Latest news with #airlineIncident
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Airline that kicked Jewish children off plane ‘must be investigated'
The airline that kicked Jewish children off a plane must be investigated, a former attorney general has said. Sir Michael Ellis KC said he was 'deeply concerned' after a group of Jewish children returning to France from a summer camp in Spain were escorted off a flight after at least one of them sang a Hebrew song. The Spanish airline Vueling allegedly removed the director of a Jewish summer camp and approximately 50 children from the flight to Paris, according to footage shared on social media on Wednesday. The airline said the group had 'compromised passenger safety'. Following the incident, Amichai Chikli, Israel's minister for diaspora affairs and combating anti-Semitism, described the incident as an example of 'serious' anti-Semitism, adding that the children, aged between 10 and 15, had been singing songs in Hebrew on the plane. Spanish police said the children's removal from the plane had nothing to do with their singing but it was instead due to 'misbehaviour'. Writing to Sir Stephen Hillier CBE, the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Sir Michael called for the airline watchdog to urgently investigate. Sir Michael, who was attorney general between September and October 2022, said: 'Without prejudging the matter, I am deeply concerned, bearing in mind the extraordinary increase in anti-Semitism seen in the UK and elsewhere, that passengers professing the Jewish faith who might choose to travel on Vueling flights in the future are not subject to discrimination. 'The CAA is also obligated to uphold the Equality Act 2010 in exercising its functions, which requires the elimination of discrimination, harassment and victimisation of any group with protected characteristics. 'I am, therefore, asking the CAA to urgently investigate Vueling and seek assurances that the airline is in compliance with its international obligations under the CAA, FAA, IATA and EU laws and regulations, as well as the Montreal Convention 1999 (Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air). 'As I am sure you will appreciate, as well as receiving significant media attention, particularly in Europe, this incident will be of enormous concern to the Jewish community here in the UK. I trust that you share my concern at the reported incident and will be making this a priority.' 'The Spanish and French authorities are said to already be investigating this incident. However, in my view the allegations raise deeply alarming questions which necessitate action from the relevant British regulatory authorities, bearing in mind the British connections I have outlined above.' Sir Michael asked the CAA what undertakings it would make to investigate Vueling and what enforcement actions would any airline found to be discriminating against passengers on the basis of race, colour or religion be obligated to follow. He also asked the watchdog what assurances it could give that Vueling and all other airlines operating in the UK were safe for Jewish passengers, and whether it had requested any video or CCTV footage of the incident, as well as copies of statements from passengers and crew. Following the incident involving the children, the Vueling crew requested the assistance of the Guardia Civil, which decided to disembark the group to prioritise passenger safety. It said in a statement last week: 'We deny that the incident was related to the singing of songs. The minors repeatedly tampered with emergency equipment and interrupted the crew's safety demonstration, ignoring the crew. The pilot, believing they were endangering the flight, ordered their removal. 'Proceedings have been opened against one flight attendant for resisting authority.' Vueling denied that the crew's decision was related to the religion of the passengers. A CAA spokesman said: 'The UK Civil Aviation Authority has received Rt Hon Sir Michael Ellis's letter, and will respond accordingly in due course.'
