Tag: plane

Categories
-Top News USA

Blinken’s Emergency Plane Change After ‘Critical Failure’

The Alaska Air plane is a newer version of the 737 than the one that Blinken had been set to ride on, which is an older model modified for use by the military…reports Asian Lite News

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had to change planes while returning to Washington from Davos after his Boeing 737 aircraft had a “critical failure”, the media reported.

Blinken was in Davos this week to attend meetings on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss city.

The incident occurred on Wednesday when Blinken and the traveling press boarded the modified Boeing 737 jet in Zurich, CNN reported.

According to the travelling press, the aircraft suffered the issue after boarding and they were forced to deplane.

A new, smaller aircraft was being sent for Blinken, and many in the traveling party will now be returning to Washington commercially, they added.

Addressing the media on Wednesday night, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said the plane suffered a mechanical issue.

He however, referred further questions to the US Air Force, reports CNN.

This latest development comes as Boeing is facing a number of issues on its aircraft.

On January 5, an Alaska Airlines jet had a door plug blow out shortly after takeoff when the plane was at 16,000 feet, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the jet.

The Alaska Air plane is a newer version of the 737 than the one that Blinken had been set to ride on, which is an older model modified for use by the military.

But the newer version, the 737 Max, has had a series of serious problems long before the Alaska Air incident this month.

Two crashes of the 737 Max, in 2018 in Indonesia and 2019 in Ethopia, killed all 346 people on board the flights, and led to a 20-month grounding of the jet.

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Categories
Tech Lite

‘Planes might have AI pilots in the future’

Airlines.

He further emphasised the skills of the trained pilots, saying that they have a number of responsibilities beyond just flying the aircraft…reports Asian Lite News

Needless to say, Artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping the future of humanity across nearly every industry and changing the world around us. The possibilities of generative AI are limitless, and it is only just beginning to be explored. With AI’s ever-changing and expanding set of capabilities, Tim Clark, president of the airline Emirates, believes AI may also be the future of air travel.

According to New York Post, Mr Clark said that artificial intelligence could one day replace real-life pilots in passenger aeroplanes and emphasised the possibility of a single-pilot aircraft.

”You might see a one-pilot aircraft. Could the aircraft be flown on a fully automated basis? Yes it could, technology is right up there now. [But passengers] like to think there are two pilots up there. There will always be somebody on the flight deck in my view,” the 73-year-old told CNBC, but added that it will likely take some time to come to fruition.

”A lot of people are concerned about what AI should and shouldn’t be doing … but if you’re in business and you’ve got something as powerful as this coming along and you’re very processes driven, manpower intensive, you’ve got to take time to look at what this could do to improve what you do,” Clark said further.

However, he believes that passengers prefer the presence of two pilots in the cockpit and noted that there will always be a human pilot on board, even if a plane is completely flown by AI. When asked about completely pilotless planes, Clark said it was possible but a long way off, adding that he didn’t think this would happen during his lifetime.

He further emphasised the skills of the trained pilots, saying that they have a number of responsibilities beyond just flying the aircraft.

”Pilots are not merely plane drivers; they are highly skilled professionals who play a crucial role in a comprehensive safety system that ensures the safe arrival of passengers, crew, and cargo at their destinations,” Clark said.

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Categories
-Top News Asia News

Ukraine carrier cargo plane crashes in Greece

Eyewitnesses saw the plane in flames crash in a cornfield and explosions followed on Saturday evening, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the Greek media…reports Asian Lite News

A Ukrainian cargo plane with an eight-member crew on board crashed near Kavala city in northern Greece, Greek media reported.

The Antonov An-12 plane was on route from Serbia to Jordan as the pilot requested permission for an emergency landing and notified Greek authorities of failure in one of the engines, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported, citing sources from the Greek Civil Aviation Authority.

Eyewitnesses saw the plane in flames crash in a cornfield and explosions followed on Saturday evening, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the Greek media.

