AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*PHILIPPINE AIRLINES said yesterday it will have to cancel some of its flights permanently after a number of Pilots walked out to take higher-paid jobs abroad. A PAL spokesman said 4 of the national carrier's 160 daily trips will be discontinued unless the 25 Pilots return to work as the Airline is demanding, saying they have not honored their contracts. "We will try to adjust the schedule by permanently merging some flights, using larger planes while lowering the frequency of flights," he said. Philippine President Benigno Aquino has even stepped in, ordering PAL management to meet cabinet officials to resolve the issue before it affects tourism and travel. The abrupt resignation of the Pilots forced the cancellation of a total of 18 PAL flights on Saturday and Sunday and 4 domestic flights yesterday. The cancellation of the 4 domestic flights will be made permanent as it will take almost a year to train replacement Pilots, he added. In a television interview, the president of PAL called on those Pilots still in the country to return to work or face charges. He charged that the Pilots did not comply with an Airline rule to give 180 days prior notice before resigning. He also said that PAL could not compete with the hefty salaries being offered by Airlines abroad. PAL, which flies to Asia, the Middle East, Australia and North America, has been beset by growing labor unrest for months with ground crews and Flight Attendants threatening strikes.

*A PATANAL ATR42 suffered substantial damages in an emergency diversion and landing, yesterday, August 2. The ATR was on a Positioning Flight from Presidente Prudente to Marilia, Brazil, with 4 crew members onboard. While on approach to Marilia, the crew reported that they had received an unsafe indication for the nose gear and requested diversion to Bauru, Brazil. The crew was unable to lower the nose gear and had to perform a nose gear up landing in Bauru. The aircraft remained on the runway during the landing, as seen in picture above, and no one onboard was injured. The ATR itself suffered substantial damages and has been removed from service for a damage assessment. Aviation officials in Brazil have opened an investigation.

*A BRUSSELS AIRLINES Avro RJ85 had to make an emergency diversion, yesterday, August 2. Flight 3148 was on International Service from Milan, Italy, to Brussels, Belgium, and was inflight at 32000 feet, near Luxembourg, when the crew declared an emergency. The crew reported cabin pressure problems and performed an emergency descent to 10000 feet. The Avro was then diverted to Luxembourg, where it landed without incident. Following inspection, the aircraft was cleared to resume service about 8 hours.

*A SOUTHERN AIR Boeing 747 had to make an emergency landing, yesterday, August 2. Flight 205 was on International Cargo Service from Dover, Delaware, to Liege, Belgium, with 4 crew members onboard. The crew declared an emergency while on approach to Liege, with the crew reporting hydraulics problems that were affecting the landing gear. Emergency Services were deployed for the landing. The 747 landed without incident and was later removed from service for inspection.

*A LOT Boeing 767 had to make an emergency return, yesterday, August 2. Flight 26 was on International Service from Warsaw, Poland, to New York JFK, and had just reached cruise level of 30000 feet, when the crew requested return due to cabin pressure problems. The 767 entered a holding pattern before landing back at Warsaw without incident, about 2 hours after their initial departure. The aircraft was removed from service for inspection and repairs.

*A PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES Boeing 747 had to make an emergency return, yesterday, August 2. Flight 308 was on Domestic Service from Karachi to Islamabad, Pakistan, with 215 passengers and crew onboard. The crew requested return while on their initial climb due to vibrations from engine No.1. The 747 landed without incident about 20 minutes later. This is the same Boeing 747, registration AP-BGG that had to reject takeoff from Karachi on Friday, July 30, after engine No.1 failed following a bird strike. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service, but has once again been removed from service for a full  inspection following the incident yesterday.

*A PHILIPPINE AIRLINES A330 had to make an emergency return, yesterday, August 2. Flight 407 was on International Service from Osaka, Japan, to Manila, The Philippines, with 294 passengers and 12 crew members onboard. After takeoff, the crew reported that they were unable to retract the landing gear and requested return. The A330 landed back at Osaka about 30 minutes later without incident. The aircraft was repaired and has since returned to service.

*A KOREAN AIRLINES Boeing 747 had to make an emergency diversion, on Sunday, August 1. Flight 11 was on International Service from Seoul, South Korea, to Los Angeles, California, with 349 passengers and crew onboard. While inflight near Osaka, Japan, the crew reported an APU fire indication. The 747 was diverted to Osaka, where it landed 30 minutes later. Emergency Services responded and could find no trace of smoke or fire. The fire indication was determined to be false and the 747 was cleared to depart for LAX.