#ban on international commercial flights

[girlactionfigure]

🟧 AFTER YOM KIPPUR - Updates from Israel  

THANKS - special thanks to our valiant soldiers who spent their Yom Kippur keeping us safe instead of with their families or in synagogue.  Our prayers are in their merit.

⭕SUICIDE DRONES from HEZBOLLAH hit HERTZILYA on Yom Kippur night, hitting a NURSING HOME.  1 intercepted, 1 got through.  1 injury.

⭕HEAVY ROCKET BARRAGES across the north, hitting Haifa, Acco, Karmiel, Safed, Rosh Pina, and towns throughout the north over Yom Kippur.  3 people were slightly injured by a rocket falling in the Western Galilee and 12 were slightly injured on the way to a protected area.

⭕ROCKETS FROM GAZA on Yom Kippur, to southern Ashkelon.  No casualties, and the IDF continues a policy of forced evac of source areas of fire.

▪️YOM KIPPUR - medics treated 286 fainted, dehydrated or felt ill due to the fast, and took 146 women in labor to the hospitals, one who gave birth in the ambulance.

▪️A HERO SOLDIER HAS FALLEN.. in battle in Gaza before Yom Kippur.. Ittai Fogel, 22, from Yakir.  May his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, and may G-d avenge his blood!

❗️On Yom Kippur the IDF had 1 serious injury in battle in Gaza, no others casualties.

♦️IDF airstrikes on 280 targets throughout the holiday, in Lebanon and Gaza.

♦️IDF forces eliminated 50 terrorists in face-to-face encounters and directed air force strikes, and destroyed more than 200 Hezbollah terrorist targets from the air and with artillery.

♦️IDF created a small border buffer into SYRIA, in the Alonei Habashan - Kwdana area.

🔹The Christian sectors in Lebanon are in talks to form a political alliance against the Hezbollah.

🔹Yemeni defense minister says an operation against the Houthi Rebels is "imminent”.

🔹Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi calls for Chapter VII of the UN Charter to be invoked to “force Israel to comply with international law and immediately end all its illegal wars” in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Lebanon.  This framework allows the UN Security Council to impose sanctions or in extreme cases even military force to guard against threats to peace.

▪️Nicaragua announced the severance of relations with Israel "due to the attacks on the Palestinian lands".

▪️Speaker of the Iranian parliament arrived in Beirut and toured the area, leaving later in the day to Turkey.  This is the 2nd Iranian commercial-diplomatic flight to break the Israeli air ban.

Part 2

⚠️ CHANGES IN DEFENSIVE GUIDELINES, MILITARY ZONES DECLARED IN NORTHERN ISRAEL

⚠️ Following a situational assessment, starting today at 20:00, changes will be made to the Home Front Command’s defensive guidelines. In southern and northern Golan, except for certain communities in the Emek HaYarden Regional Council, the activity scale will move from Limited Activity to Partial Activity, allowing educational activities subject to Northern Command's guidelines. In Daliyat al-Karmel and Isfiya in the Carmel area, the activity scale will shift from Partial Activity to Full Activity, with restrictions on gatherings of over 2,000 people. The rest of the country's guidelines remain unchanged. It is crucial to follow official Home Front Command channels and check updates on the National Emergency Portal and Home Front Command app.

🟥 As of 20:00 today, Zar'it, Shomera, Shtula, Netu'a, and Even Menachem in northern Israel will be declared a closed military zone. Entry to this area will be prohibited for security reasons.

🔷 For the first time in the Middle East war, the US intends to deploy its THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) anti-ballistic air defense system in Israel to prepare for a potential Iranian attack. This system is designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles, providing a high level of protection.

◾The US has also announced new sanctions on Iran's oil sector in response to Tehran’s missile attack on Israel.

[xtruss]

Several Dead, Hundreds Injured in Pro-Independence Rallies in New Caledonia

Pro-independence protesters say France's new constitutional reform will dilute the share of the vote held by Kanaks, the Indigenous group that makes up about 41 percent of the population.

“World’s Most Wanted Criminal, Fascist, Extremist, Terrorist and the Butcher of Gujrat Indian Prime Minister Modi” urges Indians to focus on national development without making Pakistan a reference point. Photo: Reuters Archive

At least three people have been killed and hundreds more were injured during a second night of protesting in New Caledonia, authorities said.

Wednesday was the third day of demonstrations against a constitutional reform pushed by Paris that has roiled the archipelago, which has long sought independence.

Despite heavily armed security forces fanning out across the capital Noumea and the ordering of a nighttime curfew, protesting continued until overnight Tuesday virtually unabated.

The reform — which must still be approved by a joint sitting of both houses of the French parliament — would give a vote to people who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years.

Pro-independence forces say it would dilute the share of the vote held by Kanaks, the Indigenous group that makes up about 41 percent of the population and the major force in the pro-independence movement.

In Noumea and the commune of Paita on Wednesday, there were reports of several exchanges of fire between civil defence groups and protesters.

Security forces regained control of Noumea's penitentiary, which holds about 50 inmates, after an uprising and escape attempt by prisoners, it said in a statement.

Police have arrested more than 130 people since Monday night, with dozens placed in detention to face court hearings, the commission said. About 60 police have been injured, it said.

A nighttime curfew was extended, along with bans on gatherings, the carrying of weapons and the sale of alcohol.

The territory's La Tontouta International Airport remained closed to commercial flights and people were urged to restrict any travel during the day, the high commission said.

Pacific Rivalry

Macron said French lawmakers would vote to definitively adopt the constitutional change by the end of June unless New Caledonia's opposing sides agree on a new text that "takes into account the progress made and everyone's aspirations".

In the Noumea Accord of 1998, France vowed to gradually give more political power to the Pacific island territory of nearly 300,000 people.

As part of the agreement, New Caledonia has held three referendums over its ties with France, all rejecting independence.

As part of the agreement, New Caledonia has held three referendums over its ties with France, all rejecting independence. But the independence movement retains support, particularly among the Indigenous Kanak people.

A New Caledonia pro-independence leader, Daniel Goa, asked people to "go home", and condemned the looting.

But "the unrest of the last 24 hours reveals the determination of our young people to no longer let France take control of them," he added.

