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SWISS greeted the arrival of its latest plane with great fanfare, dubbing the Airbus SE A220 model the “Whisperjet” and promising neighbourhoods around Zurich Airport that it would be 50% quieter than older aircraft. But that tag has come back to haunt the carrier as the narrow-body’s twin engines emit what locals have described as a strange howling noise as it comes in to land, enraging people living on the flight path. “It’s even louder than other machines flying in,” said a spokesman for the Zurich-based Foundation Against Aircraft Noise. “They’ve been describing it as temporary while they make assessments, but for 9 months now it hasn’t gone away.” Airbus and Swiss each said they are aware of the situation and in close contact with engine maker Pratt & Whitney, which is analysing the noise. <br/>

South African Airways has received US$343m from the govt to pay off some of its debts and for capitalisation. In his mid-term budget allocation, Finance minister Tito Mboweni announced the bailout through a Special Appropriation Bill. The funds are to settle a $970m debt due by March next year. "We will do this so as to protect the airline from its creditors calling in on its outstanding $1.11b, which is guaranteed by govt," Mboweni said. The carrier has over $1.3b in govt guaranteed debt, of which at least $1b has been drawn down. The allocation includes $80m to South African Express to cover debt obligations. The South African govt is also pushing for talks between the carrier and its creditors to either refinance it or extend the loan maturity dates to give SAA space to achieve its turnaround plan. <br/>