Divers

🚀 Easyjet flight with 236 passengers from Heraklion, Greece to London Gatwick experienced chaos after a passenger's vape devices exploded. The incident caused panic, with passengers mistaking the event for a terrorist attack and shouting "bomb." Authorities attribute the explosion to an external battery and several e-cigarettes in a bag. All passengers were quickly evacuated via emergency slides, with no injuries reported. Easyjet confirmed the fire occurred during boarding, before takeoff.

🐕 In Tenerife Norte airport, a dog on the runway temporarily halted flights, affecting a Binter flight operated by Canair, as reported by air traffic controllers via X (formerly Twitter). The incident necessitated aircraft to circle in the air before landing.

🏨 Iberia launched a VIP lounge at Asturias airport available to business class travelers and Iberia Plus Infinita, Platino, and Oro cardholders. The lounge, named Picos de Europa, is located in the boarding area on the ground floor, open from 5:00 to 23:00 during winter and until 23:30 in summer. It includes work areas, TV, WiFi, refreshments, flight information, and allows animals.

💷 A Ryanair Boeing 737 Max en route from Málaga to Edinburgh was diverted to Madrid Barajas due to a potential fire onboard, suspected to have started in one of the bathrooms. Air traffic controllers (@controladores) facilitated an uninterrupted descent and direct approach with priority to runway 32L, leading to a safe landing without further incidents.

✈ IAG, the parent company of Iberia and Vueling, warns of potential delays in their fleet renewal and expansion plan due to supply chain issues affecting Airbus and Boeing. The industry faces risks from component and engine shortages impacting aircraft turnaround times. IAG plans to receive 20 new aircraft in 2024 and 27 in 2025, with a Boeing 787 delivery shifted from 2024 to 2025. In the first half of the year, IAG added nine new planes, including six narrow-body Airbus and three wide-body Boeing and Airbus planes, to its total fleet of 592 aircraft, with 159 owned and 433 leased as of June 30, up from 582 on December 31, 2023. IAG has 179 aircraft deliveries agreed upon and options for an additional 234.

📷 Iberia employee goes viral for heartwarming gesture with a young boy at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport. The boy, guided by the employee, sits at the check-in counter, handles luggage check-in, and wears Iberia's corporate jacket. The video, shared by the boy's mother Ana Arévalo Vargas, gains applause online, with calls for the employee's recognition and reward.

✈ Pilots of Emirates' A380 showcased skill during a challenging landing at Birmingham airport due to a sudden wind shift before touchdown, resulting in a rough landing and the need for the commander to correct the course.

✈ British Airways left 25,000 passengers stranded after hundreds of flight cancellations on Friday and Saturday. The airline extended issues into Sunday, citing bad weather, with an additional 30 short-haul flights canceled at Heathrow Airport. Affected travelers reported not receiving entitled accommodation, and while some media hinted at IT issues causing the problem, the airline has not confirmed or denied these claims.

✈ A Vueling Airbus A320 crew encountered multiple incidents flying from Bilbao to Oporto, including bird strikes against one engine and a tire blowout upon landing in the northern Portuguese city. The usual one-hour flight took two hours and 18 minutes to complete.

✈ Eurowings flight from Sarrebruck, southwest Germany, to Mallorca faced delays; passengers allowed to leave the plane to stretch legs. The pilot received a 10-minute notice to take off, choosing to leave without the disembarked passengers to avoid stranding others in Mallorca. This decision, criticized by media as selfish, highlights the dilemma airlines face with customer satisfaction and operational constraints.