The runway here is actually located offshore. Here is a sequence of shots showing an Air Asia plane on its way from the runway to the gates
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Macau International airport
The runway here is actually located offshore. Here is a sequence of shots showing an Air Asia plane on its way from the runway to the gates
Sunday, May 3, 2009
To Macau on Tiger Airways
This All Nippon Airways plane just landed
A Singapore Airline's Boeing 777 plane getting airborne
Cathay Pacific plane on its way to the arrival gates
A Fedex frieghter taking off
The Republic of Singapore Air Force uses the runway at Changi Airport for takeoff. Here a tanker is on its way back to Changi Air Base West after landing
A Tiger Airways plane getting ready for departure at Changi airport's budget terminal
Monday, April 6, 2009
Budget Airlines in the Middle East
DUBAI (AFP) - - Dubai appeared to shrug off a slowdown in global air travel and its own financial crisis, announcing on Monday the launch of its first budget carrier, a sister company to high-flying Emirates airline.
Flydubai will take to the skies in two months, with flights to Beirut on June 1 and to Amman on June 2, company chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum told reporters.
The company's website listed Dubai-Beirut-Dubai fares starting from 170 dollars, compared to the standard return ticket price of 1,800 dirhams (490 dollars) with Emirates.
"We are committed to bringing a new option to the market and to growing the region's budget air travel business," said Sheikh Ahmed, also chairman of Emirates.
"This will benefit our economy, our people, and tourism business as a whole."
Despite a global economic slowdown whose effects are being felt in the oil-rich Gulf, Sheikh Ahmed said: "There is a lot of potential in this region... and we have a lot to do."
The Gulf emirate first announced the establishment of flydubai in March 2008, with a start-up capital of 250 million dirhams (67 million dollars).
"We set the date long time ago. We never really thought of delaying (the launch)... we think that the market is there," Sheikh Ahmed told AFP.
Flydubai will operate two next-generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the Beirut and Amman routes, and have four aircraft by the end of the year, he said.
Dubai owns the largest Middle East carrier, Emirates, and has the busiest airport in the region which handled more than 37 million passengers in 2008, a nine percent increase from 2007.
The new airline will be based at Dubai Airport. It was first expected to use Dubai's al-Maktoum International airport, but the new hub is running behind schedule and is now expected to open in 2010 instead of this year.
It joins an increasing number of budget airlines in the region.
The neighbouring emirate of Sharjah operates Air Arabia, while Kuwait's Jazeera Airways operates from Dubai and Kuwait, Bahrain Air flies from the neighbouring Gulf archipelago, and Nas from oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
Air Arabia is the Middle East's first and largest no-frills carrier, which carried 3.6 million passengers in 2008 and saw annual profit surged 35.6 percent to 138.9 million dollars.
"Nobody can stop competition. It will always be there, whether in your home ground and anywhere else," Sheikh Ahmed told AFP.
Dubai's once-booming economy was hard-hit by the global economic crisis, which tightened the noose on finance available for Dubai businesses, especially the massive real estate sector -- once the main engine of growth.
The central bank of the United Arab Emirates came to Dubai's help in February by subscribing to 10 billion dollars in bonds issued by the emirate to finance a foreign debt burden exceeding 74 billion dollars.
But Middle East air travel appears to be bucking a global slowdown, as the region's carriers saw a rise of 0.4 percent in international traffic in February, compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
IATA reported a sharp decline in air travel in February, as global passenger numbers nosedived 10.1 percent from the year before while freight traffic fell by 22.1 percent.
Flydubai will take to the skies in two months, with flights to Beirut on June 1 and to Amman on June 2, company chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum told reporters.
The company's website listed Dubai-Beirut-Dubai fares starting from 170 dollars, compared to the standard return ticket price of 1,800 dirhams (490 dollars) with Emirates.
"We are committed to bringing a new option to the market and to growing the region's budget air travel business," said Sheikh Ahmed, also chairman of Emirates.
"This will benefit our economy, our people, and tourism business as a whole."
Despite a global economic slowdown whose effects are being felt in the oil-rich Gulf, Sheikh Ahmed said: "There is a lot of potential in this region... and we have a lot to do."
The Gulf emirate first announced the establishment of flydubai in March 2008, with a start-up capital of 250 million dirhams (67 million dollars).
"We set the date long time ago. We never really thought of delaying (the launch)... we think that the market is there," Sheikh Ahmed told AFP.
Flydubai will operate two next-generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the Beirut and Amman routes, and have four aircraft by the end of the year, he said.
Dubai owns the largest Middle East carrier, Emirates, and has the busiest airport in the region which handled more than 37 million passengers in 2008, a nine percent increase from 2007.
