Passengers injured as Ryanair flight from Malta to Treviso hits turbulence
(File picture)
Three passengers were treated for slight injuries last night when a Ryanair flight from Malta to Treviso hit turbulence, Italian websites have reported.
The aircraft made an emergency landing at Bologna.
According to the reports the turbulence over the Tyrrhenian Sea, caused 'a panic' among the passengers. Some were thrown from their seats while others were slightly injured when luggage fell from overhead cabinets.
One of the injured persons was a steward.
The flight resumed its journey to its destination at 11.30 p.m.
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Keith Chircop
Sep 12th 2010, 13:03
Unless Airmalta or Lufthansa or whatever are using HAARP to move clouds and bad weather out of the way, the same exact thing would have happened. Ryanair has its flaws, but turbulence isn't one of them. I'm amazed this isn't obvious to everyone.
sandra portelli
Sep 11th 2010, 20:31
@M.Micallef
were you on the same flight? if not then you cannot prove what you are claiming.Secondly I fail to understand how you concluded what kind of mentality I have since WE have never met.If you read correctly I said I have no other problem flying AirMALTA and I NEVER mentioned that I prefer flying Ryan Air or EASYJET or Alitalia OR ANY OTHER AIRLINE save for the simple reason that it is uncomfortable and that i truely believe that the leg room is tight compared to other Airline. For your information I am a freguent flyier and I usually choose flights when booking according to the most convient airport to my destination, the time it flies,and the price so hence the colonialist mentality as you put it holds no water were I am consered!
M Micallef
Sep 11th 2010, 21:48
I quote "Otherwise I have no other problem flying AirMalta but being so constricted for over Two hours is very uncomfortable and given the choice I would opt to fly other airlines." Which other Maltese airline would you fly on? I presented facts that the leg room and seat width on Air Malta planes is in fact better than any LCC and at least at par with other legacy carriers but you still insist in presenting a subjective view. Objectively, figures show that what you are saying is a point of view which although legit, cannot be used as a matter of fact. You cannot however disagree that we tend to have a colonialist mentality. No offence meant.
BTW people know exactly what happened and Malta is not exactly the best place to hold secrets!
John Azzopardi
Sep 11th 2010, 18:52
All you people should get real. No one died, thus we should thank God and stop complaining. Enough already. Grow up all of you. God Bless all the non complainers
M Micallef
Sep 11th 2010, 20:26
Dear Mr. Azzopardi,
Kindly leave your condescending attitude inside your four walls and if you don't want to read this go and watch one of our political party tv stations. People's lives were put at risk and a multi million aircraft damaged because of a poor corporate culture, non existing internal training and low cost at all costs attitude which traps people in a false sense of securing a bargain.
Some of us posted facts and others just put on their blinkers and invented things to defend a foreign airline paid by Maltese taxpayers. Il-Gahan Malti then falls head over heals over an airline equivalent of a fast food chain and hails it as saviour of tourism all the while paying foreign interests when they will leave the island on the first shadow of a doubt that these subsidies are not increased as they expect.
regards,
.
Joffrey Mallia
Sep 12th 2010, 09:10
10/10 Mr Micallef. :-)
M.Attard
Sep 12th 2010, 11:14
Sur Azzopardi...
do we have to wait for someone to actually die until we start doing something?? So much for preventive measures! I think you'd be a good candidate to replace Ryanair's CEO.
John Azzopardi
Sep 12th 2010, 13:34
Mr micallef, maybe you live closed in 4 walls. I travel frequently and always take air malta for your infomation. But turbulence can occur anywhere. YOu are not well cultured mr micallef. The fact remains that the plane did not explode or crash. That Mr. Micallef, we should be thankful for. I am sure it was a frightening experience as I have myself experienced tubulence, but life does go on. Don't you agree Mr. Micallef.
Kenneth Barry
Sep 11th 2010, 11:40
Any aircraft can encounter turbulence at any time during a flight, so Ryanair is no exception. Clear Air Turbulence (CAT), as it is technically known, is not captured on the aircraft radar system. So aircraft can encounter CAT suddenly. In this case, it seems that the turbulence could have been quite severe, resulting in injuries on board. The pilot in command rightly decided to divert to the nearest port for medical assistance. This is a safety procedure practised by all airlines in such situations. Why some have resorted to criticise an airline for folliowing safety procedures is beyond my comprehension?
