Incident occurred November 30, 2014 at Cheddi Jagan International Airport Airport in Guyana

Operations of the Dynamic Airways resumed Monday afternoon after one of its planes destined for New York ran off the runway at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Sunday night.

Local representative, Captain Gerry Gouveia explained to this newspaper that the aircraft was taxiing from the international ramp when the right main wheel rolled off into the grass.

He noted that the aircraft was moving at a slow pace. He explained that the pilot missed average the distance thus causing the minor incident.

Nevertheless, Gouveia said since safety is of paramount importance, the flight team took the decision to offload the airplane while it was being inspected.

No one was injured during the mishap.

The flight took off from the CJIA at 13:30h Monday and all 117 passengers who were placed in hotels, were safely taken to their destination, Gouveia said.

Following many attempts to get permission from authorities in the United States to operate, Dynamic Airways only recently was granted permission to operate in various countries in South America.

- Source: http://www.guyanatimesgy.com

'Air Cocaine': Trial Begins for Frenchmen Charged With Smuggling Drugs From the Dominican Republic

Air cocaïne: les deux pilotes français vont être jugés

Four Frenchmen are standing trial in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, charged with attempting to smuggle 700 kilos of cocaine out of the country on a private jet. 

Dominican officials discovered the drugs, hidden in 26 suitcases, in Punta Cana airport on March 20, 2013. Since their arrest, the two pilots, one crew member, and one passenger have spent 15 months in jail. They were released in June 2014, but prohibited from leaving the country pending their trial.

The plane, a Dassault Falcon 50 corporate jet, belongs to French businessman Alain Afflelou, the owner of a chain of stores that specialize in optical services and eyewear. It was due to land in a small airport close to Saint-Tropez, in southern France.

According to Le Parisien, around 20 Dominican customs and police officers are also implicated in the case, which has been dubbed "Air Cocaine" by the French media.

The two pilots, former French military members Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos, have denied from the start having any knowledge of their illegal cargo. At the time of their arrest, the plane was under charter to SN-THS, a private jet rental company based in southeast France, with typical hourly rates of $6,250. 

Read more here: https://news.vice.com

Supervisors quiet on proposed airport settlement

The Yuma County Board of Supervisors took no action during a Monday morning executive session on a $10 million settlement proposal in the 2010 lawsuit filed by a former fixed-based operator at Yuma International Airport, which is set to go to trial in March.

The county is not currently a defendant in the case brought by DBT of Yuma LLC, as county Superior Court Judge John Nelson granted its motion for dismissal from the case earlier this year, County Administrator Robert Pickels said after the session, and the supervisors did not give any legal direction to staff.

Defense attorney Daryl Williams took the matter to the state Court of Appeals, which heard arguments from both sides early last month. A decision on whether the county should be a defendant may not come before the trial date.

DBT Yuma operated at the Yuma airport as Lux Air and was evicted in 2009 due to nonpayment of rent, but the company contends it had always been in arrears and its late payments had been accepted. Yuma County leases the airport property to the Yuma County Airport Authority, and was added as a defendant in the case in 2012.

Fixed-base operators, or FBOs, provide fuel, hangar space, trip-planning computers and other services to general aviation pilots at airports. Williams said he'd offered the county $10 million to settle the case, the only defendant to which it was offered.

Late Monday morning he said he'd already gotten a call from Bill Kerekes, chief civil deputy county attorney, who told him "he was given no direction by the supervisors at all. I assume that means they will not accept my settlement agreement."

He argues in an email he sent Kerekes about the settlement proposal, which he provided to the Yuma Sun, that as the landlord the county does bear liability for the actions of the airport authority and former director Craig Williams.

"I think the county's in trouble on this one," Daryl Williams said.

He said Craig Williams was using the late payment as an excuse to get rid of Lux Air, which had a 30-year lease and was under contract to build a $2.5 million service building.

The attorney says in the email that Craig Williams wanted to change the airport's revenue stream in order to get $2 million in Federal Aviation Administration funding, and that would have precluded any FBO from building its own structure or controlling ramp space at the airport.

DBT is seeking $9.5 million for lost assets plus compensation for lost profits over the course of the 30-year lease. Daryl Williams said total damages could run anywhere from $45 million to $95 million.

Kerekes confirmed Monday that Daryl Williams sent the email to him. Airport authority attorney Wayne Benesch had no comments on the case. Craig Williams retired from the airport authority in August 2013.