The new airline will be based at Dubai Airport. It was first expected to use Dubai's al-Maktoum International airport, but the new hub is running behind schedule and is now expected to open in 2010 instead of this year.
It joins an increasing number of budget airlines in the region.
The neighbouring emirate of Sharjah operates Air Arabia, while Kuwait's Jazeera Airways operates from Dubai and Kuwait, Bahrain Air flies from the neighbouring Gulf archipelago, and Nas from oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
Air Arabia is the Middle East's first and largest no-frills carrier, which carried 3.6 million passengers in 2008 and saw annual profit surged 35.6 percent to 138.9 million dollars.
"Nobody can stop competition. It will always be there, whether in your home ground and anywhere else," Sheikh Ahmed told AFP.
Dubai's once-booming economy was hard-hit by the global economic crisis, which tightened the noose on finance available for Dubai businesses, especially the massive real estate sector -- once the main engine of growth.
The central bank of the United Arab Emirates came to Dubai's help in February by subscribing to 10 billion dollars in bonds issued by the emirate to finance a foreign debt burden exceeding 74 billion dollars.
But Middle East air travel appears to be bucking a global slowdown, as the region's carriers saw a rise of 0.4 percent in international traffic in February, compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
IATA reported a sharp decline in air travel in February, as global passenger numbers nosedived 10.1 percent from the year before while freight traffic fell by 22.1 percent.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
US Airways 1549 Hudson crash landing
Quoted from Wikipedia
US Airways Flight 1549 was a commercial passenger flight from New York City's LaGuardia Airport bound for Charlotte, North Carolina that ditched in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009. All 155 on board survived.
While in the flight's initial climb out about two minutes after taking off at 3:25 p.m. EST (20:25 UTC), the Airbus 320 struck a flock of Canada Geese[6] at about 3,000 feet resulting in an immediate loss of thrust from both engines. When the pilots concluded that their airliner would be unable to safely reach any airfield from their altitude and location near the George Washington Bridge, they turned south and headed down the river looking for a place to ditch. After gliding for about eight miles in essentially unpowered flight, the aircrew set the airliner down intact in mid-river at 3:31 pm near the USS Intrepid Museum (Pier 86, North River) in midtown Manhattan. All 150 passengers and 5 aircrew safely evacuated the cabin and were rescued from the partially submerged plane by the crews of nearby commercial and rescue watercraft.
The entire crew of Flight 1549 was later awarded the Master's Medal of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators. The award citation read, "This emergency ditching and evacuation, with the loss of no lives, is a heroic and unique aviation achievement
The downed US Airways Flight 1549 floating on the Hudson River
Incident summary
Date January 15, 2009 (2009-01-15)
Type Multiple bird strikes, controlled ditching
Site Hudson River between New York City near 48th Street and Port Imperial at Weehawken, New Jersey, United States
Passengers 150[1]
Crew 5
Injuries 78[2] (mostly minor)
Fatalities 0
Survivors 155 (all)
Aircraft type Airbus A320-214
Operator US Airways
Tail number N106US
While in the flight's initial climb out about two minutes after taking off at 3:25 p.m. EST (20:25 UTC), the Airbus 320 struck a flock of Canada Geese[6] at about 3,000 feet resulting in an immediate loss of thrust from both engines. When the pilots concluded that their airliner would be unable to safely reach any airfield from their altitude and location near the George Washington Bridge, they turned south and headed down the river looking for a place to ditch. After gliding for about eight miles in essentially unpowered flight, the aircrew set the airliner down intact in mid-river at 3:31 pm near the USS Intrepid Museum (Pier 86, North River) in midtown Manhattan. All 150 passengers and 5 aircrew safely evacuated the cabin and were rescued from the partially submerged plane by the crews of nearby commercial and rescue watercraft.
The entire crew of Flight 1549 was later awarded the Master's Medal of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators. The award citation read, "This emergency ditching and evacuation, with the loss of no lives, is a heroic and unique aviation achievement."
The captain was Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, 57, a former fighter pilot who had been an airline pilot since leaving the Air Force in 1980. He is also a safety expert and a glider pilot. The first officer was Jeffrey B. Skiles, 49.[17][20][21] The flight attendants were Donna Dent,[22] Doreen Welsh, and Sheila Dail.