A rescue operation was still underway with special units of disaster personnel approaching the site with precaution, given the yet unconfirmed information that the plane carried 12 tons of cargo including ammunition, ERT reported, citing sources in local authorities.

Power cuts have been reported in communities near the crash site, as the plane cut electric power cables before the crash, it added.

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Categories
-Top News UK News

Another Ryanair plane diverted to Berlin over potential threat

The plane was met by a group of police vehicles with lights flashing as it parked in a spot away from the main terminal…reports Asian Lite News.

In yet another flight diversion incident involving Ryanair, the Irish airline on Monday announced that a Poland-bound plane made an unscheduled landing in Berlin due to information received about a possible security threat on board.

The flight from the Irish capital Dublin to Krakow in Poland was diverted to the German capital at around 8 p.m. on Sunday because that was the closest airport, dpa news agency quoted the airline as saying.

The plane was met by a group of police vehicles with lights flashing as it parked in a spot away from the main terminal.

The 160 passengers and their luggage were taken off the plane and examined with the help of sniffer dogs, in an operation that lasted until 4 a.m. on Monday.

The passengers then continued on with their journey using a replacement aircraft.

German federal police said on Monday morning they had determined there was no danger to the aircraft but have yet to release details on the purported threat, saying only that it was a telephone call that had raised alarm.

German tabloids Bild and BZ said that there had been a bomb threat, but neither the police nor Ryanair confirmed those reports.

Sunday’s incident in Berlin comes exactly after a week after Belarusian authorities dispatched a fighter jet to force another Ryanair flight to divert to Minsk, where a dissident journalist who was on board was then arrested along with his girlfriend.

Roman Protasevich, a 26-year-old dissident journalist, and his partner were taken into custody after the landing on May 23, prompting a raft of measures by the EU, including restricted access to the bloc’s airspace for Belarusian carriers.

ALSO READ-Belarus defends forced landing of Ryanair flight

READ MORE-UK planes told to avoid Belarusian airspace

Categories
-Top News UK News

World’s largest cargo plane, carrying UK aid, lands at Delhi

In the morning, Delhi customs said in a statement that the medical aid onboard the aircraft was cleared within 25 minutes of its landing…reports Asian Lite News.

The world’s largest cargo plane, Antonov AN 124-100, has landed at the Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport on Sunday morning, carrying three oxygen generators and 1,000 ventilators from the United Kingdom.

In the morning, Delhi customs said in a statement that the medical aid onboard the aircraft was cleared within 25 minutes of its landing.

Experts said the aircraft had flown into the country even in the past to deliver Delhi Metro wagons, specialist construction equipment and military cargo, the Hindustan Times reported.

The 24-wheeler Russian-made aircraft departed from Belfast airport late on Saturday night and landed at the Delhi airport at 8.30 am on Sunday, the report added.

“The UK sends life-saving support for India in the world’s largest cargo plane. Three oxygen generation units arrived in India today. Each capable of producing 500 litres of oxygen per minute. It will help save lives and support India’s healthcare system,” British high commission in New Delhi tweeted.

Each of the three oxygen generation units – the size of 40ft freight containers – produces 500 litres of oxygen per minute, enough for 50 people to use at a time, it said.

 “Taking forward our comprehensive strategic partnership, consignment of 3 oxygen generators and 1,000 ventilators arrives from the UK… Deeply value the contribution from our close friend,” the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

The Antonov AN 124-100 – the world’s largest air cargo carrier – is 70 metres long and nearly 75 meters wide. The plane, which weighs around 1.8 lakh kilograms, usually has six crew members and two loadmasters.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had said that “The UK is sending surplus oxygen generators from Northern Ireland to India. This life-saving equipment will support the country’s hospitals as they care for vulnerable Covid patients.”

India is currently dealing with a second COVID-19 wave that has swept through the nation, straining the country’s health infrastructure and overburdening frontline medical workers.

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