Departure gates
The way to immigration clearance for international departures
Departure hall
View of departure building
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Guanzhou BaiYun airport
Departure gatesThe way to immigration clearance for international departuresDeparture hallView of departure building
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Hong Kong International Airport-Ferry Terminal
From HKIA one can take a ferry to the cities in the Pearl River Delta region like Macau, Nansha or shekou
Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International airport is the home base of Cathay Pacific and subsidiary Dragon Air
Monday, February 8, 2010
Dead man found in landing gear of US jet in Japan
AFP - Monday, February 8
TOKYO (AFP) - – Japanese authorities have found the body of a man in the landing gear of a Delta airliner that arrived in Tokyo from New York and said Monday they were seeking US help in identifying him.
The man, who was of dark complexion and dressed only in blue jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, was carrying no passport or personal belongings.
AFP - Monday, February 8
A mechanic found the body in the landing gear bay of the Boeing 777 after Delta Flight 59 landed at Tokyo's Narita International Airport at about 6:05 pm local time Sunday, a Chiba prefecture police spokesman said.
"Doctors say he probably froze to death and that he suffered a shortage of oxygen at an altitude of more than 10,000 metres (about 30,000 feet)," said another police official, Narita airport station spokesman Yoshimi Ichihara.
"We found no passport, no bag and no personal belongings. If he carried any luggage, it must have all dropped out when the airplane opened up the hatch of the landing gear bay above the ocean before it landed."
Japan was seeking help from US police to identify him, he said.
TOKYO (AFP) - – Japanese authorities have found the body of a man in the landing gear of a Delta airliner that arrived in Tokyo from New York and said Monday they were seeking US help in identifying him.
The man, who was of dark complexion and dressed only in blue jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, was carrying no passport or personal belongings.
AFP - Monday, February 8
A mechanic found the body in the landing gear bay of the Boeing 777 after Delta Flight 59 landed at Tokyo's Narita International Airport at about 6:05 pm local time Sunday, a Chiba prefecture police spokesman said.
"Doctors say he probably froze to death and that he suffered a shortage of oxygen at an altitude of more than 10,000 metres (about 30,000 feet)," said another police official, Narita airport station spokesman Yoshimi Ichihara.
"We found no passport, no bag and no personal belongings. If he carried any luggage, it must have all dropped out when the airplane opened up the hatch of the landing gear bay above the ocean before it landed."
Japan was seeking help from US police to identify him, he said.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Ethiopian plane crashes near Beirut
Reuters - Tuesday, January 26
By Nadim Ladki
BEIRUT - An Ethiopian Airlines plane with 90 people on board crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Beirut in stormy weather early on Monday and the airline's chief executive said there was no word of survivors.
The Boeing 737-800, heading for Addis Ababa, disappeared off the radar some five minutes after taking off at 2:37 a.m. during a thunder storm and heavy rain. Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said he did not think the plane had been brought down deliberately.
"As of now, a sabotage act is unlikely. The investigation will uncover the cause," Suleiman told a news conference.
Fourteen bodies have so far been recovered near the crash site three-and-a-half kilometres west of the coastal village of Na'ameh. Eighty-three passengers and seven crew were on the flight, Transport Minister Ghazi al-Aridi said at the airport.
Ethiopian Airlines CEO Girma Wake said he had spoken with Lebanese authorities who did not confirm there were survivors.
Fifty-four of those on board were Lebanese, 22 were Ethiopian, two were British and there were also Canadian, Russian, French, Iraqi and Syrian nationals.
Marla Pietton, wife of the French ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton, was on the plane, the French embassy said.
The Lebanese government declared a day of mourning. Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri visited the airport to meet distraught relatives waiting for news of survivors, some of whom were angry that the plane was allowed to take off in bad weather.
"They should have delayed the flight for an hour or two to protect the passengers. There had been strong lightning bolts and we hear that lighting strikes at planes especially during take offs," a relative of one of the passengers told a local television station.
Lebanese army patrol boats and helicopters were searching a small area off Na'ameh, 10 km south of Beirut.
