Iraqi operator Fly Baghdad has been banned from operating within European Union airspace over a series of safety concerns, particularly regarding crew fatigue management. Fly Baghdad operates around a dozen aircraft – primarily Boeing 737 variants including -800s and -900ERs – on services within the Middle East, eastern Mediterranean, and the Indian subcontinent. It had attempted to secure third-country operator’s authorisation from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in February last year, a requirement for serving EU destinations. But EASA, while examining the airline’s operation, determined that it did not ensure that flight times, crew duty periods and crew rest periods were within limitations established by Iraqi regulations. The EC, which has newly included Fly Baghdad to its airline blacklist, says the carrier’s “inability to address these safety concerns” was demonstrated by its submission of an “unacceptable corrective action plan” to deal with the identified problems. “Fly Baghdad did not demonstrate compliance with applicable international safety standards,” it adds. EASA subsequently rejected Fly Baghdad’s application for third-country authorisation last December. Although Fly Baghdad appealed this refusal, EASA upheld the rejection in September 2023, ruling that the appeal was “unfounded”, the Commission states.<br/>
unaligned
A Russian UTair plane carrying 19 kg of radioactive cargo along with 104 passengers and 5 crewmembers made an emergency landing at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport due to a landing gear malfunction, Russian telegram channel Baza reported on Dec. 11. The plane was on a night flight from Khanty-Mansiysk to Moscow. It landed safely at 2:30 a.m. Moscow time, Russian officials claimed. Breakdowns of Russian civilian aircraft have become more frequent after sanctions imposed over the full-scale invasion of Ukraine cut Russia off from aircraft maintenance and the supply of original spare parts. A Boeing 737 en route from Novosibirsk to Moscow made an emergency landing on Dec. 8 following an apparent engine fire, with Russian authorities reporting that all passengers emerged unharmed from the incident. On Dec. 7, a Tu-204 cargo plane caught fire in Russia during takeoff from Ulan-Ude, Buryatia. A passenger plane carrying 182 passengers and 6 crew members from Kazan to Moscow made an emergency landing at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport after the stabilization control system failed. This was the sixth Russian plane to experience amid-air breakdown in a week.<br/>
Nigeria’s aviation sector has a new player in the air, albeit two years after NG Eagle’s first flight was planned. The airline, owned by Nigerian freight operator Galactic Aviation, flew its single Airbus A320-200 on a short domestic hop from Abuja to Lagos on 10 December. The aircraft was greeted at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS) by a water salute, shown in a video shared by a spokesperson for Nigeria’s aviation minister. The aircraft is leased from Lithuania’s Heston Airlines on a wet-lease arrangement. Managing director of the new airline, Capt. Dare, said the airline was inspired by Nigeria’s energetic entrepreneurial business environment, known as Naija Spirit. “The… inaugural flight of NG Eagle represents an incredible milestone for us, embodying our dedication to revolutionizing travel experiences while reflecting the rich values of the Naija Spirit. We are thrilled to commence this journey and offer passengers an extraordinary flying experience.<br/>
Beond, the world’s first premium leisure airline based in the Maldives, continues its successful fundraising with the launch of a $25m Series A Round Monday. The news follows Beond’s oversubscribed $17m Seed Round in August and the completion of a $13m Pre-Series A Round from a group of new and existing investors. These fundraising rounds reflect confidence and belief in Beond's vision, potential, and successful service launch, it stated. Chairman and CEO Tero Taskila said: "Beond is moving from strength to strength. Our Pre-Series A Round was very successful, and we expect even more interest for our Series A funding round that launches today." "Our goal is to reach 32 state-of-the-art and luxurious aircraft within five years, delivering on the promise of our ground-breaking business model in the airline industry and pioneering experience for passengers. Beond will operate a premium leisure experience for customers while bringing to bear the benefits of a lightweight, low-cost operation based on our team’s collective decades of experience," he added. In November, Beond successfully launched commercial passenger services from Munich, Zurich, and Riyadh to Malé, Maldives, the airline’s first hub. "Customer satisfaction, and the interest in our product by travel trade and global media exceeds our expectations," said Taskila. "Since our inaugural flights, we’ve been pleased at the customer response and appreciation for the airline’s stunning livery and well-appointed onboard experience, and the handmade luxury all-lay flat seating," he added.<br/>