Flight Safety Information December 31, 2019 - No. 269 In This Issue Boeing 737 Max Should Return In 2020 But The Crisis Won't Be Over Turkish Airlines, Boeing reach 737 Max aircraft compensation deal Incident: Commut E145 at Montreal on Dec 27th 2019, overran displaced runway end on landing \Incident: iAero B734 at San Jose on Dec 29th 2019, engine shut down in flight Incident: AirAsia A320 at Langkawi on Dec 30th 2019, smoke in cabin Mysterious swarms of giant drones have started to appear in the Colorado and Nebraska night sky India has made commercial pilot licences faster and easier to beat the shortage in airlines Cause Of Deadly EgyptAir Crash Finally Revealed? Italian Carrier Ernest Airlines To Suspend Operations Thailand set to launch two more budget airlines in 2020 Vietnam Airlines Launches Its 19th Route To China Most 'Eligible' British Airways Aircraft Will Have Wifi In A Year How Electronic Technical Logbooks Enable Seamless Pilot-to-Maintenance Collaboration Pilot shortage can't be addressed by existing programs, docs suggest Air Kiribati receives its first E190-E2 jet 2020 is the year of the $1 trillion space economy RESEARCH SURVEY...SMS for small operators: does it make sense? Flight Safety Officer Course from SCSI Laura Taber Barbour Aviation Scholarship Fund Call for Papers - ISASI 2020 Boeing 737 Max Should Return In 2020 But The Crisis Won't Be Over The Boeing 737 Max will likely return to service sometime in 2020, but that won't close the books on one of the aerospace giant's worst crises in its 103-year history. Boeing (BA) will have to address key questions, such as how quickly production can ramp back up and how much compensation airlines will get for the grounding. Lawsuits from families of crash victims and investigations are also pending. The Securities and Exchange Commission is reportedly probing Boeing's financial disclosures related to the grounding. Congress, the Justice Department, FBI and the Transportation Department inspector general's office also have been looking to see if the company provided misleading information about the Boeing 737 Max to regulators and customers. And the FAA is investigating 737 Max production practices. For now, top Boeing 737 Max customers expect the plane to fly again in early to late spring. Southwest Airlines (LUV) and American Airlines (AAL) removed the jet from their schedules until April, while United Airlines (UAL) has removed it until June. But those are just the U.S. carriers with the Boeing 737 Max in their fleets. Depending on when regulators around the world OK the plane, the return to service elsewhere may take longer. Chairman and incoming CEO Dave Calhoun suggested in an interview with CNBC in November that the return of the Boeing 737 Max may take until 2021 to complete "in its entirety." Then there is the flying public. Airlines will have to deal with passengers who find out if their flight is on a Boeing 737 Max and want to change to a different plane. Some airlines will let skittish passengers switch, but European budget carrier Ryanair (RYAAY) reportedly won't and won't offer refunds either. Boeing 737 Max Production Outlook To stop the flow of grounded jets spilling out into employee parking lots at the Seattle- area factory, Boeing will halt production of the narrow-body jet starting in January and told its suppliers to stop deliveries starting in mid-January. Boeing previously slowed 737 Max production to 41 a month in April as the global grounding took hold, but planned to ramp up to 46 by the end of 2019, then to 52 by February 2020, and to 57 by the end of 2020. The failure of the Boeing 737 Max to obtain clearance this month to fly again has thrown that timeline out the window. But a whistleblower warning also threatens the ability to ramp up, even when the plane is recertified. Former Boeing employee Edward Pierson told Congress earlier in December that he witnessed a factory in chaos and reported serious concerns about production quality to senior Boeing leadership months before the Lion Air crash in 2018. FAA chief Stephen Dickson revealed at a Capitol Hill hearing that the regulator has opened a probe into Boeing 737 Max production processes after the whistleblower warning surfaced. He also suggested more enforcement action may be on the way. Join IBD Live For Stock Ideas Each Morning Before The Open Charges To Weigh On Boeing Earnings, Cash Flow Boeing has booked $9.2 billion in charges relating to the 737 Max grounding, and the production halt won't stop the bleeding. The company will still burn through $1 billion a month during the halt, though that's down from $2 billion a month before the halt, according to a JPMorgan analyst. Moody's recently cut Boeing's debt rating one notch to A3, saying the production halt will mean additional financial support to many suppliers, elevated risk in the production system, and higher customer compensation, which will lower 737 margins and cash generation "for years to come." The company hasn't detailed the financial impact to suspending output, but Spirit AeroSystems (SPR), which gets about 50% of its revenue from the Boeing 737 Max, has suspended production of fuselages. Meanwhile, engine