Latest news with #Q400
Toronto Sun
14-07-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Porter Airlines cabin crew files application to certify union: CUPE
Published Jul 14, 2025 • < 1 minute read A Porter Airlines Q400 sits on the tarmac at Billy Bishop Toronto Island Airport after it made the company's inaugural flight from Moncton Friday afternoon. OTTAWA — The Canadian Union of Public Employees says cabin crew at Porter Airlines have filed a union certification application with the Canada Industrial Relations Board. The union would represent about 1,200 cabin crew at the airline. CUPE national secretary-treasurer Candace Rennick says Porter is an amazing Canadian success story and the cabin crew deserve to share in that success. CUPE already represents 18,500 cabin crew at other airlines across the country including Air Canada and WestJet. Porter started flying in 2006 based at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the city's waterfront. It has grown to offer service across North America. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Columnists NFL World Golf Editorial Cartoons
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
How safe is your next flight? DGCA responds to rising concerns after Air India 171 crash, SpiceJet & IndiGo incidents; details here
Following the recent Air India crash in Ahmedabad, which claimed at least 260 lives, questions about the safety of India's skies are once again being raised. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has now responded to concerns surrounding pilot preparedness, maintenance lapses, and the effectiveness of oversight in India's expanding aviation sector. DGCA says India performs better than global safety average Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, head of the DGCA, said India's safety record remains strong. 'India's skies have always been safe—in the past and even today,' he said in an interview with the BBC. Citing International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) data, Kidwai noted that accident rates per million flights in India are generally lower than the global average, with only two years between 2010 and 2024 exceeding that benchmark due to major accidents. India has seen three major commercial crashes in the last 15 years: in Mangalore (2010), Kozhikode (2020), and now Ahmedabad (2025). While these accidents are rare, the Air India tragedy has reignited concerns about broader safety practices across airlines. SpiceJet, IndiGo and Air India under scanner for lapses A report by The Economic Times revealed that SpiceJet was pulled up by the DGCA after two Q400 aircraft experienced premature propeller failures. Dowty Propellers, a UK-based manufacturer, reportedly alerted the regulator after identifying damage to the internal bearings. Instead of addressing the root issue, the airline allegedly kept applying grease to the unit. This led to an audit in April, where more deficiencies were uncovered. Kidwai confirmed action was taken. 'We ensured SpiceJet took corrective measures. Some senior management members who were supposed to oversee compliance were removed or suspended,' he said. Air India Express was also reprimanded earlier this year for delays in replacing engine parts and allegedly falsifying records. The airline acknowledged the lapse and took remedial steps. 'The report came through self-reporting by the airline,' Kidwai added. In May, IndiGo faced turbulence-related issues on a Delhi–Srinagar flight. Severe updrafts and downdrafts caused cabin damage, leading to an emergency landing. No injuries occurred, but pilots were grounded pending investigation. The DGCA has since refined turbulence response guidelines. Rising snag reports, reduced budget and expanding fleet Between 2020 and early 2025, Indian airlines reported 2,461 technical faults. IndiGo accounted for over half (1,288), followed by SpiceJet (633), and Air India and its subsidiary (389). 'Reporting of snags by airlines has gone up. This is good,' Kidwai said. 'It's better to report every issue than to hide it.' He added that regulators are now examining whether the quick turnaround time between flights is adequate for proper maintenance checks. India's aviation sector is growing rapidly. In 2014–15, 116 million passengers flew across the country. That number has now doubled to 239 million. The country's aircraft fleet has also grown—nearly 850 aircraft are currently operated by scheduled carriers, up from 400 a decade ago. Including non-scheduled operators, the total count stands at 1,288 aircraft. This is expected to exceed 2,000 by the end of the decade. Preliminary report into Air India flight 171 crash has one of the pilots asking the other why he "did the cutoff" (literally turned off the engines during takeoff).Can't make this stuff up. However, this growth comes at a cost. The civil aviation ministry has seen budget cuts over the past two years, even as regulatory demands have increased. Impact of crash on passenger confidence and flight operations Despite the severity of the Air India crash, Kidwai said there has been no significant drop in passenger traffic. 'We observed a very marginal dip for a short period in both domestic and international flights. But it recovered quickly,' he said. He acknowledged public anxiety following such accidents but maintained that transparency, better regulations, and time would help restore confidence. 'It's natural for people to feel anxious. But time is a great healer.'
