Boeing B747 Operated By MyCargo Was Leased By Turkish Airlines

ACT Airlines issued this statement:

“Respectfully announced to the public,
ACT Airlines is deeply saddened to report that an accident happened during the flight from HongKong to Bishkek by Boeing 747-400 TC-MCL registered cargo aircraft at 01:20 Z. The cause of the accident is unknown at this time and further details will be provided as they become available.
Yours sincerely,
ACT AIRLINES”

ACT Airlines, a.k.a. ACT Havayollari, operating as MyCargo Airlines, is a Turkish cargo airline based in the Ekinci Residence Building Level 7, in Kurtköy, Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkish Airlines issued this statement:

“A cargo flight with TC-MCL registration number, operated by ACT Airlines, departed from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) to Bishkek Manas International Airport (FRU) had an accident near Bishkek at around 01:40 UTC.

Please kindly be informed that, neither the aircraft nor the crew are the members of Turkish Airlines. If you wish to make any citation to your report, please refer to Mr. Yahya ÜSTÜN, SVP Media Relations of Turkish Airlines.”

ACT is leasing planes to several major airlines including Qatar Airways, Saudia and Turkish Airlines.

The last accident before today’s deadly crash was recorded in 2010 in Afghanistan

A scene of horror is developing in Kyrgyzstan, where a Turkish Airlines Boeing 747 crashed into a residential neighborhood close to Manas Airport on Monday morning. Manas International Airport is the main international airport in Kyrgyzstan located 25 kilometers north-northwest of the capital Bishkek.

A Turkish Airlines Boeing 747 freighter jet tried to land in dense fog, Kyrgyz officials said. The plane was operated by Turkish Airlines under flight number TK6491.

The flight took off in Hongkong. So far the Kyrgyzstan ministry of health said, at least 32 local residents, including 5 children were killed plus the pilots. This number is most likely to increase. Firefighters are on the chaotic scene.

The majority of the dead are from the nearby village of Dacha-Suu where the plane – a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul from Hong Kong via Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek -crashed at around 7.30am local time, a spokesman for the country’s emergency services ministry revealed.

At least 15 homes destroyed after Turkish Airlines plane crash.

Airport officials said there was an unknown number of crew members onboard the plane but no passengers.

Kyrgyz First Deputy Prime Minister Mukhammetkaly Abulgaziev and Emergencies Minister Kubatbek Boronov are at the crash scene.

Officials said Manas airport is operating normally.

The number dead is based on reports Rescue workers have recovered the body of one pilot and 15 local people whose houses were in the Boeing 747 jet’s crash area.

CHINA: China's HNA Group Acquires 23.7% Stake In Brazil's Azul

Hainan Airlines
Type: Scheduled Carrier
Base: Haikou
Aircraft: 162
Destinations: 85
Routes: 299
Daily Flights: 605

Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras (AD, Campinas Viracopos) and HNA Group have announced a strategic partnership wherein the Chinese conglomerate will acquire a 23.7% stake in the Brazilian carrier for USD450 million. As Azul's single largest shareholder, HNA will be able to appoint new members to the board of directors.

“HNA Group sees in Azul a solid investment with high growth potential. The USD450 million investment, considering Brazil’s current macroeconomic situation, demonstrates that we have a winning business model and that the HNA Group, as a large investor, has absolute confidence in Azul’s team," David Neeleman, CEO of Azul, said. "Moreover, this investment makes Azul the airline with the highest valuation in the Brazilian market, at more than BRL7.0 billion (USD1.87 billion).”

As part of the deal, the two firms will cooperate in the development of code sharing and new routes while expanding cooperation across their respective loyalty programs.

The partnership brings together two of the largest players in two of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world - China and Brazil. With a fleet of 145 aircraft, Azul is the largest airline in Brazil by network-size, offering more than 900 daily flights to more than 100 destinations. For its part, HNA Group owns China's fourth largest airline group in terms of fleet size with a total of 561 aircraft on the books of Hainan Airlines, Grand China Air, Tianjin Airlines, Lucky Air (China), West Air (China), and Yangtze River Express. It operates scheduled domestic and international service on more than 630 routes from locations throughout China as well as internationally. HNA Group's international portfolio includes stakes in myCargo Airlines (Turkey), Africa World Airlines (Ghana), Aigle Azur (France), and Comair (South Africa).

Bravia Capital and UBS Investment Bank served as financial advisor to HNA Group while Seabury Securities LLC, Seabury Group's investment banking unit, served as financial advisor to Azul.

Earlier this year, United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) acquired a 5% shareholding in Azul for USD100 million in a deal that also gave United Continental Holdings Inc a representative on Azul's board.