M Micallef
Sep 11th 2010, 11:52
... because it wasn't a case of CAT... and how does Bologna fall under the "nearest available airport" from north of Sicily?
M. Attard
Sep 11th 2010, 12:19
Just like all of you are speculating that CAT was the cause of Ryanair's mishap, allow me to speculate aswell ....
... there was quite some bad weather over Sicily that evening ..... other flights were flying at that time and did not get the 'EXTREME' turbulence Ryanair got ..... it was no CAT at all ... it was incorrect weather avoidance. For pilots to report to engineers to check the aircraft, well that says alot! Me thinks they flew into the thunderstorm at relatively high levels . . . .
sandro pace
Sep 11th 2010, 11:20
OK air pockets happen, but can someone versed in aviation answer my question? Many planes used that route I think on the day and time, and no other incidents were reported.
Can it be due to pilot skills handling of air pockets? Just as on bumpy roads car slows down, I think aeroplanes slow down in entering turbulences, even if this has a cost, such that an aircraft will pass through them gracefully. Today's radars know where turbulences are.
However, I am just asking.
M.Attard
Sep 11th 2010, 12:23
Sandro
wx radars do not show areas of turbulence outside a cloud. It measures turbulence by measuring precipitation velovity (or rather rate of change of velocity). Hence turbulence cannot be detected with today's weather radars.
m farrugia
Sep 11th 2010, 09:09
This ryanair plane had 170 people on board. It is common for Ryanair flights in and out of Malta to be full.
But Airmalta only manages to fill its planes occasionally on routes which their open minded CEO and chairman insist with the govt. to retain e.g. Brussels, Munich, Frankfurt etc, i.e. on routes which they have no competition from LCCs whatsoever.
Airmalta still insists on charging exorbitant prices and flying empty seats. But despite big losses which are being sponsored by taxpayers money, Airmalta boasts in the press that it is sponsoring this and that.
Incredible.
sandra portelli
Sep 11th 2010, 02:14
I have just returned from Paris on an Air Malta flight a few hours before.I hate to think what would have happened if we were hit by such turbulence since the leg space between seats is so restricted, hardly any space at all. In fact I wondered if we would be able to reach under our seats for life jackets or worse be able to take the emergency landing position (head down on your lap) besides it would also be very difficult to remove shoes.in an emergency landing.Otherwise I have no other problem flying AirMalta but being so constricted for over Two hours is very uncomfortable and given the choice I would opt to fly other airlines.
M Micallef
Sep 11th 2010, 10:53
@ Sandra Portelli,
Leg room on Air Malta is 2 inches more and has 2 inches wider seats than the beloved, sent from God, saviour of Maltese tourism, unsubsidised, always-on-time, pay-me-to-fly airline. Our colonialist mentality is still so strong we have to put facts behind our tinted glasses.
regards,
bryan sullivan
Sep 10th 2010, 23:48
for turbulence forecast map refer to www.jeppesen.com . it's a boing company
Tanja Cilia
Sep 10th 2010, 22:43
Cheer up - it could have been much worse....
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/68452,life,video,video-furniture-and-people-fly-as-po-cruiser-hit-by-storm-pacific-sun-ship?DCMP=NLC-people
Herman Meilak
Sep 10th 2010, 22:20
Ryanair cannot be blamed for this incident. It seems that some people commenting on this article have air pockets in their brains.
a tonna
Sep 10th 2010, 22:16
This happened to me last july when i was landing in Munich from Bucharest on a Lufthansa flight. But for sure Ryanair are not well equipped for these kind of situations. They cut costs but cut also passenger's safety. I WILL NEVER FLY RYANAIR.
ganni ellul
Sep 10th 2010, 21:21
I do not want to sound as the defence lawyer for Ryan air but some comments here make me sick. Many of you commenting negatively are most probably people who hardly ever fly out or like so many get free seats on Airmalta.The worst flight I ever had was on Airmalta, not that it was the airlines fault but truth is truth, the pilot tried to land in Malta in high winds 4 times and succeeded on the fifth time. why didnt he fly out to sicily a mere 80 Km away.so please do not try to impose on others.Besides Ryan Air's policy is proving profitable why doesnt airmalta follow suit maybe we stop makeing donations to it, we got rid of the dry docks and now have air malta and it's high wages to contend with.
