Flight Safety Information SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 - No. 187 In This Issue International Panel Set to Criticize FAA's Approval Process for Boeing 737 MAX Jets FAA chief to meet with Boeing officials, test 737 MAX simulator Incident: Chengdu A320 at Chengdu on Sep 14th 2019, could not retract landing gear Incident: Swiss BCS3 near Geneva on Sep 16th 2019, engine problem Incident: Lufthansa B744 at Denver on Sep 15th 2019, rejected takeoff due to cargo smoke indication Incident: Vueling A20N at Barcelona on Sep 13th 2019, smoke in cabin Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner- Onboard Battery Fire (Atlanta Ocean) 16-SEP-2019 - TwoFlex Cessna 208B Grand Caravan accident AAIB releases report into A319 single pilot landing at Glasgow A flight in India was delayed when a swarm of angry bees covered the cockpit window Japan Airlines to potentially purchase Malaysia Airlines stake This is the world's busiest airport Boeing raises 20-year forecast for China aircraft demand Global Pilots Disturbed by Anti-Union Trend, IFALPA Says Meet The Nuclear-Powered Self-Driving Drone NASA Is Sending To A Moon Of Saturn Aviation Cybersecurity Survey International Panel Set to Criticize FAA's Approval Process for Boeing 737 MAX Jets Panel's recommendations could set the stage for major changes to longstanding jet- certification rules Boeing 737 MAX planes have been grounded world-wide since March. PHOTO: DAVID RYDER/GETTY IMAGES By Andy Pasztor and Andrew Tangel A panel of international air-safety regulators is finishing a report expected to criticize the initial U.S. approval process for Boeing Co. BA -0.24% 's 737 MAX jets, according to people briefed on the conclusions, while urging a wide-ranging reassessment of how complex automated systems should be certified on future airliners. As part of roughly a dozen findings, these government and industry officials said, the task force is poised to call out the Federal Aviation Administration for what it describes as a lack of clarity and transparency in the way the FAA delegated authority to the plane maker to assess the safety of certain flight-control features. The upshot, according to some of these people, is that essential design changes didn't receive adequate FAA attention. The report, these officials said, also is expected to fault the agency for what it describes as inadequate data sharing with foreign authorities during its original certification of the MAX two years ago, along with relying on mistaken industrywide assumptions about how average pilots would react to certain flight-control emergencies. FAA officials have said they are devising new pilot-reaction guidelines after two fatal crashes. Expected to be released in the next few weeks, the document would be the first official outside review of MAX certification since the fleet was grounded world-wide in March after the crashes. The planes nosedived after repeated misfires of an automated flight- control system, called MCAS, which pushed down the noses of both aircraft despite efforts by their pilots to pull the planes out of their steep dives. The multiagency panel, created by the FAA in April and called the Joint Authorities Technical Review, is headed by Christopher Hart, former chairman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. Tasked with examining procedures used to approve MAX flight-control systems, the participants also were asked for high-level recommendations to address systemic deficiencies. Members include air-safety regulators from Canada, China, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, the European Union, Brazil and the U.S. The origin and makeup of the task force likely will give heft to its specific findings and recommendations for overhauling current practices and, in some cases, re-evaluating and updating decades-old safety rules and technical standards. Boeing and regulators are seeking to restore public confidence in the planes and end the grounding that has roiled the industry and disrupted global airline schedules. "We welcome the scrutiny of these experts," an FAA spokesman said Sunday in reference to the JATR and a number of other outside reviews examining MAX certification. The agency "will carefully review all the findings and recommendations," he added. A Boeing spokesman said the company looks forward to the finished report and "is determined to keep improving on safety in partnership with the global aerospace industry," adding that the plane maker continues to cooperate with regulators to return the planes to service. Details of the nearly finished report haven't been reported before. Final changes could modify some conclusions, according to some of the officials, but the overall thrust and recommendations for a sweeping reassessment aren't likely to shift. Initially, the panel was assembled by the FAA as part of a strategy to promote international consensus. But as Boeing's work to devise software fixes for MCAS and related systems dragged on-and disagreements between the FAA and some of its foreign counterparts burst into public view-the report has morphed. Now, it appears to have turned into more of a damage-control effort partly intended to sketch out longer- range changes in certification standards and procedures, industry officials said. The JATR document won't analyze the accidents or proposed fixes to MCAS or changes to MAX flight-control computers. The FAA has stressed that the advisory group doesn't have veto power over modifications to MCAS. But the report could influence changes to traditional engineering principles determining the safety of new aircraft models. Certification of software controlling increasingly interconnected and automated onboard systems "is a whole new ballgame requiring new approaches," according to a senior industry safety expert who has discussed the report with regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. Government approval of such systems requires not only vetting the reliability of essential software, but ensuring that average pilots can react promptly and appropriately to handle emergencies stemming from mechanical or computer malfunctions. The