Divers

💀 Swiss cabin crew member died after a 7-day hospital stay due to smoke inhalation from a flight on December 23 from Bucharest to Zurich. Emergency diversion to Graz, Austria, due to engine issues and cockpit smoke. Swiss mourns the loss, with Jens Fehlinger and Oliver Buchhofer expressing condolences and commitment to assist the family and cooperate with authorities to investigate the incident.

🚨 On December 22, 2024, at 5 p.m., a woman on an Alaska Airlines flight at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport opened the emergency exit and climbed onto the wing due to anxiety. Security cameras recorded the incident as the plane was parked. The emergency crew responded quickly, and the woman was transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.

💥 More than 120 people died when a Boeing 737 from Jeju Airlines crashed on Sunday, as the aircraft lost control and veered off the runway before hitting a wall and bursting into flames. The plane was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members. Korean agencies report that at least two survivors, both flight attendants, have been hospitalized.

🌎 Spanish tourism to Cuba plummeted by 26.8% between January and November 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Other key markets also saw declines, with Canada down 5.2%, Argentina 4.8%, and the US 10.25%, while Russia and Mexico experienced slight increases of 4.4% and 3.2%, respectively. November 2024 alone recorded 44,272 fewer visitors than November 2023. The total number of tourists from January to November was 2,005,390, falling short of the 3.2 million forecasted at the year's start and the 2.7 million revised in September. Factors such as power outages, natural disasters, and perceived instability have affected Cuba's tourism industry, with December's high season unlikely to meet the revised goal of 2.2 million visitors set by Tourism Minister Juan Carlos García Granda.

🚫 A passenger video from an Embraer E-190 of Azerbaijan Airlines moments before a fatal crash showcases calm crew and passengers despite visible oxygen masks and cabin damage. Suspected bullet holes in the fuselage point to an attack, with Russia implicated, but Kremlin spokesperson Dimitry Peskov denies responsibility.

📣 Google, under threat of sanctions and compelled by the European Digital Markets Act, redesigned its search engine for aviation and presented it to the industry. Changes approved by airlines now feature a horizontal layout with uniformly sized boxes for both airlines and comparison websites, distinguished by a blue color. Prices match those listed on respective websites. Google risks a 10% turnover penalty for non-compliance but avoids it, maintaining competition by charging intermediaries for advertisements.

🚨 Embraer 190 pilot reports loss of control due to an alleged missile attack in Naursky district, Chechnya. The incident occurred as the plane approached Grozni Airport at low altitude, also targeted by Ukrainian drones. At 8:12 AM, after losing GPS, the pilot sought to reroute to Bakú but opted for Mineralnye in Dagestan. The aircraft vanished from radar, later reemerging near Aktau, across the Caspian Sea. Western sources pinpoint the attack 18 km NW of Grozni Airport, at 2,400 meters elevation. On Thursday, Kazakhstan declined Russian and Azerbaijani involvement in the investigation.

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📍 A Qantas A380 from Sydney to Johannesburg returned mid-flight after a mechanical issue over the Antarctic coast. The flight lasted over 9 hours without reaching its destination, turning back for safety reasons. The exact cause remains unknown. Passengers were reaccommodated with lodging, transfers, and meal vouchers for a subsequent flight.

💡 On December 25, 2024, an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 with 67 people on board crashed in Aktau, Kazakhstan. The flight was en route from Baku to Grozny and diverted due to heavy fog. A bird strike is suspected to be the cause. There are 14 survivors, all hospitalized.