Flight Safety Information October 23, 2013 - No. 219 In This Issue Black boxes detected at Laos air crash site Jet blast incident at LAX causes change in procedures American Airlines jet makes emergency landing on Caribbean isle 3 killed in medical helicopter crash in Tennessee Medallion Foundation supports Nenana "Pilot" program Swiss Re Corporate Solutions Increases Aviation Safety Myanmar's Aviation Industry Booms Despite Grim Safety Record Think ARGUS PROS World's fastest certified civilian jet sets new around-the-world speed record German Pilots Grounded as $92,000 Tuition Can't Bring Job Brazil mulls allowing foreign airlines on domestic routes Black boxes detected at Laos air crash site Investigators have detected signals from the flight data recorders of a Lao Airlines plane which plunged into the Mekong River killing all 49 people on board, officials said Monday. The airline said the bodies of 43 of the victims had been recovered from the swollen river in Laos, some many kilometres downstream from the crash site. The French-Italian made turboprop ATR-72 went down in stormy weather last Wednesday near Pakse airport in Champasak province, sinking to the bottom of the river. More than half of the passengers and crew were foreigners from some 10 countries, including seven from France. Experts from the French aviation safety agency BEA said they had detected the aircraft's two "black boxes", which may hold crucial evidence as to the cause of the crash. But efforts to reach them were hampered by poor visibility and strong river currents. "The Mekong has very powerful currents. The water is muddy. You can't see anything," BEA director Jean-Paul Troadec told AFP. Once they are found, any data from the boxes will have to be carefully extracted and analysed, he said, adding that it was important not to prejudge the cause of the accident. Laos authorities earlier said divers had been forced to use ropes to guide them through the murky waters and only parts of the submerged plane have been found. "It's difficult for divers to go down because the water is not clear. It's fast-flowing and about 12-13 metres (40-43 feet) deep," Yakua Lopankao, director general of the country's department of civil aviation, told AFP. The airline said two more bodies had been retrieved on Monday about 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the crash site. According to an official passenger list, there were 16 Laotians on board, seven French travellers, six Australians, five Thais, three South Koreans, two Vietnamese, and one national each from the United States, Canada, Malaysia, China and Taiwan. There were also five crew, including the Cambodian captain. Impoverished Laos, a one-party communist state, observed a nationwide minute's silence on Monday afternoon to remember the victims of the crash, which is the nation's worst known air disaster. Previously the country's worst air disaster was in 1954 when 47 people died in an Air Vietnam crash near Pakse. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/131021/black-boxes-detected-at-laos-air-crash-site Back to Top Jet blast incident at LAX causes change in procedures BOEING 747 JET BLAST DEMONSTRATION. Air traffic controllers at Los Angeles International Airport have changed procedures after a taxiing Airbus A380 caused enough jet blast to blow over a luggage cart outside the Tom Bradley International Terminal, an airport official said Tuesday. The incident occurred in early October at Gate 156 in the south concourse of the new $1.9 billion terminal, which partially opened in September. Jet blast is the air that comes from jet engines when power is applied. In some instances, engine blast can be powerful enough to move a small airplane. While not speaking specifically about the early October incident, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said controllers are aware of possible issues at Gate 156 and have developed a work-around. Gregor said taxiing A380s will now be routed away from that gate, which is at the south end of the building near Runway 25R. Other smaller aircraft can continue making a right turn near the gate because they cause less jet blast, he said. "We were fortunate this incident occurred only once and that we were able to do quickly develop a work- around solution to this problem in the future," airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles said. "There was no damage to aircraft or people." http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20131022/jet-blast-incident-at-lax-causes-change-in-procedures Back to Top American Airlines jet makes emergency landing on Caribbean isle A woman who was aboard an American Airlines jet that made an emergency landing Tuesday told News 8 that passengers were praying and crying before the aircraft touched down about midway through its scheduled flight from Port-of-Spain in the Eastern Caribbean to Miami. Cierra Hossle was among the 175 people on Flight 2282 when smoke started filling the cabin Tuesday morning. Hossle said flight attendants instructed passengers to don