The aircraft was an Airbus A320-214 (US Registry: N106US), powered by two GE Aviation/Snecma-designed CFM56-5B4/P engines manufactured in France and the U.S.[25] One of 74 A320s then in service in the US Airways fleet,[26] it was built by Airbus Industrie with final assembly at its facility at Aéroport de Toulouse-Blagnac in France in June, 1999. Delivered to the carrier on August 2, 1999, the airliner was registered to Wells Fargo Bank Northwest, NA, as owner/lessor[27] with AIG listed as the lead insurer.[28]
The mechanical energy of the two engines is the primary source of routine electrical power and hydraulic pressure for the aircraft flight control systems.[30] The aircraft also has an auxiliary power unit (APU), which can provide backup electrical power for the aircraft, including its electrically powered hydraulic pumps; and a ram air turbine (RAT), a type of wind turbine that can be deployed into the airstream to provide backup hydraulic pressure and electrical power at certain speeds.[30] According to the NTSB, both the APU and the RAT were operating as the plane descended into the Hudson, although it was not clear whether the RAT had been deployed manually or automatically.[30]
The Airbus A320 also has a "ditching" button that closes valves and openings underneath the aircraft including the outflow valve, the air inlet for the emergency Ram Air Turbine, avionics inlet, extract valve and flow control valve. It is meant to slow flooding in a water landing.[31] The flight crew did not activate the "ditch switch" during the incident
At 3:27:36,[34] using the call sign "Cactus 1539 [sic]",[36][37] the flight radioed air traffic controllers at New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON)[38] "Hit birds. We lost thrust in both engines. Returning back towards LaGuardia." Passengers and cabin crew later reported hearing "very loud bangs" in both engines and seeing flaming exhaust, then silence from the engines and the odor of unburned fuel in the cabin.[8][39][40] Responding to the captain's report of a bird strike, controllers gave Sullenberger a heading to return to LaGuardia and told him that he could land to the southeast on Runway 13 (heading 135.5°).[38] Sullenberger responded that he was unable.[38] Unofficial radar returns show that the flight reached at most 3,200 feet (980 m) before beginning its descent.
FlightpathSullenberger asked if they could attempt an emergency landing in New Jersey, mentioning Teterboro Airport (Bergen County, New Jersey) as a possibility;[41][38][42] air traffic controllers quickly contacted Teterbero and gained permission for a landing on runway 1.[41] However, Sullenberger told controllers that "We can't do it",[33] and that "We're gonna be in the Hudson," making clear his intention to bring the plane down on the Hudson River due to a lack of altitude.[43] Air traffic control at LaGuardia reported seeing the aircraft pass less than 900 feet (270 m) above the George Washington Bridge.[44] About 90 seconds before touchdown, the captain announced, "Brace for impact,"[44] and the flight attendants instructed the passengers, via the PA system, how to brace themselves and keep their heads down.[45]
The plane ended its six-minute flight at 3:31 pm with an unpowered ditching while heading south at about 150 miles per hour (130 kn; 240 km/h) in the middle of the North River section of the Hudson River roughly abeam 50th Street (near the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum) in Manhattan and Port Imperial in Weehawken, New Jersey. The pilot in command said in an interview on CBS television that his training was to choose a ditching location near operating boats so as to maximize the chance of rescue. The location was near three boat terminals: two used by ferry operator NY Waterway on either side of the Hudson River and a third used by tour boat operator Circle Line.[13][46] The ditching location was approximately 40°46′10″N 74°00′17″W / 40.769498°N 74.004636°W / 40.769498; 74.004636Coordinates: 40°46′10″N 74°00′17″W / 40.769498°N 74.004636°W / 40.769498; 74.004636.[47] After coming to a stop in the river, the plane began drifting southward with the current.[48]
Immediately after the plane came to a stop, the captain issued the order to evacuate and the three flight attendants began evacuating the passengers through the four emergency window exits over the wings and into the inflatable, floating slides deployed from the two front passenger doors. Two flight attendants were in the front, one in the rear. Each flight attendant in the front opened a door and inflated a slide. One rear door was opened by a panicked passenger, causing the aircraft to fill more quickly with water. The flight attendant in the rear attempted to close the rear door, but was not successful, she told CBS News.[51] She also urged passengers to move forward by climbing over seats to escape the rising water within the cabin. One passenger was in a wheelchair. After the plane had been evacuated, the captain twice walked the length of the cabin to confirm that no one remained inside before becoming the last person to leave his plane.Evacuees, some wearing life-vests, waited for rescue on the partly submerged slides, knee-deep in icy river water. Others stood on the wings or, fearing an explosion, swam away from the plane.
The FDNY sent four marine units and rescue divers.[60] On land, FDNY declared a level III (All Hands) emergency and mobilized their Major Emergency Response, Logistical Support Units and had 35 ambulances ready for patients coming off the flight.[61][62] About 140 FDNY firefighters responded to docks near the crash.[60] The NYPD sent squad cars, helicopters, vessels, and rescue divers from the Aviation Unit and Harbor Unit.
