A Cessna Citation aircraft, operated by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), took off from George Airport at about 10:40am. Not long afterwards the air traffic control tower could not make contact with the aircraft. It was initially believed to have crashed in the mountainous Ruiterbos area between Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn and a search operation immediately got under way but was hampered by mist. Emergency services have confirmed the death of three people in an aircraft crash earlier on Thursday near a mountain pass between Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn in the southern Cape. The Cessna Citation plane was a calibration aircraft used to enforce airport safety both in South Africa and at airports in neighbouring countries.The aircraft was grounded in November 2019 after smoke billowed into the cockpit just before take-off from Lanseria airport in Johannesburg. Picture credit; Times Live.

- Emirates Airlines are currently hiring First Officers for their Boeing 777 fleet. They are looking for motivated and technically proficient pilots who deliver excellence.   They offer a competitive total remuneration package, paid tax free in Dubai. You can find out more about their airline, their employee benefits and living in Dubai on their careers website. Required skills Aircraft model: B777 Type required: No Languages: English 2000 hours flying experience on multi-engine, multi-crew, turboprop and/or jet aircraft with a MTOW ≥ 20 Tonnes; OR 3000 hours flying experience on multi-engine, multi-crew, turboprop and/or jet aircraft with a MTOW between 10 Tonnes & 20 Tonnes; Flown at lest 150 hours within the last 12 months on an aircraft with MTOW ≥ 10 Tonnes; ICAO ATPL; ICAO Class 1 flight crew medical certificate; ICAO Level 4 proficiency in English language; *Pilots with Frozen ATPL (CPL + ATPL Theory exams completed) can be invited fo

Apply now to become a Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific First Officer on the B747 fleet. First Officers will be based in Hong Kong. Required skills Aircraft model: B747 Type required: No Languages: English ICAO ATPL or Frozen ATPL (CPL with ATPL subjects); 1500 hours of total flying experience; 500 hours flying experience on multi-engine, multi-crew, turboprop and/or jet aircraft with a MTOW ≥ 45 Tonnes; ICAO Class 1 flight crew medical certificate; ICAO Level 4 proficiency in English language. Desired skills 3000 hours of total flying experience;. Other information Some of the training you will go through to be ready to fly include: Induction, system and procedures ground training, full flight simulator sessions and conversion course; Training that introduces and/or consolidates jet aircraft operations, multi-crew operations, safety standards, efficient operation, passenger considerations, flight operations disciplines and other operational req

EgyptAir, the flag carrier of Egypt, announced on Tuesday launching a new travel class termed "Comfort Class" on its international flights. At the unveiling in Cairo, the airline's Chairman Ahmed Adel disclosed that the new class will offer passengers extra privileges and luxurious seating from the first to the third row on the brand new A220-300 Airbus fleet. The star alliance member disclosed other privileges include also finalizing travel procedures through Business Class counters, priority for getting on board the plane, a baggage allowance of 32 kgs for each of the two suitcases and 8 kgs in carry-on luggage, in addition to extra mileage points. The Comfort Class will be offered at prices lower than those of Business Travel Class.The new class will be available for passengers for flights to many world destinations including Beirut, Istanbbul, Moscow, Amman and Muscat amongst others. Picture credit: Airbus.

Quantum Air and OSM Aviation Group just announced an electric aircraft pilot training partnership. OSM Aviation Academy will conduct the Quantum-branded pilot training program according to FAA commercial standards. Electric urban air mobility (UAM) is taking shape one step at a time. OSM Aviation and Quantum have both placed substantial electric aircraft orders for the Bye Aerospace eFlyer. Based in Denver, Colorado, Bye Aerospace already has a 2-seat eFlyer and is working on a 4-seat variant. The eFlyer is already flying and I spent some time speaking with George Bye on how he is managing the company. More to follow on that. With significantly lower noise signature and enhanced altitude performance, the eFlyers will be delivered to the two companies starting at the end of next year. OSM is offering the Quantum-branded training program with access to the Bye Aerospace eFlyer aircraft is one of the missing key ingredients in today’s burgeoning UAM industry. Pilot training and

Qatar Airways showcased two of the newest aircraft in its fleet and announced eight new destinations for 2020 on the opening day of the Kuwait Aviation Show. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive; Al-Baker said, “The Kuwait Aviation Show is the perfect platform for us to kick start the New Year and unveil some of our exciting plans for 2020.“Eight new destinations will be joining our network this year in addition to the recently announced gateways of Santorini, Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and Osaka, Japan. With these new routes, our operations will expand to 177 destinations around the world, reinforcing our position as one of the world’s most connected airlines. This ensures we can continue to provide our passengers more options and flexibility when planning their business and leisure travel.” The new destinations are: Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan) – two weekly flights (starting March 30), Almaty (Kazakhstan) two weekly flights (starting April 1), increasing to four weekly flights fro

