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FBI joining criminal investigation into certification of Boeing 737 MAX
The FBI has joined the criminal investigation into the certification of the Boeing 737 MAX, lending its considerable resources to an inquiry already being conducted by U.S. Department of Transportation agents, according to people familiar with the matter.
The federal grand jury investigation, based in Washington, D.C., is looking into the certification process that approved the safety of the new Boeing plane, two of which have crashed since October.
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OPINION: Response to Max crashes will define Boeing's reputation
Bilateral arrangements in aviation safety rely on the assumption that the rules and practices across different jurisdictions are largely interchangeable.
That is to say, if Transport Canada or the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approves an aircraft, then Europe's regulator will have few qualms about following suit.
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UK records over 400 disruptive passenger incidents in 2018
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has revealed that 413 passengers caused disruption on aircraft in 2018 – four less than the year before despite rising traffic demand.
The decline is a success of sorts as passenger numbers at UK airports have soared by 8.9% since 2016, but more clearly needs to be done to stop often intoxicated individuals from causing problems onboard aircraft.
LinkAirlines
Second Iranian Fokker in three days suffers gear failure
Iranian investigators are probing the second serious landing-gear incident involving a Fokker 100 in the space of three days after an Iran Aseman aircraft diverted to Tehran when its undercarriage only partially deployed.
The aircraft (EP-ATG) had been operating the EP840 service from Tehran to Ilam on 22 March, states the Civil Aviation Organisation.
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CommutAir ERJ landed off-runway after misaligned approaches
US investigators have disclosed that a CommutAir Embraer ERJ-145 had been aligned to the right of the runway during two approaches to Presque Isle airport, before an excursion on touchdown.
The aircraft, operating as United Express flight 4933 on 4 March, had aborted its initial approach to runway 1, as it arrived from Newark, before making a second approach attempt.
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WOW and Indigo end investment talks
Icelandic ultra-LCC WOW Air has restarted talks with Icelandair Group after long-running negotiations with private equity fund Indigo Partners to take a stake in the rapidly expanding LCC collapsed. “The proposed investment of Indigo Partners LLC in WOW Air has been canceled by Indigo Partners,” WOW Air said in a March 21 statement. Negotiations with Icelandair have re-commenced and are expected to conclude by March 25, the airline said.
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Russia’s Red Wings cancels A220 order
Red Wings Airlines has canceled its order for six Airbus A220-300s, Russia’s only order for the type, for economic reasons. Red Wings CEO Evgeny Klyucharev said the Moscow Domodedovo-based carrier will change to the larger A321 narrowbody. The airline had hoped to begin A220 operations this spring, he said.
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Air China to expand Beijing-Paris service in 2020
Air China plans to strengthen its Paris-Beijing operation by adding a third daily flight between the two cities from March 2020, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
The intended aircraft type has not been disclosed.
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Wizz Air CEO: No need for the complexity of airline partnerships
Wizz Air CEO József Váradi said the Central and Eastern European LCC has no interest in airline partnerships as it has reached a scale to be competitive in the market. “Why should we create complexity? We can grow on our own,” Váradi told ATW in an exclusive interview. He said Wizz Air’s fleet of 109 aircraft is enough in terms of size and continues to grow. The LCC has one of the highest margins (13%) in the industry.
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Air Arabia to use A321neoLRs on new Southeast Asia routes
LCC Air Arabia plans to use its incoming Airbus A321neoLRs to serve new routes in Southeast Asia.
The UAE-based carrier will lease five 215-seat A321neoLRs from US-based lessor Air Lease Corp. The number appears to have been reduced from the six aircraft the airline announced in 2017. Delivery of the first A321neo has been delayed by several weeks but is now imminent, group CEO Adel Al Ali said.
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Spanish LCC Volotea to complete fleet transition by 2022
Spanish LCC Volotea is considering expanding to 40-60 aircraft by 2022, when it will have completed its transition from Boeing 717s to an all-Airbus A319 fleet. Volotea, established by the founders of Spanish LCC Vueling, specializes in point-to-point routes between small- to mid-sized cities that are typically too thin to attract the major LCCs. Speaking at the Airlines for Europe (A4E) Aviation Summit in Brussels, Volotea CEO Carlos Muñoz said his carrier operates 320 routes.
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Wow seeks agreement with bondholders to restructure
Icelandic budget carrier Wow Air is holding talks with creditors and bondholders with a view to agreeing a voluntary restructuring of the troubled company.