The downed plane being recovered from the Hudson River during the night of January 17.At 4:55 p.m. (21:55 UTC) fire crews began to stand down. At 5:07 p.m. (22:07 UTC), Doug Parker, CEO of US Airways, issued an official statement during a press conference in Tempe, Arizona, in which he confirmed that the flight had been involved in an accident.[70]
The flight crew, particularly Captain Sullenberger, were widely praised for their actions during the incident including by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Governor David Paterson who opined, "We had a 'Miracle on 34th Street.' I believe now we have had a 'Miracle on the Hudson'."[66][71][72][73] Outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush said he was "inspired by the skill and heroism of the flight crew," and he also praised the emergency responders and volunteers.[74] Then President-elect Barack Obama said that everyone was proud of Sullenberger's "heroic and graceful job in landing the damaged aircraft," and thanked the plane's crew (which he invited to attend his inauguration as President in Washington, D.C., five days later) and those on the scene in New York who helped ensure the safety of all 155 people aboard.[75] [76]
Following the rescue, the plane remained afloat though partially submerged, and was quickly moored to a pier near the World Financial Center in Lower Manhattan, roughly 4 miles (6 km) downstream from where it had ditched.[45] The left engine had detached from the plane during the ditching and was recovered several days later from the river bottom, 65 feet (20 m) below the surface.[77] The right engine was initially thought to have detached, but was later found to be still attached to the aircraft although much of its nacelle was missing.[78] On January 17, the aircraft, which was written off,[79] was removed from the Hudson River and placed on a barge.[33][80][81] The aircraft was then moved to New Jersey for examination.[82]
[edit] Accident investigation
Shortly after the event, FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said that the plane may have been hit by birds.[83] A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Go Team (typically comprising specialists in fields relating to the incident), led by Senior Air Safety Investigator Robert Benzon, was dispatched to New York.[84] The preliminary report of the incident, published on January 16, states that the aircraft went down following a bird strike.[85] This conclusion, and the simultaneous loss of thrust in both engines, was confirmed by preliminary analysis of the Cockpit Voice Recorder and the Flight Data Recorder which were both recovered from the airframe by the NTSB when it was lifted out of the river on January 18.[50]
The next day, reports surfaced that the same airplane and same flight had experienced a similar but less severe compressor stall on January 13. During that flight, passengers were told they might have to make an emergency landing.[86][87] However, the affected engine was restarted and the flight continued to Charlotte. The NTSB later reported that this engine surge had been caused by a faulty temperature sensor, which was replaced, and that the engine was undamaged by the event, which allowed the plane to return to service.[88]
Feather found in left (#1) engineOn January 21, the NTSB noted that organic debris, including a single feather, as well as evidence of soft-body damage, was found in the right engine.[89][90] The left engine was recovered from the river on January 23 and, like the right engine, was missing a large portion of its housing.[91] On initial examination the NTSB reported that while missing obvious organic matter, it too had evidence of soft body impact, and "had dents on both the spinner and inlet lip of the engine cowling. Five booster inlet guide vanes are fractured and eight outlet guide vanes are missing." Both engines were to be sent to the manufacturer's Cincinnati facility for teardown and examination.[92] On January 31, the plane was moved to a secure storage facility in Kearny, New Jersey, for the remainder of the investigation. The NTSB confirmed that bird remains had been found in both engines,[88][93] and through DNA testing were later identified as Canada Geese (Branta canadensis). The typical weight of these birds is well above the threshold the engines were designed to withstand on impact.
Flight 1549 is the fifth take-off/departure phase accident involving a commercial air carrier at LaGuardia since the field opened in 1939 which resulted in the write off of the accident aircraft.[96] Of those, it is also the third involving the hull loss of a US Airways/USAir plane.
US Airways Flight 1549 was a commercial passenger flight from New York City's LaGuardia Airport bound for Charlotte, North Carolina that ditched in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009. All 155 on board survived.
While in the flight's initial climb out about two minutes after taking off at 3:25 p.m. EST (20:25 UTC), the Airbus 320 struck a flock of Canada Geese[6] at about 3,000 feet resulting in an immediate loss of thrust from both engines. When the pilots concluded that their airliner would be unable to safely reach any airfield from their altitude and location near the George Washington Bridge, they turned south and headed down the river looking for a place to ditch. After gliding for about eight miles in essentially unpowered flight, the aircrew set the airliner down intact in mid-river at 3:31 pm near the USS Intrepid Museum (Pier 86, North River) in midtown Manhattan. All 150 passengers and 5 aircrew safely evacuated the cabin and were rescued from the partially submerged plane by the crews of nearby commercial and rescue watercraft.