panel, according to one of the officials, is expected to call for greater data-sharing and transparency among different governments, especially in certifying the safety of aircraft such as the MAX, whose basic designs are derived from earlier models. In addition, the official said, the draft report recommends reviewing and updating FAA guidance and day-to-day certification procedures to ensure early and significant FAA involvement in new onboard systems, particularly with respect to pilot response times during emergencies that stem from human-computer interactions. Some of the draft recommendations already have been factored into Boeing's pending fixes to the grounded MAX fleet, the official said. The anticipated focus on potentially sweeping certification changes comes amid growing signs that shorter-term plans by Boeing and the FAA to choreograph a nearly simultaneous return of MAX jets in many parts of the world are fraying. Technical differences have spawned broader political and diplomatic clashes. The FAA has spent months trying to ensure that MAX jets, once they are cleared to carry passengers again, will be phased in at roughly the same time across North America, Europe and other regions. Instead, various foreign authorities are setting their own testing protocols and timelines. European regulators recently told their FAA counterparts they likely won't be ready to formally lift the grounding by early November, which remains the FAA's informal target. The U.A.E. indicated over the weekend that it planned to follow its own, longer timetable. China and India, two fast-growing aviation markets, also are expected to take longer than the U.S. Canadian regulators, for their part, are signaling to the FAA they are likely to require simulator training for pilots before putting the MAX fleet registered in that country back in the air, according to one of the people briefed on the issue. That will require more time than the process the FAA is expected to mandate for U.S. aviators. A spokeswoman for Transport Canada had no comment. The rift between the FAA and its foreign counterparts highlights the erosion of the U.S. agency's stature. For decades, the FAA has set the benchmark for aviation safety. It led the way with voluntary reporting of safety lapses, ways to analyze such data and concepts to tailor pilot training to real-world incidents and accidents. But now, countries that relied on the FAA's help to emulate such advances are balking at accepting U.S. verifications regarding the MAX. Patrick Ky, head of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, told the European Parliament earlier this month, "It's very likely that international authorities will want a second opinion" on any FAA decision to lift the grounding. Even after EASA gives the green light, agency officials are expected to push for significant additional safety enhancements to the fleet. Most prominently, EASA has proposed to eventually add to the MAX a third fully functional angle-of-attack sensor- which effectively measures how far the plane's nose is pointed up or down-underscoring the controversy expected to swirl around the plane for the foreseeable future. https://www.wsj.com/articles/international-panel-set-to-criticize-faas-approval-process- for-boeing-737-max-jets-11568666088 Back to Top FAA chief to meet with Boeing officials, test 737 MAX simulator WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Stephen Dickson plans to fly to Seattle this week to fly "newly configured" Boeing 737 MAX software in a simulator and will visit with Boeing officials, the agency said Monday. Boeing plans to revise the 737 MAX software to take input from both angle-of-attack sensors in the MCAS anti-stall system linked to two deadly crashes that led to a global grounding of the plane in March. But it is not clear when it will conduct a key certification test flight, a step needed before the FAA can return the plane to service. The FAA confirmed that Dickson, who took over as administrator in mid-August, has no firm timeline for the grounded 737 MAX to resume flights or when Boeing will turn over final documentation. The FAA said Dickson also plans to visit with the FAA aircraft certification team in Seattle. Separately, a spokeswoman for Representative Peter DeFazio, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, confirmed that Boeing had declined his invitation to testify at an upcoming House hearing. "Boeing is working diligently and transparently with committees in both the House (of Representatives) and the Senate to ensure that proper information is being shared and we will continue to do so," the company said in an e-mailed statement. Boeing's board is expected to consider changes proposed by a board committee later this week, people briefed on the matter said. Reuters reported in August that the committee review would find the company needs to reorganize its engineering reporting lines company-wide and ensure higher ranking officials, including its CEO, get faster feedback about potential safety concerns from lower levels of the company. The changes are intended to boost the transparency of engineering decisions and accelerate efforts to share safety information as widely and swiftly as possible across Boeing's global businesses and factories, Reuters reported. Boeing has said it plans to conduct a certification test flight in the "September time frame" but Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg did not give a specific date when asked last week. Federal prosecutors aided by the FBI, the Department of Transportation's inspector general and several blue-ribbon panels are investigating the 737 MAX as well as how the FAA certifies new aircraft. Major U.S. airlines have canceled flights into December as a result of the MAX grounding, including American Airlines Group Inc and United Airlines , while Southwest Airlines Co has canceled flights into early January. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/faa-chief-meet-boeing-officials-222826166.html Back to Top Incident: Chengdu A320 at Chengdu on Sep 14th 2019, could not retract landing gear A Chengdu Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration B-9985 performing flight EU-6667 from Chengdu to Shanghai Pudong (China), was climbing out of Chengdu when the crew could not retract the landing gear and entered a hold at 2700 meters (about 8800 feet) to work the checklists. The aircraft subsequently climbed to 3000 meters (9800 feet) to burn off fuel and landed safely back in Chengdu about 85 minutes after departure. A replacement A320-200 registration B-1856 reached Shanghai with a delay of about 4 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4cce7b98&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Swiss BCS3 near Geneva on Sep 16th 2019, engine problem A Swiss International Airlines Bombardier C-Series CS-300, registration HB-JCA performing flight LX-358 from Geneva to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 76 people on board, was climbing through FL350 when the crew decided to return to Geneva due to a problem with one of the engines (PW1524G). The aircraft landed safely back on Geneva's runway 22 about 30 minutes after stopping the climb. The airline reported the aircraft returned to Geneva due to an irregularity on one of the engines. The exact cause of the problem is being investigated by maintenance. http://avherald.com/h?article=4cce7a9f&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Lufthansa B744 at Denver on Sep 15th 2019, rejected takeoff due to cargo smoke indication A Lufthansa Boeing 747-400, registration D-ABVT performing flight LH-447 from Denver,CO (USA) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was accelerating for takeoff from Denver's runway 08 when the crew received a cargo smoke indication and rejected takeoff at low speed. Following inspection by emergency services the aircraft returned to the apron where the cargo hold was inspected with no evidence of fire, heat or smoke found. The aircraft was able to depart about 2:20 hours later and reached Frankfurt with a delay of 100 minutes. http://avherald.com/h?article=4cce8182&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Vueling A20N at Barcelona on Sep 13th 2019, smoke in cabin A Vueling Airbus A320-200N, registration EC-NCU performing flight VY-2118 from Malaga,SP to Barcelona,SP (Spain), was on approach to Barcelona when the crew reported smoke in the cabin. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Barcelona's runway 25L. The aircraft taxied to the gate, but then initiated an emergency evacuation via slides. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Barcelona about 22 hours after landing. The airline confirmed the crew requested priority on approach due to smoke in the cabin, the passengers were subsequently evacuated via slides. Passenger video: Evacuan un avión en El Prat por humo en la cabina http://avherald.com/h?article=4ccd3c25&opt=0 Back to Top Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner- Onboard Battery Fire (Atlanta Ocean) Date: 16-SEP-2019 Time: c. 15:00 UTC Type: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Owner/operator: Etihad Airways Registration: A6-BLA C/n / msn: 39646 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: None Location: West of Ireland - Atlantic Ocean Phase: En route Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH/OMAA) Destination airport: Houston-George Bush Intercontinental Airport, TX (IAH/KIAH) Narrative: Etihad Airways flight EY131 from Abu Dhabi to Washington, D.C. diverted to Dublin, Ireland following a thermal runaway of a lithium battery of a passenger's tablet device. The situation was managed swiftly by the crew and the aircraft landed safely in Dublin at 16:34 UTC. The device was removed and the aircraft continued to its destination two hours later. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/229083 Back to Top Back to Top 16-SEP-2019 - TwoFlex Cessna 208B Grand Caravan accident: Date: Monday 16 September 2019 Time: 12:26 Type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan Operator: TwoFlex Registration: PT-MHC C/n / msn: 208B0543 First flight: 1996 Engines: 1 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 10 Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: near Manaus-Eduardo Gomes International Airport, AM (MAO) ( Brazil) Phase: Takeoff (TOF) Nature: Passenger Departure airport: Manaus-Eduardo Gomes International Airport, AM (MAO/SBEG), Brazil Destination airport: Maués Airport, AM (MBZ/SWMW), Brazil Narrative: A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, registration PT-MHC, crashed in a wooded area on takeoff from Manaus-Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Brazil. All ten on board survived the accident. Thunderstorm were present in the area around the time of departure. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20190916-0 Back to Top AAIB releases report into A319 single pilot landing at Glasgow The United Kingdom's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has released a report into an incident last year when a co-pilot of an Airbus 319 experienced an anxiety attack on approach to Glasgow. The plane was landed successfully by a single pilot. The anxiety attack the co-pilot experienced was triggered by an occurrence on a flight from Glasgow to Palma de Mallorca the previous day, the report indicates. On that day, on approach to Palma de Mallorca, a change in the wind displaced the aircraft towards the runway edge, prompting the commander to take control and perform a go-around. As it was the first time he experienced this, the event left the co-pilot feeling anxious. On the return flight to Glasgow on September 30, 2018, the commander mentioned wind shear, which "might have caused" the co-pilot's anxiety to develop into a panic attack, the report suggests. Unable to continue to operate the flight, the co-pilot left the flight deck, while the commander declared a PAN1. With the help of ATC and cabin crew, the aircraft was landed successfully by a single pilot and medical help was given for the co-pilot by emergency services on the ground. Investigators found that at the time, peer support or employee assistance program was offered for the airline's pilots, they were new and the co-pilot was