The claims that the possibility of a deal has been spurred on by President Xi Jinping精东影业 recent visit to France and his conversations with the French President Emmanuel Macron.聽

Those familiar with the development have said that the terms of a potential deal are still being discussed, and that as yet there is no sign of when an announcement could be made.  

The A330neo has been something of a disappointment to Airbus when compared to its predecessors, the A330-200 and A330-300.聽聽

Together, they accumulated 1,445 orders before being replaced by the improved, New Engine Option series. 

With China once again halting imports from Boeing, Airbus may be seizing its opportunity to present more attractive terms to the Chinese airlines to purchase A330neos. 

Major Chinese airlines to have been approached by Bloomberg regarding the sale include Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines. 

This week, China Eastern Airlines took delivery of the first aircraft from its additional order of 100 jets of the Comac C919 type, a plane designed to rival similar offerings from Airbus and Boeing.  

The Chinese plane-maker delivered the first C919 in December 2022 to China Eastern Airlines, before entering commercial service until May 2023.  

After a successful outing at the Dubai Airshow in November 2023, Comac was touted as an aircraft manufacturer that could genuinely rival the Airbus and Boeing duopoly.聽聽

Turkish Airlines in talks with Boeing for up to 250 aircraft, 737 MAXs and 787s

• Airlines
• Aviation

byIan Molyneaux

2024-06-04

The incident occurred in the afternoon of April 26, 2024 when the man reportedly made his way past airport immigration controls and onto the tarmac.

Video footage of the incident, which has been published across social media platforms, shows the moment Australian Federal Police (AFP) and airport ground workers stopped the man from getting inside the aircraft精东影业 cargo hold. 

The man appears to have reached the platform leading to the aircraft cargo area. The video clip shows airport ground workers lowering the platform so that AFP officers can get hold of the man, who can then be seen resisting until he was subsequently pinned to the ground. 

The aircraft, a Sri Lankan Airlines Airbus A330, was due to operate flight UL 607 bound for Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) in Colombo. 

鈥淎FP officers arrested a man, 30, who allegedly ran through the main screening area and gained access to restricted areas, including the apron”, the AFP said in a statement seen by Australian media. 

The man was eventually given a court attendance notice for breaching restricted areas of the airport. Following his arrest, he was also issued a 12-month ban from SYD Airport.

Woman arrested after running onto tarmac in attempt to catch missed flight

• Airport

byJean Carmela Lim

2023-11-03

The rodent was found inside the aircraft on February 22, 2024, after it landed at Colombo精东影业 Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) having returned from Allama Iqbal International Airport (LHE) in Lahore, Pakistan.

The aircraft was grounded in order to conduct a thorough search to make sure that the rat did not chew through any critical wiring and components.

“The aircraft was grounded for three days at Colombo,” an airline official was quoted to have said by media outlet Voice of America. “The plane could not be flown without making sure that the rat was accounted for. It was found dead.”

The government-owned airline reportedly had incurred more than $1.8 billion in losses as of March 2023. Out of its total fleet of 23, three other aircraft have been grounded for over a year.

In August 2022, the SriLankan government announced plans to partially sell its national carrier because it could 鈥渘o longer afford to inject money鈥� into running the carrier.

Indian media outlets named Tata Sons, Adani group and Emirates as possible interested parties in SriLankan Airlines.

This is not the first instance where a rat had caused major disruption to flights. In 2018, then- German Minister of Finance Olaf Scholz was left stranded during the International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting after an A340 鈥淜onrad Adenauer鈥� was grounded in Indonesia because rats had gnawed through critical cables in the aircraft.

AirAsia A320 suffers pressurization issues mid-flight twice in two days聽聽

• Aircraft
• Airlines

byLuke Peters

2024-02-28

A Delta Air Lines flight was forced to turn back to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) after maggots fell out of an overhead bin and onto passengers. 

Flight DL 133 was on its way to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) on February 13, 2024. The flight departed on time, at around 10:30 local time. 

However, less than an hour into the nine-hour 15 minute flight, the A330 aircraft turned around when a suitcase containing rotting fish broke open during the flight and maggots fell onto unsuspecting economy passengers.

The flight landed safely back to AMS airport where passengers were taken off board and the aircraft, with registration N821NW, underwent deep cleaning. Passengers were placed on different flights to Detroit. 

The suitcase, fish and the maggots were all placed in a bag and burned.

As compensation for the revolting experience, passengers were given 8,000 air miles, a $30 meal ticket, and one night精东影业 hotel accommodation to those who were placed on flights the following day.

It is unclear whether the man who brought the suitcase with rotting fish on board has been charged.