The DBT of Yuma suit was a focus of the now-defunct yumaairportwatchdog.com site, which was harshly critical of Williams and the airport's general aviation policies. Founder Joe Gamez, who had worked for another FBO, and others recorded authority board meetings, some of which are still on YouTube. 
 
- Source:  http://www.yumasun.com

McCarran International Airport (KLAS), Las Vegas, Nevada: Smoke reported on incoming flight from Miami

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -  McCarran International Airport spokeswoman Christine Crews confirmed the airport was alerted about smoke in the cabin of an incoming flight from Miami on Monday.

Crews said the airport received the report about American Airlines flight 2207 about 4:18 p.m.

There were 169 people on the flight, including crew members.

Crews said the plane landed safely at 4:25 p.m. and that there were no reports of injuries.

The incident is being investigated by the Clark County Fire Department. Crews said there were no reports of damage to the plane.

Source: http://www.fox5vegas.com

Boxell Aerospace relocates headquarters near Boeing, Charleston International Airport

Boxell Aerospace is moving closer to Boeing South Carolina’s 787 campus and Charleston International Airport in North Charleston to “allow for quicker response to customers,” Boxell Aerospace founder and President Lance Syner said.

The Charleston-based aircraft maintenance company plans to build a 3,000-square-foot facility to house its new headquarters and expand its Federal Aviation Administration 145 Repair Station, replacing its current headquarters and repair station in West Ashley.

Boxell acquired 2.8 acres for the facility late last month for the new building, which will sit less than a mile from Boeing South Carolina’s campus and the airport’s runways.

Boxell Aerospace’s employees perform maintenance and modifications to 787 Dreamliners at Boeing and aircraft at the airport.

Boxell supports Boeing’s tier-one supplier Ipeco, which manufactures the four crew seats on Dreamliners, Syner said.

Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kan., installs the seats; the nose section of the plane then is flown to Boeing South Carolina in North Charleston, where Boxell can perform cosmetic repairs or modifications to the seats as required by Boeing or the FAA.

Much of the work is done on Boeing’s flightline, a parking area for the jets post-assembly and pre-delivery.

Boxell also provides continuous services to operators at the airport. Work includes daily plane inspections for FedEx and overnight inspections for JetBlue, as well as tire repairs, oil services or component changes, for example.

Construction has not yet begun on Boxell Aerospace’s new facility, coined “Mission Control” by the team. It is scheduled to open in the spring.

Syner said it “will allow Boxell Aerospace to expand its capabilities worldwide and serve a growing and much-needed service demand for Boeing 787 component repair.”

The company, founded in 2006, focused mainly on general aviation until Syner sold that division in 2011. The company now focuses solely on commercial aviation. Boxell Aerospace has 12 employees between its Savannah and Charleston operations.

“I used to have to fly people in to Charleston to interview them,” Syner said. “Within a few years of Boeing being here, thousands of qualified people for aircraft maintenance are now here, and that bolsters the base of people we can hire from. Additionally, the airport is much busier and aviation as a whole has grown in Charleston.”

- Source:  http://www.charlestonbusiness.com

India and France to push ahead with Rafale jet deal

(Reuters) - The French and Indian defense ministers agreed on Monday to overcome any differences and finalize the sale of 126 fighter jets to India in a deal worth an estimated $15 billion, the Indian defense ministry said.

France's Dassault Aviation  has been trying to clinch a deal to sell India its Rafale jets since New Delhi chose the company over other foreign plane manufacturers in 2012. But disagreements over cost and work-sharing have slowed talks, while India's weak economy has stretched government finances.

On Monday, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian met his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar, who was appointed defense minister last month.

"Both sides agreed to take forward the strategic co-operation between the two countries. They discussed all issues including Rafale. It was decided that whatever differences still existed would be resolved in a fast-track manner," said Indian defense ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar.

Under the deal, which would provide a major boost to French domestic defense manufacturing, the first 18 planes will be made in France and shipped to India, while the remaining 108 will be produced by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

The final phase of exclusive negotiations on the contract should conclude within India's current budget year ending in March 2015, Dassault Chief Executive Eric Trappier said last month.

Rival manufacturers including the makers of the Eurofighter aircraft are hoping that the stalled Rafale deal will collapse, possibly opening the door to negotiations with a new vendor.

