A Russian passenger plane ran off an airport runway outside Russia’s southern city of Sochi early on Saturday and caught fire injuring 18 people, officials and state media reported. Russia’s Healthcare Ministry said 18 people were injured but said there were no fatalities. State news agency RIA said one Sochi airport staff member died during the clean-up operations. Utair’s Boeing 737-800, carrying 164 passengers and six crew members from Moscow to Sochi, did not brake in time after landing, RIA reported, citing local emergency services. The aircraft had landed in heavy rain and with a strong tail wind, Russian civil aviation official Oleg Smirnov told state television channel Rossiya24, which showed images of the aircraft with damaged engines and wings. Sochi airport said on its website that the aircraft fire that erupted was extinguished in eight minutes and all those on board were evacuated within 17 minutes. Russian flight safety watchdog will conduct an assessment of Sochi airport and Utair, Rossiya24 channel reported.<br/>
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A can of pepper spray went off inside a plane headed from Oakland, California, to Maui on Friday, requiring emergency help for several people aboard, Hawaiian Airlines said. Twelve passengers and three flight attendants were treated for respiratory issues and released by emergency responders at the airport in Kahului, Hawaii, airline spokesman Alex Da Silva said. A passenger illegally brought the pepper spray on the plane carrying 256 passengers and 10 crew members, but it appears it discharged accidentally, Da Silva said. The flight crew of the Boeing 767 declared an emergency to get priority to land at the airport in Hawaii. A TSA spokeswoman said that her agency and Maui police are investigating. She said the canister held about 1.5 ounces (42 grams). The fine for bringing pepper spray onto an airplane can reach $1,960 or higher, Farbstein said.<br/>
EasyJet is shifting its pilots based in mainland Europe to Austrian and German licenses in an effort to minimise the potential fall-out from a no-deal Brexit. The 1,400 affected will be moved to licenses issued by Austria from November, an official at the Luton, England-based carrier said. German crew will be registered locally, while British pilots operating in the UK won’t change. “Depending on the outcome of Brexit, UK-issued pilot licences may not be valid within the EU,” the company said, adding that it had agreed on the solution with the relevant regulators, including the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority. The change will incur a “limited cost” per pilot, it said. The aviation could potentially be one of the worst-hit on the scheduled exit day of March 29 if PM Theresa May and her counterparts in the EU fail to reach a working agreement. Without continued regulatory cooperation, the CAA -- which also provides licenses for aircraft parts and engines manufactured in Britain -- would no longer be recognised internationally, risking mass groundings.<br/>
AirAsia's planned foray into China for a wider regional footprint suffered a setback after Southeast Asia’s largest budget airline failed to secure a deal with its local partners to tap the world’s second-biggest aviation market. A preliminary agreement signed last year for a venture with China Everbright Group and the Henan government has lapsed and won’t be extended, AirAsia said in a filing late Thursday. The low-cost airline did not comment. The collapsed deal would mean China remains a crucial missing piece for AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes, who has been expanding in the region with affiliates in Indonesia, Thailand, India, Japan and Vietnam to tap an aviation boom. The Malaysia-based company has ordered hundreds of planes worth billions of dollars from Airbus to meet its plans as the region’s expanding economies make air travel more affordable. The disclosure comes at a time Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has been reviewing projects signed by his predecessor, risking Beijing’s displeasure. In July, his government suspended the East Coast Rail Link, which was being built by China Communications Construction Co. with an estimated price tag of $20b. <br/>
Welcome to Brazil and fasten your seat belt, Norwegian Air. The European carrier has won approval from the Brazilian government to begin flying in the country, expanding its network of discount trans-Atlantic flights to South America. But the airline will face mounting regulation that could work against its no-frills model. Brazil’s Senate approved a bill Aug. 8 prohibiting airlines from charging passengers to choose seats. And a big win for carriers in 2016 -- the ability to charge for luggage -- is at risk of being reversed as opponents protest the fees as excessive. Norwegian Air is proceeding with caution. “In order to enter a new market -- and consequently creating new jobs and boosting economic value -- for Norwegian it is crucial to be able to operate as a modern airline, not as an airline from the past,” said a spokesman for Norwegian Air Shuttle. Bringing newfangled financial ways to Brazil is no easy task for carriers. While some global airlines rack up as much as 40% of sales with ancillary fees for items like baggage or priority seating, in Brazil they’ve struggled to get permission to levy those extra charges. <br/>
Mexican charter carrier Global Air has received authorisation to resume flights, three months after a fatal accident involving one of its Boeing 737-200s in Havana on 18 May. A Mexico City administrative court ruled on 29 August that the suspension of Global Air's service can be withdrawn, following a technical audit of the airline by Mexican civil aviation authority DGAC on 15 August. The airline was grounded on 22 May following the accident, which killed more than 110 passengers and crew. After the accident, former pilots of Global Air claimed the airline had forced them to operate aircraft that had frequent electrical, hydraulic and engine problems. Mexico’s DGAC criticised Global Air’s management in July after the airline leaked details from the accident investigation, which had reportedly blamed the pilot for the crash, categorising the accident as "human error".<br/>