Bees swarm aircraft at Brazilian airport leaving passengers stuck for 90 mins

• This is interesting!

byJean Carmela Lim

2024-01-25

A Korean Air Airbus A330 aircraft was pushing back at Japan精东影业 New Chitose Airport (CTS) when it collided with a stationary Cathay Pacific B777 aircraft. 

The incident took place at around 17:30 local time on January 16, 2023. A Korean Air official was reported by Reuters to have said that a towing car was pushing the Korean Air A330 backwards in preparation for departure. 

Due to snow on the ground the towing car slipped, causing the left wing of the A330 to clip the Cathay Pacific B777精东影业 right tail wing. 

The Korean Air A330 carried 289 passengers, while the Cathay Pacific aircraft was empty.

The Cathay Pacific plane was scheduled to depart as Flight CX 583 at 17:10 local time for Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). 

There were no injuries reported from the incident.

According to Japanese broadcast channel NTV, a local fire department confirmed that no fire or fuel leaks were detected.

New Chitose Airport is located in Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan精东影业 islands known for its hot springs and ski areas. January and February are the coldest months in Hokkaido, where heavy snowfall is common.

Japan Airlines A350 engulfed in flames after 鈥榗ollision鈥� with Coast Guard plane

• Airlines
• Airport

byIan Molyneaux

2024-01-02

Footage reportedly taken on board the China Eastern Airbus A330-300 showed the aircraft rattling uncontrollably as the Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) bound flight was forced to divert to Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport (XMN).聽

Flight MU721 left HKG December 3, 2023, shortly after 8:30 am local time and was due to land at its destination around six hours later. 

Passengers reportedly heard a loud bang and subsequent photos shared on social media showed one of the plane精东影业 Rolls Royce engines with two badly damaged blades.聽

Ent茫o, Rolls Royce? Uma p谩 do andar de fan do motor Trent 772 partiu-se, provocou danos nas p谩s adjacentes e fez um buraco na carenagem. Pilotos do A330 da China Eastern controlaram bem a enorme vibra莽茫o que se seguiu e aterraram em seguran莽a. Isto n茫o devia acontecer, 茅 perigoso

— Jos茅 Correia Guedes (@cpt340)

A second photo showed another part of the aircraft精东影业 exterior with a small tear where presumably one of the blades struck.  

It is understood that the Airbus A330 suffered engine failure, which in turn caused the aircraft to shake violently. 

A passenger aboard the flight filmed from inside the aircraft and showed the cabin rattling uncontrollably聽as passengers held onto the seats in front of them. 聽

China Eastern Airlines flight MU721, from Shanghai Hongqiao to Hong Kong, Airbus A330-300 (B-8970) experienced sudden vibrations inside cabin due to suspected engine failure. Originally scheduled to land at Hong Kong International Airport at 10:50 am, has been diverted to Xiamen鈥�

— Eliteworld (@eliteworldwaves)

The Airbus, registered B-8970, is a seven-year-old plane. No injuries to passengers or crew have so far been reported. 

The passengers were subsequently placed on another flight that landed in Xiamen later that day.聽

Helicopter crashes on major Madrid motorway after industry trade show聽

• Aviation

byMiquel Ros

2023-12-01

The incident, which occurred on August 14, 2023, took place on board Flight MH122 bound for Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL). 

While the Airbus A330 departed SYD airport on time at 13:06 local time, the flight only reached as far as the northwest area of New South Wales before it was diverted to return to SYD.

Video footage of the incident was uploaded and shared on social media, where the passenger, carrying a black backpack, can be seen saying: 鈥淢y name is Mohammad, slave of Allah.鈥�

The passenger then singled out nearby passengers, asking each of them: 鈥淎re you a slave of Allan? Are you? Say it! Say it!鈥�

A male flight attendant can also be seen trying to intervene, but was also asked the same question by the passenger. 

To diffuse the situation, the flight attendant can be heard saying, 鈥淵es I am, yes I am.鈥�

However, the passenger did not seem convinced, and continued his diatribe.

The flight eventually landed back in SYD Airport at 15:47 local time. At this point, the aircraft remained on the runway while Australian Federal Police (AFP) were called to assist.

A passenger on board the flight that all passengers were moved to the back of the aircraft while the aircraft was surrounded by fire trucks. 

Another video clip shows the passenger isolated in an area of the aircraft and performing prayer gestures while the remaining passengers look on.

Eventually, passengers were evacuated from the aircraft at around 18:30 local time without their belongings.

In a statement, Malaysia Airline confirmed the incident and said that the safety and comfort of its passengers and crew are of 鈥渦tmost importance鈥�.

鈥淚n the interest of safety, the commander of the flight made a decision to return to Sydney. The flight carrying 194 passengers and five crew onboard landed safely at 3:47 pm local time. The safety and comfort of our crew and passengers are of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines,鈥� the airline said.