not aware of them. The report also indicates that while the two pilots have talked about emotional issues the co-pilot was experiencing, "they did not communicate effectively". "The opportunity for the incident to occur might have been reduced by the co-pilot reporting unfit for duty, more effective communication between the co-pilot and the commander, and use of support available from peers or one of the official assistance programmes," is stated in the conclusion. "Experiencing a panic attack does not necessarily preclude someone from holding an aviation medical but, once known, the condition must be declared and adequately controlled," the report states. After receiving support from the airline, his AME and "other" medics, the co-pilot was allowed to return to flying. While the report does not mention which airline it was, planespotters.net data indicates that A319 with registration number G-EZGR belongs to EasyJet. https://www.aerotime.aero/aerotime.team/23938-aaib-releases-report-into-a319- single-pilot-landing-at-glasgow Back to Top A flight in India was delayed when a swarm of angry bees covered the cockpit window and attacked staff who tried to remove them * A domestic flight in India was delayed by two hours after a swarm of bees settled on the cockpit window, obscuring pilots' vision and attacking staff who tried to remove them. * The Air India flight was about to take off when the bees landed on the window. Staff tried fruitlessly to shoo them away and disperse them with the aircraft's windscreen wipers before calling the fire brigade. * Firefighters then used a hose to blast the bees away with water. * An airline spokesperson said bees could have "damaged the plane and harmed the passengers" if they flew into the engines," while a pilot said insects can harm pilots' visibility and mess with planes' sensitive controls. The flight, which had 136 passengers on board, including a Bangladeshi government minister, was ultimately delayed for around two hours by the bees. A domestic flight in India was delayed after a swarm of bees landed on the cockpit window, could not be dispersed and then attacked the staff who tried to remove them. Staff from Air India, which operated the flight, tried fruitlessly to remove the bees, but ultimately had to call in the fire brigade, which then used a hose to blast the insects away. The flight, which was scheduled to fly from Kolkata in India's north east, to Agartala, on the border with Bangladesh, had 136 passengers on board - one of whom was Bangladesh's information minister. The bees landed on the outside of the window just before the plane was due to take off from Kolkata, India, on Sunday, news agency Agence France-Presse reported. Airport staff tried to remove the bees from the window, but they then became angry and started to attack, according to the UK's The Telegraph newspaper, citing airport officials. They then tried to use the plane's windscreen wipers, but the bees stayed put. The Times of India said "thousands of bees" had landed on the window, blocking pilots' vision. Airport staff then decided to spray them off with water - a process that worked but needed the help of the fire brigade and took an hour. Kaushik Bhattcharya, an airport official, told AFP: "Fire tenders were deployed to spray water to dislodge the honey bees and they could be driven away after nearly an hour- long operation." The flight was already delayed by almost 90 minutes over a technical issue before the bees arrived, Simple Flying reported. The plane eventually took off more than three- and-a-half hours later than scheduled. A spokesperson for Air India spokesperson told The Telegraph that the bees could have "damaged the plane and harmed the passengers" if they flew into the engines. Planes are not allowed to take off if insects are on the cockpit window, an unnamed pilot told The Times of India. "First, the swarm hampers pilots' visibility. Secondly, each aircraft has several small probes, which determine the static pressure and the total pressure of an airflow located in the vicinity of the aircraft. "These are extremely sensitive and even if one bee goes inside the probe, the airspeed indicators can go wrong, leading to a major accident." Bhattcharya told The Times of India that airport staff have looked for hives around the airport, but have yet to find any. https://www.insider.com/air-india-flight-delayed-bees-cockpit-window-2019-9 Back to Top Japan Airlines to potentially purchase Malaysia Airlines stake The troubled South East Asian carrier, Malaysia Airlines, might be getting a savior to help its dire financial situation. Japan Airlines is seemingly rising to the occasion and eyeing a stake in the airline. The Malaysian government is looking for options to off-load Malaysia Airlines, as it is failing to post a profit since February 2016. Back then, the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Christoph Mueller, said that the target is "to break even by 2018", a target which has been missed by a mile. But is there hope for the airline to turn around its operations? While Malaysia Airlines' financial statements are rather uninformative and do not directly disclose the profit or loss numbers, the company has stated that it posted "lower losses than the year before" when it reported its FY2018 results, falling short of the turnaround plan. Launched by Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the sole stakeholder of the company, the 12-point plan had one goal in mind - Malaysia Airlines was to return to profitability in 2017, ensuring long-term financial stability at the carrier. As the airline kept losing money, the Malaysian government, which owns Khazanah Nasional Berhad and subsequently, the airline, got fed up. In March 2019, Malaysia's Prime Minister said that Malaysia Airlines "could be sold, shut or refinanced by the government". Rumors were circulating of several potential buyers, including AirAsia and even Qatar Airways, after the latter Group's CEO met with the Malaysian Prime Minister and several other Malaysian officials to "discuss key industry issues", according to a press release issued by Qatar Airways. Recent