Aviation

Saudia Airbus A330-200 makes emergency landing at Jeddah airport

Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV3818, which was travelling from Madinah to Dhaka, had to be diverted to Jeddah after suffering a malfunction with the nose landing gear.

Saudia Airbus A330-200 — leased from Onur Air (reg. TC-OCH) — made an emergency landing at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport with the nose gear retracted.

The aircraft had circled Jeddah for several hours and was forced to make two low passes until it was allowed to land on runway 34R at around 22:00 local time.

Saudia Airbus A330-200 leased from Onur Air (TC-OCH) made an emergency landing at Jeddah Airport without its nosegear resulting in damage when nose sank to the ground. Flight #SV3818 made emergency evacuation via slides on the runway. https://t.co/1jmQ6Endfi pic.twitter.com/3wCtM3Dyck

— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) May 21, 2018

The Airbus 330 suffered considerable damage, but passengers were evacuated via emergency slides and no injuries have been reported so far.

Abdurahman Al-Tayyib, spokesman of Saudia, said that SV3818 flight, which was traveling from Madinah to Dhaka, developed some malfunction of the hydraulic system at around 8 p.m. Monday and was therefore diverted to Jeddah airport, Al-Madinah daily reported.

“The pilot made several attempts but failed to correct the malfunction with the front landing gear. Subsequently, the Air Bus 330 made an emergency landing with the nose gear retracted,” he said.

Al-Tayyib said that the flight made emergency evacuation. There were 141 passengers on board in addition to 10 crew members. The concerned authorities have started a probe into the accident, he said.

According to Sabq, health services department at the airport formed a medical team to treat the injured passengers following the emergency landing of the flight.

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.