Aviation

On this day, 50 years ago, the first Concorde flight took off

When the misty skies cleared over southern France on the afternoon of Sunday March 2, 1969, the green light was signalled for the highly anticipated first ever flight of the Concorde.…

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France asks for clarifications after Dutch acquisition of significant stake in Air-France-KLM

French President Emmanuel Macron has said the Dutch government must "clarify its intentions" after purchasing a significant stake in the Air France-KLM alliance without first informing Paris. "The government was…

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Bangladeshi commandos stormed passenger jet and shot dead the armed man who attempted hijack

Update: Bangladeshi commandos stormed a passenger jet in the country's southeast on Sunday and shot dead an armed man who attempted to hijack the Dubai-bound flight. The suspect, identified by…

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Dubai-bound plane forced emergency landing amid reports of attempted hijack

A Dubai-bound plane has made an emergency landing at an airport in Bangladesh amid reports an armed passenger attempted to hijack the flight. The Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight made an…

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Three dead as Boeing 767 cargo plane carrying Amazon deliveries crashes

Three people are believed to have died after a cargo plane carrying Amazon deliveries crashed "nose first" in Texas. The Boeing 767 cargo jetliner, which was being operated for Amazon…

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Malta International Airport registers increase in profits due to increase in revenues from both aviation and non-aviation activities

Malta International Airport plc announced that the Company’s profits for the year ended 31st December 2018 increased from €24.2 million to €30.3 million. Increases in revenues were registered by both…

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Flights over Dublin airport resumes after drone sighting cause suspension

Flights have resumed at Dublin Airport after a drone sighting over the airfield earlier today. In a tweet, the airport said the decision was made for safety reasons. It later advised…

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US airline passengers who don’t identify as “male” or “female” will soon have more gender options to choose when booking tickets

US airline passengers who don't identify as "male" or "female" will soon have more gender options to choose when booking tickets. The new gender options to be added include "unspecified" and "undisclosed."…

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British Airways go retro

Flight enthusiasts were in for a treat on Monday as British Airways unveiled a plane which had been repainted with its original retro design. The Boeing 747 arrived at Heathrow…

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Airline FLYBMI ceases operations as it files for administration citing BREXIT as one of the reasons (Updated)

British Midland Regional Limited, the East Midlands-based airline which operates as flybmi, has today announced that it has ceased operations and is filing for administration. All flights have been cancelled…

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No one injured as Lion Air Boeing 737 skids off runway in Indonesia

A Lion Air passenger plane skidded off a runway outside a city on the Indonesian island of Borneo on Saturday during heavy rain, the airline said, adding no one was…

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Dubai Airport flights disrupted after drone sightings

Flights at Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest in the world, were disrupted on Friday after sightings of a drone flying nearby. The airport told the AP news agency…

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Emirates express disappointment after Airbus announced it will stop making A380s in 2021 (Updated)

Airbus announced that it will be stopping to make the superjumbo aircraft A380 as of 2021, citing problems to win clients as main source. Airbus has on Thursday announced plans…

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All flights in and out of Belgium have been cancelled for a day due to strike action

A national strike has been called by three major trade union federations. Air traffic agency Skeyes said that there was "no certainty about the number of staff in a limited…

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Video – Breathtaking footage as British Airways jet is seen struggling in landing manoeuvre in Heathrow

A BA jet was forced to "go around" after it's first attempt to land at London Heathrow was aborted due to strong winds. A flight was buffeted by winds at Heathrow and…

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LionAir Boeing MAX crash is potentially the result of a mix of factors including decisions taken by manufacturers and the FAA and the airline

In the brutally competitive jetliner business, the announcement in late 2010 that Airbus would introduce a more fuel-efficient version of its best-selling A320 amounted to a frontal assault on its…

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Adverse weather conditions expected to effect Heathrow flights – British Airways

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for snow which carries a potential risk to life as parts of England and Wales are braced for up to 10cm…

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IATA warns that up to 5 million flights are at risk with a No Deal Brexit

Up to 5 million flights are at risk if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) has warned. The aviation trade association has…

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No one injured as Ryanair and Turkish Airlines passenger planes collide during manoeuvres at Malta Airport

Two passenger planes collided at Malta International Airport on Thursday night, with initial reports saying nobody on board was injured, Newsbook reported. A Ryanair aircraft arriving from Bari in Italy…

