Airlines was third with 369,624 passengers.  International passengers travelled with Air Canada 54,022 followed closely by British Airways, carrying 49,611 up over 53% from the previous month. 

Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport is named after the late U.S. congressman and senator from Nevada Harry Reid Democrat. The airport was formally named McCarran International Airport 

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AirAsia launches flights from Bangkok to Himalayan World Heritage City of Kathmandu

 AirAsia is unveiling a completely new travel experience with flights to a city embraced by the Himalayas and home to multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Travellers from Thailand are now just a flight away from the Peak of the World with the new Bangkok (Don Mueang) – Kathmandu, Nepal route that will kick off with a four-weekly flight frequency from 2 October 2024.

Mr Santisuk Klongchaiya, CEO of Thai AirAsia, said: “AirAsia is always looking to expand its network to exciting destinations, and Nepal is one of the most popular not only among Thai travellers but also visitors from across the globe looking to experience the majestic views, culture, and the World Heritage architecture that Nepal has to offer. It is of course a top pick for adventure and mountaineering enthusiasts. 

“This is the 16th destination of AirAsia to South Asia since we resumed near full-scale operations post-pandemic. This is a region with tremendous growth potential that has only made us to work even harder to roll out more flight services to meet the demand for tourism, trade and business purposes. Thus latest route will definitely be of benefit to both regions, ” Mr. Santisuk said.

Key leadership changes across United Airlines team in Africa

United Airlines has announced key leadership changes across its team in Africa, reflecting the importance of this region within the airline’s international route network and its commitment to driving growth and innovation across the continent, alongside its joint venture and alliance partners.

United is aligning its Sales Leadership Team across Africa, including South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Morocco, with the appointment of Amit Badiani as Head of Africa and Offline Sales, responsible for the overall leadership of United’s Africa business, as well as the expansion of Oluwatomi Bola-Sadipe’s role as Country Sales Manager for Nigeria, Ghana and now, South Africa.

In South Africa, Penny Alexandrou has been appointed as United’s General Manager, Johannesburg, responsible for United’s operations at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport.

 

“With over 19 years’ experience in the aviation industry, Badiani brings a wealth of expertise and strategic direction to our team as we build on our success in Africa,” said Thorsten Lettnin, Director of Sales, Continental Europe, Middle East, Africa, Israel and India at United Airlines. “This will further build on our close partnerships with key trade and airline partners as we expand our presence in soon-to-be four online countries across Africa, including Morocco from October 2024.”

“Bola-Sadipe has over 15 years’ experience in the aviation business and is a highly respected and well-established leader with a proven track record in the industry,” said Lettnin. “In her new role, I know that Oluwatomi will continue her great success in sales efforts across Africa.”

 

“We are delighted to welcome Penny Alexandrou to our Johannesburg operations,” said Mark Clays, Regional Director of Airport Operations, Europe, Israel and Africa at United Airlines. “Penny is bringing more than 24 years of industry experience to her new role and will be instrumental in leading our team towards continued service excellence.”

These key leadership changes come as United this year marks the fifth anniversary of its Cape Town – New York/Newark service, and third anniversary of its Johannesburg - New York/Newark service and expands its presence on the second largest continent in the world, adding Marrakesh, Morocco to its network in Africa from 25 October 2024. United will be the first and only airline to operate nonstop flights from Marrakesh to the U.S. and next winter, will offer the most flights to the most destinations in Africa from metro New York.

 

United also operates routes from Cape Town, South Africa to New York/Newark and Washington D.C and connects Lagos, Nigeria and Accra, Ghana with Washington D.C.

  

  

The United Travel Experience

 

Window or aisle seat? No matter your preference,.....

United is making it easier for travellers to sit in a more preferred seat if one opens up before departure.

Fliers can now use a new feature in the United mobile app to request their preferred seat for free and automatically get moved if one opens up. In July alone, United switched 18K+ passengers to their preferred seat – nearly 40% of eligible passengers.

 

Here’s how it works:

Request your desired seat in the mobile app if your preferred seat type isn’t available at the time of booking your flight.

Select where you’d like to sit, including preferences for window or aisle seats, exit rows or bulkhead seats.

Get automatically assigned and notified about your new seat assignment if your preferred choice becomes available.

 

With up to 3 million users interacting with the United mobile app daily, United is continuing to bring useful features to its app, and this is just the latest new app feature that gives customers more options and makes travel a breeze. United is the first and only U.S. airline to offer the seat preference app feature.

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Ethiopian Airlines awards design consultancy contract for Ethiopia’s new global hub airport to a consortium led by Dar and Zaha Hadid Architects

Ethiopian Airlines Group has announced plans to build Africa’s largest airport in Abusera – a critical element of Ethiopian’s 15-year strategic plan to become one of the most competitive aviation groups in the world.

