United Airlines is set to roll out a more efficient boarding process for its economy passengers later this month. It’s not quite the Steffen Method, but it takes some inspiration from that complex theory of the best way to board a plane, with the new plan calling for those in window seats to get on first, followed by middle seat sitters and then those on the aisle. An internal company document said that boarding times on United flights are up by up to two minutes since 2019 and that the so-called WILMA (somehow, an abbreviation for window-middle-aisle) method is shown to save about two minutes in boarding per flight. United previously used the WILMA boarding method until 2017, when it introduced basic economy seating. A spokesperson for the airline said that the computer systems in use at that time limited the airline to a five-group boarding structure. Newer technology allows for more boarding groups, which was the impetus behind the change.<br/>
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Airport security at Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport on Friday searched a Copa airline flight bound for Tampa, Florida, for a suspected bomb, only to find an adult diaper. The plane had returned to the Panama City airport earlier Friday following reports of a possible bomb. The Boeing 737-800 landed around 11 a.m. local time and moved to an isolated stretch of the tarmac, where 144 passengers were taken off the plane, Panama’s Civil Aeronautics Authority said on the social media platform X. An anti-explosives team inspected the aircraft. José Castro, the head of the airport’s security team, said a suspicious object in one of the plane’s bathrooms was found to be an adult diaper. “We had it on a secure runway where police special explosives canine units and special forces examined the object, and found it to be an adult diaper, ruling out any risk,” Castro said.<br/>
US private equity firm Apollo Global Management is seeking to join the consortium that Scandinavian airline SAS last week picked to take it through bankruptcy proceedings, according to a source familiar with the matter. Long-struggling SAS, ravaged by the pandemic and pressured by low-cost rivals, sought bankruptcy protection last year. SAS announced last week that Air France-KLM and US investment firm Castlelake would become new major shareholders alongside the Danish state. Apollo, which last year granted SAS a $700 million debtor-in-possession (DIP) loan to fund its restructuring, had been seen as a likely winner in the bidding round by the airline to raise equity as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan. Apollo could convert the loan into equity at the end of the process. "Apollo is still an active bidder," the source said, adding that the US company was seeking to inject additional cash into SAS on top of what the winning consortium said it would invest. It was unclear how big a stake Apollo would seek or how much it would invest. Total investments by new shareholders, which also include Danish investment firm Lind Invest, in the reorganized SAS would amount to 12.9b Swedish crowns ($1.18b). SAS, Castlelake, Air France-KLM and Apollo all declined to comment. The Danish finance ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.<br/>
Scandinavian operator SAS is intending to enter a sale-and-leaseback agreement covering a pair of Airbus A320neo twinjets. The airline is under US Chapter 11 protection as it implements a restructuring process, known as ‘SAS Forward’, of which the fleet re-organisation is a key part. It has set out details of the agreement with Irish lessor AerDragon Aviation Partners in court filings. The sale-and-leaseback covers a pair of new A320neos, serial numbers 11885 and 12028, each powered by CFM International Leap-1A engines. SAS states in the filing that it sought out 40 prospective lessors with a request for proposals relating to the A320neos, and received 18 offers. “The terms of these offers were generally competitive and provided an indication of the market’s view of the strength of the ‘SAS Forward’ plan,” it adds. SAS says the agreements will provide additional liquidity, although the precise figures remain confidential, while the delivery dates of the jets have not been disclosed. The airline has also recently opted to retain an Airbus A330-300 – serial number 1660 – having previously included the twinjet in a group of aircraft it planned to shed during the fleet restructuring. SAS states in a separate filing, referring to the Rolls-Royce Trent 700-powered jet, that it has “since experienced a business need for additional widebody aircraft” in the carrier’s fleet. It adds that it has negotiated “improved economic terms” for the A330’s lease. The filing identifies the leasing vehicle as Cavic 31 Designated Activity Company.<br/>
Portuguese investigators have determined that a TAP Air Portugal Airbus A321LR’s descent to Madrid triggered a ground-proximity warning after the crew mis-set the selected altitude. The aircraft had departed Lisbon on 3 September but the descent was complicated by the presence of thunderstorm activity and the first officer’s having to leave the cockpit several times because he felt ill. Portugal’s GPIAAF states that the aircraft had been cleared for the ILS approach to runway 32L. But after receiving this clearance the crew incorrectly dialled in 2,000ft on the flight control unit’s altitude selector. Madrid’s Barajas airport has an elevation of around 2,000ft. “The crew did not identify the mistake,” says the investigation authority in a third-quarter incident bulletin. As a result the aircraft continued to descend until the enhanced ground-proximity warning system issued a ‘terrain ahead, pull up’ instruction. The crew immediately aborted the approach. Analysis of the incident showed the aircraft descended to 515ft above ground, at a descent rate of 2,500ft/min, causing the warning system to activate for 4s. During the go-around, in instrument conditions, the aircraft was affected by turbulence and co-ordination with air traffic control was necessary to prevent the jet entering a severe weather zone that the crew had identified on the weather radar. None of the 136 passengers or seven crew members was injured. The aircraft subsequently landed without further incident.<br/>
The world's largest carrier by destinations serviced, Turkish Airlines has quadrupled its market share in the last twenty years. The airline has been on a mission to grow its fleet, expand its network, and acquire a greater piece of the tough aviation market. The airline operates from its hub at Istanbul International Airport (IST) in Turkey. The country's geographical location provides an added advantage to the airline in expanding its services westward towards Europe and the Americas, southward in Africa, and eastward in the Middle East and Asian subcontinent. The flag carrier currently operates scheduled services to over 360 destinations in 128 countries. The 2022 financial data shows that the airline made a revenue of $19.7b, with profits approaching $2.8b. Story explores Turkish Airlines' market share growth in the last two decades. Just over twenty years ago, in 2002, Turkish Airlines had a global market share of 0.6%, offering 24bi ASK. The airline began the rapid expansion journey regarding its network and fleet. Five years later, in 2007, the airline nearly doubled its ASK to 42b and saw an approximately 20% growth in global market share. In the following five years, Turkish Airlines would succeed greatly in many aspects. The airline saw a 105% growth in its fleet in this relatively short time. As such, the airline offered more services and recorded an ASK of 96b in 2012. This development enabled the airline to double its global market share to 1.4%. The growth further continued with the addition of new aircraft in its fleet and network expansion.<br/>
Air India has taken delivery of the first of a 21-strong batch of leased A320-200Ns and expects the remainder to arrive by August 2024, according to CEO Campbell Wilson. The airline has also taken delivery of its second A350-900. In September 2022, Air India announced that it would lease the twenty-one A321-200Ns and four A321-200NX to address a "capacity and connectivity need." At the time, Wilson did not disclose the identity of the lessors. However, the first A320-200N, which ferried into Delhi from Toulouse Blagnac on October 11, comes from CALC. The other four have already been delivered and were sourced from AerCap. “This week saw the arrival of yet another aircraft – the first of 21 A320Ns," Wilson told Air India employees in an internal email this week and reported in The Business Standard. "The remaining twenty A320neo (are) progressively arriving between now and August 2024." The leased Airbus narrowbodies are separate to the 470-strong order placed by Air India earlier this year that included 250 planes sourced from Airbus and 220 from Boeing. The Airbus order included 210 A320N family aircraft and forty A350s, including thirty-four A350-1000s and six A350-900s. The first A350-900 has already been delivered, with Air India taking VT-JRA (msn 554) in September and the second being handed over more recently.<br/>