WASHINGTON, July 29: A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operated by United Airlines, experienced a mid-air scare last week due to a critical engine failure. The Munich-bound United Airlines Flight UA108 was climbing out of Washington Dulles Airport on its scheduled transatlantic journey on July 25, when its left engine failed, prompting the crew to declare a "MAYDAY".

The engine malfunction was reported shortly after the flight departed from Washington Dulles and reached an altitude of 5,000 feet. The crew soon declared an emergency and worked closely with air traffic controllers to ensure a safe emergency landing.

According to data from FlightAware, the aircraft remained airbound for 2 hours and 38 minutes, circling northwest of Washington in a holding pattern to safely dump fuel before landing back at Washington Dulles Airport.

During this time, the United Airlines pilots requested air traffic controllers (ATC) for fuel dumping while maintaining an altitude of 6,000 feet to manage the plane's weight and entered a holding pattern northwest of Washington, a report by aviationa2z said.

The controllers guided them on how to ensure safe separation from other air traffic while the aircraft safely discharged fuel. Once the dump was complete, pilots sought permission to land using an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach on Runway 19 Centre.

Upon landing, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner could not move on its own and had to be towed off the runway due to the disabled left engine. It remained grounded at Washington Dulles Airport as of Monday.

There were no injuries in the incident, and the technical malfunction is expected to be investigated further by the airline and relevant aviation authorities.

Plane Crashes Into Italian Highway, Killing Two In Fiery Explosion

MILAN, July 25: A small aircraft crashed onto a highway in Brescia, northern Italy, on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of two people. The victims have been identified as 75-year-old lawyer and pilot Sergio Ravaglia from Milan and his partner, 60-year-old Ann Maria De Stefano.

The incident occurred when the Freccia RG ultralight aircraft nosedived and hit the road, leading to a massive fire and thick black smoke. The crash was captured on video, showing the aircraft descending at high speed before hitting the pavement.

Authorities believe Ravaglia was attempting an emergency landing on the highway but was unable to regain control of the plane, which then spun out and crashed.

Two motorists were also injured due to the explosion but survived. Several vehicles were seen near the burning wreckage as drivers attempted to avoid the crash site.

Emergency services arrived quickly, but the plane was already completely destroyed by the fire. The Freccia RG is an Italian ultralight aircraft made of carbon fibre and has a wingspan of around 30 feet.

Italy's National Agency for Flight Safety is sending a consultant to Brescia to support the investigation. Meanwhile, the Public Prosecutor's Office of Brescia has opened a manslaughter investigation and will examine the plane's maintenance history and mechanical condition.

Russian plane crashes in Russia's far east killing all 48 on board

MOSCOW, July 24: An Antonov An-24 passenger plane carrying 48 people crashed in Russia's far east on Thursday as it was preparing to land, killing everyone on board in an incident that spotlighted the continued use of old, Soviet-era aircraft.

The burning fuselage of the plane, which was made in 1976, was spotted by a search helicopter after it disappeared from radar screens. It had been attempting to land for a second time after failing to touch down on its first approach, the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.

Operated by the privately owned Siberian regional airline Angara, it had been en route from the city of Blagoveshchensk near the Chinese border to Tynda, an important railway junction in the Amur region. It was carrying 42 passengers, including five children, and six crew.

The regional governor and federal investigators confirmed that everyone on board had been killed.

Investigators said they had opened a criminal case into the suspected violation of air traffic and air transport rules, resulting in the death of more than two people through negligence. The plane had recently passed a technical safety inspection, Russian news agencies reported, and had been involved in four apparently minor incidents since 2018.

The crash is likely to raise new questions about the viability of continuing to fly such old planes in far-flung corners of Russia at a time when Western sanctions have crimped Moscow's ability to access investment and spare parts.

It may also prompt other countries that operate the aircraft to review their fleets. North Korea, Kazakhstan, Laos, Cuba, Ethiopia, Myanmar and Zimbabwe operate the An-24, according to the authoritative RussianPlanes web-portal.

Video shot from a helicopter showed pale smoke rising from the crash site in a densely forested hilly area around 15 km (10 miles) from Tynda. There were no roads to the site and a rescue team had to use heavy machinery to cut a path there.

President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and held a minute's silence at the start of a government meeting.