life vests and prepare for a possible landing in the sea. "Your mind goes through the worst thing ever," she said. "You're in the middle of the ocean. When smoke comes in that thick, you think the plane is on fire and we are going down." Hossle said about six to seven minutes after smoke appeared, the plane made an "abrupt" landing at the international airport on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, the tiny Caribbean territory's most populous island, and was towed to the gate. The pilot reported a fire in the cockpit, a smoking engine, and a loss of fuel, according to Turks and Caicos officials. A spokeswoman for American Airlines disputed the report of a fire, saying the jet made the emergency landing due to a "mechanical issue related to one of the engines" and an indication of "low oil." The British Caribbean territory's disaster management and emergencies department said there were no injuries. The flight was traveling from Trinidad and Tobago's capital of Port-of-Spain to Miami when the pilot requested clearance for an emergency landing. Hossle was preparing to catch a flight home to Denver late Tuesday after a three-week vacation to Trinidad. "A lot of people were praying... some were crying," she told News 8, adding that "it got pretty serious, pretty quick." Hossle credits American Airlines flight attendants, calling them "amazing" in the situation as they kept everyone calm. She's happy to be heading home with an unlikely vacation souvenir. Hossle kept the yellow life vest she wore as the emergency played out in the sky over the Caribbean, thankful that she never needed to use it. http://www.wfaa.com/news/world/American-Airlines-plane-makes-emergency-landing-228862141.html Back to Top 3 killed in medical helicopter crash in Tennessee Eurocopter AS 350B3 Astar Pedi-Flite Nurse Carrie Barlow (left) and Pedi-Flite Respiratory Therapist Denise Adams (right) died in the crash. Also killed was Hospital Wing pilot Charlie Smith. It's the second fatal crash since 2010 for Hospital Wing helicopter service (CNN) -- A medical helicopter crashed on its way to pick up an ailing child in southwestern Tennessee Tuesday morning, killing the pilot and two Memphis children's hospital workers, officials at the hospital said. The helicopter crashed around 6:20 a.m. near Somerville, about halfway between Memphis and the crew's destination of Bolivar, officials at Memphis' Le Bonheur Children's Hospital told reporters Tuesday morning. Killed were registered nurse Carrie Barlow, 43, of Halls; respiratory therapist Denise Adams, 43, of Arlington; and pilot Charles Smith, 47, of Eads, according to the hospital. The crew planned to pick up a boy who was in renal failure at a Bolivar hospital and take him to Le Bonheur, but the helicopter never reached the destination, Le Bonheur CEO Meri Armour said. Aerial video of the crash site from CNN affiliate WMC showed smoke rising from wreckage in a wooded area. Officials said they didn't have information about what led to the crash. "They have taken care of so many kids in their short lives," Dr. Jay Pershad, medical director of Le Bonheur's air transport program, said of the crew Tuesday. "I can't tell you how incredibly difficult it is for the entire team." Medical helicopter crashes kill 3, hurt 4 and prompt more scrutiny The boy who was supposed to be flown to Memphis was taken by ambulance to Le Bonheur Tuesday morning after officials learned of the helicopter crash, Armour said. The fatal crash is the second in roughly three years for Hospital Wing, the air ambulance service that operated the helicopter, company CEO Bill Conway said. In March 2010, three people died when a Hospital Wing helicopter crashed near Brownsville, Tennessee, authorities said at the time. In that 2010 crash, the helicopter was returning to Brownsville after dropping off a patient in Jackson, officials said. It's unclear what led to Tuesday's crash, Conway said, adding that the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. "It saddens me more than you can know. All three of these crew members were personal friends of mine," he said. Hospital Wing serves hospitals in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, transporting about 150 patients a month, the company's website says. Le Bonheur Children's Hospital staff members go on about 400 helicopter flights a year, Pershad said. *************** Date: 22-OCT-2013 Time: 06:20 Type: Eurocopter AS 350B3 Astar Owner/operator: Hospital Wing Memphis Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Near Fayette Academy, Somerville, TN - United States of America Phase: En route Nature: Ambulance Departure airport: Memphis, TN Destination airport: Bolivar, TN Narrative: Crashed into a thickly wooded area during a medical emergency flight under unknown circumstances. The pilot, a nurse and a respiratory therapist died in the crash. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Medallion Foundation supports Nenana "Pilot" program Back to Top Swiss Re Corporate Solutions Increases Aviation Safety Swiss Re Corporate Solutions signed an agreement with prominent aviation flight simulation and training companies, CAE and Aviation Performance Solutions (APS). The agreement allows general aviation clients based in North America to increase aviation safety through a combination of an advanced training program and financial incentives embedded into the insurance purchase. The program will be rolled out globally in 2014. The advanced training program, addressing loss of control in-flight, has been developed by APS, a world leader in upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT), and CAE, a leading provider of full-flight simulation training. Both companies have been collaborating to provide UPRT for business and commercial aircraft pilots. "The partners in this innovative initiative are each recognized as experts and industry leaders in their fields, similar to Swiss Re Corporate Solutions in commercial insurance. Combining our talents and global reach, we can elevate the importance of advanced training within the aviation industry to help mitigate fatal accidents," said Paul O'Ryan, head General Aviation Americas at Swiss Re Corporate Solutions/ Loss of control in-flight refers to incidents outside of the normal flight procedures that lead to an inability of the pilot to regain control of the aircraft. By focusing on its prevention, the new program specifically addresses one of the leading causes of passenger fatalities in general aviation. As an incentive, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions will offer premium credits to qualifying general aviation clients, which can be used towards the price of the training courses. Both CAE and APS have discounted the courses especially for participants in this program. "This initiative is at the leading edge of flight safety and, ultimately, passenger safety as government regulators in the United States, Canada and Europe are developing requirements to mandate this type of training program for pilots. Not only is this important for the aviation industry but it also directly reduces frequency of losses within the insurance industry," O'Ryan said. For more details about the advanced safety training program visit www.swissre.com/aviation_safety. Source: Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, CAE, Aviation Performance Solutions (APS) http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/international/2013/10/22/238786.htm Back to Top Myanmar's Aviation Industry Booms Despite Grim Safety Record Konemoe, Myanmar. Htay Aung was riding pillion on a motorbike last Christmas morning, wending through the cool hills of eastern Myanmar, when Air Bagan Flight 11 came down on top of him. The Fokker 100 - more than 24 tons of aircraft, plus 65 passengers and six crew - sheared its way through trees and powerlines, across the road and into a field short of nearby Heho airport. Htay Aung found himself sucked into a scorching maelstrom of debris. "I felt my body go up into the air and then drop. Fire was all around me," recalled Htay Aung, who is now 19 and lives with the effects of burns across his head and body. His uncle, who was driving that day, was killed. The crash, which also gutted the jet, killed one passenger and injured eight, most of them foreign tourists, capped off a horror year for air safety in Myanmar. Out of the country's tiny fleet of domestic commercial aircraft, four were involved in serious accidents in 2012, one of them causing death. But the appalling safety rate has hardly dented a broader trend in Myanmar's aviation industry: spectacular growth. After decades under the thumb of xenophobic generals, one of Asia's last frontiers of commercial aviation is opening up. Passenger numbers are surging as new airlines spring up and foreign carriers rush in. Some officials and executives talk grandly of turning Myanmar into a regional hub. The country, however, appears ill-prepared for the pace of change, putting both safety - and the prospects of many hopeful airlines - at risk. "They've opened up, in my personal opinion, far before they're ready for it," said Shukor Yusof, an analyst who specializes in the aviation sector for credit-ratings agency Standard & Poor's in Singapore. "The infrastructure is not there to cope with demand. There's going to be a point where it's going to get choked up," he said, adding that safety is "not going to improve any time soon." In the 2011/12 peak winter season for foreign tourists, who are driving much of the growth, there were 50,000 seats per week in and out of Myanmar provided by 13 international airlines, including flag carrier Myanmar Airways International (MAI), according the CAPA Centre for Aviation, which advises airlines, and flight industry database Innovata. Last year, that jumped to 80,000 seats, with CAPA predicting it will surpass 100,000 this winter. The number of international airlines in the country nearly doubled to 23 as of early October, with MAI and Golden Myanmar the only locals. There are signs too many airlines are entering at once, meaning the number could shrink