M Micallef
Sep 11th 2010, 10:47
@ Ganni Ellul,
Kindly substantiate your claim about "donations" to Air Malta. The truth is actually the complete opposite, Ryainair is the most subsidised airline in Europe. Our dependence on Ryainair will only get us in trouble as they will hold the Maltese taxpayer at ransom when they have enough market share to dictate what they want in terms of conditions or else close down as they did in Prestwick, Bournemouth, Manchester and others.
As regards the above incident there were other planes flying in very close proximity of this flight and nothing happened to them. This is because this had nothing to do with "air pockets" or Clear Air Turbulence which some learned people want us to believe. The incident happened in the south Thyrrhenian sea but the plane continued for an other 500 miles. Jounalists should investigate this and other related incidents with an airline with a very questionable corporate culture.
M Micallef
Sep 10th 2010, 18:39
So you are driving down a road and the cars infront of you are all swerving to avoid a large pothole your car doesn't have enough room to stop in the remaining distance. Do you a) swerve and avoid the hole or b) persist thinking you will not effected? Also expect your car to be damaged but you still persist to drive to the village next to your home town.... I will not comment further about what has happened since the accident is being investigated.
Godfrey Grima
Sep 10th 2010, 18:09
@Godfrey A Grima (no connection) Re-your comment nr 5: My argument was not that such incidents happen to airlines with dodgy policies. But when they do happen to such airlines, like for instance Ryanair, their dodgy policies give them no slack and their options very limited. Ryanair is infamous for fuel emergencies when the going gets tough. The most recent incident, before this one, happened four or five months ago in Spain when the plane barely made it to a diversionary airport and had only 900KG of fuel left - less than 10 minutes flying time at low altitude, which is actually illegal, by the way, as it should have landed with approx three times that much. Bologna is only 89 miles away from Treviso. Hitting turbulence causes the plane to slow down to less economical speeds, thus burning more fuel. The Bologna diversion, when the final destination was so close, is very suspicious.
M. Zarb
Sep 10th 2010, 17:56
I was not going to comment on this article, but the sheer lack of knowledge in these comments amazes me. Regardless of any personal views I have of Ryanair and their policies, people must realise two things: 1) Neither Ryanair nor AirMalta have Turbulence-Proof planes. I have experienced turbulence on many different airlines, with varying degrees of intensity. Ryanair did exactly what I'd expect; landed the plane elsewhere, and continued with its journey later. (At no extra cost, might I add.) 2) For the people complaining about co-pilot axing/vertical seats/pay-per-use toilets -- this is all Cheap Advertising. Ryanair's CEO, Mr. O Leary, prides himself on coming up with extravagant ideas he "plans to install" -- the media laps it up, comments, and generates an enormous amount of FREE PUBLICITY for the airline. That's all it is, and everyone knows it. Thank you.
Ron Saliba
Sep 10th 2010, 18:32
And there is the best comment of the day! Well done!
david calleja urry
Sep 11th 2010, 00:33
Well said M. Zarb - you've hit the nail precisley on the head.
Joffrey Mallia
Sep 10th 2010, 17:16
(con't)... Obviously the latter will not be smiled upon by the boss at work so you make it at a small delay, the day after while the road is still closed you pre-plan ahead and leave home earlier than usual to make up for the longer route also you will know that if normally the trip is 4 miles long due to the diversion it will be longer so you will use more fuel. If you want to plan that little bit better, the night before you look up google earth and find a less known route and plan to use it and avoid the congestion (creating a new route).
Ron Saliba
Sep 10th 2010, 18:23
This is total fallacy. A good example is when there was the accident here at Luqa, and ryanair sent another plane to pick up the passengers. But i guess, everyone here is a pilot. I can only vouch for my experiences, I have used both ryanair and airmalta quite a few times. The 'scariest' moments i have passed were all with airmalta. Does that stop me from using airmalta? of course not. They are much better than ryanair, but a taxi is much better than a bus also.