Time Out
09-07-2025
- Time Out
Got 15 minutes? These are the absolute shortest flights you can take in Australia
There's a lot you can achieve in 15 minutes. You can bake a fresh batch of choc chip cookies, smash out a mini HIIT workout, binge an episode of your favourite sitcom, or start planning your next holiday. But you know what else you could do? Fly from Townsville to Palm Island on what might just be Australia's shortest commercial flight. Recently, there's been a lot of buzz about the world's longest non-stop flight between Sydney and London, which is set to take off in 2027. But what about the other end of the spectrum? We thought it'd be interesting to flip the script and track down Australia's shortest flights. This isn't an official ranking, but we did our best to find the domestic routes that are likely shorter than any city dweller's daily commute to work. It's also worth noting that actual flight times can fluctuate based on weather conditions, so we've based this list on scheduled durations. According to our research, Australia's quickest domestic route is the flight between Townsville and Palm Island. Covering just 59 kilometres, the sky-high shortcut has a scheduled time of 23 minutes – but the actual flying time is closer to 15 minutes. It's so fast that the seatbelt sign barely flicks off, and you won't have time to think about coffee or snacks. Home to the country's largest discrete Indigenous community (with around 4,000 residents), Palm Island is serviced by Hinterland Aviation, which runs up to 13 scheduled flights daily on weekdays. The second-fastest flight we found in Australia was the 25-minute hop between Kowanyama and Pormpuraawa, also run by Hinterland Aviation. You can jet between these two towns on the west coast of Cape York faster than I can get from my house to my office – and way quicker than the nearly four-hour drive it would take by road. Rex Airlines also operates two incredibly speedy flights, each also with a scheduled time of 25 minutes – one between Doomadgee and Burketown in Outback Queensland, and another linking Griffith to Narrandera-Leeton in regional New South Wales. Close behind is Seair Pacific's Bundaberg to Lady Elliot Island flight, clocking in at around 30 minutes. With seats for up to 13 guests and two daily departures, it's a popular option for day-trippers visiting the island paradise. When it comes to Australia's major domestic carrier, the shortest flights in the Qantas network are the 35-minute routes between Mount Isa and Cloncurry (with a flying time of just 16 minutes) and Barcaldine and Longreach (with an air time of 20 minutes). Both paths cover just 106 kilometres aboard a Q400 aircraft, which seats up to 78 passengers. You'll barely have time to make friends with your seat neighbour, though. While some Torres Strait Island flights are technically shorter than the ones listed above, we've focused on routes that depart from mainland Australia and thus are more frequently used by travellers. But if you're interested, Hinterland Aviation's Kubin Island to Badu Island flight has an air time of just five to six minutes! So, in the time you took to read this article, you could've already hopped between islands. These are the 10 shortest flights in Australia, according to our research Townsville to Palm Island (Hinterland Aviation) – 23 minutes Kowanyama to Pormpuraawa (Hinterland Aviation) – 25 minutes Doomadgee and Burketown (Rex Airlines) – 25 minutes Griffith to Narrandera-Leeton (Rex Airlines) – 25 minutes Bundaberg to Lady Elliot Island (Seaair Pacific)– 30 minutes Mount Isa and Cloncurry (QantasLink) – 35 minutes Barcaldine and Longreach (QantasLink) – 35 minutes Sydney and Newcastle (Pelican Airlines) – 40 minutes Sydney to Coba (Pelican Airlines) – 40 minutes Adelaide to Kingscote – 40 minutes ✅
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
SpiceJet receives first two of 17 overhauled engines from StandardAero
PUNE: SpiceJet has received the first two of its overhauled engines from global MRO provider StandardAero, airline officials said recently. These include a CFM LEAP-1B engine that powers the Boeing 737 MAX, overhauled at StandardAero's Houston, USA facility, and one Q400 engine, received from StandardAero's Singapore facility. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The airline has also successfully ungrounded another Boeing 737 NG aircraft, which returned to active service last month, reinforcing SpiceJet's commitment to restoring fleet capacity in a structured and phased manner. As part of its broader fleet revival plan, a total of 17 engines were sent for overhaul. With the receipt of the first two engines, SpiceJet expects a steady flow of additional engines in the coming months. Six CFM LEAP-1B engines were sent to StandardAero's Houston facility, while seven Q400 engines had been sent to its Singapore facility. Additionally, four engines have been sent to Carlyle Aviation to support the revival of grounded Boeing 737 NG aircraft.
India Gazette
04-07-2025
- India Gazette
SpiceJet faces
New Delhi [India], July 4 (ANI): SpiceJet on Thursday acknowledged that some passengers are currently facing difficulties in reaching the airline's customer care helpline due to intermittent technical issues. The airline said efforts are underway to restore normal functioning as soon as possible. In an official message on X, SpiceJet stated, 'We are currently experiencing intermittent issues with our SpiceJet Customer Care helpline numbers. We assure you that our relevant teams are working to resolve this as soon as possible. In the meantime, please connect with us through our official social media channels. We will be glad to assist you. Stay tuned for further updates. The inconvenience caused is regretted.' Meanwhile, a minor incident occurred on board SpiceJet flight SG 1080 from Goa to Pune on Tuesday, when a cosmetic window frame became loose during the flight. The airline confirmed that the component in question was a non-structural trim piece, used primarily for shading, and did not affect the aircraft's integrity or safety. A spokesperson for SpiceJet said the incident involved a superficial frame on one of the windows of the Q400 aircraft, which became dislodged during the flight. 'A cosmetic window frame on one of SpiceJet's Q400 aircraft became loose during flight and was found dislodged. It is important to note that this was a non-structural trim component, fitted onto the window for the purpose of shade, and did not compromise the safety or integrity of the aircraft in any way. Cabin pressurisation remained normal throughout the flight, and there was no impact on passenger safety,' a SpiceJet spokesperson stated. Despite the visual disruption, cabin pressurisation remained normal, and there was no impact on passenger safety, the spokesperson said. The airline emphasised that the Q400 aircraft is equipped with multiple layers of window panes, including a robust, pressure-bearing outer pane that ensures continued safety even if cosmetic fittings are affected, it added. Passengers on board were not at risk at any point, and the airline has reiterated its commitment to maintaining the highest safety standards. The frame was fixed upon landing at the next station, in accordance with standard maintenance procedures, the airline added in its statement. (ANI)
