Southwest Airlines 737 returns to Salt Lake City following engine fire.

A Southwest Airlines 737-700 bound for Los Angeles on Monday was forced to make a rapid return to Salt Lake City shortly after take-off due to an engine fire.
A witness Al Oshiro was arriving for work when he saw flames coming out of the jet's engine, "All of a sudden I started seeing these orange flames just coming off the right side of the engine,” said Oshiro, an aerospace engineer for Moog Inc. He heard a sound “so loud that a lot of people came out of the building because people thought the building was getting hit.”

Passenger Che Cullenbine said he was sitting in the 5th row and spoke to local media about his experience "I heard what sounded like small little explosions," Cullenbine said. "Almost like somebody had an assault rifle and they were firing three round bursts like duh-duh-duht. Duh-duh-duht. Really loud so I looked out the window and I noticed that at the same time the sounds were happening there were flames coming out the back of the engine on the right side."
Another passenger Craig Johnson commented "I was sitting right on the row where the engine was and I looked out to the right and the right engine kept exploding, that's the best way I can describe it. Saw balls of fire and it got pretty tense for a few minutes."
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-700 landed safely, with about 110 passengers and five crew members onboard the flight. Southwest Airlines have confirmed in a statement that The passengers were re-accommodated on another aircraft at Los Angeles. The low-cost carrier advised the second flight arrived in Los Angeles at 11.43 local time, just 3 hours and 38 minutes after the original flight was scheduled to land and apologised for any inconvenience. 
Southwest said the pilots returned to the airport after they received a cockpit indicator of “a potential performance issue” with one of the jet’s engines.

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Miracle Flights Performs 570 Free Medical Flights in January

 Miracle Flights, the nation's leading medical flight charity, today reported a total of 570 free commercial airline flights provided in January to those in need of specialized medical care far from home.

Established in 1985, the Las Vegas–based charity has to date performed a total of 114,437 flights and flown more than 64 million miles to help increase access to life-changing treatments and valuable second opinions for children and adults with complex medical needs.

Montréal-Trudeau Airport wishes you an enjoyable spring break!

With rising passenger traffic and a particularly harsh winter, many travellers are expected to visit Montréal-Trudeau Airport during spring break to fly to sunnier destinations.

Aéroports de Montréal would like to take this opportunity to provide some advice that will help you start your holiday on the right foot by making your visit to the airport more pleasant:

Inflight Dublin Pioneering Wireless IFE With Travel Service

Travel Service, the biggest Czech air carrier, launched a completely unique in-flight entertainment service on its flights, providing a superior level of comfort for passengers. The service is initially being rolled out on scheduled flights under the SmartWings brand.
In October 2017 Travel Service agreed to increase its stake in the national flag carrier CSA Czech Airlines, from 44% to almost 98%. Although Travel Service Group carries fewer scheduled passengers than CSA, its overall operation is much larger, as evidenced by its fleet of 34 Boeing 737s, compared with CSA's 18-strong fleet. The fast-growing group has ambitions to operate a fleet of 70-80 aircraft.

Challenger 350 Dominates 2017 Deliveries in the Super Midsize Segment, Tops the Medium Category

Bombardier announced last week that deliveries of its best-selling Challenger 350 business jet continue to dominate the super-midsize segment and the Medium aircraft category in 2017, according to the annual shipment and billings report published by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). Bombardier delivered 56 Challenger 350 aircraft in 2017, capturing 53 percent of the super-midsize segment.
“Thanks to their exceptional cabin comfort, connectivity, reliable performance and ultra-smooth ride, our Challenger 350 business jets continue to lead the market in unit sales and have earned their place as the leading choice among experienced flight departments and charter operators,” said Peter Likoray, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Bombardier Business Aircraft. “The result extends a remarkable record for our Challenger 350 aircraft program, which has tallied more deliveries in the last decade than any other business jet platform.”

Compass Airlines Reaches Agreement with Pilot Union on Two-Year Contract Extension

 Compass Airlines is pleased to announce it has reached an agreement with its pilot group to extend the pilots' Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) through 2022.  The extension contains a number of pay and quality of life improvements, while simultaneously allowing for new initiatives that will improve Compass's ability to recruit pilots. 

