Rossiya Airlines received all the necessary permits for flights to Beijing and will resume flights from the Russian regions to Beijing Daxing International Airport from December 28, the airline’s press service told TASS. “Rossiya Airlines plans to begin operating flights from the regions of the country to Beijing on December 28. Flights will be operated regularly with the stated frequency. All necessary permissions to operate flights to Daxing have been received,” the airline said.<br/>
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Extreme turbulence forced a cruise charter flight from Barbados to Manchester to divert to Bermuda after 11 passengers were left injured. The 225 passengers on board had been on a P&O Caribbean cruise and were expecting to be back in the UK in good time for Christmas Day. The 13 crew members were unharmed. After the emergency diversion, the passengers spent most of Christmas Eve and all of Christmas Day in Bermuda. Maleth Aero Flight 1975 had taken off from Barbados an hour late and was expected to arrive at Manchester shortly before 6am on 24 December. Two-and-a-half hours into the flight, while cruising at 38,000 feet, the Airbus A300-200 experienced severe “clear-air turbulence”. The pilots diverted to the nearest airport: Bermuda’s LF Wade International Airport, touching down on Christmas Eve five hours after it had taken off. The aircraft will remain grounded until Boxing Day. Acting Minister of National Security, Owen Darrell, said: “We are aware of the situation and are diligently working to ensure the well-being of all involved. We are extremely grateful for the quick response of all our emergency services personnel who ensured the safety of the passengers and crew.” A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said: “A flight from Barbados to Manchester was diverted to Bermuda earlier yesterday morning following freak (unexpected) turbulence. “Having explored all flying options and due to airport operating times, guests are in hotels today [25 December]. The flight home is due to depart tomorrow morning, 26 December, following required legislative aircraft checks.<br/>
Low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines flew its first service between Birmingham Airport (BHX) and Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) on (21 December 2023). Pegasus is now serving this route three times a week – on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays – with one-way fares from BHX starting at GBP39.99. Nick Barton, CEO of BHX, said: “This is a lovely early Christmas gift for us and for the many customers in our region who now have even greater options for travelling to Türkiye and beyond. I have no doubt these new services to SAW will be very popular with sunseekers, pilgrims, business travellers and people going to see family both in Türkiye and across the vast array of destinations offered by Pegasus’s strong onwards network covering Asia, Europe and Africa.”<br/>
In a recent development, the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) on Monday sought documents related to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA’s) engineering, flight services, and flight operations. Sources stated that the European Safety Agency Board is set to make a crucial decision in its meeting – related to the ban on PIA flights in Europe and the UK – scheduled to be held in May 2024. The International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) is expected to present its final report to the Safety Board in the said meeting scheduled for May 2024, meanwhile, the audit reports of both PIA and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are included in the agenda for discussion. Furthermore, the agency has requested pertinent documents related to PIA’s engineering, flight services, and flight operations. The impending deliberations hold profound implications for the future of PIA, with stakeholders eagerly awaiting the outcome of the Safety Board’s decision.<br/>
Vietnam’s deputy prime minister has called on government ministries to aid beleaguered carrier Bamboo Airways by 31 December. Le Minh Khai has called on the transport and finance ministries to provide support, and report to the prime minister’s office by 31 December, according to a report in Vietnam’s VnExpress news outlet. While not going into specifics about the challenges facing Bamboo, Le said that the carrier faces “losses and debts due to certain difficulties.” He also called on fuel provider Petrolimex, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam, and lenders to “provide assistance.” The call follows a previous one in August. Bamboo Airways has sharply cut back its services in recent months, including the elimination of its international network, which once included destinations such as Frankfurt, London Gatwick, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, and Sydney. The carrier’s booking engine shows that the airline now only flies to domestic destinations. According to VnExpress, the elimination of international routes has seen significant job losses at the carrier.<br/>