France's Minister for Interior and Overseas Gerald Darmanin attends a debate on the constitutional bill aimed at enlarging the electorate of the overseas French territory of New Caledonia, at the French National Assembly in Paris

Source: TRT World 🌎 And Agencies

[prapasara]

Udon Thani

Udon Thani

Udon Thani (Thai: อุดรธานี, pronounced [ʔù.dɔ̄ːn tʰāː.nīː]) is a city in Isan (Northeast Thailand), the capital of Udon Thani Province and the sixth largest city in Thailand. The city municipality (thesaban nakhon / city proper) had a population of 130,531 people as of 2019, while Udon Thani's urban area, Mueang Udon Thani, has a population of approximately 400,000. Udon Thani is one of four major cities in Isan, the others being Nakhon Ratchasima, Ubon Ratchathani, and��Khon Kaen. Together they are known as the "big four of Isan".

Location

Udon is approximately 560 km from Bangkok. It is a major official and commercial center in northern Isan, Thailand, and the gateway to Laos, northern Vietnam, and southern China.

History

The city's economy was boosted by the proximity to Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base during the Vietnam War and retains reminders of that time in the form of bars, coffee shops, and hotels. "Udon sort of became like Pattaya when the GIs arrived," said a local architect.  "Restaurants serving Western cuisine, hotels and nightclubs sprouted up everywhere to meet their needs. It was an extremely busy city back then." 

The BBC has reported that Udon Thani's Royal Air Force Base was the site of a CIA black site, known to insiders as "Detention Site Green", used to interrogate Abu Zubaydah, Saudi-born Palestinian, believed to be one of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants. In December 2014 the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) published an executive summary of a secret 6,000-page report on CIA techniques. The report alleges that at least eight Thai senior officials knew of the secret site. The site was closed in December 2002. 

Earlier reports alleged that a Voice of America relay station in a rural area of Udon Thani Province, Ban Dung District, was the CIA black site.

Administration

Udon Thani town municipality (thesaban mueang) with an area of 5.6 km2 (2.2 sq mi) was established on 15 March 1936.  On 27 May 1953, the area covered by the municipality was increased to 8.3 km2 (3.2 sq mi).   As a result of the town's continuing growth, the total area of the municipality was enlarged for the second time to 47.7 km2 (18.4 sq mi). on 31 December 1993.  On 25 September 1995 Udon Thani was upgraded to city municipality (thesaban nakhon),  and is divided into 21 sub-districts (tambons), which are further subdivided into 248 villages (mubans). (chumchon), 130,531 people in 60,659 households.

Transport

Udon Thani International Airport, close to the city centre (within the ring road), serves a number of domestic airports: Chiang Mai International Airport, U-Tapao International Airport (Pattaya), and Phuket, with approximately 24 daily flights to Bangkok (Don Mueang International and Suvarnabhumi Airport).   During the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic flights were reduced to 10-14 daily to  Bangkok airports only.

Udon Thani railway station in the city centre receives four trains daily from Bangkok railway station (Hua Lamphong) including overnight sleepers.

Economy

Mining

 

Asia Pacific Potash Corporation (APPC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Italian-Thai Development PLC, owns the concession to the Udon North and Udon South potash mines and plans to develop them.  Potash deposits in northeast Thailand are believed to contain the world's third-largest—after Canada and Russia—unexploited potash reserves.  Potash is one of the main components of agricultural fertilizer.

Climate

Udon Thani has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw). Winters are fairly dry and very warm. Temperatures rise until April, which is hot with the average daily maximum at 36.2 °C (97.2 °F). The monsoon season runs from late-April through early-October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm. The range of reliably recorded temperatures in the city is from 2.5 °C (36.5 °F) to 44.1 °C (111.4 °F).

Udon Thani  ,  Thailand   ,  Udon Thani Province  ,   อุดรธานี

CR    ::    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udon_Thani  ,  https://prinkotakoon.blogspot.com/2024/09/udon-thani.html

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 11.15 (after 1970)

1971 – Intel releases the world's first commercial single-chip microprocessor, the 4004. 1976 – René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois take power to become the first Quebec government of the 20th century clearly in favor of independence. 1978 – A chartered Douglas DC-8 crashes near Colombo, Sri Lanka, killing 183. 1979 – A package from Unabomber Ted Kaczynski begins smoking in the cargo hold of a flight from Chicago to Washington, D.C., forcing the plane to make an emergency landing. 1983 – Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus declares independence; it is only recognized by Turkey. 1985 – A research assistant is injured when a package from the Unabomber addressed to a University of Michigan professor explodes. 1985 – The Anglo-Irish Agreement is signed at Hillsborough Castle by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Irish Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald. 1987 – In Brașov, Romania, workers rebel against the communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu. 1987 – Continental Airlines Flight 1713 crashes during takeoff from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, killing 25. 1988 – In the Soviet Union, the uncrewed Shuttle Buran makes its only space flight. 1988 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict: An independent State of Palestine is proclaimed by the Palestinian National Council. 1988 – The first Fairtrade label, Max Havelaar, is launched in the Netherlands. 1990 – The Communist People's Republic of Bulgaria is disestablished and a new republican government is instituted. 1990 – Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-38, a classified mission for the Department of Defense. 1994 – A magnitude 7.1 earthquake hits the central Philippine island of Mindoro, killing 78 people, injuring 430 and triggering a tsunami up to 8.5 m (28 ft) high. 2000 – A chartered Antonov An-24 crashes after takeoff from Luanda, Angola, killing more than 40 people. 2000 – Jharkhand officially becomes the 28th state of India, formed from eighteen districts of southern Bihar. 2001 – Microsoft launches the Xbox game console. 2002 – Hu Jintao becomes General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and a new nine-member Politburo Standing Committee is inaugurated. 2003 – The first day of the 2003 Istanbul bombings, in which two car bombs, targeting two synagogues, explode, kill 25 people and wound 300 more. 2006 – Al Jazeera English launches worldwide. 2007 – Cyclone Sidr hits Bangladesh, killing an estimated 5,000 people and destroying parts of the world's largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans. 2012 – Xi Jinping becomes General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and a new seven-member Politburo Standing Committee is inaugurated. 2013 – Sony releases the PlayStation 4 (PS4) game console. 2016 – Hong Kong's High Court bans elected politicians Yau Wai-ching and Baggio Leung from the city's Parliament. 2017 – A flood a few miles outside of Athens results in the death of 25 people. 2020 – Lewis Hamilton wins the Turkish Grand Prix and secures his seventh drivers' title, equalling the all-time record held by Michael Schumacher. 2022 – The world population reached eight billion.