reports in the Malaysian news media indicate the ailing national carrier Malaysia Airlines may be put up for sale or possibly taken over by its low-cost competitor, AirAsia, unless the country's government comes up with a feasible turnaround plan for the airline. And now, Japan Airlines is the latest name popping up in the potential buyers' list, according to reports. The two airlines have "signed memorandum of understanding to pursue a joint business agreement" on May 27, 2019 - the agreement is not exclusive to codesharing, as the press release has indicated that Japan Airlines and Malaysia Airlines are looking to "cooperate in a wider scope" and to exchange "best practices", including developing tourism in Japan and Malaysia. Throwing money at a problem While a new stakeholder would improve the financial situation at the airline, the classic resolution of "throw money at it until it works" is not an optional solution to turn around the airline. Currently, Malaysia Airlines is the last dinosaur left in the region without a low-cost subsidiary. While flag carriers of neighboring countries, like Garuda Indonesia or Philippine Airlines, have established low-cost carriers to combat the likes of AirAsia long-ago, Malaysia Airlines is yet to do so. The Malaysia Airline System (MAS) has two subsidiaries, namely Firefly and MASwings, that are both operating as regional airlines with exclusive fleets of ATR-42 or ATR-72 turboprops. The decision not to establish a no-frills airline under the MAS umbrella shows - the group has lost 12% of total capacity in the Malaysian market and as of 2018, accounted for 21% of total capacity in the country. Meanwhile, AirAsia controls 50%, while Lion Air's Malaysian subsidiary, Malindo, has managed to move up the ranks since its establishment in 2012 and now controls 9% of the market in one of the biggest South East Asian economies. As mainline carriers consolidate the market share in Asia-Pacific, somebody has to fill the void left in the market. This is where the carriers like IndiGo or AirAsia Group come in: Instead, Khazanah decided to invest $1.5 billion (RM6.0 billion) to restructure the organization, including axing 6,000 jobs, moving the headquarters of MAS to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL), leadership changes and so on. Yet the 12-point plan missed a fundamental threat right in front of their eyes, as MAS kept losing market share to low-cost carriers. Even the big sharks of the low-cost business did not steer the boat in the right direction - Peter Bellew, a longtime executive at Ryanair, had a short tenure at Malaysia Airlines spanning from 2015 to 2017, where he held positions of Chief Operations Officer (COO) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). However, Bellew started laying the foundations of significantly reducing costs and, maybe, moving to a low-cost model on at least some flights - during his reign at the helm of the airline, Boeing, together with Malaysia Airlines, announced an order of 50 (25 firm, 25 options) Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. While now the MAX carries a much different reputation, back then it was only known for its MAX efficiency, bringing significantly reduced operational costs compared to any other narrow-body aircraft. In addition to ordering one of the most efficient aircraft, the deal was brokered with an impressive discount - 40% compared to an older order for 737NG, which the airline placed in 2008. After the second 737 MAX crashed in Ethiopia and the type was grounded worldwide, the airline was having second thoughts about the order, according to The Edge. Boeing was supposed to start deliveries to Malaysia Airlines in 2020, yet the grounding most certainly has put a delay on that timeline, as the manufacturer will face a one-of-a-kind logistical challenge to deliver the massive amount of jets sitting in parking lots all throughout Boeing's facilities in the United States. Question remains how much patience the Malaysian government still has with its ailing flag carrier, as it keeps bleeding money - reportedly, the sovereign wealth fund that controls Malaysia Airlines is looking to finalize a deal by the end of the year. Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund has hired Morgan Stanley to explore strategic options for Malaysia Airlines, including a potential stake sale, as part of a recovery plan for the country's struggling flag carrier. The move is the latest in a scramble to turn around the loss-making airline as speculation on potential buyers and conflicting views regarding how the carrier's woes should be dealt with continue. Another question is the direction Malaysia Airlines will turn if a deal will be finalized - with a lot of strategic opportunities and the backing of the local government or new faces at the executive table, there is still a glimmer of hope for the Malaysian flag carrier. https://www.aerotime.aero/rytis.beresnevicius/23939-japan-airlines-malaysia-airlines- stake Back to Top This is the world's busiest airport Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) - Once again, Atlanta rules the world. At least its airport does. More than 107 million passengers flew through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport last year, making it the busiest passenger airport in the world for the 21st year in a row. Atlanta also saw a 3.3% increase in passenger traffic, according to Airports Council International's world traffic report, which was released on September 16. Globally, passenger traffic increased to 8.8 billion last year, a 6.4% increase, while air cargo shipments increased by 3.4%. "The World Airport Traffic Report shows that even as smaller airports around the world continue to make strong gains, the largest hub airports continue to grow," said ACI World Director General Angela Gittens in a news release. "There were 16 airports handling more than 40 million passengers per annum in 2008 and there are now 54." But Gittens warned of the impact of protectionist policies around the world. "Protectionist rhetoric -- fueled by isolationist policies -- has swept several major economies in recent