A tow tug caught fire as it was pulling a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200 to a departure gate at Singapore Changi Airport at around 4am on Wednesday. There were no passengers on board the aircraft at the time, SIA's spokesman said. The Straits Times understands that the plane was being moved from a remote parking bay to Terminal 3 for a flight. It was crossing the bridge above Airport Boulevard Road when the tow tug caught fire A member of the towing crew, who was in the cockpit at the time, evacuated via an emergency slide. SIA said it was working closely with the authorities as well as SIA Engineering Company to investigate the incident. A video and photos showed a blackened patch near the right nose of the plane. <br/>
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EgyptAir and UK carrier Virgin Atlantic have confirmed their aircraft have been involved in a wing tip collision while taxiing at New York JFK airport. The incident occurred Nov. 27, involving an EgyptAir Boeing 777 and a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said tail number G-VRAY, operating as VS4 from New York to London Heathrow, was “stationary” at a runway hold position when the collision occurred. “It’s too early to give a full overview of the damage, our engineers our currently investigating,” the Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said. The spokesperson added the passengers and crew disembarked normally and the majority has since been re-accommodated. EgyptAir confirmed in a statement its 777, operating as flight MS986, was moving on taxiway kilo at 18:00 local time “when its right wing slightly touched the left wing” of the Virgin Atlantic A330. The EgyptAir 777 returned to Terminal 4 and passengers have been rebooked on another flight to Cairo.<br/>
Air NZ will use its Dreamliner between Auckland and Adelaide all year round. The aircraft was initially scheduled to operate the route three times per week over the peak period from October 26 until March 25 next year. It would have been complemented by Airbus A320 services. The Boeing 787-9 aircraft will now operate on a year-round basis bur would be supplemented by A320s in peak travel periods. The move to the Dreamliner will increase capacity on the route by more than 30%. Air NZ chief revenue officer Cam Wallace said the reaction to introducing the Dreamliner on the Auckland – Adelaide route had been outstanding. "We've seen strong demand for the premium inflight experiences available on our Dreamliner aircraft with both business premier and premium economy really resonating with customers. Air New Zealand is pushing into the Australian market and Wallace said it was great to be able to offer South Australian customers travelling to North or South America a “seamless premium travel experience” from when they board in Adelaide through to the transit experience through the airline's Auckland hub and onto their long haul flight across the Pacific. Air NZ has 11 Dreamliners after being the first airline in the world to take delivery of the 787-9 in 2014.<br/>
The government on Tuesday announced the appointment of Pradeep Singh Kharola as the chairman and managing director (CMD) of Air India. Kharola will be joining AI while the government is in the process of selling Air India and exiting from airline business completely. The government plans to start the bidding process of AI in the next nine months. <br/>