[warningsine]

Polish prosecutors will press charges against three Belarusian citizens in connection with the forced diversion of a commercial flight to Minsk in 2021, a court in Warsaw confirmed on Friday.

On May 23, 2021, Ryanair flight FR4978 from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuania, was instructed while in Belarusian airspace to divert to Minsk due to a supposed bomb threat, and was escorted by a MiG-29 fighter jet. The plane was registered in Poland.

Upon landing in the Belarusian capital, two of the passengers, dissident Belarusian journalist Raman Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega, were arrested. Nobody was hurt. The incident sparked international outrage.

Who is going to be charged?

In a statement on Friday, Polish prosecutors said they had gathered enough evidence to bring charges against three Belarusian officials whose surnames they did not mention in accordance with Polish law.

Leonid C., the former director of the Belarusian air navigation agency; Yevgenia T., the air traffic control manager in Minsk on the day; and Andrey AM, the head of the Belarusian KGB secret service, are accused of taking control of the flight by providing the pilot with false information about an alleged explosive device on board.

"This resulted in the unlawful deprivation of liberty of 132 people on board the aircraft, including citizens of the Republic of Poland," read a court statement.

Also on Friday, Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza cited audio extracts from Minsk airport control tower, secretly recorded by an air traffic controller who subsequently fled to Poland and handed the files to the authorities.

Arrest warrants have been issued but, given that the suspects are not in Poland, prosecutors said they would be filing for European Arrest Warrants and requesting an Interpol "red notice" search.

According to Interpol, a red notice is not an international arrest warrant but rather "a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action."

What happened to Pratasevich?

Pratasevich was sentenced to eight years in prison in May 2023 for offenses including inciting terrorism, organizing mass disturbances and slandering Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

He was pardoned later the same month, as was Sapega a month later.

As part of sanctions imposed following the incident, the European Union banned Belarusian airlines from the bloc's airspace and airports.

mf/nm (Reuters, EFE, AFP)

[head-post]

US fines Emirates $1.5m for flights in prohibited airspace

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) fined Emirates $1.5 million for operating flights codenamed JetBlue Airways in prohibited airspace, according to Reuters.

The department reported on Thursday that between December 2021 and August 2022, Emirates operated a significant number of flights under the JetBlue Airways code between the United Arab Emirates and the United States in airspace prohibited by the Federal Aviation Administration for US operators.

The conduct also violated a consent order issued in October 2020. The order requires the company to pay $200,000 under the 2020 agreement and another $200,000 if it violates the order within a year.

An Emirates spokesperson reported in a statement that the airline intended to operate flights at or above the restricted level. However, during the flight, air traffic control did not authorise the ascent or instruct the flights to fly below that level.

Our pilots duly followed ATC (air traffic control) instructions, a decision which is fully aligned with international aviation regulations for safety reasons.

JetBlue, whose code-sharing with Emirates ended in 2022, declined to comment. The agency said the flights in question crossed the Baghdad Flight Information Region, where the Federal Aviation Administration had banned all US air carriers, all US commercial operators and codeshare operators from flying without special permission. Emirates could face another $300,000 fine if it violates the rules again within a year.

The company’s spokesman stated that the airline no longer operated flights with US carrier codes over Iraqi airspace. It also told USDOT that it prioritised the safety of passengers, employees, and other airspace users.

Read more HERE

[mightyflamethrower]

The horrific murder of Laken Riley by a repeated felony offender and illegal alien Jose Ibarra, 26, a Venezuelan citizen, was preventable—had federal immigration laws simply been enforced by the Biden administration.

When called out in his recent State of the Union address, President Biden referenced the deceased Ms. Riley. But Biden misidentified her as “Lincoln Riley”—the USC football coach!

Biden only accurately noted that she “was killed by an “illegal.””

True—but almost immediately the left was infuriated over Biden’s accurate use of the supposedly insensitive “illegal” for the murderer Ibarra.

Biden soon apologized for correctly identifying her killer as an illegal alien—but not for misidentifying the victim.

He left the callous impression that he was more upset about offending his open-borders base than about the savage beating of a young 22-year-old American nursing student.

Biden’s woke open-borders agenda supersedes any worry over the subsequent mounting number of Americans who have fallen victim to foreign gangs and criminals. He seems oblivious to the nearly 100,000 Americans who die from fentanyl imported across open borders.

The same idea of abstract humanity juxtaposed with concrete callousness towards humans characterizes much of the current leftist agenda.

The Biden administration envisions mandating the use of electric vehicles and banning natural gas appliances. These measures will supposedly help “save” the planet—even as they make life far more expensive and dangerous for the middle class and poor in the here and now.

We are told that biologically born males who transition to females have a civil right to compete in female sports.

Such transgender activism may sound compassionate in the abstract. Yet in the concrete, thousands of women are put in danger by competing against the much larger musculoskeletal frames and natural strength of transitioning males.

Moreover, tens of thousands of young female athletes are losing opportunities to excel and set records—thus destroying over a half-century of women’s efforts to reach parity with men’s sports.

In 2021, United Airlines president Scott Kirby bragged that his company was now devoted to ensuring that fifty percent of all trained pilots would be either people of color or women.

The Federal Aviation Administration had similar diversity, equity, and inclusion mandates for hiring air traffic controllers.

In 2023, Boeing bragged that it was using “inclusion” as a criterion for executive compensation. Pay from now on would be calibrated in large part on the success of hiring new employees on the basis of their race, gender, and sexual orientation.

In the abstract, ensuring that air travel “looks like America” is no doubt a noble goal.

But if such subordination of meritocracy is canonized without proper attention to the only criterion that really matters—the safety of the nearly 3 million American airline passengers who take 45,000 flights per day—lives will be needlessly lost.

