Aviation International News reports that search and rescue crews in Nepal recovered the flight data and cockpit voice recorders for Yeti Airlines Flight YT691 on Monday, a day after it “violently crashed while on final approach to runway 12 of Pokhara International Airport.” According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the ATR 72-500 turboprop with 68 passengers and four crew members aboard took off January 15 at 10:32 a.m. local time from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport for a 27-minute domestic flight to the tourist city of Pokhara. The flight “made final contact with Pokhara Tower at 10:50 a.m. before plunging abruptly into the steep bank of the Seti Gandaki River at approximately 11:05 a.m.,” about a mile short of the runway. Video footage captured “shows the twin-engine turboprop suddenly banking to the left” while on final approach. According to the report, “Sunday’s crash not only marks Nepal’s deadliest aviation occurrence in 30 years but has also placed the country’s aviation safety record back into the spotlight.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
Tag: Recovers
American, Southwest Report Profits as Industry Recovers
FlightGlobal reports that airlines are increasing the amount of flights and destinations it is offering as the industry begins to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting slowdown in travel. Analysts “still suspect the industry will not fully recover for several years – possibly not until 2023 – and a second wave of Covid-19 infections or another industry shock could set back revival.” In response to the increase in demand, US airlines “have brought about 450 passenger aircraft out of storage since mid-May, bringing the combined US in-service fleet to about 4,000 aircraft, Cirium fleets data shows.” By “comparison, US carriers operated about 6,700 passenger aircraft at the beginning of 2020, before the global downturn, according to Cirium.” US airlines “in June will carry about 29.6 million seats on domestic flights, up 29% from May, though still down 66% from 86.2 million seats in May 2019, Cirium schedules data shows.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)