The entire crew of Flight 1549 was later awarded the Master's Medal of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators. The award citation read, "This emergency ditching and evacuation, with the loss of no lives, is a heroic and unique aviation achievement
The downed US Airways Flight 1549 floating on the Hudson River
Incident summary
Date January 15, 2009 (2009-01-15)
Type Multiple bird strikes, controlled ditching
Site Hudson River between New York City near 48th Street and Port Imperial at Weehawken, New Jersey, United States
Passengers 150[1]
Crew 5
Injuries 78[2] (mostly minor)
Fatalities 0
Survivors 155 (all)
Aircraft type Airbus A320-214
Operator US Airways
Tail number N106US
While in the flight's initial climb out about two minutes after taking off at 3:25 p.m. EST (20:25 UTC), the Airbus 320 struck a flock of Canada Geese[6] at about 3,000 feet resulting in an immediate loss of thrust from both engines. When the pilots concluded that their airliner would be unable to safely reach any airfield from their altitude and location near the George Washington Bridge, they turned south and headed down the river looking for a place to ditch. After gliding for about eight miles in essentially unpowered flight, the aircrew set the airliner down intact in mid-river at 3:31 pm near the USS Intrepid Museum (Pier 86, North River) in midtown Manhattan. All 150 passengers and 5 aircrew safely evacuated the cabin and were rescued from the partially submerged plane by the crews of nearby commercial and rescue watercraft.
The entire crew of Flight 1549 was later awarded the Master's Medal of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators. The award citation read, "This emergency ditching and evacuation, with the loss of no lives, is a heroic and unique aviation achievement."
The captain was Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, 57, a former fighter pilot who had been an airline pilot since leaving the Air Force in 1980. He is also a safety expert and a glider pilot. The first officer was Jeffrey B. Skiles, 49.[17][20][21] The flight attendants were Donna Dent,[22] Doreen Welsh, and Sheila Dail.
The aircraft was an Airbus A320-214 (US Registry: N106US), powered by two GE Aviation/Snecma-designed CFM56-5B4/P engines manufactured in France and the U.S.[25] One of 74 A320s then in service in the US Airways fleet,[26] it was built by Airbus Industrie with final assembly at its facility at Aéroport de Toulouse-Blagnac in France in June, 1999. Delivered to the carrier on August 2, 1999, the airliner was registered to Wells Fargo Bank Northwest, NA, as owner/lessor[27] with AIG listed as the lead insurer.[28]
The mechanical energy of the two engines is the primary source of routine electrical power and hydraulic pressure for the aircraft flight control systems.[30] The aircraft also has an auxiliary power unit (APU), which can provide backup electrical power for the aircraft, including its electrically powered hydraulic pumps; and a ram air turbine (RAT), a type of wind turbine that can be deployed into the airstream to provide backup hydraulic pressure and electrical power at certain speeds.[30] According to the NTSB, both the APU and the RAT were operating as the plane descended into the Hudson, although it was not clear whether the RAT had been deployed manually or automatically.[30]
The Airbus A320 also has a "ditching" button that closes valves and openings underneath the aircraft including the outflow valve, the air inlet for the emergency Ram Air Turbine, avionics inlet, extract valve and flow control valve. It is meant to slow flooding in a water landing.[31] The flight crew did not activate the "ditch switch" during the incident
At 3:27:36,[34] using the call sign "Cactus 1539 [sic]",[36][37] the flight radioed air traffic controllers at New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON)[38] "Hit birds. We lost thrust in both engines. Returning back towards LaGuardia." Passengers and cabin crew later reported hearing "very loud bangs" in both engines and seeing flaming exhaust, then silence from the engines and the odor of unburned fuel in the cabin.[8][39][40] Responding to the captain's report of a bird strike, controllers gave Sullenberger a heading to return to LaGuardia and told him that he could land to the southeast on Runway 13 (heading 135.5°).[38] Sullenberger responded that he was unable.[38] Unofficial radar returns show that the flight reached at most 3,200 feet (980 m) before beginning its descent.
