Stopped by traffic police in Liverpool
McGregor’s entourage is stopped by traffic police in Liverpool, causing a commotion as fans gather around his Rolls Royce. According to reports, McGregor was not issued a ticket.
Terminal evacuated after shots reported
Police evacuate the Terminal at JFK airport in New York after Port Authority. Police received a call of shots fired in the departures area. There are currently no injuries, no arrests and no confirmation of shots fired.
Sharm el-Sheikh flights cancelled
British Airways and EasyJet cancel all flights between Sharm el-Sheikh and the UK until next month following the bombing of a Russian passenger jet. Easyjet says the move was made to provide some certainty to passengers travelling over the Christmas period. BA says the decision was made following discussions with the UK government.
Flights resumed
American Airlines fixes a technology problem that grounded flights. The Federal Aviation Administration says the airline had requested to halt service to Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami airports. A spokesman for the carrier has cited a “connectivity issue” for the halt in service to the three airports.
We have resolved connectivity issues that led to a ground stop today. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working to get our customers on their way as soon as possible.
Plane diverts to save dog
An Air Canada flight from Tel Aviv to Toronto is diverted to Frankfurt when the pilot notices a problem with the cargo area’s heating system. The action saves the life of a seven-year-old French bulldog, named Simba and causes a delay of about 75 minutes for the original flight’s passengers. Simba’s owner:
It’s my dog, it’s like (my) child. It’s everything.
Air Canada:
As soon as the crew became aware of the temperature issue, the captain grew rightfully concerned for the dog’s comfort and well-being. With the altitude it can become very uncomfortable, and possibly the situation could have been life-threatening if the flight had continued. While we recognize this was an inconvenience for our customers, the overall reaction was positive, particularly once people understood the dog was in potential danger but safe as a result of the diversion. The captain is responsible for all lives on board.
Cancels London-Moscow flights
The airline cancels its flights between Moscow and London, citing “significant and sustained reduction in demand for travel.”
EasyJet can confirm that from 23rd October 2015 it will cease to operate its Manchester to Moscow service. This is in response to the reduction in demand to and from Russia in recent months. [The decline] is mostly due to the macro-political environment, the weakness of the Russian economy together with the tightening of the visa approval process.
12 tourists accidentally killed
Egyptian security forces kill 12 Mexican and Egyptian tourists and injure 10 in the country’s Western Desert after mistaking them for terrorists. The incident occurred within a so-called restricted area, and the tourists were in cars that were not authorised for tours and they did not have permits for the trip. Mexican President Enrique Nieto:
Mexico condemns these acts against our citizens and has demanded that the Egyptian government conduct an exhaustive investigation of what happened.
Flight attendant admits fake bomb threats
A former flight attendant admits he fabricated two bomb threats that resulted in emergency landings in North Dakota and Virginia. While working aboard a flight from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Dickinson, North Dakota, Justin Cox-Server said he found a suspicious bag on board that was beeping. He then notified the flight deck. The captain notified air traffic control, and prepared for an emergency landing, which led to the Dickinson Roosevelt Regional Airport being shut down. When police and the bomb squad investigated the contents of the bag, they found only rolled up towels.
In a previous incident, Cox-Server was flying from Charlottesville, Virginia, to Chicago when he claimed to have found a written threat on the wall of the lavatory stating a bomb was on the plane. The flight was diverted back to Charlottesville. No explosives were found on the plane. The FBI says Cox-Server initially said he was forced to ‘bring the plane down’ by a friend who was extorting him, but later confessed to planting the bag inside the plane and also to fabricating the note, and had “willingly” created the threats. He faces two federal counts: interfering with the operation of a commercial aircraft and communicating false information which endangered the safety of the aircraft. SkyWest:
We have fully supported the investigation into this matter and the individual is no longer employed at SkyWest. The safety and security of our customers and people are our top priority.
Sends uncertified aircraft across Pacific
American confirms an Airbus A321S was accidentally put from Los Angeles to Hawaii. The aircraft was not certified to fly over the Pacific. The plane was part of the airline’s long-term strategy to upgrade service, replacing a Boeing 757 that flew that route up until last month. American immediately notified the flight crew and the Federal Aviation Administration, and the decision was made to allow the crew to complete the flight. The plane lands safely in Honolulu. Source pilot:
Somebody screwed up big-time, somewhere. All (extended operation) related equipment must be certified and be operational before a plane is cleared to fly. That means everything from oil quantities, to crew oxygen quantities. Thank God they didn’t have an emergency on that flight.
Cash blows across highway
Motorists on the Bukit Timah Expressway in Singapore find money strewn all over the road. Witness:
But when I slowed down for a closer look at one of them, I discovered that it was actually a RM50 [50 Malaysian ringgit] bill.
A380 grounded
A Qantas A380 flight is grounded in Los Angeles following a failure in its hydraulic system. There appears to be a contamination of the fluid in the system. Engineers find thick contaminants clogging the filters. Passengers are being flown back in a Boeing 747 and alternative arrangements are being made till the problem is sorted.