The co-pilot of a Sichuan Airlines flight that was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday was “sucked halfway” out of the plane after a cockpit windshield blew out, media reported, citing the aircraft’s captain.<br/>Liu Chuanjian, hailed a hero on social media after having to land the Airbus A319 manually, told the Chengdu Economic Daily his aircraft had just reached a cruising altitude of 32,000 feet when a deafening sound tore through the cockpit. The cockpit experienced a sudden loss of pressure and drop in temperature and when he looked over, the cockpit’s right windshield was gone. “There was no warning sign. Suddenly, the windshield just cracked and made a loud bang. The next thing I know, my co-pilot had been sucked halfway out of the window,” he was quoted as saying. “Everything in the cockpit was floating in the air. Most of the equipment malfunctioned ... and I couldn’t hear the radio. The plane was shaking so hard I could not read the gauges.” The co-pilot, who was wearing a seatbelt, was pulled back in. He suffered scratches and a sprained wrist, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said, adding that one other cabin crew member was also injured in the descent. None of the plane’s 119 passengers was injured. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said France’s BEA accident investigation agency and Airbus would send staff to China to investigate, according to CAAC News which is affiliated to the aviation regulator.<br/>
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Eurowings is setting up a separate digital company to drive sales of products beyond tickets to passengers and better compete with online travel agencies such as Expedia and Booking.com. In an internal message to staff, Eurowings said online travel companies and other airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet already run successful online platforms offering new services and products and that it saw a chance to do the same with its 40m passengers. With ticket prices having dropped in recent years, airlines are constantly looking at ways to generate additional revenues from passengers, whether by selling food onboard, charging for bags, or offering more services for when passengers reach destinations. Ryanair has previously said that it wants to be the Amazon.com of travel, while easyJet earlier on Tuesday said it wanted to expand its holiday business and add a new loyalty scheme. The new Eurowings digital company is the first major initiative by CEO Thorsten Dirks, who joined a year ago from telecoms firm with the remit to use his digital expertise to help drive growth at Eurowings. "In five years, Eurowings won't be a traditional airline, but a digital company with a flight operation," Dirks said.<br/>
Iceland’s Wow Air plans to launch cut-price flights between Delhi and North America, the airline’s CEO said, in an effort to attract cost conscious travelers in India, the world’s fastest-growing aviation market. “If you draw the shortest flight path from India to the East coast of America, it goes right above Iceland,” Skuli Mogensen, founder and CEO of Wow Air said Tuesday. “Shorter flight time means less fuel burn, lower costs and that means cheaper flights,” Mogensen said. Wow Air is offering one way fares between India’s capital, New Delhi, and American cities like New York, Washington and Chicago for as little as $199, with a stop in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavic, the company said. Wow Air, which plans to fly its new Airbus A330neo aircraft to Delhi, will have to compete with Middle Eastern carriers such as Emirates and Etihad Airways that currently dominate passenger traffic from India to the West. It plans to win with a value-for-money pitch, Mogensen said.<br/>
Millions of Ryanair passengers booked on flights after 13 June will have shorter check-in periods, in a move likely to encourage more travellers to pay for reserved seating. The budget airline said its check-in window for passengers who have not paid for reserved seating will shrink from four days to 48 hours. But if customers pay for a reserved seat – which costs from GBP3 each way but rises to GBP15 for seats with more leg room – they will be allowed to check in up to 60 days before flying. The latest rule change at Ryanair comes just months after a controversial change to its baggage policy. Passengers have to pay £5 for priority boarding to avoid having their main cabin bag checked in to the hold at their departure gate. The baggage policy was due to begin in November last year but was delayed until January amid the Ryanair flight cancellations fiasco. The new check-in policy is likely to encourage weekend-break travellers to pay for reserved seating, or be forced to find ways to check in online while abroad. For many travellers using the Ryanair app on their smartphones, check-in is a relatively simple procedure, but others will find it more daunting.<br/>