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Person who was meant to be repatriated and escaped from plane captured

UPDATE: The thirty year old Egyptian citizen who yesterday escaped from a repatriation flight has been captured in the night. The Ministry for Interior announced. Yesterday: Chaos at Malpensa airport: all…

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Over 220,000 passengers affected by strike in Germany’s biggest airports

Staff responsible for checking passengers and cargo have started an 18-hour warning strike at Germany's biggest airports. An estimated 220,000 passengers are affected. The DBB and Verdi trade unions began…

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Strong winds force Ryanair flight from Malta to Leeds to abort landing and divert to Liverpool

A Ryanair flight was forced to abort its landing twice after being buffeted by 50mph winds. The aircraft was on the approach to Leeds Bradford Airport on 13 January having departed from…

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Traveler boards flight from US to Tokyo with firearm

A traveler carrying a firearm boarded a flight from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and flew to Tokyo Narita International Airport on January 3, according to a statement from the Transportation…

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Lion Air crashed Boeing 737 voice recorder found

Indonesia has found the cockpit voice recorder from a Lion Air plane more than two months after the Boeing Co 737 MAX jet crashed into the sea near Jakarta, killing…

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Man decapitated by helicopter blades in Florida – Investigations underway

A death investigation is underway in Hernando County after a person was decapitated by a helicopter at Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport. According to Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis, they received…

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Libya and Malta agree to resume direct flights

Chairman of the Presidential Council (PC) Fayez Al-Sarraj agreed with the Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat to resume direct flights between Malta and Libya by the end of the…

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Disruption awaits passengers using Düsseldorf, Cologne-Bonn and Stuttgart airports

Thousands of passengers in Germany face disruption on Thursday following a strike call by security staff at three major airports, the powerful Verdi union said. The walkout is to begin…

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Qantas safest airline in survey which ranks airlines and aircraft – Ryanair least liked short-haul airline in separate survey

Airlines including British Airways, Emirates and Qatar were ranked among the world's 20 safest airlines, while Wizz and Flybe were ranked among the world's safest low-cost airlines. Qantas is the safest…

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Saturday Morning Briefing and News Paper Review

Good morning Your morning briefing for Saturday. News Paper Review - The Malta Independent reveals that the vice-president of French football club AS Monaco holds a Maltese passport purchased through the IIP…

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Improper calibration during maintenance might have triggered sequence of events which led to fatal Lion Air crash

Crash investigators have concluded preliminarily that improper calibration of an airspeed sensor during maintenance touched off the sequence of events that led to October’s fatal Lion Air jetliner crash in…

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Qantas criticised for asking airline staff to volunteer time at airport

Qantas has faced heavy criticism after the airline sent an email to staff asking them to volunteer time at the airport during its busiest period over Christmas. The Australian Services Union…

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Lion Air reviewing further Boeing purchases after fatal flight

Indonesia’s Lion Air is reviewing airplane purchases from Boeing and has not ruled out cancelling orders as relations worsen in a spat over responsibility for a 737 jetliner crash that…

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This is how Turkish Airlines pilot acts when he learns his teacher was on board

It is not every day that you get to see scenes like this on a flight. But what happened on this Turkish Airlines flight left everyone on the plane in…

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Merkel will miss G20 summit opening after her plane is forced to land after serious malfunction

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will miss the opening of the G20 summit in Argentina after her plane was forced to land shortly after leaving Berlin. According to BBC, her office says…

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Pilot suspended for failing breathalyser alcohol tests

A senior pilot and director of operations at Air India was suspended for three years, after failing two breathalyzer alcohol tests. On Sunday, before Kathpalia boarded his flight from New…

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Ryanair pays the €525,000 to the French authorities for the impounded aircraft

The Financial Times reports that the Irish company, which has faced months of bad publicity over flight disruptions and strikes, made the payment. Earlier this week, 150 passengers were taken…

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Tearful relatives of Indonesian jet crash victims demand answers

Relatives of the victims of an Indonesian jet that crashed into the sea off Jakarta this week killing all 189 on board demanded answers on Monday as to why the…

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Boeing which crashed on Monday involved in distress call after take-off the day before- Reuters

The pilot of a Lion Air flight from Indonesia’s Bali island on Sunday made a distress call minutes after take-off due to technical problems, but they were overcome and he…

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Three takeover offers made for Alitalia

