Air Travel

A jilted boyfriend may have lead to bomb scare on Shenzhen Airlines flight

Posted: 02/21/2013 3:25 pm

Another scare in the skies above China early this morning after a flight bound for Shenzhen was forced to turn back because of a bomb scare which was likely the result of a jilted boyfriend.

Shenzhen Airlines flight ZH9786 had just taken off from Hefei Airport in Anhui Province when an anonymous phone call was received that a bomb was on board. Shenzhen Airlines was informed immediately to land at the nearest possible place, which turned out to be Nanchang Airport. Nothing unusual was found on the plane following an inspection, media reports said.

According to Hefei Airport, a man called an airport service telephone to say a woman on board the flight had taken an explosive item on board. The woman was identified when the plane landed, but she wasn’t found to be carrying anything suspicious. Turns out her boyfriend may have been angry after a conflict with the woman, and probably phoned in the threat to embarrass her.

Photo Credit: Life Cherries

Tagged: Air Travelbomb scarehefei airportNancheng AirportSecurityShenzhen Airlinesterrorism

Engine cover stripped off Guangzhou-bound flight, forced to return to airport

Posted: 02/18/2013 12:10 pm

A China Southern Airlines flight destined for Guangzhou made an emergency landing this morning after the cover of the engine “stripped off,” according to Guangzhou Daily‘s microblog.

Photo credit: Kankanews.com

At around 10:30 a.m., shortly after flight CZ3624 set off from Harbin Taiping International Airport, a large thud could be heard on the plane, according to a passenger who posted what happened online.

The plane circled for over an hour before returning to the airport.

China Southern Airlines was honored with the Five-Star Flight Safety Award by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in 2008.

Earlier this year, a Shenzhen Airlines flight to Beijing made an emergency landing in Wuhan after a burning smell was detected in the cockpit.

Tagged: Air SafetyAir TravelengineflightGuangzhouTransportation

The date is set: Guangzhou-Beijing high-speed rail to open December 26

Posted: 12/14/2012 1:56 pm

Trains will depart from Guangzhou South Station

The China Ministry of Railways announced today the longest high-speed rail line in the world, stretching from Guangzhou all the way to Beijing, is set to open for passenger service on December 26.

So what does that mean? Well, you can now take the train – with leg room, 3G access, and a dining car – to Beijing, or opt for the traditional flight, which will be faster but have none of those other conveniences. The train will speed along the 2,298-kilometre line at 300 km/hr, getting you to your destination in as little as 8 hours. By comparison, a flight takes roughly 3 hours.

Bloomberg picks it up from here:

“The service marks a significant milestone of our high- speed rail construction,” the ministry said in the statement. “It will ease pressure on the rail transport between Beijing and Guangzhou, especially during the peak Chinese New Year holiday.”

Guangzhou, China Southern’s home city, is in the Pearl River Delta region, one of the nation’s major manufacturing centers. It’s less than 200 kilometers northwest of Hong Kong.

No prices for the new rail line have been announced yet. It should be noted those boarding in Shenzhen will also be able to connect through Guangzhou en route to Beijing, which will take an extra 30 minutes or so.

Bloomberg also said if you opt for a flight between the two cities, you’ll have the chance to try out the new Airbus A380s starting next year.

Tagged: Air TravelBeijingGuangzhouHigh Speed RailHSRShenzhenTrainTrain TravelTransportTravel

Plane bound for Shenzhen had tire problem, forcing it to stay in the air for 2 extra hours

Posted: 07/20/2012 7:00 am

Airline safety is being discussed in the region after a tire malfunction caused a minor scare on a Shenzhen-bound plane this week.

A plane had to fly around in circles for nearly two hours before landing at Shenzhen Airport on July 16, according to local media. A representative of China Southern Airlines admitted there had been a problem, but denied that the tire had burst.

Flight CZ3160, which was an Airbus 321 carrying 187 people, arrived late after the as yet unidentified tire problem kept them in the air for an additional two hours. It finally landed around 8 p.m. after nearly five hours in the air.

The company insisted that it was a very ordinary and minor problem and assured fliers that it would be doubly careful in the future, according to Sina News.

One netizen urged airline companies to value safety above everything else. Another inquired, “if this kind of thing is common, then do you still dare to fly?”

In 1997, China Southern Airlines flight CZ3456 from Chongqing to Shenzhen crashed, killing 33. The most serious plane crash of recent years in China was Henan Airlines flight VD8387 which crashed in Yichun City, Heilongjiang in 2010 killing 42.