Godfrey Grima
Sep 10th 2010, 20:13
@Ron Saliba Ryanair only sent the releif plane because it was the CHEAPER OPTION for them as they would have been legally obliged to hotel their passengers until a suitable flight was found for them, which would have been never. Since the incident was the ground handler's doing (Globe Ground) Ryanair will very likely sue for damages.
bryan sullivan
Sep 10th 2010, 22:37
@Mr. Godfrey Grima
am afraid your trend of thought eludes me. did you really expect Ryanair- a commercial airline- to choose the more expensive option just for the fun of spending extra money? on the other hand they could have charged the cost of accomodation of the grounded passengers to Globe Ground as you assert that it was the latter's employees fault. and yet Ryanair chose to get the stranded passengers as soon as was possible to their destination. did they act properly or not ?
Joffrey Mallia
Sep 10th 2010, 17:15
(con't)... The Flight crew on each flight will not arrive on board the a/c and leave. Each and every flight is thoroughly planned and pilots are briefed and decisions are taken. These range from extra fuel uplift to avoid weather, choosing a better forecast alternate aerodrome, monitoring slots and choosing the most feasible route also creating new routes to avoid congested airways. All this comes at a cost and Ryanair is a LOW COST CARRIER and therefore will not go into the merit of trying any of the above. One standard route Malta - Treviso. Route not feasible canx flight, flight will make it through the minimum safety net go ahead. Passenger comfort is unrecognized in the Ryanair vocabulary. We encounter such instances in everyday driving conditions. Would you pass through San Gwann, Sliema, St. Julians, Swieqi, Paceville to get to work in Pembroke from B'kara if the Regional by-pass were closed or would you just not go?
Mario Said
Sep 10th 2010, 22:10
Joffrey? I think you are slightly slightly slightly biased. Are you afraid of being axed? Try joining Emirates :)
Joffrey Mallia
Sep 11th 2010, 10:53
Dear Mr. Said, if stating facts means to you "being slightly slightly slightly biased" then yes sir of course I am. Have a nice weekend.
C.Portelli
Sep 10th 2010, 17:13
Reading this worries me and scares me ...as i live in Venice and visit Malta at least every summer, last July my flight from Treviso to Malta was cancelled cause of a thunder storm..I was confused as a thunder storm lasted about half an hour , very true was intense but as it passed all other airlines started flying normally, there was some delay ofcourse but non cancelled the flights except for 2 flights cancelled.. Ryanair flights to Malta and to Paris! Just could not understand, was a shock, they jsut asked us to go and pick back our laguage and try to book an other flight was a caos, past midnight was still at the airport ! But now I am thinking was beter so as when it comes to stormy weather RYANAIR HAVE SOMETHING STRANGE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER AIRLINES ...and this IS CALLED LACK OF SECURITY ..I've been travelling on this ame route for 20 years now via Rome or via Milano, as there where no direct flights we met turbulence so many times but nev er such panic or anyone hurt was it fortune or cause other Airlines are more secure...am DOUBTING lots now!
Joffrey Mallia
Sep 10th 2010, 17:13
Turbulence can hit any aircraft and airline and this event is like many others best AVOIDED! The difference between KM and LCC's is in the dispatch planning process. With scheduled carriers company policies are even more stringent than the minimum safety requirements while LCC's make it with the bare minimum safety net. Just one point in proving all this is alternative routing. Air Malta will file different flight routes to it's destination with CFMU in Brussels to avoid delays, weather, slots so on and so forth. The general French strike last week was a case in point. To avoid the congestion over France Air Malta's flights to London were re-routed over Germany. Calculations are made to see whether the over flying charges, the longer route (hence more fuel consumption) will make up for the delay. They may not be the most cost effective routes but alas KM will fly them to make up for delays and opt it's schedule of flights. LCC's namely (RyanAir) will just canx the flight due to reasons beyond it's control leaving pax stranded and the saga they have to go through is not pleasant.
Ron Saliba
Sep 10th 2010, 18:29
are you sure that an airline can file different flight routes? AS far as i am aware,the vast majority of flightplans, processed at Eurocontrol's CFMU in Brussels are repetitive flightplans (RPLs). Many of those are filed as much as 6 months in advance. Airlines typically note a start and end date, as well as the weekdays on which the flights occur (like, frum june 6th through october 11th, every wednesday and sunday... for example..). Even the aircraft data tends to be filled out a day or two in advance, as with large carriers, the planning does run this far ahead. In case of sudden changes (usually technical problems, though other delays can also be a factor), it can of course still be adjusted, even shortly before departure. In fact, there are a number of elements of a flight plan that cannot even be entered until after the flight has departed, or at least left the gate. The most prominent one being the POB. The definite figure needs to be in the flightplan, for SAR purposes.