times and this has translated into a dismantling of established open trade relationships and regimes," Gittens said in the news release. Air transport relies on open markets to grow, she said. "Despite this, passenger traffic has remained resilient, posting annual growth rates above historical averages with the cost of travel decreasing in many markets and middle-class populations burgeoning in emerging markets," she said, adding that persistent isolationist policies could stifle growth in many countries. Major connecting hub 1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (United States). The Atlanta, Georgia, airport is the busiest passenger airport in the world, handling more than 107 million passengers in 2018, according to Airports Council International. Atlanta continues to dominate the passenger market because of its location as a major connecting hub and port of entry into North America. It's within a two-hour flight of 80% of the United States population of more than 300 million people. There was no change from 2017 in the rankings of the top three passenger airports. Coming in second place, Beijing Capital International Airport passed the 100 million passengers mark in 2018, hitting nearly 101 million passengers and growing by 5.4%. Third place Dubai Airport handled 89 million passengers, increasing by only 1%. (Dubai was also the top-ranked airport for international passenger traffic, followed by London's Heathrow Airport and Hong Kong International Airport.) Chicago's O'Hare International Airport knocked Atlanta out of the No. 1 spot for most aircraft movements, which is airport language for takeoffs and landings. O'Hare handled nearly 904,000 movements in 2018. Atlanta handled more than 895,000 movements, and Los Angeles International Airport handled nearly 708,000 movements. Overall, 2018 aircraft movements totaled 99.9 million, a 3.1% increase. As many as a dozen of the world's top 30 fastest-growing airports are located in China or India. The airport in Bangalore, India, is the No. 1 fastest-growing airport, with 32.3 million passengers in 2018 -- a whopping 29% increase. The world's busiest airports 2018 1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Georgia, US) -- 107.4 million passengers 2. Beijing Capital International Airport (China) -- 101 million 3. Dubai International Airport (United Arab Emirates) -- 89.1 million 4. Los Angeles International Airport (California, US) -- 87.5 million 5. Tokyo's Haneda Airport (Japan) -- 86.9 million 6. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (Illinois, US) -- 83.2 million 7. London's Heathrow Airport (United Kingdom) -- 80.1 million 8. Hong Kong International Airport (China) -- 74.5 million 9. Shanghai Pudong International Airport (China) -- 74 million 10. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (France) -- 72.2 million 11. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (Netherlands) -- 71 million 12. New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (India) -- 69.9 million 13. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (China) -- 69.7 million 14. Frankfurt Airport (Germany) -- 69.5 million 15. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (Texas, US) -- 69.1 million 16. Istanbul's Atatürk International Airport (Turkey) -- 68.4 million 17. Seoul's Incheon International Airport (South Korea) -- 68.4 million 18. Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Indonesia) -- 65.7 million 19. Singapore Changi Airport (Singapore) -- 65.6 million 20. Denver International Airport (Colorado, US) -- 64.5 million https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-busiest-airports-2018/index.html Back to Top Boeing raises 20-year forecast for China aircraft demand * Boeing on Tuesday raised its forecast for China's aircraft demand for the next 20 years, underpinned by expectations of robust air travel demand. * Growth in new fleet will be slower than the plane maker's prediction last year. * "An expanding middle class, significant investment in infrastructure, and advanced technologies that make airplanes more capable and efficient, continue to drive tremendous demand for air travel," said a Boeing official. Boeing Dreamliner 787 Air China planes sit on the production line at the company's final assembly facility in North Charleston, South Carolina. Boeing on Tuesday raised its forecast for China's aircraft demand for the next 20 years, underpinned by expectations of robust air travel demand, but growth in new fleet will be slower than the plane maker's prediction last year. Chinese carriers will need 8,090 new planes through 2038, 5.2% higher than Boeing's forecast last year. That would be worth nearly $1.3 trillion based on list prices. Last year, Boeing forecast a 6.2% growth in the country's new aircraft demand to 7,690 planes for the period to 2037. "An expanding middle class, significant investment in infrastructure, and advanced technologies that make airplanes more capable and efficient, continue to drive tremendous demand for air travel," said Randy Tinseth, vice president of commercial marketing for Boeing. Boeing and its European rival, Airbus, have been jostling to increase market share in China, the world's fastest growing aviation market, with both opening assembly plants in the country. But the global grounding of Boeing's 737 MAX fleet in the wake of two fatal crashes have constrained the ability of Chinese airlines to expand capacity, with softer travel demand pressuring passenger yields amid a slowing economy. Boeing projected a need for 5,960 new single-aisle airplanes over the next 20 years, representing 74% of total new deliveries, while China's wide body fleet will require 1,780 new planes, tripling the country's current wide body fleet size. China will also need about $1.6 trillion worth of commercial services for its aircraft fleet over the period, Boeing said. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/17/boeing-raises-20-year-forecast-for-china-aircraft- demand.html Back to Top Global Pilots Disturbed by Anti-Union Trend, IFALPA Says Issued from the Professional & Government Affairs Committee of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA): IFALPA's industrial branch is deeply concerned regarding the trend of anti-labour action being waged against pilot groups worldwide. Instances of escalating attacks and retaliation against union representatives for exercising their fundamental right to organize and strike have taken the form of investigation, disciplinary procedure, contract termination, and legal threats and actions. An ongoing example is that of the Colombian Pilots' Union (Acdac) and Avianca Airlines Management. For the past two years, Acdac's pilot representatives have faced an onslaught of discrimination, beginning with mass terminations and culminating in multiple personal criminal charges, all based upon exercising their legal right to strike. In today's news, Ryanair pilot representatives are being singled out for threatening and intimidating behaviour by airline management all over Europe. Ryanair Irish company council representatives are being sued by Ryanair for their legitimate, lawful representative activities. This is deplorable behaviour coming from any company, particularly one that claims to engage with unions in the spirit of pursuing normal social dialogue. Meanwhile, British Airways Management has attempted to strip their pilots of their legal right to strike with court challenges and has pursued other punitive actions against the pilot group and union representatives in the days leading up to, and following, strike action. IFALPA unequivocally supports the right of pilot groups to take industrial action when negotiations fail. The Federation believes that no pilot group should accept deteriorating salary and working conditions, unpredictable hours, a lack of job security, or the lack of a fair and equitable collective labour agreement. Pilot unions have demonstrated that they are responsible and fair partners with management in times of economic crisis and industry turmoil and they expect and demand that airline management be responsible and fair partners when those airlines are enjoying an unprecedented period of profitability. The Federation offers support, mutual assistance, and all other available resources to our Member Associations in order to address this disturbing trend on a global scale. The global voice of pilots will not stay silent on this issue. http://aviationtribune.com/airlines/north-america/global-pilots-disturbed-by-anti-union- trend-ifalpa-says/ Back to Top Meet The Nuclear-Powered Self-Driving Drone NASA Is Sending To A Moon Of Saturn NASA's Dragonfly mission will hop across Saturn's moon Titan, taking samples and photos. On the face of it, NASA's newest probe sounds incredible. Known as Dragonfly, it is a dual-rotor quadcopter (technically an octocopter, even more technically an X8 octocopter); it's roughly the size of a compact car; it's completely autonomous; it's nuclear powered; and it will hover above the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. But Elizabeth Turtle, the mission's principle investigator at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, insists that this is actually a pretty tame space probe, as these things go. "There's not a lot of new technology," she says. Quadcopters (even X8 octocopters) are for sale on Amazon these days. Self-driving technology is coming along quickly. Nuclear power is harder to come by, but the team plans on using the same kind of system that runs NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars. Everything that's going into Dragonfly is already being used somewhere else. Which is not to say that the idea of a nuclear-powered drone flying around a moon of Saturn doesn't sound kind of crazy. "Almost everyone who gets exposed to Dragonfly has a similar thought process. The first time you see it, you think: 'You gotta be kidding, that's crazy,'" says Doug Adams, the mission's spacecraft system's engineer. But, he says, "eventually, you come to realize that this is a highly executable mission." NASA reached that conclusion when, after a lot of careful study, they gave Dragonfly the green light earlier this summer. "This revolutionary mission would have been unthinkable just a few short years ago," NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said when the roughly $1 billion project was selected in June. "A great nation does great things." For Shannon MacKenzie, a postdoc on the mission, there's no destination that could be greater than Titan. The largest moon of Saturn, it has dunes, mountains, gullies and even rivers and lakes - though on Titan, it's so cold the lakes are filled with liquid methane, not water. "It is this complete package," she says. "It's this really unique place in the solar system where all of these different processes are coming together in a very Earth-like way." The NASA space probe Cassini used infrared light to peer through Titan's hazy atmosphere and take rough measurements of its surface. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona Turtle says these features are part of what made Titan a target. It also appears that the surface is covered in organic molecules. The climate is probably too harsh for those molecules to make the shift into life, but Turtle thinks Titan could provide clues about how the building blocks of life started on Earth. "All of these materials have been basically doing chemistry experiments for us," she says. "What we want to be able to do is go pick up the results of those experiments to understand the same kinds of steps that were taken here on Earth toward life." Titan has one more feature that's worth noting: Although its mainly nitrogen atmosphere is denser than Earth's, its gravity is far lower. That makes it the perfect place to take to the skies. "The conditions on Titan make it easier to fly there than on Earth," says Peter Bedini, the Dragonfly project manager. A drone is actually a much better way to explore such a world than a wheeled rover. Dragonfly will launch from Earth in 2026 and arrive on Titan in 2034. After it enters the atmosphere, it will literally drop from the back of the capsule that brought it and fly down to a set of sandy dunes on the surface. From there, it will make a