50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

United Kingdom aviation news

Opinion: Tragic drone strike with plane 'inevitable'

It now seems inevitable that a tragic accident involving a commercial plane with hundreds aboard and a drone is only a matter of time. The numbers are troubling with the British Airways encounter Sunday just the tip of the iceberg. Officials: Drone apparently slams into plane Last year, in the United Kingdom alone there was a quadrupling of near misses to 23 in the six month period from A...

Magnus Aviation sees 32% increase in private jet empty legs for business aviation clients

Magnus Aviation, a UK-based private jet charter business, has reported a 32% increase in the availability of empty legs on private jets in the first three months of this year compared to the same period in 2015. It has also secured 17% more empty leg placements for clients. Magnus Aviation estimates that there were around 40,900 private jet empty legs in Europe during the first quarter of this...

EasyJet announces 'shock' bid to snap up budget airline rival Monarch

  EasyJet is reportedly making a surprise takeover bid for rival British budget airline Monarch, it was reported on Sunday, 17 April. A takeover would signal a further upturn in the ailing British aviation company's fortunes after it came close to collapse in 2014, due in part to an "outdated business model" and stiff competition from rival budget airlines. Monarch –...

Drone hits plane at Heathrow airport, says pilot

Police are investigating a pilot’s claim that his plane was struck by a drone as it approached Heathrow airport. The Metropolitan police said they were contacted on Sunday afternoon by the pilot, who landed the plane safely at Terminal 5. No one has been arrested, officers said. The flight, BA727, was coming in to London from Geneva, carrying 132 passengers and five crew. British Ai...

British Airways to be the first airline to fly to St Helena

British Airways, operated by Comair, is preparing to be the first airline to fly scheduled flights to St Helena. Flights will depart Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport to St Helena and return each Saturday.   “We’re proud to have been selected to provide an airline service to the St Helena. This is an important addition to our existing routes in South...

Lufthansa A320neo visits Heathrow

Airbus A320neo launch operator Lufthansa has operated the re-engined variant's first revenue flight outside Germany. On 12 April, the Star Alliance carrier deployed its second A320neo (registration D-AINB) for a service from Frankfurt to London Heathrow. Lufthansa says the flight was a one-off intended to familiarise the airport operator with the aircraft, and the airline will contin...

Shoreham crash: Air show stunt and crowd regulations tightened

Ex-military jets will have to perform aerobatic stunts at higher altitude and further away from crowds following a Shoreham crash report. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced the measures in its final UK air show safety regulation review following the fatal disaster in 2015. It will also strengthen the requirements of post-display reports to "reflect the importance of feedback&q...

Passenger dies on Thomson Holidays flight to Glasgow

A woman has died on a Thomson Holidays flight from Majorca to Glasgow. Flight TOM1239 had to be redirected to Manchester Airport on Tuesday night after a medical emergency was declared. The Boeing 757 200 left Palma at 8.38pm and was scheduld to land at Glasgow Airport at 10.40pm. However, following the emergency it landed at Manchester at 21.50pm. The woman who died was believed to be in...

Centenary celebration for Aviation centre

Cranwell Aviation Heritage Centre saw more than 300 people pass through its doors this weekend as they celebrated 100 Years of Aviation. Friday, April 1, marked the 100th anniversary of Cranwell opening as a Naval Air Service station and was a training station to teach officers to fly before becoming the Royal Air Force two years later. Mike Credland with his new exhibit at the Cranwell...

Call for lasers to be classed as offensive weapons amid thousands of incidents

Police are being forced to respond to thousands of laser pen incidents resulting in calls for them to be classed as offensive weapons. Since 2014 there have been almost 6,500 police reports involving laser pens, including shining them into aeroplane cockpits, at oncoming traffic and into people's front rooms. This includes officers responding to more than 400 cases of aircraft being targ...

Flybe CEO on Joint Ventures: No Thanks

Flybe Group Plc, Europe’s biggest regional airline, wants to expand code-sharing agreements with long-haul carriers to boost passenger numbers after barely breaking even in its last fiscal year. Flybe stock fell to an 11-month low after Chief Executive Officer Saad Hammad said the U.K. carrier earned a “wee” pretax profit in the 12 months through March. He said the figure...

Air Charter Scotland Partners MedAire

Air Charter Scotland has partnered MedAire, an International SOS company and supplier of aviation travel risk management services. MedAire will provide Air Charter Scotland with travel risk management solutions for its crew and passengers. “MedAire provides unparalleled mission support for any operation. The world has become an ever more uncertain place, and the nature of our business,...