According to a media statement, the disruptive passenger was arrested without incident.

鈥淎 passenger on an international flight from Sydney to Malaysia has been arrested by the AFP. The man, 45, was arrested by the AFP without incident. Passengers have now been evacuated from the aircraft. There is no impending threat to the community.The man is expected to be charged later tonight,鈥� the AFP said. 

The AFP said that updates will be provided at an 鈥渁ppropriate time鈥�.

Singapore Airlines blacklists passenger who was unruly in 2 consecutive flights

• Airlines

byJean Carmela Lim

2022-11-15

Flight HA 451 left Honolulu精东影业 Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on June 29, 2023 at approximately 12:55 local time. 

Five hours into the flight, the Airbus A330 aircraft met strong winds that sent passengers flying out of their seats and crashing to the floor as the aircraft nosedived. 

A doctor onboard immediately treated four passengers and three flight attendants.

The flight was able to land safely at Sydney Airport the following day on the evening of June 30, 2023, where injured passengers and crew were met by paramedics. One passenger and three staff members were taken to hospital with injuries and back pain.

A passenger who was on the flight that showed the extent of the damage to the A330 interior caused by the severe turbulence.

Image: RainbowAussie / Reddit

The poster, username RainbowAussie, said that damage to the cabin was caused by 鈥渉uman bodies flying out of seats when the plane hit turbulence and suddenly nosedived.鈥�

鈥淥ur Airbus A330 aircraft carrying 163 passengers and 12 crew members landed without incident at Sydney Airport at 7:47 pm local time Friday,鈥� Hawaiian Airlines confirmed via a statement that was published by several media outlets.

鈥淥ur immediate priority is to continue to care for our passengers and crew affected by this turbulence event, and we thank Sydney airport first responders for their swift assistance. We conducted a thorough inspection of the aircraft before boarding HA452, which departed Sydney to Honolulu at approximately 10:30pm local time yesterday,鈥� the airline said.

In December 2022, a Hawaiian Airlines flight flying from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) to Honolulu also encountered severe turbulence prior to descent. The turbulence led to 20 people sustaining significant injuries. 

Scientist develops software to avoid unforeseen turbulence using photon lights

• Aircraft

byIan Molyneaux

2023-04-04

The carrier has a number of inactive Airbus A330s it plans to return to service and investment from institutional investors will allow this to happen.  

According to the airline the funding would 鈥渟erve as an interim fundraising measure to bolster its short-term working capital requirements as the company continues to recover and grow its operations in this post-pandemic era.鈥� 

Details were announced by AirAsia X on May 23, 2023, which is currently flying 16 medium-haul destinations. 

The Malaysian-based airline has looked to regularize and improve its financial condition since early 2022 and has turned around its financial performance from loss-making to registering two consecutive quarters of profit for the financial periods that ended September 30, 2022, and December 31, 2022. 

The proposed placement of shares would be the company精东影业 first equity fundraising exercise since 2015 as AirAsia X continues to evaluate its operational and financial performance as well as the viability of its PN17 regularization plan. 

鈥淪ince the reopening of the regional borders last year, AirAsia X continues to grow, and we have been ramping up our operations to cater to the demand for international air travel across the regions. As of May 2023, AirAsia X has 17 aircraft within its fleet, with 11 activated and operational and we aim to activate more aircraft by the end of the year,鈥� Benyamin Ismail, CEO of AirAsia X said. 

Ismail added: 鈥溾�淲e are pleased to have embarked on this new era post-COVID-19, in which we witness the return of confidence in the aviation industry, which has shown clear evidence of a rebound following three long years of stall.鈥� 

Is Lion Air looking to order the Airbus A220?聽

• Aircraft

byRytis Beresnevicius

2023-05-25

It marks the beginning of six weekly return flights to Vietnam from Australia, departing from SYD airport and Melbourne Airport (MEL), with flights from Brisbane Airport (BNE) to commence from June 2023.

The Sydney – Ho Chi Minh City flights are operated three times per week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Outbound flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Sydney will be flown on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The flights are operated on Vietjet精东影业 fleet of Airbus A330, with around nine hours of flight time.

VietJet joins Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar, and Vietnam精东影业 newest carrier Bamboo Airlines in offering direct services between Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh. 

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)精东影业 2021 Census, most of the 320,758 Vietnamese speakers in Australia resided in Victoria and New South Wales.

A milestone for Sydney Airport

Vietjet精东影业 inaugural flight also served as a milestone for Sydney Airport. 

鈥淔or the first time in our 103-year history, we have 50 airlines operating through the airport at the same time,鈥� the airport said in a tweet.

VietJet Air to launch Ho Chi Minh to Melbourne route by April 2023

• Airlines

byJean Carmela Lim

2023-01-11