Agents intercept military flare in mail

Federal agents at Chicago's O'Hare Airport averted "a potential catastrophic event" when they stopped a package containing a live military flare from being loaded onto a flight to Japan, says a federal agency.

The Customs and Border Protection said the Vietnam War-era device, identified as an M49A1 phosphorous trip flare, was found in the mail as it was passing through the busy facility on Thursday.

Brian Bell, a customs supervisor, said he did not know whether the package that contained the device would have been routed onto a passenger or cargo plane.

Jumbo jet forced to make screeching halt at JFK to avoid Egypt Air plane which had taken wrong turn on runway

Controllers screamed: 'Cancel take-off, cancel take-off plan' as 747 accelerated down runway

A Jumbo jet, with 286 passengers on board, had a terrifying near miss when it was forced to screech to a halt to avoid colliding with another plane that had turned into its path.

The Lufthansa Boeing 747 was accelerating along a runway as it prepared to take off at Kennedy Airport, New York, when it narrowly avoided slamming into an EgyptAir Boeing 777.

An air traffic controller screamed: 'Cancel take-off, Cancel take off plans' when he noticed the Munich-bound Jumbo on a collision course.

Close call: The Jumbo jet was racing down the runway when it had to brake to avoid hitting an EgyptAir Boeing 777.A Lufthansa Boeing 747 screeched to a halt to avoid slamming into an EgyptAir plane which had turned into its path.Panic: Controllers at New York's JFK airport screamed into their radios when they saw the two planes about to collide

44 killed in Russian highway plane crash - Russian plane crash blamed on "pilot error"

A 9-year-old boy died of his injuries Wednesday, bringing the death toll in the crash of a Russian passenger plane that slammed into a highway in heavy fog to 45, officials said. The RusAir Tu-134 on a flight from Moscow crashed just ...

Trump force one: Inside Donald Trump's $100 million 'presidential' 757 jet

He has already declared himself out of the 2012 presidential race.

But new photos show Donald Trump's latest $100 million acquisition is essentially a presidential suite flying the skies - complete with suede ceilings and gold-leaf seatbelts.

Trump's Boeing 757 - decked out in his trademark black and gold livery - took off for from New York to Washington, D.C. on Friday.

 Campaigner: Trump has previously hinted at running for president, but finally put the idea to bed last month. His new presidential jet however hints at loftier ambitions than hosting TV reality shows and running his property empire

 Up in the air: Trump, seen here in 1987, also uses his fleet of branded helicopters to travel around in

 Trump air: The Donald showed off his new jet on Friday. The $100 million 757 will replace his older 727

 Monster: The 757 dwarfs other private jets at LaGuardia

 The former Trump Force One sits on the tarmac in Palm Beach

 Ultimate comfort: The jet, which features wood panelling and large oval windows, can accommodate up to 230 passengers

Luxury in the sky: Its bathroom features a circular shower and gold faucets

What jetlag? A bedroom dressed in cream with gold accents features a flat-screen television, wooden desk and electric shades for a peaceful slumber

Europe on alert for Icelandic volcano ash cloud

Smoke rise from the Grimsvotn volcano, under the Vatnajokull glacier in southeast Iceland May 21, 2011.

An eruption by Iceland’s most active volcano was set to keep the island’s main airport shut today, while other European nations watched for any impact on their air routes from a towering plume of smoke and ash.

Experts said they saw little chance of a repeat of last year’s six-day closure of airspace, which also hit transatlantic flights, when another Icelandic volcano erupted, although airlines have been warned the new ash cloud will drift.

So far Iceland, particularly the towns and villages to the south and east of the Grimsvotn volcano, have suffered most. Day turned into night when a thick cloud of ash descended on the area, smothering cars and buildings.

Iceland volcanic ash threatens half-term getaway dozens of europe flights cancelled.