Air India Hong Kong-Delhi Flight Catches Fire After Landing, Passengers Safe

NEW DELHI, July 22: The auxiliary power unit of Air India flight AI-315, flying from Hong Kong to Delhi, caught fire shortly after the plane landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, the airline said Tuesday.

The fire was detected while passengers were exiting the plane, the airline said.

The auxiliary power unit, or APU, was automatically shut down once the system detected the fire, and passengers and crew continued to disembark safely, the airline also said.

Air India said there was "some damage" to the aircraft - a twin-jet Airbus A321 - which has been grounded pending an investigation. The Director-General of Civil Aviation has been notified.

The Delhi incident is the latest worry for a domestic carrier that has received nine notices in six months for five safety violations, junior Aviation Minister Murlidhar Mohol told Parliament Monday.

Air India Pilots Cancel Take-Off, Hit Brakes When Plane Was At 155 Km/Hr On Runway In Delhi

NEW DELHI, July 21: An Air India flight from Delhi to Kolkata aborted a take-off while the aircraft was accelerating down the runway due to a technical issue detected just in time. The pilots applied brakes to stop the aircraft, which was travelling at 155 km per hour.

Flight AI2403 was scheduled to take off at 5:30 pm today for Kolkata, but a technical issue was detected and the pilots, "following a Standard Operating Procedure", decided not to go ahead with the take-off.

The airline in a statement said, "Flight AI2403 operating from Delhi to Kolkata on 21 July 2025 has been rescheduled to depart later this evening, necessitated by a technical issue detected during the take-off roll. The cockpit crew decided to discontinue the take-off, following Standard Operating Procedures."

"All passengers have disembarked, and our ground colleagues in Delhi are extending support to them. Inconvenience caused to the passengers due to this unforeseen disruption is sincerely regretted. At Air India, the safety and wellbeing of our passengers remain top priority," they added.

This is the second incident involving an Air India aircraft today.

In Mumbai, a flight flying in from Kochi had a close shave at the airport while landing after it veered off the rain-soaked runway.

Pictures show a clump of grass stuck to the rear part of the aircraft and signs of damage on one of the engines. The runway, too, has been damaged. All passengers aboard the aircraft are safe, airport authorities have said.

The plane, after landing, made a runway excursion to one side of the runway. "Marking of one wheel of aircraft went into the grassy area on the side of the runway," a source said. Three signage boards and four runway edge lights were found broken after the incident.

According to Air India, the aircraft has been grounded for checks, and the inspection is underway. The two pilots have been derostered pending an inquiry into what led to the scare.

Civil Aviation ministry informed Rajya Sabha today in response to a series of queries from MPs that nine show cause notices have been issued to Air India in connection with five identified safety violations in the last six months.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said over the last six months, no adverse trend was reported in reliability reports of Air India in terms of crashes. But over the last six months, nine show cause notices have been issued to Air India in connection with five identified safety violations.

"Enforcement action has been completed in respect of one violation," the minister said in response to queries from CPM member John Brittas, but did not reveal specific details.

Last month, an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London crashed just after taking off, killing 260 people, including 241 passengers. Only 1 passenger on seat 11A survived. The aircraft crashed into a building adjacent to the hospital.

Post the AI171 crash, one of the deadliest in recent history, has prompted more scrutiny and exhaustive checks in the aircraft.

Delta Airlines Boeing 767 Makes Emergency Landing After Engine Catches Fire

LOS ANGELES, July 19: A Delta Air Lines flight bound for Atlanta had to make an emergency landing back to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after an engine reportedly caught fire shortly after take-off on Friday.

In a video, Flight DL446, operated by a Boeing 767-400 (registration N836MH), can be seen mid-flight with flames coming from the aircraft's left engine.

However, no injuries were reported and fire crews extinguished the fire on the runway.

According to a report by Aviation A2Z, the aircraft had just taken off from the airport when the engine caught fire. The flight crew announced an emergency and prepared to return to the airport. The Air Traffic Control (ATC) guided the plane back to the airport and alerted the emergency services on the ground.

Flightradar24 data shows that DL446 initially climbed out over the Pacific before circling back inland over Downey and Paramount areas, allowing time for the crew to complete checklists and prepare for a safe landing. The aircraft maintained a controlled altitude and speed during the maneuver.

Passengers described that the captain announced that fire crews were "verifying that the engine fire is out."

The cause of the fire is still unknown and the Federal Aviation Administration launched an investigation into the incident. The aircraft is almost 25 years old and is powered by two General Electric CF6 engines.

