NewsNew GE9X engine problem could delay first flight of 777X A problem detected during a factory test of GE Aviation’s GE9X turbofan engine could further delay the first flight of the Boeing 777X. Revealing the engine issue June 5 at the UBS Global Industrials and Transportation Conference in New York, Boeing CFO Greg Smith said the “long pole in the tent right now is the GE engine.
LinkSouthwest pilots endorse FAA’s proposed MAX trainingSouthwest Airlines pilots are “comfortable” with proposed training updates for the Boeing 737 MAX fleet and did not recommend any changes to FAA’s draft standards during the public comment period.
LinkAmerican Airlines pilots: MAX crews need better training American Airlines pilots are emphasizing detailed instruction on the maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) and revamped emergency procedures as keys to ensuring a safe return to service for the grounded Boeing 737 MAX fleet.
LinkAs deadline looms, Italy works to resolve Alitalia investor lineup With the deadline for investors to present a formal bid and business plan for Alitalia approaching, Italian government ministers are still trying to firm up the structure of the consortium set to rescue the bankrupt carrier. Italian railway company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) is set to lead the rescue of Alitalia and has until June 15 to present a firm bid and business plan for the “new Alitalia”—a deadline that has been pushed back already.
LinkUS government further limits non-family Cuba travel The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) moved to further limit non-family travel to Cuba as part of an administration-wide effort to assert greater pressure on the country over its human rights record and support for the regime of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. The Treasury on June 5 amended its regulations to remove an authorization for “group people-to-people educational travel,” which is currently the most popular way for American tourists to visit the country. The category included guided tours organized through select US-based companies.
LinkFrench politicians want to ban internal flights to cut emissions A group of French politicians is proposing to ban some internal flights in a bid to cut carbon dioxide emissions in an amendment to a law on future mobility. France’s government is debating a draft law on the future mobility and several members of parliament including the Socialist former environment minister Delphine Batho have tabled an amendment that proposes a ban on internal flights for routes on which the same journey can be made by train in less than five hours.
LinkLOT CEO: Boeing MAX, 787 groundings challenge high-season operationsLOT Polish Airlines is being challenged by the grounding of its five Boeing 737 MAX 8s and some of its Rolls-Royce powered Boeing 787 fleet during the European high season. The MAXs have been grounded since March after an October 2018 crash of a Lion Air 737 MAX and the March 2019 Ethiopian Airlines MAX crash, killing a total of 346 people. The second accident led to the country-by-country worldwide grounding that remains in place.
LinkIAG invites startups to showcase air travel innovationsInternational Airlines Group (IAG) is inviting startups to demonstrate how their products and innovations can transform the travel industry during a 10-week accelerator program. IAG will ask about 40 companies to pitch their concepts for the latest round of the group’s Hangar 51 innovation program. Successful applicants will “be embedded in the heart of the business, working side by side with an international team of mentors and experts from across the group,” IAG said, adding that Hangar 51 has seen applications from more than 1,200 startups worldwide since its 2016 launch.
LinkAirbus A320neo deliveries to boost Spring Airlines’ fleetChinese LCC Spring Airlines intends to lift its fleet total close to 100 this year with additional Airbus A320neo deliveries, and the carrier is also scheduled to begin taking A321neos in 2020. The Shanghai-based airline has so far received six A320neos and is scheduled to operate 14 neos by year-end, although Airbus delivery delays may affect Spring orders, Spring president Stephen Wang told ATW on the sidelines of a CAPA-Center for Aviation conference. Spring ordered 45 of the type in 2015 and is also taking leased aircraft.
LinkFinance group completes takeover of ASL AviationEuropean fund manager STAR Capital Partnership has completed the acquisition of aviation group, ASL Aviation Holdings. STAR and ASL announced the deal in February, with STAR acquiring Dublin-based ASL from previous owners Compagnie Maritime Belge (51%) and 3P Air Freighters (49%). The financial terms of the acquisition have not been revealed.
LinkJetBlue to launch nonstop New York-Ecuador A321neo serviceJetBlue Airways will launch daily nonstop service between its New York JFK base and Guayaquil, Ecuador, beginning Dec. 5. The new route, the longest in JetBlue’s network, is made possible by the airline’s first Airbus A321neo, scheduled to be delivered this year, the carrier said. JetBlue has 85 A321neos on order, including 13 longer-range variants.
LinkCathay rapped for ‘lax attitude’ towards data securityHong Kong’s data watchdog has rapped Cathay Pacific’s “lax attitude” towards data governance in a report on a 2018 data breach that compromised the personal details of almost 10 million passengers. “The fact that personal data is less tangible than other personalty [like bank notes] or realty does not absolve businesses of their failures to keep it safely and to obliterate it when it is no longer necessary for [its purpose],” states privacy commissioner for personal data Stephen Wong.
LinkHow the CRJ could save the MRJAn acquisition by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Bombardier's CRJ could inject new life into the MRJ program, potentially helping Mitsubishi Aircraft establish a firmer global footing and secure more orders from the largest regional airlines. Such a deal, which the companies are reportedly discussing, could also give Bombardier a graceful exit from the commercial aircraft sector – a win-win for both parties, observers say.
LinkOptionally piloted Sikorsky UH-60A makes first manned flightA Sikorsky UH-60A that was retrofitted with fly-by-wire controls and an autonomous flight control kit made its first manned flight on 29 May in West Palm Beach, Florida. Sikorsky is conducting follow-on flight testing throughout the summer of 2019 to expand the optionally piloted helicopter’s flight envelope. It plans to conduct a fully autonomous flight without any pilots in 2020.
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