MIAMI – Austrian Airlines (OS) today announced a modest resumption of service while remaining cautious about the global pandemic’s impact on international travel.
The carrier, part of the Lufthansa Group, said it plans to add New York-JFK and Montreal (YUL) back to its lineup along with the re-start of service to Chicago, Amman, Bangkok, and Tokyo.
“With five destinations in North America and three in Asia, including Tokyo and Bangkok, our long-haul services are back on a slight climb this summer,” says Michael Trestl, the carrier’s chief commercial officer.
“Unfortunately, however, we are still a long way from reaching cruising altitude. We hope that a rapid increase in the vaccination rate and a corresponding relaxation of travel restrictions will give us a further boost in the future.”
MIAMI – The UK has temporarily banned Boeing 777 aircraft with Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engines from entering its airspace following United Airline’s (UA) weekend incident over Denver, Colorado, US.
UK transport minister Grant Shapps said on twitter today, “After issues this weekend, Boeing B777s with Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 series engines will be temporarily banned from entering the UK airspace.”
On its part, UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) states that the same engine configuration is not used by UK airlines. It is used by airlines in the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, where its use has also been stopped by authorities.
MIAMI – A British Airways (BA) A320neo was forced to make an emergency landing after one of the Pilots fell unconscious at the controls. The BA640 incident occurred on Saturday December 26 at Zurich Airport (ZRH) in Switzerland.
After his Co-Pilot passed out, the Captain of the BA A320neo Airbus flying from London to Athens made a landing in Zurich. According to the exclusive by UK’s
Daily Mail, midway into the three-and-a-half-hour flight, the Co-Pilot had already complained of feeling unwell, prompting the Pilot to turn the plane around and return to London Heathrow (LHR).
The Captain then was forced to make an urgent landing in Switzerland so that he could be rushed to the hospital as the Co-Pilot’s condition worsened. The First Officer was taken to Zurich hospital and was later released after a check-up. The BA A320 had to wait at ZHR for over five hours before continuing its flight to Athens, Greece.