13 August, 2020

US Air Force helicopter shot at whilst on training flight

An investigation is underway in the U.S. state of Virginia after an Air Force UH-1N Huey helicopter was shot at whilst in the middle of a training flight. After the shooting, the crew had to make an emergency landing and one person was reported to have been injured.

The crew was able to make an emergency landing at Manassas Regional Airport,  an Air Force spokesperson said "The aircraft safely landed and the incident is currently under investigation with local and federal authorities,"

According to local media,  both the Air Force and FBI are investigating the incident and the injured crewmember was taken to hospital for treatment and then later discharged.



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RAF Jet set to English Channel to support Border Force.

A Royal Air Force P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft has flown from its base at Kinloss Barracks on Wednesday morning to support Border Force Operations in the Channel.

This is part of a package of assistance from the Ministry of Defence to the Home Office as they tackle small boats crossing in the Channel.

The Defence Secretary has also authorised the use of the Shadow R1 aircraft. Both the P-8 Poseidon and the Shadow R1 will provide further essential support to the UK Border Force over the coming weeks subject to weather conditions and the Border Force’s requirements.

The aircraft will track vessels and pass information to the Border Force who will then take any appropriate further action. This task was initially under-taken on Monday by an Atlas A-400M aircraft, which flew from RAF Brize Norton to provide surveillance over the Channel.

United Adds New Nonstop Service to Florida

               

Photo United Airlines
                          


                                      United Airlines has announced plans to add up to 28 daily nonstop flights this winter connecting customers in BostonClevelandIndianapolisMilwaukeeNew York/LaGuardia, Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio to four popular Florida destinations. The new, nonstop flights reflect United's continuing strategy to aggressively, and opportunistically manage the impact of COVID-19 by increasing service to destinations where customers most want to fly.

The airline will incrementally add in these flights starting November 6 with new roundtrip service from BostonCleveland and New York/LaGuardia to Fort LauderdaleFort MyersOrlando and Tampa. In December, the airline will increase service to Florida with additional flights from Columbus, OhioIndianapolisMilwaukee and Pittsburgh to Fort Myers and Tampa. Tickets are now available for purchase on united.com and the United mobile app.

Singapore Airlines And Temasek Foundation Partner To Support World Food Programme And The Global Covid-19 Response

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Singapore Airlines (SIA) and the Temasek Foundation are partnering with the World Food Programme (WFP) to support the global Covid-19 response to help transport essential medical supplies and other health and humanitarian items by air to points of need around the world.

Providing the logistics backbone for global Covid-19 efforts, WFP operates a network of hubs and passenger and cargo airlinks to ensure a steady flow of supplies and support to the frontlines of the pandemic. Since these services commenced in May, WFP has managed more than 800 humanitarian flights to 159 countries, with enough cargo to fill 188 jumbo jets expected to require WFP transport in the coming weeks.

Cathay Pacific suffered a loss of HK$9,865 million in the first half of 2020

The Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific suffered a loss of  HK$9,865 million in the first half of 2020 the airline reported on Wednesday.  
Photo Cathay Pacific 

The carrier had a promising start to 2020, with encouraging signs that passenger demand was beginning to return following the social unrest which saw mass riots and protests calling for democracy, which impacted the second half of 2019.  However, the first six months of 2020 were the most challenging that the airline has faced in its more than 70-year history. The impact of COVID19 on the Group’s business and the global economy is unprecedented. 

In response, Cathay Pacific announced a HK$39 billion recapitalisation in June, which comprised of a HK$19.5 billion preference share issue, a HK$11.7 billion rights issue and a HK$7.8 billion bridging loan facility. This recapitalisation was completed on 12 August 2020. 

The Cathay Pacific Group’s attributable loss was HK$9,865 million in the first half of 2020 (last year the carrier had a profit of HK$1,347 during the same period). Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon reported a loss after tax of HK$7,361 million in the first half of 2020, and the share of losses from subsidiaries and associates was HK$2,504 million (2019 first half: profit of HK$672 million). The loss for the first half of 2020 is net of the receipt of HK$1,060 million of COVID-19 related government grants globally and includes impairment and related charges of HK$2,465 million relating to 16 aircraft that are unlikely to re-enter meaningful economic service again before they retire or are returned to lessors, and to certain airline service subsidiaries’ assets. 

Defence Academy launches new Masters programme in Defence Innovation

Photo MoD / Crown Copyright
This September, the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom will launch their first Masters of Science (MSc) in Defence Innovation in partnership with King’s College London.
As the latest step to modernise Joint Professional Military Education, the MSc looks to build a repository of skills and experience in using hypothesis-and-test rationale to solve real-world defence challenges.
Focusing on problem-led learning, the MSc in Defence Innovation is the culmination of an innovation pathway first piloted in January 2019 with 12 graduate-level students on the Defence Academy’s Advance Command and Staff Course (ACSC) and in partnership with the Common Mission Project’s new ‘Hacking for MOD’ programme.

Manila International Airport enhances passenger experience with Smiths Detection

Smiths Detection has confirmed its collaboration with Philippines' Office for Transportation Security (OTS) and Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to boost passenger throughput and experience at terminals 1, 2, and 3 of the country's premier cosmopolitan airport, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

To achieve their goal, OTS partnered with MIAA in the acquisition of 12 HI-SCAN 6040 2is HR units, an advanced and dual-view X-ray detection system, capable of identifying explosives in carry-on baggage. Along with this, OTS also facilitated the installation of 12 iLane.evo units, an automatic tray return system (ATRS), to efficiently streamline the passenger screening process and help improve overall passenger experience at the airport.

