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Aerospace

Top 10 airlines in Europe.

Top 10 airlines in Europe.

TATA plans to transform, composite corporate jet into ISR UAV

1. Air France

Air France, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the Sky Team global airline alliance. In 2018, Air France and its regional subsidiary Hop carried 51.4 million passengers. It was a launch customer for the fly-by-wire (FBW) A320 narrow body twin, along with Air Inter and British Caledonian. It became the first airline to take delivery of the A320. Air France and KLM announced the merger of the two airlines, the new company to be known as Air France–KLM. In 2021, Air France-KLM flew 44.6 million passengers to their destinations, and this company offers flights all over the world.

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2. Ryanair

It is an Irish ultra low-cost carrier founded in 1984. It is headquartered in Swords, Dublin, Ireland. It is Europe’s largest budget airline by scheduled passengers flown, carrying more international passengers than any other airline.  By maintaining its pricing low throughout the years, it has risen to the top of the European airline sector. In spite of this, it consistently ranks as one of the least comfortable airlines to fly with it. As of 2021the net income is €1.145 billion and revenue is €1.636 billion, and carrying 72.4 million passengers.

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3.Lufthansa

First Lufthansa Boeing 787 arrives in Frankfurt

Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. When combined with its subsidiaries, it is the second-largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried. It is the one of the five founding members of Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline alliance. The company was founded as Luftag in 1953.The total number of passengers carried by the Lufthansa Group in 2021 was 46.9 million, with revenue of €16.81 billion and a net income of €2.19 billion.

4. Aeroflot

Courtesy: Wikipedia

It is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. The airline was founded in 1923, making Aeroflot one of the oldest active airlines in the world. It is headquartered in the Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow. Aeroflot has the third highest passenger numbers of  airline in Europe, boasting 45.8 million passengers in 2021,with the revenue of ₽492 billion and the net income of ₽34.5 billion. It has historically been the biggest airline in the world at several points throughout history.

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5. Easy Jet

EasyJet, is a British multinational low-cost airline group headquartered at London Luton Airport. It operates domestic and international scheduled services on 927 routes in more than 34 countries. It has seen expansion since its establishment in 1995. with 29.4 million passengers flown in 2021, it has revenue of £1,458 million, net income of £(858) million. EasyJet has had rapid growth over the years and attracted a lot of customers due to its low prices. It also has a history of using interesting marketing techniques in the UK.

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6.Turkish Airlines

turkish airlines

It is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey. Americas, making it the largest mainline carrier in the world by number of passenger destinations. Istanbul Airport in Arnavutköy is the airline’s main base, and there are secondary hubs at Ankara Esenboğa Airport and İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport. Turkish Airlines has been a member of the Star Alliance network since 1 April 2008. In 2021, it carried 44.8 million passengers and Turkish Airlines was founded in 1933. It’s also one of the largest airlines in terms of the number of destinations, flying to 126 different countries. As of 2018, it has a revenue of US$ 12.855 billion and a net income was US$ 753 million.

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7. IAG

IAG is a multinational airline holding corporation that is Anglo-Spanish and has its worldwide headquarters in London, England, and its registered office in Madrid, Spain. Following a merger deal between British Airways and Iberia, the national carriers of Spain and the United Kingdom, respectively, it was established in January 2011. IAG transported 38.8 million passengers in 2021, resulting in €8.455 billion in revenue and €2.933 billion in net income overall. With a total fleet of 520 aircraft, it is among the biggest airline companies in the world.

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8. Virgin Atlantic

Courtesy : Wikipedia

It is a British airline with its head office in Crawley, England. The airline was established in 1984 as British Atlantic Airways. Virgin Atlantic uses a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing wide-body aircraft and operates to destinations in North America. The airline along with Virgin Holidays is controlled by a holding company, Virgin Atlantic Limited, which is 51% owned by the Virgin Group and 49% by Delta Air Lines. As of 2018, it has revenue of £2.781 billion and a net income of £-38.4 million.

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9.Pegasus Airlines

Courtesy: Wikipedia

It is a Turkish low-cost carrier headquartered in the Kurtköy area of Pendik, Istanbul with bases at several Turkish airports. It was founded in 1991 and is based in Istanbul. It served over 20.1 million passengers in 2021, according to the latest statistics. It offers mostly flights around Turkey and Europe, and also serves some destinations in Asia. As of 2019, it had a revenue of 11.03 billion and 1.334 billion in net income.