supplier General Electric will boost production of its Leap 1A for Airbus (EADSY) to help offset lost sales to Boeing during the 737 Max production halt, according to the Wall Street Journal. Spillover From Boeing 737 Max Crisis Before the crashes, the FAA often delegated key tasks to Boeing, and global regulators had often followed the FAA's lead. Not anymore. And that new relationship will have long-term effects on the 737 Max as well as other planes. The FAA will have to approve every Boeing 737 Max before delivery to airlines, the regulator said in late November. Boeing previously had authorization to perform routine predelivery safety checks by itself. In addition, European, Brazilian and Chinese aviation regulators have their own requirements, separate from the FAA's, to be fulfilled before the jet can return to service. Other Boeing planes will likely face extra scrutiny too. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has said it will conduct its own "concurrent validation" of the FAA's certification of the next-generation Boeing 777. The UAE's aviation regulator will review the certification process of the 777X as well, sources told the Wall Street Journal. The UAE's move is key as it affects the Emirates airline, which is a major 777X customer. And that's for an update to an existing aircraft. How will regulators treat a totally new plane? Boeing has said it's still considering a midmarket aircraft with a clean-sheet design. Boeing CEO Turnover Former CEO Dennis Muilenburg had reportedly antagonized the FAA with his predictions on when the Boeing 737 Max would return to service. That prompted the FAA to push back as it sought to counter the image of the regulator having a cozy relationship with Boeing. After being removed as chairman in October, Muilenburg was fired from his CEO role on Dec. 23. Calhoun will take over on Jan. 13, and a top priority will be to repair ties with the FAA. Analysts were bullish on his appointment as CEO. Bernstein analyst Douglas Harned called him the right choice "given his managerial skills and knowledge," according to a recent note. Calhoun has a long history of working in aviation and helping turn companies around during a crisis. He was appointed to run General Electric's (GE) jet engine business after 9/11. He's also served on Boeing's board since 2009. But Boeing's CEO turnover won't stop with Muilenburg's ouster. The company has a mandatory retirement age of 65, meaning 62-year-old Calhoun can only serve a few years. That leaves enormous pressure on Calhoun and the company to quickly find a replacement and prepare him or her for the role. "He is likely to have a relatively short tour of duty at Boeing," Robert Stallard, an analyst at Vertical Research Partners, said in a research note. Calhoun's focus will be "getting the 737 Max back into service without further aggravation, and starting the process of finding a new CEO and senior management team that can potentially get Boeing back on track." https://www.investors.com/news/boeing-737-max-service-return-2020-crisis-not-over/ Back to Top Turkish Airlines, Boeing reach 737 Max aircraft compensation deal Grounded Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are seen parked at Renton Municipal Airport in Renton ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Airlines and Boeing Co have agreed on compensation for certain losses caused by grounded and undelivered Boeing 737 Max aircraft, the Turkish airline said on Tuesday. The statement to the Istanbul stock exchange did not specify the deal's value, but Hurriyet newspaper said it was worth $225 million: $150 million in compensation and $75 million covering things such as spare parts and training. Turkish Airlines has 24 Boeing 737 MAX planes in its fleet. The 737 MAX has been grounded since March after two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people within five months, costing the plane manufacturer more than $9 billion so far. In December, a media report had said Turkish Airlines was preparing to open a court case against Boeing in relation to its losses. Last week, Boeing fired chief executive Dennis Muilenburg after the company repeatedly failed to contain the fallout from the crashes, which halted output of its best-selling jetliner and tarnished its reputation. Boeing acknowledged this month it would not be able to reach its 2019 targets and announced it would halt 737 MAX production in January. https://www.yahoo.com/news/turkish-airlines-boeing-reach-737-054542916.html Back to Top Incident: Commut E145 at Montreal on Dec 27th 2019, overran displaced runway end on landing A Commutair Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of United, registration N14148 performing flight C5-5005/UA- 5005 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Montreal,QC (Canada), landed on Montreal's runway 24R at about 12:51L (17:51Z) but was unable to stop before the runway end, that had been displaced temporarily due to repair work on the runway. The aircraft was subsequently cleared to taxi along the closed portion of the runway to the apron. The Canadian TSB reported there were no injuries and no damage. The available runway length was 7068 feet. Freezing precipitation prevailed at the time of landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d151fd3&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: iAero B734 at San Jose on Dec 29th 2019, engine shut down in flight A iAero (former Swift Air) Boeing 737-400, registration N803TJ performing flight WQ-5093 from San Jose,CA to Topeka,KS (USA) carrying the Kansas basketball team, was climbing through FL310 when the right hand engines suffered a series of compressor stalls. The crew shut the engine down and returned to San Jose for a safe landing about 45 minutes after departure. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWQ5093/history/20191229/2330Z/KSJC/KFOE http://avherald.com/h?article=4d14f55e&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: AirAsia A320 at Langkawi on Dec 30th 2019, smoke in cabin An AirAsia Airbus A320-200, registration 9M-AGU performing flight AK-9327 from Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) with 151 passengers and 5 crew, was in the initial climb when the flight crew decided to return to Langkawi reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely back in Langkawi about 13 minutes after departure. The aircraft vacated the runway and taxied to the apron, then an emergency evacuation via both left and right forward doors and slides took place. A replacement A320-200N registration 9M-RAP reached Kuala Lumpur with a delay of about 8.5 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d14f0f2&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Mysterious swarms of giant drones have started to appear in the Colorado and Nebraska night sky, and nobody knows where they're coming from Mysterious swarms of giant drones have dotted the Colorado and Nebraska night sky since last week, The Denver Post first reported. The drones appear and disappear at roughly the same time each night in swarms of at least 17 and up to 30. The drones appear to measure about 6 feet across. Local and federal government authorities say they have no idea where the drones are coming from. They do not appear to be malicious, however, and a drone expert says they appear to be searching or mapping out the area. Something strange has been happening in Eastern Colorado at night. Since the week of Christmas, giant drones measuring up to 6 feet across have been spotted in the sky at night, sometimes in swarms as large as 30. The Denver Post first reported these mysterious drone sightings in northeastern Colorado on December 23. Since then, sightings have spanned six counties across Colorado and Nebraska. Phillips County Sheriff Thomas Elliott had no answer for where the drones came from or whom they belonged to but did have a rough grasp on their flying habits. "They've been doing a grid search, a grid pattern," he told The Denver Post. "They fly one square and then they fly another square." The drones, estimated to have 6-foot wingspans, have been flying over Phillips and Yuma counties every night for about the past week, Elliott said Monday. Each night, at least 17 drones appear at about 7 o'clock and disappear at about 10 o'clock, staying 200 to 300 feet in the air. The Federal Aviation Administration told The Post it had no idea where the drones came from. Representatives for the Air Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the US Army Forces Command all said the drones did not belong to their organizations. As the airspace where the drones are flying is relatively ungoverned, there are no regulations requiring the drone operators to identify themselves. Elliott, however, said the drones did not appear to be malicious. The Post spoke with the commercial photographer and drone pilot Vic Moss, who said the drones appeared to be searching or mapping out the area. Moss said drones often flew at night for crop-examination purposes. The drones might also belong to a local Colorado drone company, which could be testing new technologies. In the meantime, Moss urges residents not to shoot down the drones, as they are highly flammable. "It becomes a self-generating fire that burns until it burns itself out," he told The Post. "If you shoot a drone down over your house and it lands on your house, you might not have a house in 45 minutes." https://www.yahoo.com/news/mysterious-swarms-giant-drones-started- 203708758.html Back to Top India has made commercial pilot licences faster and easier to beat the shortage in airlines' most-expensive asset * India is estimated to have nearly 8,000 pilots for over 650 commercial aircraft fleet. * The growth rate of the commercial aircraft fleet has also led to an increase in the demand for over 28,000 pilots over the next two decades. * There are over 400 expat pilots in India. * In the last two years, the hiring of pilots witnessed an 88% rise, as per the data by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA). * The shortage of pilots and cabin crew has been affecting the Indian aviation industry for long. This is in spite of having nearly 8,000 pilots over 650 commercial aircraft fleet. But at the rate at which commercial aircraft fleet is growing suggests that the country will need over 28,000 