Some data and recent anecdotal evidence suggest that something has now gone dangerously wrong with the entire airline industry.

In January 2023, thousands of domestic flights were cancelled or delayed because of a series of Federal Aviation Administration computer failures. Over the last ten years, near-crashes and collisions of commercial places have more than doubled.

Even scarier, in the last two weeks alone, United Airlines suffered numerous near-catastrophic events that may have involved crew lapses, air traffic controller errors, or problems with Boeing jet construction or maintenance—or all three. Specific details have mysteriously been kept from the public.

A United flight from San Francisco to Mexico had to make an emergency landing due to failing hydraulics. Another United flight bound for San Francisco from Sydney, Australia, had to return around due to a “maintenance issue.” Yet another flight out of Chicago O’Hare International Airport likewise suffered undisclosed “maintenance issues” and returned home.

At Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, a United plane simply taxied off the runway and got stuck in the grass. Another United flight from San Francisco lost a wheel while taking off!

Yet another United flight from Houston to Florida was forced to make an emergency landing after one of its engines caught fire. At about the same time, a United flight bound for San Francisco from Hawaii experienced an engine failure in mid-flight.

Dozens were injured on a Boeing jet during a Chilean airline flight from Australia to New Zealand due to what officials called “a technical event during the flight which caused a strong movement.”

Anytime ideology and dogma trump merit, logic, and safety, the result is predictably scary and dangerous.

America needs to recalibrate its priorities to protect the lives and aspirations of all its citizens, regardless of their race and gender.

If our elites do not stop playing god and mandating their visions of heaven on earth, then they will surely ensure hell for us all.

[jcmarchi]

Just Because You Can Pay to Have Your Ashes Buried on the Moon Doesn't Mean You Should - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/just-because-you-can-pay-to-have-your-ashes-buried-on-the-moon-doesnt-mean-you-should-technology-org/

Just Because You Can Pay to Have Your Ashes Buried on the Moon Doesn't Mean You Should - Technology Org

Sending human ashes and personal mementoes to the Moon is now possible, but it opens up a maze of legal and ethical conundrums.

When NASA attempted to return to the Moon for the first time in 50 years, more was at risk than just US$108 million worth of development and equipment.

The Moon is smaller than Earth, and this fact is also one of the reasons why its gravity is not sufficient to retain any atmospheric gases near its surface. Image credit: NASA

The agency earned the ire of the Native American Navajo people, who made a bid to stop the launch because of an unusual inclusion in the payload.

The Peregrine lander (which completed its controlled re-entry into the atmosphere late last week) carried human ashes, including those of famed science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke. A commercial partnership also allowed paying customers to send their mementos to the Moon.

As space exploration becomes increasingly privatised and commercial, you can now send your favourite stuff to the Moon. But what does that mean, both ethically and legally?

The Moon open for business

US company Astrobotic owns the Peregrine, which is the size of a small car. It ran into fatal fuel issues shortly after being launched on Vulcan Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral.

On board are “vanity canisters”. The idea arose in a partnership between the firm and global freight company DHL.

Under the deal, anyone can send two and a half centimetre by five centimetre package to the lunar surface for less than US$500. Apart from size, there were a few other limitations on what each package could contain.

Astrobotic, founded in 2007 and based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is one of several US companies providing commercial lunar payload services to NASA to deliver science and technology to the Moon. Peregrine was also carrying scientific instruments from six countries and many science teams.

Perhaps surprisingly, sending ashes into space is not new aboard suborbital and Earth orbital flights.

Two American companies make a business of the service starting at just a few thousand dollars – Celestis and Elysium Space. The practice is embraced by many, including astronauts who have been in space.

A Moon burial (yes, you can buy one) costs more – around US$13,000.

Commercial payloads launched from US soil require approval, but that approval process only covers safety, national security, and foreign policy.

Peregrine, if it had made it, would have marked the first commercial lunar burial. It’s uncharted territory as other worlds become within reach, although it is not the first time it has come up.

NASA pledged to consult in the future after an outcry from the Navajo when, 20 years ago, it carried some of Eugene Shoemaker’s ashes to the Moon aboard the Lunar Prospector probe. Like many other indigenous cultures, the Navajo Nation considers the Moon sacred and opposes using it as a memorial site.

However, NASA said in a press briefing it had no control over what was on Peregrine, highlighting the gaps between commercial enterprise and international space law.

A legal minefield

Another question concerns the rules in individual nations on where and how human ashes can be located, handled, and transported and how those could extend to space. For example, in Germany, ashes must be buried in a cemetery.

With space privatisation accelerating, the ethical and legal maze deepens.

The Outer Space Treaty (OST) declares space the “province of all mankind” while banning national appropriation.

It fails, however, to address what private companies and individuals can do.

The recent Artemis Accords, signed by 32 nations, expand protection to lunar sites of historical significance. But these protections only apply to governments, not commercial missions.

And no one owns the Moon to grant burial rights, or any other world or celestial body.

The treaty requires states to authorise and supervise activities in space. It requires “due regard” for the interests of other states.

Many countries have space law that includes grounds for refusing payload items not in their national interest, for example Indonesia and New Zealand.

Nations apparently without such consideration, including Australia and the US, may need to consider expanding this template with the emergence of the commercial world in a traditionally governmental arena.

Where to draw a line?

Earth’s orbit is already clogged with defunct satellites and, further out, items like Elon Musk’s Tesla.

According to space archaeologist Alice Gorman, we have already spread space probes across other worlds, including the Moon, Mars, Titan, and Venus, but much may be treasure rather than junk.

For example, the Apollo astronauts left official mementos, such as a plaque marking the first human footsteps on the lunar surface. Some have left personal ones, too, like Apollo 16’s Charles Duke, who left a framed family photo.

However, sending a clipping of your hair or the ashes of your pet dog to the Moon may not qualify as culturally and historically important.

The problem, therefore, is where we want to place a line in the sand as we step out into the cosmos onto the shorelines of other worlds.

We cannot turn back the clock on private space enterprise, nor should we.

