AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*Officials at New York's JFK and La Guardia airports last year culled 1676  birds last year due the danger they pose to aircraft. In a report, which was released Tuesday by the US Department of Agriculture, 1509 wild geese were euthanized New York City itself and 167 more in nearby Nassau County last summer. The round-up of the birds removed 89% of the population surveyed in the environs of the 2 Airports, however the population is already rebounding and another cull is planned for this Spring. The war on geese at the Airports began in earnest after the January 2009 downing of the US AIWAYS Flight 1549 into the Hudson River after a bird strike. According to the FAA, from 1990 to 2008, there were over 89,000 wildlife strikes involving airliners.

*BRITISH AIRWAYS cabin crew union Unite is to re-ballot its members for strike action, after the carrier brought forward claims that the previous ballot was unlawful. Last month, BA cabin crew voted in support of renewed strike action. Unite balloted 10,220 cabin crew, with 56% of them backing strike action. However, Unite now says it "cannot call industrial action based on this ballot" because BA advised the Electoral Reform Society that the ballot was "unlawful and that any industrial action taken on the basis of it would be unprotected". Unite said it has immediately begun preparations for a further ballot. It plans to give the carrier formal notice of the fresh ballot within the next 10 days. No strike dates were set under last month's ballot. BA resisted several attempts by the union last year to disrupt its operations through strike action. The dispute has been going on for over a year.

*Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport will be the 1st European Airport to implement a Runway Status Light (RWSL) Control System. The RWSL Control System is an automated system that warns aircraft and vehicles if it is safe to enter or cross runways through a series of lights embedded in the pavement. Work should be completed by the end of the year.

*The Polish Interior Ministry said today it would delay the release of report on the causes of the April 2010 presidential plane crash in Smolensk, Russia from February until late March. The Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others were killed when their POLISH AIR FORCE Tupolev TU154 crashed on April 10 while landing in thick fog. The delay in releasing the report is reportedly caused by technical failures on another TU154 plane, on which Polish experts are carrying out tests to establish the causes of the crash.

*Pakistan's Rangers had to be called to the Benazir Bhutto International Airport on Tuesday after the employees of PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES (PIA) protest against the Airline management’s decision to hand over some air routes to TURKISH AIRLINES, turned violent. According to media reports, the Rangers were called after riot police failed to "control the mayhem at the Airport," which included fights between baton weilding employees. The protests against the carriers code sharing plan with Turkish Airlines have ramped up in recent days, with reports of canceled flights and other industrial action. Yesterday, there were reports that at least 2 employees ran out onto a runway and laid down on the runway to prevent a PIA aircraft from departing. At least 13 flights have been canceled today due to the continuing strife.

*NORDWIND AIRLINES Flight 2417, a Boeing 757, had to make an emergency diversion to Novosibirsk, Russia, today, February 9, due to the gear not retracting after takeoff from Kemerovo, Russia. The 757 circled and burned off fuel before landing in Novosibirsk, about 3 hours later. The aircraft was diverted to Novosibirski, which is about 120 miles from Kemerovo, due to a longer runway and maintenance being based there.

*DELTA AIRLINES Flight 619 was delayed departing Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota, yesterday, February 8. According to media reports, the plane was leaving the gate in MSP when a knife fell out of an overhead bin. The Flight Attendant informed the flight crew and then aircraft returned to the gate. All passengers were then offloaded and re-screened. The aircraft was later cleared and departed for Tokyo, Japan, at 4:30pm. There was no word on where the knife may have come from.

*PINNACLE AIRLINES Flight 3837, a CRJ200, had to make an emergency diversion to Toronto, ON, Canada, on Monday, February 7. While enroute at 30000 feet, and about 10 miles N of Toronto, the crew declared an emergency and performed an emergency descent due to a loss of cabin pressure from the main cabin door leaking. The CRJ reached 10000 feet within 4 minutes and then diverted to Toronto Pearson, landing safely about 20 minutes after the incident began.

*AMERICAN EAGLE Flight 4277, an ERJ145, encountered severe turbulence near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Monday, February 7. While enroute at 36000 feet, and about 140 miles S/SW of Pittsburgh, the aircraft encountered the severe turbulence, resulting in 2 people sustaining minor injuries. The crew diverted to Pittsburgh as a precaution and landed there safely. The FAA is investigating.

*A US AIRWAYS ERJ170 was delayed in departure from Reagan National Airport on Monday, February 7, due to a baggage handler being caught in a cargo bay. According to media reports, passengers alerted a Flight Attendant to screams and thumps coming from under the floor as the aircraft prepared for departure. Reportedly, another baggage handler had closed the cargo compartment door on the first worker, who had crawled into the space, just 37 inches high, while loading baggage. US Airways said they have opened an investigation into the incident.

*AIR TRANSAT Flight 17, an A300, had to make an emergency landing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Tuesday, February 1. While on approach, the A300 ingested a bird into its right hand engine. Maintenance inspected the aircraft and found evidence of the bird strike, but no damage, thus the released the A300 to return to service. The aircraft then departed Puerto Vallarta as Flight 417 to Toronto, ON, Canada, however while climbing thru 5000 feet, a rumbling noise and vibrations were reported from the right hand engine. The crew returned to Puerto Vallarta for a safe landing. Another inspection was conducted and damage was found on the trailing edge of some blades of the N1 fan. The A300 was then removed from service for repairs.

*LUFTHANSA Flight 2094, an A319, was involved in a landing incident in Hanover, Germany, on December 16, 2010. The incident was just made public yesterday. The A319 landed on the snow covered runway 27R in Hanover and then rotated about 30 degrees around its vertical axis to the left. The wheels did not leave the runway during the rotation. The German BFU has opened an investigation.