A chartered cargo plane en route to Somalia with 11 people on board including three Burundian military officers working for the UN crashed into Lake Victoria after take-off from Uganda's Entebbe airport, near the capital Kampala, earlier this week. The plane, an Illuyshin 76, operated by Aerolift and chartered by Dynacorp was carrying a cargo of tents and water purification equipment for the African Mission to Somalia (AMSOM). Africa's air accident rate is six times worse than the rest of the … [Read more...] about Illuyshin 76 crashes into Lake Victoria
Carriers
Trent 700s for HK Air's A330s
HNA Group and Rolls-Royce have signed a contract for Trent 700EP engines to power Hong Kong Airlines' new fleet of 20 Airbus A330s. The value of the contract, including a long-term services agreement, is approximately US$1.2 billion at list prices. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlining the contract was announced in January 2008. The airline will take delivery of its first A330 aircraft in 2010. … [Read more...] about Trent 700s for HK Air's A330s
Industry has not yet hit bottom~ IATA
Industry has not yet hit bottom: IATA Continued falling cargo demand has led the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to urge the cargo supply chain to improve security and efficiency to deliver a more enticing product. In remarks delivered by video to IATA's World Cargo Symposium in Bangkok, CEO Giovanni Bisignani said: "The industry is in crisis and nobody knows that better than our cargo colleagues. Cargo demand has fallen off a cliff." ¡°After a shocking 22.6 per cent decrease in … [Read more...] about Industry has not yet hit bottom~ IATA
Cargo exec says industry kidding itself
Air cargo management must "strip the veils of illusion from their eyes" in combating the worst recession since the industry began 60 years ago, according to industry stalwart Julian Keeling. Keeling said these illusions included the near obsession with China as the primary engine of growth. They also included offering complicated, expensive supply chain "solutions" to the shipper rather than concentrating on fast, reliable transportation of cargo. "Let's stop adding layers of outside management … [Read more...] about Cargo exec says industry kidding itself
Altimeter at fault in air crash
A faulty altimeter played a part in the Turkish crash last week near Amsterdam's Schipol airport which killed nine people, according to investigators. They said similar shutdowns had occurred twice before on the same plane and were overruled by the pilots, and warned its maker Boeing and any airlines using 737 models to be vigilant. When flying at about 1950 feet (594 metres) the plane's left radio altimeter indicated the Boeing 737-800 was flying at minus 8 feet, prompting the automatic pilot … [Read more...] about Altimeter at fault in air crash
No pay leave extended at Singapore Air
No-pay leave extended at Singapore Air Faced with ongoing drop in load factors, excess capacity and falling yeilds, Singapore Airlines (SIA) has started preliminary talks to get its passenger plane pilots to take voluntary no-pay leave. This follows the recent agreement with 25 of its cargo pilots who voluntarily will go on no-pay leave for up to 30 months, with up to 25 more cargo pilots expected to be asked to also opt for the scheme. This comes as the airline prepares to slash up to 11 per … [Read more...] about No pay leave extended at Singapore Air