Complementing Compass's competitive First Officer compensation are increases for Captains that will allow Compass to remain among the leaders in Captain pay among comparable regional carriers.  Additionally, the extension includes an agreement to allow new hire First Officers with previous 121 experience to carry over longevity from their previous carrier, as well as the ability to offer new hire pilots a signing bonus.  These improvements will allow greater responsiveness to market conditions in a competitive market for attracting pilots.

Garuda to cut more routes after $213 million loss

Garuda retired its 747's in Oct 2017

The airline of Indonesia,  Garuda has confirmed it will be cutting more routes and renegotiating contracts after posting losses of $213.4 million net last year. Airline executives said on Monday they will cut at least 10 routes this year, on top of the 17 routes axed last year as the carrier struggles to stem its losses. Chief Executive Pahala Mansury declined to name the affected routes at a meeting on Monday, saying only that Denpasar in Bali to Chengdu in China is among several of those under review for possible termination over the next few months. The Denpasar - Chengdu service is less than a year old after only starting in May last year. 

BA cancels flights at Heathrow as the 'beast' from the east arrives

The beast from the east is starting to cause more problems for British Travellers.  The beast, in this case, is the cold front coming from the east bringing snow and a bitterly cold wind causing temperatures to plummet.

At Heathrow British Airways has cancelled a number of short-haul flights into and out of its main London hub.  The carrier is warning passengers on Monday that cold, wet or snowy weather is likely to lead to some delays and disruptions through the week until at least Friday.

It says some flights will have to be cancelled and said passengers should consider re-booking.

In light of the weather conditions expected, British Airways advises that passengers travelling on short-haul routes between Monday and Friday will be given the option of re-booking even if their flights currently remain on schedule.

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United and Delta cut NRA discounts

Two major US airlines have joined a growing list of companies to cut ties with the National Rifle Association following the Florida school shooting.
United and Delta airlines have both announced they are ending discounts for NRA members.
The killing of 17 people in Florida has revived the gun control debate in the US, with student survivors playing a leading role in calling for change.
Firms with links to the US gun lobby have faced calls for a boycott.
Activists have flooded the NRA's corporate partners with comments on social media under the hashtag #BoycottNRA.
United and Delta airlines were the latest firms on Saturday to drop their ties to the powerful gun advocacy organisation. Between them they fly more than 300 million passengers a year. Other firms dropping ties to the NRA include:

Enterprise Holdings, which owns rental car brands Alamo, Enterprise and National, said discounts offered to NRA members would end on 26 March
Another car rental firm, Hertz, also said it was ending discounts offered to NRA members.
The family-owned First National Bank of Omaha said it would not renew NRA-branded credit cards, citing "customer feedback"
Insurance firm Chubb said it had stopped underwriting an NRA-branded insurance policy three months ago Software firm Symantec said it had stopped its discount programme with the NRA
Two removal firms, Allied Van Lines and NorthAmerican Van Lines, ended their affiliate relationship with the NRA and asked for their details to be removed from its website
Insurer MetLife Inc also cut ties.

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Delta updates its service nd support animal policy

In January, Delta announced policy changes for those travelling with service and support animals to support the airline's top priority of safety, after an 84 percent increase in reported service and support animal incidents since 2016. Based on conversations with key stakeholders in the disability community, the airline is further enhancing its policy effective March 1.
"We are implementing these changes for the safety of all customers, employees and trained service and support animals flying Delta, while supporting the rights of customers with legitimate needs, such as veterans with disabilities," said John Laughter, Delta's Senior Vice President — Corporate Safety, Security and Compliance. "While we will require that all animals not confined to kennels in the cabin have up-to-date vaccinations, we enhanced our policy to make online submission optional for those individuals who are blind or have reduced vision or other disabilities and have trained service animals."

Sun Country Airlines cuts staff numbers by 20%

Sun Country Airlines is cutting 350 workers from its ground service operations at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
The Eagan-based company told employees Tuesday it will contract those jobs out to Global Aviation Services Inc.
Executives say the move will make Sun County more efficient. Layoffs begin immediately, with workers able to reapply for positions with Global Aviation as soon as Wednesday.
local media says affected workers include nonunion positions inside the terminal, such as ticket counter agents, skycaps and those who provide wheelchair services.
The decision will trim nearly 20 percent of Sun Country’s workforce of about 1,830.
In December, Sun Country was purchased for an undisclosed sum by New York-based Apollo Global Management.
Sun Country serves 41 airports in the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Costa Rica.