FlightpathSullenberger asked if they could attempt an emergency landing in New Jersey, mentioning Teterboro Airport (Bergen County, New Jersey) as a possibility;[41][38][42] air traffic controllers quickly contacted Teterbero and gained permission for a landing on runway 1.[41] However, Sullenberger told controllers that "We can't do it",[33] and that "We're gonna be in the Hudson," making clear his intention to bring the plane down on the Hudson River due to a lack of altitude.[43] Air traffic control at LaGuardia reported seeing the aircraft pass less than 900 feet (270 m) above the George Washington Bridge.[44] About 90 seconds before touchdown, the captain announced, "Brace for impact,"[44] and the flight attendants instructed the passengers, via the PA system, how to brace themselves and keep their heads down.[45]
The plane ended its six-minute flight at 3:31 pm with an unpowered ditching while heading south at about 150 miles per hour (130 kn; 240 km/h) in the middle of the North River section of the Hudson River roughly abeam 50th Street (near the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum) in Manhattan and Port Imperial in Weehawken, New Jersey. The pilot in command said in an interview on CBS television that his training was to choose a ditching location near operating boats so as to maximize the chance of rescue. The location was near three boat terminals: two used by ferry operator NY Waterway on either side of the Hudson River and a third used by tour boat operator Circle Line.[13][46] The ditching location was approximately 40°46′10″N 74°00′17″W / 40.769498°N 74.004636°W / 40.769498; 74.004636Coordinates: 40°46′10″N 74°00′17″W / 40.769498°N 74.004636°W / 40.769498; 74.004636.[47] After coming to a stop in the river, the plane began drifting southward with the current.[48]
Immediately after the plane came to a stop, the captain issued the order to evacuate and the three flight attendants began evacuating the passengers through the four emergency window exits over the wings and into the inflatable, floating slides deployed from the two front passenger doors. Two flight attendants were in the front, one in the rear. Each flight attendant in the front opened a door and inflated a slide. One rear door was opened by a panicked passenger, causing the aircraft to fill more quickly with water. The flight attendant in the rear attempted to close the rear door, but was not successful, she told CBS News.[51] She also urged passengers to move forward by climbing over seats to escape the rising water within the cabin. One passenger was in a wheelchair. After the plane had been evacuated, the captain twice walked the length of the cabin to confirm that no one remained inside before becoming the last person to leave his plane.Evacuees, some wearing life-vests, waited for rescue on the partly submerged slides, knee-deep in icy river water. Others stood on the wings or, fearing an explosion, swam away from the plane.
The FDNY sent four marine units and rescue divers.[60] On land, FDNY declared a level III (All Hands) emergency and mobilized their Major Emergency Response, Logistical Support Units and had 35 ambulances ready for patients coming off the flight.[61][62] About 140 FDNY firefighters responded to docks near the crash.[60] The NYPD sent squad cars, helicopters, vessels, and rescue divers from the Aviation Unit and Harbor Unit.
The downed plane being recovered from the Hudson River during the night of January 17.At 4:55 p.m. (21:55 UTC) fire crews began to stand down. At 5:07 p.m. (22:07 UTC), Doug Parker, CEO of US Airways, issued an official statement during a press conference in Tempe, Arizona, in which he confirmed that the flight had been involved in an accident.[70]
The flight crew, particularly Captain Sullenberger, were widely praised for their actions during the incident including by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Governor David Paterson who opined, "We had a 'Miracle on 34th Street.' I believe now we have had a 'Miracle on the Hudson'."[66][71][72][73] Outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush said he was "inspired by the skill and heroism of the flight crew," and he also praised the emergency responders and volunteers.[74] Then President-elect Barack Obama said that everyone was proud of Sullenberger's "heroic and graceful job in landing the damaged aircraft," and thanked the plane's crew (which he invited to attend his inauguration as President in Washington, D.C., five days later) and those on the scene in New York who helped ensure the safety of all 155 people aboard.[75] [76]
Following the rescue, the plane remained afloat though partially submerged, and was quickly moored to a pier near the World Financial Center in Lower Manhattan, roughly 4 miles (6 km) downstream from where it had ditched.[45] The left engine had detached from the plane during the ditching and was recovered several days later from the river bottom, 65 feet (20 m) below the surface.[77] The right engine was initially thought to have detached, but was later found to be still attached to the aircraft although much of its nacelle was missing.[78] On January 17, the aircraft, which was written off,[79] was removed from the Hudson River and placed on a barge.[33][80][81] The aircraft was then moved to New Jersey for examination.[82]
[edit] Accident investigation
Shortly after the event, FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said that the plane may have been hit by birds.[83] A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Go Team (typically comprising specialists in fields relating to the incident), led by Senior Air Safety Investigator Robert Benzon, was dispatched to New York.[84] The preliminary report of the incident, published on January 16, states that the aircraft went down following a bird strike.[85] This conclusion, and the simultaneous loss of thrust in both engines, was confirmed by preliminary analysis of the Cockpit Voice Recorder and the Flight Data Recorder which were both recovered from the airframe by the NTSB when it was lifted out of the river on January 18.[50]
The next day, reports surfaced that the same airplane and same flight had experienced a similar but less severe compressor stall on January 13. During that flight, passengers were told they might have to make an emergency landing.[86][87] However, the affected engine was restarted and the flight continued to Charlotte. The NTSB later reported that this engine surge had been caused by a faulty temperature sensor, which was replaced, and that the engine was undamaged by the event, which allowed the plane to return to service.[88]
Feather found in left (#1) engineOn January 21, the NTSB noted that organic debris, including a single feather, as well as evidence of soft-body damage, was found in the right engine.[89][90] The left engine was recovered from the river on January 23 and, like the right engine, was missing a large portion of its housing.[91] On initial examination the NTSB reported that while missing obvious organic matter, it too had evidence of soft body impact, and "had dents on both the spinner and inlet lip of the engine cowling. Five booster inlet guide vanes are fractured and eight outlet guide vanes are missing." Both engines were to be sent to the manufacturer's Cincinnati facility for teardown and examination.[92] On January 31, the plane was moved to a secure storage facility in Kearny, New Jersey, for the remainder of the investigation. The NTSB confirmed that bird remains had been found in both engines,[88][93] and through DNA testing were later identified as Canada Geese (Branta canadensis). The typical weight of these birds is well above the threshold the engines were designed to withstand on impact.