Joffrey Mallia
Sep 11th 2010, 11:05
Of course Ron, the RPL's are filed far in advance but changes can be made up to a few minutes before actual departure. In a matter of seconds the new proposed route can either be acknowledged, rejected or scrutised manually by CFMU. If there are no restrictions it will be acknowledged within 2 to 3 minutes. In fact at dispatch planning stages this occurs continuously as the RPL is not always the most economical route. Changes do not necessarily alter the whole route, flight levels can be changed to avoid weather or CAT or even certain restrictions. Have a great weekend.
C Zammit
Sep 10th 2010, 16:37
what did the CEO say once - that he has the intention of introducing standing up passengers to cut costs??? standing up????????.people were injured and the majority of them were seated...can you imagine if they were standing??? kundalli kullimkien !!!!
Pule' Carmel
Sep 10th 2010, 16:10
@ R Mangion. Do not fret about strappping pilots, we shall soon be flying passengers on UAVs. Passengers will be strapped obviously, and Low cost airlines would save on pilot's salaries and the pilot's weight would mean an addditional passenger!!
Jesmond Micallef
Sep 12th 2010, 04:08
Profs Pule',
I tend to think that the day when civilian aircraft fly without those two pilots at the front is still quite far away, if ever !!. Although technology has really moved forward in this regard and it is indeed possible, human psychology has not as yet made that far. I for one, would never board an aircraft without those two human beings at the front. Having said this, in Nürnberg, driver-less trains within the city underground (U-Bahn, metro) are already in operation and its quite eerie sitting right upfront of the foremost wagon as the train travels from stop to the next at speed !!
Jesmond Micallef
Sep 10th 2010, 15:01
Atmospheric turbulence. The earth spins and that causes atmospheric movement. Weather is of course a very natural source but also ground topography. Mountainous regions are very rough with respect to the oceans for example but both produce their own turbulent signature upon the earth's atmospheric movement. Thermals caused by the natural convection currents of rising warm air produce updrafts while cold descending air produces the opposite. The topographic landscape produces rotor cells as the atmospheric air flow passes over ridges,mountain tops and other massive jagged terrain. Weather induced turbulence can be detected indirectly by on board weather radar due to the heavy preciptation. This atmospheric activity can be detected as the density of the air changes with how much water content there is present. The stronger the radar echo is, the higher the probablity of high turbulence. Clouds such as the Cumulo Nimbus are avoided by pilots as they contain very strong updrafts. One can observe these as they densely grow and develope vertically upwards reaching altitudes of over 30,000 feet...
Clear Air Turbulence is still evasive to detection, its invisible to radar as its pure atmospheric movement. Pilot report such encounters via ATC which are then relayed.
A. Borg
Sep 10th 2010, 15:00
Nahseb kieku kien l-Air Malta il-Pilot minn fuq il-GPS kien jinduna li hemm turbulence u jghaddi minn triq ohra. Halluna jahasra.
RMangion
Sep 10th 2010, 16:36
Totally agree, recently passengers were injured in flight involving a 777 ( huge plane) of Emirates I believe ( huge and serious airline) so if someone is saying this was due to ryanair, sorry just stop saying so.
Mark Zerafa
Sep 10th 2010, 18:54
GPS is a Global Positioning System. It is a backup navaid (navigational aid) and it has no weather detection capability.. what you need is weather radar, and this is fitted to both Air Malta's Airbus fleet and Ryanair's 737-800s.
Mark Duffy
Sep 10th 2010, 14:58
This can happen to any airline, ryanair or not, the people on here who complain about Ryanair really need to look at the bigger picture and the econmomic benefits it brings to the island, ryanair has introduced thousands of new holiday makers to the great islands of Malta and Gozo, including many from Ireland, without this direct route they wouldn't otherwise have gone as it would be via London or Frankfurt, which = time consuming and expensive.
