Latest News
-
American Airlines reduces the number of Airbus jets that need software fixes to 209
American Airlines announced on Friday that it expected some operational delays as a result of a major software update on a large number of Airbus A320 aircraft. Initially, the airline said the problem affected about 340 aircraft. American Airlines has confirmed that only 209 A320 aircraft in the A320 family are affected. This is down from over 340 originally identified. American announced in a press release that as of 6 pm CT (0000 GMT), less than 150 aircraft remained to be updated. The airline anticipates that the majority of updates will be completed over night, leaving only a few for Saturday. Airbus, based in Europe, ordered a software update for a large number of its A320 jets. (Reporting from AnshumanTripathy and RajveerSinghPardesi in Bengaluru, and David Shepardson at Washington; editing by Vijay Kishore & Stephen Coates).
-
After a brief stopover due to a bomb threat, flights to Philadelphia International are now able resume.
According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, and the police, flights to Philadelphia International Airport were temporarily grounded due to a threat of a bomb. The incident was resolved without incident. Soon after 7 pm local time (00:00 GMT), the FAA issued an advisory to ground staff at the airport, stating that there was a threat of a bomb. The FAA announced that the incident had been resolved and normal operations were resumed about 30 minutes after the initial announcement. A police spokesperson stated in an email that the ground stoppage occurred because of a "situation aboard the plane that required the assistance from the Philadelphia Police." The spokesperson confirmed that the plane is now cleared to take off and the ground blockage has been lifted. There were reports earlier in the month of bomb threats made at other U.S. Airports that were cleared without incident. Early November, the Reagan Washington National Airport was temporarily shut down due to a bomb scare against a United Airlines flight. At the time, the FBI reported that it had investigated the report and found no hazardous material. A Delta flight at LaGuardia International Airport, which was scheduled to take off that day, was evacuated prior to takeoff due reports of a possible bomb threat. Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Kanishka Singh; Editing and production by Diane Craft and Chris Reese
-
Airbus recalls A320 for global airlines
Airbus, Europe's largest aircraft manufacturer, has ordered the immediate repair of 6,000 A320 jets. This recall affects more than half of the fleet worldwide and could cause disruptions during the busiest weekend for travel in the U.S. According to a notice sent to airlines, the fix involves mostly reverting back to older software. However, it is necessary to do this before planes can be flown again. The repairs may cause flight cancellations or delays, according to several airlines. As of 6:20 pm, here is a list with major disruptions reported by airlines. ET (2320 GMT): American Airlines The largest A320 operator in the world said that 340 out of its 480 A320 planes would require the update. The company said that it expected most of the updates to be finished by Saturday, with each plane taking about two hours. Lufthansa Airbus's measures would require several hours to be implemented per aircraft, so the German carrier expects some flight delays or cancellations over the weekend. Avianca Avianca, the Colombian airline, said that the recall affected over 70% of its fleet and would cause "significant" disruptions in operations for the next 10 working days. Avianca has stopped selling tickets for travel dates up to December 8. Wizz Air The airline confirmed that some Wizz Air aircraft need the software update. It also said it had immediately scheduled all necessary maintenance in order to comply with the mitigation. Some flights may be affected over the weekend. British Airways The British carrier expects no operational impact on its three short-haul A320 aircraft. EasyJet has announced that it has completed software updates on all aircraft that require them. The airline plans to continue its normal flying program on Saturday. Air France KLM Air France KLM canceled 35 flights Friday after Airbus's announcement. Air New Zealand It said that all of its A320neo planes will receive a software upgrade before they operate their next service. This would cause a disruption to a number Saturday flights. The airline also expects some cancellations. Air India Airbus' directive, according to the airline, will lead to a software/hardware realignment of a portion of its fleet. This will cause longer turnaround times and delays in operations. Air India Express Air India's low cost subsidiary stated that while the majority of its aircraft will not be affected, this guidance is applicable to all operators, causing delays and cancellations. Indigo Budget airline Indian said that it would be proactively updating the required information and some flights could see "some minor schedule changes" while it completes the "precautionary update". Volaris Mexican Airlines said that the Airbus upgrade will cause flight delays and cancellations in the next 48-72 hours. Latam Airlines This update is only applicable to a small number of Latam affiliate aircraft in Colombia, Chile and Peru. This notice does not apply to aircraft operated by affiliates in Brazil or Ecuador. Turkish Airlines After completing the necessary actions, eight A320 aircrafts will be returned into service. It said that "all our operations continue without interruption and safely." Airbus has updated its software and will affect the Mexican airline's fleet. However, no date has been set for when the aircraft will be able to fly again. Delta Airlines Airbus' directive is expected to have a limited impact on the U.S. carrier. Aer Lingus The Irish carrier stated that a small number of aircraft were affected and is currently taking steps to install the necessary software. It anticipates no major operational disruption. United Airlines Airbus' announcement did not affect the airline that operates A320 jets. Azul SA Azul, a Brazilian airline, said that none of its A320 aircraft were part of the Airbus recall. Reporting by Jubybabu in Mexico City, and Parth Chandna from Bengaluru. Editing by Arun K. Koyyur.
