Asiana pilots raise 777 auto-throttle malfunction issue in the San Francisco crash

Pilots of the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777-200ER jet that crashed while trying to land in San Francisco are offering an account that differs from the preliminary findings of U.S. investigators, people familiar with the investigation said. The pilots have told the National Transportation Safety Board that an in-flight malfunction of an automated speed-control system was a major factor in the fatal accident on July 6, these people said. (airguideonline.com) More...

Mental health of pilots under scanner after China Eastern 737-800 jet crash

An anonymous survey of 1,848 pilots in 2015 found 12.6% suffered from depression while 4.1% experienced suicidal thoughts. How would you feel about getting on a flight knowing that the pilot had been having suicidal thoughts? If you’re a regular passenger, you’ve probably already done it. (www.airguide.info) More...

Contracts for 515 aircraft leased to Russian airlines will be terminated

Lessors are set to terminate hundreds of aircraft leases with Russian airlines following Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine that require the contracts be cancelled. Asian lessor BOC Aviation said today that most of its aircraft in Russia would be affected by European Union sanctions that require the leases be terminated by March 28. (www.airguide.info) More...

Gulfstream G650 sets new speed record

Gulfstream’s G650 business jet has set a new speed record, 13 hours and 49 minutes between White Plains, N.Y. and Mumbai, India at an average cruise speed of Mach 0.85 for a flight distance of 7,115 nautical miles. (airguideonline.com) More...

Bombardier sells Flexjet and new owner orders 245 business jets

Bombardier announced the sale of its Flexjet aircraft ownership business on Thursday Sept. 5, and the new owners agreed to order up to 245 Bombardier business jets valued at USD$5.2 billion. A group led by Ohio-based private investment firm, Directional Aviation Capital, is buying the fractional ownership business for USD$185 million in a deal expected to close before the end of the year. (airguideonline.com) More...

Cathay Pacific orders one Boeing 747-8 Freighter and three 777-300ERs

Cathay Pacific Airways announced that it has ordered an additional 747-8 Freighter and three 777-300ER (Extended Range) airplanes. The order, valued at about $1 billion at current list prices, will bolster Cathay Pacific’s 747-8 Freighter fleet and 777-300ER fleet to 14 and 53, respectively. (airguideonline.com) More...

Pilots performing aborted landing “distracted” by cabin crew continuously pressing Emergency Alert Call button

The pilots of a British airline were forced to perform an aborted landing after a passenger left their seat and collapsed into the aisle shortly before touchdown but were then ‘distracted’ by the cabin crew who continuously pressed an emergency alert call button because they didn’t know what to do with the passenger. (www.airguide.info) More...

Norwegian Air suffers more technical problems on its two Boeing 787s

Norwegian Air Shuttle suffered fresh technical problems with both its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners on Sunday Sept. 22, the airline said, in another set of issues to hit the jet. One of the planes remained grounded in Oslo on Monday due to problems with the oxygen supply to the cockpit and that technicians are working to fix the problem, according to Norwegian Air spokeswoman Aasa Larsson. (airguideonline.com) More...

FAA addresses dual-engine shutdown of A220 P&W engines

Following a dual-engine shutdown on an aircraft with Pratt & Whitney 1500G power plants – used exclusively for the Airbus A220 family – the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) to prevent the shutdown from happening again. (www.airguide.info) More...

Delta expands Comfort+ to regional flights

Aligning with Delta’s focus on improving choice for customers and enhancing the on-board experience, the airline is now continuing to expand Delta Comfort+ on some of its regional aircraft, adding more Delta Comfort+ seats on its E-175, E-170, CRJ-900 and CRJ-700 aircraft. (www.airguideonline.com) More...