C BArtolo
Sep 10th 2010, 14:21
I just wanted to point out that i was no way blaming Ryanair for turbulance, less pilots etc, my fear on flying comes from a trip in a jumbo jet which experienced severe turbulance, if you suffer it on a 747 i think you can suffer it on anything.
i just wish i didn't hear about this a week before i fly :-)
David Montebello
Sep 10th 2010, 14:07
We have to congratulate the pilot for landing safely in Bologna and not blame it on the airline. Turbulence does not choose which plane to stike , it could have been any airline. I guess some people want to blame Ryan Air for everthing but its thanks to them that Malta has increased tourism in these last years and we Maltese are travelling cheaper to Europe
Godfrey A Grima
Sep 10th 2010, 14:04
1. I am not Godfrey Grima the journalist, hence the use of my middle initial.
2. I travel extensively and turbulence hits any airline.
3. I have no brief to defend Ryanair. I used it at times and I am satisfied with the service.
4. I use low cost airlines or state run airlines according to my needs and problems can occur in both.
5. To say turbulence hits low cost airlines or those with dodgy policies is a strange argument.
6. We have seen accidents involving both state run and low cost airlines.
Christine Bright
Sep 10th 2010, 13:55
Why are some people blaming the airline?
The news article does not tell us anything about how the accident happened.
For all we know there could have been
1.passengers standing in the aisle or
2. passengers who spilled hot coffee on themselves or
3. someone was in the toilet and didn't manage to get back to his seat on time when the fasten seatbelt sign was switched on.
There are many passengers who do not respect the fasten seat belt sign or do not listen to the captain/purser when they suggest all passengers to keep seat belt fastened.
How many times after landing people take off their seatbelts when the aircraft is still moving and get up to get their bags. That is very dangerous too. Accidents can still occur at that time.
Before pointing your fingers at low cost airlines, remember there are many individuals (usually over 120 people) on board who react differently in certain circumstances.
Malcolm Felix
Sep 10th 2010, 14:23
"Why are some people blaming the airline? "
Because these people have nothing else better to do.........
m.vella
Sep 10th 2010, 13:40
natural elements / disasters hits every one !!
ships...planes....guess all of u remember Titanic !!
so pls stop all this bla bla bla.....turbulence can shake all type of airlines....from Emirates to Qatar airways....i experienced it on these massive planes !!
so whos complaining via Ryanair is a complete sicko !
Ramon Zammit
Sep 10th 2010, 13:07
I travelled a lot in the past 5 years and the only severe turbulence I experienced was over the Alps in august 2006. Guess what I was flying on an Air Malta plane. This has nothing to do with the airline come on...
Lana Dimech
Sep 10th 2010, 12:56
What bothers me actually is the fact that Ryanair is considering trying the steward (ess) to land a plane in case of the pilot having problems. Thats what frightens the hell out of me. So again turbelence can occur on any airline but a stewardess who lands a plane, we only see it in films. Leave the co-pilot Mr O'Leary. Why dont they just issue a fixed cheap price ex. Eur50 for each ticket and keep safety a priority?!
ct busuttil
Sep 10th 2010, 12:37
Ryanair have a reputation for cost-cutting. There is no denying this. But this is what makes them competitive and the general public seem to prefer to have this choice. However, it does not make sense for this airline, or any other, to go so far in their economy as to risk losing a plane in a disaster or to get sued for negligence does it? It would be econimcally disastrous.
ct busuttil
Sep 10th 2010, 12:22
Thank God the competent pilot had it all under control and there were no serious injuries.
James Gauci
Sep 10th 2010, 12:05
The cause of what happened was the turbulence...co-pilot or no co-pilot, it couldn't have been avoided...stop moaning about ryanair...it has increased tourism in Malta, and many, including myself, do not give a rat's arse if there is a co-pilot or not...we just care about the cheaper price...i bet most of those who complain about low cost airlines do so because of their stupid partisan politics...
