Air Astana
 

Apparently the Air Astana flight Almaty-Atyrau-Amsterdam slid off the taxiway at Atyrau this morning due to frozen rain on the runway/taxiway junction. Nobody hurt but I have no info regarding the aircraft status.

Fine, just a bit dirty! Should leave tomorrow am if the airport ever gets operational!

Having operated 737's into KZ (Almaty) I have to say the country is altogether civilized, although whipping out my camera to take a pic of a Corporate 125 (for the old album) I was nearly arrested a few years ago. Turned out to be the Prez's jet or something.

Kept running into the same BMed crews (who always claimed they were Big AIrways Crew.. hmmm...) at the same hotels over SE Asia (Georgia/KZ), they have some serious totty.... :)

Ahhh miss the old days going native. Western Europe just ain'z my cup of tea.

Harrier46 I hope they get it cleaned and on it's way because I'm supposed to be going out there tomorrow for a breif visit. :)

I wonder how they are going to clear the ice off the new runway at Atyrau, as I don't think the new ashphalt will react as well as the old concrete did to the jet-engine-on-a-truck that used to be used.

Previous post was a little optimistic. Unfortunately the aircraft is still stuck and restricting the runway also. Only F50 and AN24s can land at present. So don't kill the campfire story just yet!

GUW still closed due to braking action (>0.29). Airport restrictions are for cat c and d aircraft but in effect GUW remains "closed"

Air Astana, Atyrau
 

Anyone have an identity for the aircraft, please?
David

Probably P4-ICE

Indeed, the 767 is still stuck but Air Astana are saying that today's 12:20 from Schipol will be leaving at 23:10. A tad optimistic I think. I've cancelled my trip today!!

Astana
 

Flt from AMS delays till approx 2310LT but with a B757

Apparently the runway is now clear and GUW is open again.

Aircraft P4-KCA. Will be flown back to ALA later today for retraction tests, but initial reports are just a couple of deflated tyres.

Reports from an outbound crewchange saying two trucks with jet engines on the back are currently working on the taxiways.
Rumor control says there may have been a disagreement as to whose responsibility keeping the runway and taxiways clear of ice was.
http://atyraunews.com/2007/12/10/zaneslo.html
(In Russian).
That AMS GUW flight was further delayed till approx 0830am local this morning.

As I understand, P4-KCA is, or will be dispatched to ALA today. It seems like minor damage. Of course I am very curious how the investigation will go.
Atyrau is known for it's lack of consciousness concerning keeping it's airport ice-free. Last year was a same incident on same spot with A320. I think the pilot got blamed for that. Anybody who can keep me informed?

Is there anybody out there who can explain me how to stop a 130-ton (KG) airplane on a piece of solid ice?

As an additional note: same incident on same spot happened last year with an Air Astana 320. Pilots were blamed. Atyrau is not positively known for their consciousness in maintaining their airport. For pax it is a horror. Standing outside for up to 3 hours in -29C or +30C to check in for international flights.
Clearing ice is just not done. Maybe scraping a patch of 20M with on the runway.

UATG
 

Everthing at GUM is based on preserving the old Soviet Airport Jobs. If you are going from ATE / ATG/ TSE, the Aircraft is required to deplane transit pax as well as have the Airport employed cleaning staff buff up your cabin, even though the flight started it's day thirty minutes ago in ATE with five pax.

Last winter I wrote up the runway ice and lack of full width snowplowing of runway in airport log book at flight planning. I was then contacted by someone who referred to themselves as Airport Authority representive. He told me that in GUM it is illeagal to sand the runway and taxiways. Seems to me with 200 miles of sandy beachline that cost wouldn't be to excessive.

Trouble at Air Astana
 

Air Astana is suffering badly from the current high fuel prices and is losing $500,000 a week, a large amount for a medium sized carrier. Kazakhstan is particularly hard hit by the current world economic problems and times are hard in Almaty. Property prices have plunged, credit has dried up and Air Astana passenger loads are dropping. Drastic measures are being taken and three senior managers and one Vice President have left the company in recent weeks, three fired and one jumped ship. More losses are expected shortly. Pilot recruitment has stopped and there is no work for the three new Airbus aircraft due to be delivered this year. Routes have been dropped and plans to upgrade routes from Fokker 50 to Airbus have been shelved. Currently the company is attempting to find work for the new aircraft or alternatively lease them out. Expansion plans have been put on hold also.
So good luck to all the expat crews in Almaty and Astana, I hope you come through okay, I know the good stories you were told before joining, just hope you don't find the job disappearing before your eyes!

Hello A-R. The blood-letting continues. Today the VP Flight Operations resigned, he has been disillusioned for some time. So two VPs within a week. It is widely expected within the company that the President will leave shortly, having lost the respect of the employees and board. So watch this space. Flight Operations has been hardest hit so far by the troubles and it seems as if cost cutting will continue to take a heavy toll here!

And another one.... today also the Manager Flight Services was fired, another casualty from Flight Ops!