Local Airline Terror Training

Keeping the skies safe for airline passengers and flight crews was a top priority at a training session in Delaware County.

Veteran flight attendants and pilots were taught the moves designed to put down a threat on a commercial airliner and possibly save lives.

Former Pennsylvania State Trooper Glenn Daly schooled the airline employees in advanced self defense moves, threat recognition and how to subdue an on-board attacker.

The post 9/11 training is set up by the Transportation Security Administration and the Air Marshals program.

It’s being offered to more than 200,000 airline employees across the country like flight attendant Carol Pond.

“I wanna feel comfortable on the aircraft that I’m able to stop something if it were to start happening,” said Pond.

Eight-hour self defense classes are offered in eleven cities across the country.

Original Article

Emirates Airline May Increase Flights During Visit M’sia Year 2007

SEPANG, Nov 4 (Bernama) — Emirates Airline may provide additional flights into the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) during the Visit Malaysia Year 2007, said its general manager, Alban Lee.

Speaking to Bernama in a recent interview here, he said: “We feel great to contribute to KLIA to make it a more important aviation hub for Malaysia.

“For the Malaysia Visit Year, we will continue to contribute by increasing flight frequency which are commercially viable.”

He pointed out that during the summer months, Emirates’ flight were usually full with Middle Eastern holidaymakers visiting Malaysia.

Lee disclosed that for the past three years, Emirates have increased at least three additional flights during the summer months. Emirates currently offers nine flights weekly to KLIA.

Emirates, the Dubai-based international airlines, is wholly-owned by the government of Dubai.

It has a fleet of 92 aircraft (as on April 26, 2006) and fly to 80 destinations worldwide.

Original Article

Airline pilot mistakenly issues hijacking distress signal in Brazil

SAO PAULO, Brazil: A Brazilian airline pilot inadvertently issued a hijacking distress signal during a flight in Brazil on Saturday, putting authorities throughout the country on alert, though no other flights were affected.

The pilot of Varig airlines Flight 2330 immediately advised air traffic controllers the plane had not been hijacked and that the signal was a misunderstanding, but civil aviation authorities stayed on alert until the aircraft landed in the city of Salvador, 1,450 kilometers (900 miles) northeast of Sao Paulo, a Brazilian air force spokesman said.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many passengers were aboard the plane, which had departed from Sao Paulo, according to the spokesman, who said he could not be identified because of internal policy.

It also wasn’t clear what prompted the distress signal. Authorities said they would investigate.

The plane was taken to a secure area as soon as it landed because authorities initially feared the pilot might have been forced to tell controllers the distress signal was a mistake.

Flights across the country have been severely delayed this week because air traffic controllers — complaining they are understaffed, overworked and underpaid — engaged in a so-called “work-to-rule” campaign, following regulations to the letter and slowing operations.

Controllers also said they had to take extra precautions following a collision in September that killed 154 people in Brazil’s most deadly air crash.

Original Article