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Wednesday, 29 July 2015

BBC News

• Braking error led to spaceship crashInvestigators say a fatal Virgin Galactic spaceship crash last year was caused by structural failure after the co-pilot unlocked a braking system early.

Financial Times

• Virgin rocket cleared despite safety fearsProbe finds regulator saw scope for human error but still issued waiver to rules

The Guardian

• Virgin Galactic pilot tells of falling from the sky after SpaceShip Two broke up Peter Siebold found himself plummeting through the frozen air after co-pilot pulled the wrong lever, destroying craft Related: Virgin Galactic crash: co-pilot unlocked braking system too early, inquiry finds Free-falling miles above the desert, his test spaceship ripped to pieces and the frigid air hard to breathe, pilot Peter Siebold struggled through crippling injuries to turn on his oxygen and just to stay conscious. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Virgin Galactic crash 'caused by pilot error' says official investigationVirgin Galactic's training company was critcised for not having safety procedures in place to prevent the accidental unlocking of SpaceShipTwo's braking system by co-pilot

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Highland airport passenger numbers upThe airport operators for the Highlands and Islands have reported a 5% increase in passenger numbers. The increase for the three months up to June came despite a 48-hour strike by security staff at the start of April. Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) said they now expected airports like Inverness to have their busiest ever summer. Much of the growth was at HIAL's Inverness hub which saw passenger numbers up by 12%. A new weekly summer service to Zurich and strong demand for Dublin and Manchester flights also helped to boost numbers. Earlier this year, additional car parking ca...

Aviation Industry

• Biden, former critic of NY's LaGuardia Airport, upbeat on redesignVice President Joe Biden, who last year compared New York's LaGuardia Airport to
• United Airlines' pilots up in arms over management's stock buyback planIn the wake of last week's announcement that United Airlines would launch a $3 billion stock repurchase effort, United pilots are seriously questioning the wisdom of that move by management of the Chicago-based airline. In a strongly-worded memo sent late last week to his fellow 12,500-plus unionized United pilots, Jay Heppner , a United captain and chairman of the United chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association , wrote that
• Lufthansa agrees Concur deal for direct bookingsAgreement will allow management of flights booked through airline’s website

Other News Sources

• Radius signs expanded tech deal with TravelportTMC’s member agency will get greater access to sales platforms