series of "hops" over two years, sampling the ground and sending back data and photos. New Dragonfly Mission Flying Landing Sequence Animation Unlike other space probes, Dragonfly will simply buzz away from it's landing shell. Adams is confident Dragonfly will be able to safely buzz across Titan's terrain. Because it can take nearly an hour-and-a-half for a signal to reach Titan from Earth, it will have to fly autonomously. But, he says, there's not a lot to run in to: "We make the joke if we hit a tree, then we win because we found a tree on Titan," he says. Adams plans on leveraging a lot of technology from the recent drone revolution here on Earth. Radars, motors and software can all be used, or relatively easily adapted for Dragonfly. There is one thing he can't bring however: "We don't actually have a map, there's no GPS, there's no magnetic field even to orient yourself," he says. He says the drone will navigate by continuously photographing the landscape, creating its own "map" as it goes. For now, the Dragonfly team is still working with drones here on Earth to figure out how to build systems and software the probe will eventually need. But Turtle says they have time before the 2026 launch. "There's a lot to do between now and then," says Turtle. But she adds, it's all very doable. https://www.npr.org/2019/09/17/760649353/meet-the-nuclear-powered-self-driving- drone-nasa-is-sending-to-a-moon-of-saturn Back to Top Aviation Cybersecurity Survey Like many industries, the aviation industry is going through a technology transformation that stretches from satellites to aircraft to airports and supply chain and more. But with this transformation and increased digitisation and connectivity and across the aviation industry, the resilience and security of such systems becomes critically important. Adversaries have always seen the aviation sector as a key target; as it increasingly digitizes, understanding what this means for managing cybersecurity risk is of key importance. As a result, there is a great deal of work focusing on aviation cybersecurity globally, from the proposed ICAO Aviation Cybersecurity Strategy to regional and industry initiatives. But with such a complex and varied sector, it can be challenging to really hear and understand the different perspectives and concerns on the topic of aviation cyber security; ultimately, the more we understand the nature of the aviation cybersecurity challenge, the better we can develop strategies at all levels to protect ourselves and move forwards. To help understand the different perspectives on aviation cybersecurity, to help the entire sector understand the nature of the challenge; the first ever survey on aviation cyber security is being conducted by myself and the Atlantic Council Cyber Statecraft Initiative**, with funding by Thales. It is fully anonymous, focusses on learning about different viewpoints and will help us understand the 'now' of aviation cybersecurity; (it does not ask any questions on breaches, etc...!). The aviation industry and the roles and organisations that support it are diverse. For the purposes of this survey, we are defining Aviation Cybersecurity as being cybersecurity that relates to aircraft operations. This includes everything that involves safely and securely getting aircraft and passengers from A-to-B, along with the supply chain of products and services that enables this. We would love everybody in the aviation industry that has an operational role, cybersecurity role, support it with products and services or cybersecurity research to contribute to the survey. With the topic being a broad one, we are keen to get not just the perspectives of those working at the cross-over of aviation and cybersecurity but also anyone contributing to the aviation sector. The survey should take less than 15 minutes and the results of the survey will be free and published openly in mid-November 2019. If you would like, you are also able to request a copy of the final report and details of the launch. If you have any questions you can get in touch via cyber@atlanticcouncil.org The link to the survey is below. Please contribute, support and distribute the survey to your own colleagues, organisations and relevant contacts, the more that contribute to the survey, the better results and understanding we will get. Website; http://aviationcyber.atlanticcouncil.org/the-global-survey-on-aviation-cybersecurity/ Direct Link; https://www.research.net/r/Aviationcybersecurity If you have any questions, then please either get in touch with myself, or the contact details contained on the survey. Pete Cooper *Pete Cooper, MSc, FRAeS is a cyber strategy adviser across multiple sectors but with a focus on aviation. He has advised IATA and ICAO on cybersecurity strategy as well as nation states, and multi-national organisations. He is the author of 'Finding Lift, Minimising drag' which explored the cybersecurity challenges of the aviation sector and is the lead for the Aviation Village at DEF CON where he works to build bridges between the research community and the aviation sector in partnership with US DHS and the USAF. He is also the founder and Director of the Cyber 9/12 UK Strategy Challenge, which finds and develops the next generation of cyber security leaders. Before entering the commercial sector, Pete was a fast jet pilot and instructor in the Royal Air Force and then moved into cyber security where he held the role of strategic cyber operations adviser. He holds a post Grad from Cranfield University and is CEO of Pavisade. **The Atlantic Council Cyber Statecraft Initiative focus is to: 1) examine the nexus of geopolitics and national security with cyberspace; 2) continue to build out the new field of cyber safety in the Internet of Things; and 3) help build the next generation of cybersecurity and cyberspace policy professionals. Throughout all of its work, the Initiative focuses relentlessly on providing practical, innovative, and relevant solutions to the challenges in cyberspace. The Initiative brings together a diverse network of respected experts, bridging the gap between the technical and policy communities. Curt Lewis