unaligned

Ukraine Air Alliance Antonov An-12 crash kills five

Five people were reported killed and three injured when a Ukraine Air Alliance Antonov An-12 freighter crashed Oct. 4 in the Sokilnyky Village, near Lviv, Ukraine. The aircraft was operating a charter cargo flight, UKL4050, from Vigo (Spain) to Istanbul (Turkey) with a planned stopover in Lviv. It crashed at 6:42 a.m. local time, landing 1.5 km (.93 mi.) short of the runway. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, there were seven crew members and one cargo attendant on board. Ukrinform news agency reported a possible fuel shortage as a preliminary cause of the crash, quoting Minister of Infrastructure Vladyslav Kryklii. An investigation has been opened. The An-12, registered UR-CAH, was first delivered to the Soviet Army in 1968, according to the cargo carrier’s website. It was operated by Ukrainian Lviv Airlines and Meridian Airlines, then by Ukraine Air Alliance in 2012.<br/>

Peruvian Airlines suspends all flights and closes offices

Peruvian Airlines has suspended all flights and closed offices until further notice due to a “lack of liquidity”, it says in a statement on its website on 4 October. Peru’s second-largest carrier posted a notice on Friday announcing the cancellation of all flights from Lima until further notice. The move comes after government authorities impounded the airline’s bank accounts earlier in the week. The airline says in its statement, translated from Spanish, that the bank's action caused a liquidity shortage that affected all operations. It adds it could not recover from the situation and was forced to suspend all flights until further notice. On 30 September, Peruvian said it had been forced to stop flying for half a day as a consequence of being unable to pay fuel providers. It attributed the cash shortage to a fiscal court's order blocking access to its monetary assets. Peruvian adds in the statement on Friday that it is stepping up efforts to find new investors in order to re-float the company.<br/>

EasyJet is looking at Thomas Cook assets, CEO tells paper

Easyjet is looking at some of collapsed travel firm Thomas Cook’s assets, the airline’s CE Johan Lundgren told German newspaper Die Welt. “Of course, like all airlines and tour operators, we will look at what might be of interest to us from the Thomas Cook network. But there is no decision yet,” Lundgren told the paper. Lundgren also told Die Welt that he was not interested in buying rival airline Condor. Separately, he said efforts by Germany to curb carbon dioxide emissions through new taxes on the airline industry should penalize those carriers which use old aircraft and carry fewer passengers. “A fixed tax rate, a flat tax, does not provide any incentive to fly more efficiently,” Lundgren told the paper, explaining that some airlines fly with 70-80% seat occupancy, while Easyjet’s occupancy rate is around 92%. A tax on kerosene, the main fuel used by the airline industry, could be a way forward, he said, “because it promotes the use of efficient aircraft”.<br/>

Thailand’s NokScoot expands Boeing 777 fleet

Thailand’s NokScoot has expanded its fleet to seven aircraft, after commissioning the sixth and seventh Boeing 777-200 Oct. 3. “This sixth and seventh 777-200 will help us further expand our network and elevate Thailand’s aviation industry and image. We are moving forward with our plan to embark on new services and add more flights to China, India, Japan as well as South Korea in the near future,” NokScoot CEO Yodchai Sudhidhanakul said. The airline also expects strong outbound traffic to Japan after Tokyo introduced visa-free concession to Thai citizens. Like all of NokScoot’s 777 fleet, both aircraft are former Singapore Airlines aircraft, first delivered in 2003. The aircraft are configured in a high density 415 seats, with 24 in ScootPlus premium economy and 391 in economy.<br/>