United Arab Emirates investigators have disclosed that the Diamond Aircraft DA62 which fatally crashed at Dubai last month had been following preceding traffic on a parallel runway closer than prescribed before a suspected wake-vortex upset. It was flying 3.7nm behind an Airbus A350 whose wake turbulence is thought to have contributed to the accident. After levelling off from the turn to final, at around 1,100ft and 130kt, the DA62 rolled slightly but recovered 9s later. But 7s after that, the aircraft "abruptly" rolled to the left, says the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority, becoming inverted before entering a steep dive. It struck the ground in a nature reserve about 3.5nm from the runway 30L threshold, travelling at "high speed" on a heading of about 100° – almost the opposite direction to its intended flightpath, says the inquiry. Investigators found that the DA62 had "consistently followed" preceding traffic on approach to 30R at distances which were "below the specified minimum separation", and less than the distances discussed during a pre-departure meeting.

Source: FligtGlobal

Operations at Singapore Changi airport operations were temporarily disrupted on 24 June due to unauthorised drone activities and bad weather. In total, about 15 departures and three arrivals were delayed, and seven flights were diverted.
It is the second time that drone sightings near the airport have caused disruption at the Southeast Asian hub within a week. On 18 June it was forced to suspend operations from one of its two runways between 23:00 local time and 09:00 the following morning.

Source: FlightGlobal

Spirit Airlines has launched Las Vegas airport's first automated self-service bag drop system, as the ultra low-cost carrier marks a network expansion from the Sin City today. "Our partnership with McCarran International airport to install the first automated self-service bag drop system in Las Vegas is a clear message that we are thinking about every facet of our guest experience with innovative and forward-thinking solutions to elevate our service," says Spirit's vice-president of airport services Mike Byrom.


Source: FlightGlobal