Latest news with #AirbusA340
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Transatlantic passengers heading for Miami had a 4-hour flight to nowhere, ending up back in Zurich
A Swiss International Airlines flight to Miami landed back in Zurich after a four-hour journey. The Airbus A340 had "an irregularity with an engine," the airline said. The flight changed directions a couple of times over the ocean before circling Zurich for an hour. Passengers expecting to travel transatlantic ended up on a four-hour flight-to-nowhere. Swiss International Airlines Flight 64 on Monday was supposed to be a 10-hour journey from Zurich to Miami. Passengers were already in for some disruption as it departed around an hour later than scheduled, per data from Flightradar24. Things went smoothly until an hour and a half into the journey, when the Airbus A340 started to turn around. The plane had not long started flying over the Atlantic Ocean before deciding to head back. It appeared to be going toward Switzerland, then turned toward Spain, before returning to its original path. After three hours in the air, the A340 was back in Swiss airspace. However, it then had to circle around Zurich a few times before it could land. An airline spokesperson told Business Insider that the plane returned due to "an irregularity with an engine." The four-engined plane involved in the incident, HB-JMH, is 21 years old. "As a precautionary measure, the crew decided to return to the home airport in Zurich, where we have the best maintenance facilities," they added. This is often the case in so-called flights to nowhere, where returning to a hub airport also makes it easier to re-route passengers. Those on the Swiss flight were rebooked on the fastest possible alternatives. "We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers," the airline spokesperson said. Similar incidents have seen flights as long as 10 hours before returning to their original take-off point. For example, last November, a British Airways flight U-turned when it was halfway across the Atlantic. And after a plane crash at Toronto Airport in February, two transatlantic flights to nowhere were among dozens of planes that diverted. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Transatlantic passengers heading for Miami had a 4-hour flight to nowhere, ending up back in Zurich
Passengers expecting to travel transatlantic ended up on a four-hour flight-to-nowhere. Swiss International Airlines Flight 64 on Monday was supposed to be a 10-hour journey from Zurich to Miami. Passengers were already in for some disruption as it departed around an hour later than scheduled, per data from Flightradar24. Things went smoothly until an hour and a half into the journey, when the Airbus A340 started to turn around. The plane had not long started flying over the Atlantic Ocean before deciding to head back. It appeared to be going toward Switzerland, then turned toward Spain, before returning to its original path. After three hours in the air, the A340 was back in Swiss airspace. However, it then had to circle around Zurich a few times before it could land. An airline spokesperson told Business Insider that the plane returned due to "an irregularity with an engine." The four-engined plane involved in the incident, HB-JMH, is 21 years old. "As a precautionary measure, the crew decided to return to the home airport in Zurich, where we have the best maintenance facilities," they added. This is often the case in so-called flights to nowhere, where returning to a hub airport also makes it easier to re-route passengers. Those on the Swiss flight were rebooked on the fastest possible alternatives. "We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers," the airline spokesperson said. Similar incidents have seen flights as long as 10 hours before returning to their original take-off point. For example, last November, a British Airways flight U-turned when it was halfway across the Atlantic. And after a plane crash at Toronto Airport in February, two transatlantic flights to nowhere were among dozens of planes that diverted.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Naidu asks airlines to restore normal ops from May 15 when air route NOATM ends
NEW DELHI: Union has asked airlines to 'resume normal schedules from Thursday (May 15) across all 32 airports' which were reopened on Monday morning after early six days. Naidu held a meeting with all airlines on Tuesday where he directed them to ramp up operations. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The notice to airmen (NOTAM) for temporary closure of 25 segments of air traffic service routes within the Delhi and Mumbai flight information regions is valid till 5.29 am on Thursday. Once this NOTAM lapses, all air routes in the north and west will be available. With all the 32 airports open now, airlines have been asked to restore normal operations then. 