All of the passengers and crew survived the crash landing of a plane Friday morning in a Pacific lagoon. The Air Niugini plane hit the water short of the runway while trying to land at Chuuk Island in the Federated States of Micronesia, according to the airline. Striking footage from the scene shows people being rescued in boats from the half-submerged plane, in images reminiscent of the 2009 crash-landing in New York City known as the "Miracle on the Hudson." The airline said in a brief statement everybody aboard the Boeing 737 plane was able to safely evacuate, and the airline was making all efforts to ensure the ongoing safety of the passengers and meet their immediate needs. The airline did not immediately say how many people were aboard the plane, where it was traveling from, or what caused the crash. Local news reports indicated between 40 and 50 people were aboard. Air Niugini is the national airline of Papua New Guinea and has been in operation since 1973. The fleet includes Boeing 767 and 737 jets for international routes, according to the airline, as well as Fokker F-100 aircraft, Q400 and Dash 8 aircraft for challenging local terrain.<br/>
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A Boeing 737-800 of Bangladeshi carrier US-Bangla Airlines carried out a forced landing after its nose undercarriage failed to extend as it approached the small regional city of Cox’s Bazar on a flight from the country’s capital Dhaka on Sept. 26. Having detected the problem, the crew elected to divert to Chittagong Airport, with its longer runway and more extensive rescue services, for a gear-up landing at the airport there. The aircraft, registration S2-AJA, was carrying 164 passengers and seven crew. Video from the airport showed the aircraft touching down on its main undercarriage and the pilots holding its nose off the runway for as long as possible as speed decayed. Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network said the aircraft came to rest 70m short of Chittagong’s runway 05 threshold.<br/>
Ryanair said Thursday it would invest US$400m on establishing hubs for its planes at two French airports, returning to heavily unionised France after the airline’s decision to recognise unions. The carrier, which closed its last hub in France in 2011, has faced several months of strikes as a result of its decision in December to recognise unions. Pilots and cabin crew in Germany are the latest to step up pressure over pay and conditions. German unions representing both said their members would strike on Friday, joining crews in Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, and bringing the number of flights canceled to almost 250. Ryanair said when it made its announcement on union recognition in December that the decision would help it expand in countries where unions had a strong influence, like France. On Thursday, the airline said it would base two planes in Bordeaux and two more in Marseille, using the airports as a hub to add 27 new routes to its summer 2019 schedule. The move would create 60 new Ryanair jobs in each location, it said. Ryanair had already cancelled 150 flights scheduled for Friday due to the cabin crew action when it announced on Thursday that “under 100” flights would now also not operate in and out of Germany after the Vereinigung Cockpit called on pilots to join the 24-hour strike.<br/>
German cabin crew said they would join pilots in Europe-wide strikes against Ryanair on Friday, as the airline announced it would have to cancel nearly 250 flights. The crews' union Verdi said Thursday that after another four rounds of negotiations with the airline, "Ryanair did not submit a satisfactory offer". Travellers in Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal and Italy will also be affected by Ryanair walkouts. Germany's Cockpit union had already said late Wednesday that its pilots would stage a strike in the protracted dispute. The carrier warned on Tuesday that 190 flights would be cancelled, affecting 30,000 passengers, before revising the figure downward a day later to 150 flights. After German staff announced they were joining the strike action, Ryanair increased the number again. "We have pre-cancelled some more flights (under 100) tomorrow (Fri 28) due to a short notice strike, called by the VC union in Germany," it tweeted. Ryanair said the vast majority of its 2,400 normally scheduled flights would be unaffected by "these unnecessary strikes". All affected customers have received email and text message notifications to advise them of cancellations and options, Ryanair said.<br/>
Aviation authorities in Mexico say 29 people were hurt and 12 of them hospitalised after an airliner hit a pocket of turbulence. The Airbus A320 was on a flight from the western city of Guadalajara to the border city of Tijuana late Wednesday. The flight operated by the airline Volaris hit the turbulence at an altitude of 34,000 feet about halfway into the flight. The government's Civil Aviation office described the turbulence as "moderate." It said the plane continued on to Tijuana, where paramedics were waiting.<br/>
El Paso is about to become an Alaska Airlines city. The carrier announced Thursday that it will begin flying to the West Texas city, launching nonstop service to both Seattle and San Diego this winter. Alaska Airlines will offer one daily round-trip flight on both routes. Horizon Air, Alaska Airlines’ regional affiliate, will operate the flights with 76-seat Embraer E175 jets. The new service comes as Alaska Airlines continues to build its presence along the West Coast following its 2016 acquisition of San Francisco-based Virgin America. That deal – and subsequent merger – has positioned Alaska Air as one of the West Coast’s top players. Alaska also has been building out its network from Seattle, its hometown and busiest hub, as it has faced increasing competition from partner-turned-rival Delta. <br/>
A would-be passenger at Dublin airport Thursday morning ran out of the departure area at terminal one and tried to flag down his Ryanair flight to Amsterdam. “He was banging on the window to try to get the aircraft to wait and he then broke through a door and made his way on to the apron, trying to flag the aircraft down,” said an airport spokesman. “He was initially restrained by Ryanair staff on the apron and airport police, who had already been contacted, arrived on the scene almost immediately and arrested him.” The man, who was not immediately named, was in his 20s. He arrived late with a female passenger at the boarding gate at about 7am after the flight had closed, said the airport spokesperson. “They were engaging with Ryanair staff at the gate and the male passenger was becoming agitated.” He banged on the window then broke through a door before heading towards the plane. Airport police, who had previously been alerted, arrived swiftly and reportedly pinned him to the ground after a scuffle.<br/>
Societe Nouvelle Air Congo, a state-owned carrier, is in talks with Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd. to buy three new aircraft as it prepares to begin offering regional flights, a director said. The company, known as SN Air Congo, plans to acquire ARJ21s, Michael Gollo, head of quality, safety and security, said Wednesday in the Republic of Congo’s capital, Brazzaville. The planes will add to its existing fleet of three Xi’an Aircraft Industry Group MA60s, he said. SN Air Congo resumed domestic flights on Sept. 10, after halting flights earlier this year because of a lack of government funding. The new aircraft will be supplied to the carrier as part of an agreement reached between Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping earlier this month, Gollo said. The airline plans to introduce flights to neighboring Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo as it increases its fleet, Gollo said, without providing a timeframe. It currently flies to 13 domestic destinations, including the port city of Pointe Noire.<br/>