An Indian airline has grounded two pilots over allegations that they had a fight and briefly stormed out of the cockpit during a New Year’s Day flight from London to Mumbai. Jet Airways is investigating claims that a male pilot slapped his female colleague during an argument while the plane was in the air with 324 passengers onboard. Reports in several Indian newspapers, quoting unnamed sources, said the midair altercation led the female pilot to leave the cockpit in tears and she had to be persuaded to go back in by cabin crew. At one point, the male pilot also left the cockpit, leaving the controls briefly unattended, the Times of India claimed. “A misunderstanding occurred between the cockpit crew ... However, the same was quickly resolved amicably and the flight … continued its journey to Mumbai, landing safely,” Jet said. “The airline has reported the incident to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the concerned crew have been de-rostered pending an internal investigation that has since been initiated.” Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju told parliament on Thursday the government would investigate the incident. “Action will be taken according to regulations and no one will be spared,” he said. A ruling party MP, Kirit Somaiya, said hundreds of lives could have been at risk by the altercation and that the airline and pilots should be punished.<br/>
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A Berlin court on Thursday rebuffed a legal challenge to the insolvency filing of airline Niki, which could derail the sale of the Air Berlin unit to Britain’s IAG, and referred the case to a higher court for a ruling. Niki filed for insolvency in Berlin last month after Germany’s Lufthansa scrapped plans to buy the Austrian unit, grounding the airline’s fleet and stranding thousands of passengers. Following hurried talks to find a new owner for Niki before it loses its valuable runway slots, BA owner IAG agreed last Friday to buy the business and make it part of its low-cost unit Vueling. But Fairplane, a group representing airline passengers, said Tuesday it had filed legal cases to have the insolvency proceedings for Niki shifted to Austria from Germany, which could unravel the sale. Fairplane argues Niki, which is registered as a company in Austria, had been profitable but lost access to bridge financing when insolvency proceedings were opened in Germany in December. The Charlottenburg court said Thursday it still believed that Niki was in its jurisdiction because its “center of main interest” was in Berlin, where parent Air Berlin was based, according to a statement by Berlin’s civil courts. “The debtor (Niki) appeared to its business partners in a manner that showed it subordinated its corporate identity to Air Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG,” the statement said. Also, passengers who booked tickets for Niki flights entered a contract with the parent, Air Berlin, it said.<br/>
Ryanair has named Porto International Airport, in northern Portugal, as its third connection hub. The move allows passengers to transfer directly to connecting Ryanair flights. The Jan. 3 announcement follows the launch of connecting flights at Rome Fiumicino and Milan Bergamo. Traditionally, Ryanair was strictly a point-to-point carrier that discouraged passengers from creating their own connections via airports from which the airline operated a number of routes. The new arrangement at Porto will allow Ryanair passengers to transfer airside. Checked-in baggage will be transferred through to their final destination and travelers will have a single booking reference for both flights. “Starting with an initial 20 new routes, customers will be able to transfer onto their next flight without having to go landside,” Ryanair marketing director Kenny Jacobs said.<br/>
A Spirit Airlines passenger has been jailed after a fellow passenger says she was sexually assaulted while asleep on a flight from Las Vegas to Detroit. A federal criminal complaint shows Prabhu Ramamoorthy is charged with aggravated sexual abuse. The 22-year-old woman told authorities that she was in a window seat and awoke to a man sexually assaulting her. She said her pants and blouse were unbuttoned. The complaint says Ramamoorthy told an FBI agent that he tried to touch the woman inappropriately. Ramamoorthy was arrested and arraigned Wednesday after the plane landed at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus. He appeared Thursday in U.S. District Court in Detroit for a detention hearing. A Jan. 17 preliminary examination has been set.<br/>
Norwegian Air is better prepared to cope with peak travel seasons in 2018, and does not plan to rent expensive aircraft or crews from other companies, CE Bjoern Kjos said Thursday. The rapidly growing airline incurred unforeseen leasing costs of around 1b Norwegian crowns ($123.71 million) in the summer of 2017 after a spate of cancellations left passengers stranded in airports. The problems, similar to those of competitor Ryanair (RYA.I), quickly led to a scramble among low-cost airlines to recruit more senior pilots. Norwegian will add some 25 new Boeing aircraft to its fleet this year under a long-term investment plan. “We’re much better prepared entering 2018 than we were last year, and we won’t have to hire planes. We’ll be fully covered, with crews,” Kjos said. The company’s bookings for the coming year are also stronger than they were at the same time a year ago, even when taking into account the growth in its fleet, he added.<br/>
North Korea’s national airline has reduced the number of weekly flights connecting Pyongyang and Beijing from the start of this month, a company official said on Thursday, without providing a reason for the decision. Air Koryo may have cut the number of flights from three to two due to reduced tourist demand over the winter and the need to save on aviation fuel, which is subject to an export ban under UN sanctions imposed over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes. The airline will continue a twice-weekly flight schedule until the end of February, the official said. Up to December, Air Koryo had served the route on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, but has now discontinued the Thursday flights. The carrier suspended flights connecting Pyongyang and China’s Shenyang in late December, but plans to resume the service in mid-January. <br/>
India’s Jet Airways has ordered an investigation into reports that a senior pilot slapped a female co-pilot in the cockpit during a London to Mumbai flight this week. The Press Trust of India news agency said that India’s civil aviation ministry has suspended the senior pilot’s flying licence. The agency quoted an unnamed Jet Airways official as saying that the pilot allegedly attacked the co-pilot after an argument with her and she came out of the cabin crying. A Jet Airways spokesman said Wednesday that a “misunderstanding” occurred between the cockpit crew but was quickly resolved and the flight continued without issue. PTI said the senior pilot also left the cockpit twice in violation of safety norms, leading to the suspension of his licence.<br/>