A British Airways 747-400 with 185 passengers and 17 crew followed the wrong taxiway at Johannesburg’s main airport, prior to take-off for London. The pilots had been instructed to use taxiway B but followed a much narrower taxiway M. As a result, its wing sliced into an office building. Debris from the building injured four people on the ground. No one aboard was hurt. All passengers evacuated via slides. A kerosene spill from the fully fuelled jumbo was contained by the airport fire services. The 747 has been removed from the office block and its…
My 58th country: Vietnam
Crossed the border into Vietnam making this nation the 58th I have been to in my life. The crossing was made smoother, thanks to Mekong Express Limousine Bus. They are easily the best coach operator in Cambodia and I would not use anyone else. It was one of the best land crossings I have ever experienced! My goal is to visit or live in 99 countries by the age of 70! This gives me an average of two new places per year to achieve that. Related posts I visit my 57th country/
Did Pilot Deliberately Crash?
Joao Abreu, chairman of the Mozambican Civil Aviation Institute has indicated that the investigations into a November 29 LAM Mozambique Airlines Flight 470 plane crash suggest the pilot had an intention to crash the plane. The Embraer 190 was flying route 140 from Maputo in Moazambique to Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, Angola. It failed to arrive at its destination and its wreckage was found the next day in northern Namibia. Mr Abreu, said that data shows that the plane began to slow down and it dropped rapidly in altitude from 38,000 to 592 feet. Low and high…
Air Berlin’s Seasons Greetings
Since 2011, Air Berlin have painted an aircraft in a Christmas livery. This year, Boeing 737-800 D-ABMS known by Air Berlin as ““Merry Santa” was painted by a seven person team at Dusseldorf Airport using a design from RAPP Germany in November. The design resembles a string of 24 fairy lights with one candle-like light for each day of Advent. The flame of each light is one of the aeroplane windows. The design is just 80 micrometres (0.003 inches) thick (about the same as a human hair). It is 15.32 metres (50.26 feet) long and…
I visit Cambodia – my 57th country
A slow third class train trip through rural Thailand, followed by a tuk tuk ride and a walk across the Thai-Cambodian border got me into Cambodia. This is the 57th country I have been to. It is also the tenth Asian country I have visited (along with Brunei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand). Over the next two weeks I will be travelling to Siam Reap and Pnom Penh in Cambodia plus Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hoi An, Hanoi and Ha Long in Vietnam.
Jetstar’s International 787 Routes
In contrast to the gloom that emanates from Qantas, Jetstar continues to announce growth. Its first international Boeing 787 Dreamliner service commenced from Melbourne to Bali, accompanied by announcements of Jetstar operating 787s from Sydney to Bali in January, 2014, Sydney to Phuket in February and Brisbane to Bali route from April. They will replace their A330 fleet with 787s. Their eleven 330s will cascade back to Qantas which will use them to replace their aging and fuel hungry 767s by early 2015. Sadly, Qantas has still not made a decision on their future deployment…
Singapore ups Low Cost ante
In a move that will add pressure to the Asian low fares market, two Singapore International Airlines (SIA) subsidaries have announced joint ventures. Nok Air (Thailand) and Scoot (Singapore) have joined forces to form a new low cost airline: NokScoot. Nok Company secretary Panya Chutisiriwong revealed that the Nok Air Board approved the decision on December 16, 2013. The joint venture carrier will fly under the name NokScoot from the second half of 2014. It will fly medium- and long-haul routes from Bangkok’s Don Mueang international airport. NokAir will own 51 per cent stake and Scoot…
110 years today
On December 17, 1903, Orville Wright piloted the first powered aircraft six metres (20 feet) above Kitty Hawk, a wind-swept beach in North Carolina. The conditions were perfect for flight – high, consistent winds blowing from the north. At about 10:30am, Wright lay down on the plane’s wing surface and brought its engine to life. Five minutes later, he was airborne. The flight lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet. Three more flights were made that day with their plane: at 11 o’clock Will made the second trial at 1140am. The fourth and final flight…
Belle Air Belly Up
Belle Air and their subsidiary Belle Air Europe have both ceased operations at the end of November. Belle Air (code LZ) based in Tirana, Albania shut down on November 25, stranding hundreds of passengers. Prior to closure, they flew passengers to destinations across Belgium, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Switzerland and the UK. In a message on its website, Belle Air stated: “Following eight years of successful operations from Albania towards European destinations, Belle Air is obliged to temporarily suspend its operations due to the general economic situation, the decline of the purchasing power, recession…
Airport -Wildlife Refuge!
A small alligator found under an escalator at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport has left authorities puzzled. A maintenance worker discovered the alligator, which is about 30cm long, on Friday in Terminal 3, Chicago Police spokesman Jose Estrada says. An officer captured the reptile by putting a rubbish bin over it. “We don’t know where it came from or how long it’d been residing in the airport facilities,” Estrada said. “It’s one of those random incidents.” The gator is now being cared for by the Chicago Herpetological Society. “It was in pretty bad shape,” said Jason…
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