Aviation News

Her eyelashes, and her stockinged legs, are long enough to warrant a double-take from passengers on board. It may seem a form of harassment to others, but Thai flight attendant Punthakarn Sringern, 25, relishes the attention.

Sringern – or Mew, as she likes to be called – is one of four “ladyboys” working for PC Air, the first Thai airline to employ transgender people.

Finding work beyond the entertainment and cosmetic sectors is difficult for Thailand’s “third sex”, who are said to be more numerous here than anywhere else in the world – so this job, says Mew, is “a dream come true”.

PC Air is so named because its founder and president is Peter Chan – the title does not allude to political correctness. Chan, a property developer, began PC Air last year and immediately confronted what he calls a “question of human rights” in this generally open-minded but still socially conservative nation of 69 million.

“Ladyboys in Thailand don’t have good jobs,” Chan said from PC Air’s 34th-floor Bangkok HQ, where crystalline chandeliers and white bearskin rugs distract from the sprawling view of the city below.

“They work as dancers or entertainers or in shops, because society doesn’t accept them in other jobs.”

Emblazoned across each PC Air jet is the company motto –”I believe it’s my way”.

Chan hopes Thailand, and the world, will eventually accept transgender people – known here as kathoey – in everyday life. “This is the ladyboys’ dream,” he said. “Everybody has to have it [their way], it’s a human right.”

His airline, which also employs a female-to-male transgender pilot, first flew in December – from Bangkok to Vientiane in Laos. It plans to fly to Hong Kong, China, Japan and South Korea from early next month.

Chan, who worked for Thai Airways before making money in the housing market, plans to develop the company’s inclusive hiring policy further by employing people with disabilities and those aged over 60 in the airline’s office. The ambitions of PC Air’s kathoey, on the other hand, are a bit more personal.

“We hope this job will change [Thai] politics, that this is the first of other opportunities,” said Chayathisa Nakmai, 24, who had gender realignment surgery after leaving school and always hoped to become a flight attendant.

“It’s our dream to get married one day,” added 26-year-old Nathatai Sukkaset, referring to government rules that say kathoey cannot change their gender on any official identity forms.

These stipulations have made other airlines wary of following PC Air’s lead. Under Thai law, kathoey must be listed as male on their passports – a requirement that critics say could confound immigration officers in less forward-thinking destinations and disrupt flight operations.

Others in Thailand are uncomfortable with PC Air’s open-minded policy for different reasons. One airline veteran, speaking to the Bangkok Post on condition of anonymity, said: “A lot of our passengers, especially conservative Thais with families, may shun flying with us [if we hired ladyboys].”

PC Air’s passengers have, to date, been welcoming, say the flight attendants.

“The customers want to take many pictures with us, they ask us to pose with them,” said Sukkaset.

“I think they’re excited about flying with us,” said Mew. “They know they’ll meet ladyboys and they like the idea.”

The airline has just recruited an additional 30 attendants – but of the five kathoey applicants, only one got a job.

“The other ladyboys’ English was good, but their looks no good,” said cabin crew manager Natcha Mitsumoto. “You still have to look like a lady to work here.”

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Debris of Etiopian Airline

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Press Release) – Ethiopian Airlines strongly refutes the final investigation report released today by the Lebanese Ministry of Public Works and Transport on the accident of ET 409 / 25 January 2010.

The Airline maintained that the Lebanese Government had been speculating the cause of the accident as pilot error right from the day of the accident contrary to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 13.

Mr Tewolde Gebremariam, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines stated: “We are not surprised that the investigation process in the last couple of years was used only to justify the speculation made publicly before the beginning of the investigation process. To this effect, the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority has appended its comments to the report and expressed its regrets and disagreement both in the investigation process and the final report. ”

Mr. Tewolde added that the final report was biased, lacking evidence, incomplete and did not present the full account of the accident. He noted that the report contained numerous factual inaccuracies, internal contradictions and hypothetical statements that are not supported by evidence. He also added that the investigative authority denied the recovery of the wreckage and ignored crucial information such as security footage, autopsy and taxo-logical records, baggage screening X-ray records, terminal CCTV records, full CVR recovery and read out, victims’ bodies were buried without medical examination and also declined to provide a detailed profile of passengers.