Girl injured by dog during boarding a Southwest Airlines aircraft

It seems there is hardly a week going by these days without some sort of horror story about animals flying in the cabin of some airlines in the USA. 
Sometimes its more unusual critters like snakes, spiders and peacocks in the news, although not hamsters - Spirit Airlines told one passenger to flush one of those down the toilet.  This week it is a more common pet, usually mans best friend, that is making the news after it apparently injured a fellow passenger - a little girl of about six or so years of age.
The incident took place on a Southwest Airlines plane as the flight was boarding at Phoenix on Thursday. A Southwest spokesperson said the dog’s teeth “scraped a child’s forehead” and paramedics checked the girl, who appeared to be 6 or 7 years old. The spokesperson went on to report that the dog was in the plane’s first row of seats with its owner, who claims to have warned the little girl not to approach his dog.
Police interviewed the girl’s family and the dog’s owner. The family decided to remain on the plane, while the dog and its owner left and took a later flight. 

flydubai sees profits and revenue increase

The Dubai based low-fare airline flydubai said Wednesday that its earnings and profits have increased, revenue reaching 5.5 billion dirhams ($1.5 billion) in 2017 compared to 5 billion dirhams ($1.37 billion) in 2016.
The profits for airline reached 37.3 million dirhams ($10 million) last year, up from 31.6 million dirhams ($8.6 million) the year before. However, flydubai’s profits are still less than half the 100.7 million dirham-mark ($27.4 million) recorded in 2015.

Canada's Sunwing Travel Group and Planet Hollywood Create Partnership For Massive Expansion

Sunwing Travel Group, North America's largest vertically integrated travel company, has signed a deal with iconic lifestyle brand Planet Hollywood to dramatically increase the footprint of Planet Hollywood's hotel operations globally. Initially, Planet Hollywood Beach Resort Costa Rica will open in the fall of 2018 and Planet Hollywood Resort Cancun will open in late Spring of 2019. These two properties mark Planet Hollywood's first foray into the in-demand luxury all-inclusive category.
Two lavish, all-inclusive Planet Hollywood resorts openings in less than two years
For more than 25 years, the Planet Hollywood brand has been positioned as the authority on entertainment and popular culture.  Capitalizing on its close celebrity ties and the universal appeal of movies, television, music, and sports, the Planet Hollywood brand has been successful across the gaming, restaurant, lodging, retail, leisure and entertainment sectors.

Finnair extends the operating period for its Chicago and San Francisco routes

Finnair is extending the operating period for both its Chicago and San Francisco routes during the upcoming fall. The Helsinki-Chicago route will be extended until December 3 with two weekly flights. Originally, the route was set to operate from April 19 until October 27. Chicago is the largest city in the American Midwest and a global hub for business, leisure and the arts. Finnair started a seasonal service to Chicago during the summer of 2015.

The Helsinki-San Francisco route will now be extended until December 5 with two weekly frequencies. Originally, the route was to be operated from May 3 until September 27.  San Francisco is well-known for its buzzing food scene, hilly terrain, Victorian architecture and proximity to Silicon Valley. Finnair began a seasonal service to San Francisco during the summer of 2017. 

Visa Launches Program to Give Consumers a Better Travel Experience

Visa,  today unveiled a new program focused on giving consumers a better experience for any mode of travel, whether by air, rail or car. By engaging directly with airlines, transit operators, car manufacturers, rental companies, parking and fuel providers, Visa can help create innovative solutions that integrate new and emerging technologies into every kind of journey.
The Transportation Center of Excellence is a global service that brings together the power and scope of Visa's programs including the Visa Developer Platform, Visa Token Service, Visa Ready for Transit and Visa Global Transit Solutions with its global network of Innovation Centers and Studios.

PenFed Credit Union, Gary Sinise Foundation and American Airlines Plan Free Benefit Concert in Puerto Rico

PenFed Credit Union, along with Gary Sinise Foundation and their official airline partner American Airlines, today announced plans for a special benefit concert featuring Gary Sinise & the Lt. Dan Band on March 2, 2018 to raise awareness of Puerto Rico's hurricane recovery needs and to provide an evening of entertainment open to all.
"Hurricane Maria is still impacting Puerto Rico," said James Schenck, President and CEO of PenFed Credit Union. "Although the devastating winds and flood waters hit five months ago today, millions of Puerto Ricans continue to feel the aftermath of the storm in their daily lives. Many survivors have endured months without electric power, fresh food and running water. This free concert is a team effort to remind our fellow Americans of the ongoing needs of Puerto Ricans, and show our appreciation for everyone who has stayed on the island working hard to contribute to Puerto Rico's recovery and renewal."

