An EasyJet plane took off from Edinburgh airport just 2 seconds before a Norwegian jet landed on the same runway, the CAA has revealed. The Norwegian Boeing 737 from the US was given clearance to land even though the EasyJet Airbus A320, bound for Luton, was still on the runway. The Airbus was making a normal departure under the control of a trainee air-traffic controller. The Norwegian crew were told to maintain a speed of at least 160 knots on the approach, rather than a specific speed. As a result, the Boeing approached faster than normal. The report says: ”A combination of factors, including brief delays to the departure of the A320 and the speed of the Boeing 737 being higher than normal, led to the reduction in separation before the controllers became aware of the closeness of the aircraft.” <br/>
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The Greenlandic govt has taken full ownership of Air Greenland, after SAS and the Danish govt agreed to sell their shareholdings. The agreement followed “several years of discussions and negotiations,” the govt of Greenland said, adding that it finally found a solution that was “economically justifiable” for the national treasury. SAS confirmed that it will receive US$41.4m for its 37.5% shareholding, resulting in a “marginal capital gain” and ending over 50 years of equity partnership between the two airlines. Air Greenland’s development will be boosted from 2023, when airport-upgrade work is scheduled for completion. Aircraft types able to serve various points in Greenland have historically been limited because of the country’s short runways. Nuuk has a 950-meter runway and Ilulissat is even shorter, at 845 meters. <br/>
Comair said Wednesday it has appointed its former finance chief Glenn Orsmond and Wrenelle Stander, an executive director, as joint CE to replace Erik Venter who resigned. The airline said last week that Venter had stepped down, citing personal reasons. The appointment of the 2 CEs comes as the company implements a diversification strategy initiated by Venter during his 23-year term. “Because we’re diversifying away from the airline business it makes sense to have 2 CEs; one CE that focuses on the core airline business and one CE that focuses on the non-airline business,” the company said. Alongside the airline business, which accounts for about 30% of Comair’s profit, the company also operates airport lounges and a catering service, sells travel and holiday packages and runs an air and cabin crew training centre. <br/>