The Philippine airport authority on Sunday suspended flights in and out of Manila's international airport the country's biggest and busiest airport after a volcano in nearby Batangas province spewed a giant plume of ash. The Taal volcano generated a 1-km (0.6 mile) high ash plume accompanied by rumbling sounds and tremors earlier in the day, indicating increased unrest that could lead to a hazardous eruption in weeks. "Flight operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport have been temporarily suspended due to the volcanic ash from the eruption of Taal Volcano," the Manila International Airport Authority tweeted. Consequentially, the suspension of flight Operations have resulted to so many stranded passengersseen at the vicinity of the airport unable to catch their respective flight.Passengers have been advised to coordinate with their respective airlines for details on flight schedules. Picture credit: Camilia Arganda.

A 28-year-old man in southeast China was ordered to pay 120,000 yuan (US$17,200) in damages to budget carrier Lucky Air for throwing coins at a plane in the hope of a safe journey last year. Lu Chao, who was a first-time flier, admitted throwing the coins at the plane for luck as he boarded.  The flight from Anqing to Kunming, Yunnan province was cancelled after airline staff found two 1 yuan coins on the ground near one of the plane’s engines. All passengers had to leave the plane and it was grounded while it underwent safety checks. Kunming-based Lucky Air had to arrange accommodation for stranded passengers and replacement flights as a result of the incident and incurred losses of more than 123,000 yuan. Lucky Air is a low cost carrier based in Kunming, Yunnan, China.The airline started with flights between Dali and Kunming and Xishuangbanna and Kunming, and expanded soon to other areas of China and added international routes as well. Its base is Kunming Changshui Internati

Gulf Air and Royal Jordanian Airlines said on Friday that they had suspended flights to Baghdad’s international airport until further notice due to the security situation after a US air strike killed Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. Jordan’s state carrier, which has 18 scheduled flights every week to Baghdad, said its flights to the Iraqi cities of Basra, Irbil and Sulaymaniyah were not affected and operating normally. Bahrain’s Gulf Air already suspended flight to the Iraqi capital including flights to and from Najaf. Other airlines flying into Baghdad or flying over Iraq are watching the situation closely with the view to take appropriate action. With the order of United State Officials for all American citizens to leave Iraq, there have been an up surge of not just Americans but westerners leaving iraq in mass. It is however interesting to see how this flight suspensions will affect the mass exodus.    

Turkish Airlines will add four new routes in 2020 as it expands and updates its fleet. The flag carrier will launch flights to Malabo in  Equatorial Guinea, Tokyo's Haneda Airport, Newark, New Jersey, and Vancouver, Canada. Beside new destinations, the airline will also focus on frequency depth. After starting service to 10 new international routes in 2019, the carrier closed out the year flying to a total of 318 cities in 126 countries. One of the major highlight for the airline was the big switch in April from Atatürk Airport to the new mega-Istanbul Airport.Istanbul Airport, the “world's new hub," officially opened on Oct. 29, 2018, the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic. At a full annual capacity of 200 million passengers -- with the completion of all four phases with six runways by 2028 -- Istanbul Airport is set to become a global aviation hub bringing in more than 100 airlines and flights to over 300 destinations around the world. Tur

Kenya Airways has entered an enhanced interline partnership with British Airways on flights behind British Airways’ hubs in London Heathrow and Kenya Airways’ hub at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. In a statement, Ursula Silling, Kenya Airways Chief Commercial Officer, said “Kenya Airways and British Airways continue to demonstrate real value to our customers and Business through our great relationship. We are delighted to embrace these closer ties with British Airways and look forward to working together in enhancing the partnership". Customers of the two partners can now enjoy a seamless travel experience through enhanced connectivity at JKIA, Nairobi and London Heathrow.This partnership will allow Kenya Airways customers to access British Airways’ extensive network especially in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Switzerland and other destinations in Europe. British Airways, on the other hand, will be able to connect their passengers thr

The new year 2020 will see the emergence of two new budget airlines preparing to take off. The past decade has been challenging for Thailand’s legacy airline with Thailand’s flagship Thai Airways struggling these days, it is therefore a welcome boost to the aviation industry in the country to see new entrants taking up the challenge to improve the aviation sector in a cheap, efficient and profitable environment. The two new budget airlines, Thai Summer Airways and Thai Eastar Jet have all gained Air Operating Licenses from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand and are now in the process of gaining their Air Operator Certificates. CAAT law states that 'new airlines must commence commercial flights within 12 months of being granted their AOL'. Technically, the two airlines will have to go into operation before the end of next year. Both airlines planing to offer charter flights in the early stages of operation until their full schedules settle in. The two will be the f