Month: July 2017

Jet blast from a plane kills a tourist at St. Maarten airport

Jet blast from a plane kills a tourist at a Caribbean airport

A sign near St. Maarten's Princess Juliana International Airport warns people about the danger from airplane jet engines.

A sign near St. Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport warns people about the danger from airplane jet engines.

A tourist from New Zealand was killed by the blast of a plane at an airport in the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Maarten.

The 57-year-old woman, who was not identified, was hanging onto a fence to watch the plane leave Wednesday, the island’s police said on Facebook.

The jet’s blast was so powerful, it knocked her down, police said. She later died.

Watching planes land and take off at Princess Juliana International Airport is a well-known tourist attraction, as approaching aircraft tend to fly very low above their heads.

But both airport and local authorities warn against getting too close to the planes, calling the practice “extremely dangerous.”

Police didn’t say what kind of plane was involved in Wednesday’s incident.

Island authorities say they have taken necessary precautions to warn tourists not to get too close to planes. They’ve placed signs and they patrol the area to warn people, the police department said.

Thrill-seekers and tourists have been watching planes take off and land at the airport since it opened in 1943.

In 2012, a woman was injured after she was flung into a nearby concrete barrier by a jet blast.

Reported by CNN on 14 July 2017.

It is worth highlighting a suggestion posted on Facebook by Paul Trueschler In know it’s a tourist attraction, but please install a small deflector to at least reduce the blast effects. It can still be exciting while becoming safer.

Hope the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Maarten Airport Authorities instal a small deflector, to reduce the risk of injury and death of future visitors.

Safety concerns over runway at Thailand’s Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport

In a report focussing on airport infrastructure in Thailand, IATA has highlighted an urgent need to address soft tarmac spots at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK).

Temporary remedial repairs have been carried out on the runway tarmac, but reported incidents are steadily increasing, and IATA has urged Airports of Thailand (AoT) to urgently commit to a permanent solution.

Soft tarmac issues that result in runway closures and disruption have significant knock-on effects

IATA’s overwhelming concern regards safety, but soft tarmac issues that result in runway closures and disruption have significant knock-on effects.

These include:

• Delays resulting in missed onward connections, lost or delayed luggage

• Costs as a result of passenger re-routing due to missed connecting flights, hotel costs, and passenger compensation

• Gate changes caused by capacity constraints and repairs, resulting in passenger complaints and missed onward connections

• Fuel costs and delays caused by imposed holding patterns, and taxiing congestion as a result of capacity issue

• Impairing slot management and takeoff efficiencies

IATA also revealed its support for the approval of terminal expansion plans at BKK. With passenger numbers already surpassing the terminal design capacity of 45 million per year—and demand growing by 10% annually—expansion is vital if the airport is to meet demand.

The development of U-Tapao (Pattaya) as a third Bangkok airport would be an error

Another Bangkok airport, Don Mueng (DMK), meanwhile, experienced demand growth of 21.34% in 2016, driven by a surge in low-cost carrier passengers.

Although recognizing the pressure the Thai Government is under to meet demand, IATA believes the development of U-Tapao (Pattaya) as a third Bangkok airport would be an error. IATA instead believes the focus should be on maximizing throughput and efficiently using the facilities at BKK and DMK.

Reported on 5 July 2017 by IATA.

Travelrisk – Parasailing Coupling Chute Failure in Phuket, Thailand

PHUKET – An Australian tourist fell to his death when the coupling on the chute apparently failed while he was parasailing at Kata beach.

An Australian man falls to his death when the coupling on the chute apparently failed while he was parasailing at Kata beach, Phuket on Wednesday. (Photo grabbed from a clip by his Thai wife Budsabong Thongsangka)

The tragedy occurred around noon in full view of his Thai wife, Budsabong Thongsangka, who was videoing the flight.

Roger John Hussey, 71, rose high into the air and then fell free, tumbling to the sea, shortly after the tow boat took off from the shore.

One of the beach crew was seen being pulled up into the air with him while still adjusting the coupling, and then climbing up into the shrouds, before Hussey fell free.

Volunteers at the beach rushed to bring him to shore. He developed breathing problems and was later pronounced dead, said Pol Lt Suwisit Khirirak, a duty-officer at Karon police station. The accident was not reported to police until about 3pm.

Police pressed charges against boat operator and driver Monthian Jandaeng of reckless driving causing the death of the tourist. Another member of the crew, identified as Runroj Rakcheep, was being interrogated.

The couple had been holidaying in Chiang Mai before visiting Phuket. They were scheduled to return to Australia on Friday.

Reported on 12 July 2017 by Bangkok Post.

Rolls Royce engine problem grounds Thai Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliners

Trent turbine troubles ground Thai 787s

Thai Airways International has grounded part of its Boeing 787-8 fleet owing to turbine replacement issues with the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine.

Image result for thai airways 787

The carrier says it is working with Rolls-Royce on the issue, which it expects to be sorted out by September.

“Due to the shortage of Boeing 787 Dreamliner engine spare parts, it is necessary that some aircraft of this type must be parked and temporarily cannot be operated, which is a problem that affects Thai and other airlines worldwide whose 787 aircraft are equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines that have turbine blade problems,” says Thai’s acting president, Usanee Sangsingkoo, in a statement.

She adds: “As this problem may affect flight safety, Thai has removed these engines from its aircraft and sent them for repair at the Rolls-Royce technical maintenance center in Singapore earlier this year.”

The Star Alliance carrier has also conducted negotiations with R-R to obtain compensation expenses accruing from the issue.

When contacted by FlightGlobal, R-R said it is working to resolve Trent 1000 issues.

“This is the continuation of work which started last year to upgrade Trent 1000 engines to the latest standard,” says R-R.

“We have a clear service management plan in place with all operators to undertake this work and minimise disruption. The current disruption that we are causing to the Thai fleet is clearly of great concern to us. The Thai and Rolls-Royce teams are working together to minimise this impact and restore full flight operations as soon as possible.”

In September 2016, R-R said it would replace turbine blades in the intermediate-pressure turbine of the global Trent 1000 fleet. The engine-maker said that the existing design was “failing to meet its expected lifespan”, and that it would roll out a global fix.

Media reports from Thailand say that four of Thai’s six 787-8s are grounded. One story shows the image of a parked 787-8 with an empty engine cowling.

Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that the average age of Thai’s 787s is 2.6 years. Thai also has two 787-9s on order, which are to be delivered in September and December.

Sangsingkeo adds that it is using other types on 787-8 routes to ensure passenger service is not affected. FlightMaps Analytics shows that Thai’s 787s operate short and middle-haul routes. Key destinations include Brisbane, Perth, Delhi, Beijing, and Phuket.

Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that there are 213 in-service 787s globally that are powered with Trent 1000s. Of these, 101 are with operators in the Asia-Pacific.

Globally, major users of Trent 1000 powered 787s include All NipponAirways with 59 aircraft, British Airways (24), and LATAM (23).

Reported on 6 July 2017 by FlightGlobal.