But this failed mission with ashes and vanity payloads exemplifies the unexplored questions in the legal and ethical infrastructure to support commercial activities.

It is worth pausing for thought on future commercialisation such as mining asteroids and the eventual colonisation of space.

Source: UNSW

You can offer your link to a page which is relevant to the topic of this post.

[stevecarell600]

Aircraft Health Monitoring System Market Trends, Growth & Competitive Analysis by 2027

Aircraft Health Monitoring System (AHMS) Share is a technology that uses sensors and other monitoring devices to collect and analyze data about the condition and performance of an aircraft. This technology enables aircraft operators to monitor various systems and components in real-time, and detect any issues or anomalies that may arise during flight. AHMS typically employs a combination of sensors, data analytics, and machine learning algorithms to monitor a wide range of parameters, including engine performance, fuel consumption, airframe stress, and other critical systems.

Information Source:

The global aircraft health monitoring system market size is projected to reach USD 4,987.9 million by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 11.56% during the forecast period. The value of the market stood at USD 4,202.4 million in 2023, according to Fortune Business Insights™ in its report, titled “Aircraft Health Monitoring System Market, 2023-2027”. The demand for air travel has plummeted due to the imposition of travel bans, weakened tourist activities, and social distancing. As a result, in 2020, the market declined by a staggering -44.8% and reached a value of USD 2,319.7 million.

List of Key Players Profiled in the AHMS Market Report:

Meggitt (UK)

Curtiss-Wright (US)

SAFRAN (France)

General Electric Company (US)

United Technologies Corporation (US)

Airbus S.A.S. (The Netherlands)

Lufthansa Technik (Germany)

Tech Mahindra (India)

FLYHT (Canada)

Rolls Royce (UK)

Honeywell International, Inc. (US)

Boeing (US)

Development of Electric Aircraft to Brighten Market Outlook

With a view to advance sustainability in the aviation industry, several aircraft innovators, especially startups, have been engineering and introducing electric airplanes, which has stoked the aircraft health monitoring system market growth. In September 2020, for instance, the Swedish startup, Heart Aerospace, unveiled its industry-leading battery technology and electric drivetrain as part of its mission to build a full-fledged electric airplane for regional flights. Similarly, in June 2019, Israel-based Eviation launched Alice, a breakthrough zero-emission, all-electric 9-seater aircraft, at the Paris Airshow. The innovations represented by these companies are stoking the demand for aircraft health monitoring systems as the maintenance requirements of battery-powered airplanes will be niche and these systems will be needed to ensure the smooth functioning of all the components.

Market Segments

On the basis of the sub-system, the market has been segregated into aero-propulsion systems, airframes, ancillary systems, software, and others. By technology, the market is segmented into prognostic systems, diagnostic systems, detection systems, adaptive control, and others. Based on the platform, the market is classified into commercial aircraft, business jets, and regional & military aircraft. Based on fit, the market has been bifurcated into retrofit and line-fit. In terms of geography, the market has been grouped into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World.

North America to Bolster Its Apex Market Position; Asia Pacific to Register Highest CAGR

With a size of USD 1,386.8 million in 2019, North America is poised to dominate the aircraft health monitoring system market share during the forecast period. The principal reason for the region’s unassailable position in the global market is the strong presence of aviation industry giants, such as Bombardier and Boeing, in the US and Canada. These companies have been heavily investing in advanced aircraft maintenance technologies, which have ensured the enduring growth of the regional market.

Asia Pacific is slated to showcase the highest CAGR, supported by the rapidly increasing air passenger traffic in the region. This is primarily attributable to the phenomenal economic growth and development of India and China over the past few decades. Furthermore, domestic airline companies are also making strategic investments in modern fleet management technologies, such as aircraft health monitoring systems, to broaden their business horizons.

Aerospace Bigwigs to Dictate Competitive Dynamics

The competitive landscape of this market is characterized by the dominant activities of bigwigs, such as Airbus and Honeywell, in the aerospace industry. Their robust finances and strong portfolios have allowed these companies to continuously invest in the development of next-generation aircraft health monitoring systems. However, the governing dynamics of this market are now being reshaped due to the entry of startups that are specializing in inventive technologies and enhance this market’s potential.

Industry Development:

December 2020: Safran Helicopter Engines inked a Support-by-Hour contract with China-based State Grid General Aviation Company (SGGAC). Under the contract, Safran will provide maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services to SGGAC, covering its H225 and H215 fleets.

[highpowerrocketryspace]

HELSINKI — The United States has sanctioned a small Chinese satellite maker for allegedly supplying Russia's Wagner Group with radar satellite imagery of Ukraine to support its combat operations. The Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute, also known as Spacety, and its Luxembourg-based subsidiary are among a number of entities hit with sanctions as part of a move against the paramilitary organization Private Wagner Group. The Treasury Department announced sanctions targeting the Wagner Group on January 26, designating it a transnational criminal organization. Spacety provided orders for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite imagery of locations in Ukraine to Terra Tech, a Russia-based technology company, according to the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. "These images were gathered in order to enable Wagner's combat operations in Ukraine," the statement said. "Today's expanded sanctions against Wagner, along with new sanctions against their associates and other companies enabling the Russian military complex, will further hamper Putin's ability to arm and equip his war machine," the statement said. Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen in a statement. statement. Spacety makes small satellites and is based in Changsha, Hunan Province, with offices in Beijing and Luxembourg. It was founded in 2016 by former employees of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is also working with the 38th Institute of state-owned giant China Electronics Technology Group (CETC) to build a 96" satellite.Tianxian“RSO Constellation. Spacety has so far launched two small C-band SAR imaging satellites, namely Hisea-1 in December 2020 and Chaohu-1 in February 2022, the latter for the Tianxian project. Its latest satellite, Beiyou-1 (BUPT-1), was launched on Jan. 15 and developed for Beijing Post and Telecommunications University and also carried science payloads for the Tiange University Astrophysics Project. Spacety has sought to work with companies around the world, even considering launch on Indian rockets to allow it to work with flight-banned partners on Chinese launchers. China and Russia have developed closer relations in recent years. China attempted to act in a neutral role following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and earlier reports suggest it adhered to US and European sanctions imposed on Russia. Last year, China omitted any mention of Russia when presenting its lunar exploration plans are open for cooperation at the International Astronautical Congress in Paris, although Russia is a partner in the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project. China has raised concerns about the use of US commercial satellite constellations in the Ukraine conflict, including communications via SpaceX's Starlink satellites, but also imagery from companies such as Maxar. The People's Liberation Army Daily, the official newspaper of China's military forces, published a comment (Chinese) in April 2022, noting that companies such as Maxar and Black Sky provided satellite imagery of Russian troop movements into Ukraine. The comment claims that the United States has in recent years "fostered the building of so-called 'space resilience', attempting to blur the line between the military and civilian spheres", bringing commercial entities and the general public into the space arms race to strengthen its dominant position in space.

