Regulators knew before crashes that 737 MAX trim control was confusing in some conditions

U.S. and European regulators knew at least two years before a Lion Air crash that the usual method for controlling the Boeing 737 MAX’s nose angle might not work in conditions similar to those in two recent disasters, a document shows. (www.reuters.com) More...

Boeing is haunted by a 50-year-old feature of 737 jets

First introduced in West Germany as a short-hop commuter jet in the early Cold War, the Boeing 737-100 had folding metal stairs attached to the fuselage that passengers climbed to board before airports had jetways. (www.miamiherald.com) More...

El Al Boeing 787 struggled to lift off after 40t weight-data error

Israeli investigators have determined that a 40t weight error in take-off performance calculations caused an El Al Boeing 787-9 to struggle to become airborne from Tel Aviv. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Lufthansa sues passenger who missed his flight

A method commonly used by airline passengers to get cheaper fares is at the center of a court row between a German airline and one of its customers. Lufthansa has taken a passenger, who didn't show up for the last leg of his ticketed journey, to court in an apparent bid to clamp down on "hidden city" ticketing. The practice involves passengers leaving their journey at a layover point, instead of making a final connection. (edition.cnn.com) More...

Op-Ed: The A380 Was Not a Failure and Should be Remembered Just like Concorde

When people talk about the A380 it is easy to see why they may use such terms as “failure” or “a complete flop” but I do not see it like that. While yes, the A380 has its shortcomings it is important to remember that the announcement from Airbus to me feels much like the same announcement made in 2003 when they elected to cease operations of one of the greatest planes of all time, Concorde. (airwaysmag.com) More...

157 aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight to Nairobi involved in fatal crash

Ethiopian Airlines says it believes 149 passengers and eight crew members were on board a plane that crashed six minutes after taking off from Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, on a flight to Nairobi. (www.news24.com) More...

United adds A321XLR as possible 757 replacement

United Airlines has added the possible long-range Airbus "A321XLR" to its list of replacement options for some of its aging Boeing 757s, as it aims to replace the middle-of-the-market portion of its fleet in the next decade. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

G150's pressurised door fatally struck captain

Finnish investigators have determined that a Gulfstream G150 captain was killed when explosive depressurisation blasted open the aircraft’s door as he attempted to enter the jet at Kittila. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Flydubai could take Airbus jets if Boeing MAX grounding prolonged

Flydubai’s chairman warned on Monday the airline could order Airbus A320neos as replacements for Boeing 737 MAX jets, telling the U.S. planemaker to improve communication with customers. (www.reuters.com) More...

Airbus Plane Economy Seat Prototype: Are these the future of airline cabins?

Travelling for long distances cramped in the economy cabin of a plane can often be an uncomfortable experience. But a British-based designer has come up with a concept for a new airline seat, where passengers can control the comfort of the chair, including its shape and temperature, using their mobile phone. Benjamin Hubert, of London-based design agency Layer, has created the economy class seating, called Move, that could be used on short to mid-haul Airbus aircraft, and it will even tell… (www.itravelapp.net) More...

Investigators obtain ATC audio recordings of crashed Lion B737

Investigators from Indonesia's National Transport Safety Committee (NTSC) have obtained audio recordings of a Lion Air Boeing 737 Max 8 that crashed on 29 October from air navigation service provider AirNav Indonesia. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Changes to Flight Software on 737 Max Escaped F.A.A. Scrutiny - NY Times

The March crash in Ethiopia and an earlier one in Indonesia have broadly raised concerns about the agency’s ability to push back against the industry or root out flaws. “The more we know, the more we realize what we don’t know,” said John Cox, an aviation safety consultant and a former 737 pilot. After the agency’s initial safety review, Boeing decided to quadruple the power of the anti-stall system, which could push down the plane’s nose. The company also expanded the use of the software, known… (www.nytimes.com) More...

Lion Air ponders cancelling Boeing jets in row over crash

Co-founder Rusdi Kirana is furious over what he regards as attempts by Boeing to deflect attention from recent design changes and blame Lion Air for the crash, while the airline faces scrutiny over its maintenance and flight crew actions. (www.reuters.com) More...

PICTURES: ​Air France refurbishes A330 cabins

Air France has introduced an upgraded cabin interior on its Airbus A330 fleet. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Airbus A220 obtains Cat III autoland approval

Airbus’s A220 twinjet has been certified to a higher autoland capability by the European safety regulator. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

PAS19: Delta Air Lines Opts For Five More A220s

Delta Air Lines has placed an additional order for five Airbus A220-100s at the Paris Air Show this week. (airwaysmag.com) More...

Airbus indicates A321XLR would have over 100t MTOW

Airbus is looking at taking the maximum take-off weight of the A321neo above 100t in order to extend the range of the type beyond that of the new A321LR. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Op-Ed: Is the Boeing 777X Too Big?