The military spokesman for U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon, Colonel Diego Fulco, said two ships from its maritime task force were at the crash site and a third was on its way. Two U.N. helicopters were also at the scene, he said.
A Cypriot police helicopter and another from the British military stationed in Cyprus were also involved in the search.
According to one source, residents on the coast saw a "ball of fire" crashing off Na'ameh.
State-owned Ethiopian Airlines has positioned itself as a major player in international air traffic in Africa and has recently expanded its Asian network.
It has regular flights to Lebanon, catering for business clients and the hundreds of Ethiopians who work there as domestic helpers. Lebanese aviation sources said some of the passengers had been en route to Angola.
Last Friday the airline announced an order for 10 of Boeing's Next-Generation 737-800s for a total price of $767 million .
The last major incident involving Ethiopian Airlines was in November 1996 when 125 of the 175 passengers and crew died after a hijacked Boeing 767 crashed into the sea off the Comoros Islands.
By Nadim Ladki
BEIRUT - An Ethiopian Airlines plane with 90 people on board crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Beirut in stormy weather early on Monday and the airline's chief executive said there was no word of survivors.
The Boeing 737-800, heading for Addis Ababa, disappeared off the radar some five minutes after taking off at 2:37 a.m. during a thunder storm and heavy rain. Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said he did not think the plane had been brought down deliberately.
"As of now, a sabotage act is unlikely. The investigation will uncover the cause," Suleiman told a news conference.
Fourteen bodies have so far been recovered near the crash site three-and-a-half kilometres west of the coastal village of Na'ameh. Eighty-three passengers and seven crew were on the flight, Transport Minister Ghazi al-Aridi said at the airport.
Ethiopian Airlines CEO Girma Wake said he had spoken with Lebanese authorities who did not confirm there were survivors.
Fifty-four of those on board were Lebanese, 22 were Ethiopian, two were British and there were also Canadian, Russian, French, Iraqi and Syrian nationals.
Marla Pietton, wife of the French ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton, was on the plane, the French embassy said.
The Lebanese government declared a day of mourning. Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri visited the airport to meet distraught relatives waiting for news of survivors, some of whom were angry that the plane was allowed to take off in bad weather.
"They should have delayed the flight for an hour or two to protect the passengers. There had been strong lightning bolts and we hear that lighting strikes at planes especially during take offs," a relative of one of the passengers told a local television station.
Lebanese army patrol boats and helicopters were searching a small area off Na'ameh, 10 km south of Beirut.
The military spokesman for U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon, Colonel Diego Fulco, said two ships from its maritime task force were at the crash site and a third was on its way. Two U.N. helicopters were also at the scene, he said.
A Cypriot police helicopter and another from the British military stationed in Cyprus were also involved in the search.
According to one source, residents on the coast saw a "ball of fire" crashing off Na'ameh.
State-owned Ethiopian Airlines has positioned itself as a major player in international air traffic in Africa and has recently expanded its Asian network.
It has regular flights to Lebanon, catering for business clients and the hundreds of Ethiopians who work there as domestic helpers. Lebanese aviation sources said some of the passengers had been en route to Angola.
Last Friday the airline announced an order for 10 of Boeing's Next-Generation 737-800s for a total price of $767 million .
The last major incident involving Ethiopian Airlines was in November 1996 when 125 of the 175 passengers and crew died after a hijacked Boeing 767 crashed into the sea off the Comoros Islands.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
JAL bangkruptcy
TOKYO (AFP) - – Japan Airlines went bankrupt Tuesday with 26 billion dollars of debt in one of the country's biggest ever corporate failures, beginning a painful overhaul involving more than 15,600 job cuts.
JAL, a once-proud flag carrier now worth less than a jumbo jet, reassured passengers its flights would not be interrupted during the bankruptcy, which is similar to the process used to revive ailing US auto giant General Motors.
Asia's biggest airline, which carries more than 50 million passengers every year, will slash 30 percent of its workforce and receive almost 10 billion dollars of public funds and emergency loans under a three-year turnaround plan.