[tastydregs]

Automakers are pouring millions into "flying taxis"

Nobody's putting wings on automobiles, but carmakers have emerged as key partners for a bevy of aviation startups working on electric "air taxis."

Why it matters: It's a critical time for the emerging urban air mobility sector.

Several leading developers of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are aiming to get Federal Aviation Administration certification within the next couple of years.

But they need capital and manufacturing expertise to bring their aircraft, which look like oversized drones, to market and begin whisking passengers across cities or to the airport.

Automakers can help on both counts, while ensuring they remain on the cutting edge of transportation.

Driving the news: Stellantis, which makes Jeep and Chrysler vehicles, said Wednesday it will manufacture an electric air taxi with Archer Aviation — one of several eVTOL companies nearing commercialization.

It also plans to invest $150 million in Archer, following an initial $75 million investment in 2021.

Stellantis, which has been providing Archer with engineering expertise, will now help it launch a new manufacturing facility in Covington, Georgia, starting in 2024.

The plan is for Stellantis to become the exclusive manufacturer of Archer's newly revealed eVTOL, called Midnight.

Details: Midnight, which can carry four passengers plus a pilot, is designed for back-to-back hops of around 20 miles, with approximately 10 minutes of charging between flights.

Its first route, starting in 2025, will link a Manhattan heliport to Newark Liberty International Airport, in partnership with United Airlines — also an Archer investor.

Archer's "Midnight" eVTOL aircraft. Photo courtesy of Archer Aviation

Between the lines: To make air taxis affordable, eVTOL developers need to produce them in large numbers and keep them flying as much as possible.

Most plan to scale from making hundreds of aircraft annually to tens of thousands — far more than traditional airplane manufacturers.

Carmakers are experts at high-volume production and complex supply chains. They can also learn more about aerodynamics, composites and battery efficiency from their aviation partners.

What they're saying: "The partnership here I think really helps considerably de-risk and accelerate Archer's ability to get to market and produce vehicles at scale," Archer co-founder and CEO Adam Goldstein told reporters.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares framed the partnership as a hedge against what he considers an existential risk facing automakers.

"We are all about freedom of mobility, and I really think sincerely that freedom of mobility is at risk in the Western world," said Tavares, a 41-year auto industry veteran.

He pointed to vehicle bans in some cities meant to combat congestion and pollution, as well as safety issues and the rising cost of transportation.

The big picture: Stellantis isn't the only carmaker collaborating with budding aviation startups.

Toyota is a major investor in Archer rival Joby Aviation, and helped design Joby's pilot manufacturing plant in California.

Porsche is partnering with Embraer's Eve Air Mobility to begin mass production of its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft.

Hyundai has created its own eVTOL spinoff, Supernal.

Honda, which developed its own business jet, also plans to produce an air taxi.

Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler has partnered with Germany's Volocopter.

Flashback: Henry Ford dabbled in aviation too.

His 1926 Ford "Flivver," a flying car for the masses, was supposed to do for airplanes what the Model T had done for autos, Smithsonian Magazine recalls.

A 1928 crash ended Ford's dream of affordable aviation. Nearly 100 years later, that dream could still become reality for the industry he helped create.

[few-favorite-things]

ban on international commercial flights: ১৫ জুলাই পর্যন্ত আন্তর্জাতিক বিমান চলাচলের উপর জারি থাকবে নিষেধাজ্ঞা, জানাল কেন্দ্র – india extends ban on international commercial flights till july 15 as the corona situation in the country worsens এই সময় ডিজিটাল ডেস্ক: প্রতিদিন লাফিয়ে বাড়ছে দেশে করোনা আক্রান্তের সংখ্যা। শনিবার সকালে কেন্দ্রীয় স্বাস্থ্য মন্ত্রকের তরফে প্রকাশিত তথ্য অনুযায়ী গত ২৪ ঘন্টায় ভারতে নতুন করে করোনা আক্রান্ত হয়েছেন ১৮ হাজার ৫৫২ জন। এখনও পর্যন্ত একদিনে এটাই সর্বোচ্চ আক্রান্তের সংখ্যা��� সারা দেশে মোট আক্রান্তের সংখ্যাও মাত্র ৬ দিনে লাখের গন্ডি ছাড়িয়েছে। শনিবার তা পেরিয়ে গেছে ৫ লাখের গন্ডি। এমন অবস্থায় শুক্রবার সিভিল অ্যাভিয়েশনের ডিরেক্টর জেনারেল (

[kwttoday]

India : Ban on International commercial passenger flights extended to November 30

India : Ban on International commercial passenger flights extended to November 30

India : Ban on International commercial passenger flights extended to November 30 Amid ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) extended the suspension on scheduled international passenger flights till 30 November, 2021. A notice issued by the DGCA stated that the restrictions shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved…

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 5.25 (after 1960)

