He was seated two seats ahead of me, on the last (and delayed) service between two major Australian cities. Soon after take off, it became clear he was drunk. He started off with what seemed to be funny banter, turned into mocking behaviour and then became full on racist and sexist abuse of cabin crew and neighbouring passengers. In all of the 1140 times I have flown, I have seen passengers whose behaviour was less than ideal but there has only been one flight where I have feared for my safety. I have I have been…
Air Safety
Category Archives for Air Safety.
Van hits plane at Hong Kong airport
This is the aftermath of a China Aircraft Services hitting a fully loaded Dragonair Airbus 330 at Hong Kong International Airport’s apron 25 at about 4pm local time. The video of the incident appears to shows the van driving directly towards the aircraft as it moves towards the runway for takeoff. The van then seems to veer straight toward the engine. Completely bizarre. The vehicle was dragged along the tarmac for several metres by the plane. The pilot stopped the plane. Five fire engines and two ambulances were called to the scene. The driver was reportedly…
#Pray for #Istanbul
Another cowardly attack on everyday people at the airport of one of my favourite cities. This does not further our world. This could have been any of us at that airport. I will not start fearing and I will not stop travelling.
Why are we so focussed on air accidents?
I do not want for one second to belittle the tragic loss of life that occurs with each air crash but I wonder, what is it about a plane crash that impacts on our consciousness? Every two days, approximately 66 people are killed on Egyptian roads; a total of 12,000 a year. 45 people per 100,000 die on Egyptian roads. Thats a horrific statistic but no one says anything about it. A year ago, a bus veered off the road at Giza into a canal leading to 35 people dead. It barely made a blip in…
Thoughts and Prayers with all those affected by Egyptair 804
I offer sympathy and condolences to all those affected by the tragic loss of flight MS804 this week. May they rest in peace.
Kuwait to require DNA testing of all tourists
I have been to many Middle Eastern countries (Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, UAE, for example) but not to the State of Kuwait. I have an open invitation from some Kuwaiti colleagues to visit the country. The news that the country will extend DNA testing to tourists leaves me a little disquieted. Kuwait has talked about introducing DNA testing for a while. Following the bombing of a mosque in June, 2015 which killed 26 worshippers in Kuwait City, the country quickly enacted laws to mandate DNA testing of its 1.3 million are Kuwaitis and 2.9 million expatriates. It’s the…
FlyDubai Crash -Questions start
A big plane crash is rare these days so every time there is one, we are all riveted. Despite plane travel being one of the safest forms of transport on the planet, people still have an uneasy fear when it comes to planes. The loss of FkyDubai’s Flight 981 today at Rostov-on-Don Airport , Russia, in the early morning hours of 19 March 2016, is shocking. The crash occurred during the 737’s second attempted landing and resulted in the death of all 55 passengers and seven crew. The poor weather that was engulfing the airport meant the…
Madness: Malaysia refuses checked baggage
Imagine arriving at the airport for your European vacation or business trip to find that you airline is NOT accepting checked luggage. Malaysia Airlines passengers on all flights from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London, Paris and Amsterdam were told from Tuesday January 5th that Economy Class passengers could only take luggage weighing seven kilograms (about 15 pounds) onboard, while Business and First class passengers could board with carry-on bags that weighed 14 kilograms (about 31 pounds). I understand passengers could book their luggage on but it would arrive separately! The outcry was significant as you can…
Qantas 747 flies with five engines
In an exciting manoeuvre, last Wednesday, Qantas flight 63 took off from Sydney, Australia to Johannesburg, South Africa with five engines on the 747 instead of the usual four. The extra engine was not used to power the flight. It was merely being transported to Johannesburg to be swapped with a defective engine on a 747 which then operated QF64 back to Sydney. I never knew that the 747 could be used in this way. Its wing, apparently, has anchor points under it, which allow for a supporting strut to be attached. A winching mechanism added to the strut lifts the extra engine…
Airline fined for using ladder for passengers
34 passengers on a charter flight with Aero Contractors arriving at Nigeria’s Bauchi State International Airport from Abuja last Saturday used a builder’s ladder instead of airstairs to exit their chartered Boeing 737-500. (registration 5N-BLG). The video has gone viral. The airline has said that impatient passengers used the ladder, against the company’s wishes, when they found that the stairs were out of order. The paasnegres were on their way to a wedding and the group included the groom himself. The Nigerian government launched an investigation concerned that the passengers were ‘at high risk’ of serious injury. The result…
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