Best Beaches In The World.................

TripAdvisor®, the travel planning and booking site, announced this week, the winners of its Travelers' Choice® awards for Beaches. The gorgeous Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos won the top honour as the best beach in the world this year, up from the number two ranking last year and reclaiming the top spot it held in 2016. Florida's Clearwater Beach was the number one beach in America, up three spots from its U.S. ranking one year ago, and capturing the top spot in the country it held in 2016. Award winners were determined based on the quantity and quality of traveller reviews and ratings for beaches on TripAdvisor, gathered over a 12-month period.

TripAdvisor has awarded 355 beaches overall, including the top 25 in the world and local lists for Asia, Europe, Africa, South Pacific, South America, Middle East, Caribbean, Central America, Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S.

Read on to find out the top ten beaches in the world.

Copa's Fourth Q Results

Out this week, Copa's fourth quarter results. 
Copa Holdings reported net income of US$100.8 million for 4Q17 or earnings per share (EPS) of US$2.38, as compared to net income of US$90.5 million or earnings per share of US$2.14 in 4Q16. Excluding special items, which for 4Q17 include a non-cash gain of US$0.5 million associated with the mark-to-market of fuel hedge contracts, the Company would have reported a net income of US$100.3 million, or adjusted EPS of US$2.36, compared to an adjusted net income of US$54.7 million or adjusted EPS of US$1.29 in 4Q16.
For full year 2017, net income reached US$370.0 million or EPS of US$8.72, compared to a net income of US$334.5 million or earnings per share of US$7.90 for full year 2016. Excluding special items, which for 2017 include a non-cash gain of US$2.8 million associated with the mark-to-market of fuel hedge contracts, Copa Holdings would have reported an adjusted net income of US$367.2 million or EPS of US$8.66, compared to an adjusted net income of US$201.4 million or adjusted EPS of US$4.75 for full year 2016.

Airbus’ A321LR goes the distance to open new horizons for airlines

The best-selling A320 Family marked a new milestone last week with a Paris-to-New York nonstop flight flown by the A321LR – demonstrating this jetliner version’s ability to serve new markets and operate on heavily-travelled North Atlantic routes with the highest levels of efficiency and comfort.

The LR designation is for ‘long range’ and with good reason: the A321LR has the longest range of any single-aisle commercial aircraft today, able to fly 7,400 kilometres nonstop.
Its ‘long legs’ are signified by the No. 1 A321LR’s livery featuring the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty – a representation of the Paris/New York route flown yesterday from Le Bourget Airport near the French capital to the New York region’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The aircraft also is well suited for intra-regional airline segments in Asia, the United States and other markets.

Norwegian takes delivery of final Boeing 737-800 aircraft

Norwegian, arguably the World’s Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline, today took delivery of its 100th direct buy Boeing 737-800 aircraft, the last of this aircraft type in its fleet. Norwegian originally ordered 42 737-800 in 2007 and leased 26 of these aircraft between 2008 and 2016. The airline now has a total of 118 737-800 aircraft in its fleet.
“Today’s delivery marks the end of an era for Norwegian. When we first introduced the Boeing 737-800 aircraft to our fleet 11 years ago, we did so because it was a modern aircraft with a record of reliability, fuel efficiency and low operating costs,” said Bjørn Kjos, CEO of Norwegian. “Now, at the dawn of a new era, our fleet expansion will continue with more environmentally friendly aircraft as we prepare to take delivery of more than 100 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft over the next few years.”

Finnair opens direct flights to Minsk, the capital of Belarus

Finnair is expanding its network and will open a direct, year-round route between Helsinki and Minsk on June 9, 2018. Flights between Helsinki and Minsk will be operated twice per week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, with an Embraer 190 aircraft. Currently, Finnair also co-operates with Belavia on the Helsinki-Minsk route and Finnair’s own flights will bring the total amount of weekly flights up to five. 