South China Morning Post
03-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
China flight safety in spotlight after pilot jumps to death over workplace dispute
A failed pilot evaluation that ended with a China Southern Airlines captain stabbing two of his colleagues before jumping to his death in Changchun in the northeast Chinese province of Jilin on Tuesday has renewed public worries about flight safety The pilot, surnamed Li, 31, died after jumping out of a window, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Erdao district branch of the Changchun Public Security Bureau. His colleagues were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the report said, adding that an investigation was continuing. Citing a person with knowledge of the incident, Guizhou Radio and TV Station (GZTV) reported that Li, a pilot with the company's Jilin branch, had recently failed an evaluation and was not qualified to fly. During a conversation with his superiors about the appraisal, Li attacked the flight department's party committee secretary and a department manager, the insider said. He then smashed a window on the 15th floor of the building and jumped to his death. GZTV reported that the company evaluation determined that Li had a 'lack of understanding of rules and procedures' such as communication failure procedures and the cockpit door electronic lock password, citing an internal report provided by another insider. The source said the internal report had recommended Li undergo 'systematic and comprehensive training' of the flight crew operating manual followed by a comprehensive 'theoretical verification' conducted by the airline's Jilin branch before Li could have his flight qualifications restored.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
NTSB Chair says systemic failures led to door plug flying off Boeing 737 Max plane midflight
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said Tuesday that the heroic actions of the crew aboard Alaska Airlines flight 1282 ensured everyone survived the terrifying incident last year when the door plug panel flew off the plane shortly after takeoff in January of 2024. But Homendy said 'the crew shouldn't have had to be heroes, because this accident never should have happened' if Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration had done enough to ensure the safety of the Boeing 737 Max plane. She said the investigation over the past 17 months found bigger problems than just the revelation that bolts securing what is known as the door plug panel were removed and never replaced during a repair because 'an accident like this only happens when there are multiple system failures.' Homendy said Boeing's new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, has made many improvements in safety since he took the job last summer but more needs to be done. The board is expected to approve several recommendations at Tuesday's meeting to keep something similar from happening again. The blow out aboard Alaska Airlines flight 1282 occurred minutes after it took off from Portland, Oregon, and created a roaring air vacuum that sucked objects out of the cabin and scattered them on the ground below along with debris from the fuselage. Seven passengers and one flight attended received minor injuries, but no one was killed. Pilots were able to land the plane safely back at the airport. Oxygen masks dropped and phones went flying The accident occurred as the plane flew at 16,000 feet (4,800 meters). Oxygen masks dropped during the rapid decompression and a few cellphones and other objects were swept through the hole in the plane as 171 passengers contended with wind and roaring noise. The first six minutes of the flight to Southern California's Ontario International Airport were routine. The Boeing 737 Max 9 was about halfway to its cruising altitude and traveling at more than 400 mph (640 kph) when passengers described a loud 'boom' and wind so strong it ripped the shirt off someone's back. 'We knew something was wrong,' Kelly Bartlett told The Associated Press in the days following the flight. 'We didn't know what. We didn't know how serious. We didn't know if it meant we were going to crash.' The 2-foot-by-4-foot (61-centimeter-by-122-centimeter) piece of fuselage covering an unoperational emergency exit behind the left wing had blown out. Only seven seats on the flight were unoccupied, including the two seats closest to the opening. Missing bolts put the focus on Boeing's manufacturing The panel that blew off was made and installed by a supplier, Spirit AeroSystems. It was removed at a Boeing factory so workers could repair damaged rivets, but bolts that help secure the door plug were not replaced. It's not clear who removed the panel. The NTSB said in a preliminary report that four bolts were not replaced after a repair job in a Boeing factory, but the company has said the work was not documented. Investigators determined the door plug was gradually moving upward over the 154 flights prior to this incident before it ultimately flew off. Boeing factory workers told NTSB investigators they felt pressured to work too fast and were asked to perform jobs they weren't qualified for, including opening and closing the door plug on the particular plane involved. Only one of the 24 people on the door team had ever removed one of these plugs before and that person was on vacation when it was done on the plane. A Boeing door installer said he was never told to take any shortcuts, but everyone faced pressure to keep the assembly line moving. 