Wow Air’s negotiations with Indigo Partners, and renewed talks with Icelandair Group, have failed to result in an investment or co-operation agreement.
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Grounded: Southwest Ferries 737 MAXs to California Desert
As the fallout of the Boeing 737 MAX groundings continue to linger, Southwest has prepared for a long term wait on getting the newest variant of the Boeing 737 aircraft airborne again with some of their MAX 8 aircraft making a trip to Southern California Logistics Airport for what could be long term storage.
The airline had six of their 34 aircraft make the trip to the desert on Saturday in anticipation of the grounding continuing for some time.
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Amsterdam Becomes Second Short Haul Level Base
IAG’s low-cost Ryanair rival, Level, is set to open its second short haul base next month. The new base in Amsterdam, when open, will complement the one they currently have in Vienna.
Level is IAG’s low-cost airline. Offering transatlantic flights from Paris Orly and Barcelona, the airline went on to establish a short haul base, with the first Level base was set up in Vienna in 2018. The airline aims to allow IAG to compete with low-cost carriers such as Norwegian and EasyJet.
LinkAirports
Adelaide keen to reduce traffic leakage to other airports
Adelaide airport is keen to attract new direct services, as it seeks to divert Adelaide-bound traffic from flowing through other Australian airports.
The airport's head of aviation business development Jonathan Cheong tells FlightGlobal that overall traffic from Asia to Adelaide is growing at a rate of 6% on a year-on-year basis, with Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam identified as markets with the strongest growth potential.
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Construction begins on new Terminal 5 gates at Chicago O’Hare
Construction at Chicago O’Hare’s Terminal 5 has begun, the new project is expected to increase terminal capacity by 25 per cent, creating a more seamless journey.
The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) has begun construction on the first phase of a significant expansion of Terminal 5 at O’Hare International Airport, which will provide ten new much needed gates.
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San Francisco Airport announces runway closure for reconstruction
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has announced plans to close Runway 28L for 20 days in September 2019 to construct a new base layer below the runway surface.
The runway closure is expected to begin on the 7 September 2019, and is expected to re-open on the 27 September 2019.
LinkMilitary
General Atomics awarded $123m to produce four Dutch MQ-9 Reapers
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems was awarded a $123 million contract by the Pentagon to manufacture four MQ-9 Block 5 Reapers for the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
The contract has been anticipated for a while, as the US State Department approved the sale in 2015 and Amsterdam officially announced the order in July 2018 at the Farnborough air show in the United Kingdom.
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UK signs E-7 airborne early warning contract
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed plans to acquire five Boeing 737-based E-7 airborne early warning and control system aircraft, with the platforms to be modified by Marshall Aerospace & Defence Group.
Announced on 22 March and worth £1.5 billion ($1.98 billion), the contract will lead to the adapted narrowbody airliners being introduced to service from the early 2020s. They will replace the Royal Air Force's (RAF) current Boeing 707-based E-3D Sentry fleet.
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Pilots take no special joy in walking. Pilots like flying.
- Neil Armstrong
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Trivia
C-130 Hercules Trivia
1. In what year was the first C-130 flight?
1954
1961
1957
1962
2. Which version of the C-130 is purpose built for landing on ice?
HC-130
SC-130
LC-130
C-130i
3. Which of the following nations uses the C-130 as an aerial tanker for its fighters?
Philippines
Norway
New Zealand
Spain
4. The standard C-130J has how many propeller blades per engine?
6
3
4
8
5. A C-130B model has external fuel tanks located where?
Between the engines
At the wing tips
Outboard of the outboard engines
The C-130B has no external fuel tanks
6. Which of the following is a designation of a Royal Canadian Air Force C-130?
CC-130H
RC-130
C-130C
C.3
7. C-130s have been used in many roles, but which of the following is just a concept?
Float plane
Fire bomber
Drone launch and control
Satellite capsule recovery
8. Which is not a common C-130 nickname?
Herky Bird
Spectre
Provider
Trash Hauler
9. Which aircraft has the most similar capabilities to the transport version of a C-130?
B747
C-160 Transall
C-131
An-2
10. The C-130 has flown many famous missions. In which of the following did the C-130 play the central role?
Operation El Dorado Canyon
Operation Beer Run
Operation Arc Light
Entebbe hostage rescue
