In 2017, Alaska Airlines will phase out its five Boeing 737-400 “combi” planes that move cargo and passengers primarily around Alaska.
The five combi planes have flown around the state — Seattle is the only stop they make Outside — since 2007. Each has space for 72 passengers in the back half of the plane and 6,000 pounds of cargo in the front. These planes were introduced to the fleet to replace several 737-200s, offering the ability to carry 20 percent more cargo and passengers.
They will be replaced with three Boeing 737-700s, which will be converted from all-passenger planes to freighters. It’s part of a broader plan to phase out all 26 of the 737-400s in the Alaska Airlines fleet and move toward more fuel-efficient planes.
The work to retrofit those three 700s will start in February. The change is meant to improve the airline’s cargo service in Alaska.
“It will allow us to offer a cargo schedule that better serves the cargo needs of the communities we serve in the state of Alaska,” said spokeswoman Halley Knigge.
She said, however, that the change isn’t driven by heightened demand for air cargo services within the state.
Alaska Airlines Senior Vice President of Communications Joe Sprague told the Associated Press earlier this year that the move is “an opportunity for us to step up our game from a cargo standpoint.”
These flights currently operate among Anchorage, Ketchikan, Kotzebue, Bethel, Juneau, Sitka, Nome and Seattle. Combi flights between cities in the southern part of the state are more frequent than those to cities like Kotzebue and Nome.
Knigge said because the transition is still far off, it’s not yet clear how schedules and passenger service might be affected.
Alaska Dispatch News
Shaheen Air 737 overruns runway
A total of 112 passengers and 7 crewmembers suffered a rough landing on board a Shaheen Air Boeing 737.
You can see in the photos that the plane skidded off the landing strip, its parts torn off and the body of the plane damaged. The escape slides inflated, allowing passengers to exit from both sides of the plane at both ends. Emergency exits in the middle of the plane also appear to open.
The incident took place in the Allama Iqbal airport in Lahore, one of Pakistan’s largest airports.
All of the passengers on Flight NL142 from Karachi were safely evacuated, but at least 10 people received minor injuries, Airlive reports.
RT News
British Airways (Operated by Comair) makes emergency landing at JNB
Emergency crews were called to help a British Airways flight after its landing gear collapsed soon after touching down in Johannesburg.
The 94 passengers and six crew on board flight BA6234 disembarked safely.
The Boeing 737-400 plane – owned and operated by South African franchise Comair – had flown to OR Tambo International Airport from Port Elizabeth on Monday.
South African authorities are investigating what caused the incident.
Emergency services helped passengers and crew safely off the plane. No injuries have been reported.
Passengers ‘smelled burning’
Comair said in a statement that the plane experienced a landing gear problem shortly after touching down, at around midday local time (10:00 GMT).
“The aircraft was on the runway for a short period performing standard landing procedures when the crew noticed an unusual vibration which was followed shortly by the collapse of the left landing gear,” the company said.
Passenger Warren Mann said: “When it came into land, it felt like the touchdown was a bit harder than normal – then it felt like a piece of something had fallen off.
“Oxygen masks came down and the plane was at an angle as we touched down.
“We could smell something burn and fire crews were soon at the plane to deal with the engine.
“Only afterwards did we find that the left landing gear had broken off.”
Airports Company South Africa, which owns the airport, said the runway was temporarily closed, causing some delays.
Comair operates regional and local flights in South Africa. It uses British Airways-branded planes but its pilots and cabin crew are not from British Airways.
BBC News