JAL said it aimed to "be reborn as a leading airline group".
But transport minister Seiji Maehara warned the government would not keep bailing out JAL indefinitely, saying it would have pulled the plug on the group if it were not such an important company.
Once-proud JAL victim of Japan's economic decline
"JAL will have to fly on its own after three years," he said. "Looking to the future for the aviation industry, we have to determine if two mega-carriers should exist or not."
Japan's top carrier has fared much worse than smaller rival All Nippon Airways in recent years.
Its shares plunged to an all-time low of just three yen (three US cents) at one point earlier Tuesday, reducing the market value of the group to about 90 million dollars -- far less than even the cost of a new Boeing jumbo.
The stock will be delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange on February 20 or earlier, a move expected to wipe out shareholders' investments.
Even so, analysts said bankruptcy appeared to have been the best option.
"Filing for bankruptcy protection was done in a quick and transparent way, and this is positive for JAL's business outlook," said Mitsushige Akino, fund manager at Ichiyoshi Investment Management Co.
The approach of the four-month-old government contrasts with the approach of previous conservative administrations which simply "threw money at JAL to keep it afloat", he said.
The ups and downs of Japan Airlines
JAL made no announcement regarding its tie-up talks with American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, which are in a bidding war for a slice of the Japanese carrier, eyeing its lucrative Asian landing slots.
Delta said it and the SkyTeam airline alliance "fully support Japan Airlines and stand ready to provide assistance and support in any way possible", Delta said Tuesday.
JAL potential saviour: management guru and monk
American Airlines issued a statement saying JAL's bankruptcy would not affect the Japanese carrier's current relationship with the oneworld alliance.
The government has tapped Kazuo Inamori, a 77-year-old entrepreneur and ordained Buddhist monk, to run the stricken airline during its overhaul, replacing Haruka Nishimatsu who resigned as president Tuesday.
Inamori is one of Japan's most respected business executives and management gurus, having founded both electronic parts maker Kyocera Corp. and a company that later became part of KDDI Corp., now Japan's number two telecoms firm.
The collapse of the carrier, once a pillar of Japan Inc., has raised concerns among Japanese about the broader woes of their economy, which is back in deflation and set to be overtaken by China as the world number two.
Crew, passengers fret about future of JAL
"With JAL's bankruptcy, people are becoming increasingly gloomy about the economy," Hideharu Seiyama, a 43-year-old regular JAL passenger, told AFP at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
"JAL carried the country on its back and it was known the government would foot the bill, so it was managed on the assumption it would never fail."
JAL went bust with debts of about 2.32 trillion yen (25.7 billion dollars), becoming one of the highest profile victims of Japan's long economic malaise.
It is the country's biggest ever bankruptcy outside the financial sector.
The airline is expected to post a massive operating loss of about 2.9 billion dollars in the current financial year to March, according to the state-backed body overseeing its turnaround efforts.
Creditors will forgive 730 billion yen of debt and the airline said it was confident it could swiftly revitalise its business under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law -- Japan's version of Chapter 11 in the United States.
The group has been hit hard by industry turbulence unleashed by the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States, the Iraq war and the global financial crisis, as well as global health scares in the past decade.
It aims to retire its 37 gas-guzzling Boeing jumbo 747-400s and switch to more fuel-efficient aircraft.
JAL, a once-proud flag carrier now worth less than a jumbo jet, reassured passengers its flights would not be interrupted during the bankruptcy, which is similar to the process used to revive ailing US auto giant General Motors.
Asia's biggest airline, which carries more than 50 million passengers every year, will slash 30 percent of its workforce and receive almost 10 billion dollars of public funds and emergency loans under a three-year turnaround plan.
JAL said it aimed to "be reborn as a leading airline group".
But transport minister Seiji Maehara warned the government would not keep bailing out JAL indefinitely, saying it would have pulled the plug on the group if it were not such an important company.