"Delta flight 446 returned to Los Angeles shortly after departure following an indication of an issue with the aircraft's left engine," said a Delta Air Lines spokesperson.

This is not the first time Delta faced such an issue this year. In April, another Delta aircraft caught fire at Orlando International Airport. Delta Air Lines Flight 1213, the engine of the aircraft, caught fire on the ramp while it was preparing to depart for Atlanta.

The aircraft was an Airbus A330, which carried 282 passengers, 10 flight attendants, and two pilots at the time. No injuries were reported.

Aviation Watchdog Orders Fuel Switch Locking System Checks On Boeing Jets

NEW DELHI, July 14: Domestic airlines operating Boeing jets have been instructed to conduct checks on switches that regulate fuel supply to the engines on those planes. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said airlines had till July 21 to complete these checks and confirm compliance.

This mandatory for all India-registered Boeing aircraft, the DGCA said, following from a special airworthiness bulletin issued by its United States counterpart, the Federal Aviation Authority, in 2018 that highlighted potential malfunctions in the fuel control switch's locking system.

Only two Indian airlines operate the Dreamliner - Air India and IndiGo. The former has around 30 of these planes, including the 787-8 and -9 variants. The latter has just begun flying the 787-9.

Air India has completed checks on 50 per cent of its Dreamliner fleet starting Saturday and no malfunctions had been found in the fuel switch's locking mechanism.

Similar checks have been completed for most of Air India Express' Boeing 737 Max fleet and no defects had been found in those planes either.

The DGCA notification follows concern over a preliminary report into the June 12 Air India crash, in which a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed 32 seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad airport.

The report indicated the plane crashed because the control switches - designed to be immobile unless the pilot deliberately flips them - moved from 'RUN' to the 'CUTOFF' within a second of each other, meaning fuel supply stopped seconds after take-off and both engines shut down.

The fuel-laden Boeing - carrying 272 people including crew - then slammed into a building near the airport, killing all but one of those on board and another 19 people on the ground.

In the days after the crash Air India confirmed the plane's right engine had been overhauled in March and the left was inspected in March. The airline also said the plane's Throttle Controle Module, or TCM, had been replaced twice, once in 2019 and again in 2023.

The TCM is an electronic system that manages the flow of air into the engine to control power output. The module includes the fuel control switches in the FAA, DGCA advisories.

Following the release of that report (late Friday/early Saturday), Etihad Airways and other major airlines have advised pilots operating Dreamliners to "exercise caution" when handling the aircraft's fuel control switches. The Dubai-based airline also ordered a fleet-wide inspection - citing an "abundance of caution" - of the locking mechanisms on these switches.

The Etihad directive, dated July 12, instructs engineers to check whether the left and right fuel control switches on Boeing 787 aircraft can be moved between 'CUTOFF' and 'RUN' without lifting the locking mechanism. If the switches move without lifting, the locking feature is considered faulty, and the Thrust Control Module, or TCM, must be replaced.

A similar procedure has been advised for Indian airlines.

On Sunday the United States' aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Authority, and Boeing issued notifications insisting the fuel control switches are 'safe'.

The preliminary report into the crash by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau referred to a 2018 FAA advisory that recommended, but did not mandate, operators of several Boeing models, including the 787, to inspect the locking feature of the fuel cutoff switches.

The report said Air India did not carry out that inspection because it was not mandatory.

Allegations of human error 'deeply insensitive': Pilots' body after Air India crash report

NEW DELHI, July 13: In the wake of the Air India crash report, the Indian Commercial Pilots' Association has raised its concerns regarding the accusations against the pilots of flight AI 171.

In an official statement, the ICPA called the accusations and allegations against the pilots and flight crew a "gross violation" and "disservice to the profession."

"In the aftermath of this incident, we are deeply disturbed by speculative narratives emerging in sections of the media and public discourse—particularly the reckless and unfounded insinuation of pilot suicide," said ICPA.

"Let us be unequivocally clear: there is absolutely no basis for such a claim at this stage, and invoking such a serious allegation based on incomplete or preliminary information is not only irresponsible—it is deeply insensitive to the individuals and families involved," it added further.

Any mention of pilot error or suicide "in the absence of verified evidence is a gross violation of ethical reporting and a disservice to the dignity of the profession."