* BA, Easyjet, Loganair, KLM and Eastern Airways all cancel flights after Civil Aviation Authority warning
* President Obama cuts short his stay in Ireland to avoid effects of ash cloud
* Aviation sector says it is better prepared than last year
* Transport Secretary warns of further disruption in the week ahead
* Click here to see live video of volcano eruption viewed from space

Tens of thousands of families are facing air travel chaos from today – and into the half-term holidays – as a thick cloud of volcanic ash descends over the UK.

The towering plume of Icelandic ash, smoke and steam hit Scotland and Ireland last night, bringing disruption to airlines.

British Airways last night cancelled all flights between London and Scotland until 2pm today.

Between 30 and 40 BA flights will be affected from airports including Heathrow, Gatwick and London City to and from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. The airline runs 80 flights a day between these airports.

This latest shot shows the ash cloud (the reddish colour) swirling into the atmosphere after spewing from the Grimsvotn volcano

Covered from head to toe with ski goggles and face mask this farmer's son - preparing to herd his sheep to shelter - looks like he is on the set of a science fiction film set

Looking up to the darkened sky because of the ash cloud, Sunna Agustdottir, seven, carries a new-born lamb to shelter at the family farm in Longumyri, Iceland

The ash billows into the sky from the Grimsvotn volcano, under the Vatnajokull glacier in south east Iceland

The huge puffs of ash from the active volcano could ruin many people's plans to jet off as it starts to drift into Europe

Sample: Ash is collected awaiting examination at the command centre in Kirkjubaejarklaustur as authorities prepare to deal with the effects of the eruption

Huge eruption: Smoke plumes from the Grimsvotn volcano create a stunning scene about 120 miles east of Rejkjavik

Chaos in the sky: Aerial view of the eruption of the volcano Grimsvotn in the south-east of Iceland which has forced shut its main international airport

Wearing a face mask, Anna Hardadottir, a farmer of Horgsland, leads a horse through the ash pouring out of the erupting volcano. It has spewed an ash cloud about 15 miles into the sky

An infra-red image showing the plume of smoke spreading out from south-east Iceland. The pinkish-red part shows the fallout from the eruption, the brown is normal cloud cover. Britain is braced in case it begins to drift east.

Stunning: As the volcano erupts, huge dark ash and storm clouds gather across the Icelandic skyline

Ash from the Grimsvotn volcano hanging in the sky over Iceland. The cloud has spewed 12 miles into the atmosphere

How are we going to get home? Tourists leave the Islandia Hotel yesterday in Nupur as ash continue to pour out of the erupting volcano

Electrical storm: Ash is hurled miles into the air by the eruption, creating thunderstorms around the volcano

Awesome power: Keflavik airport has been closed to air passengers as of 8.30am this morning following the eruption

Iceland Volcano May Disrupt European Air Traffic as Ash Cloud Reaches UK

An Icelandic volcanic eruption pushed an ash cloud toward the UK, curtailing US President Barack Obama's visit to Ireland and threatening to snarl air traffic across Europe.

Recordings Recovered From Crashed Air France Jet - Rio-Paris crash probe raises no urgent A330 safety concerns

Pilot error is emerging as the most likely cause of the crash of the Air France Rio-Paris airbus which plunged into the South Atlantic in June 2009, killing all 228 people on board.

Brazil convicts US pilots for 2006 plane crash

A Brazilian court convicted two US pilots of negligence for their role in the 2006 crash of a Brazilian airliner over the Amazon rain forest that killed 154 people, but the judge suspended their sentence.

Joseph Lepore and Jan Paul Paladino were flying a small business jet that clipped wings with a Boeing 737 operated by Brazilian airline Gol, causing the airliner to plunge into the jungle in one of Brazil's worst air disasters.

Federal Judge Murilo Mendes of the state of Mato Grosso said late yesterday the two pilots had failed to adequately check plane equipment that would have alerted them to the presence of other aircraft nearby.

