A Cathay Dragon flight from Taiwan to Hong Kong made an emergency landing on Monday from where it departed after experiencing a “technical issue” shortly after take-off, the carrier said. Cathay Pacific, the parent company of Cathay Dragon, said flight KA451 from Kaohsiung to Hong Kong made an “air return” and landed safely back at the southern Taiwanese city. An official with Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration said the emergency was caused by a “technical failure on one of the engines” and denied Taiwanese media reports of a bird strike. The official, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak with media, added an investigation was now under way. The Apple Daily newspaper cited local aviation officials as saying the plane’s right engine emitted smoke during take-off and that local residents nearby said they had heard an explosive sound. But Cathay said the safety of the aircraft, crew or its 317 passengers onboard were “at no time” at risk. “There was no indication of an engine fire on the aircraft, however, due to the technical issue, loud noises and sparks were reported coming from the engine exhaust prior to the engine being shut down as per operational procedures,” Cathay said. <br/>
unaligned
Southwest said Monday it was pulling out all Boeing's 737 MAX jets from its flight schedules through June 7, extending its earlier timeline by a week. Boeing’s top-selling 737 MAX jetliner has been grounded globally after two deadly crashes involving the aircraft over five months. The announcement comes a day after American Airlines extended cancellations of 90 flights a day through June 5. The carrier had on March 24 said it had cancelled flights through April 24, citing grounding of 737 MAX aircraft.<br/>
An Iranian delegation landed in Venezuela on Monday to discuss launching direct flights between the two countries, Venezuela’s foreign minister said, as Tehran voices support for President Nicolas Maduro against the opposition backed by most Western countries. A plane belonging to Mahan Air, a private Iranian airline accused by the West of transporting military equipment to Middle East war zones, landed in Caracas on Monday, and the two countries will discuss launching a direct flight “in the coming months,” Minister Jorge Arreaza said. A White House official said the US government viewed the launch of direct flights as a “politically motivated gesture.” “From our standpoint, there’s clearly no commercial reason to establish this flight at this time,” the official said. Iran’s Mehr news agency quoted the spokesman of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization Reza Jafarzadeh as saying a delegation from Mahan Air was travelling to Caracas to discuss maintaining regular flights between the two countries. The nonstop Tehran-Caracas flight would take 16 hours. A Reuters photographer saw a Mahan Air plane parked at Caracas’ main Maiquetia airport on Monday morning. Mahan Air, established in 1992 as Iran’s first private airline, has the country’s largest fleet of aircraft. <br/>
Jet Airways India’s lenders invited initial bids to buy as much as 75% of the debt-laden carrier, starting a process that will determine the future of India’s oldest surviving private airline. Potential buyers must submit their interest by April 10, State Bank of India, the lead creditor, said in a document Monday. A strategic bidder should have a net worth of at least 10b rupees ($144m) in the preceding financial year, or at least three years of experience in the airline business. The airline is credited with successfully breaking the monopoly of state-run Air India and was once India’s second-biggest carrier, but its fleet has dwindled to 26 planes from 124 as recently as January. Accumulated losses in nine of the past 11 years have caused Jet Airways to delay payments to banks, lessors and employees, while its founder Naresh Goyal was forced to cede control of the carrier. Jet Airways, part-owned by Abu Dhabi’s Etihad, needs 85b rupees to get back on its feet after a fare war by budget airlines wiped out profits and it racked up debt of more than $1b. Consortiums submitting bids should have no more than three members, with each holding a share of no less than 15%, according to Monday’s document. After qualified bidders are selected, they will be provided access to the company’s data and the bid document. Lenders led by State Bank of India said last week that “other options” may be considered if efforts for the stake sale “don’t produce the desired result,” without elaborating on what the options could entail.<br/>
Virgin Atlantic will deploy its first Airbus A350-1000 to New York John F Kennedy from London Heathrow. It expects to receive the aircraft in "late summer". The UK-based carrier confirmed the route choice during a launch event for the aircraft in Gatwick today, where it unveiled a new Upper Class suite as part of a complete revamp of its cabin on the incoming aircraft. Virgin Atlantic is due to take four A350-1000s this year, and a further eight by the end of 2021.<br/>