Air India flight 171 was headed for London's Gatwick airport on June 12, when it crashed minutes after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The flight, which had 242 passengers on board (including cabin crew), crashed into BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad.

The accident, which is among the deadliest aviation accidents recorded, killed a total of 260 people - 241 on board and 19 on the ground at the crash site.

The sole survivor of the plane has been identified as a 40-year-old British national Vishwas Kumar Ramesh.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its 15-page preliminary report on the Air India crash on Saturday, July 12.

In the report, the sequence of events for the ill-fated flight was laid out, offering the first official insight into what may have happened.

As per the report, the fuel to both engines was cut off shortly after takeoff. Based on the AAIB report, the fuel control switches were found in the "cutoff" position.

"At about 08:08:42 UTC (1:38pm, 42 seconds) and immediately thereafter, the engine 1 and engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec,” stated the report.

“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report added further.

Fuel switches cut off before Air India crash: Report

NEW DELHI, July 12: Late on Friday night, an unsigned preliminary report was released on the Air India crash that killed 260 people on 12 June shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad.

It drew no conclusions, but found that the fuel switches - which turn the engines on and off - were in the cut-off position moments before the plane crashed.

Voice recordings from the cockpit reveal that there was confusion between the two pilots over how the switches were cut off. One of the pilots is heard asking the other why he cut them off, the other pilot responds that he did not do so.

India's aviation minister has urged people not to jump to conclusions, as a US aviation watchdog says the investigation will "follow the facts".

The investigation led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, with assistance from the US National Transportation Safety Board, continues.

A final report is due to be released next year.

Our priority is to follow the facts, says US aviation watchdog

Earlier, it was reported that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it is closely engaged with the investigation and its international partners.

Here is their full statement, which says:

"The FAA received the preliminary report for the Air India accident.

"As the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues to lead the investigation for the US, the FAA supports their work and remains closely engaged with our international partners as the investigation progresses.

"Our priority is to follow the facts where they lead. We are committed to promptly addressing any risks identified throughout the process."

US investigators thank Indian partners for co-operation

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) thanks the Indian government, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and its Ministry of Civil Aviation for "their collaboration and co-operation since the start of this investigation".

The investigation is being led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, with support from representatives from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

In a statement, it added that "there are no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers".

Russia Shot Down Flight MH17 Killing 298 People, Rules Top Europe Court

STRASBOURG, July 10: Europe's top human rights court found that Russia "shot down" Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew members. Judges at the European Court of Human Rights on Wednesday also delivered damning judgments against Russia in three other cases brought by Kyiv and the Netherlands accusing Moscow of atrocities in Ukraine dating back more than a decade.

Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 777--from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur--was shot down on July 17, 2014, using a Russian-made Buk missile fired from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by separatist rebels loyal to Moscow.

Reading the judgment in a courtroom in Strasbourg, the court's president, Mattias Guyomar, said that the "evidence suggested that the missile had been intentionally fired at flight MH17, most likely in the mistaken belief that it had been a military aircraft."

The judges found that Russia's refusal to acknowledge its involvement in the Flight MH17 disaster violated international law. It said that Moscow's failure to properly investigate the matter "significantly aggravated the suffering" of the relatives and friends of the dead.

In May, the UN's aviation agency also found Russia responsible for the disaster.

The Court also found Russia guilty of murder, torture, rape, destruction of civilian infrastructure and kidnapping of Ukrainian children after Moscow's full-scale invasion of 2022.

Guyomar said Russian forces breached international humanitarian law in Ukraine by carrying out attacks that "killed and wounded thousands of civilians and created fear and terror."

The court also found the human rights abuses went beyond any military objective and that Russia used sexual violence as part of a strategy to break Ukrainian morale, the French judge said.

"The use of rape as a weapon of war was an act of extreme atrocity that amounted to torture," Guyomar said.

The 501-page judgment noted that Russia's refusal to participate in the proceedings also was a violation of the European Convention of Human Rights, the treaty that underpins the court.

The ECHR is an important part of the Council of Europe, which is the continent's foremost human rights institution. The court's governing body expelled Moscow in 2022 in response to the all-out invasion. However, the court can still deal with cases against Russia dating from before its expulsion, and, legally, the country is still obliged to participate in the proceedings.

The court will rule on financial compensation at a later date, but Russia's departure leaves little hope that damages will ever be collected.