'That's how mistakes are made. People try to work too fast,' he told investigators. The installer and other workers were not named in documents about the probe. Investigators said Boeing did not do enough to train newer workers who didn't have a background in manufacturing. Many of its workers who were hired after the pandemic and after two crashes involving the 737 Max planes lacked that experience. But the NTSB staff also told the board Boeing didn't have strong enough safety practices in place to ensure the door plug was properly reinstalled, and the FAA inspection system did not do a good job of catching systemic failures in manufacturing. Problems with the Boeing 737 Max The Max version of Boeing's bestselling 737 airplane has been the source of persistent troubles for the company since two of the jets crashed, one in Indonesia in 2018 and another in Ethiopia in 2019, killing a combined 346 people. Investigators determined those crashes were caused by a system that relied on a sensor providing faulty readings to push the nose down, leaving pilots unable to regain control. After the second crash, Max jets were grounded worldwide until the company redesigned the system. Last month, the Justice Department reached a deal allowing Boeing to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the Max before the two crashes. But regulators at the Federal Aviation Administration have capped Boeing's 737 Max production at 38 jets a month while investigators ensure the company has strengthened its safety practices. Boeing hired Ortberg last year and created a new position for a senior vice president of quality to help improve its manufacturing. The company was back in the news earlier this month when a 787 flown by Air India crashed shortly after takeoff and killed at least 270 people. Investigators have not determined what caused that crash, but so far they have not found any flaws with the model, which has a strong safety record. ___ Associated Press writer Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, contributed to this report. Josh Funk, The Associated Press
The Independent
24-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
NTSB Chair says systemic failures led to door plug flying off Boeing 737 Max plane midflight
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said Tuesday that the heroic actions of the crew aboard Alaska Airlines flight 1282 ensured everyone survived the terrifying incident last year when the door plug panel flew off the plane shortly after takeoff in January of 2024. But Homendy said 'the crew shouldn't have had to be heroes, because this accident never should have happened' if Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration had done enough to ensure the safety of the Boeing 737 Max plane. She said the investigation over the past 17 months found bigger problems than just the revelation that bolts securing what is known as the door plug panel were removed and never replaced during a repair because 'an accident like this only happens when there are multiple system failures.' Homendy said Boeing's new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, has made many improvements in safety since he took the job last summer but more needs to be done. The board is expected to approve several recommendations at Tuesday's meeting to keep something similar from happening again. The blow out aboard Alaska Airlines flight 1282 occurred minutes after it took off from Portland, Oregon, and created a roaring air vacuum that sucked objects out of the cabin and scattered them on the ground below along with debris from the fuselage. Seven passengers and one flight attended received minor injuries, but no one was killed. Pilots were able to land the plane safely back at the airport. Oxygen masks dropped and phones went flying The accident occurred as the plane flew at 16,000 feet (4,800 meters). Oxygen masks dropped during the rapid decompression and a few cellphones and other objects were swept through the hole in the plane as 171 passengers contended with wind and roaring noise. The first six minutes of the flight to Southern California's Ontario International Airport were routine. The Boeing 737 Max 9 was about halfway to its cruising altitude and traveling at more than 400 mph (640 kph) when passengers described a loud 'boom' and wind so strong it ripped the shirt off someone's back. 'We knew something was wrong,' Kelly Bartlett told The Associated Press in the days following the flight. 'We didn't know what. We didn't know how serious. We didn't know if it meant we were going to crash.' The 2-foot-by-4-foot (61-centimeter-by-122-centimeter) piece of fuselage covering an unoperational emergency exit behind the left wing had blown out. Only seven seats on the flight were unoccupied, including the two seats closest to the opening. Missing bolts put the focus on Boeing's manufacturing The panel that blew off was made and installed by a supplier, Spirit AeroSystems. It was removed at a Boeing factory so workers could repair damaged rivets, but bolts that help secure the door plug were not replaced. It's not clear who removed the panel. The NTSB said in a preliminary report that four bolts were not replaced after a repair job in a Boeing factory, but the company has said the work was not documented. Investigators determined the door plug was gradually moving upward over the 154 flights prior to this incident before it ultimately flew off. Boeing factory workers told NTSB investigators they felt pressured to work too fast and were asked to perform jobs they weren't qualified for, including opening and closing the door plug on the particular plane involved. Only one of the 24 people on the door team had ever removed one of these plugs before and that person was on vacation when it was done on the plane. A Boeing door installer said he was never told to take any shortcuts, but everyone faced pressure to keep the assembly line moving. 