Aviation

Helicopter carrying wedding party lands in prison in Bangladesh

A private helicopter carrying a wedding party landed by mistake inside a high security prison on Thursday, sparking massive security concerns amid reports that terrorists were planning an attack on the jail to free the militant inmates.
According to the officials the guards at Kashimpur Central Jail detained the five passengers, all members of an expatriate Bangladeshi family, for a brief period but the pilot, reportedly a retired air force officer, flew away with the plane after sensing his mistake.
“This happened by mistake but the incident made us concerned as there are intelligence reports that terrorists could launch attacks to free militant inmates from this jail,” said Inspector General of prisons Brigadier General Syed Iftekhar Uddin.
He said the armed jail guards immediately cordoned off the helicopter as it landed on the prison ground and briefly detained the passengers but the plane flew away immediately.
The prison chief said the helicopter service management apologised for the mistake and the passengers were freed after brief interrogation and allowed to join the wedding reception at a nearby village.

According to media reports, a Bangladeshi living in Malaysia chartered the helicopter to join the relative’s marriage ceremony along with his wife and children.

Aviation

Aeroflot Buys Used Planes for Spare Parts Amid Sanctions

In the face of ongoing Western sanctions that have severely impacted Russia’s aviation industry, Aeroflot, the country’s largest airline, has devised a strategic plan to bolster its fleet’s spare parts inventory.

The airline is set to acquire five Boeing 737-800BCF freighters from Atran Airlines, a move that will allow it to dismantle the aircraft for critical components. The planes, which will be transferred to Aeroflot’s low-cost subsidiary Pobeda, will not be converted into passenger jets but instead will be stripped for valuable parts to support existing operations.

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Aeroflot’s plan to purchase these Boeing 737-800BCF freighters comes as part of a broader strategy to mitigate the effects of Western sanctions, which have crippled the Russian aviation sector. With the sanctions restricting access to essential aircraft parts and spare components, Aeroflot is exploring alternative ways to maintain and repair its fleet.

Instead of converting the freighters from cargo to passenger planes, a process deemed “unreasonably expensive” under current sanctions, the airline intends to focus on extracting high-value components such as engines, landing gear, avionics, and other essential systems.

The deal will be structured in a way that allows Aeroflot to indirectly purchase the freighters through an insurance settlement with the aircraft’s lessor, AerCap.

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The Russian government’s insurance company will reimburse the aircraft’s value, and the planes will then be leased back to local operators. This method circumvents some of the restrictions imposed by international sanctions while ensuring that the airline gains access to the necessary components to support its fleet.

By dismantling the aircraft for spare parts, Aeroflot aims to secure critical resources for the ongoing maintenance of its existing fleet. Components from the Boeing 737-800BCF freighters, such as engines and avionics, are expected to be reused in other aircraft within Aeroflot’s network, ensuring that the airline can keep its operations running smoothly