Once-proud JAL victim of Japan's economic decline
"JAL will have to fly on its own after three years," he said. "Looking to the future for the aviation industry, we have to determine if two mega-carriers should exist or not."
Japan's top carrier has fared much worse than smaller rival All Nippon Airways in recent years.
Its shares plunged to an all-time low of just three yen (three US cents) at one point earlier Tuesday, reducing the market value of the group to about 90 million dollars -- far less than even the cost of a new Boeing jumbo.
The stock will be delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange on February 20 or earlier, a move expected to wipe out shareholders' investments.
Even so, analysts said bankruptcy appeared to have been the best option.
"Filing for bankruptcy protection was done in a quick and transparent way, and this is positive for JAL's business outlook," said Mitsushige Akino, fund manager at Ichiyoshi Investment Management Co.
The approach of the four-month-old government contrasts with the approach of previous conservative administrations which simply "threw money at JAL to keep it afloat", he said.
The ups and downs of Japan Airlines
JAL made no announcement regarding its tie-up talks with American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, which are in a bidding war for a slice of the Japanese carrier, eyeing its lucrative Asian landing slots.
Delta said it and the SkyTeam airline alliance "fully support Japan Airlines and stand ready to provide assistance and support in any way possible", Delta said Tuesday.
JAL potential saviour: management guru and monk
American Airlines issued a statement saying JAL's bankruptcy would not affect the Japanese carrier's current relationship with the oneworld alliance.
The government has tapped Kazuo Inamori, a 77-year-old entrepreneur and ordained Buddhist monk, to run the stricken airline during its overhaul, replacing Haruka Nishimatsu who resigned as president Tuesday.
Inamori is one of Japan's most respected business executives and management gurus, having founded both electronic parts maker Kyocera Corp. and a company that later became part of KDDI Corp., now Japan's number two telecoms firm.
The collapse of the carrier, once a pillar of Japan Inc., has raised concerns among Japanese about the broader woes of their economy, which is back in deflation and set to be overtaken by China as the world number two.
Crew, passengers fret about future of JAL
"With JAL's bankruptcy, people are becoming increasingly gloomy about the economy," Hideharu Seiyama, a 43-year-old regular JAL passenger, told AFP at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
"JAL carried the country on its back and it was known the government would foot the bill, so it was managed on the assumption it would never fail."
JAL went bust with debts of about 2.32 trillion yen (25.7 billion dollars), becoming one of the highest profile victims of Japan's long economic malaise.
It is the country's biggest ever bankruptcy outside the financial sector.
The airline is expected to post a massive operating loss of about 2.9 billion dollars in the current financial year to March, according to the state-backed body overseeing its turnaround efforts.
Creditors will forgive 730 billion yen of debt and the airline said it was confident it could swiftly revitalise its business under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law -- Japan's version of Chapter 11 in the United States.
The group has been hit hard by industry turbulence unleashed by the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States, the Iraq war and the global financial crisis, as well as global health scares in the past decade.
It aims to retire its 37 gas-guzzling Boeing jumbo 747-400s and switch to more fuel-efficient aircraft.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Japan Airlines 'may stop international flights'
AFP - Friday, January 1
The Japanese government is discussing an option to strip debt-ridden Japan Airlines (JAL) of its international operations to enable it to survive as a domestic carrier, a newspaper reported on Thursday.
TOKYO (AFP) - – Japan Airlines (JAL) may stop flying international routes under a plan being discussed by the government to try to keep the debt-ridden company in the air, a report said Thursday.
The plan calls for rival All Nippon Airways (ANA) to take over JAL's international flights as part of what would be a drastic downsizing scheme for Asia's biggest airline, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper said.
The scheme was apparently on the table when key cabinet officials, including Transport Minister Seiji Maehara, met on Wednesday to discuss JAL's rehabilitation programme.
The transport ministry has strongly opposed the plan to turn JAL into a domestic carrier despite growing calls for a drastic restructuring of its international operations where losses weigh heavily, the newspaper said.
"(JAL) will be a good company if it abandons international routes and concentrates on domestic flights," an unnamed JAL executive was quoted by Mainichi as saying.