pilots over the next two decades. But there is an existing crunch too, which has attracted 400 expats for the job. While Tata Vistara hired eight expat pilots, Indigo and Go Air have as many as 239 and 64 of them, respectively. Needless to say, but pilots are the most expensive asset of airlines and are paid the highest as compared to airport staff, cabin crew and aircraft engineers. "India is a case where there are many pilots who haven't found jobs and there are airlines that haven't found enough pilots. The bridge could well be a finishing school like in other professions," Ameya Joshi, the founder of NetworkThoughts told CNBC. In the last two years, hiring of pilots witnessed an 88% rise, as per the data by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA). Yet, crew shortages are so bad that they are disrupting flight schedules. In February, IndiGo, India's largest airline cancelled nearly 70 flights for a week - due to shortage of pilots. On the other hand, Go Air suspended almost 20 flights. Pilot hiring picks up As a response to the dire need, the government has automated the process of issuing Commercial Pilot License - which is expected to benefit over 700 aspiring pilots. As of December 2019, over 2,300 pilots were hired via recruitment exams conducted by the airlines this year - compared to 2,917 recruited in the last two years. IndiGo hired the most number of pilots at 1,088 followed by SpiceJet, Air Asia and Vistara, Businessline reported. Air India which is facing its problems like excessive debt and a possible sell-off, is not hiring as much. Adding salt to the wound, the pilots union announced mass resignations after government decided to put up the national carrier on sale. Even as 120 pilots resigned in protest, but it hired merely 21 pilots in 2019 - down from 232 in 2017. https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/india-has-made-commercial-pilot-licences- faster-and-easier-to-beat-the-shortage-in-airlines-most-expensive- asset/articleshow/73032441.cms Back to Top Cause Of Deadly EgyptAir Crash Finally Revealed? Oh EgyptAir... EgyptAir's Mysterious Plane Crashes EgyptAir has historically had a not-amazing safety record, and perhaps most alarming has been that the cause of two crashes remains unknown. This is concerning because airlines can't do anything to improve safety if they're not able to (or are unwilling to) figure out or admit what happened. The two crashes that stand out are the following: * In 1999 EgyptAir 990 crashed enroute from New York to Cairo; most international investigators agree that the relief pilot intentionally crashed the plane, while Egyptian authorities strongly dispute that * In 2016 EgyptAir 804 crashed enroute from Paris to Cairo; up until now the cause has been unknown, with Egyptian investigators insisting that a bomb detonated onboard, though international investigators have disputed that It's incredibly mysterious that the cause of a plane crash as recent as 2016 can't be determined. Then again, a 777 disappeared into thin air just a few years prior to that, so I guess nothing is out of the realm of possibility. Anyway, it looks like we now have a better sense of what caused the crash of EgyptAir 804. EgyptAir 804 Basics & Theories EgyptAir 804 was scheduled to fly from Paris to Cairo on May 19, 2016, and was operated by an A320. The plane crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, and killed all 66 people onboard. Up until now Egyptian authorities have insisted that a bomb went off on the plane. They've based this on traces of TNT being found on the bodies of victims, though since bodies were in seawater for several weeks, other authorities said it was normal for traces of such explosives to be found. Furthermore, these were never found on the bodies of French victims that were returned to the country. International investigators have disputed this theory all along. They say that a smoke detector in the forward lavatory went off, and that shortly before the crash passengers moved towards the back of the plane, suggesting there was a fire near the front of the plane. Some Clues As To What Really Happened The Wall Street Journal has revealed disturbing findings from an investigation into what happened to EgyptAir 804. The issue seems to stem from the fact that Egyptian authorities were in charge of the investigation (since it was an EgyptAir plane), and they've withheld key information from other investigators. They simply insisted that a bomb brought down the plane, but were unwilling to share a lot of their findings, citing the secrecy of their counterterrorism inquiry. Now a French judicial probe has been completed (since French citizens died on the plane), which paints a very different picture of what happened. They have determined that maintenance and safety lapses left the plane unsafe to fly in the days before it crashed. Specifically, a leak of oxygen in the cockpit preceded a fire that likely disabled the plane. According to this investigation, automated messages from the A320 involved in the crash reported serious mechanical errors on the final five flights, and those were largely ignored by the airline. The pilots