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Panel extends inquiry into FAA's 737 Max certification
An international panel of safety technicians will take additional time in its review of how the US Federal Aviation Administration certified Boeing 737 Max aircraft that have been grounded since March, including how the agency allowed the airframer to oversee parts of its own certification.
The Joint Authorities Technical Review panel "expects to submit its observations, findings and recommendations in the coming weeks", the FAA says in a statement on 30 August.
LinkAirlines
AirAsia X to buy Airbus A321XLRs; orders more A330neos
AirAsia X has placed its first order for the new extra-long range A321XLR and is buying more Airbus A330neos. The long-haul LCC signed an agreement Aug. 30 for 30 A321XLRs and additional 12 A330-900s, boosting its order total for this type to 78. The XLRs will enable new routes, AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said. “Together, these aircraft are perfect partners for long-haul low-cost operations,” he said.
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Kenya Airways posts interim net loss on new route costs
Kenya Airways has posted a KES8.6 billion ($83 million) interim net loss for the first six months of 2019, double the KES4 million net loss for the same period in 2018.
During the six months ended June 30, passenger numbers rose 6.6% to 2.4 million, boosted by new routes to Geneva (Switzerland), Libreville (Gabon), Malindi (Kenya), Mauritius, Mogadishu (Somalia), New York (US) and Rome (Italy).
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United extends 737 Max cancellations until mid-December
United Airlines has pushed the scheduled return of Boeing 737 Max flights out another six weeks until 19 December, axing thousands more flights in the process.
The Chicago-based carrier's schedules previously had Max flights resuming in early November.
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ANALYSIS: Airline start-ups outweigh failures over summer months
After a challenging first few months of the year in which a number of high-profile carriers were forced to suspend operations amid mounting financial problems, the summer months have largely proved a stable period in which activity has focused on start-up projects.
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Ryanair names new chief as O'Leary steps up to group-level role
Ryanair veteran Eddie Wilson is to replace Michael O'Leary as chief executive of the group's main airline, effective 1 September.
O'Leary will become chief executive of the holding company that oversees Ryanair, its Austrian subsidiary Lauda, Polish unit Buzz, and Malta Air.
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China Eastern and China Southern replicate Air China ARJ21 order
China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines have joined flag carrier Air China in ordering Comac ARJ21-700s.
In separate though near-identical statements, each carrier has disclosed an order for 35 of the aircraft, valuing the deal at $1.33 billion – a figure that covers both the airframe and engine – while also noting price concessions from Comac. Deliveries of these jets are to take place between 2020 and 2024.
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Air China orders 35 domestically-built ARJ21s
Air China is ordering 35 of the Chinese-built Comac ARJ21-700 twinjet, under a deal it values at $1.33 billion.
Delivery of the aircraft is scheduled to take place in stages from 2020 to 2024, the flag carrier states.
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Indian start-up Star Air to expand ERJ-145 fleet
Indian regional carrier Star Air is intending to bring in another three Embraer ERJ-145 jets over the next few months.
Star Air, which is based in Bengaluru, operates a pair of ERJ-145s – manufactured in 2003 and 2004 – following its start-up at the beginning of this year.
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SAS not obliged to compensate over pilots' strike
Sweden's consumer disputes board has ruled that the April-May pilot strike at Scandinavian operator SAS does not oblige the carrier to pay compensation to passengers.
The disputes board, ARN, has assessed the situation and decided that the strike amounted to an "extraordinary event" under European Union regulations.
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Taxiing 737 twice returned to gate after fuel spills
Pilots of a Sunwing Airlines Boeing 737-800 twice returned to the gate to deal with fuel spills during taxiing ahead of a service from Portugal's Faro airport.
The aircraft, bound for Katowice in Poland on 5 August, had already experienced a spill during refuelling when the right-hand main tank was overfilled.
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Uncommanded pitch affects Air Inuit 737-200 in cruise
Investigators have disclosed that a Boeing 737-200 experienced two instances of uncontrolled pitch while in cruise during a domestic Canadian service.
The Air Inuit aircraft had been operating from Montreal to La Grande Riviere on 24 August, states Transportation Safety Board of Canada, and was about 85nm north of Montreal at the time.
LinkAirports
Consultation period begins for new Polish airport
Stakeholders have been invited to comment on plans to create a new hub airport in Poland, known as Solidarity Transport Hub Poland (STH), which will be located between Warsaw and Łódź.
The consultation, which opened Aug. 19, wants to gather feedback on the strategic brief for the new of 3,000-hectare (11.6 sq. mi.) airport, 37km (23 mi.) west of Warsaw.
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New terminal boosts capacity at Tanzanian airport
Capacity at Tanzania’s largest airport has been significantly increased with the opening of a new terminal.
Dar-es-Salaam’s Julius Nyerere International Airport’s Terminal 3 opened earlier in August by the country’s president, John Magufuli.
The $282 million terminal will be able to handle up to 6 million passengers per year. The new building has eight airbridges to improve efficiency for boarding and disembarking passengers.
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DXB reports 5% fewer passengers in 1H on runway refurbishment
The renewal of one of the two runways at Dubai International Airport (DXB) led to a 5% dip in passenger throughput in the first half of 2019 compared to the year-ago figure, latest statistics reveal. The airport pointed to the major refurbishment of its southern runway, which was closed from April 16 to May 30 for a major repair, as the cause of the reduced number of passengers.
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Tu-134 to serve as Platov emergencies simulator
Rostov-on-Don's Platov airport has taken delivery of a Tupolev Tu-134A which will serve as a simulator for emergency rescue and ground-handling services.
The aircraft – originally registered SSSR-65721 – was initially delivered to the Russian agricultural department in 1984, for use in monitoring farmland.
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Police prepare to counter Heathrow drone disruption
London's Metropolitan Police has vowed to "do everything in its power to prevent and stop" any attempt to disrupt operations at Heathrow, after reports that climate-change activists planned to fly drones within the UK airport's restricted airspace on 13 September.
The threat came from a group named Heathrow Pause, a faction within the Extinction Rebellion movement. Its attempt to ground flights was envisioned to be part of a wider protest at Heathrow.
LinkMilitary
Tiger, Apache, Zulu square off for Australian deal
Airbus Helicopters and Boeing have highlighted their pitches for Canberra’s planned acquisition of up to 29 armed reconnaissance helicopters.
Airbus Helicopters says it can take the “Tiger platform beyond 2040,” and save Australian taxpayers and the army over A$3 billion ($2 billion).
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Aviation Quote
We were once told that the aeroplane had "abolished frontiers"; actually it is only since the aeroplane became a serious weapon that frontiers have become definitely impassable.
- George Orwell, 'You and the Atomic Bomb', Tribune, London, 19 October 1945.
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General Trivia
1. Talton Higbee _______ and John Paul _______ began a Waco dealership in 1925 and in 1927 were awarded a contract to carry the mail using Wacos. After a series of mergers and acquisitions, their company eventually became part of what is now American Airlines. What current, well-known organization bears their names?
2. How did FIDO help to bring home British bomber crews during World War II?
3. How is it possible for four airplanes to fly in formation so that the distance between any one of these airplanes and any of the other three is the same?
4. What is the difference between Victor airways, T-routes, and Q-routes?
5. What airport was first in the world to have an airline passenger terminal and first to have an airport hotel?
6. Most are familiar with the Royal Air Force’s Lancaster and Mosquito bombers. What were the RAF’s Washington bombers?