Asked about the judgment before the rulings were read, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "We won't abide by it, we consider it void."

While the Kremlin said it would ignore the largely symbolic judgment, Ukraine hailed it as "historic and unprecedented," saying it was an "undeniable victory" for the embattled country.

US Ends Airport Shoe Removal Rule After 20 Years

WASHINGTON, July 9: Passengers at US airports will no longer have to remove their shoes to pass through security under a new policy unveiled Tuesday, 20 years after the requirement was introduced.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the change to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rules at a news conference at Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Passengers at US airports have been required to take off shoes during screenings since 2006, five years after the arrest of "Shoe Bomber" Richard Reid, who had explosives hidden in his footwear onboard.

"In those 20 years since that policy was put in place, our security technology has changed dramatically. It's evolved. TSA has changed. We have a multi-layered whole of government approach now to security," Noem said.

"We are very confident that we can continue to provide hospitality to folks and for American travelers and for those visiting our country, while maintaining the same standard of security for passengers and for our homeland," she added.

Reid, a member of Al-Qaeda, was overpowered by other passengers as he tried to light a fuse on his shoes on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami in December 2001.

Reid pleaded guilty to terrorism and other charges and is serving a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado.

TSA said in a statement on the shoe policy change that other security measures will remain in place.

"Other aspects of TSA's layered security approach will still apply during the TSA checkpoint process. For example, passengers subject must still clear identity verification, Secure Flight vetting, and other processes," it said.

Past attacks -- both successful and thwarted -- have led to a raft of new airport security measures in recent decades, especially following the September 11, 2001 attacks, in which hijackers flew passenger jets into the Twin Towers in New York as well as the Pentagon.

In 2006, British authorities announced they had foiled a terror plot that aimed to blow up several planes in mid-air simultaneously with liquid explosives. Since then, tough restrictions have applied to liquids and gels, such as toothpaste.

And electronics have also come in for additional screening in a bid to head off attacks, with passengers required to remove laptops from bags, for instance.

Delhi high court dismisses Turkish firm Celebi’s plea against ban in India

NEW DELHI, July 7: The Delhi high court on Monday dismissed Turkish-founded ground handling firm Celebi Airport Services’s plea challenging cancellation of its security clearance by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) Director General.

BCAS on May 15 had revoked its security, which brought its operations across major Indian airports to a halt and jeopardised more than 10,000 employees working with the firm. The revocation of the security clearance on May 15 followed mounting tensions between India and Turkey over the latter’s diplomatic and military ties with Pakistan. The development triggered a scramble at the nine airports in which the firm operated, to ensure services were not disrupted.

“I’ve dismissed the petition,” justice Sachin Datta said while pronouncing the verdict.

In its petition, BCAS had sought reversal of the decision by claiming that absence of security clearance will hit all its contracts with major airports across the country. Questioning the authority of the BCAS to issue the May 15 direction in violation of prevailing rules, the firm represented by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi had argued that the DG, BCAS did not have the authority to pass a “farman” revoking its security clearance, without giving it an opportunity of being heard.

Rohatgi said that the company had the constitutional right to carry its operations in India, which could not be curtailed in a “crippled manner”, since the same had resulted in cancellation of various ground and cargo handling contracts in various airports, where the company operated.

Pointing to the manner in which the company has been treated by BCAS, Rohatgi said, “There is nothing to show that there is compliance with Rule 12 of the Civil Aviation Security Rules. Order has to be consistent with the procedure. They can’t pass a ‘farman’ (diktat). Violation of natural justice is not limited to non-issuance of show cause notice but the (BCAS) also failed to propose the action that they could’ve taken. Every part of the rule is violated. Complete violation of Rule 12 renders the decision a nullity and is void. Natural justice is ingrained in our jurisprudence.”

Rohatgi submitted that the DG’s power to issue directions for safeguarding civil aviation was not similar to power of revocation and the same could be issued pursuant to compliance of Rule 12.

Centre represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had submitted that Celebi’s security clearance was cancelled due to a potential threat to the country’s airports under the prevailing circumstances in the country and disclosing the reasons behind the government’s actions would have “defeated the purpose” of the very action sought to be taken.

Mehta said that Celebi, while renewing its security clearance in November 2022, had agreed that its clearance could be revoked without giving reasons and the BCAS DG had the “sui generis” plenary power to take such an action for safeguarding civil aviation without granting an opportunity of being heard.