Minsk is well known for its history, architecture and cultural arts scene. The city’s many museums and historical sites also offer interesting activities for travellers interested in history and culture.  

“A direct route to Minsk compliments well our network and will serve especially well customers travelling between Belarus and North America,” says Juha Järvinen, Chief Commercial Officer for Finnair. “Additionally, our new Minsk flights will connect well to Finnair’s Asian and European network.” 

Russian flights to Egypt put back to April

The planned resumption of Russian flights to Egypt over two years after they were banned by Moscow over security concerns has been postponed until April, Cairo airport officials said Tuesday, citing delays in booking procedures and the reopening of offices of the countries’ national airlines.

Modern baggage-scanning equipment has been installed and Russian security will be allowed to oversee operations in Cairo as part of the reopening of the route, initially planned for February, they said, hinting that the main requirements placed by Russia have been met and the reason for the delays could lie elsewhere.

The move comes as a setback for Egypt, which has hoped for a resumption of the flights for months, when its warm winter weather draws tourists from countries to the north, including what was once a large amount from Russia. Airport officials gave no further reason for the delay.

Meridiana Launches New Look: Air Italy

Meridiana, Italy’s long-established privately owned airline, has announced an exciting new phase of growth and development with its new identity as Air Italy. Qatar Airways previously strengthened its commitment to Italy in 2017 with the acquisition of 49 percent of AQA Holding, the new parent company of Air Italy, while the previous sole shareholder Alisarda kept 51 percent.
Qatar Airways previously strengthened its commitment to Italy in 2017  with the acquisition of 49 percent of AQA Holding, the new parent company of Air Italy 
Air Italy will provide travellers with an innovative,  sophisticated and stylish carrier, offering an enhanced travel experience

During a press conference this week in Milan, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Mr. Akbar Al Baker; Mr. Marco Rigotti, Chairman of Alisarda and AQA Holding;  Mr. Sultan Allana of Alisarda and AKFED and Mr. Francesco Violante, Chairman of Meridiana, unveiled Air Italy’s fresh and modern brand identity and presented the new airline business plan, focusing on excellent passenger experience and the next generation of traveller, aimed at positioning itself as Italy’s leading airline.
Air Italy aims to have approximately 50 aircraft by 2022 and is already committed to receiving 20 of the brand new Boeing 737-Max aircraft type from April 2018, over the next three years. Air Italy will also receive five Airbus A330-200 aircraft this year from the Qatar Airways’ fleet, prior to these being further replaced by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, commencing May 2019.

Qatar Airways Welcomes the first A350-1000

Much of the World's aviation correspondents descended upon Toulouse, France today for the handover of the first super advanced Airbus A350-1000 to launch customer - Qatar Airways. The excitement had been building for quite some time and was literally palpable in the last half an hour before the celebrations and press conference began.  The aircraft is the first of 37 A350-1000s ordered by Qatar and is the first ever Airbus aircraft fitted with the revolutionary new Qsuite seats, which offer unrivalled levels of comfort and space including the first ever double bed in Business class.  Qatar Airways is the world’s largest A350 XWB family customer with a current total of some 76 aircraft on order and is also the largest A350-1000 customer to date. The growing airline was the launch customer for the 900 model and has indicated that it may upgrade some outstanding A350 orders to the new 1000 version in the future. The carrier says they expect to receive six 1000's this year. “Qatar Airways always demands the very best for its customers, so it is right that we are the first airline in the world to fly the Airbus A350-1000,” said Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, “This remarkable state-of-the-art aircraft will become a firm part of Qatar Airways fleet and will keep us ahead of the curve, allowing us to continue to offer our passengers outstanding levels of comfort and service”.

Forbes Travel Guide Announces 2018 Star Rating Awards

As it celebrates its landmark 60th anniversary, Forbes Travel Guide today unveiled its 60th list of worldwide Star Rating winners, continuing its exceedingly selective approach for recognising the world's finest properties and rewarding gracious, intuitive service.

The 2018 award winners include 27 new Five-Star hotels, 70 new Four-Star hotels and 76 new hotels in the Recommended category. Other first-time recipients include five Five-Star restaurants, 24 Four-Star restaurants and 10 Recommend restaurants. The list also honours five new Five-Star spas and 29 new Four-Star spas. See the complete list of winners here.