on these flights never mentioned the issues in post-flight reports, even though these issues should have set off alarms inside the plane. The EgyptAir ground technician also said that neither the airline nor the pilots informed him of these issues. On top of that, investigators are questioning if the EgyptAir technician in Paris who inspected the plane was qualified to service aircraft in Europe. According to the documents from the investigation: "The plane should have been checked during its four previous flights, and should not have left Cairo after the appearance of repeated faults that were not reported by successive teams." It's clear that the Egyptian officials have been trying to block this investigation to such a great degree. In May 2018 the French and Egyptians met in Cairo, and French authorities were allowed to view aircraft debris, but not touch it. The French asked for a copy of the plane's cockpit voice recorder, but Egyptian authorities refused, citing it as a secret criminal investigation. But as it turns out, information was even being withheld between French investigators. France's air crash investigation bureau held a backup copy of the data for quite a while, but refused to share it with the French judicial probe, arguing that they promised Egyptian authorities that they wouldn't. So arguably that delayed the investigation by about 18 months. Bottom Line While I've enjoyed my flights on EgyptAir, it's always disheartening and irresponsible for an airline (or perhaps country in this case, since EgyptAir is state owned) to be more focused on covering up problems and fault, than to focus on making the airline as safe as possible (in fairness, Boeing could be described in a similar way at the moment). I'm happy to see that we're getting closer to finding out what really happened to EgyptAir 804. https://onemileatatime.com/egyptair-crash/ Back to Top Italian Carrier Ernest Airlines To Suspend Operations Italian budget carrier Ernest Airlines is being forced to suspend its operations two weeks from now. The suspension comes from Italy's National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC). There have not been any specific reasons provided publicly for the suspension. However, Ernest's website says it hopes to restore operations as soon as possible. Ernest Airlines is based in Milan, Italy - operating out of both Milano Bergamo and Milano Malpensa airports. Photo: Julia Novitska via Wikimedia Commons Sudden and unexpected The news of the suspension comes without warning, catching many travelers off guard. The following announcement is up on Ernest's website: "Dear passengers, unfortunately, we must temporarily close the sales of our flights departing from 13 January 2020 as the National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) has disposed a suspension of our operating license starting January 13th, 2020. The flights will be restored on the site as soon as the revocation of this provision is published. The license can be restored following the demonstration by Ernest S.p.A. to be in possession of the requirements prescribed by the current legislation on the matter and to obtain the revocation of the provision issued by ENAC." However, according to Flight Global, the airline states that there are "no imminent critical issues" which would jeopardize operational safety. ENAC states that the suspension is temporary and revokable. This means that its license can be restored when it is able to demonstrate compliance with current regulations and standards. "Our company is taking all the necessary actions aimed at obtaining the revocation of [the prohibition]," -Ernest Airlines via Flight Global What to do if you're affected While the news is sudden, thankfully the suspension will only begin after the busy holiday travel period. ENAC says the deferment of the suspension is in consideration of the holiday period, including for Ukraine as many Ukrainian's celebrate Orthodox Christmas Day on January 7th. Passengers who have flights booked with Ernest after January 13th are being asked to contact the airline via phone or email to change their flights free of charge. The airline is also allowing full refunds of tickets. Its website states that only requests coming directly from passengers involved in the delay, cancellation or denied boarding will be accepted. Ernest is also advising travelers not to go to the airport. Ernest operates in cities across France, Spain, Italy, Ukraine, and Albania. Anna Zvereva via Wikimedia Commons About Ernest Airlines Ernest began in 2015 with a combination of Italian and Swedish investment and obtained its operation certificates in 2017. The company says it has roughly 200 staff working out of its offices in Milan. ch-Aviation reports that Ernest Airlines currently operates one A319-100 and three A320-200s. These four aircraft together serve mainly two key markets from Italy: Albania and Ukraine. It operates to Tirana from eight Italian cities. In Ukraine, it serves four major cities including the capital of Kyiv. In the west, Ernest flies to Ibiza and Menorca in Spain and Toulouse in France. Conclusion Hopefully, the airline can rectify whatever