Nine planes were forced to make emergency changes to their routes within Chilean, Argentine and Peruvian airspace Thursday because of bomb threats issued to Chile’s civil aviation authority, its director general said. At least two of the planes were operated by LATAM Airlines and three by Sky, a low-cost Chilean airline, the companies confirmed. Victor Villalobos Collao, the director general of Chile’s civil aviation authority (DGAC), said 11 threats were made in total Thursday, two of which were “fictitious” and nine of which related to existing flights. All of the planes were declared free of explosives, and at least one plane was later allowed to resume its flight, he said. He said calls warning of bombs onboard flights were made to LATAM’s offices, and the civil aviation authority, and police were now trying to trace their origin. “We always have an abandoned suitcase or two, that’s normal,” he said. “But this is a totally exceptional case.” For four of the flights, Santiago, Chile’s capital, was either the origination or the destination, the DGAC added. One flight, Sky 162, took off from Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benítez airport and was headed to the northern city of Antofagasta when it was instructed to return to Santiago, the statement said. Flight LATAM 2369, originating from Lima, the capital of Peru, and heading for Santiago, was forced to land in the southern Peruvian city of Pisco, it added. Peru’s transport ministry said no one had been injured and a team for deactivating explosives has been notified. “Right now the situation is under control,” it said on Twitter.<br/>
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A Chilean man angry over an airline not returning his suitcase made false bomb threats that caused up to 11 commercial flights to take emergency measures in Chile, Argentina and Peru, authorities charged Friday. Police said they arrested Franco Sepulveda Robles, 29, in the northern Chilean city of Antofagasta after investigators linked his cellphone to the wave of threats that disrupted flights Thursday. He was brought to the capital of Santiago to begin legal proceedings and was banned from getting close to any airport. Interior Minister Andres Chadwick said Sepulveda could be charged with security law infringement, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. Attorney Ignacio Moya, who is representing the suspect, said his client denies making the threatening calls. Police chief Diego Rojas said preliminary investigations indicated "that this person had planned a flight that left behind his suitcase. They did not return it to him, and since he was annoyed with the (airline) companies and with the entire air traffic control system, it seems like he made these calls."<br/>
Cyprus has handed over to Cairo an Egyptian man who hijacked an airliner to the island in 2016 using a fake explosive belt, Egypt’s state prosecutor said Saturday, after a court ruling cleared the way for his extradition. The prosecutor said that Seif Eldin Mustafa was handed over to an Egyptian Interpol team in Nicosia after Cairo provided assurances that he would face legal proceedings that conform to international standards. Cypriot courts had heard appeals since 2016 against the extradition of the 61-year-old to Cairo, rejecting his arguments that he would not receive a fair trial in Egypt. Mustafa commandeered a domestic Alexandria-Cairo flight with 72 passengers and crew on board in March 2016, ordering it to land in the island’s Larnaca airport. He surrendered to Cypriot authorities about six hours after he landed, having gradually released all passengers and crew unharmed. One passenger took “selfies” with Mustafa which were posted on social media. Mustafa had taken charge of the early morning flight by showing flight attendants what appeared to be a belt stuffed with plastic wires and a remote control. After directing the flight to Cyprus, he asked for the release of female prisoners in Egypt, and to have contact with his Cypriot ex-wife.<br/>
At least three consortiums have been formed to launch multibillion-euro bids for a stake in the operator of Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, among the first of France’s planned privatizations for 2019, three financial sources said. The French state’s 50.6% stake in airports group Aeroports de Paris is likely to go on the block next year in a deal that could be worth up to E10b, based on the current market capitalization. This privatization is part of President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to help to finance a E10b government fund aimed at supporting innovation projects. Three consortiums have been forming, people close to the matter said, identifying the lead player in each as US-based fund Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), French group Vinci and Australian fund IFM.<br/>
It was designed to become the grande dame of aviation, an enormous modern plane that could seat 544 passengers - 853 if you squeezed people in - on two decks, replacing the venerable Boeing 747 with a new standard of luxury in flight. Just 11 years later - almost a nanosecond in the life of a commercial airplane - two Airbus 380s can't find a home and are about to be broken up and sold for parts. The A-380 may still be the future of aviation - Airbus makes that argument - or it may be the relic of an era from which aviation has spun forward with startling speed. But there is no question that the giant aircraft is hanging by a thread after it was first delivered in 2007 with fanfare that suggested it was the Next Great Thing. Moreover, what happens to the largest commercial aircraft on Earth may reflect an evolution in air travel caused, to put it most simply, because smaller planes can fly longer distances. If you live in a big city, which is pretty much any city that is home to two or more major professional sports franchises, it's a safe bet you're in a hub for at least one airline, and maybe several. Most of the rest of America is in a spoke city. The hub system is one reason a flight from Boston to Denver might go through Chicago on United Airlines, Dallas on American or Atlanta on Delta. The hub-and-spoke system isn't going to evaporate from domestic travel anytime soon, but there are several signs that over time it may erode. Story has more background. <br/>