What an amazing coincidence…that the news that the black boxes from the Comoros crash are recovered crosses the internet on practically the same day that they throw in the towel for the search for the Air France black boxes.
I am delighted with the wonderful news and am as excited as everyone to learn what’s inside. Now maybe they can re-allocate their resources to recommence the search for the black boxes of Air France Flight 447.
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Keep track of when your bag was delivered as “airlines are legally required” to provide compensation for those delivered late, an attorney told Newsweek.
Kiev – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) formalized a strategic partnership with the Ministry of Transport of Ukraine and the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine with the signing of a Memorandum of Intention (MoI).
The MoI was signed in Kiev by IATA Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani, and UkraineTransport Deputy Minister and Chairman of the State Aviation Administration Anatolii Kolisnyk. The MoI outlines seven specific areas of cooperation: safety, security, technology, airport infrastructure, air navigation, ground handling and training. While in Kiev, Bisignani also met with the CEOs of Ukraine International Airlines and Aerosvit Airlines.
“An effective air transport sector is a critical element of a nation’s competitiveness. IATA’s global standards and technical expertise can contribute significantly to the development of safe, efficient and environmentally responsible aviation in Ukraine. This MoI gives us a strong framework to contribute to building an even more competitive Ukraine air transport sector, with the benefits being spread across the economy,” said Bisignani.
Specific points addressed in Bisignani’s dialogue with Transport Minister Kostiantyn Efymenko and Deputy Minister Kolisnyk included:
Improving safety: Ukraine has made progress to improve safety but many challenges remain. The country has been a Category 2 state for five years under the US Federal Aviation Administration International Safety Assessment Program. “The safety record has improved but more needs to be done. We must accelerate the work to bring safety oversight in line with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) is already delivering significant benefits by improving safety. Both Aerosvit and Ukrainian International Airlines are on the IOSA registry. I look forward to exploring further ways to expand the use of all IATA’s auditing programs in Ukraine, including making IOSA a national requirement,” said Bisignani.
Simplifying the Business: IATA’s Simplifying the Business program aims to improve service levels and reduce costs. “Ukraine International has led the implementation of new technologies for passenger handling in the country. Aerosvit has stepped up its work and is on track to reach the 100% bar-coded boarding pass year-end deadline,” said Bisignani.
Infrastructure charges: Ukraine’s airport and air traffic control rates remain high and are not cost based. “Ukraine’s system is one of the most expensive in Europe and remains one of the least productive. This undermines the competitiveness of Ukraine. We need immediate reform. It is time to begin a new ere of consultation and transparency in line with ICAO guidelines. The government can no longer treat aviation—including air traffic management—as a cash cow,” Bisignani said.
“Ukraine’s economy is growing again, which will lead to an improved aviation market. Our agreement and today’s meeting opens the door to even broader cooperation between Ukraine and IATA. It is our hope that the government can quickly address the challenges of safety and infrastructure. IATA brings global standards and expertise that will help ensure that aviation in Ukraine continues to develop and improve its competitiveness,” said Bisignani.
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Sometimes all we do is listen. We listen to the families speak of their loved ones, listen to the little ones cry, the child who loves snowflakes because that is what her father called her. The wife and children with no means of support and feeding themselves with empty spoons. Knowing that no matter what we do, we cannot bring them back, nor fill that empty place. Still we do what we can on behalf of the families.
This will be the first July 28 in history when these 152 people will not be living on this earth. We want to remember these people who lost their lives in such a tragic and unnecessary way. They deserve to be remembered.
Some remember those who are no longer with us by using symbols. Memorials like the one promised. There are other symbols, like the bird in flight that symbolizes a soul, or a chain with a broken link.
There is a tradition dating back to ancient times of placing rosemary by the graves of loved ones. “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember;” Hamlet, (V.iv.124)
I was going to talk about more ways that people remember, but I must pause here. In ancient times they put rosemary by the graves of loved ones. Some people still do. But we cannot lay sprigs of rosemary for remembrance at the feet of our loved ones, because there are families still waiting for a memorial promised before the first anniversary of the crash. Waiting a year to lay their flowers and their grief.
Instead of a bouquet of flowers, we have a bouquet of broken promises. Shall we count them?
A broken promise to share the final investigative report.
A broken promise over the Monument at the crash site (they want it elsewhere); and a broken promise over the 72 unmarked graves.
A broken promise over Airblue being grounded for negligence, malpractice, manslaughter.
A broken promise to assist the families.
Or maybe we can call this a pending promise, as we wait for an independent inquiry board and a pending promise of greater safety in the skies over Pakistan.
We have our Rosemary for remembrance, but it is bittersweet.
CDA is constructing a memorial for the Air Blue Flight 202 just a few miles from Damn-e-Koh, Islamabad
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What: Taban Air Tupolev TU-154M en route from Mashhad to Kish Island in the Persian Gulf Where: emergency landing in Mashhad When: August 7 2009 Who: 150 passengers Why: 40 minutes into the flight, the plane had a technical “glitch” (electrical problems affecting several systems) forcing the pilot to declare an emergency.
George’s Point of View
This incident follows the death of 17 and the injury of 30 in Mashhad on July 24, 2009. At that time, an Ilyushin jet with skidded off the runway and struck a wall.
And a little more than a week before that, on Wednesday July 15 a Tu-154M went down 16 minutes after takeoff from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran.
No airline named “Taban Air” is listed under the IATA membership website.
Although this flight did land without death or injury, it appears that Tehran has some airline safety issues to work out.
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