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

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