The pilot of a plane that crashed late Monday while flying members of a Brazilian soccer team to a competition in Colombia pleaded to make an immediate landing because the aircraft was out of fuel, according to a recording leaked to Colombian news outlets Wednesday. The audio, first posted by W Radio of Colombia, offers a grim narration of the final moments of the doomed flight, which carried 77 people, including the members of the Chapecoense soccer team from Chapecó, Brazil. And it added a new twist to the investigation of what might have caused the crash, originally thought to be electrical failure. “We ask for permission to approach, we have a fuel problem,” cried a voice that the radio station identified as the pilot. He later says that the plane had a “fuel emergency.” During the 12-minute recording, the pilot also says that the plane had experienced “total electrical failure” and repeatedly requests flight vectors, indications from the air traffic controller, on how to land. The controller tries to help but mentions other obstacles like another plane flying close by and fuel on the runway left from yet another aircraft. “Nine thousand feet,” yells the pilot. “Vectors! Vectors!” Shortly afterward, the plane crashed. A spokesman from Colombia’s aviation agency said it could not confirm the authenticity of the recording. But he added that the agency was investigating whether the plane, which was operated by a Bolivian charter company called LaMia, did run out of fuel. According to specifications from the plane’s manufacturer, BAE Systems, the Avro RJ85 jet has a range of about 1,600 nautical miles, close to the distance of the flight from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, to Medellín, Colombia. Jetliners, however, rarely travel in straight lines to their destination, but rather along more indirect routes determined by their flight plan. W Radio offered no details as to who provided the recording. Similar recordings, also said to be from the cockpit, were played on other Colombian radio stations on Wednesday. Aviation experts also say it was unsafe to fly a plane without at least 30 minutes of fuel reserves, among other precautions. The theory that the plane crashed without fuel was supported by rescue workers on the ground on Tuesday, who were surprised to see that there had been no explosion.<br/>
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Dubai-based flydubai has officially launched its Bangkok service, marking the start of its first double daily route outside of the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries. The inaugural flight from Dubai International Terminal 2 landed at Bangkok International Airport on Tuesday, providing connecting routes for travel through Dubai. As a popular tourist destination, Bangkok offers holidaymakers a variety of experiences from adventure, sport, and health and wellness retreats. In addition, flights to Bangkok will provide passengers with alternative travel options into neighbouring South East Asian cities.<br/>
Air India Express, the low cost arm of Air India, has earned a net profit of Rs 415 crore, as per the unaudited half yearly accounts placed and approved by the airline’s board of directors on Tuesday. The first half of the fiscal (H1) witnessed capacity increase of 21%, and the airline’s operating revenue has increased 18% during the period. The airline has achieved operating revenue of Rs 1,897 crore against Rs 1,609 crore earned in the first half of financial year 15-16. The airline has carried 1.64m passengers during the April-September 2016 period, the company said. Air India Express has inducted four Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft to its fleet, on dry lease, during the first half of this fiscal, which has enabled the airline to introduce several new routes and increase frequencies on its existing routes. <br/>
A low-cost Korean airline will start offering daily flights to and from Korea before Christmas of 2016. Korean airline T’way Air would be offering regular daily flights from the Incheon International Airport to the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport starting Dec. 24, 2016. The popular low-cost carrier will help improve arrival numbers from South Korea. “We are very excited about the launch of new service between the CNMI and Seoul-Incheon with the inaugural flight of T’way Airlines on Dec. 24. It’s a timely Christmas gift for the CNMI as we welcome our fifth regular scheduled airline from Korea,” said Marianas Visitors Authority MD Chris Concepcion. “With their daily flights to Saipan we expect arrival numbers [of Korean tourists] to continue to increase. The MVA is working closely with T’way to promote the Marianas as a premier destination for the Korean traveler,” he added.<br/>
A Southwest flight from Baltimore was diverted to Logan International Airport early Wednesday due to heavy fog and an “inoperable instrument landing system” at its destination in Albany, N.Y. The aircraft landed in Boston at about 12:40 a.m. and it took passengers more than two hours to work through the Southwest line at Logan, according to Southwest spokeswoman Melissa Ford. All passengers were offered hotel vouchers, Ford said. With a new flight scheduled for 8:10 a.m., Ford cautioned that the heavy fog has been predicted to continue into the morning, possibly causing further delays.<br/>