in coming years as some carriers merge or die off, said Brendan Sobie, chief analyst at CAPA. Isolation's legacy Win Swe Tun, deputy director of Myanmar's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), is shockingly candid about Myanmar's air accident rate. "It's nine times higher" than the global average, he said. In the 1950s, Yangon, then known as Rangoon, was Southeast Asia's aviation hub. But after the military seized power in 1962, civilian aviation entered a long decline. International isolation made it hard to deal directly with manufacturers, import equipment, train staff or finance infrastructure. Some of those problems were lifted with the end of European Union sanctions this year. The United States has suspended sanctions, but not ended them entirely. State-run Myanma Airways, a domestic airline that partly owns international flag carrier MAI, grounded its three Chinese-made Xian MA60s last year after two of the turboprop aircraft suffered accidents on landing within a month, said Win Swe Tun. The purchase of the aircraft in 2010 was a direct result of sanctions, he added. Locally owned airlines began to emerge before the advent of a quasi-civilian government in 2011. Many, like Myanma Airways, are losing money. Seven carriers, six of them private, are operating regular flights. Four more domestic airlines are planned. International airlines are jostling to get in. VietJet Aviation Joint Stock, Vietnam's only privately owned airline, is in talks with an unidentified local carrier. Thai AirAsia has entered into joint venture talks with "some potential partners," said Tassapon Bijleveld, chief executive of the unit of Malaysia's AirAsia. Japan's ANA Holdings (ANA) announced in August it was buying 49 percent - the maximum under Myanmar law - of tiny domestic carrier Asian Wings. The new deal will add international routes and expand its fleet with jets and turboprop. As Myanmar's skies get busier, so are its antiquated and under-funded airports. Only three of Myanmar's 33 airports - Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyitaw - are international. Others often lack bigger runways, advanced navigation and safety equipment and adequate security. Yangon airport, the country's busiest, is already over its annual capacity of 2.7 million passengers, accepting 3.1 million last year. A $150 million upgrade to Yangon airport was recently awarded to a consortium led by an affiliate of Asia World, a conglomerate run by Tun Myint Naing, also known as Steven Law, the US-sanctioned son of the late drug kingpin-turned-tycoon Lo Hsing Han. A Japanese consortium has been charged with revamping Mandalay's airport, seen as a future logistics hub. The big project, however, is a plan to build a new $1.5 billion airport for Yangon at Hanthawaddy, northeast of the city, a job given to a consortium headed by South Korea's state-run Incheon International Airport Corp. The new airport will be designed to handle 12 million passengers a year on its opening in 2018, and will eventually become a regional hub in its own right, handling 30 million annually by 2030, Win Swe Tun said. That compares with 48 million at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport and 51 million at Singapore's Changi Airport. Antiquated airports Heho Airport, where Air Bagan crashed last December, shows just how far Myanmar has to go. Sitting inside a control tower with shoes outside the door, Win Myint directs air traffic via a set of radios atop a linoleum table. With no computerized systems, Win Myint organizes the landing schedule by scribbling on plastic slides, which are then lined up in order as new information comes over the radio. The airport, near the scenic Inle Lake, has seen tourist arrivals surge in recent years, said the manager, Htay Aung. The government promises to revamp Heho and other airports by expanding runway capacity and adding security, safety and navigation equipment. Heho's lack of navigation equipment was likely one factor in last year's crash. Although no final report has been issued by the DCA, Win Swe Tun, who is head of the investigation, told Reuters that Air Bagan Flight 11 had attempted to land in fog without the assistance of on-the-ground navigation equipment. Having misjudged the approach, rather than go around for a second attempt, the co-pilot tried to rush the landing, he said. Cost of sanctions The aftermath of the crash has been an ongoing headache for Air Bagan, part of the Htoo Group of companies owned by Tay Za, a businessman who remains subject to US sanctions for his links to the former military junta. Many foreign survivors now complain of a drawn out and difficult compensation process. Air Bagan, one of the biggest domestic airlines, has not been profitable since the 2006-2007 financial year and faces pressure both from sanctions and the growth of new players, deputy managing director Sao Thanda Noi told Reuters. Sanctions, she adds, pose hurdles in critical areas - from training and supplies to maintenance and financing. "Our costs are much [more] expensive