C Borg
Sep 10th 2010, 12:22
Very well said, why do people complain about Ryanair? It is cheap and obviously it is the service you will get in return, no one is to expect a 5 star service when paying peanuts for a flight! However, what happened during this flight is not about service, its about natural weather condtions that no one can control... people wishing not to travel with ryanair should really stop complaining and travel with another airline, end of story
axuereb
Sep 11th 2010, 04:58
' many, including myself, do not give a rat's arse if there is a co-pilot or not'...so pray. tell me, what happens if the only pilot is taken ill?Will you fly and land the plane?Oh and another thing, people complaining about Ryanair do not do so because of 'their stupid partisan politics'...I think YOU know where the complaints are coming from...SOUR GRAPES a la maltija.
L. Brincat
Sep 10th 2010, 11:22
Jista xi hadd jilluminani u jghidli x'differenza hemm bejn Ryanair u 'airlines' ohrajn dwar dan l-accident? Ghax diga qed nara l-injoranza tiffermenta fil-kummenti dwar dan l-artiklu!
Dan jista jigri lil kwalunkwe kumpanija u Ryanair ma tahtix.
Thomas Gatt
Sep 10th 2010, 11:44
Well said Mr. Brincat!!
T Mifsud
Sep 10th 2010, 12:46
It is a fact that Ryanair's cost cutting policy intrinsically affects pilots who are humans. While not attributing this effect on this incident, however one cannot deny flying is a delicate balance of safety and profit. How much ever airlines say safety is paramount, pilots STILL will not uplift tons of fuel more when there is enroute turbulence forecast and will not divert a very wide area to avoid it because it costs alot of fuel and alot of time. When thunderstorms are forecast on the ground some pilots may take extra fuel however it is a question of personal choice. This is where company policy comes in. It is a fact that Ryanair keeps a close eye on pilots who uplift extra fuel, and as weather is something very dynamic and not definite, when bad conditions are a 'maybe' or a chance, some pilots will not take extra fuel (therefore time and options) due to the commercial pressure!
That is where atmosphere in a company affects pilot decisions.
P. Farrugia
Sep 10th 2010, 13:00
I do not know what Ryanair has but some of Air Malta fleet are equipped with multiscan weather radars. These are the latest technology radars that can better detect (to avoid) storms etc even in zones not recognised as a threat with conventional radars. This is a significant advantage but I do not know if air pockets are directly related to hazardous weather. But as a summary, in general, I would think 'yes'; one aircraft/airline may be better equipped to detect hazards than another one.
Matthew Ciantar
Sep 10th 2010, 13:20
@ P. Farrugia
I think the issue is not related to the airline. This could happen to any airline, including Airmalta. Last Monday week, I was travelling on Air Malta to Munich, and I bet more than 40% of the airline was feeling sick with the strong winds the pilots had to face to keep the plane stable while trying to land it in Munich. To add the cherry on the cake, as soon as the plane is landing with the wheels down, it takes us back up, and then the pilot reports a miss communication with the air-traffic tower. No one knows really what was happening, but such things can happen to any airline. I think that most pilots up there are very competent, and this goes to all airlines.
Camilleri
Sep 10th 2010, 13:40
well explained Mr. Mifsud. Clearly, (but understandably) Mr. Brincat doesn't know much about fuel policies. And somehow I believe that that is why Ryanair is succesful. Many passengers do not know about decisions taken in the briefing rooms by Captains regarding weather enroute and fuel uplift. Fuel policies vary greatly between one company and another and that is a very important safety issue. But Mr. Brincat and the common passenger wouldn't know much about that would he?
L. Brincat
Sep 10th 2010, 16:34
Mr. Camilleri I do understand what fuel policies mean. But is Ryanair ready to lose aircraft? Is the pilot/staff ready to die for Ryanair when Ryanair is renowned for its cheap salaries? Turbulence come from many issues, it could be bad weather, sudden temperature/wind changes, and from the terrain itself (downdrafts/updrafts). I experienced heavy turbulence myself on an aircraft recently and the weather was fine and cloudless.
Neville Cassar
Sep 10th 2010, 11:17
Cost cutting... in lieu of safety..... doesnt pay. Take Note Michael O'Leary !
Co-Pilots arent 'seat warmers'... they share the same responsibilities with the Pilot and quick action in the flight deck saves lives... and avoids disasters.
I'd prefer flying affordable and safe.... than cheap and dangerous.
