Southwest pulled questionable parts from a jet engine on one of its planes after being notified by suppliers, making it the first major carrier to publicly confirm their use on a commercial aircraft. A review by suppliers the carrier didn’t identify found “suspect parts” in an engine used on a Boeing 737 NG, Southwest said Friday in an emailed statement. The components — a pair of low-pressure turbine blades — came from AOG Technics and were replaced out of an abundance of caution, it said. Representatives for AOG could not be reached for immediate comment. Aviation regulators in Europe determined AOG supplied parts for the repair of CFM56 engines, the world’s best-selling turbine, with falsified documentation, Bloomberg News reported last week. <br/>
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US start-up carrier Northern Pacific Airways plans to rebrand itself as New Pacific Airlines rather than fight a trademark lawsuit. The Anchorage, Alaska-based carrier said on 8 September that the name change will be effective upon approval from federal regulators and that its operations will “proceed uninterrupted”. “This decision is in response to pending trademark litigation and is the right strategic move for our business, customers, the communities we serve, and most importantly, the more than 400 employees of our company,” says Rob McKinney, the airline’s CE. “New Pacific’s updated name symbolises our brand’s bold and decisive pivot.” BNSF Railway reportedly brought the lawsuit to protect the trademark of one of its predecessors, Northern Pacific Railway, which merged with other lines in 1970 and eventually became BNSF. New Pacific Airlines did not comment further on the trademark litigation case. The airline currently uses one Boeing 757 for thrice-weekly flights between Los Angeles-area Ontario International airport and Las Vegas, catering to leisure travellers seeking to avoid driving between the two popular vacation destinations.<br/>
Pilots at Emerald Airlines have voted to accept a deal which provides for recognition of Fórsa and contains a commitment by management and the union to negotiate a wider Collective Labour Agreement. The result comes after members of Ialpa, which is part of Fórsa, had engaged in a work-to-rule at the company over the early part of the summer before suspending the action to allow for talks. The union said 93% of its members at the airline participated in the ballot, with all of those who did so voting in favour. Emerald Airlines operates regional flights, including the Dublin to Donegal service on behalf of Aer Lingus and UK regional routes trading as Aer Lingus Regional. On Friday, the company’s CE Keith Butler confirmed that agreement had been reached and said “sharing a mutual interest in the success of our young but growing airline, we look forward to working with Fórsa to continue fostering a positive work environment for everyone at Emerald Airlines.” Butler said the airline had an “open engagement approach” that had helped to shape its culture.<br/>
Kazakh carrier Air Astana has formally commissioned a new flight-training centre, stating that it is the first in the Central Asian regional to have European Union Aviation Safety Agency approval. The training centre is located at Astana’s international airport. It is equipped with a full-flight Airbus A320 Reality7e simulator supplied by L3 Harris, the airline’s first – and the first for Kazakhstan, it adds. Both Air Astana and its budget carrier subsidiary FlyArystan use A320-family jets in their fleets. The centre is designed to enhance pilot-training capabilities within Kazakhstan and, in doing so, will avoid the previous need to send pilots overseas for training,” says Air Astana. It adds that more than 500 pilots will be trained at the 24h facility. Air Astana chief Peter Foster believes the centre will not only benefit the airline directly but enable Kazakhstan to become a “regional leader” in the training sector. He says it “demonstrates a strategic commitment to ensuring the very highest standards of flight personnel performance” as well as supporting a “steady flow” of new entrants to the local air transport industry. Air Astana has also invested in a cabin emergency evacuation trainer, as well as a fire-fighting trainer, which will be inaugurated by the end of this year.<br/>
United Nigeria Airlines has received approval for the operation of international flights to the United States of America, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, and the United Arab Emirates. According to an approval letter by the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development sighted by our correspondent in Abuja on Sunday, it noted that the approval was in with the subsisting Bilateral Air Services Agreement between Nigeria and each of the countries. The letter dated September 8, 2023, conveying this approval from the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development was signed by Director, Air Transport Management, H.T. Ejiburu, on behalf of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to the United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited.<br/>
Nigerian investigators have opened an inquiry after a United Nigeria Airlines Embraer ERJ-145 suffered a runway excursion at Lagos, the second such occurrence involving the carrier in about three months. The aircraft had been arriving from Owerri, with 51 passengers and four crew members, on 8 September. Nigeria’s Safety Investigation Bureau states that the aircraft “skidded off” runway 18R after landing at around 18:33. “There was no injury or fatality,” the bureau adds. Meteorological information for Lagos indicated good visibility but the presence of cumulonimbus activity, and a crosswind component from the right. The airline, however, says the aircraft, operating flight U50513, “landed normally” but “aquaplaned due to a downpour”. “Passenger safety is of utmost priority,” says the carrier. “We assure our passengers that we value their safety and will not compromise on it.” The investigation bureau is appealing for photographs or video footage to assist with its inquiry into the “serious incident”. It has identified the ERJ-145 involved as 5N-BWY. The aircraft was originally delivered to US carrier ExpressJet Airlines in 2002, and acquired by United Nigeria in 2019. United Nigeria was involved in another ERJ-145 runway excursion, also at Lagos, on 31 May. That aircraft (5N-BWW) was arriving after a domestic service from Abakaliki.<br/>