-
Airbus recalls A320s for global airlines
Airbus, Europe's largest aircraft manufacturer, has ordered the immediate repair of 6,000 A320 jets. This recall affects more than half of the fleet worldwide and could cause disruptions during the busiest weekend for travel in the U.S. According to a notice sent to airlines, the fix involves mostly reverting back to older software. However, it is necessary to do this before planes can be flown again. The repairs may cause flight cancellations or delays, according to several airlines. As of 5:30 pm, here is a list with major disruptions reported by airlines. ET (2230 GMT): American Airlines 340 A320 aircraft out of 480 A320s, the largest A320 operator in the world, will need to be updated. The company said that it expected most of the updates to be finished by Saturday, with each plane taking about two hours. Lufthansa Airbus's measures would require several hours to be implemented per aircraft, so the German carrier expects some flight delays or cancellations over the weekend. Avianca Avianca, the Colombian airline, said that the recall affected over 70% of its fleet and would cause "significant" disruptions in operations for the next ten days. Avianca has closed the sales of tickets for travel dates up to December 8. Wizz Air The airline confirmed that some Wizz Air aircraft need the software update. It also said it had immediately scheduled all necessary maintenance in order to comply with the mitigation. Some flights may be affected over the weekend. British Airways The British carrier expects no operational impact on its three short-haul A320 aircraft. easyJet EasyJet expects to experience some service disruptions and will take every measure to minimize this impact. Air France KLM Air France KLM canceled 35 flights Friday after Airbus's announcement. Air New Zealand It said that all of its A320neo planes will receive a software upgrade before they operate their next service. This would cause a disruption to a number Saturday flights. The airline also expects some cancellations. Air India Airbus' directive, according to the airline, will lead to a software/hardware realignment of a portion of its fleet. This will cause longer turnaround times and delays in operations. Air India Express Air India's low cost subsidiary stated that while the majority of its aircraft will not be affected, this guidance is applicable to all operators, causing delays and cancellations. Indigo Budget airline Indian said that it would be proactively updating the required information and some flights could see "some minor schedule changes" while it completes the "precautionary update". Volaris Mexican Airlines said that the Airbus upgrade will cause flight delays and cancellations in the next 48-72 hours. Latam Airlines This update is only applicable to a small number of Latam affiliate aircraft in Colombia, Chile and Peru. This notice does not apply to aircraft operated by affiliates in Brazil or Ecuador. Turkish Airlines After completing the necessary actions, eight A320 aircrafts will be returned into service. It said that "all our operations continue without interruption and safely." Airbus has updated its software and will affect the Mexican airline's fleet. However, no date has been set for when the aircraft will be ready to take off. Delta Airlines Airbus' directive is expected to have a limited impact on the U.S. carrier. Aer Lingus The Irish carrier stated that a small number of aircraft were affected and is currently taking steps to install the necessary software. It anticipates no major operational disruption. United Airlines Airbus' announcement did not affect the airline that operates A320 jets. Azul SA Azul, a Brazilian airline, said that none of its A320 aircraft were part of the Airbus recall. Reporting by Jubybabu in Mexico City, and Parth Chandna from Bengaluru. Editing by Arun K. Koyyur.
-
Bankrupt Yellow accepts pensions worth billions
Yellow Corp. has settled with 14 pension funds that sought more than $7,4 billion in compensation from the trucking company. According to settlement documents filed in Delaware bankruptcy court on Wednesday, the pension plans have agreed to accept a reduced payment. This will put an end to years of litigation regarding Yellow's claims that it cannot pay. It will also allow Yellow's junior creditor to receive up to $7.4million from proceeds from its bankruptcy sales. Yellow closed in 2023 after a dispute between its employees and the union that represented them. It sold its assets, which included its truck fleet, its shipping terminals and other real estate, in bankruptcy. These sales were more than enough for Yellow to pay off its top creditors and the government-backed COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Loan, but left other creditors like pension plans fighting to recover a fraction. The company lost its appeal in September over pension claims, but it still does not have the money to pay for more than a small fraction of those claims. The company anticipates having between $600 and $700 millions to pay off all creditors including pension plans. Court documents indicate that the $7.4million set aside for junior creditor may be reduced, if Yellow Corp has less than $550M in cash when it declares bankruptcy. Yellow challenged in its legal battle against the pension plans two regulations of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation that limited how employers and pension funds could use pandemic aid funds to calculate employers' pension liabilities. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia upheld the PBGC rules on appeal. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia upheld the PBGC's rules. They said that they supported the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, which aims to give billions of dollars for underfunded multiemployer plans. Dietrich Knauth (Reporting, Alexia Garamfalvi and Diane Craft; Editing)
-
BP Olympic Pipeline restarts after completing repairs
