The recent aircrash of Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 operated as PK8303 near Karachi International Airport brought to limelight Ram Air Turbine in aircraft operations. Based on pictures taken of the doomed aircraft just minutes before it crashed, showed clearly the deployment of the RAT. What exactly is RAT? A Ram Air Turbine (RAT) is a turbine that is installed in an aircraft and used as an alternate or emergency hydraulic or electrical power source. The RAT generates power from the airstream based on the speed of the aircraft and is connected to an electrical generator or to a hydraulic pump. Modern aircraft only utilize the RAT in emergency: either in the event of loss of hydraulic systems or following the loss of primary electrical generation. In these cases the RAT will power vital systems such as flight controls or flight-critical instrumentation, navigation and communication equipment. Some RATs produce only hydraulic power which in turn is used to power an electri...

It is a common knowledge that airlines around the world do from time to time as a means of boosting capacity and expansion of route network do lease aircrafts as the case may be. Aviation Roundtable blog takes a look at the effect of covid-19 pandemic on aircraft leases. A lack of cash flow has resulted in airlines resorting to laying off employees or having their employees take leave without pay. Under these unprecedented social and economic conditions, airlines who lease aircraft may face severe challenges making rental and maintenance reserve payments to lessors.The impact on covid-19 pandemic on the aviation industry in general was extensively analysed in our previous post. Read here. https://aviationroundtable.blogspot.com/2020/04/an-overview-of-impact-of-covid-19-on.html The fall out of the pandemic on aircraft leasing is our focal point in this write up. The implications of COVID-19 pandemic on an aircraft lease agreement vary from one agreement to another, depending on the term...

Aviation Roundtable takes a closer look at the increasing use of passenger aircraft for cargo operation.With no passengers filling aircraft seats as demand is virtually non existent in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, an increasing number of airlines are now piling cargo in the cabins of their aircraft in the hope to generate at least a fraction of the revenue they would have generated under normal circumstances. Typically between 40% and 45% of air cargo is carried in the belly holds of passenger aircraft, while the rest is been ferried by conventional cargo freight operations. but most passenger flights are suspended as a result of travel restrictions and lower demand due to the Covid-19 pandemenic. In contrast to the dramatic drop in passenger demand, air cargo operations are surging to respond to calls to move essential supplies to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.  Amid the crisis, to supplement the continued cargo operations, airlines have been using their passenger aircraft fleets...

Air travel has been one of the hardest-hit industries as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline industry have never before withnessed a shock of this magnitude affecting the entire world for what looks as if it will be a very long time. Aviation Rountable blog takes a look at the critical issues. Will the airline industry be able to handle this predicament? What role will and should the governments play? And, when all this is over, what will have changed for good? Almost as soon as news of the virus became widespread in late-January, travel demand to Asia from the rest of the world plummeted. Even before the containment was adopted across the globe, airlines began to drastically cut flights to China, and other locations in Asia as coronavirus-related anxieties and travel apathy led passengers to avoid travel to the region. Within weeks, however, it became apparent that flights to Asia were not the only routes to see lower demand. As the virus spread to Europe, followed...

An Isreali aerospace industries westwind 24 aircraft exploded while taking off at the Manila International airport. The aircraft with a registration number RPC 5880 is owned by a general aviation company Lion air. The accident happened today 29th March, 2020 at runway 24 while taking off with 8 souls onboard bound for Haneda Japan. The flight which was a Medvac mission to Haneda Japan. Unfortunately, no one survived the accident. The runway has been temporarily closed as investigators from the aircraft accident investigators board of the Philippines are now on site for on the spot assessment of the accident and to commence investigation. The plane had 2 Pilots, 1 flight crew, 1 flight med , 1 Nurse, 1 Doctor, 1 patient, 1 Patient assistant. Pic credit : Ray Tarol.

Emirates airlines have informed Pilots to take unpaid leave as the coronavirus epidemic hammers demand for travel. The Gulf carrier had to slash dozens of flights, which are crucial for their Dubai hubs that millions of passengers pass through each year. In an email sent to concerned Pilots "You are strongly encouraged to make use of this opportunity to volunteer for additional paid and unpaid leave". Emirates Group, which employed over 100,000 people, including about 4,000 pilots withing the past year asked staff to take unpaid leave earlier this month, although pilots were not included in the request as at then. This new request by Emirates therefore significantly outline how devastating the Corona virus have been to the airlines and the travel industry in general.The Airline has frozen recruitment and continues to cut flights as the situation worsens globally.

Philippines budget carrier Cebu Pacific is set to lay off over 150 cabin crew members as a result of the effect of travel restrictions due to Corona virus epidemic ravaging the aviation industry. The  airline had to scale down and suspend flight operations due to travel restrictions covering Metro Manila, as well as key provinces and cities in the country. Furthermore, as a result of the enhanced lockdown as announced by the Government, all international departures from Luzon is also suspended untill further notice.The airline earlier had to cancel flights to mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau since early February after the Philippine government issued travel bans to these areas hard hit by the disease known as COVID-19. This was eventually broadened to cover North Gyeongsang province of South Korea, until the month-long Metro Manila quarantine forced Cebu Pacific to cancel all flights to and from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the country’s main transport hub. M...