The short-haul ban is a great start, but now we have to reimagine modern airports

No flights are allowed if your train journey is less than two-and-a-half hours. The French National Assembly recently approved this idea as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the aviation industry. The fine print. In practice, connecting flights are exempt, and only five routes in France will be affected. These are mainly those that originate from Paris-Orly Airport (ORY). […]

Australia has just launched its own ‘vomit camet

A two-seater SIAI Marchetti S.211 jet, with a highly-skilled aerobatic pilot in the cockpit and a suitcase full of scientific experiments on the passenger’s seat, took off last Saturday from Essendon Fields Airport. The pilot, Steve Gale, flew the jet in Australia’s very first commercial “parabolic” flight, where the plane follows the path of an object that is falling freely. This […]

North Korea’s nuclear threats must be taken seriously

The presentation of a mockup video showing the country’s missiles destroying a city in America during a musical performance was more aggressive. This video is Pyongyang’s most visceral statement yet. The timing of its telecast coincided with the arrival of US Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and its fleet of warships in Korean waters. Close US President Donald Trump, along with […]

Seagulls in city centres could be used to plan drone flight routes

Seagulls plague many city dwellers. For many, seagulls are worse than rats or pigeons. They steal sandwiches, tear up garbage bags, and even eat them. It’s interesting to note that herring gulls and lesser-black-backed gulls are decreasing in rural areas while increasing in urban ones. There are many reasons for this, including easy access to food and nesting sites, as well as a tolerance […]

A weekly update from The Conversation’s global network of academics

Less than two months later, the virus (officially named SARS-CoV-2) has hit more than 100 countries, claiming more than 3,800 lives and infecting over 111,000 people. Regions on opposite sides of the globe are in lockdown. The international economy is in turmoil. Flights are grounded, with at least one airline already having gone out of business. Fear has led to xenophobia, and shops are selling out of essentials […]

Smile and Stay Thin – Life as an Air Hostess

Qantas hired Japanese flight attendants in 1958 to work the “Cherry Blossom Route” to Japan. Marj de Tray had flown from Australia to Japan in order to choose, out of 150 applicants, Yoshiko Watanabe Teruko Oshima, and Kazuko Otsu. Photos of the new recruits in Sydney, who were all in their early 20s, showed them wearing full kimonos similar to […]

Flight PS752 be remembered differently from those who died in the Air India Bombing

We now know that among the 57 Canadians who died were students, professors and doctors. The victims included children, newlyweds, and families. Canadian media and leaders have described many of them as ” extraordinary“. They were members of Canada’s vibrant Iranian community and are remembered as such at tributes and memorials across the country. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, told […]