Southwest Airlines Cargo To Go Beyond Borders

 Southwest Airlines announced this week, its intention to begin shipping cargo to select international destinations beginning in May 2018, subject to requisite government approvals. The first international destinations Southwest Airlines Cargo® expects to serve are Mexico City, Cancun, Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos, and Puerto Vallarta with more international destinations planned for 2018.

"By offering the cross-border services that our Customers are looking for, we're able to help meet the needs of businesses throughout the United States and, soon, in Mexico," said Matt Buckley, Southwest Airlines' Vice President of Cargo and Charters. "As we enter the international cargo market for the first time, Customers will have more opportunities to experience the friendly and reliable service for which our Cargo Team is known."

United add 737 Max 9 to its domestic schedule

United Airlines announced this week it has added its newest aircraft type, the Boeing 737 MAX 9, to its domestic flight schedules. The MAX 9 features Boeing's Advanced Technology winglets and fuel-efficient engines providing a quieter ride and the ability to fly farther on less fuel than some of its existing fleet.
United expects to begin operating MAX 9 aircraft on 7th June, between its hub at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport and five cities. Beginning 29th June, United expects to add additional MAX 9 flights from its Houston and Los Angeles hubs including service between Los Angeles and Honolulu.

Lufthansa Don't Like Air101

German airline group Lufthansa don't like this site, despite the largely positive coverage we've given the airline and its subsidiaries.  We applied to their affiliate programme but received the following message "your application for http://air101.co.uk to Lufthansa UK has been denied. Lufthansa UK do not think that the content of your site is suitable."
We also had subscribed to their mailing list for press releases, however, that has also now seems to have been removed.  
Perhaps they are taking revenge for Air101 not being overly positive or excited by the new brand identity and livery of Lufthansa. 

It does seem a rather petty and juvenile way for an airline to behave, however, we will continue to cover the airline in a fair and balanced way. 

Trainspotting writer calls airline staff muppets over small delay

Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting went on a rant worthy of one of the characters he created after his American Airlines flight was delayed. The aggressive Scot used social media to bemoan about his experience branding the airline muppets after a technical error with electronic flight bags meant critical safety flight manuals were not loaded correctly on the crew's flight iPads. “@AmericanAir can’t take off on this or any other flight as they’ve ‘lost all our updated flight manuals from our iPads. Are you f*****g kidding us, you muppets!” he wrote on Twitter.  

Following up with a more offensive expletive in another tweet -

The writer's reputation for being aggressive, rude and belligerent to those working in the service industry continues. And, the duration of the mega long delay that caused such anger and hate from the writer was....an hour. 

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Philippine Airlines view the A350-1000

The national airline of The Philippines is looking to add the largest version of the Airbus A350 family to its fleet the carrier’s president said on Thursday.
Philippine Airlines is currently undergoing a massive $2 billion that's approximately £1.4 billion expansion and fleet renewal programme to give it one of the youngest fleets in Asia.
“It is one airplane we can consider. It is a bigger version of the A350-900,” Jaime Bautista, president of the airline’s operator, PAL Holdings Inc, told reporters before an A350-1000 test flight in the capital Manila.

65 people feared dead in Iranian plane crash

It's believed that all 65 passengers and crew on an Aseman Airlines ATR72 aircraft have perished in an air disaster in the mountainous region in southern Iran.

The ATR72 was 24 years old and left the Iranian capital Tehran at around 8am local time Sunday morning and is understood to have crashed approximately an hour later. Local media is reporting that the aircraft came down near the remote mountain town of Semirom, which is close to 390 miles south of Tehran. A blanket of heavy fog was said to be in the region at the time of the incident.  
A spokesperson for Aseman Airlines originally advised that there were 66 people on the aircraft, however, it now appears one passenger had actually missed the flight, bringing the likely death toll to 65.  According to local media, there were 59 passengers on board, as well as a flight crew of two, two flight attendants and two air marshals.
The aircraft was en route to the southern city of Yasuj, in Isfahan province when the crash happened and "Given the special circumstances of the region, we still have no access to the spot of the crash and therefore we cannot accurately and definitely confirm the death of all passengers of this plane." said the spokesperson, Mohammad Taghi Tabatabai.  Rescue teams and Iran's Red Crescent have deployed workers to the area on foot as the fog is preventing helicopters from reaching the crash site.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a statement: "The very tragic incident of a passenger plane crashing on Tehran-Yasuj route, which led to the death of a number of our fellow Iranians, caused great grief and sorrow.  I hereby express sympathy with the bereaved families and offer my condolences to the Iranian nation, asking the Almighty mercy for those who lost their lives, and patience and rewards for their bereaved families."
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani issued messages of condolences. The president asked the transport minister to lead an investigation into the crash. The Armenian Prime Minister expressed his sympathies and condolences. 

