The “maximum penalty” is being charged against a security screening employee from Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) after being seen on surveillance footage swallowing $300 in cash that was taken from a passenger.
The alleged theft took place at Terminal 1’s departure area on September 8, 2023.
After passing through the terminal’s security checkpoint, a departing Chinese passenger reported finding his wallet open and money missing.
No evidence was discovered during a manual inspection of the officers who had screened the passenger.
Following a CCTV review of the security checkpoint, it was discovered that a female security screening officer had taken three US $100 bills and swallowed them along with a bottle of water.
The Office of Transportation Security (OTS) has been given permission by Philippine Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista to impose the “maximum penalty” on those found to be responsible for the incident.
This is not the airport’s first prominently reported theft. Security screening employees were caught on surveillance footage robbing passengers of cash and personal items, including watches, in two separate incidents in February and March 2023.
Airport authorities suggested implementing a “no pocket policy” in the uniforms and jackets of screening personnel.
Emirates Airlines, the flag carrier of Dubai, has begun global recruitment for experienced captains for its Airbus fleet as part of its plan to increase the fleet’s proportion of wide-body aircraft and meet the growing demand across its extensive network.
For its Airbus A380 fleet, the airline is currently accepting applications from experienced captains to join its Direct Entry Captains program.
Who can apply?
Candidates must have a minimum of 3,000 hours of recent command experience on an Airbus fly-by-wire wide-body aircraft, such as the A330, A340, A350, or A380, in order to be eligible for the Direct Entry Captains program, which is designed for technically skilled captains.
Additionally, candidates must fulfill all other eligibility requirements and have accrued a minimum of 7,000 hours of total flight time on multi-crew, multi-engine aircraft.
The airline’s large fleet of 260 aircraft is flown by 4,200 flight crew members, including 1,515 A380 pilots.
With its iconic Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft, the airline operates one of the world’s newest and most technologically advanced all-wide-body fleets.
Additionally, Emirates expects to begin receiving its Airbus A350 fleet by the middle of 2024 and its Boeing 777-9s by the end of 2025.
Emirates’ pilots fly across one of the most extensive global route networks, which spans six continents and includes cross-polar flights, regional routes in the Middle East, and ultra-long haul destinations.
On September 19, 2023, two Boeing airplanes collided on the ground at Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI).
There were no reported injuries despite the two aircraft suffering structural damage when the incident happened at around 9:00 local time.
A Boeing B737-800 from Air Europa was arriving at the terminal when it collided with the rear of a Boeing B757-300 from Condor, which was waiting to taxi off to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and had been departing from Barcelona Airport (BCN).
The left winglet of the Air Europa B737 can be seen stuck beneath the starboard horizontal stabilizer assembly of the Condor B757 in video footage of the incident that was uploaded to social media site X (formerly Twitter).
🇪🇸 Collision au sol entre un Boeing 737 d’Air Europa & un B757 de Condor ce matin à l’aéroport de Palma aux Baléares.
British Airways has unveiled a new program aimed at removing the main obstacle standing in the way of potential recruits achieving their goals.
The Speedbird Pilot Academy program will cover the $123,000 cost of training 60 recruits and their lodging and food expenses during their 16-month training period, according to an announcement made by the British national flag carrier on September 19, 2023.
The airline hopes that by covering the applicant’s high pilot training costs, applicants from all backgrounds will be inspired to apply.
“The Speedbird Pilot Academy will make the ambition of becoming a British Airways pilot a reality for people who’d previously written the option off because of the cost barrier,” Sean Doyle, British Airways’ chairman, and CEO, said.
The main reason people who would love to fly for a living don’t choose this career path is the high costs associated with training to become a pilot.
Often, those who are able to pursue becoming pilots are those who may have come from wealthier backgrounds or who have taken out sizable loans.
“Our aim is to attract the very best talent out there for our future generation of pilots. Whether someone is just leaving school or embarking on a second career they never thought possible, we’re levelling the playing field by removing the initial training cost barrier to make a flying career more accessible to a wider range of people and giving everyone an equal chance,” Doyle added.
The program is now accepting applications through the airline’s careers website. Those interested are urged to act quickly, as the program will close on September 25, 2023, due to the anticipated unprecedented demand.
Early in 2024, training will start, and after finishing the program, recruits will be hired by the airline as full-time, salaried pilots.
To spread the word about the program to young people from Minority Ethnic backgrounds, other communities across the nation, and young women in the aviation industry, BA is collaborating closely with Fantasy Wings, a UK organization for diversity in aviation and a member of the BA Better World Community Fund.
Hannah Vaughan, a 32-year-old senior first officer and former cadet for British Airways, called the program “groundbreaking” and highlighted the importance of attracting the best candidates and removing obstacles that may have previously discouraged people from applying.
“I know there will be a lot of people who have never thought of being a pilot as a realistic option for them, but this cadet scheme changes that – and might just change your life,” Vaughan said.
An on-duty flight attendant was caught trying to take a loaded handgun through the TSA security checkpoint on Friday as she was heading to work a flight out of Philadelphia International Airport.
Due to carrying a gun through an airport checkpoint, the 23-year-old flight attendant is now charged with firearms offenses under Pennsylvania state law and may incur financial penalties from the federal government.
Additionally, Kial Santa Cruz might lose her job with her airline. Although Cruz’s police mugshot appears to show her wearing an American Airlines uniform, neither the TSA nor the Philadelphia Police Department disclosed which airline Cruz works for.
American Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The TSA agent flagged Kial’s luggage for additional inspection, according to the police, and she was stopped as she passed through the Terminal C checkpoint. Her purse contained a semiautomatic Ruger handgun with a .380 caliber that was loaded.
There were no rounds in the chamber but there were five rounds in the magazine.
“We are always on the alert for any possible insider threats,” commented Gerardo Spero, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport.
The arrest comes just two weeks after a concessionaire at the airport was prevented from bringing a loaded handgun into the airport’s secure airside area. The employee claimed he had forgotten he had a gun in his bag.
“Flight attendants and workers inside the terminal have insider knowledge and access to areas of the airport and aircraft that could pose a serious security threat,” Spero continued.
“These are excellent examples of why it remains important that airline employees and individuals who work in airports need to be screened before gaining access to secure areas of the airport.”
As part of the “Known Crewmember” initiative, aircrew can frequently bypass the majority of security screening at US airports. However, the TSA has increased random additional checks in response to a string of incidents in which pilots and flight attendants tried to smuggle prohibited items through KCM access points.
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