irregularities exist with its operations and get back into the good books of the civil aviation authorities. Unfortunately without any indication of the reason for suspension, we can't even speculate as to how long this suspension may last. https://simpleflying.com/ernest-suspension-order/ Back to Top Thailand set to launch two more budget airlines in 2020 While Thailand's flagship Thai Airways struggles, two new budget airlines are preparing to take off in 2020. The past decade has been challenging for Thailand's legacy airline whilst newer, more nimble and cashed-up players enter the market. As reported in The Thaiger last week, both Thai Summer Airways and Thai Eastar Jet have gained Air Operating Licenses from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand and are now in the process of gaining their Air Operator Certificates. CAAT director-general Chula Sukmanop said that by law, new airlines must commence commercial flights within 12 months of being granted their AOL. "Technically, the two airlines will have to go into operation before the end of next year." Both airlines planing to offer charter flights in the early stages of operation until their full schedules settle in. The two will be the first Thai-registered airliners to begin commercial flights since Thailand was red-flagged by the International Civil Aviation Authority in June 2015 due to "significant safety concerns." Bu in October 2017, the ICAO lifted the red flag, indicating that Thailand's aviation safety standards now meet international benchmarks. Thai Eastar Jet, a joint venture between Thai and South Korean investors, will begin by operating charter services between Bangkok and the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung, but it plans to build a core business flying between Thailand and South Korea. Thai Summer Airways, a joint venture between with Chinese investors, will concentrate on routes between Thailand and China using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Both new airlines are jumping aboard the trend for increased Thai tourism, with tourist numbers in Thailand are up by nearly 3% in 2019. Western tourist numbers have flatlined but Asian tourism is on the rise, especially from China and India. Across Asia, incomes are rising and more people are flying more frequently, with more airlines taking up the challenge and opening more destinations. In 2019, 64% of all tourists in Thailand came from just five Asian countries - China, Malaysia, South Korea, Laos, and Malaysia. https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism/thailand-set-to-launch-two-more-budget- airlines-in-2020 Back to Top Vietnam Airlines Launches Its 19th Route To China Beginning 19 January, Vietnam Airlines will operate flights between Danang, Vietnam and Shanghai, China. With the addition of this new route, Vietnam Airlines will operate a total of 19 different routes between Vietnam and China. Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321-231 Vietnam Airlines will open its 19th route to China in January. Photo: Aero Icarus via Flickr As reported by Business Traveller today, Vietnam Airlines will be launching its 19th route between Vietnam and China on 19 January. According to Vietnam Airlines, it already operates flights direct to a number of major Chinese cities. Current routes include Shanghai - Danang - Hanoi/ Ho Chi Minh City and Danang - Shanghai - Hangzhou - Danang. Lucky number 19 2019 was a good year for the Vietnamese flag carrier, as it opened a number of new routes throughout Southeast Asia and further afield. Back in October, Vietnam Airlines announced two new leisure routes out of Ho Chi Minh City - one to Phuket, Thailand and one to Bali, Indonesia. The new Danang to Shanghai flights will run twice-weekly on Thursdays and Sundays. Flights out of Danang will depart at 5:55pm local time, while flights from Shanghai will depart at 11:20pm local time. According to the airline, the new Danang to Shanghai route will operate with four-star service on its Airbus A321s. Airbus A321-231 'VN-A334' Vietnam Airlines Vietnam Airlines will operate the route with the Airbus A321. Photo: Alan Wilson via Flickr Cause for celebration Vietnam and China are neighbours and both countries' populations are among the most well-travelled in the region. There are also increasingly important business ties between the two. With this in mind, it's no surprise that there is a high demand for flights between Vietnam and China. But even so, 19 routes between the two countries for Vietnam Airlines alone is impressive. To celebrate the milestone 19th route, Vietnam Airlines is offering special reduced-fare tickets for a limited time only. Customers who buy tickets between 30 December 2019 and 31 January 2020 for flights departing between 19 January 2020 and 28 March 2020 will be able to snag a return trip between Danang and Shanghai from just $227. The airline says the tickets are "purchasable via Vietnam Airlines' official website, mobile app, ticketing offices, and agents under certain conditions." Vietnam Airlines When it comes to regional competition, Vietnam Airlines has a lot. Not only does it have a sizeable domestic