Flight 1549 is the fifth take-off/departure phase accident involving a commercial air carrier at LaGuardia since the field opened in 1939 which resulted in the write off of the accident aircraft.[96] Of those, it is also the third involving the hull loss of a US Airways/USAir plane.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
'Horrifying' year for SAS ends with losses, layoffs
AFP - Wednesday, February 4STOCKHOLM (AFP) - - Beleaguered Scandinavian carrier SAS, which slumped into the red for 2008, said Tuesday it would step up restructuring, lay off thousands, sell subsidiaries and cut 40 percent of its routes.
STOCKHOLM (AFP) - - Beleaguered Scandinavian carrier SAS, which slumped into the red for 2008, said Tuesday it would step up restructuring, lay off thousands, sell subsidiaries and cut 40 percent of its routes.
ADVERTISEMENT
The airline reported a net loss of 6.32 billion kronor (590 million euros, 760 million dollars) in 2008, after a profit of 636 million kronor in 2007 and a loss of 2.77 billion kronor in the fourth quarter.
The news sent the share price crashing down almost 17 percent to 35.80 kronor on the Stockholm stock exchange.
"Horrifying," said chief executive Mats Jansson of the company's losses at a press conference.
"2008 will probably go down in history as one of the most challenging and turbulent years that the entire aviation industry has ever experienced," he said earlier in a press release.
Already weakened in 2007 by technical problems which led to the grounding of its short-haul Dash-Q400 planes, SAS in 2008 faced plummeting demand due to the global economic downturn and a deadly crash in Madrid.
A plane operated by Spanair, an SAS unit, crashed in August in the Spanish capital, killing 154 people.
Out of SAS' 6.32-billion-kronor loss last year, 4.89 billion was attributable to Spanair which the Scandinavian company finally sold to a consortium of Spanish investors last week for a single euro.
To overcome its dire financial difficulties, SAS said Tuesday it would launch a new restructuring programme involving a share issue to raise 6.0 billion kronor and a fresh 14-plane reduction in its fleet.
An additional 3,000 employees would also be laid off while a further 5,600 workers would be taken off its books through outsourcing.
The restructuring programme has already received the thumbs-up from the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian governments, which together control 50 percent of the airline, as well as from its major private shareholders.
The carrier at the end of 2008 employed 24,635 people, having announced the lay-off of 2,500 workers in August. It had also cut back on its fleet by 33 aircraft, 15 of which belonged to Spanair.
Some 40 percent of the company's routes will be cut and a number of subsidiaries, including British Midlands, Estonian Air, Air Greenland and Skyways airlines, will be sold, SAS said.
Jansson, who has headed the company since January 2007, said the plan unveiled Tuesday would help streamline operations and save 4.0 billion kronor between 2009 and 2011.
The programme, he said, "will lead to SAS becoming a more focused and less complex company.
"SAS's market position remains strong. Our brand stands for quality, reliability and stability," he said, stressing that "in light of the fundamental crisis that is going on around the world, the losses remain at a manageable level."
Jansson also said the airline aimed to refocus its business on the Nordic market, which he said remained fairly healthy and showed potential for growth.
Swedish Industry Minister Maud Olofsson hailed the plan and said she had faith in SAS' management. Despite the dire news, she said she did not believe the company was on the verge of bankruptcy.