1961 – Apollo program: U.S. President John F. Kennedy announces, before a special joint session of the U.S. Congress, his goal to initiate a project to put a "man on the Moon" before the end of the decade. 1963 – The Organisation of African Unity is established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 1966 – Explorer program: Explorer 32 launches. 1968 – The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, is dedicated. 1973 – In protest against the dictatorship in Greece, the captain and crew on Greek naval destroyer Velos mutiny and refuse to return to Greece, instead anchoring at Fiumicino, Italy. 1977 – Star Wars (retroactively titled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is released in US theaters. 1977 – The Chinese government removes a decade-old ban on William Shakespeare's work, effectively ending the Cultural Revolution started in 1966. 1978 – The first of a series of bombings orchestrated by the Unabomber detonates at Northwestern University resulting in minor injuries. 1979 – John Spenkelink, a convicted murderer, is executed in Florida; he is the first person to be executed in the state after the reintroduction of capital punishment in 1976. 1979 – American Airlines Flight 191: A McDonnell Douglas DC-10 crashes during takeoff at O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, killing all 271 on board and two people on the ground. 1981 – In Riyadh, the Gulf Cooperation Council is created between Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. 1982 – Falklands War: HMS Coventry is sunk by Argentine Air Force A-4 Skyhawks. 1985 – Bangladesh is hit by a tropical cyclone and storm surge, which kills approximately 10,000 people. 1986 – The Hands Across America event takes place. 1997 – A military coup in Sierra Leone replaces President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major Johnny Paul Koroma. 1999 – The United States House of Representatives releases the Cox Report which details China's nuclear espionage against the U.S. over the prior two decades. 2000 – Liberation Day of Lebanon: Israel withdraws its army from Lebanese territory (with the exception of the disputed Shebaa farms zone) 18 years after the invasion of 1982. 2001 – Erik Weihenmayer becomes the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, in the Himalayas, with Dr. Sherman Bull. 2002 – China Airlines Flight 611 disintegrates in mid-air and crashes into the Taiwan Strait, with the loss of all 225 people on board. 2008 – NASA's Phoenix lander touches down in the Green Valley region of Mars to search for environments suitable for water and microbial life. 2009 – North Korea allegedly tests its second nuclear device, after which Pyongyang also conducts several missile tests, building tensions in the international community. 2011 – Oprah Winfrey airs her last show, ending her 25-year run of The Oprah Winfrey Show. 2012 – The SpaceX Dragon 1 becomes the first commercial spacecraft to successfully rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station. 2013 – Suspected Maoist rebels kill at least 28 people and injure 32 others in an attack on a convoy of Indian National Congress politicians in Chhattisgarh, India. 2013 – A gas cylinder explodes on a school bus in the Pakistani city of Gujrat, killing at least 18 people. 2018 – The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) becomes enforceable in the European Union. 2018 – Ireland votes to repeal the Eighth Amendment of their constitution that prohibits abortion in all but a few cases, choosing to replace it with the Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland.

[usafphantom2]

Europe and Canada close airspace for Russian planes

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 02/2822 - 11:27 AM in Commercial, War Zones

European nations and Canada decided on Sunday to close their airspace for Russian aircraft, an unprecedented measure aimed at pressuring President Vladimir Putin to end his invasion of Ukraine, the largest attack on a European state since World War II.

Aeroflot said it would cancel all flights to European destinations after EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the European Union decided to close its airspace to Russian traffic.

The United States is considering a similar action, but has not yet made an ultimate decision, according to American authorities. The U.S. government said citizens should consider leaving Russia immediately on commercial flights, citing an increasing number of airlines canceling flights as countries close their airspace to Russia.

The ban on Russian jets occurs while the airline industry continues to deal with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still harming world demand for travel.

Germany, Spain and France joined Britain, the Nordic and Baltic countries in declaring prohibitions on the Russian use of their airspace, a major escalation in a tactic of most NATO allies to wage an economic war against Putin in retaliation for the invasion.

The West, led by the United States, has also released new and comprehensive financial sanctions against Russia.

Russia is now expected to further retaliate air blockades and other sanctions. He has already responded to the first European airspace bans with his own decrees banning airlines from Great Britain, Bulgaria and Poland.

Without access to Russia's airways, experts say that carriers will have to divert flights south, avoiding areas of tension in the Middle East.

https://twitter.com/bmdv_bund/status/1497886418651201536?s=12

German airspace is closed to Russian aircraft from 3:00 p.m. today. Federal Minister Volker @Wissing ordered this. The corresponding NOTAM and all other ℹ️ are available here: bit.ly/3M57hLa

#Ukraine

A reciprocal airspace ban by Russia and the United States would cause longer flight times for American carriers and could require crew changes on routes from the east coast to Asia, said analyst Robert Mann of RW Mann & Corporate, Inc.

This can make certain flights very expensive for American carriers. "This would only add a lot of expenses," he said.

WILL WASHINGTON FOLLOW?

“France is closing its airspace for all Russian aircraft and airlines starting tonight,” French Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said in a Twitter submit (NYSE:), an announcement echoed throughout continental Europe.

Air France-KLM said it is suspending flights to and from Russia, as well as the overflight of Russian airspace until further notice from Sunday.

The closure of European airspace for Russian airlines and vice versa had immediate impacts on world aviation.

Air France said it is temporarily suspending flights to and from China, Korea and Japan, while studying flight plan options to avoid Russian airspace.

Finnair said it would cancel flights to Russia, Japan, South Korea and China until March 6, avoiding Russian airspace, although flights to Singapore, Thailand and India continue with an additional hour of flight.

If U.S. airlines were prevented from entering Russian airspace, some international flights would be extended and some would probably be forced to refuel in Anchorage, industry sources told Reuters. Flights that may be affected include flights from the US to India, China, Japan and Korea, the sources said.

The White House National Security Council refused to comment on whether the United States will close its skies to Russia and forwarded questions to the Federal Aviation Administration, which did not immediately comment.

Swiss World Air Strains, a Lufthansa unit from Germany

Canada also said it closed its airspace for Russian aircraft with immediate effect.

A spokesman for Canada's Minister of Transport said that there are no direct flights between Russia and Canada, but several Russian flights a day pass through Canadian airspace.

An Aeroflot flight from Miami to Moscow passed through Canadian airspace on Sunday after the announcement of the ban, according to the online flight tracking website FlightRadar24. The Canadian Ministry of Transport did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the flight had received an exemption.

INTERRUPTION OF AIR CARGO COMPANIES AND LESSORS

Aviation sanctions also mean interruptions for logistics companies and the aircraft leasing industry, mainly based in Ireland.

Based in the U.S. United Parcel Carrier Inc and FedEx Corp, two of the largest logistics companies in the world, said they are stopping deliveries to destinations in Russia. It was not clear whether both companies continue to use Russian airspace as part of their general operations. Neither responded immediately to requests for comments.