SalamAir, Oman’s first low-cost airline, has announced the permanent operation of the Beirut flight, starting from September 30 as a year-round route. In addition to this, SalamAir will operate additional flights during the New Year Holiday. Capt. Mohamed Ahmed, CEO of SalamAir, said: "This update is in response to the overwhelming public demand and significant success of bookings for the New Year holidays, as well as the summer season that the seasonal destination has operated in since December 2022." Capt Ahmed added: "This new connection marks an exciting milestone for both countries and opens endless trade, tourism, and cultural exchange possibilities. Recognising the growing interest and the remarkable seat factor on their flights, SalamAir has made the decision to include Beirut as one of its year-round destinations. Starting September 30, SalamAir will operate weekly flights to Beirut every Saturday, offering passengers a convenient and affordable travel option between Oman and Lebanon. In addition to the weekly flight, SalamAir will operate additional flights during the New Year holiday." <br/>
Pakistan’s flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), is requesting applications for pilots and cabin crew on contractual terms. The airline has multiple vacancies open for the Captain position for its ATR aircraft. The airline is also searching for Cabin crew (both male and female) for a variety of aircraft and routes. The national carrier has advertised the positions on its website and wants interested candidates to submit the application no later than September 25. The recruitment advertisement comes as good news for the airline and its stakeholders amid growing financial troubles. PIA has announced its intention to recruit ten pilots for the position of Captain on the ATR aircraft. The carrier operates a total of six ATR aircraft, primarily on its domestic routes. These include three ATR 42-500s and three longer ATR 72-500s. In addition to the secondary education certificate (intermediate), the carrier requires a minimum of 1,500 flying hours. The position also states that a minimum of 1,000 hours must be on a P1/P2 turbojet, and the remaining 500 must be as P1 on a multi-jet engine aircraft. Eligible candidates will go through a mandatory Computer-based Test (CBT) conducted by a third-party testing center. Candidates must secure at least a 70% on the test to be considered for further evaluation of the candidacy. All positions for the ATR Captain are initially on one-year contract terms. The contractual term is extendable based on the airline's needs and satisfactory performance from the employee.<br/>
Himalaya Airlines on Sunday started its inaugural flight from the Nepali capital of Kathmandu to Qingdao in Shandong Province of eastern China. The H97220 flight took off in the morning with 114 passengers aboard, and the return H97221 flight is scheduled to come back to Kathmandu in the evening. The airline is operating a round trip from Kathmandu to Qingdao on an A320 plane every Sunday. In June, the Kathmandu-based airline, a Nepal-China joint venture established in August 2014, resumed direct flights between Kathmandu and Beijing which were suspended for three years over the COVID-19. Every new air route added by Himalaya Airlines will bring new Chinese nationals to Nepal, and promote people-to-people exchanges and the tourism industry in Nepal, noted Chen Song, Chinese ambassador to Nepal. "In addition to fostering economic cooperation, this new route will also serve as a bridge for deepening our friendship," Chen said at the inauguration ceremony held at the airport. "I'm very happy that we are having the very first international flight from Nepal to Qingdao City," said Sudan Kirati, Nepal's minister for culture, tourism and civil aviation. "I believe the flight between Nepal and Qingdao will bring more and more Chinese tourists to Nepal," the minister added. The tourism sector is a major foreign currency earner and job creator for Nepal. <br/>
Indonesia AirAsia will increase its fleet from 28 to 75 within the next three years, according to Tony Fernandes, the CEO of Capital A, which holds a 46.25% shareholding in the low-cost carrier. The budget carrier currently operates twenty-eight A320-200s (all of which are leased save for one), while Indonesia AirAsia X does not presently have any aircraft assigned to it. Fernandes spoke to media on the sidelines of the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit on September 4. He said he had been targeting increasing the fleet to 50 aircraft within three years but had recently revised that upwards. Fernandes also used the meeting to campaign for more international airports to open in Indonesia and added that the potential for more flights within the ASEAN region was considerable. He pointed out that only 32 of Indonesia's 340 airports handle international traffic and suggested it was in Indonesia's interest, as much as AirAsia's, to improve connectivity in and out of the country. “We at AirAsia are very optimistic about developing tourism and logistics in Indonesia. We plan to add Singapore Changi flights to many cities in Indonesia," he said. "If you imagine what Bali has, it can be done in around seven or eight places in Indonesia."<br/>