than other airlines. That's what sanctions cost us. But...we never compromise on safety." One tycoon who appears to have more comfortably negotiated the reform era has been Aung Ko Win, president of Myanmar's largest private bank, Kanbawza Bank, and formerly the target of EU sanctions. His domestic airline, Air KBZ, enjoys steadily rising revenues and is seeking to expand, says deputy managing director Khin Maung Myint. It controls 30 percent of the domestic market, carrying nearly 240,000 passengers in its last financial year, and plans to soon add "two or three" aircraft to a fleet of six, he said. Still, Air KBZ lost one of its ATR 72-500s in a crash last February. No one was injured. As airlines queue up to enter the country, the biggest international carrier flying to Myanmar, Thai Airways, sounded a note of caution. Infrastructure constraints mean there is "not now" any money to be made on domestic routes, executive vice president Chokchai Panyayong told Reuters. "I think in a couple of years we'll move in," he said. http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/myanmars-aviation-industry-booms-despite-grim-safety-record/ Back to Top Back to Top World's fastest certified civilian jet sets new around-the-world speed record A Gulfsteam G650 has set a new world record for the fastest westbound, around-the-world flight for a non-supersonic aircraft Even before it received type certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in September 2012, the Gulfstream G650 was racking up the records, thanks in large part to its Mach 0.925 top speed. The latest record it has claimed is for the fastest westbound, around-the-world flight for a non-supersonic aircraft, which the G650 completed in 41 hours and seven minutes. The 20,310-nautical mile (37,614 km) circumnavigation of the globe began in San Diego on July 1, from where it headed off over the Pacific Ocean before landing in Guam 10 hours and 10 minutes later. The second leg from Guam to Dubai took 10 hours, and the third from Dubai to Cape Verde took another eight hours and 52 minutes. The final leg that returned the jet to San Diego took 10 hours and 10 minutes. The three refueling stops added a total of around 1.5 hours to the journey. The crew duties were shared by five pilots over the four legs of the journey, which were flown at the aircraft's standard high-speed cruise setting of Mach 0.90. The five pilots, Tom Horne, Bud Ball, John McGrath, Ross Oetjen and Eric Parker, were on board for the duration of the trip, on which the business jet averaged 915 km/h (565.5 mph) and also claimed 22 city-pair speed records. The around-the-world record in the C-1.I aircraft class was officially certified by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) in September. It and the new 22 city- pair records brings the total number of records currently held by the G650 to 38. Although the G650 can currently lay claim to being the fastest certified civilian aircraft with its Mach 0.925 maximum operating speed, it is set to hand that title to the new Cessna Citation X. That aircraft, which Cessna expects to gain FAA certification later this year ahead of the first deliveries beginning early in 2014, boasts a top speed of Mach 0.935. Source: Gulfstream http://www.gizmag.com/gulfstream-g650-around-the-world-record/29506/ Back to Top German Pilots Grounded as $92,000 Tuition Can't Bring Job Oct. 23 (Bloomberg)-- Christopher Siem is spending 70,000 euros ($92,000) out of his own pocket to train as a pilot, a job where the unemployment rate is twice the German average. Siem, 24, is among Germany's aspiring pilots whose dreams of a career in the cockpit have been dented as the country's airlines slash their fleets. Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA), which has about 5,500 pilots, will limit its fleet to 400 planes and cut 3,500 jobs, while Air Berlin Plc (AB1) is also curbing crew numbers as it pares the aircraft roster by 27 over two years. Enlarge image Pilots Land a Lufthansa Plane in Leipzig Lufthansa has dropped plans for a 480-strong fleet and will now make do with about 80 aircraft fewer than that through 2016, meaning it will require about 1,000 fewer pilots, based on an average need of 12.5 cockpit crew per plane. Deutsche Lufthansa AG, which has about 5,500 pilots, will limit its fleet to 400 planes and cut 3,500 jobs. "I doubt I'll get a job in the cockpit immediately," said Siem, who is undergoing two years' of training mainly at Frankfurt, where the sight of aircraft using a taxiway above the road he cycles each morning provides much-needed motivation to stick with the tuition. His parents help foot the bill. A pilot glut extends across much of Europe as former flag carriers drop routes and minor operators get squeezed by high fuel costs and slow growth. Lufthansa has suspended some training at its in-house flight school because supply outweighs demand, pushing the unemployment rate for qualified aircrew to a record 14 percent in Germany, a pilot union estimates While Germany continues its rebound from the