unaligned

A plane carrying WHO medicines and health supplies landed in Afghanistan Monday, the UN health agency said, the first shipment to get in since the country came under the control of the Taliban. "After days of non-stop work to find a solution, I am very pleased to say that we have now been able to partially replenish stocks of health facilities in Afghanistan and ensure that — for now – WHO-supported health services can continue," said Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO regional director for the eastern Mediterranean. The WHO had warned on Friday that medical supplies would run out within days in Afghanistan, announcing that it hoped to establish an air bridge into the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif by then with the help of Pakistani authorities. The plane, which was provided by the government of Pakistan, flew from Dubai to Mazar-i-Sharif airport. It was the first of three flights planned with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to fill urgent shortages in medicines and medical supplies in Afghanistan.<br/>

Southwest increased the number of workers it wants to hire by 16% to 5,200, part of an effort to ease flight disruptions and reduce overtime, even as the carrier pares service. The airline wants to add the new employees by the end of November to reduce delays and cancellations, CEO Gary Kelly said Monday in a message to employees. It has already hired 1,500 new workers toward the goal. The new target, boosted from one set Aug. 18, is intended “to support our future growth,” he wrote. While Southwest hasn’t fully detailed its plans to cut capacity in November and December, Q4 capacity will be lower than the 2019 level, COO Mike Van de Ven told workers in an Aug. 27 memo. The carrier previously said Q4 capacity would match the level of two years earlier. The Dallas-based airline said last week that it would reduce flying for the final four months of this year, after employees complained they were overworked and flight crews said they were being left without hotels, transportation or food at some locations. “We know you’re tired and running low,” Kelly told employees Monday. “What I hope you take away from this is that we are 100 percent dedicated to improving the quality of your work day and setting you up for success.” The airline has been offering incentives to workers for job referrals after seeing a “sharp decline” in qualified applicants. The carrier also boosted its starting wage to $15 an hour.<br/>

Next-gen software is redrawing the routes planes fly between airports, avoiding traffic jams in the sky and saving Alaska Airlines millions of dollars. “We’re getting an outsized benefit right now because we’re the only airline that’s using the software,” said Pasha Saleh, flight operations strategy and innovation director for Alaska Airlines. “That means we get to design these bespoke routes for ourselves while everyone else is essentially relegated to the traditional paths that human dispatchers come up with unaided.” In the past, when a Los Angeles-bound Alaska Airlines plane flew out of Anchorage, the carrier padded the flight schedule to include extra time in case of surprise delays. Yet in recent months Alaska has trialed a new route-mapping software from the startup Airspace Intelligence. The software suggests paths in the sky that are tailored to real-time weather and traffic and may be more desirable. Passengers may soon see arrival times are more accurate. Experts predict that flight dispatching at airlines worldwide will improve with the help of powerful number-crunching software that uses artificial intelligence.<br/>

Chinese investigators are probing an overrun during landing by a China Express Airlines regional aircraft at Aksu airport in China’s northwestern Xinjiang province. The incident, which occurred at 18:14 local time on 29 August, involved a Bombardier CRJ900 registered B-3250. The aircraft was reported to be carrying 64 passengers and nine crew members, and was operating flight G54394 from Korla, a town also in Xinjiang province, to Aksu. A notice from the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s (CAAC) Xinjiang regional bureau states that the aircraft “slid off” the runway upon landing. Four passengers sustained injuries while evacuating from the aircraft, and the runway had to be shut for about three hours. Images from Chinese social networking sites show the aircraft resting on muddied ground some distance away from the end of the runway. Chinese media reports suggest it had been raining before the incident occurred. <br/>

Atlas Air has signed an MOU with Sharp Technics K, a Korean aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul company, and Incheon International Airport to enter into a joint venture with STK to develop a dedicated MRO facility at Incheon airport. Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, which owns the New York-based cargo and passenger charter airline, said Monday that the facility is expected to open in 2025 in response to the airline's growing wide-body maintenance needs in the Asia-Pacific region. "Incheon International Airport is a key airport for us in our global network as we serve customers around the world," Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings President and CEO John W. Dietrich said. "Our partnership with Sharp Technics K will enable us to further streamline maintenance planning with their integrated approach to servicing our fleet." STK President and CEO Paik Soon-suk said that the facility to be built at Incheon will be able to accommodate multiple wide-body planes at the same time. "This will enable the facility to contribute to the growth of airfreight and e-commerce on a global scale as Incheon airport expands its role in the MRO aviation industry," Paik said.<br/>

AirAsia Thailand will return to the skies starting with domestic flights beginning Sept 3, 2021 following an announcement by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand allowing the operation of regulated flights. The reinstatement of flights by AirAsia Thailand will kickstart with 11 domestic routes from Don Mueang Airport to Chiang Mai, Phuket, Hat Yai, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Nakhon Panom, Roi Et and Narathiwat. AirAsia Thailand is offering a 30% discount on all seats for all flights including weekends and public holidays to celebrate the restart of its domestic operations. Book from Aug 28- Sept 5, 2021 and travel from Sept 3 Dec 31, 2021 at the airasia super app or visit airasia.com. All bookings come with unlimited free flight change option while all flights will be operated under stringent adherence to health and safety protocols set by the government to ensure the comfort and safety of all guests.<br/>