Lepore and Paladino, who were unharmed in the incident and managed to land their jet safely, have consistently denied responsibility for the crash.

Mendes suspended a four-year sentence, instead requiring that the pilots do community service in the United States. The judge also temporarily suspended their pilot’s licenses.

Searchers find second Air France crash black box

A BEA air accident inquiry official (R), seen in this image published on the web site of France’s BEA air accident inquiry office May 2, 2011, surveys the handling of a flight data recorder aboard a ship.The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) seen in this image published today on the website of France’s BEA air accident inquiry office


Search parties scouring the sea bed off Brazil’s northeast coast have recovered the second of two flight recorders from the Air France aircraft that crashed into the Atlantic in 2009, investigators said today.

The discovery of the audio recorder, two days after the flight data recorder was fished up, brings investigators even closer to the reason for the crash as it should hold recordings of cockpit conversations during the flight’s final moments.

“The investigation team localised and identified the Cockpit Voice Recorder at (2150 GMT) on Monday 2 May, 2011,” France’s BEA air accident inquiry office said. The device was hauled up to the team’s ship at 0240 GMT (0940 Malaysian time) today.

Second Air France black box recovered

French investigators said on Tuesday that they had recovered the cockpit voice recorder from the Air France jet that crashed in the Atlantic almost two years ago en route to Paris from Rio de Janeiro.

Air Bangkok use Transsexual flight attendants.

Transsexual flight attendants at PC Air in Bangkok. The charter airline has four “ladyboys” among its flight crew of 30 when it starts to fly in April.

4 dead after fire spreads on Russian passenger plane

Stranded Travelers Get Some Relief as European Weather Improves

Heathrow boss is shamed into giving up his bonus as it is revealed airport 'failed' to order enough de-icer to cope with heavy snow

BAA chief Colin Matthews faced calls to relinquish his bonus amid continued chaos and delays

Heathrow's chief executive relinquished his bonus today amid claims bosses 'failed' to buy enough de-icer, ruining Christmas getaway plans for more than a million people.

The world's busiest airport has drawn widespread criticism after holidaymakers were left to sleep on cold terminal floors during the festive period as thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed.

Furious airlines have now hit out at Heathrow's owners BAA, insisting the company did not stock up on enough de-icing fluid to keep its two runways open.

Boss Colin Matthews later bowed to calls to relinquish his six-figure bonus.

Snow is cleared from the southern runway. The airport has turned down an offer of help from the Army

Snow ploughs clear the southern runway at Heathrow, as travel chaos continues at the London airport

Passengers sleep on the hard floor of Terminal 3 as flights are cancelled or delayed by bad weather

Europe travel chaos eases but pain remains

A British Airways aircraft lands as another taxis for take off at Heathrow Airport in west London December 21, 2010. Airline and international train services were limping back towards normal in parts of Europe today.

Airline and international train services were limping back towards normal in parts of Europe today, but the lingering effects of ice and snow that caused widespread chaos still weighed on schedules.

The disruptions to airlines and high-speed trains in continental Europe, and linking Britain to the continent, created travel chaos for tens of thousands of travellers in the busy Christmas period following heavy weekend snowfalls.

They also brought calls for legislation to force airports to deal more effectively with snow and other bad weather.

Fears of dummy bomb runs by 'terror scouts' at regional airports

Alerts: Counter-terror officials fear regional airports are being targeted for dummy runs by would-be terrorists


Security officials have tested security at regional airports amid fears terror scouts have been staging dummy runs, it emerged today.

Two suspect packages have reportedly been spotted in the last three months which appeared to be like improvised bombs.

One hidden in a box inside a bag of hand luggage had a BlackBerry attached to a baby's bottle with a charging cable thought to be simulating a detonator.

The second - spotted at the same airport some weeks later - also contained a mobile phone and detonator, according to The Guardian.

Both 'devices' were examined by bomb disposal experts and found to be harmless, meaning no passengers were charged.