An OTS official commented on the joint effort between OTS and MIAA saying, "As we work towards the revival of air travel, Smiths Detection's HI-SCAN 6040 2is HR scanners' advanced dual-view X-ray capabilities with ATRS will help to increase ease of our baggage inspection process. By providing high-quality image scans, our operators can determine baggage content more easily. This will minimize the time passengers spend in queues while facilitating tighter security requirements."

China Eastern Rolls Out New Unlimited Flights Package

Photo China Eastern 
Having seen the overwhelmingly positive market feedback of its ticket discount package “fly at will on weekends”, China Eastern Airlines on August 11, 2020, launched another package targeting consumers who fly on weekdays.

Priced at 3,456 yuan (423 EUR), the new package allows users to enjoy unlimited flights to any destination in the Chinese mainland on weekdays before 8am and after 8pm. The package is valid for 180 days.

Given that COVID-19 is now under control in China , China Eastern on June 18 launched a product priced at 3322 (406 EUR) that allows customers to take flights to any destination in the Chinese mainland during weekends until the end of this year. Afterwards, other airlines in China followed this step and launched similar products.

GECAS Cargo orders more 737-800 freighters

GE Capital Aviation Services signed an agreement with Boeing converting 11 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) options to firm orders and adding nine additional options to the GECAS Cargo order book.
Photo GECAS

This agreement marks a repeat order by the commercial aircraft leasing and financing arm of General Electric [NYSE: GE] for the 737-800BCF, bringing their total orderbook for the type to 74 (60 firm and 14 options) since the narrowbody conversion program was announced in 2016. The 20 in this agreement are scheduled to complete conversions between 2022 and 2024.

“We are very pleased to expand our orderbook for the 737-800BCF with Boeing,” said Richard Greener, SVP and Manager, GECAS Cargo, adding “The versatility and reliability of these freighters is appealing to our air cargo customers, not to mention the greater efficiency, lower operational costs and better environmental credentials for the growing express and E commerce cargo market.”

Icelandair getting more compensation from Boeing over 737 MAX grounding.

The Icelandair Group has now completed its negotiations with key creditors and suppliers, including Boeing over further compensation over the grounding of its 737 MAX aircraft.

While the details of the final settlement with Boeing are being kept under wraps, the airline confirmed on Wednesday that it has reduced its purchase commitment by four aircraft. It has also delayed the delivery for the remaining models until the second -quarter of next year and the start of 2022. The deal also provides additional compensation for Icelandair which covers a substantial portion of the damages incurred from the suspension and will mostly be realized by Q2 2021. 

Icelandair has also reached agreements on concessions with creditors which will see restructuring cash outflows to match expected cash inflows. The agreements are conditioned upon the completion of the upcoming share offering and Icelandair getting and agreeing on a government-guaranteed credit facility, which is in the final stages of negotiation.  

The airline has reached long term collective bargaining agreements with pilots, cabin crew and maintenance staff, however moral at the airline is said to be at an all-time low, with many staff being forced to look either for other full-time or part-time positions in order to supplement their incomes. 

With the new share offering about to be announced,  the true value of the Icelandic airline will be half of what it was during its recent peak in 2016. 










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12 August, 2020

Finnair cuts frequencies in Europe in September due to travel restrictions




Finnair will fly fewer frequencies to European destinations in September than previously planned. Many countries have imposed new travel restrictions in recent weeks due to the corona situation, resulting in lower-than-expected demand. Some domestic destinations are also served at a lower frequency than before.  

The company is scheduled to fly in September to all European destinations that were flown in August, but at a lower frequency. The exceptions are Nice and Turku, to which the company will stop flights in September.  

Frequencies to some domestic destination will be adjusted. In September, Finnair will fly to Kuopio once a day and to Vaasa and Mariehamn five times a week. The company had also planned to start flights to Tampere in September, but due to the demand situation, these flights will be postponed.  

P-8 Poseidon aircraft to support Border Force operations in the Channel

A Royal Air Force P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft has flown from its base at Kinloss Barracks this morning to support Border Force Operations in the Channel.

This is part of a package of assistance from the Ministry of Defence to the Home Office as they tackle small boats crossing in the Channel.

The Defence Secretary has also authorised the use of the Shadow R1 aircraft. Both the P-8 Poseidon and the Shadow R1 will provide further essential support to the UK Border Force over the coming weeks subject to weather conditions and the Border Force’s requirements.

The aircraft will track vessels and pass information to the Border Force who will then take any appropriate further action. This task was initially under-taken on Monday by an Atlas A-400M aircraft, which flew from RAF Brize Norton to provide surveillance over the Channel.

American Airlines releases new face covering guidelines - masks with vents are no longer allowed.

American Airlines new policy comes into force on
Wednesday, 19 August.

Allowed face coverings must be worn correctly, covering the nose and mouth, 
and only can be removed briefly for eating and drinking
Face coverings made with materials such as mesh or lace fabrics are also not allowed



From August 19th American Airlines' new policy on face coverings comes into force.  The new guidelines are coming into force following the most recent recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), face coverings with exhausts valves or vents will no longer be allowed for travel with American Airlines. The CDC notes that face coverings with one-way valves or vents allow exhaled air to be expelled through holes in the material. These can allow exhaled respiratory droplets to reach others and potentially spread the coronavirus (COVID-19).

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