JetPhotos.Net Aviation News

An American tourist taking photos of airplanes was struck and killed by a departing aircraft at the St. Barthelemy airport in Guadeloupe Wednesday. The photographer was reportedly standing on the beach area at the departure end of runway 10 when he was struck in the head by the landing gear of a Tropical Airlines plane which had rolled abnormally long during its takeoff. The 40 year old man was airlifted University hospital Point-with-Pitre/Abymes where he later died.

Photo: St. Barthelemy airport is famous for its low-flying aircraft and pristine beach located just meters from the runway. (Photo Copyright PAOLO ROSSINI)

American Eagle (Dallas/Ft. Worth) had to ground nine of its aircraft on Wednesday after a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) inspector “used sensitive instrument probes to climb onto the parked aircraft at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport,” according to ABC News. At least 40 flights were canceled. The snafu came as the inspector was conducting overnight security checks on the aircraft. American Eagle issued a statement on the incident reading: “If not observed by vigilant Eagle employees in Chicago, the actions of this inspector would have been unknown and could have jeopardized the safety of our customers and crew because of potential damage to the sensitive equipment mounted on the aircraft fuselage.”

A Spanair (Palma de Mallorca) flight crashed today while departing runway 36L at Madrid’s Barajas Airport enroute to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. MD-82 EC-HFP (cn 53148) had aborted its first takeoff attempt and returned to the gate due to engine trouble about an hour and a half prior to the accident. There were 172 passengers and crew aboard.

Eyewitness reports state that the aircraft struggled to gain altitude on departure and crashed, coming to rest between runways 36R and 36L. A large brush fire ignited by the crash hampered rescue efforts initially. An official with the SAMUR municipal rescue service said that there were only 19 survivors, putting the death toll in the accident at 153.

Photo 1: MD-82 EC-HFP, painted in Spanair’s Star Alliance livery, was the aircraft involved in the accident. (Photo Copyright A.Bacallado)

Photo 2: Investigators look over the scene of today’s accident as a piece of fuselage is hoisted off the ground. (Photo Courtesy El Mundo)

Fewer people will be boarding airplanes over the Labor Day holiday, capping a summer in which airlines slapped passengers with new fees and higher fares. A new forecast from the Air Transport Association predicts that domestic U.S. airline travel will drop nearly 7 percent from Aug. 27 through Sept. 3, compared to a year ago. International travel will be up slightly, according to the group. Passenger traffic was also down substantially during June and July, according to recent reports from the airlines.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is set to lose several international carriers by the end of this year. Air India plans to end its six weekly flights between LAX and Frankfurt, which connect to New Delhi and Mumbai. Meanwhile, in late October, Thai Airways will no longer offer nonstop flights to Bangkok and Cathay Pacific has said it will suspend one of three daily flights between Hong Kong and LAX. Other foreign carriers cutting flights at LAX include Ireland’s Aer Lingus and Malaysia Airlines.

Photo: A colorful collection of foreign aircraft await passengers at LAX’s Bradley International Terminal (Photo Copyright Eric Dunetz)

American Airlines (Dallas/Ft. Worth) was fined $7.1 million by the FAA on Thursday for safety violations relating to maintenance issues and problems with its drug and alcohol testing programs. Nearly $4.5 million of the proposed fines stem from American’s continued operation of two MD-83 jetliners in December 2007 after pilots reported problems with the autopilot systems, the FAA said. Regulators also accuse American of operating planes without timely inspections of their emergency lighting systems and of unspecified “past deficiencies” regarding drug and alcohol testing.

Airline stocks have soared in recent days, as oil prices fell to $113 a barrel today. Several analysts suggested that declining jet-fuel costs could put some airlines in the black next year and lead to brighter flying days ahead. “At $115 a barrel, we see the industry turning a profit in 2009,” a Morgan Stanley analyst said in a research report. The recent drop in oil prices, “if sustained, is a game-changing event for the industry.” Airline shares have been rising since mid-July on falling oil prices and amid airlines’ moves to reduce seats, raise fares, and charge passengers new fees.

Photo: American Airlines jets congregate at the carrier’s Dallas/Ft. Worth hub (Photo Copyright Chris Eggers)

Qantas Airways (Sydney) has canceled more flights this morning and removed six of its jets from service, because it appears a step in the planes’ maintenance checks was not completed. Three flights were canceled overnight and another eight this morning after the Boeing 737 planes were grounded last night. Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has begun an investigation.

Alaska Airlines (Seattle) said it has resumed its flights to Alaska that were canceled because of volcanic ash created by the Kasatochi volcano in the Aleutian Islands. More than 5,200 passengers were affected by the cancellations of 44 flights. Flights from the northwestern United States to Alaska resumed Tuesday.

Major airlines British Airways (London) and American Airlines (Dallas-Ft. Worth) are said to be close to striking a deal over a possible merger. BA is making a third attempt to join forces with its U.S. partner despite being twice turned away by officials in the US due to competition laws. It tried both in 1997 and 2002 to strike up a similar deal with AA but previously had its offer rejected.

Photo: AA and BA jets taxi at Manchester International Airport, England. (Photo Copyright Paul Markman)

Emirates Airline (Dubai) is celebrating yet another first this week with the introduction of mobile phone services on a Boeing plane. The pioneering move makes the carrier the first in the industry to allow passengers on a number of its Boeing 777 flights to make calls and send texts while onboard. The service is expected to be rolled out to other aircraft and passengers will be issued with guidelines as how to use the service appropriately. Those wanting to use the service will be expected to keep their phones on “silent mode” and will be asked to keep night time calls to a minimum.