10. Finnair

Finnair to launch daily services from Nordic capitals to Doha in strategic partnership with Qatar Airways

It is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters in Vantaa on the grounds of Helsinki Airport, its hub. Its major shareholder is the government of Finland, which owns 55.9% of its shares (as of 2014). Finnair is a member of the One world airline alliance. In 2022, it transported about 2.9 million passengers. Finnair is the sixth oldest airline in continuous operation and is consistently listed as one of the safest in the world. The company slogans are “Designed for you and The Nordic Way”. As of 2019, it had EUR 3,097 million in revenue and EUR 74 million in net income.

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Aerospace

The LCA Tejas Aircraft Crash: Understanding the Reasons – Air Marshal GS Bedi’s Perspective

The LCA Tejas Aircraft Crash: Understanding the Reasons - Air Marshal GS Bedi's Perspective

Air Marshal GS Bedi, a renowned fighter jet pilot and experienced crew member, recently participated in a YouTube interview with Def Talks hosted by Aadi. During the interview, he provided insights into the recent Tejas aircraft crash in Rajasthan, which marks one of the first crashes involving an aircraft from the Tejas family since its production commenced 20 years ago.

Numerous questions have emerged regarding the circumstances surrounding the Tejas aircraft crash and the potential causes of failure. Air Marshal Bedi adeptly addressed these concerns by outlining possible scenarios that could have led to the crash. His expertise shed light on the complexities involved in such incidents and provided valuable perspective on the aviation community’s understanding of the event.

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At the outset, Tejas lacked a simulator and a trainer aircraft for initial training. However, pilots were provided with simulation trials before flying the Tejas aircraft. Initial reviews indicated stability during flight, with the aircraft maintaining a straight glide. However, there was an incident where the aircraft experienced an engine malfunction, prompting the pilot to eject safely.

Pilot Safe Ejections

The decision to eject was made as a precautionary measure, considering the aircraft’s low altitude and steep descent angle. With the aircraft’s altitude dropping rapidly, attempting to balance and land it was deemed too risky. Ejecting ensured the pilot’s safety, as deploying a parachute at such low altitudes could have been disastrous.

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He chose to eject to ensure a safer distance from the ground. The aircraft is at an angle of less than 3 degrees during the approach. At a height of 100 meters, the aircraft is nearly 20 times its length away from the ground. This means the touchdown point will be approximately 4 kilometers ahead.

However, as the altitude decreases, the approach becomes too short due to the rapid descent rate. Consequently, the pilot opts to eject rather than attempt to stabilize the aircraft for a ground landing. If he had not ejected, there’s a high probability that his parachute would have deployed at that low altitude.

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LCA Tejas engine Issue

Investigations revealed the engine malfunction was likely due to lubrication issues or other technical faults. Such split-second decisions underscore the potentially catastrophic outcomes that can result from technical failures.

The pilot involved was highly experienced and well-trained for airshow displays, suggesting timely decision-making. Nevertheless, accidents can stem from technical glitches, human errors, or unforeseen circumstances like bird strikes.

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Air Marshal Bedi emphasized the importance of pilots being trained for emergency situations, including ejecting from the aircraft when control is lost. Despite advancements in technology, technical issues remain unpredictable, necessitating ongoing learning and improvements in aircraft systems.

Today, the Tejas mk1A aircraft completed its inaugural flight at the Bangalore station, marking the dawn of a new, advanced version of the Tejas aircraft. This iteration boasts enhanced avionics and improved aircraft structure.

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China is secretly testing its next-generation medium combat helicopter Z21

China is secretly testing its next-generation medium combat helicopter Z21

China consistently keeps aviation enthusiasts surprised with its advancements in fighter jets and other aircraft. Leading the pack in Asia, China continuously pushes boundaries in developing domestically-built aircraft.

Recently, images circulating on the internet reveal China’s latest creation, the Z-21 helicopter. Resembling its predecessor, the Z-10, this helicopter boasts enhanced fighter capabilities. The emergence of these images sparks questions regarding the fate of plans to acquire Russian-made Ka-52K attack helicopters, particularly the naval version.

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Observing the helicopter in flight, it shares design elements with the Harbin Z-10, notably in the front fuselage and cockpit canopy. The wing stubs for weapon mounts exhibit similar shapes, though with less pronounced angular features. With a tandem seating arrangement, the Z-21 also draws comparisons to the Mil Mi-28, featuring an elongated body with five rotor blades and weapon bays on its sides.

The unveiling of the Z-21 has triggered speculation about its potential role in future military operations. Analysts suggest that beyond its firepower, its introduction could signal significant technological advancements. There’s particular interest in whether China will incorporate a ‘manned-unmanned teaming’ system akin to later Apache models, enabling the Z-21 to control armed drones for reconnaissance and attacks, reducing risks to the helicopter itself.

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The emergence of the Z-21 underscores China’s increasing military prowess and its commitment to developing cutting-edge weaponry. Its deployment and capabilities will be closely monitored, especially concerning regional security dynamics.

