Russian investigators believe the captain of a Flydubai Boeing 737-800 that crashed during a second go-around at Rostov-on-Don was psychologically unprepared for the manoeuvre and possibly suffering fatigue following a long hold. The aircraft had been arriving from Dubai late at night on 19 March 2016 and had aborted one approach – despite being stable with the runway in sight – owing to a windshear warning. Over 1h 40min passed before its crew requested descent for a second landing attempt. This attempt was also aborted – at 03:40, nearly 2h after the first – when a wind gust on the approach at about 1,000ft caused a sharp increase in airspeed from 153kt to 176kt. Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee says the captain's mindset was fixed on conducting a landing at Rostov, following the previous forced go-around and through concern over exceeding duty time for the return flight. As a result, it says, he had a "lack of psychological readiness" for a second go-around. The inquiry adds that the crew's actions lacked co-ordination, with the lightly loaded aircraft subjected to maximum thrust, consequently resulting in "substantial excessive nose-up moment" and "significant" pushing on the control column to counteract it. After emerging from the cloud, in a steep nose-down attitude, the aircraft struck the ground close to the runway and disintegrated. None of the 62 occupants survived.<br/>
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Turkish airline Atlasjet has suspended its flights as of Tuesday until Dec. 21, saying the transfer of flights to Istanbul’s new airport had caused it cash flow problems. “With the transfer of flights to the new Istanbul airport from April 2019, there has been a sharp rise in logistics and operational costs, making it impossible to make up for our losses recorded in the 2016-17 period,” the statement said. The company also cited lower demand for its flights in the second half of 2018 due to the “fast and aggressive” depreciation of the Turkish lira. The currency is down 8.5% this year after shedding nearly 30% last year. Atlasjet said the suspension would allow time for the necessary restructuring and improvement in its cash flow.<br/>
Tunisair plans to lay off 400 of its full-time employees in 2020 as part of plans to ease financial difficulties at the state-owned Tunisian airline, its CE said Tuesday. The national carrier’s squeezed finances have led to flight delays, declining services and the grounding of aircraft because of a lack of spare parts. Tunisair, which has a fleet of 27 aircraft, has a bloated workforce of 8,000, which the government has failed to trim in the face of resistance from labor unions. “As part of a structural reform program, 400 employees will be laid off in 2020 in an effort to reduce the company’s high wage mass and ease its financial difficulties,” said CEO Elyess Mankabi. This plan was approved by the government, he added. The company has been suffering losses since the ousting of Tunisia’s autocrat President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011 and faces increased competition as the country negotiates an Open Skies agreement with the EU. <br/>
El Al has signed for the financing of its first Boeing 787-8, which is scheduled for delivery during November. The airline is intending to acquire 16 787s, of which it has received 12 – all of them the larger -9 variant. El Al Monday signed a $125m financing agreement to purchase its first 787-8 from Boeing. The financing takes the form of a JOLCO structure, the airline adds, with the aircraft held by a special-purpose vehicle and transferred to the carrier's ownership after 10 years. El Al is to receive four 787-8s, of which two aircraft are being purchased from the US airframer. All of its 787s are being fitted with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 powerplants. El Al has been introducing the 787s as it phases out its Boeing 767-300ER and 747-400 fleets. <br/>