Photo: Emirates is known for being an industry leader in newer, extravagant aircraft interiors. (Photo Copyright Chris Kilroy)

International air cargo volume fell in June, while passenger demand growth slowed, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said Monday, citing global economic woes. Cargo contracted by 0.8 percent compared to June 2007. It was the first such decline seen since May 2005 and follows several months of falling manufacturing sector confidence indicators. Passenger demand growth fell to 3.8 percent, the lowest level since 2003, IATA said. Passenger load factors dropped to 77.6 percent, 1.2 percentage points below the 78.8 percent recorded for June 2007.

A hole the size of a small car in the underside of a Qantas (Sydney) Boeing 747-400 carrying 346 passengers over the South China Sea forced the pilot to make an emergency landing Friday after a rapid descent. The aircraft was cruising at 29,000 feet when a loud bang rattled the plane. Video shot by a passenger shows people sitting with their oxygen masks on as the jet descended quickly to 10,000 feet. Applause erupted as the plane touched down safely. There were no injuries.

(Photo Copyright The Age Company Ltd. Used with Permission)

The losses keep piling up for airlines, as three of the nation’s biggest carriers said Tuesday high fuel costs overwhelmed higher revenue in the quarter that ended June 30:

- United Airlines (Chicago) posted the biggest loss – $2.73 billion or $21.74 per share. United also expanded the number of jobs it plans to eliminate by the end of the year from 3,800 to 7,000.

- US Airways (Phoenix) rolled up a $567 million loss – $6.16 per share. Revenue rose 3 percent, but CEO Doug Parker also pointed to soaring fuel costs for most of his company’s financial woes.

- jetBlue Airways (New York) posted the smallest loss – $7 million or 3 cents a share, as revenue climbed 18 percent. JetBlue will shut down its operations in Ontario, Calif., because of rising costs.

After being in mothballs for six years, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) began partial operations Tuesday with a total of 16 domestic flights on schedule, an official of the Manila International Airport Authority said. All 16 flights, eight inbound and eight outbound, were to use ATR-72 aircraft operated by Cebu Pacific Air.

Philippine Airlines is also expected to begin operations of its budget brand PAL-Express at the new terminal. PAL and CEB will field planes that do not require the use of airbridges. In a dry run last month, one of NAIA 3’s airbridges malfunctioned as it was being tested on an Airbus A340.

The MIAA said it hoped to keep domestic operations running for six months to a year before shifting to full domestic and international operations.

Photo: Terminal 3 at Manila’s international airport had been nearly completed, but unused, for over 6 years. (Photo Copyright Rommel Dorado)

The Thai Civil Aviation Department has ordered One-Two-Go airlines to halt operations for 30 days due to substandard operations and revoked or suspended the flying licenses of nine of its pilots. According to the CAD, the department had found shortcomings in the airline’s aviation operations, flight schedules and maintenance, along with a lack of quality assurance. The low-cost airline had violated aviation safety regulations and lacked proper airline management, the edict continued.

Airbus topped rival Boeing Co.’s sales tally at the Farnborough International Air Show, where plane orders from Middle Eastern and Asian airlines shored up an industry besieged by high oil prices. The world’s two largest airliner manufacturers announced $64 billion in orders, with more than 60 percent of the total going to Toulouse, France-based Airbus. That fell short of the $69.7 billion in purchases at the most recent comparable event, November’s Dubai Air Show.

Photo: An aerial overview of the 2006 Farnborough Air Show (Photo Copyright Thomas Brackx)

Qantas Airways (Sydney) says it will cut 1,500 jobs across the world to try to offset the rising cost of jet fuel and challenging conditions in the aviation industry. The Australian national carrier has also scrapped plans to hire another 1,200 workers in the new financial year and will retire 22 older aircraft from its fleet of 228. Chief executive Geoff Dixon said the aviation industry is facing a major crisis and Qantas needs to ensure its future.

Photo: A Qantas A330 departs from the carrier’s Sydney hub. (Photo Copyright Anthony Jackson)

Several of the major U.S. airlines announced second quarter operating results today, with heavy losses. All of the reporting airlines blamed sky high fuel prices for their disappointing results. Among the heavy hitters:

- Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) reported a $1 billion loss including special charges. The airline, however, earned a net profit of $137 million excluding special charges.

- American Airlines (Dallas/Ft. Worth) lost $1.45 billion in Q2, much of which was attributed to write downs of the value of American’s jet fleet, which the airline is trimming to save money. Excluding writedowns, AMR would have lost $284 million.

- Continental (Houston) lost $3 million in Q2 2008. Excluding a net gain of $22 million from one-time events, the carrier lost $25 million, or 25 cents per share. A year ago, Continental earned a profit of $228 million.

- US Airways (Phoenix) will report its quarterly earnings on Tuesday. Analysts, on average, expect the airline to lose $1.21 per share during the second quarter on revenue of $3.27 billion.

The Boeing Company has signed an order with Air China, the flag carrier of the People’s Republic of China, for 15 777-300ER (Extended Range) and 30 Next-Generation 737-800 jetliners. Shown here is an artist’s rendering of a 737-800 in Air China livery.

Air China operates international and domestic scheduled passenger and cargo services and will use the airplanes to expand its international and domestic routes. The carrier is based in Beijing, the home of the 2008 Olympic Games, and is the only Chinese airline selected as a 2008 Beijing Olympics partner.

(Story and Photo Copyright Boeing Media Service)