Aviation

Man sent hijack email to airports to avoid trip with girlfriend, held

Hyderabad: A Hyderabad-based transport agent has found out — much to the chagrin of three airport authorities — that love is tricky.
Motaparthi Vamshi Krishna, who was arrested by the Hyderabad police today, sent an email to the Mumbai police chief last Saturday, warning of possible plane hijacks from Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai airports.
The reason? His Chennai-based cyber girlfriend wanted to vacation in Goa and had asked him to book her flight tickets from Chennai to Mumbai.
There was just one small problem. The transport agent, who claimed he was a hotshot businessman, was short on cash.

Trapped, Vamshi sent the hoax mail to the police and fobbed the girl off with news that the Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai airports were in panic mode after a hijack threat.
Since Vamshi had identified himself as a woman from Hyderabad in the mail, Mumbai commissioner asked the Hyderabad police to investigate.

Vamshi wrote ‘she’ had overheard six people talking about simultaneous plane hijacks from these three airports. ‘She’ also said the 23-member hijack gang would split into three.
The police traced the mail’s IP address to the E Net Zone Cyber Café in Madhuranagar. After analysing CC-TV footage, the police zeroed in on Vamshi.

Vamshi Krishna befriended the woman on Facebook three months ago, DCP, Commissioner’s Task Force, B Limba Reddy said. He had first asked her to drop the travel plans, but she insisted they go.
Reddy added: “He then thought of creating a fake air ticket for his friend to travel from Chennai to Mumbai. He abandoned the idea because the friend would have found out the ticket was fake and dumped him. So he created a fake email id instead and sent a hoax mail to the Mumbai Police Commissioner, identifying himself as a woman from Hyderabad.”

Vamshi, who is very active on social media, is a computer graduate from West Godavari. He is an old offender and was arrested in an extortion case and a cheating case in the city.
The police said Vamshi claimed to his social media friends that he was high-profile and rich.
Security was majorly stepped up at the Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai airports on April 16 following the hijack mail.

Deccan Chronicle

Aviation

Airbus Enhances A350 Cabin with 10-Abreast Seating

Airbus has announced a new partnership with Jiatai Aircraft Equipment, a Chinese aircraft seating manufacturer, to supply upgraded economy-class seats for the A350 widebody series.

This collaboration, unveiled at the 2024 Airshow China, focuses on developing a newly designed economy seat tailored for the A350‘s New Production Standard (NPS) cabin.

One of the key features of the NPS cabin is the ability to accommodate 17-inch wide economy seats, compared to the previous 16.5-inch wide seats that airlines were limited to in the A350’s earlier configurations.

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This change is made possible by the expanded space in the NPS cabin, which is 35 inches longer and 4 inches wider than the previous version. This extra space is achieved by slightly moving the cockpit wall forward and shifting the rear pressure bulkhead back by one frame.

The wider cabin allows airlines to add up to 30 extra economy seats without compromising comfort. For airlines opting for a 3-4-3 seating layout, the 17-inch wide seats are an excellent choice for a more comfortable passenger experience. However, some airlines, such as Iberia, may choose to retain a 9-abreast layout with wider seats for added comfort.

The NPS cabin also offers enhanced flexibility for airline operators. One major advantage is the ability to easily switch between a 9-abreast and 10-abreast seating configuration without requiring significant downtime for aircraft reconfiguration. Airlines can use the same seat rails, tracks, and IFE interfaces, making the transition smoother and quicker.

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In addition, the design of the floor attachments and air-conditioning systems has been optimized for 10-abreast seating, meaning airlines can upgrade their cabins without needing to make substantial modifications to the aircraft’s structure.

Though it’s still unclear when Jiatai’s economy-class seats will be officially added to the A350’s Buyer Furnished Equipment (BFE) catalogue, the collaboration marks a significant step toward enhancing the A350’s cabin offerings.

With this partnership, Airbus is providing more seating options for airlines, ensuring that they can meet diverse customer needs while improving overall operational efficiency.