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Air Canada Announces Appointment of Jon Turner as Vice President, Maintenance

Air Canada President and Chief Executive Officer Calin Rovinescu announced on Thursday the appointment of Jon Turner as Vice President, Maintenance.
Mr Turner began his career at Air Canada in 1980 and held a wide-range of critical operational positions with the company. From 1997 to 2004, as General Manager, Aircraft Programs, he was responsible for all aspects of Air Canada's aircraft acquisition and disposal. From 2004 to 2007 he was Vice President, Maintenance and Engineering. He is returning to Air Canada after working at other airlines, most recently Air Canada Express partner, Sky Regional, where he was President and Chief Executive Officer. He will report to Richard Steer, Senior Vice-President – Operations, who reports to Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada, who has overall responsibility for all aspects of the operations of the airline.

Bombardier Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2017 Results With Some Surprises

Bombardier reported its fourth quarter and full year 2017 results, highlighting solid financial and operational performance across the company.
“Bombardier closed out the second full year of its five-year turnaround plan with very strong performance,” said Alain Bellemare, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bombardier Inc. “Because of this solid performance, we begin 2018 with great momentum. Our operational transformation is in full motion; our growth programs - including the Global 7000 - are on track and we have a clear line of sight to our 2020 objectives.”
In 2017, Bombardier’s full-year EBIT before special items grew 57% year-over-year, from $427 million to $672 million, while EBITDA before special items(1) reached close to $1 billion. Full year EBIT margins exceeded guidance at Transportation, Business Aircraft and Aerostructures. Before special items, EBIT margins(1) were 8.4% at Transportation and Business Aircraft; and 10.0% at Aerostructures. Consolidated revenues for the year were $16.2 billion, in line with our guidance.

Alaska Air Group reports January 2018 operational results

 Alaska Air Group reported its January operational results this week,  on a consolidated basis, for its mainline operations operated by subsidiaries Alaska Airlines Inc. (Alaska) and Virgin America Inc. (Virgin America), and for its regional flying operated by subsidiary Horizon Air Industries Inc. (Horizon) and third-party regional carriers SkyWest Airlines and Peninsula Airlines.
On Jan. 11, 2018, Alaska and Virgin America consolidated their operations onto a Single Operating Certificate (SOC). As a result, operational results for Alaska and Virgin America have been combined into a single mainline operation.

Aeroflot Open 2018 Begins in Moscow on 19 February

The Aeroflot Open 2018 international chess festival will be held from 19 February to 1 March at the Cosmos Hotel. The competition is one of the world's oldest and most popular and is traditionally held with support from Aeroflot. This year's event is taking place in the Russian capital for the 16th time and brings together a strong line-up of participants.

he Aeroflot Open consists of three tournaments (A, B and C), into which competitors are entered according to their ratings. Players in all sections will play according to the Swiss system of nine rounds. Naturally, much of the interest is centred on the "A" group, in which players must have a ranking of 2,550 or higher.

This year the "A" tournament starting list includes leading players such as Vladimir Fedoseev, winner of Aeroflot Open 2017 (Russia, 2,724); Vidit Gujrathi, winner of the Tata Steel Challengers 2018 tournament (India, 2,723); Dmitry Andreikin, champion of Russia 2012 (2,712), former European blitz champion Rauf Mamedov (Azerbaijan, 2,709); current European champion Maxim Matlakov (Russia, 2,709); Vladislav Artemiev, winner of the Higher League of the Russian Championship 2015 (2,697); ex-European champion Ernesto Inarkiev (Russia, 2,684); Evgeny Naer, ex-champion of Europe and winner of Aeroflot Open 2016 (Russia, 2,683); and many other stars.

More than 90 chess players from 23 countries will compete in the "A" tournament. The overall winner of the competition will receive a ticket to the elite tournament in Dortmund (12-23 July 2018).