Episode 575 - Regional Closure and ATC Shortages

In this week's show: The regional operator Eastern Airways ceases flying as they appoint an administrator;  US airports report over 20 air traffic controller shortage incidents in just one day; and Ryanair issues an urgent warning to all passengers over new boarding pass rules from November.   In the military: Turkey finalises a deal to acquire 12 ex-Royal Air Force C-130J tactical transport aircraft; and 'bad fuel" may have caused recent back-to-back Nimitz aircraft crashes.   We have the last part of the interview with Alan Munro – this is a really good one we have to say and we think you'll enjoy more of Alan's anecdotes from when he was in the RAF and then into the world of civilian flying.    We also have an exciting announcement to make regarding where and when our 600th show is going to be. That's going to be coming up at the end of the show, so stay tuned!  

In this week's show: An ACT Airlines Boeing 747-400 freighter on behalf of Emirates has a runway excursion at Hong Kong; British Airways Faces $450K Lawsuit From Sabre Over UK Tax Dispute; and a Nottinghamshire man is given access to 50 Ryanair boarding passes in a major booking site data breach.    In the military news: The UK MOD seeks industry partners for new drone testing framework; and Eight Su-30s and four Jaguars faced six F-35Bs during a carrier defence scenario as part of the HMS Prince of Wales' participation in Exercise Konkan    In the penultimate part of the interview with Alan Munro, Alan talks with Nick about his adventures at RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall, his exploits during his flying in Germany and some of his challenges whilst he was instructing on the Phantom. Take part in our chatroom to help shape the conversation of the show. You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected] or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.

In this week's show: Turkish Airlines may shift their large B737 MAX of 150 aircraft order to Airbus; DHL Airbus A300 suffers tail strike during landing at London Heathrow; and Ryanair a flight lands with 6 minutes of fuel left following a storm and subsequent diversions.    In the military: An RAF A400M conducts a historic landing on a remote arctic Island in a NATO mission; and  he National Museum of the USAF is Dayton, Ohio is to Display the MiG-25 'Foxbat' aircraft.    Also joining us on the show this week is Ian Parrott from Flight Zone 320 (more about Ian in a second) and we have Part 5 of the Alan Munro interview that Captain Nick did for us. Take part in our chatroom to help shape the conversation of the show. You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected] or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.

In this week's show: Liverpool's John Lennon airport has new check-in rules gives budget airline passengers 'more time to relax'; KLM introduces their first Airbus A350 simulator in the Netherlands ahead of crew training; and the Airbus A320 flies past the Boeing 737 as most-delivered jetliner in history.    In the military:  The RAF Reaper flies its final operational mission marking the end of 18 years of service; and Top Gun-style tests see US Air Force pilots train alongside AI-piloted drones.    We also have Part 4 of the fascinating interview that Captain Nick took part in with Alan Munro and in this week's episode Alan talks about the tragic accident of a Vulcan that he witnesed at RAF Luqa in Malta in 1975. Take part in our chatroom to help shape the conversation of the show. You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected] or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.

Join the hosts as they take you through all the news from around the world and across the UK.  In this week's show: PLAY airlines is no longer coming out to play, more geared turbo fan problems for an A220 fleet and Lufthansa Group expects to cut 4,000 jobs by the end of the decade, as part of a strategic plan to consolidate operations and increase efficiency.    In the military: The Battle of Britain Memorial flight's Dakota ZA947 Returns to RAF Coningsby after major maintenance and the Giant WindRunner Cargo Jet Concept is shown off to the USAF.    We'll also have Part 3 of the fantastic in interview with Alan Munro that Captain Nick very kindly conducted for us. Take part in our chatroom to help shape the conversation of the show. You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected] or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.

Join the hosts as they take you through all the news from around the world and across the UK.  In this week's show some Ryanair passengers enjoy some tarmac time, one airline scrapes its butt on the runway with its newest aircraft, & London Gatwick is about to get a bit bigger ! In the military the UK's P8 gets its first top up in UK airspace & the F-47 is finally going from paper to reality.    We have the final wrap-up from the Bray 2025 air display and we also have Part 2 of the fantastic interview with Alan Munro that Captain Nick very kindly did for us. Take part in our chatroom to help shape the conversation of the show. You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected] or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.

In this week's show we ask "would you sit on a commercial airliner for 29 hours", the worst airport in the UK is named & no its not London Luton, & our Canadian listeners can now head off to Spain direct to soak up the sun!    In the Military the RAF head off to Poland & the B52's arrive at RAF Fairford minus a love shack !    We also have another interview from the Bray Air Display where we spoke with Adi Frost and Ian Brett who are the engineering and flight crew members for the BAC Strikemaster. This was part of the display that took place that afternoon.    We are also delighted to bring you the first part of a brand new series on the life and times of Alan Munro. He has just published a book called 'Fast Jets on the Front Line' and Captain Nick and Nev went to interview Alan at his home earlier this week. Take part in our chatroom to help shape the conversation of the show. You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected] or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.

Join the hosts as they take you through all the news from around the world and across the UK.  In this week's show more passengers try to open aircraft doors, one airline is flying empty aircraft & another airline plants its aircraft just a little to hard into the ground. In the military the RAF may be able to shoot down russian drones, and one lucky 101 year old meets his old aircraft. Take part in our chatroom to help shape the conversation of the show. You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected] or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.

Join the hosts as they take you through all the news from around the world and across the UK.  In this week's show one airline gets fined for taking a dump, one airline offers you free flights but there is a slight condition, & are we going to see a A360?  In the military news this week the USAF go all Italian & the second b-21 will be with us soon. Captain Al chats with Michael Thompson of Skyfly at Oshkosh. Take part in our chatroom to help shape the conversation of the show. You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected] or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.

Join the hosts as they take you through all the news from around the world and across the UK.  In this week's show: We discuss the Robinson R44 helicopter accident on the Isle of Wight; Korean Air strikes a £37bn deal to buy over 100 Boeing aircraft; and  Qantas is to prevent pilots having beards over safety concerns.    In the military: SAAB has received Gripen Type E and F Order for Thailand; and the USAF picks Red 6 Augmented Reality System to train F-16 pilots against virtual enemies.     Also in the show this week, Matt and Nev visited Shoreham on the south coast of England on the 10th year anniversary of the air show accident - Matt speaks with Jonathan Warner who was at the roadside on the day that the Hawker Hunter crashed. It's quite a harrowing account.    Our intrepid reporter Captain Al brings us another one of his interviews from Oshkosh 2025 and this time we have let him loose to discuss a commercial airliner – the McDonnell Douglas DC-8. In fact the last one that was on the US register. Well, at least it's not grey! Take part in our chatroom to help shape the conversation of the show. You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected] or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.