AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*SOUTHWEST AIRLINES has confirmed that it plans to operate AIRTRAN's 86 Boeing 717s once its acquisition of AirTran closes and the Atlanta-hubbed carrier is folded into the Southwest brand. Southwest unveiled plans yesterday to acquire AirTran through a combination of cash and common stock. Both carriers operate the 737-700, and Southwest is evaluating adding the larger -800 to its fleet. Southwest also operates 737-300s/500s. The Southwest CEO said the carrier has decided it wants to keep and operate the 717, and will operate the smaller aircraft in a single 117-seat configuration. Currently AirTran operates its 117-seat 717s in a dual class offering. Southwest acknowledges the addition of the 717 requires a different type crew rating and establishing how the aircraft is scheduled into operations. But the CEO believes the 86 aircraft offer enough scale and says Southwest has the ability to incorporate the aircraft into its fleet cost effectively. "Our pilots have looked at it the 717 and like it," he said. The aircraft will also allow Southwest to operate in markets too small to support its 737 fleet.

*Airline passengers may once again be allowed to bring onboard creams, gels and liquids that were banned over security concerns, the International Civil Aviation Organization said yesterday. "In the next 2 years (the ban) will end," the ICAO Secretary General said ahead of the UN organization's 37th general assembly, which kicks off in Montreal today. New equipment capable of detecting explosives in water bottles, makeup kits or toothpaste tubes, for example, would be installed at most Airport security checkpoints by 2012, he explained. The unprecedented security measure took effect in 2006 after British police foiled a transatlantic plot to detonate liquid explosives aboard airliners flying to Canada and the United States. The ICAO conference, which concludes on October 8, will touch on three main themes: aviation security, safety and reducing its environmental impact.

 

*A 58 year old ground worker at Copenhagen's Kastrup Airport was critically injured yesterday when he was run over by the main landing gear of a SAS A340. According to media reports, the A340, pictured above at the gate, was being towed to a hanger. The injured ground worker was to place chocks at the main gear once it came to a stop. However, with the aircraft still moving, the man attempted to place the chocks but was instead was run over on both legs by the main gear. The man, who has worked at the Airport for 32 years, was rushed to hospital and had to have both legs amputated. He remains in critical condition today. Danish aviation officials have opened an investigation.

*An angry ex-girlfriend called in the hoax bomb alert to Canadian police that forced a PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES Boeing 777 to divert to Stockholm, Sweden, this past weekend. A 28-year-old Canadian man was briefly arrested in connection with the allegations but was then released without charge after no explosives were found on the plane, flying from Toronto to Karachi. The cleared suspect was going to Pakistan to get married and his ex had called Canadian police warning he was carrying explosives because she was unhappy with their separation. "From what I understood, an ex came forward with the claim in connection with their separation. It was surely not a happy one," a Stockholm police spokesman said. The woman faces multiple charges in Canada over the incident.

*The Italian ANSV has released its Final Report into a serious incident involving an AIR ONE CRJ900 near Naples, Italy, on July 23, 2007. Flight 4405 was on Domestic Service from Brindisi to Rome, Italy, with 63 passengers and 7 crew members onboard. The crew declared an emergency and performed an emergency descent after a loss of cabin pressure. Passenger O2 masks did deploy. The CRJ was diverted to Naples, where it landed without incident. No one onboard was injured, although most passengers complained of ear pain due to the quick descent. The ANSV said that the Probable Cause of the incident was related to a "A false indication of a leak of hot bleed air". The false indication, and the actions of the crew following the indication, both led to the rapid depressurization of the aircraft. It should be noted that the report says the crew had less than 30 seconds to make a decision after the indication was received. The report, in Italian, can be found on the ANSV website.

*DELTA AIRLINES Flight 339, on Domestic DC9 Service from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia, with 51 passengers and 5 crew members onboard, overran the runway in Savannah, yesterday, September 27. The DC9 approache Savannah in thunderstorms, heavy rain and difficult wind conditions. Upon landing, the DC9 overran the runway, but came to a stop on the paved surface of the overrun area. No one onboard was injured and the DC9 suffered no damage. The aircraft was towed to the gate and passengers were offloaded. The FAA is investigating the incident.

*DELTA AIRLINES Flight 1907, on Domestic MD88 Service from Atlanta, Georgia, to Houston, Texas, with 119 passengers and crew onboard, had to make an emergency return, yesterday, September 27. Shortly after takeoff, the crew declared an emergency, reporting smoke in the cockpit. The MD88 landed back at Atlanta without incident, about 10 minutes after their initial departure. The smoke had dissipated by the time the MD88 landed. The aircraft was removed from service for inspection.

*DELTA AIRLINES Flight 131, on International Boeing 767 Service from Munich, Germany, to Atlanta, Georgia, aborted an emergency descent, on Saturday, September 25. While enroute at 31000 feet, and while just crossing onto the Canadian Mainland, the crew declared an emergency and began a descent to 10000 feet due to reported problems with pressurization. As the 767 neared 26000 feet, the crew reported that it was an indication problem only. They canceled the emergency and climbed to 32000 feet and continued on to Atlanta, where they landed without incident. (SK COMMENT: The incident is puzzling and one wonders what kind of followup was done on the aircraft).

*SARATOV AIRLINES Flight 762, on Domestic Yak42 Service from Saratov to Moscow, Russia, with 84 passengers and crew onboard, rejected takeoff from Saratov, on Saturday, September 25. The crew rejected takeoff due to an engine vibration indication. The Yak has already been repaired and returned to service.

*URAL AIRLINES Flight 2932, on International A320 Service from Simferopol, Ukraine, to Ekaterinburg, Russia, reported an unruly passenger onboard, on Friday, September 24. While enroute at 32800 feet, an intoxicated male passenger reportedly believed he was on a bus and attempted to move towards a door to open it. A fight broke out as Flight Attendants subdued the man. A 44 year old F/A suffered a fracture to the left arm and a concussion after being hit by a liqour bottle. The aircraft continued to to Ekaterinburg, where it landed without incident. The male passenger was arrested and faces 3 years in prison.