Airport

Hurricane Irma destroys one of the most famous airports in the world St Marteen

Published

6 years ago

September 8, 2017

AN AIRPORT famous for its spectacular plane landings has been destroyed by strong winds as Hurricane Irma moves across the Caribbean.

Pictures have emerged of a flattened Princess Juliana International Airport after winds of up to 297km/h tore through St Martin, a divided island in the Caribbean split between French and Dutch rule.

The airport sits remarkably close to Maho beach in Dutch-controlled Sint Maarten, which has become a popular site for beachgoers to watch planes swoop perilously close to their heads while coming in for landing.

Irma caused huge rocks to smash into planes, at least one of the jet bridges to collapse and sand and debris from Maho beach to be swept onto the runway.

Pictures in the aftermath of the hurricane also showed severe damage to the airport terminal. Inside the airport, the check-in hall had flooded.

Princess Juliana International airport suspended all operations on Tuesday, local time, as Irma approached the island.

“We regret any inconvenience this will cause, but must stress that the safety and security of all is priority number one at SXM Airport,” the airport’s chief operating officer Michel Hyman said.

The nation of St Martin, which is close to Anguilla in the Caribbean, is divided between the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten and the French territory of Saint-Martin.

At least six people have been killed in the French part of the island at the time of publication.

Another person has been killed in the popular tourist island of St Barts, France said.

“The situation in St Martin and St Barts is dramatic — there is no drinking water, electricity, public buildings are unusable, houses have been destroyed,” Guadeloupe prefect Eric Maire said.

In Saint Martin, the prefecture building has been destroyed, and the fire station is out of order. Several roofs have also been blown off at the police station.

Irma first hit Antigua and Barbuda which locals described as “sounding like angry people banging on the shutter and roof while a freight train roared overhead.” Nevertheless, the damage in Antigua wasn’t as devastating.

After moving through Sint Maarten/Saint Martin and St. Barts, Irma is now headed to the Virgin Islands, where Virgin’s Richard Branson is planning on hiding in his Necker Island wine cellar. After passing through Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, Orma with then hit Florida over the weekend; Key West is currently being evacuated per a mandatory evacuation.

Airlines

Lufthansa is interested in deepening its partnership with Air India to expand its cargo operations

Published

10 hours ago

October 3, 2023

Sana khan

Lufthansa is interested in deepening its partnership with Air India to expand its cargo operations

Lufthansa is willing to expand its cargo collaboration with Air India in order to increase cargo volumes.

“We believe that a strong Air India is good for both India and global aviation.” “We are always looking for ways to strengthen our ties with Air India,” Lufthansa stated According to the report.

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In the midst of a robust revival in its cargo sector, the German airline is eager to work more closely with Air India. The ambitious growth plan for Air India includes the installation of wide-body aircraft, which will expand its cargo capacity by 300%.

“Lufthansa Cargo has seen a strong recovery in India, with cargo volumes recovering to surpass pre-pandemic levels in the first half of 2023,” the company said. Positive forecasts for the remainder of the year include continuous expansion, according to the airline. “India is one of the world’s air freight markets with the quickest rate of growth. As India’s economy continues to expand and its exports rise, there will likely be a rise in the demand for air cargo, it added.

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Airlines

LATAM Airlines takes delivery of its first A321neo, adds 13 more to order book

Published

11 hours ago

October 3, 2023

Sana khan

LATAM Airlines takes delivery of its first A321neo, adds 13 more to order book

LATAM Airlines has taken possession of the first A321neo it had leased from AerCap and placed an order for 13 more of the aircraft to boost regional expansion and expand its route network. This A321neo aircraft is the first in a committed backlog of 76 to be delivered. LATAM will receive 111 A320 Family aircraft in total.

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The recently arrived A321neo for LATAM has Airbus’ Airspace XL bins in the cabin and can accommodate 224 passengers. The larger bins enable 60% more carry-on baggage and 40% more storage space, allowing passengers and cabin crew to board flights more leisurely. 49% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) was used to propel the just-delivered A321neo to its destination.

The largest single-aisle A320 Family model sold by Airbus is the A321neo. The lowest seat-mile cost of any single-aisle aircraft on the market is provided by the A321neo, allowing operators to serve the entire market. Customers from all across the world have ordered more than 5,200 A321neos so far.

Why LATAM retired its entire A350s fleet?(Opens in a new browser tab)

The LATAM Airlines Group and its affiliates are the major airline group in Latin America, operating internationally throughout Europe, Oceania, the United States, and the Caribbean in addition to five local markets in the region: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. LATAM is currently Latin America’s largest Airbus operator, flying 240 Airbus aircraft. LATAM received a brand-new Airbus A320neo in July of this year, marking the first delivery made with 30% SAF.

Airbus has sold over 1,150 aircraft in Latin America and the Caribbean. More than 750 are in operation throughout the region, with more than 520 in the order backlog, representing a market share of 58% of in-service passenger aircraft. Since 1994, Airbus has secured 75% of net orders in the region.

Airlines

Wings of Growth: India’s Need for 130-150 Additional Wide-Body Aircraft

Published

12 hours ago

October 3, 2023

Sana khan

Wings of Growth: India's Need for 130-150 Additional Wide-Body Aircraft

According to Vikram Rai, CEO of GE Aerospace South Asia, India’s civil aviation market, one of the fastest-growing in the world, has the potential to add 130-150 more wide-body aircraft to its fleet. In India, there are now about 700 commercial aircraft in service, although only about 50 of them are wide-body aircraft.

India, the third-largest aviation market in the world with about 1,500 aircraft on order from domestic airlines, is viewed as having “great potential” by GE Aerospace, a key manufacturer of aircraft engines.

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India is a focus market and a priority market for GE Aerospace” and added that in his opinion, domestic airlines would think about adding more wide-body aircraft to their fleet and using them on busy domestic routes.

The government is attempting to create international aviation hubs in India in order for domestic airlines to transport passengers directly to a variety of foreign locations as a result of the growing air passenger traffic.

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Currently, the majority of passengers flying out of India to distant locations do so on connecting flights run by foreign airlines.”We need to reach a stage where we can transport our passengers from end to finish. We are talking about the next stage of growth here, Rai added.

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