A member of Aer Lingus ground crew who allegedly fell and injured herself while walking on an airbridge in Dublin Airport has settled her High Court action over what a judge was told was “a simple accident”. Deirdre Fitzpatrick Lally (54) of Beechwood, Kinsealy, Malahide, Co Dublin, sued Aer Lingus and the airport operator, DAA plc, over the accident at the tunnel of an airbridge - which joins the plane to the terminal - at Gate 426 in Terminal 2 on November 26th, 2017. She claimed that after entering the tunnel of the airbridge she was caused or permitted to be thrown forward and fall. She claimed she fractured her right elbow and suffered a soft tissue injury to her left foot in the accident. She claimed there was, among other things, a failure to ensure the airbridge was free from defects and/or hazards and a failure to take all reasonable care for her safety while carrying out her work. The defendants denied the claims. The case was due to be heard before Mr Justice Tony O’Connor on Wednesday when, following talks, the judge was told by John FitzGerald SC, for Fitzpatrick Lally, that the matter could be disposed of.<br/>
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Flight-data recorder traces from the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 illustrate the extent of damage with which the crew had to cope after the twinjet was crippled by an explosion in Russian airspace. The E190 sustained multiple penetrative impacts – many of them rectangular in shape – from fragments which damaged its hydraulic circuit tubes and reservoirs, its stabiliser pitch-trim electric drive, and the empennage including its fin, elevators and rudder. Similar damage affected its left wing and left-hand GE Aerospace CF34 engine. The crew of the aircraft – operating a Baku-Grozny service on 25 December – had abandoned attempts to land at the Chechen capital, after losing GPS navigation capability and encountering difficult weather conditions including haze, reduced visibility, and overcast cloud at about 240-420m (790-1,380ft). After the pilots opted to return to Baku, the aircraft was climbing through 3,500ft when, at 08:13:31 local time, its cockpit-voice recorder captured a “sonic boom” noise, says the Kazakhstan air accident investigation commission. Flight-data recorder traces reveal that the autopilot disengaged and, over the next 23s, all hydraulic pressure bled away before another bang was heard. The data provided in the commission’s preliminary findings show that routine variations in both inboard and outboard elevators immediately ceased, with the elevators’ traces flatlining at slightly different positions. Cabin altitude instantly began to rise, coinciding with the E190’s actual altitude after about 20s, indicating depressurisation. The aircraft, which had been cleared to 15,000ft, continued to climb to about 8,000ft, before briefly sinking back to around 6,000ft, and then climbing again to 10,000ft.<br/>
FlySafair has been given 12 months to comply with the domestic regulator’s ruling on its ownership structure, alleviating concerns that the low-cost carrier might be forced to ground its operations until the issue was resolved. South Africa’s National Department of Transport confirmed on 5 February that the country’s Air Services Licensing Council (ASLC) had made the ruling in January, after establishing in December last year that FlySafair does not meet the requirement for 75% of its voting rights to be held by South African citizens who are resident in the country. “The Council’s decision has effectively given an opportunity for [Flysafair] to remain in the skies while fixing its compliance matter,” the transport ministry says. In response to the development, FlySafair says it is considering whether to proceed with shareholder adjustments or to take legal action against the ruling. FlySafair is 25% owned by Safair Holdings – which is owned by Ireland-based ASL Aviation Holdings – 50% by Safair Investment Trust and 25% by an employee share scheme. The issues surround ownership of the trust, which the ASLC ruled in December does not meet requirements around voting rights being held by resident citizens, with regulators previously suggesting the trust is ultimately owned by ASL Aviation Holdings. Investigations by South Africa’s domestic and international regulatory bodies into FlySafair’s ownership began when other local carriers raised concerns with regulators.<br/>
South Korea’s Jeju Air and Air Busan have rolled out significant discounts on plane tickets to stimulate demand, which has recently been declining following their involvement in major aircraft accidents, according to data and industry officials. The corporate image of Jeju Air was severely tarnished in the aftermath of the tragic plane crash in December last year, which claimed 179 lives. This led to an immediate decline in earnings for the low-cost carrier (LCC), as customers cancelled tickets amid growing safety concerns.<br/>According to data from the ministry of land, infrastructure and transport, the number of passengers flying with Jeju Air dropped by 29.3% over 26 days following the crash on December 29, compared to the previous month. Responding to the freeze in demand, Jeju Air adopted an ultracheap sales strategy by drastically cutting ticket prices. The airline is selling tickets between Seoul and Jeju for less than 20,000 won (US$13.85), more than twice as cheap compared to its usual pricing. This is also the case for Air Busan, which is under scrutiny by relevant authorities after one of its passenger jets caught fire before its flight last month. The fact that both accidents occurred relatively close to each other in time has also had a negative effect on other LCCs amid ongoing passenger safety fears. According to the land ministry’s data, the number of passengers for Jin Air and T’way Air also fell by 10.4% and 5.6%, respectively, during the same period, as customers’ fears of LCCs reached their peak. In contrast, the number of passengers for South Korea’s two full-service carriers, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, declined by only around 2% each.<br/>
As the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) prepares to curb high airfares during the Songkran festival, Thai AirAsia said it would keep prices in check, though its average rate never exceeded the ceiling set by the regulator. CAAT insisted this week a price ceiling would be the main mechanism to cap low-cost airline fares at 9.40 baht per kilometre, while for full-service airlines the fare ceiling is 13 baht per km. The authority said it would also support both airports and airlines on increasing flights during high-demand periods. Tassapon Bijleveld, executive chairman of Asia Aviation, the majority shareholder of Thai AirAsia, said the airline has strictly complied with CAAT on prices, never charging higher airfares than regulations allow. He said some routes have pricey airfares on a few airlines, but those fares probably only apply to 3-5 seats in total. Tassapon said he believes all airlines plan to cooperate with the CAAT by maximising their capacity during the Songkran holiday, but it won't be possible for local airlines to offer extraordinarily low fares as they did before the pandemic. "Airlines agreed to help increase capacity to help control average airfares, but the regulator should also acknowledge that airlines today have 30% higher costs than during the pre-pandemic period, especially maintenance costs, as we cannot compromise on safety after more aviation accidents in recent months," he said.<br/>
Sunlight Air said it plans to acquire large aircraft as the government mandates the removal of turboprop operations from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). “We are already starting our planning sessions for bigger-capacity aircraft. Like any company, we always think about growth. It is definitely in the pipeline,” Sunlight Air CEO Ryna C. Brito-Garcia said during a media event in Makati City late Tuesday. Last month, Sunlight Air announced the acquisition of an ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft as part of its fleet expansion. The model can seat up to 78 passengers. The airline currently operates three ATR 72-500 planes. The recent acquisition will be added to the company’s fleet by early March. Brito-Garcia said Sunlight Air will maximize the March 2026 deadline given to airlines for the transfer of turboprop operations out of NAIA. In April last year, Sunlight Air relocated its hub to Clark International Airport from NAIA, citing the former’s availability of space and advanced technologies.<br/>