global recession, with Europe's largest economy predicted to grow 0.3 percent this year and 1.5 percent in 2014, Lufthansa, like other network airlines, is trimming unprofitable European links that don't help fill lucrative long-haul flights. Smaller Fleet The carrier has dropped plans for a 480-strong fleet and will now make do with about 80 aircraft fewer than that through 2016, meaning it will require about 1,000 fewer pilots, based on an average need of 12.5 cockpit crew per plane. Augsburg Airways, a regional airline that operates on behalf of Lufthansa, will cease operations at the end of this month, becoming the third carrier in the country to fold this year after ACG Air Cargo Germany GmbH, which went bust in March, and OLT Express Germany, which closed in January. The failures will collectively put about 350 pilots out of work, according to Vereinigung Cockpit, a German pilot association whose spokesman Joerg Handwerg said unemployment among German aviators "has never been higher." Dire job prospects for pilots threaten to undermine the appeal of a career that for decades lured aspirants with the promise of global travel, high pay and professional prestige. These days, industry growth is led by low-cost carriers such as Ryanair Holdings Plc (RYA), whose relationship with pilots has been strained as some crew question the airline's cost-cutting culture. Discount Pilots Dublin-based Ryanair's pilot roster has swelled to 3,000 in 10 years from 550, while EasyJet plans to add 330 permanent jobs this year for a total of about 2,300, and has begun seeking recruits to fill 200 positions in 2014. The Luton, England-based carrier will require about 50 percent more aircrew in Germany as it adds four more aircraft to the seven currently based there. The rise of discount operators has reduced average salaries for pilots across Europe, with no commensurate reduction in the cost of gaining the required qualifications. "Pay isn't as high as it used to be, or as high as people think, and it varies a lot among airlines," said Siem. Handwerg, the spokesman for the pilot union, said renumeration ranges from 24,000 euros a year for beginners at low-paying carriers to more than 200,000 annually for captains with high qualifications and experience. Lufthansa's entry-level salary is about 60,000, while a captain can make more than 110,000 euros later, spokesman Michael Lamberty said. Pay Range Would-be pilots may also end up stumping up tens of thousands of euros more on so-called type ratings -- allowing them to fly a specific aircraft model -- and on line training, which familiarizes them with operating procedures, in order to land a permanent job. Flying 500 hours on an Airbus SAS A320 cost 40,000 euros at Airline Pilot.org in Istanbul -- after type rating on the plane has been secured for 15,500 euros. Lufthansa's pilots last staged a strike in 2010, which was ended by a mediation process, and are currently in negotiations over a new tariff. The wider group, which includes the company's Austrian and Swiss units, has 8,500 pilots, compared with about 8,400 at Air France-KLM (AF) Group. The aviator glut has made available some "very experienced, very good pilots," said Markus Otto, chief executive officer at Leipzig-based European Air Transport. The unit of Deutsche Post AG (DPW)'s DHL business has hired 86 flight crew in 18 months and isn't finished yet, Otto said in an interview. To improve his own career chances, Siem is pursuing a degree in aviation systems engineering and management, which could help land a job with Airbus's German operations, though he's adamant that flying remains the sole long-term focus. "I can't think of anything I'd rather do," said Siem. "Sooner or later we'll make it." http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-22/german-pilots-grounded-as-92-000-tuition-can-t-buy-cockpit- seat.html Back to Top Brazil mulls allowing foreign airlines on domestic routes Brazil is considering opening its domestic skies to international carriers during the World Cup, according to Reuters. The news agency reports the head of Brazil's tourism authority Embratur said the option was being considered. Embratur's Flavio Dino reportedly acknowledged Brazil's domestic carriers may not have the capacity to meet demand during the tournament. "We have the view that it is important to ensure more flights," Dino was reported as saying. "We are replanning our air network. We may open the market to companies that just deal internationally." This comes after Brazil embarked on a major airport privatisation process aimed at upgrading and modernising its gateways ahead of next year's football tournament, as well as the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Reuters said a decision about opening domestic routes would be made in December. It added that an estimated 600,000 foreigners and three million Brazilians will be travelling around Brazil during the World Cup next June and July. http://www.routes-news.com/news/1-news/2017-brazil-mulls-allowing-foreign-airlines-on-domestic-routes Curt Lewis