Airfinance Magazine reported that EU lessors would have until March 28 to close deals with Russian airlines - a setback for the sector after Russian carriers were seen as the most reliable performers ???? in jet rental contracts than many global carriers during the pandemic.

Russian companies have 980 passenger jets in service, of which 777 are rented, according to the analysis company Cirium. Of these, two-thirds, or 515 jets, with an estimated market value of about US$ 10 billion, are rented from foreign companies.

Source: Reuters

Tags: AeroflotCommercial AviationWar Zones - Russia/Ukraine

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several air events and operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation

Cavok Brazil - Digital Tchê Web Creation

[justforbooks]

The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde is a British–French turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner that was operated until 2003. It had a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound, at Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 km/h at cruise altitude), with seating for 92 to 128 passengers. First flown in 1969, Concorde entered service in 1976 (scheduled flights began on 21 January 1976) and operated for 27 years. It is one of only two supersonic transports to have been operated commercially; the other is the Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-144, which operated in the late 1970s.

Concorde was jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) under an Anglo-French treaty. Twenty aircraft were built, including six prototypes and development aircraft. Air France and British Airways were the only airlines to purchase and fly Concorde. The aircraft was used mainly by wealthy passengers who could afford to pay a high price in exchange for the aircraft's speed and luxury service. For example, in 1997, the round-trip ticket price from New York to London was $7,995 (equivalent to $12,700 in 2019), more than 30 times the cost of the cheapest option to fly this route.

The original programme cost estimate was £70 million. The programme experienced huge overruns and delays, with the program eventually costing £1.3 billion. It was this extreme cost that became the main factor in the production run being much smaller than anticipated. Later, another factor, which affected the viability of all supersonic transport programmes, was that supersonic flight could be used only on ocean-crossing routes, to prevent sonic boom disturbance over populated areas. With only seven airframes each being operated by the British and French, the per-unit cost was impossible to recoup, so the French and British governments absorbed the development costs. British Airways and Air France were able to operate Concorde at a profit after purchasing their aircraft from their respective governments at a steep discount in comparison to the program's development and procurement costs.

Among other destinations, Concorde flew regular transatlantic flights from London's Heathrow Airport and Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia and Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados; it flew these routes in less than half the time of other airliners.

Concorde won the 2006 Great British Design Quest, organised by the BBC and the Design Museum of London, beating other well-known designs such as the BMC Mini, the miniskirt, the Jaguar E-Type, the London Tube map and the Supermarine Spitfire. The type was retired in 2003, three years after the crash of Air France Flight 4590, in which all passengers and crew were killed. The general downturn in the commercial aviation industry after the September 11 attacks in 2001 and the end of maintenance support for Concorde by Airbus (the successor company of Aérospatiale) also contributed to the retirement.

Scheduled flights began on 21 January 1976 on the London–Bahrain and Paris–Rio de Janeiro (via Dakar) routes, with BA flights using the Speedbird Concorde call sign to notify air traffic control of the aircraft's unique abilities and restrictions, but the French using their normal call signs. The Paris-Caracas route (via Azores) began on 10 April. The US Congress had just banned Concorde landings in the US, mainly due to citizen protest over sonic booms, preventing launch on the coveted North Atlantic routes. The US Secretary of Transportation, William Coleman, gave permission for Concorde service to Washington Dulles International Airport, and Air France and British Airways simultaneously began a thrice-weekly service to Dulles on 24 May 1976. Due to low demand, Air France cancelled its Washington service in October 1982, while British Airways cancelled it in November 1994.

When the US ban on JFK Concorde operations was lifted in February 1977, New York banned Concorde locally. The ban came to an end on 17 October 1977 when the Supreme Court of the United States declined to overturn a lower court's ruling rejecting efforts by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and a grass-roots campaign led by Carol Berman to continue the ban. In spite of complaints about noise, the noise report noted that Air Force One, at the time a Boeing VC-137, was louder than Concorde at subsonic speeds and during take-off and landing. Scheduled service from Paris and London to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport began on 22 November 1977.

In 1977, British Airways and Singapore Airlines shared a Concorde for flights between London and Singapore International Airport at Paya Lebar via Bahrain. The aircraft, BA's Concorde G-BOAD, was painted in Singapore Airlines livery on the port side and British Airways livery on the starboard side. The service was discontinued after three return flights because of noise complaints from the Malaysian government; it could only be reinstated on a new route bypassing Malaysian airspace in 1979. A dispute with India prevented Concorde from reaching supersonic speeds in Indian airspace, so the route was eventually declared not viable and discontinued in 1980.

During the Mexican oil boom, Air France flew Concorde twice weekly to Mexico City's Benito Juárez International Airport via Washington, DC, or New York City, from September 1978 to November 1982. The worldwide economic crisis during that period resulted in this route's cancellation; the last flights were almost empty. The routing between Washington or New York and Mexico City included a deceleration, from Mach 2.02 to Mach 0.95, to cross Florida subsonically and avoid creating a sonic boom over the state; Concorde then re-accelerated back to high speed while crossing the Gulf of Mexico. On 1 April 1989, on an around-the-world luxury tour charter, British Airways implemented changes to this routing that allowed G-BOAF to maintain Mach 2.02 by passing around Florida to the east and south. Periodically Concorde visited the region on similar chartered flights to Mexico City and Acapulco.

From December 1978 to May 1980, Braniff International Airways leased 11 Concordes, five from Air France and six from British Airways. These were used on subsonic flights between Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington Dulles International Airport, flown by Braniff flight crews. Air France and British Airways crews then took over for the continuing supersonic flights to London and Paris. The aircraft were registered in both the United States and their home countries; the European registration was covered while being operated by Braniff, retaining full AF/BA liveries. The flights were not profitable and typically less than 50% booked, forcing Braniff to end its tenure as the only US Concorde operator in May 1980.

In its early years, the British Airways Concorde service had a greater number of "no shows" (passengers who booked a flight and then failed to appear at the gate for boarding) than any other aircraft in the fleet.

* Photo Above: Concorde 001 first flight in 1969

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