The airport’s location allows for progressive growth, empowering the airline to meet the International Air Transport Association’s forecasts of more than 200% growth over the next decade – growing beyond Bole International Airport, which offers no possibilities for significant expansion. Abusera’s lower altitude will elevate aircraft take-off performance, while an express rail link to Addis Ababa facilitates connectivity.

In its first phase scheduled for 2029, the airport will have capacity for 60 million passengers annually – almost three times Africa’s current busiest airport – creating thousands of jobs to serve Ethiopian’s expanding customer base and fleet. Ultimately, the airport will serve 110 million passengers annually – four times the capacity of Bole International Airport.

Ethiopian’s CEO Mesfin Tasew stated: “With its exceptional capacity and world-class facilities, this new airport promises to elevate African aviation.”

OXCCU celebrates opening of OX1 Plant...........A world first sustainable aviation fuel production facility at Oxford Airport

OXCCU, a leading carbon-to-value company converting carbon dioxide into fuels, chemicals and plastics, proudly announces the launch of its first official demonstration plant, OX1, at Oxford Airport. OXCCU, a climate tech spin-out company from the University of Oxford, is developing novel catalysts and reactor designs to convert carbon dioxide and hydrogen into hydrocarbons with high conversion and selectivity for use as fuels, chemicals and plastics. The company is headquartered in the UK, with operations at Begbroke Science Park, Oxford, and London Oxford Airport.

The OX1 plant represents a significant advancement in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production. Through its novel catalyst and reactor design, the subject of over a decade of research at the University of Oxford, the plant will convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) directly to long-chain hydrocarbons with high conversion and selectivity for use as SAF, named OX•EFUEL™.

This FOAK facility, based at London Oxford Airport and designed and operated by OXCCU, will produce 1 kg (~1.2 litres) of liquid fuel per day and will start operations in September 2024. The plant will be the world’s first demonstration of the direct conversion of CO2 and H2 to jet fuel range hydrocarbons in a single step with minimal oxygenated byproducts using OXCCU’s novel catalyst. The plant is part of OXCCU’s strategic scale up journey as the first OXCCU plant out of the lab. It will provide the data key to the design, build and operations of the 160 kg (200 litres) per day OX2 plant, previously announced, which will operate at Saltend Chemical Park Hull in 2026. Commercial plants supplying the UK and elsewhere with PtL SAF will then follow.

Unlike other firms working on Power-to-Liquid (PtL) fuels, OXCCU has reduced a traditionally multi-step process to a single step, avoiding the need to first convert CO2 to CO – a difficult to electrify and energy intensive first step. This innovative approach is key to reducing the cost of PtL SAF, which is currently the main barrier to PtL SAF adoption.

Key Highlights:

The OX1 plant at Oxford Airport is the first demonstration plant to convert CO2 and H2 into long-chain hydrocarbons through its one-step process, setting a new standard in SAF production.

OX•EFUEL™, produced through OXCCU’s patented single step process, offers a cost-effective and scalable solution to aviation fuel needs, with significantly lower capital and operational costs than other PtL SAF pathways.

This plant showcases British innovation at its best, developed through a decade of research at the University of Oxford and supported by significant industry and government investment.

Andrew Symes, CEO of OXCCU, said: “We’re beyond excited to launch the OX1 plant, located close to where OXCCU was born. The fuel we’ve already made in a single step from CO2 in the lab has created great excitement with its potential to massively reduce the cost of SAF, but the scale up is key, and this plant will generate the data and litres of fuel we need. Our mission is to enable future generations to fly without a climate impact, and to do that we need cost-effective PtL SAF. This launch marks a key step in achieving that goal.”

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Available to customers as OXEFUEL, OXCCU’s sustainable aviation fuel is created by combining captured carbon dioxide and renewably-sourced green hydrogen through a novel iron-based catalyst, resulting in a more cost-effective and decarbonized alternative to fossil-based Jet A fuel for commercial airlines. Modelling completed by independent researchers from Imperial College London, through Imperial Consultants, has shown OXCCU’s one-step process significantly reduces SAF cost due to higher selectivity yield in the jet fuel range and a 50% lower capital cost.  
OXCCU scores £2.8 Million UK Government grant to scale sustainable aviation fuel production in November 2023. They won a £2.8 million grant along with the University of Sheffield Translational Energy Research Centre (TERC) and Coryton. The capital will be used to demonstrate the world’s first direct carbon dioxide (CO2) hydrogenation process, turning CO2  directly into aviation fuel range hydrocarbons, also known as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
UK Government release aviation SAF plan to support growth of British aviation sector.
 ‘World’s First’ Sustainable Aviation Fuel Project to be Built at Saltend......