Category: Aerospace

Aerospace

South Korean plane crash kills more than 150

At least 151 people were killed on Sunday after a South Korean passenger jet crashed and burst into flame on landing, according to local authorities, in one of the country’s worst aviation disasters. The Jeju Air flight was returning from Bangkok with 181 people on board when it failed to deploy its landing gear, skidding down the runway before it struck a wall and was engulfed in fire at Muan International Airport in the south of the country. Two crew…

Thousands of flights delayed across the US, one dead as tornadoes, storms hit holiday travellers

ATLANTA – Severe weather disrupted holiday travel on Dec 28 across the US with deadly tornadoes in the south-east and heavy snow and wind on the west coast, delaying or cancelling thousands of flights across the country. More than 7,000 flights in the US were delayed, according to the tracking site FlightAware, and more than 200 were cancelled. About a third of the flights were delayed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, according to FlightAware, and nearly half of the…

At least 28 dead, two rescued in fiery aircraft crash in South Korea, Yonhap reports

At least 28 dead, two rescued in fiery aircraft crash in South Korea, Yonhap reports Audio By Carbonatix SEOUL (Reuters) – At least 28 people were killed when an airliner went off the runway and slammed into a wall at South Korea’s Muan International Airport on Sunday, Yonhap news agency reported. The accident occurred as Jeju Air flight 7C2216, carrying 175 passengers and six crew on a flight from the Thai capital Bangkok, was landing at the airport in the…

NATO calls for full investigation of Azerbaijan Airlines crash

NATO calls for full investigation of Azerbaijan Airlines crash BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO on Thursday called for a full investigation into the cause of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash that killed 38 people. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and victims of Azerbaijan Airlines flight J28243,” NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah said in a post on the platform X. “We wish those injured in the crash a speedy recovery and call for a full investigation.” Kazakhstan’s senate chairman said…

US judge rejects Boeing plea deal in fatal crashes

A U.S. federal judge on Thursday rejected Boeing’s agreement to plead guilty to fraud in the wake of two fatal 737 MAX crashes, court documents showed. Boeing and the Justice Department now have 30 days to update the court on how they plan to proceed in the case, Judge Reed C. O’Connor of the Northern District Court of Texas ordered. (Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa)

US senators are set to grill officials from 5 airlines over fees for seats and checked bags

A U.S. Senate panel planned to take aim at airline executives Wednesday for the carriers’ growing use of fees for early boarding, better seats and other comforts that used to be part of the ticket price. The panel’s chairman, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he thinks the federal government should review and perhaps fine the airlines for their use of what he called junk fees, which he said raise prices for consumers. Blumenthal said seat fees are pure profit for…

Google Cloud partners with Air France-KLM on AI technology

Google Cloud said on Wednesday it had partnered with Air France-KLM to deploy generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology on the airline group’s data. Google Cloud said in a statement that the Franco-Dutch airline group’s 551 operating aircraft, 93 million passengers carried in 2023, and its commercial and cargo flights generated large amounts of data, which would be used by Google Cloud’s AI solution in areas such as analyzing passenger preferences and travel patterns, and predicting maintenance of aircraft. Air France-KLM…

Australia gives interim approval for Virgin-Qatar Airways alliance

(Reuters) – Australia’s competition watchdog said on Friday it had given Virgin Australia [IPO-VIR.AX] and Qatar Airways interim approval to operate flights between Doha and Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney under an integrated alliance. The two airlines can start marketing and selling 28 weekly scheduled return flights between the destinations, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said in a statement. Qatar Airways had said in October that it was set to buy a 25% stake in Virgin Australia from U.S….

US approves $2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan including advanced missile defense system

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The United States has approved $2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including the first-time delivery to the self-ruled island of an advanced surface-to-air missile defense system, in a move sure to anger China. Taiwan’s presidential office on Saturday thanked Washington for greenlighting the potential arms sales. Under the island’s new president, Lai Ching-te, Taiwan has been stepping up defense measures as China increased its military threats against the territory it claims as its own. Beijing…

Global financiers head to Saudi Arabia investment bash in shadow of war

Global financiers are poised to flock to Saudi Arabia’s annual flagship investment conference next week as a tightening of the kingdom’s purse strings and a deepening of regional conflict cloud the outlook. Among those expected to descend on the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh are top CEOs, including Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, Citigroup’s Jane Fraser and the London Stock Exchange’s Julia Hoggett. The high-profile event, first held in 2017, fills an opulent hotel in the capital…

Raytheon Company to Pay Over $950M in Connection with Defective Pricing, Foreign Bribery, and Export Control Schemes

Raytheon Company (Raytheon) — a subsidiary of Arlington, Virginia-based defense contractor RTX (formerly known as Raytheon Technologies Corporation) — will pay over $950 million to resolve the Justice Department’s investigations into: (i) a major government fraud scheme involving defective pricing on certain government contracts and (ii) violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and its implementing regulations, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Raytheon will enter into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) in…

Toyota boosts its investment in air taxi company Joby Aviation by another $500 million

Toyota is investing another $500 million in Joby Aviation as part of a partnership aimed at helping get the American air taxi company’s commercial business off the ground. Toyota’s investment will be used to support certification and production of Joby’s electric air taxi, the companies said Wednesday, and brings Toyota Motor Corporation’s total investment in Joby to $894 million. After the investment, which will come in two equal tranches later this year and next, Toyota will own about 22% of…

FAA vows to hold Boeing accountable, revamp agency safety program

FAA vows to hold Boeing accountable, revamp agency safety program WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The head of the Federal Aviation Administration will tell Congress on Tuesday the agency will hold Boeing accountable to ensure the planemaker is building safe airplanes and will revamp its own safety management program. “As a result of systemic production quality issues, Boeing must make significant changes to transform its quality system and ensure the right layers of safety are in place,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker will…

Japan says Russian patrol plane ‘violates’ its airspace three times

Defence Minister Minoru Kihara calls on the Russian government to prevent a recurrence. Japan has protested to the Kremlin after a Russian patrol plane entered its airspace three times, Defence Minister Minoru Kihara says. “We confirmed today that a Russian Il-38 patrol aircraft has violated our airspace over our territorial waters north of Rebun Island, Hokkaido, on three occasions,” Kihara told reporters of Monday’s incidents. Japanese F-15 and F-35 fighter jets warned the Russian military over the radio before firing…

Kazakhstan to host CSTO ‘Indestructible Brotherhood’ drills with Russia

The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government. ASTANA, September 18. /TASS/. Command exercises with the participation of the CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces ‘Indestructible Brotherhood-2024’ will be held in Kazakhstan from September 26 to October 7, the republic’s Defense Ministry said. According to the agency, the exercise will be held at the Bereg training ground in the Almaty Region. The defense ministry added that military contingents from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia…

United States Seizes Aircraft Used by Nicolás Maduro Moros in Violation of U.S. Export Control and Sanctions Laws

The Justice Department today announced the seizure of a Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft owned and operated for the benefit of Nicolás Maduro Moros and persons affiliated with him in Venezuela. The aircraft was seized in the Dominican Republic and transferred to the Southern District of Florida at the request of the United States based on violations of U.S. export control and sanctions laws. “This morning, the Justice Department seized an aircraft we allege was illegally purchased for $13 million through a…