'That's how mistakes are made. People try to work too fast,' he told investigators. The installer and other workers were not named in documents about the probe. Investigators said Boeing did not do enough to train newer workers who didn't have a background in manufacturing. Many of its workers who were hired after the pandemic and after two crashes involving the 737 Max planes lacked that experience. But the NTSB staff also told the board Boeing didn't have strong enough safety practices in place to ensure the door plug was properly reinstalled, and the FAA inspection system did not do a good job of catching systemic failures in manufacturing. Problems with the Boeing 737 Max The Max version of Boeing's bestselling 737 airplane has been the source of persistent troubles for the company since two of the jets crashed, one in Indonesia in 2018 and another in Ethiopia in 2019, killing a combined 346 people. Investigators determined those crashes were caused by a system that relied on a sensor providing faulty readings to push the nose down, leaving pilots unable to regain control. After the second crash, Max jets were grounded worldwide until the company redesigned the system. Last month, the Justice Department reached a deal allowing Boeing to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the Max before the two crashes. But regulators at the Federal Aviation Administration have capped Boeing's 737 Max production at 38 jets a month while investigators ensure the company has strengthened its safety practices. Boeing hired Ortberg last year and created a new position for a senior vice president of quality to help improve its manufacturing. The company was back in the news earlier this month when a 787 flown by Air India crashed shortly after takeoff and killed at least 270 people. Investigators have not determined what caused that crash, but so far they have not found any flaws with the model, which has a strong safety record. ___
BreakingNews.ie
13-06-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Insurance broker spared jail and record after smoke alarm triggered on flight to Dublin
An insurance broker who triggered a smoke alarm on a London Stansted—Dublin flight after aggressively ignoring cabin crew just before takeoff has been spared jail and a criminal record. Father of two, William Horn, 29, of Stone Rings Lane, Harrowgate, England, pleaded guilty on June 2nd to charges under the Air Navigation and Transport Act following his arrest the previous day at Terminal 1, Dublin Airport. Advertisement Judge John Brennan had said that if Horn donated €500 to a Dublin charity which has assisted people affected by homelessness and addiction, he would be spared a criminal record. The judge warned that failure to pay would result in recorded convictions and fines totalling €800. Horn was released on €300 bail and excused from attending when the case resumed. Judge John King noted his colleague's order and was shown a receipt of payment by defence solicitor Edward Bradbury. Advertisement He applied the Probation of Offenders Act. Earlier, airport-based Garda Sandip Shrestha said he charged the accused with offensive behaviour on the Ryanair flight and setting off the smoke alarm, and the accused replied, 'You are chatting shit'. Judge John Brennan heard that Horn came to Ireland for a birthday party, which he missed by being held for the night in Garda custody before his court hearing. Garda Shreshta said on June 1st, he received a call from cabin crew about 'a disruptive passenger' on the flight. Garda Shreshta learned that Horn was in the toilet, and 'a plume of smoke set off the smoke alarm inside the plane'. Advertisement The captain also confirmed to the garda that the alarm was also activated in the cockpit. Judge Brennan heard that it started in Stansted when the aircraft was taxiing to the runway. The seatbelt signs were activated, but Horn 'ignored the cabin crew's instructions and went to the toilet, and walked by the cabin crew in an aggressive manner'. Defence solicitor Edward Bradbury told the court his client, who remained silent during the hearing, was pleading guilty and from his perspective, it had been 'somewhat an ordeal and in his own mind a misunderstanding'. Advertisement The garda agreed with Mr Bradbury that the aircraft was about to take off when Horn decided to go to the toilet. The accused had no prior convictions in Ireland. Ireland Shop assistants plead guilty to major fraud at Co... Read More Mr Bradbury said his client has been 'chastened' by this ordeal. The court heard there was no evidence of intoxication, and Horn insisted he was not smoking in the toilet. However, the solicitor acknowledged that, at the very least, the issue had a smattering of recklessness all over it. The solicitor said it happened when the aircraft was taxiing for take-off, which was aggravating circumstances for the flight attendants. Judge Brennan had said it happened in a confined environment where people were vulnerable, but on the scale of these offences, it ranked at the lower end.