Godfrey Grima
Sep 10th 2010, 11:07
Such incidents can happen to anyone. BUT when you are flying with an airline, like Ryanair, with a dodgy spare fuel policy and a history of overworked and disgruntled crew it takes a whole new dimension. I am sure we will hear more about this incident.
M. Aquilina
Sep 10th 2010, 16:21
Naqbel mija fil-mija ma' Godfrey! Dak li l-bierah gara lir-RyanAir seta' sehh lil kull linja tal-ajru. Izda tajjeb infakkru lil min qieghed jaqra li Air Malta ghandha strategija dwar fuel. Jekk Kaptan jiehu decizjoni li jrid jinzel f'ajruport iehor, jew itawwal il-vjagg minhabba xi haga, wiehed iserrah mohhu li fuel se jkun hemm bizzejjed biex jasal kulhadd qawwi u shih. Meta Air Malta kienet involuta f'incidenti simili jew incidenti ohra dejjem zammet PRIJORITA' EWLENIJA is-sigurta' ta' min hemm fl-ajru!!! Dwar sigurta' xejn u hadd ma jista' jhammar wicc l-AirMalta
C Borg
Sep 10th 2010, 11:00
No big deal sorry, I was on an Airmalta once and same happened, i got a scratch when it happened, didnt go complaining of slight injuries and few other people too... once in the air, no airline can do miracles thats for sure...
Mr B J Simmons
Sep 10th 2010, 10:48
I'd be worried if I were flying Ryanair too. It's Air Malta for me for my holidays EVERY TIME. Even if it costs a little more, it's worth it.
Mike Bugeja
Sep 10th 2010, 11:04
I am sorry, but I do not get your point .... what does it have to do with air turbulence? Why, wouldn't it affect an Airmalta aircraft also?
ialamango
Sep 10th 2010, 11:10
this is because AirMalta are accident free right? As if AirMalta jets do not suffer turbulence lool
j.scerri
Sep 10th 2010, 11:34
Are you saying turbulance was Ryanair's fault? Don't Air Malta planes fly through turbulance?
m.borg
Sep 10th 2010, 12:14
can u be more intelligent pls ?????
S Bellizzi
Sep 10th 2010, 12:15
Yes it seems that our beloved Air Malta poses no defects!!!Come on ...accidents happen to everyone....remember when Air Malta got hijacked in 1997 and landed in Cologne? ...I can imagine the comments if it was a Ryanair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Louise Cassar
Sep 10th 2010, 12:25
Strange, a few months ago I was travelling with AIR MALTA and there was a patch of turbulence!! The scariest 10 minutes of my life - I guess if I had to use your same reasoning, I will never use Air Malta again!
Mario Said
Sep 10th 2010, 22:05
Mr. BJ, The only time that turbulence struck my means of air travel was when I was flying AirMalta to Brussels. The plane was caught in something called "wind shear" or "crosswind" which is a natural phenomenon and certainly nothing caused by AirMalta. Should I stop flying AirMalta? What shall I use instead? RyanAir? Mind you, I tried RyanAir to Luton and I must say, the flight was fantastic. Hassle free and before schedule for less than half an AirMalta fare!!!!
A. Borg
Sep 10th 2010, 10:31
Imagine there was no Co-Pilot and the Pilot hit his head and got injured...... what a bigger mess......
C Bartolo
Sep 10th 2010, 10:42
thanks for that reassurance, im flying next saturday, already scared of flying, think i better check the cockpit now to make sure there are plenty of standby pilots :-S
RMangion
Sep 10th 2010, 10:45
Pilots are better strapped in thAn passengers I think. Passenger seatbealts are only limited to the sort of lower part whilst pilot and copilots belts they are like totally strapped in if I am not mistaken.
Such accidents although not pleasent are not uncommon in , as turbulence can effect any aircraft no matter the size. Although technology is now available to highlight areas of turbulence still its effect may be unpredictable.
Fabien Sant Fournier
Sep 10th 2010, 10:47
imagine?...someone has already thought of all these things, that's why there are lots of built in redundancies in aviation!
A. Borg
Sep 10th 2010, 10:51
Mr. O'Leary wants to axe the Co-Pilot to save money...... nice move hux ???
Anthony Zammit
Sep 10th 2010, 10:59
It's all cheap publicity Mr.Borg. How can the aviation authorities accept this non sense!!