Passengers flying into the Nashville International Airport were reportedly stuck on the tarmac for more than seven hours after de-icing trucks ran out of fuel. Local media reported that certain American Airlines flights into the BNA airport were stuck on the tarmac for longer than expected causing distress to the passengers. The valve to refill the de-icing truck reportedly froze. De-icing is a crucial process for airlines, including American Airlines, especially during winter or in cold weather conditions. It helps remove ice, snow, or frost from the aircraft’s surfaces, such as wings, tail, and fuselage, to ensure safe takeoff and flight. This is to prevent ice-related issues, such as reduced lift on the wings, which can impact the aircraft’s performance. The airline experienced further delays due to a line of flights ahead of them, preventing any movement.<br/>
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Qatar Airways said it’s seen traffic jump by 31% in the first two months of the year as the Gulf carrier expands its network with more frequencies and new destinations such as Hamburg to benefit from resurging travel demand after the pandemic. CCO Thierry Antinori announced the increased demand at a press conference in Berlin. The airline is increasing frequencies to 15 global destinations, including Berlin, where Qatar will operate 18 weekly flights, up from 14 now, he said. Qatar Airways is leveraging its position as a connecting airline with its hub in Doha. Traffic flows are particularly strong from Europe to Asia, with markets like Thailand in high demand, Antinori said. The airline, which competes with Dubai-based Emirates and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad for transfer traffic, will add Hamburg to its destinations in Germany, giving it an additional access point into Europe’s largest economy. The airline already serves Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf as well as Berlin, which arch-rival Emirates has so far been denied access to by the German government. Antinori said the airline has all of its Airbus SE A350s back in operation after taking some of the wide-body aircraft out for repairs to fix flaking paint. The issue led to a lengthy legal dispute between the airline and the manufacturer, which they eventually resolved. The Hamburg connection will be served with a Boeing 787 jet, Antinori said. <br/>
Australia's Qantas Airways has been fined A$250,000 (US$162,375) for illegally sacking an employee who told staff not to clean aircraft arriving from China early in the COVID-19 pandemic, adding to the airline's reputational challenges. The New South Wales state district court issued the fine on Wednesday (Mar 6) after finding the carrier guilty last year of "discriminatory conduct for a prohibited reason" over the firing. The charges were brought by the state's workplace safety office, SafeWork NSW. The employee, Theo Seremetidis, a lift truck driver at Sydney airport, raised concerns in February 2020 about the safety of workers assigned to clean aircraft arriving from China, SafeWork said. He used his position as a union health and safety representative to order workers not to clean the planes, and Qantas fired him, according to SafeWork. The airline was fined in addition to being ordered to pay Seremetidis A$21,000. "No work health and safety rep should be stood down for doing their job," New South Wales Work Health and Safety Minister Sophie Cotsis said. "Let this case stand as a warning, not just to Qantas but to all employers, not to discriminate against their health and safety reps." Qantas said it accepted the penalty and noted that it had "acknowledged in court the impact that this incident had on Seremetidis and apologised to him".<br/>