Indonesia sanctions ground handler
May 30, 2016
The Indonesian Ministry of Transport (MOT) has announced plans to suspend the in-house ground handling operations of both Indonesia Air Asia and Lion Air. The MOT cited that the airlines’ ground handler breached operational protocols and procedures on numerous occasions. There have reportedly been a number of instances where international flight aircraft were marshalled into domestic terminals, which did not have the infrastructure or capacity to handle the immigration and security check requirements. The airlines were subsequently granted a week to organise a replacement ground handler before a formal investigation is launched.
EgyptAir Flight MS804 Crash
May 30, 2016
An EgyptAir Airbus A320-200 (Reg. SU-GCC), performing flight MS804 from Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport (France) to Cairo International Airport (Egypt) with 56 passengers and 10 crew on board, was transiting over the Mediterranean Sea when radar and Air Traffic Control contact with the aircraft was lost. Flight tracking data shows the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 37,000 feet, when transponder and radar contact ceased. The Egyptian and Greek authorities subsequently launched a search and rescue mission. On May 20th, debris and wreckage was discovered in the Mediterranean Sea and all 66 occupants on board were found to have been fatally injured. The French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for civil aviation safety (BEA), in conjunction with the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority (ECCA) have launched an investigation.
MH370 wreckage parts identified
May 30, 2016
It has been confirmed that several aircraft wreckage parts discovered on the coast of South Africa and Mauritius belonged to a Boeing 777 aircraft. The Australian Transport Safety Board (ATSB) conducted a series of identification tests on two possible aircraft parts; a piece of engine cowling and an interior cabin part, and concluded that they “almost certainly” came from missing Malaysian Flight MH 370. This finding followed the discovery of additional parts, which were also found on Reunion Island in late 2015 and Mozambique in early 2016.