Many analysts are of the opinion that the “sweet-spot” of the market for widebody airliners is approximately the size of the 777-200/ER to 777-300/ER and not a seat bigger. They argue that the A380 was a failure (which it wasn’t), the 747-8I was a miserable one, though. It is said that the, comparatively soft, early sales of the Next Generation 777 prior to launch are because of its capacity. (airwaysmag.com) More...

Osaka-bound Jetstar 787 lost thrust in both engines

Japanese investigators are proving a loss of thrust in both engines on a Jetstar Boeing 787-8 during its approach to Osaka’s Kansai airport. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Airlines have completely stopped ordering the B737 Max

Airlines are holding off on orders for Boeing's 737 Max — the latest sign of how deeply the company's best-selling jet has been thrown into crisis (www.newschannel5.com) More...

INCIDENT Qantas #QF706 suffered cabin depressurisation, forcing passengers to wear oxygen masks

Passengers were forced to wear oxygen masks as a flight from Adelaide to Canberra was diverted to Melbourne on Tuesday morning following a mid-air incident. The QF706 flight, which departed Adelaide just after 6.10am, was given a priority landing at Melbourne Airport. (www.airlive.net) More...

Boeing calling back retirees to fix 737 production snags

The snarl at its plant in Renton, Washington, triggered by shortages of engines and fuselages as Boeing sped production to record levels in June, is likely to hurt third-quarter results and threatens its goal to boost build rates again in 2019, some analysts said after meetings in the Seattle area last week. (finance.yahoo.com) More...

Lack of spares grounds 15 Air India jets: New Delhi

The Indian government has revealed that 15 aircraft from Air India's fleet have been grounded due to lack of engines and spares. Responding to queries in parliament, minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha says that as of 6 December, two Boeing 787-8s, three 777s and 10 Airbus A320 family aircraft "were on ground for want of engines and spares". (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Greek NPO boss on his way to UN assembly saved from Ethiopia crash by being late

A Greek man said on Sunday he would have been the 150th passenger on the Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines Boeing plane that crashed and killed all on board, except he arrived two minutes late for the flight. (www.news24.com) More...

Moscow Domodedovo Airport Buys Armored Vehicle

Developed from the chassis of the T-72 main battle tank, long a stalwart of the Russian army, the BREM-1 was originally designed to recover disabled armored vehicles from the battlefield.. (www.ainonline.com) More...

Canada transport minister wants simulator training for 737 MAX fix

Canada called on Wednesday for pilots to receive training on simulators for new Boeing 737 MAX software, rather than computer courses, going a step beyond proposals by U.S. regulators and opening the door to disagreement over measures to end a global grounding of the jets after two fatal crashes. (www.reuters.com) More...

Pilot, who allegedly wanted to kill wife after an argument, dies after crashing plane

A pilot has allegedly died by suicide, leaving a trail of mayhem at the Matsieng Flying Club facility at Matsieng Aerodrome in Botswana. It is believed that the pilot had no permission to fly the aircraft involved. (www.news24.com) More...

FAA chief tells Congress 737 manuals should have mentioned MCAS

Lawmakers grilled the head of the Federal Aviation Administration on 15 May, hammering acting administrator Dan Elwell with questions about the FAA’s certification and oversight of both Boeing and the troubled 737 Max. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Sunwing ordered to compensate 16,255 passengers for 2018 ice storm delays

The Canadian Transportation Agency has ordered Sunwing Airlines Inc. to compensate more than 16,000 passengers and pay a $694,500 fine due to widespread service problems sparked by an ice storm that hit Toronto one year ago. (torontosun.com) More...

Window in the bathroom and more bin space: Delta's brand-new A220 planes finally take off

Delta Air Lines' new Airbus A220 jets have finally taken off, the carrier's latest offensive in the battle for business travelers. Delta is the first U.S. operator to offer the roomier, fuel-efficient planes. The first flights of the single-aisle, twin-engine planes took off Tuesday morning from New York's LaGuardia Airport with one flight to Boston and another to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. (www.cnbc.com) More...

Things You Don't Know About The First Delta A220 / CSeries

The first Delta A220 that made its maiden flight Saturday October 6 is a "First" in many ways, many that you don't know yet… (www.fliegerfaust.com) More...

Bombardier launches the first triple-class 50 seat aircraft in the world! United orders 50 planes

The first triple-class 50 seat aircraft in the world, CRJ550, has been unveiled! (airwaysmag.com) More...

Jet Airways Board Members Forced To Step Down

Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita Goyal, the promoters of Jet Airways, who together controlled 50% stake in the airline, have been forced to step down from the Board of the Company, by creditors led by public sector State Bank of India. (airwaysmag.com) More...

NTSB calls for 25h cockpit voice recorder duration

Following several recent aviation safety incidents, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is urging regulators to extend significantly the required recording duration of cockpit voice recorders (CVRs). (www.flightglobal.com) More...

A Whistleblower Claims Boeing Jets Have Substandard Parts Installed on 737 and 777 Aircraft

Substandard parts made in China with non-aerospace material have been installed in Boeing 777 and 737 (www.fliegerfaust.com) More...