"I wouldn't say that. But there is a lot of competition in the airline industry and each company needs to run a very efficient operation to be profitable," she told news agency TT.
Unions representing both SAS's cabin crew and pilots said meanwhile they supported management's restructuring plan.
"We think it's good, it's a return to the old SAS and a smaller company that hopefully can be competitive," a union representative for SAS cabin crew, Pelle Gustafsson, told TT.
SAS, established in 1946 and today comprising SAS Denmark, SAS Norway and SAS Sweden, as well as low-cost airlines Blue 1 and Wideroe, has a 40 percent share of the northern European civil aviation market.
Germany's leading airline Lufthansa has long been mentioned as a rescuer for the Scandinavian company, which carried more than 29 million passengers last year, not including Spanair.
Email StoryIM StoryPrintable ViewBlog This Recommend this article
AFP - Wednesday, February 4STOCKHOLM (AFP) - - Beleaguered Scandinavian carrier SAS, which slumped into the red for 2008, said Tuesday it would step up restructuring, lay off thousands, sell subsidiaries and cut 40 percent of its routes.
STOCKHOLM (AFP) - - Beleaguered Scandinavian carrier SAS, which slumped into the red for 2008, said Tuesday it would step up restructuring, lay off thousands, sell subsidiaries and cut 40 percent of its routes.
ADVERTISEMENT
The airline reported a net loss of 6.32 billion kronor (590 million euros, 760 million dollars) in 2008, after a profit of 636 million kronor in 2007 and a loss of 2.77 billion kronor in the fourth quarter.
The news sent the share price crashing down almost 17 percent to 35.80 kronor on the Stockholm stock exchange.
"Horrifying," said chief executive Mats Jansson of the company's losses at a press conference.
"2008 will probably go down in history as one of the most challenging and turbulent years that the entire aviation industry has ever experienced," he said earlier in a press release.
Already weakened in 2007 by technical problems which led to the grounding of its short-haul Dash-Q400 planes, SAS in 2008 faced plummeting demand due to the global economic downturn and a deadly crash in Madrid.
A plane operated by Spanair, an SAS unit, crashed in August in the Spanish capital, killing 154 people.
Out of SAS' 6.32-billion-kronor loss last year, 4.89 billion was attributable to Spanair which the Scandinavian company finally sold to a consortium of Spanish investors last week for a single euro.
To overcome its dire financial difficulties, SAS said Tuesday it would launch a new restructuring programme involving a share issue to raise 6.0 billion kronor and a fresh 14-plane reduction in its fleet.
An additional 3,000 employees would also be laid off while a further 5,600 workers would be taken off its books through outsourcing.
The restructuring programme has already received the thumbs-up from the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian governments, which together control 50 percent of the airline, as well as from its major private shareholders.
The carrier at the end of 2008 employed 24,635 people, having announced the lay-off of 2,500 workers in August. It had also cut back on its fleet by 33 aircraft, 15 of which belonged to Spanair.
Some 40 percent of the company's routes will be cut and a number of subsidiaries, including British Midlands, Estonian Air, Air Greenland and Skyways airlines, will be sold, SAS said.
Jansson, who has headed the company since January 2007, said the plan unveiled Tuesday would help streamline operations and save 4.0 billion kronor between 2009 and 2011.
The programme, he said, "will lead to SAS becoming a more focused and less complex company.
"SAS's market position remains strong. Our brand stands for quality, reliability and stability," he said, stressing that "in light of the fundamental crisis that is going on around the world, the losses remain at a manageable level."
Jansson also said the airline aimed to refocus its business on the Nordic market, which he said remained fairly healthy and showed potential for growth.
Swedish Industry Minister Maud Olofsson hailed the plan and said she had faith in SAS' management. Despite the dire news, she said she did not believe the company was on the verge of bankruptcy.
"I wouldn't say that. But there is a lot of competition in the airline industry and each company needs to run a very efficient operation to be profitable," she told news agency TT.
Unions representing both SAS's cabin crew and pilots said meanwhile they supported management's restructuring plan.
"We think it's good, it's a return to the old SAS and a smaller company that hopefully can be competitive," a union representative for SAS cabin crew, Pelle Gustafsson, told TT.
SAS, established in 1946 and today comprising SAS Denmark, SAS Norway and SAS Sweden, as well as low-cost airlines Blue 1 and Wideroe, has a 40 percent share of the northern European civil aviation market.
Germany's leading airline Lufthansa has long been mentioned as a rescuer for the Scandinavian company, which carried more than 29 million passengers last year, not including Spanair.
Email StoryIM StoryPrintable ViewBlog This Recommend this article
Friday, January 16, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)