Immediate confirmation of the report was not available.
In a related move, Maehara held talks with vice Prime Minister Naoto Kan and other officials Thursday and agreed that the state-run Development Bank of Japan will offer further loans to JAL.
The DBJ has already disbursed just over half of a 100 billion yen (1.08 billion dollar) credit line extended in November. "On top of the remaining 45 billion yen, (DBJ) is to expand the limit," Maehara told reporters.
Cabinet officials said they would discuss details of further loans to JAL on Sunday before making an official announcement, while local media reported that DBJ is likely to double its credit line to 200 billion yen in total.
JAL, battered by the global recession and swine flu pandemic, is scrambling to slash costs and is seeking its fourth government bailout since 2001 to keep flying in the face of mounting losses.
Shares plunged to a record low on Wednesday as media reports that bankruptcy is one option for the cash-strapped carrier spooked investors.
The Tokyo stock market was closed for a holiday on Thursday.
Local media have reported that the state-backed Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corp., which is overseeing JAL's restructuring, is considering the possibility of the carrier filing for protection from creditors.
It has also been offered financial assistance by both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, who are competing to take a minority stake in the Japanese carrier, eyeing its coveted Asian landing slots.
JAL, which lost about 1.5 billion dollars in the six months to September, has said it plans thousands of job cuts and a drastic reduction in routes as part of its efforts to return to profitability.
The global economic downturn has dealt a heavy blow to JAL's efforts to recover from a long period of financial turbulence stretching back to its privatisation more than two decades ago.
The Japanese government is discussing an option to strip debt-ridden Japan Airlines (JAL) of its international operations to enable it to survive as a domestic carrier, a newspaper reported on Thursday.
TOKYO (AFP) - – Japan Airlines (JAL) may stop flying international routes under a plan being discussed by the government to try to keep the debt-ridden company in the air, a report said Thursday.
The plan calls for rival All Nippon Airways (ANA) to take over JAL's international flights as part of what would be a drastic downsizing scheme for Asia's biggest airline, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper said.
The scheme was apparently on the table when key cabinet officials, including Transport Minister Seiji Maehara, met on Wednesday to discuss JAL's rehabilitation programme.
The transport ministry has strongly opposed the plan to turn JAL into a domestic carrier despite growing calls for a drastic restructuring of its international operations where losses weigh heavily, the newspaper said.
"(JAL) will be a good company if it abandons international routes and concentrates on domestic flights," an unnamed JAL executive was quoted by Mainichi as saying.
Immediate confirmation of the report was not available.
In a related move, Maehara held talks with vice Prime Minister Naoto Kan and other officials Thursday and agreed that the state-run Development Bank of Japan will offer further loans to JAL.
The DBJ has already disbursed just over half of a 100 billion yen (1.08 billion dollar) credit line extended in November. "On top of the remaining 45 billion yen, (DBJ) is to expand the limit," Maehara told reporters.
Cabinet officials said they would discuss details of further loans to JAL on Sunday before making an official announcement, while local media reported that DBJ is likely to double its credit line to 200 billion yen in total.
JAL, battered by the global recession and swine flu pandemic, is scrambling to slash costs and is seeking its fourth government bailout since 2001 to keep flying in the face of mounting losses.
Shares plunged to a record low on Wednesday as media reports that bankruptcy is one option for the cash-strapped carrier spooked investors.
The Tokyo stock market was closed for a holiday on Thursday.
Local media have reported that the state-backed Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corp., which is overseeing JAL's restructuring, is considering the possibility of the carrier filing for protection from creditors.
It has also been offered financial assistance by both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, who are competing to take a minority stake in the Japanese carrier, eyeing its coveted Asian landing slots.
JAL, which lost about 1.5 billion dollars in the six months to September, has said it plans thousands of job cuts and a drastic reduction in routes as part of its efforts to return to profitability.
The global economic downturn has dealt a heavy blow to JAL's efforts to recover from a long period of financial turbulence stretching back to its privatisation more than two decades ago.
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