A Toledo Port Authority official says a cargo plane crashed as it was approaching the airport. Authorities say the crash happened around 3 a.m. just east of the Toledo Express Airport at an auto repair shop. The plane hit multiple unoccupied vehicles at the shop. The impact sparked a fire, which engulfed the plane. The official said there were two people aboard the plane. It is unclear if they survived the crash and a search of the scene is currently underway.<br/>
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Officials say a JetBlue flight travelling from the Dominican Republic to Florida had to make an emergency landing in the Bahamas. News outlets report that the plane was on its way to Orlando International Airport on Wednesday morning when it was diverted to Nassau. No injuries were reported. JetBlue says the crew reported a system alert of possible smoke in a cargo hold after taking off from Santo Domingo, prompting the emergency landing and evacuation in Nassau. The airline says initial inspections found no signs of any issues. Passengers continued on to Orlando aboard another aircraft.<br/>
Pilots in Germany have reached a wage agreement with Ryanair for the first time, the airline and its pilots’ union said on Wednesday, a boost to the budget carrier which is facing industrial unrest elsewhere in Europe. Pilots in Germany were responsible for Ryanair’s first ever strike in late 2017 that contributed toward the proudly no-frills airline recognizing unions for the first time in its 32-year history to avert wider disruption. The Irish carrier has struck pay deals in a number of other European markets, quelling a series of strikes that followed a year ago, but it has failed to do so with others and faces walkouts by British and Spanish pilots this month. Under the German deal, pilots will be paid more and will benefit from better protection in case of layoffs, the VC union said, adding that the parties had agreed on future talks which would include the possible creation of a works council. The collective agreements made clear that German law applies to employment relationships and included provisions to cushion the hit any possible base closures or reductions may cause, VC said in a statement. Ryanair’s said the agreement will cover all directly employed pilots in Germany until March 2023. While widespread strikes over pay and conditions a year ago forced Ryanair to cancel hundreds of flights, the first series of strikes since then in Britain, Spain and Portugal has caused minimal disruption in recent weeks.<br/>
Virgin Atlantic has stepped up calls on the government to reform the way take-off and landing slots are allocated at an expanded Heathrow, with a report highlighting the lack of competition on some routes out of the UK’s biggest airport. The study by WPI Economics, commissioned by Virgin, found that around one in four passengers flying from Heathrow only had the option to fly with International Airlines Group, the owner of British Airways, which this week saw almost all of its BA flights grounded during a 48-hour pilot walkout. The report estimates that IAG operated 77 monopoly routes out of Heathrow this summer. IAG is Heathrow’s biggest customer, operating over half of all take-off and landing slots. The next largest groups are Lufthansa with 8 per cent and Virgin Atlantic/Delta with 7 per cent, according to the report. Virgin has been campaigning for a change to the way slots are allocated to ensure there is more competition when Heathrow expands with a third runway. The UK government is expected to publish its aviation strategy white paper later this year, which should include proposals for the reform of the slot allocation process at UK airports. “Expansion provides an opportunity to totally rethink how we allocate take off and landing slots to enable the creation of a second flag carrier that can compete,” said Matthew Lesh, head of research at the Adam Smith Institute. “Consumers need competition to ensure that disruption to one airline doesn’t destroy travel plans and that they can access more flights to more destinations.”<br/>
Hong Kong Airlines has postponed the public debut of its new HK$1.8b (US$229m) training centre, with sources indicating the move was necessary because a court order protecting the city’s airport was unlikely to be lifted before October. “Unfortunately, due to the recurring issues in Hong Kong, we regret to inform you that the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Airlines Training Academy will now proceed as an internal event instead,” the airline said on Wednesday. The unveiling of the 11-storey training centre on the airport island of Chek Lap Kok was originally scheduled for September 25. The facility will have 12 flight simulators, an aircraft cabin mock-up, as well as training areas for emergency situations. It is also to include a 25-metre training pool for evacuation training. According to an aviation source, the Airport Authority told the airline it could not carry out all its public activities for the unveiling of the training centre because of the court injunction that bans anti-government protesters from disrupting operations at Hong Kong’s airport. The source said the injunction was expected to remain in force until at least October 1, which is both National Day and the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. The airport operator obtained an injunction on August 14 to prevent protesters from interfering with Hong Kong’s airport after mass demonstrations on August 12 and August 13 caused the cancellation of nearly 1,000 flights.<br/>
Norwegian Air said Wednesday it had a preliminary indication that enough bondholders will accept the amended terms it has sought for an extension on repaying two of its bonds. The loss-making budget airline asked bondholders on Sept. 2 for up to two more years to pay back $380m of unsecured debt, the latest attempt to shore up its finances. The airline said it had confirmation from its financial advisors of “reasonable visibility of the receipt of positive voting undertakings and proxies representing more than 2/3 of the total voting bonds relating to NAS07 and NAS08”. It added that the calculation of the number of votes is preliminary only and remains subject to potential adjustments. Norwegian Air said Tuesday it would propose to change the premium payable in connection with voluntary repayment, known as a call, for NAS07 and NAS08 bonds. It said it would increase the call price to 105%, keeping the redemption price at 105% at maturity. The company’s bonds, which mature in December 2019 and August 2020, will be extended to November 2021 and February 2022 if the bondholders agree to the new terms. A bondholders’ meeting will take place on Sept. 16, when the final result will be announced. <br/>