ANA’s 2nd A380 Emerges from the Paintshop (+Photos)

On March 26th, Airbus rolled out the second All Nippon Airways (ANA) A380 from the paint shop, at its Hamburg factory. The second A380 is the Emerald Green, livery, and will be delivered to the airline this year, bearing the registration JA382A. (airwaysmag.com) More...

Ethiopian Airlines CEO sees ‘clear similarities’ between crashed 737 MAX jets: Xinhua

The crashed Boeing Co 737 MAX jets in Ethiopia and Indonesia appear to have a common connection, Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer Tewolde Gebremariam told China’s state news agency Xinhua on Friday. Investigators have found a piece of a stabilizer in the wreckage of an Ethiopian jet with the trim set in an unusual position similar to that of a Lion Air plane that crashed last year, sources have told Reuters. (www.waytoimprove.net) More...

Delta Flight Aborts Takeoff After Another Plane Appears On Runway

A Delta flight was forced to abandon a high-speed takeoff today after another plane appeared at the end of the runway, according to the Chinese aviation authority. (www.aviationrepublic.com) More...

Boeing didn’t want to re-engine the 737

With nearly 400 Boeing 737 MAXes grounded across the globe, few will remember that Boeing didn’t really want to do the MAX. (leehamnews.com) More...

Air Macau Presents Its First A320neo

Air Macau has held a ceremony at Macau International airport today as it presented its brand new A320neo aircraft... (airwaysmag.com) More...

Airbus’s new Zephyr aircraft makes 26-day record maiden flight

Airbus’s latest edition of Zephyr, a solar-powered aircraft-come-satellite that operates in the stratosphere, has completed a maiden flight just short of 26 days. (www.theengineer.co.uk) More...

2 SANDF members seriously injured in helicopter crash

Two members of the South African National Defence Force have been airlifted to a military hospital in Pretoria following a helicopter crash in Zwartkop. Best Care Ambulance Services spokesperson Xander Loubser said paramedics had received a call about a military helicopter that had crashed in a veld (field). (www.news24.com) More...

I flew on the longest flight in the world, which lasts nearly 18 hours and covers 10,000 miles. Here's what it's like.

Singapore Airlines relaunched the longest flight in the world, between Newark Liberty International Airport just outside New York City and Changi Airport in Singapore. The flight covers 10,000 miles and can take more than 18 hours. (www.msn.com) More...

Kids Up To Age 14 Can Now Fly Free On Frontier Airlines

Flying with kids is often expensive, stressful, chaotic — and did we mention expensive? That’s why a new deal with Frontier Airlines is looking like a welcome way to make flying friendlier and cheaper. For a $60 annual fee, you can join Frontier’s Discount Den and get free domestic flight tickets for each child aged 14 and under traveling with a paying adult. The Discount Den membership also allows you to get the lowest airfare rates on up to six people in one booking. A few other details: There… (www.itravelapp.net) More...

First year of Airbus leading the A220 program

Airbus Canada Limited Partnership marked its first anniversary on July 1, 2019, one year exactly after Airbus became the majority partner in the A220 aircraft program. (www.airbus.com) More...

Several major US airlines are reporting flight check-in issues

Customers across the U.S. are reporting airline computer issues at a number of airports. A flood of tweets began to roll in a little after 11am ET (8am PT) of computer or network issues. Passengers on the ground said the issues related to the flight check-in systems and were unable to issue boarding passes. (flip.it) More...

Israeli Prime Minister Boeing 777-200 Plane has been damaged at Warsaw Airport

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to spend an extra night in Warsaw after his plane was damaged following an airport mishap shortly before departure. He departed around noon Friday local time, marking an inauspicious ending to a turbulent visit. (www.waytoimprove.net) More...

Cathay Sells $16,000 Premium Seats for $675 in Ticketing Blunder

All eyes are on Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. as it decides what to do with the tickets that it appeared to have sold in error at a fraction of their prices. Asia’s biggest international carrier sold business-class tickets from Vietnam to Canada and the U.S. at economy prices earlier this week, according to bloggers. Return fares in the premium cabin from Da Nang to New York started at $675 for travel in August, Gary Leff, a travel and loyalty-program blogger on View from the Wing, wrote on Dec.… (www.bloomberg.com) More...

ANA A380 Rolls out of Paint Shop

ANA All Nippon Airways has had it’s first A380 roll out of the paint shop today. It took 21 days to complete the paint job on the aircraft and it was presented to ANA officials today in a dramatic and entertaining display. The plane is the first of three A380’s that the airline will have painted in this unique and one of a kind livery, sporting a blue Sea turtle and is called “Flying Honu”, the blue is a representation of the blue skies on Hawaii. (airwaysmag.com) More...

American Airlines flight 588: Stranger gives up first class seat to mother travelling with sick daughter

Ms Zwick said she and Lucy had boarded American Airlines flight 588 when a flight attendant approached them and informed them a passenger in first class wanted to switch seats. (www.aviationrepublic.com) More...