- Source:  http://in.reuters.com

Source documents: Affidavit and criminal complaint against Khamraj Lall; Bond for Pilot Detained With Cash in Puerto Rico

See ICE Agent Darika Davis’ affidavit in relation to the discovery of US$620,000 aboard the private jet of one Kharamj Lall; and the criminal complaint against Lall for a violation of Currency or Monetary Instruments Report and Bulk Cash Smuggling.  

The preliminary inquiry and bond hearing is set for 2.30 pm. In the case folder there is also a file named “restriction” that is currently sealed indicating sensitive information.

Story and documents:   http://gtmosquito.com

 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Dec 1, 2014, 7:30 PM ET

A judge ordered the release on bond of a pilot and CEO who was arrested in Puerto Rico after authorities found more than $600,000 in undeclared cash inside his plane, his lawyer said Monday.

The federal court judge approved bond of $100,000 for Khamraj Lall while a grand jury decides whether to indict him, defense attorney Rafael Castro Lang said.

Lall, 47, is the CEO Exec Jet Club LLC, a company based in Gainesville, Florida, that has flown the president of his native Guyana on official trips. The businessman will be allowed to leave Puerto Rico and return home to Ringwood, New Jersey under the terms of the bond.

Lall was the co-pilot on a flight to Guyana when U.S. federal agents searched the aircraft during a refueling stop in Puerto Rico. He and the two others on board reported carrying about $12,000, but agents found $620,588 in plastic bags inside the plane, according to court documents.

U.S. law requires amounts over $10,000 to be declared. Lall was jailed on suspicion of intent to evade currency reporting.

Following his arrest in the U.S. island territory, the government of Guyana said in a statement that Lall's company has transported delegations led by President Donald Ramotar on three official trips overseas.

- Source:   http://abcnews.go.com

 

Kemraj Lall, CEO, Head of Operations of Exec Jet Club

Guyanese pilot arrested in Puerto Rico with over US$620,000 of undeclared cash 

 Guyanese businessman Kemraj Lall, the copilot of a Guyana bound 1988 Israel Aircraft Industries Westwind 1124 aircraft registration N822QL Serial number 441 registered to Exec Jet Sales LLC. Ringwood, New Jersey, USA, was arrested in Puerto Rico by Customs and Border Protection after he falsely declared the amount of cash he was taking out of the USA.

According to reports Mr. Lall was travelling with his father and the Pilot in Command who each declared $5,000 (US) and $60 (US) respectively.  Lall initially declared that he was transporting $5,000 (US). After an initial search of the aircraft began, he changed the amount to $7,000 (US). The first search uncovered $170,000 (US) in the aircraft cabin and a later search uncovered a further $470,000 hidden in the aft compartment.

According to his bio on Exec Jet Club’s website, Kemraj Lall is the CEO, Head of Operations. The company operates out of Gainesville Regional Airport (KGNV) located at 4050 NE 45th Avenue Gainesville, FL 32609. Lall is also the owner of Kaylee’s Service Station at Coverden, East Bank Demerara and Quin’s Special Events and Services in Guyana.

Lall is being held in custody at a federal jail in San Juan, Puerto Rico on suspicion of intent to evade currency reporting, said Carol Torres, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

- Source:  http://www.guyanagraphic.com
 

Europe Presses for New Air-Travel Safeguards: Civilian Officials Pursue Safety Review With Military, Intelligence Groups

The Wall Street Journal
By Andy Pasztor And Robert Wall

Dec. 1, 2014 5:07 p.m. ET
 

European air-safety officials are considering novel steps to safeguard airliners from potential military threats in the wake of July’s downing of a Malaysia Airlines jet, but some proposals are provoking controversy among other countries.

The safety discussions follow the death of 196 Dutch citizens and 102 victims from other nations in the presumed shootdown of Malaysia Flight 17 by a high-altitude antiaircraft missile over eastern Ukraine. Propelled by intense public demands for action in the Netherlands, Dutch authorities are pushing to create a first-of-its-kind passenger notification system—intended to explicitly warn travelers about possible dangers of flights over war zones—according to industry and government officials.

Specifics are under debate and the outcome remains unclear. Dutch officials envision that such warnings would be provided to passengers before takeoff, according to these officials. But it remains unclear exactly how or when travelers would receive the notifications.

The initial concept sparked strong opposition from international safety experts concerned about unilateral action by the Netherlands or the European Commission.