BP announced on Friday that it has begun restarting its 400-mile Olympic Pipeline following repairs to a leak located east of Everett in Washington. Olympic Pipeline transports refined petroleum products, including gasoline and diesel from northern Washington into Oregon. It consists of two pipelines with a diameter of 16 inches and 20 inches. Olympic initiated restart procedures for the 20-inch pipe early on November 28, following a successful test to detect leaks," the company stated in an email statement. Its crews repaired the 16-inch section of the pipeline system earlier this week after finding no signs of a leak. On November 11, the first report of a refined product discharge along the Olympic Pipeline came to light. BP closed the entire pipeline system a few days later, stopping product deliveries. Washington declared a Fuel Emergency last week, and Oregon followed suit Monday. This was in response to a system shutdown that has caused jet fuel to be unavailable at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The pipeline outage forced major airlines, including Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines, to develop plans to reduce the impact on flights leaving Sea-Tac over the Thanksgiving holiday travel week. They did this by adding extra fuel to inbound flights via tanker trucks as well as fuel stops for outbound flights. Reporting by Nicole Jao, New York; editing by Chris Reese
-
Airbus recalls major A320 after flight control incident
Airbus, Europe's largest jet manufacturer, announced on Friday that it would be ordering an immediate software upgrade on a large number of its most popular A320 jets. Industry sources estimate this will affect 6,000 jets or more than half of the fleet. Airbus stated in a press release that a recent incident with an A320 family aircraft revealed that intense solar radiation can corrupt data crucial to the flight control system. Airbus acknowledged that these recommendations would cause operational disruptions for passengers and customers, the company said. Airbus has announced that the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will issue a directive on emergency airworthiness. Industry sources say that for about two thirds of affected jets the recall will only result in a brief shutdown as airlines switch back to an older software version. The size of the operation will cause significant disruptions, as it is scheduled to occur just before the busiest travel weekends of the year for the United States. It is possible that hundreds of jets will also need to be re-equipped, resulting in weeks of downtime. The event that led to the massive repair work involved JetBlue Sources in the industry said that on October 30, a flight was made from Cancun, Mexico to Newark, New Jersey. After a sudden, uncommanded altitude drop and a flight-control problem, Flight 1230 made a forced landing in Tampa, Florida. Several people were hospitalized. Airbus data shows that there are approximately 11,300 A320 family aircraft in service, including 6,440 A320 core models.
-
A tanker sanctioned by the Turkish government is hit and a rescue operation is underway.
A tanker belonging to Russia's shadow navy exploded in the Black Sea, near the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey, on Friday. The explosion caused a fire in its engine room. 25 people were rescued. The Turkish Maritime Affairs Directorate reported that the tanker Kairos was en route from Turkey to Russia's Novorossiysk when it reported an "external impact" causing a 28 nautical mile fire. According to a person who has direct knowledge, a second oil tanker named Virat also suffered an explosion further east, in the Black Sea. According to LSEG, both Kairos and Virat appear on a list containing ships that are subject to sanctions imposed by Russia after its full-scale invasion in Ukraine 2022. Tribeca shipping agency reported that the Kairos was under Gambian flag, and in ballast at the time of the incident. The report said that reports indicated the ship could have hit a mine, and was in danger of sinking. Rescue tugboats and Coast Guards were sent to help. The Turkish Maritime Affairs Directorate issued a press release on X saying that the condition of 25 crew members on board was good. Rescue units were dispatched in the area to evacuate the crew. A shipping source reported that a ship nearby evacuated some of the crew. The agency reported that shipping traffic continued through the strait. Reporting by Can Sezer and Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Aidan Lewis
Jetstar Airways, Australia's largest airline, is affected by a software problem with Airbus fleets and cancels some flights
Jetstar Airways, Australia's flag carrier Qantas' budget airline, announced on Saturday that it had been affected by the Airbus A320 global fleet recall, which affects more than half the aircraft.
Airbus, Europe’s largest aerospace company, announced on Friday that it had ordered immediate repairs for 6,000 of its popular A320 jets. This caused disruptions around the world. This fix involves mostly reverting back to older software, but it must be done before the planes are able to fly again.
A Jetstar spokesperson stated in a Saturday statement that "Jetstar has been affected by a software problem that affects all A320 family operators worldwide."
The spokesperson stated that "to respond to an Airbus precautionary measure, we have canceled some Jetstar Airways flight."
Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin's biggest competitor Virgin have a combined share of about 65% in Australia's domestic air market.
Qantas stated on Saturday that the Airbus recall had no impact on Qantas' aircraft. Virgin Australia's spokesperson stated that the company "does not anticipate any impact on Virgin Australia or Regional Airline Operations."
Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) reported that there were significant delays on Saturday at Melbourne Airport due to the Airbus recall. This is one of the biggest in Airbus' 55-year history. This recall comes just weeks after the A320 surpassed the Boeing 737 in terms of the number of aircraft delivered. (Reporting and editing by Chris Reese in Sydney, Sam McKeith is based in Sydney)
(source: Reuters)