~theguardian-world | Bookmarks (26)

Passengers were earlier left stranded as discussions took place on ‘viability of business’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe low-cost airline Bonza entered voluntary administration on Tuesday, after abruptly cancelling all of its flights after the repossession of its entire fleet that caught its CEO by surprise.Passengers were left stranded...

Passengers numbers this year predicted to hit 82.4m but airport’s future uncertain, with proposed £6bn sale in doubtHeathrow is expecting its busiest ever summer holiday season but faces uncertainty over its long-term future as the proposed £6bn sale of the UK’s biggest airport remains in doubt.The airport said on Wednesday that the summer getaway this year was expected to be “the busiest on record”...

Carrier says three-week grounding of 737 Max 9 planes after Alaska Airlines blowout cost it profitUnited Airlines has blamed a $200m (£161m) hit to its earnings in the first three months of the year on the mid-flight blowout that forced it to ground many of its Boeing planes.The US carrier said the three-week grounding of 737 Max 9 jets after a cabin panel blew...

Higher seat availability has resulted in lower airfares, group says, but cost-of-living pressures continue their impact on holiday plansGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAirlines have finally shaken off the lingering effects of Covid, with capacity back to pre-pandemic levels for the first time, according to data from Flight Centre.Global seat availability climbed back over 100% of 2019...

Airline’s Perth-to-London flights will now stop over in Singapore to avoid Iranian airspace amid fears Tehran will strike IsraelGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastQantas has been forced to pause its non-stop flights from Perth to London to avoid Iranian airspace amid fears Tehran is planning an imminent attack on Israel.As the world braces for a potential flare...

Incident involving Southwest flight will add to pressure on plane maker as it shakes up leadershipUS airline regulators have launched an investigation after an engine cowling on a Boeing plane fell off during takeoff and struck the wing flap, the latest in a series of safety problems facing the aircraft manufacturer.The Southwest Airlines flight 3695 rose to about 10,300 ft (3,140 metres) before returning...

The airline is adding more than 20m rewards seats on international and domestic flightsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastQantas has unveiled long-awaited changes to its frequent flyer program, boosting the number of reward seats available and changing the way those seats are priced. What does Monday’s announcement mean for...

Court hears workers suffered psychological distress after losing jobs and took medication to cope Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastA major union is hoping to force Qantas to pay millions in compensation to former workers whose jobs were illegally outsourced during the Covid-19 pandemic.The Transport Workers Union (TWU) is suing the airline in the federal court over...

FAA investigating loss of panel before Boeing 737-800 landed safely in OregonThe US Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how a United Airlines Boeing 737-800 lost an external panel before landing safely in Oregon.United flight 433 landed at Medford airport at about 1.45pm on Friday carrying 139 passengers and six crew after departing from San Francisco, the FAA and airline said. Continue reading...

New scrutiny of planemaker’s 787 Dreamliner over terrifying drop adds to safety crisis after cabin panel blowout on 737 Max 9 jet Another Boeing jet is facing scrutiny after the planemaker told airlines to check the cockpit seats of 787 Dreamliners following a terrifying drop during a flight from Sydney to Auckland.Dozens of people on Latam Airlines Flight 800 were said to have been...

Seven people who allegedly suffered injuries after a door-sized panel blew off mid-air file suit against airline and manufacturerSeven passengers of the harrowing Alaska Airlines flight that had to make an emergency landing after a door-sized panel blew off the plane are suing the airline and the aircraft’s manufacturer Boeing.One of the plaintiffs is Cuong Tran, a passenger who was seated in a window...

Nearly 750,000 passengers were caught up in widespread grounding of flights last August bank holidayAn independent review into the August bank holiday air traffic control meltdown, which affected nearly 750,000 passengers, has highlighted a “significant lack of pre-planning”.Flights were grounded across UK airports on 28 August after the ATC provider National Air Traffic Services (Nats) experienced a technical glitch while processing a flight plan....

United flight 821 from San Francisco to Mexico City landed at Los Angeles international airport after crew reported hydraulics issueUnited Airlines’ bad week for safety issues continued on Friday afternoon when a plane was forced to make an emergency diversion due to an issue with its hydraulic system.United flight 821 from San Francisco to Mexico City made an emergency landing at Los Angeles international...

Essex-based hub to pass into hands of private-equity firm after agreement on £194m debtSouthend airport is to pass into the control of the US private-equity group Carlyle after an agreement to settle a debt, in the latest takeover of a UK firm by a foreign company.The London-listed aviation group Esken, formerly Stobart Group, said it had reached a deal over the £193.75m debt that...

Peter Foley, the program director for search led by Australian Transport Safety Bureau, says any chance of success needs the government to investGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe man who led Australia’s search for MH370 has urged the Australian government to support any new effort to find the plane, which disappeared 10 years ago on Friday.On Sunday...

Prime minister Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia would reopen the investigation if there was compelling new evidenceMalaysia is willing to reopen an investigation into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines MH370 if there is compelling new evidence, prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has said.Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, carrying 12 Malaysian crew members and 227 passengers, vanished from air traffic radar on 8 March 2014....

US justice department scrutinizing whether door blowout violated 2021 agreement with Boeing after two fatal plane crashesThe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is giving Boeing 90 days to come up with a plan to fix quality problems and meet safety standards for building new planes, as the justice department reportedly reviews whether a mid-flight plane door panel blowout in January violated a previous settlement agreement...

Hrdlicka’s abrupt departure comes as airline’s owners plan to push ahead with relisting on stock exchangeGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastVirgin Australia’s chief executive, Jayne Hrdlicka, has abruptly stepped down after almost four years in charge, raising questions about the timing of the airline’s much-hyped relisting on the stock exchange.On Tuesday, the airline announced that Hrdlicka had...

Company claimed its chatbot ‘was responsible for its own actions’ when giving wrong information about bereavement fareCanada’s largest airline has been ordered to pay compensation after its chatbot gave a customer inaccurate information, misleading him into buying a full-price ticket.Air Canada came under further criticism for later attempting to distance itself from the error by claiming that the bot was “responsible for its own...

Senators say bill will ‘clean up Australia’s airline industry through ensuring concrete protections for passengers’ hit by flight delaysFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe Coalition will move to force the Albanese government to bring in an airline passenger compensation scheme that would make carriers pay delayed customers, in a...

US regulator makes announcement hours after CEO says planemaker will only allow jets to fly when ‘100%’ certain of safetyThe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved an inspection and maintenance process to allow grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 planes to return to service, following a cabin panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight.“The exhaustive, enhanced review our team completed after several weeks of information...

All Nippon Airways flight was en route to Toyama airport when crack found in window of Boeing 737-800A domestic flight of Japan’s All Nippon Airways returned to its departure airport on Saturday after a crack was found on the cockpit window of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft midair, a spokesperson for the airline said.Flight 1182 was en route to Toyama airport but headed back to...

Air Astana, which is 49% owned by the British defence firm, announces plans to float on London stock marketKazakhstan’s national airline has announced plans to float on the London stock market, bringing a potential windfall to BAE Systems, which has been an investor for more than two decades.Air Astana, which is 49% owned by the British defence company, hopes to list in London and...

Planes await inspection by aviation regulators after panel blowout on Alaska Airlines flight amid heightened safety concernsBoeing must acknowledge “our mistake”, its CEO has said, after the cabin panel of a 737 Max 9 jet blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight last week.Dozens of Max 9 planes have been grounded following the incident, awaiting inspection amid heightened concerns around safety. Alaska and United...