Troubled Italian carrier Alitalia has received three takeover offers as part of its latest rescue efforts, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. The offers will be examined by…

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Wizz Air flight forced to make emergency landing because of bomb threat

Romanian authorities say a Wizz Air flight from Georgia to Poland was forced to make an emergency landing in Bucharest because of a bomb threat. The Airbus A320 travelling from…

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Man who racially abused elderly woman on Ryanair flight identified

A man who was filmed racially abusing an elderly woman on a Ryanair flight has been identified, police have said. Footage posted on social media appeared to show a…

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Cypriot airline Cobalt Air collapses and ceases operations

Cobalt, the Cypriot airline, has collapsed overnight. Tens of thousands of passengers are waking up to find that their tickets for future travel to and from Cyprus and Greece are worthless. The…

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Airline livery proves to be embarrassment for Thomas Co…ok

Thomas Cook was left red-faced after its newly rebranded Cook’s Club planes turned out to have one fatal flaw. The sleek aircraft, which have “I heart Cook’s Club” emblazoned on…

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Primera, the budget airline offering long-haul flights from UK ceases operations leaving passengers stranded

A budget airline that began offering long-haul flights from UK airports earlier this year, including Stansted to the US, has collapsed. Primera Air said it was ceasing all operations at…

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Afriqiyah Airways canceled flight after pilot attacked by militiaman in Benghazi Airport

Afriqiyah Airways canceled a flight on Sunday night scheduled to fly from Benina Airport in Benghazi to Tunisia after the pilot in command was attacked by a militiaman. Local sources…

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Ryanair slashed profits forecast, signals job losses and grounding of aircraft following industrial action

Ryanair slashed its profits forecast Monday and signalled job losses in the Netherlands and Germany, as the Irish no-frills airline revealed the fallout of pan-European strikes by its disgruntled staff.…

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Passenger plane has crashed into the sea after missing the runway

A passenger plane has crashed into the sea after missing the runway of a tiny Pacific island. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft was attempting to land at Chuuk Airport on the…

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Ryanair signs deal with Italian cabin crew unions

Ryanair has signed deals with cabin crew unions in Italy to provide employment contracts under Italian law, the Irish no-frills airline said Tuesday ahead of a Europe-wide strike over working…

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Ryanair’s CEO warns that flights can be grounded in case of no-deal Brexit

At Ryanair’s annual general meeting this week, chief executive Michael O’Leary warned that flights could be grounded for a period as a result if the UK crashes out of the…

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Aborted landing attempt – (VIDEO)

An Air France Airbus attempt to land in Birmingham had to be aborted due to 44mph wind gusts during Storm Ali. The United Kingdom has been battling a storm that…

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Pilots and cabin crew at Ryanair in Germany stage full-day walkout

Pilots and cabin crew at Ryanair in Germany staged a full-day walkout on Wednesday and threatened further strikes to put pressure on management in labour talks with Europe’s biggest low-cost…

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Emirates Flight EK 203 in quarantine at New York Airport after passengers fell ill on board

Authorities are investigating a flight that landed on Wednesday at Kennedy International Airport in New York after about 100 passengers reported feeling ill, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…

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Video – Tentative landing strong winds

Corriere TV carries the incredible footage of a tentative landing operation in Japan, as the aircraft approached the runway through very strong winds, so strong that the pilot had to…

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Monday Morning Briefing

Good morning The update about Jacksonville's fatal shooting, Trump's reaction on McCain's death, the Maltese newspapers' front pages, North Korea's reaction to the cancellation of this week's follow up meeting…

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Ing. Philip Micallef nominated on Advisory Council of renowned Hamburg Aviation Conference about future of aviation

Ing Philip Micallef has been nominated on the Hamburg Aviation Conference Advisory Council The Hamburg Aviation Conference was originally created by Hamburg Airport in 1998 and was key in achieving…

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RyanAir introduces new restrictions and fees for hand luggages

FT: Low cost airline Ryanair has cut its hand luggage policy for the second time in a year, restricting customers to a single small bag unless they pay €6 for…

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Drunk “Bob the Builder” and “Tinkerbell” removed from flight as fresh calls for two-drink limit at airports

The Telegraph reports that airline bosses today renewed calls for a two-drink limit at airports after a drunken passenger dressed as Tinkerbell was removed from a Ryanair flight by armed police. The traveller -…

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