World



Virgin America has launched its first daily flights from San Francisco to Honolulu on Monday, with Richard Branson present alongside a troupe of hula dancers and Hawaii-themed refreshments. Virgin America only represents 2% of the domestic US air travel market, meaning that this is big news for the small company as it represents a major travel route. Furthermore, it will be using an Airbus A 320, an aircraft that no other airline uses for flights to Hawaii.

Hula dancers in San Francisco ahead of Virgin America's first Honolulu flight

Hula dancers in San Francisco ahead of Virgin America’s first Honolulu flight Image by @flySFO / CC BY 2.0

A video has surfaced showing an Aer Lingus plane making an aborted landing at Manchester Airport as a consequence of the intense fog the UK and Ireland have been experiencing. The video dates back to 24 October. The plane attempts to land, but the high winds and fog are such that it can’t land and is forced to take off into the air once more. Watch the video here.

Aer Lingus flight fails to land in fog and high winds

Aer Lingus flight fails to land in fog and high winds Image by Aviation Up Close / CC BY 2.0

Indonesia‘s Mount Rinaji erupted for the second time in ten days on Tuesday causing Virgin Australia and Jetstar to cancel all flights to and from Bali and Australia  because of concerns of volcanic ash from the nearby island of Lombok. Satellite imagery shows footage of Mount Rinaji explosion here, whilst you can read the whole story here.

Mt Rinjani, Lombok.

Mt Rinjani, Lombok. Image by Reinhard Kuchenbäcker / CC BY 2.0

China is set to manufacture planes that can compete with Airbus and Boeing, the two giants of the aviation industry. For seven years now, the world’s most populated nation of 1.3 billion people has been working on developing the C919 jetliner and the craft is beginning to roll off the production line. Read the full story here.

China is manufacturing its own aircraft to rival Boeing and Airbus going down the line

China is manufacturing its own aircraft to rival Boeing and Airbus going down the line Image by Mark Harkin   / CC BY 2.0

UK flights continued to experience chaos this week because of bad weather and fog which was to continue til Tuesday. Some 129 flights – equivalent to 10% of departures – were cancelled at Heathrow Airport on Monday due to air traffic restrictions caused by low visibility. London City Airport was closed for flights until around 11am, while Gatwick, Manchester, Liverpool John Lennon, Glasgow, Belfast and Southampton airports were also affected. Read full story here.

The Met Office weather warning for fog is valid until midday, with it expected to slowly clear throughout the morning.

The Met Office weather warning for fog is valid until midday, with it expected to slowly clear throughout the morning. Image by The View from The Shard, 2015/PA Wire

Investigations continue into the Russian plane that dived into the Egyptian desert, killing all 224 people on board. On Monday Metrojet officials announced that only an “external impact on the plane” could have brought it down. Read the full story here.

Egyptian Military on cars approach a plane's tail at the wreckage of a passenger jet bound for St. Petersburg in Russia that crashed in Hassana, Egypt, on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015.

Egyptian Military on cars approach a plane’s tail at the wreckage of a passenger jet bound for St. Petersburg in Russia that crashed in Hassana, Egypt, on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. Image by (Maxim Grigoriev/Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations via AP)