The helicopter presents a significant challenge to American-built Apache and other medium helicopters, boasting superior capacity for flying at higher altitudes and more powerful speed and combat capabilities, thus enhancing its effectiveness on the battlefield. On the other hand, amidst ongoing Indian border tensions, this aircraft is poised to play a crucial role in surveillance along the sensitive China border and beyond.

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Qantas Airbus A330 Makes Safe Landing After Engine Blowout

Woman spends tortuous three months trying to resolve huge Qantas errors

A Qantas Airbus A330 Aircraft, flight number QF781, has landed safely without incident in
Perth after the passengers on the Perth-bound flight reported hearing a ‘loud bang’ from one
side of the twin-engined plane engine. The Airbus A330 aircraft made a priority landing at
Perth Airport around 9:37pm local time on 25 March, arriving approximately 52 minutes
behind schedule.


Upon landing, emergency services met with the aircraft on the tarmac. However, the aircraft
taxied to the gate without assistance, with the passengers disembarking normally.
The ‘loud bang’ heard by passengers happened due to a mid-air engine blowout, therefore
resulting in the pilots having to manually shut off the affected engine, together with
requesting a priority landing into Perth Airport. Qantas also added in a statement that the
Airbus A330 aircraft was designed to operate with one engine too.

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Qantas QF781 is a daily scheduled flight from Melbourne to Perth, utilising the Airbus A330
on the route. The Aircraft in question is VH-EBA, an approximately 21 years aircraft,
equipped with 2 GE CF6 engines according to airfleets.net. The Airbus A330 have been a
frequent regional workhorse in Qantas’ fleet, connecting major australian cities with major
destinations within Asia. the Airbus A330 is also used on high-density domestic routes,
similar to QF781, from Melbourne to Perth.

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Engine Issues – Should you be concerned?


While engine issues are highly uncommon due to the stringent checks and quality control on
each component within the engine, there might still be exceptional occasions where such
incidents happen. However, while recognising the risks of dual engines, Aircraft
Manufacturers and Organisations have actually came up with standards so as to ensure that
an aircraft can also land on a single engine, similar to what we saw on QF781.


One of the most well known standard is Extended-range Twin-engine Operations
Performance Standards (ETOPS) which is an acronym for twin-engine operation in an
airspace further than one hour from a diversion airport at a designated one engine
inoperable speed. This ensures that twin-engined aircraft could safely operate routes over
water or remote land without an alternative airport near the flight path, which once required
aircraft with 3 or 4 engines to fly on that route.

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In this case, the Airbus A330 has been certified to fly ‘Beyond ETOPS 180’, and have
received ETOPS 240 certification, which is a certification to enable the twin-engined aircraft
to fly for up to a maximum of 240 minutes with 1 engine inoperative in a cruise condition.
Currently, most twin-engined widebody aircraft in operation would generally have an ETOPS
certification of at least ETOPS 180, with the new Airbus A321LR also having ETOPS 180
certification, therefore enabling the narrowbody to fly long haul flights.

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Boeing CEO Resigns Amid 737 MAX Crisis, Ignites Management Overhaul

Boeing CEO Resigns Amid 737 MAX Crisis, Ignites Management Overhaul

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun has announced his resignation amidst the ongoing 737 MAX crisis, signaling a significant top management shakeup at the aerospace giant.

While Calhoun will continue leading the company until the end of 2024, his decision comes amid mounting pressure following a series of setbacks, including the recent incident involving an Alaska Airlines flight. This departure coincides with the retirement of Boeing Commercial President and CEO Stan Deal, who is succeeded by Stephanie Pope, the current Chief Operating Officer.

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The announcement, made by Larry Kellner, boeing products chairman, outlines a broader restructuring within the company’s leadership. Steve Mollenkopf, a Boeing director since 2020 and former CEO of Qualcomm, will take over as chairman and lead the board in selecting a new CEO. This strategic move comes at a critical juncture as boeing airplanes
faces intense regulatory scrutiny and production constraints due to safety and quality issues.

The market’s initial response to the news was positive, with Boeing’s shares rising by 2 percent before regular trading. However, the boeing aircraft company stock had experienced a significant decline earlier in the year, reflecting investor concerns about boeing distribution aviall the ongoing challenges and uncertainties surrounding the 737 MAX program.

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Calhoun stressed the company’s commitment to transparency, safety, and quality in a letter to employees.“We must continue to respond to this accident with humility and complete transparency. We also must inculcate a total commitment to safety and quality at every level of our company,” he said.

“The eyes of the world are on us, and I know we will come through this moment a better company, building on all the learnings we accumulated as we worked together to rebuild Boeing over the last number of years.”

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