Page 16 - AA 2018_11

Debrief

passengers. The busiest international 777-300ER and switch Dubai- By contrast, Cathay Pacific is adding a
route in terms of passenger numbers Adelaide from the 777-300ER to sixth weekly flight between Adelaide
was Hong Kong-Taipei Taoyuan at the smaller 777-200LR. Its Dubai- and Hong Kong from October 28.
6,719,030, followed by Singapore- Denpasar-Auckland flights have also The airline also planned to offer a
Jakarta (4,810,602). been cut from daily to between four split schedule where three flights a
– and five times weekly. week depart Adelaide in the afternoon
Emirates plans to downgauge some – and three operate as an overnight
services and cut frequencies on its Similarly, Thai Airways is reducing service. Similarly, from Hong Kong
Australia and New Zealand network its Bangkok-Sydney service to daily, there will be three red-eye services
for the Northern Winter scheduling from 11 times weekly, scaling back and three morning departures. Cathay
season from October 28 to March 30. Bangkok-Brisbane from daily to four Pacific said the new schedule would
According to schedule updates, the times weekly and cutting Melbourne- give customers greater choice and
Qantas alliance partner will reduce Bangkok from double daily to 11 improved connectivity to and from
its Dubai-Perth schedule from twice frequencies a week. Its Perth-Bangkok European destinations via Hong
daily to 11 times weekly, downgauge schedule was unchangd at daily. The Kong.
its daily Dubai-Singapore-Melbourne changes represent a capacity reduction –
Airbus has received certification and Dubai-Bangkok-Sydney services of about 30 per cent. The New Zealand government has
for the A330-900neo. airbus from the Airbus A380 to Boeing – given the green light to Air New
Zealand and Singapore Airlines
(SIA) continuing their alliance
for a further five years. Under the
partnership, which began in 2015, the
pair codeshares on routes between
New Zealand and Europe, India and
South-East Asia via Singapore. The
partnership also includes revenue
sharing and coordination of capacity
and pricing.
INDUSTRY NEWS
CHC Helicopter has won a five-year
contract to provide flights in Western
Australia’s Pilbara for four resources
companies. The contract covers
passenger transfer, medical evacuation
and search-and-rescue services for
BHP, Jadestone Energy, Vermilion
Energy and Woodside in WA’s North
West Shelf and North West Cape out
of Karratha, Learmonth and Onslow
airports. Two AW139 and two AW189
helicopters will be used to service the
contract that is due to commence in
July 2019.
–
An Australian Transport Safety
Bureau (ATSB) investigation has
found the pilot flying a Beechcraft
B200 Super King Air that crashed
shortly after takeoff at Melbourne
Essendon Airport in February 2017,
killing all five on board, had the
aircraft’s rudder trim in the wrong
position at takeoff. The King Air
VH-ZCR was operating a private
charter flight to King Island in
Tasmania. “The ATSB found that
the pilot did not detect that the
aircraft’s rudder trim was in the full
nose-left position prior to takeoff,”
the ATSB report said. “The position
of the rudder trim resulted in a loss
of directional control and had a
significant impact on the aircraft’s
climb performance in the latter part of
the flight.”
–

16 AUSTRALIAN AVIATION