At the same time, the European Aviation Safety Agency, the region’s premier regulator, is conducting a detailed safety review in conjunction with military and intelligence groups of recent overflights of various countries by Russian military planes. EASA previously steered clear of military matters, but an agency spokesman said European Union defense officials asked it to investigate the matter more closely.

Russia in the past has denied its flights are provocative.

The separate initiatives highlight Europe’s continued focus on finding new ways to protect passenger planes from the fallout of hostilities on the ground or military maneuvers in the air.

The issues are expected to come to a head on Tuesday and Wednesday during closed-door meetings in Montreal, when a task force set up by the International Civil Aviation Organization, an arm of the United Nations, debates recommendations for stepped-up warnings to airlines about airspace hazards.

EASA and ICAO, as the U.N. group is known, are seeking extensive security data to provide better guidance to carriers about where it is and isn’t safe to fly.

The high-level group advising ICAO favors, among other things, more-coordinated sharing of information about hostile threats to commercial aviation world-wide. Members of the task force, according to people involved in the process, also are seeking a compromise that will satisfy Dutch passenger-rights advocates while avoiding disruptions to current ticketing and routing arrangements.

Dutch officials didn’t respond to requests to comment. Spokesmen for ICAO and the International Air Transport Association, the airline industry’s top global trade group, have declined to comment on details of the task force’s deliberations.

Based on preliminary recommendations, the ICAO panel is expected to call for more timely and proactive steps to formally alert carriers when airspace is closed due to identification of antiaircraft missiles or other advanced weapons on the ground. In addition, ICAO already has launched pilot programs to set up centralized clearinghouses of updated information about shifting military threats to airliners.

ICAO’s policy-making council won’t consider any proposals until February and internal plans indicate some of the changes could take many more months—or even years—to implement. Nonetheless, one ICAO document emphasizes “there is significant room for improvement to reinforce and enhance” civil aviation safety with regard to conflict zones.

Patrick Ky, EASA’s executive director, told a hearing of the European Parliament’s transportation committee in September his agency was entirely dependent on U.S. intelligence in assessing the safety of airspace in other regions. Since then, however, the downing of Flight 17 and its aftermath have led EASA to start working more closely with European military and intelligence personnel to develop ways to share relevant security information, according to industry and government officials.

“Intelligence services should share information about air space issues better,” Peter van Dalen, a Dutch member of the European Parliament’s transportation committee, said. The information should be circulated among security services and all airlines, he said, expressing frustration that some carriers were avoiding Ukrainian air space before the Malaysian airliner was shot down while others continued flying there.

Traditionally, intelligence agencies have opposed widely sharing information, particularly with companies. That remains a potentially major stumbling block for ICAO’s plans.

Thomas Windmuller, senior vice president for security at IATA, the airline trade group, said the challenge can be managed through the type of information that is shared. “We don’t need to know sources and methods” by which the intelligence was collected, he said. “We need to know what the operational consequences are.”

Where there are doubts about airspace security, flights should be barred, Mr. van Dalen said. Ukraine had closed airspace below where Flight 17 was cruising, though left the air space above 32,000 feet clear for airlines to traverse. Partial openings make no sense in an era where “there is so much modern equipment that could be in the hands of insurgents,” Mr. van Dalen said.

David McMillan, a veteran safety official who previously ran Eurocontrol, the region’s umbrella air-traffic control network, is heading up the ICAO task force. At a conference in Abu Dhabi last month, Mr. McMillan said Flight 17 convinced both industry leaders and regulators “to act urgently on what many people saw as a new threat.”

Since the wide-body Boeing 777 was following an authorized route in unrestricted airspace open to any airliner, Mr. McMillan told the audience, the tragedy came “as something of a surprise to many” national aviation authorities. But looking forward, he predicted “it will be exceedingly difficult for intelligence information to be shared” outside existing national cooperative agreements.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization last month said flights of Russian bombers have surged recently and that alliance members conducted more than 100 intercepts of Russian aircraft this year. The Russian planes typically don’t file flight plans or use transponders, which makes them difficult for civilian air-traffic controllers to detect.

Michael Fallon, the U.K.’s defense secretary, said in a recent interview that such flights provocative and illegal. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also urged recently “more transparency and predictability” between Russia and the alliance “to avoid that the crisis spirals into something worse.”

- Source:  http://online.wsj.com

Debris from the crash site of the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 is being load at the Pelahiivskyi train station ahead of its transportation to Kharkov last month.

 TASS/Zuma Press