Two American Airlines jets, including one carrying at least six members of Congress from New York and New Jersey, clipped wings on a taxiway at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington on Thursday, officials said. There were no injuries, according to American Airlines, which said that the damage was limited to the winglets of the two planes and that both jets had been taken out of service for inspection. The six House members were departing for Kennedy International Airport when the right winglet of their Embraer E175, which was stationary, was clipped by a regional jet heading to Charleston, S.C., officials said. “I’ve been flying for over 10 years to Washington,” Representative Grace Meng, Democrat of New York, said during a Zoom call with reporters while waiting for another flight. “This has never happened to me.” Meng, whose district is in Queens, identified the other House members who were aboard the flight as Gregory Meeks, Ritchie Torres, Adriano Espaillat, all Democrats from New York; Josh Gottheimer, Democrat of New Jersey; and Nick LaLota, a Long Island Republican. Meng said that she was sitting on the other side of the plane from where the wings clipped. “We suddenly felt some shaking,” she said, recalling that some passengers across the aisle had noticed “a little piece fell off” the wing. She said she passed out grapes while the jet waited on the tarmac. The crew handed out water and snacks to the passengers, she said. The episode brought further scrutiny to safety procedures at the Reagan Airport, where an American Airlines regional jet making its final approach was struck by an Army helicopter on Jan. 29, killing all 67 people aboard the two aircraft. That crash was the deadliest in the United States in 20 years.<br/>
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Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways will keep its ban on pilots and cabin crew carrying power banks on flights, but has acknowledged the inconvenience and pledged to provide them with the devices at overseas layovers. The airline on Thursday told staff that on average more than one on-board incident involving the batteries occurred every week across the world. “With this background in mind, we studied the option of allowing our operating crew to store their power banks in other closed compartments, for example, the cloakrooms,” Vincent Yu, the airline’s general manager of in-flight service delivery, said in an internal memo. “However, given our in-flight duties, storing a power bank that cannot be monitored is a risk because it cannot be detected before it compromises safety.” A copy of the memo was seen by the Post. Cathay Pacific’s ban on the devices for operating crew came into effect on Monday, coinciding with the implementation of a separate rule from the Civil Aviation Department which bars passengers on local carriers from using power banks, recharging them or storing them in overhead compartments during flights.<br/>
Fiji Airways has officially commenced its new route from Cairns to Nadi. Flight FJ971 touched down in Cairns at 11:43am on Tuesday aboard the 737 MAX 8 DQ-FAB, taking off again for Nadi as FJ970 shortly after 1pm. The new non-stop service, operating three times per week, is expected to add around 53,000 seats to the market. “This new route is a major milestone for Tropical North Queensland travellers and Australians eyeing a Fijian escape; the 333 islands cater to all types of holidaymakers,” said Fiji Airways CEO and managing director Andre Viljoen. “We’re thrilled to provide faster one-stop connections to North America, saving three hours and skipping extra stopovers for Aussies in the region. It’s a big boost in convenience and global connectivity.” The flights, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, align with Fiji Airways’ schedule from Nadi to Dallas–Fort Worth, offering a connection for Far North Queensland passengers travelling to and from the US, said Cairns Airport CEO Richard Barker. “Fiji Airways’ service offers locals a great, new holiday option and will streamline visits to family and friends while also supporting tourism operators, strengthening trade channels and providing new education opportunities,” he said.<br/>