Aviation

Plane Crashes in Pakistan With at Least 99 Aboard

A Pakistan International Airlines flight from Lahore, with 99 on board, crashed near the Karachi airport, just a minute before it was to land this afternoon. There are no reports on any survivors yet.

Reports in Pakistan media say the flight was an Airbus A320.

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The plane went down in a residential area – Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir – just short of the Karachi airport.

The wreckage and several houses in the area are on fire, visuals by Pakistan media showed. Smoke could also be seen billowing in the sky.

“The plane crashed in Karachi. We are trying to confirm the number of passengers but initially it is 99 passengers and eight crew members,” news agency AFP quoted Abdul Sattar Khokhar, the spokesman for the country’s aviation authority, as saying.

Pakistan media reported that Pak Army Quick Reaction Force and Pakistan Rangers are at the crash site to assist in relief and rescue efforts.

The crash comes just days after Pakistan began allowing commercial flights to resume.

Karachi and Lahore are about 1020 km apart and it takes nearly seven and a half hours for a flight to cover the distance.

Courtesy : NDTV

Aviation

Airbus Plans Cockpit Toilet to Make Single-Pilot Operations a Reality

In a bold move aimed at cutting costs, Airbus is exploring the possibility of installing a potty-style toilet right behind the Captain’s seat on its A350 long-haul aircraft. According to the reports from paddleyourownkanoo.com

This proposal is part of the ongoing effort to implement Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO), a concept that could revolutionize the aviation industry by reducing the number of pilots required on ultra-long-haul flights.

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Currently, on long flights, two pilots stay in the cockpit while the others rest in a separate compartment. However, under eMCO, one pilot could be alone in the cockpit for up to three hours while the other sleeps. The goal is to reduce crew costs and improve airline efficiency, as fewer pilots would be needed for these flights.

But this proposal has raised concerns from pilot unions, who worry about safety and the challenges of single-pilot operations. To address the issue of bathroom breaks, Airbus suggests installing a radio-equipped toilet in the cockpit, allowing the pilot to use it without leaving their seat.

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If the pilot needs to use the toilet, the second pilot would have to be woken up, terminating the eMCO process temporarily.

If successful, Airbus plans to begin testing this system on its A350 aircraft as soon as 2027, with single-pilot operations possibly being introduced on freighter Airbus A320s within the next five years.