British low-cost airline easyJet expects profits to rise more than 30% this year as it benefits from strong travel demand and the collapse of some smaller rivals. EasyJet said it wants to expand its holiday-tour unit and attract more business travellers as new CEO Johan Lundgren moves the airline beyond an increasingly competitive discount market. Lundgren named five top managers Tuesday, led by the appointment of Garry Wilson from TUI AG to head the holiday arm, which will become a focus for investment along with a new loyalty program and measures to target corporate travelers. The stock rose following a smaller-than-expected H1 loss. EasyJet is targeting a broader range of markets as the discount sector becomes an increasingly tough battleground. Lundgren said he won’t be muscling in on the bidding for Norwegian Air Shuttle after IAG had two approaches rejected and has no plans to enter the long-haul low-cost market where the Scandinavian company is a pioneer. “We are not interested in buying Norwegian. We’re going to focus on our core,” Lundgren, who is Swedish, said on a conference call with journalists. “We have a lot of plans and initiatives.” Neither will Luton, England-based EasyJet become part of a wider bid group with other carriers, he said. EasyJet still intends to be “on the right side” of a consolidation trend in European aviation and remains interested in bidding for the short-haul operations of failed Alitalia, according to Lundgren, who joined in December. <br/>
Malaysia's aviation regulator Tuesday denied having ordered AirAsia to cancel extra flights meant to help voters return home for a recent general election and filed a police complaint against the carrier's chief executive, Tony Fernandes. Shares in AirAsia closed down 2.6% after losing more than 5% on Monday as investors fretted over the company's relationship with a new government following the shock defeat of prime minister Najib Razak's ruling coalition. The dispute with the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) was triggered by Fernandes' apology on Sunday for endorsing Najib, whose Barisan Nasional coalition, which had governed since Malaysia's independence in 1957, was booted out of power for the first time. Fernandes said he had come under "intense" pressure in the lead-up to last Wednesday's election for adding the extra flights. The government's challengers had criticized the mid-week polling date as a bid to dampen voter turnout and make it harder for Malaysians living abroad to return home to vote. On Tuesday, the regulator said it "categorically refutes the accusation that it told AirAsia to cancel all 120 additional flights applied for by AirAsia during the 14th Malaysian General Election period". "The commission has never issued any directive to AirAsia or any other airline to reduce or cancel any flights where regulatory requirements are met," it added. Mavcom "views Fernandes' claims as serious accusations and has lodged a police report," it added. <br/>
A passenger on an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Anchorage, Alaska, looked up from his audio book to see a naked man yelling and heading toward the cockpit. "I thought it was some kind of attack," Nick Steffl said. When the naked man reversed course Monday night and ran to the rear of the jet, Steffl confronted him. Another passenger helped restrain the man and the jet landed safely about 45 minutes later. The man was transported to an Anchorage hospital. Steffl, 30, was on his way to Alaska for a summer tourism job. He said Tuesday the incident in retrospect had elements of humor but was not funny high in the sky. The man was assigned a seat two rows ahead of Steffl near the back of the jet. Steffl noticed the man watching a movie he'd seen, "The Disaster Artist." The movie contains a prominent scene with actor James Franco naked. Steffl did not see the man remove his clothes but looked up to see him 15 rows ahead, running forward. "I heard him whooping and hollering like he was having a good time, 'Woo-hoo,'" Steffl said. Story has details of what transpired. Airport spokeswoman Trudy Wassel said airport police responded to a "medical" incident on the flight but that confidentiality rules prohibited her from additional comment.<br/>
SET-listed Asia Aviation, a major shareholder of Thai AirAsia, has reported a 76% year-on-year rise in its Q1 net profit, buoyed by strong growth in number of passengers carried, high demand during peak season and the baht appreciation. Net profit for the first three months was registered at 1b baht, up from 570.3m logged in last year's corresponding period. The company's revenue was recorded at 11.6b baht, up 22% year-on-year from 9.5b. From January to March 2018, the number of international tourists to Thailand continued to grow, reaching 10.6m, up 15% compared with the same<br/>period last year, said AAV. "The number of passengers carried during the [first] quarter by Thai AirAsia was 5.6m, increasing by 16% year-on-year, above the 15% growth in seat capacity," said AAV. "During the quarter, Thai AirAsia added three aircraft, bringing its total fleet to 59 aircraft at the end of the quarter." The airline also started operating seven new routes, both domestic and international, contributing to a higher profit margin. <br/>