Capt. Desta Zeru, VP Flight Operations of Ethiopian Airlines said: “ATC officers and other airlines’ pilots have witnessed a ball of fire on the aircraft in the air. All recordings of the Digital Flight Data Recorder and the Cockpit Voice Recorder stopped at 1300 ft. and the aircraft disappeared from radar screen at the same time. The last cockpit voice recording was also a loud noise which sounds like an explosion. All these facts clearly indicate that the aircraft disintegrated in the air due to explosion, which could have been caused by a shoot-down, sabotage, or lightening strike.”

“Although the final report wrongly alleges that the captain’s actions, statements and degraded performance during that period were as a result of spatial disorientation and loss of situational awareness; the fact of the matter is the CVR and DFDR clearly show that the pilot was making appropriate inputs in an effort to control the aircraft. This contradicts the investigation assertion that the captain was under subtle incapacitation while he was making every effort to control the aircraft even under heavy gravity force. Moreover, both pilots were properly trained and qualified. The captain had over 20 years of experience with a total time of 10,233 hours and the crew pairing was in accordance with approved policy. The crew duty and rest time was in accordance with the regulation. Any characterization of our pilots contrary to the foregoing is pure fabrication that cannot stand any scrutiny,’ said Mr Tewolde.

For 65 years Ethiopian Airlines has been one of the continent’s leading carriers unrivalled in Africa for its efficiency, safety and operational success. It prides itself in the high standards of its workforce including pilot, technicians and other highly qualified professionals.

About Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopian Airlines, one of the largest and fastest growing airlines in Africa, made its maiden international flight to Cairo in 1946 and now the Airline provides dependable services to 63 international destinations spanning four continents.

Ethiopian is proud to be a Star Alliance Member. The Star Alliance network is the leading global airline network offering customers convenient worldwide reach and a smoother travel experience. The Star Alliance network offers more than 21,000 daily flights to 1,290 airports in 189 countries.

Ethiopian is a multi-award winner for its commitment and contributions towards the development and growth of the African aviation industry and in recognition of its distinguished long-haul operations enhanced by the introduction of new routes and products. In the recent past, Ethiopian received the 2011 AFRAA award for being consistently profitable over the years and has won the “AFRICAN CARGO AIRLINE OF THE YEAR 2011 Award” for its excellence in air cargo. Ethiopian also won the NEPAD

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PASSENGERS feared for their lives when British Airways cabin crew mistakenly announced their plane was about to make an emergency landing – on the sea.

Duncan and Tracey Farquharson said they were three hours into the Miami-London flight when a recorded message was played over the public address system warning that the aircraft was going down, the UK’s Telegraph reported.

The message said: “This is an emergency, we will shortly be making an emergency landing on water”.

Passengers began panicking before a flight attendant informed them it was a mistake about 30 seconds later.

“We looked at each other and figured we were both about to die,” Mr Farquharson said. “Families with children were distraught and people were in tears.”

The crew were allegedly blasé about the situation and did not explain the error until hour later upon landing at Heathrow Airport.

“Imagining yourself plunging towards a cold, watery grave in the middle of the Atlantic is a pretty horrific thought but they seemed very blasé about it.”

A spokesman for the airline confirmed the incident and said the crew apologised during the flight.

“The cabin crew cancelled the announcement immediately and sought to reassure customers that the flight was operating normally,” the spokesman said.

An on-duty Malaysian pilot has been arrested in Australia for allegedly importing heroin and methamphetamine, police said yesterday.

The 30-year-old, who reportedly works for Malaysian Airlines, was picked up on Tuesday when customs officers searched his suitcase when he arrived at Sydney airport on a flight from his homeland. During the check, they allegedly found five kilograms of methamphetamine.

Police said they had been watching the man since August last year when they said he imported 1.4 kilograms of heroin into the country and delivered it to a man at a Sydney hotel, who was later arrested.

Officials said the pilot was working when he was apprehended with Sydney’s Daily Telegraph saying he worked for Malaysian Airlines, although this could not be confirmed.