Divers

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🏦 On March 21, a group of 55 pensioners traveling with Imserso faced delays returning to Mallorca from Málaga-Costa del Sol due to a Vueling airplane engine failure. They spent the night at the airport, with only some accessing a hotel in Benalmádena for a short time. The next day, they encountered additional issues due to limited seating, forcing many to layover in Barcelona. Passengers reported receiving no food or water from Turismo Social during the ordeal.

📌 Heathrow Airport in London closed due to a substation fire causing a power outage on Friday morning, with closure until 23:59 GMT, March 21. Aena reports 20 flight cancellations to/from Madrid (10) and Barcelona (10), plus 5 diversions to Madrid-Barajas from South Africa, Rio de Janeiro, Bermuda, Miami, and Sao Paulo. In total, 54 flights from five Spanish airports to Heathrow affected: Madrid (29), Barcelona (19), Malaga (2), Tenerife South (2), and Valencia (2).

✈️ Japan Airlines (JAL) announced the purchase of 17 Boeing 737 Max aircraft to refresh its short-haul fleet, adding to a previous order of 21 of the same model, which has experienced significant delays. Furthermore, JAL has decided to buy 11 Airbus A321neo to replace the older 767s at Haneda Airport, Tokyo. This marks a shift away from being an exclusive Boeing customer, as JAL now also has 10 Boeing 787s and had purchased 20 Airbus A350-900s, one of which was destroyed in a fire after colliding with a rescue service vehicle at Haneda Airport.

📍 Sudden wind speed and direction changes caused multiple incidents at Canary Islands airports yesterday. A Canair-operated ATR 72-600 for Binter, flying from Tenerife to El Hierro, experienced wind shear during approach. The crew circled northeast of the island almost ten times before a successful landing. Flightradar24 image revealed the unusual flight path.

✈ The global order book for airplanes reached 17,000 units by the end of 2024, equivalent to 50% of the current fleet. Despite surpassing 2019 air traffic levels last year, aircraft deliveries remained 30% below pre-pandemic peaks. Manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus are struggling to regain production rates; Boeing delivered 45 aircraft in January while Airbus delivered 25. Delivery times have hit a record of 5.3 years in 2024, up from typical 2-3 years. It would take 13.5 years to fulfill the backlog at current production rates, with orders made now possibly not being delivered until almost 2040.

💥 In Washington, the FAA permanently suspended military helicopter flights to the city center following the death of 67 people on January 29, when an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter collided. The helicopter was on a training mission above the designated safety altitude, and there were no survivors from either aircraft. The route over the Potomac, near the White House and Ronald Reagan Airport, was one of the most important, with presidential flights exempt from the ban.

✈️ The first Airbus A380 took flight again on March 14, spotted by aviation enthusiasts. The aircraft, which first flew on April 27, 2005 and was used for testing and demonstrations until March 2022, is now being evaluated for system improvements in safety and reliability. The landing was at Toulouse Airport, documented by FL360aero on LinkedIn.

✈ Air Europa, facing fleet issues since last year, frequently subcontracted Iberojet, Wamos Air, Plus Ultra, and Privilege to maintain operations. Management, seeking a financial partner, expects to resolve these issues by summer, potentially with Air France-KLM or Lufthansa's involvement. They anticipate incorporating three new Boeing 787 Dreamliners and reinstating grounded models due to Rolls-Royce engine issues. The airline plans to increase flights to America between mid-June and September, with daily Madrid flights to Medellín, Asunción, La Habana, Panamá, and New York, and multiple weekly flights to Cancún, Punta Cana, Córdoba, and Salvador de Bahía.

🚀 The first Airbus A380, with registration F-WWOW, took to the skies after being grounded for three years. It flew for approximately four hours on March 14 from Toulouse International Airport. The flight was conducted to assess various systems aiming to enhance the model's safety and reliability. The event caught the attention of aviation enthusiasts.