'Chaired a review meeting with all airlines and senior officials…. With the NOTAM ending on May 15, I suggested that airlines resume their normal schedules from (then) across all 32 airports for which the NOTAM was issued. All airlines responded positively to this suggestion,' Naidu said on X. Airlines had started resuming flights from Monday itself but drone activity late that night in some cities led to Air India and IndiGo cancelling their flights to the region on Tuesday. These included AI to and from Jammu, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Rajkot. And IndiGo flights to and from Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Chandigarh, Amritsar and Rajkot were cancelled on Tuesday and 'will progressively resume' from Wednesday, the airline said. Meanwhile, Air India Express, SpiceJet and others resumed some suspended flights on Tuesday. SpiceJet said it resumed scheduled flights to Srinagar from Tuesday and that Haj flights from Srinagar will start on Wednesday. 'SpiceJet will resume its Haj 2025 operations from Srinagar, operating two flights to Medina using wide-body Airbus A340 aircraft, each accommodating 324 passengers. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now SpiceJet is facilitating the travel of about 15,500 Haj pilgrims this year,' the airline said. Air India Express said it resumed Hindon-Bengaluru; Jammu–Delhi; Jammu–Srinagar and Srinagar–Delhi on Tuesday. Hindon-Mumbai is scheduled to resume from Wednesday and 'reinstatement of other flights, including international services from Amritsar, is expected to follow from May 15,' the airline said. Naidu asked if airlines needed any support in restoration of services. 'We have sought exemption from route dispersal guidelines (RDG) for this period as some of the closed airports fell in that category,' said people at the meeting. RDG are meant to ensure air connectivity to remote and underserved regions and mandate airlines allocate a portion of their capacity to routes in specific categories, including those in the North-East, Jammu & Kashmir, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Star Air operated its Hindon-Adampur flight on Tuesday. On landing, the pilot thanked the ATC at the IAF base 'thank you for keeping us safe. On behalf of a grateful nation, please accept our immense gratitude. Jai Hind.' The ATC replied, saying, 'Jai Hind.' Some airlines are going to make inflight announcements expressing the nation's gratitude to our brave armed forces
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
SpiceJet to resume Haj flights from Srinagar on May 14 following airport reopening
SpiceJet on Tuesday announced it will resume its from Srinagar starting May 14, with two flights scheduled to depart for Medina. This comes a day after Srinagar airport reopened for civilian flights following a temporary shutdown amid the recent military tensions between India and Pakistan. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'SpiceJet will resume its Haj 2025 operations from Srinagar, operating two flights to Medina using wide-body Airbus A340 aircraft, each accommodating 324 passengers,' the airline said in a statement as quoted by news agency PTI. The carrier is set to facilitate the travel of approximately 15,500 Haj pilgrims this year. Earlier this month, SpiceJet confirmed plans to operate 45 Haj flights in the first phase, connecting Gaya, Srinagar, Guwahati, and Kolkata with destinations in Saudi Arabia, including Medina and Jeddah. In addition to the special Haj services, SpiceJet will also resume its regular scheduled flights to Srinagar starting Tuesday. Haj 2025 is scheduled to take place between June 4 and 9. This year, one in every 18 pilgrims globally will be from India. Saudi Arabia allocates pilgrimage quotas to each country based on the proportion of the Muslim population. The total quota for India in 2025 stands at 1,75,025 pilgrims, making it the third-largest contingent globally, following Indonesia and Pakistan, which have the largest Muslim populations. Out of India's total quota, 1,22,518 seats were allotted to the Haj Committee of India, while 52,507 were designated for private tour operators. However, private tour operators failed to complete the required formalities, such as accommodation bookings, within the set timeline. As a result, their quota was cancelled due to logistical constraints.
Hindustan Times
13-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
SpiceJet to resume Haj flights from Srinagar on May 14 after airport reopens
SpiceJet on Tuesday said it will resume Haj flights from Srinagar on May 14 with two services to Medina. Srinagar was among the 32 airports that were temporarily shut for civilian flights in the wake of the military conflict between India and Pakistan. The airports were reopened for civilian operations on Monday. Also Read: Srinagar airport to resume operations from Tuesday; Haj flights from Wednesday "SpiceJet will resume its Haj 2025 operations from Srinagar, operating two flights to Medina using wide-body Airbus A340 aircraft, each accommodating 324 passengers...," the airline said in a release. The carrier said it will be facilitating the travel of around 15,500 Haj pilgrims this year. Also Read: 32 airports, shut during India-Pak conflict, open. Check full list Earlier this month, SpiceJet said it will operate 45 Haj flights in the first phase connecting Gaya, Srinagar, Guwahati, and Kolkata to Medina and Jeddah. Meanwhile, the airline will resume scheduled flights to Srinagar from Tuesday.