competitor in VietJet Air, it also has a number of major international competitors in China. Vietnam Airlines itself is by no means small. In fact, at the end of October, it welcomed its 100th aircraft to its fleet. The third of a total order of eight Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners arrived on 22nd October with a ceremony attended by Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister, Truong Hoa Binh. The acquisition of the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner by Vietnam Airlines was a big deal. Not only was Vietnam Airlines one of the first few airlines to receive the type, but the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner also became the largest aircraft flown by any Vietnamese carrier. This is a milestone that many within the country's political sphere are well aware of. Vietnam Airlines has grand plans to lift Vietnam's aviation industry among the tough local competition, and it looks like it's on the right track. https://simpleflying.com/vietnam-airlines-launches-its-19th-route-to-china/ Back to Top Most 'Eligible' British Airways Aircraft Will Have Wifi In A Year Many will be preparing for the new year by drafting a list of resolutions for 2020. British Airways was no different, releasing a list of 20 resolutions for 2020. One of these involves the rollout of WiFi to the majority of its aircraft by the end of 2020. British Airways, WiFi, Internet British Airways will install WiFi on a majority of eligible aircraft next year. Photo: British Airways In-flight WiFi is increasingly important when it comes to attracting customers. In fact, in a 2018 survey by Inmarsat 67% of passengers are more likely to rebook with an airline if it offers WiFi. This figure was even more significant if you only look at business travellers. This is clearly something that British Airways is aware of, as it looks to up its WiFi availability. Which British Airways aircraft currently offer WiFi? In August we took a look at British Airways' WiFi offering and compared it to the rival airline, Virgin Atlantic. Only around 30% of British Airways' short-haul fleet was equipped with WiFi connections. This includes three Airbus A319s, 34 Airbus A320s, four Airbus A320neos, and six Airbus A321s. Taking a look at the long haul fleet, we saw that 64% of the airline's long-distance fleet now has WiFi enabled. Of course, since then, the airline has received three more Airbus A350s with WiFi enabled. British Airways, WiFi, Internet WiFi is a key driver of passenger loyalty according to Inmarsat. Photo: British Airways What was in British Airway's resolution British Airways today released a list of 20 new years resolutions to achieve by the end of 2020. Regarding the installation of wireless internet, the carrier said: The majority of eligible aircraft will be WiFi ready by the end of 2020. The airline hasn't gone into exactly what number "the majority" converts to. Additionally, the airline didn't specify which aircraft are eligible. However, we can have a good guess. According to the users over at FlyerTalk, 18 long-haul and 27 short-haul aircraft won't be receiving WiFi. This includes the Boeing 747 aircraft which are currently without WiFi. These aircraft will also not receive the new Club Suite seat as they are due to retired in the coming years. The other long-haul aircraft not set to receive retrofitted WiFi are the airline's three Boeing 777-200 aircraft. These are also due to be replaced. British Airways, WiFi, Internet All of the airline's A350's are equipped with WiFi. Photo: British Airways On the short-haul side of the fleet, 27 aircraft will not be receiving a WiFi retrofit. These are all Airbus A319s. As a result, this leaves 64 short-haul aircraft and 24 long-haul aircraft, a total of 88, still in need of WiFi. A total of 221 aircraft will receive or have already received WiFi capabilities. As such, the goal has already been met, even if British Airways were to install no WiFi in 2020. https://simpleflying.com/most-eligible-british-airways-aircraft-will-have-wifi-in-a-year/ Back to Top How Electronic Technical Logbooks Enable Seamless Pilot-to-Maintenance Collaboration Kirk Strutt, Aerospace & Defense Product Manager, IFS, explains how, when done correctly, an electronic technical logbook can streamline all departments on the day of operations-from pilots, mechanics, engineers and the maintenance control center-to ensure better communication, improved safety and quicker turnarounds. The aircraft technical logbook plays a key role in aircraft turnarounds. It is the primary communication tool between pilots and a maintenance organization. Pilots can see the maintenance status of the aircraft and then report any faults back and forth with the maintenance team-but efforts to digitize this process have so far been ineffective. Here, Kirk Strutt, Aerospace & Defense Product Manager, IFS, outlines how the next generation of electronic technical logbooks can strike a balance between pilot engagement, maintenance readiness and aircraft safety. The Principal Director of Accenture's aerospace and defense practice, Craig Gottlieb, recently went on record to say latest research shows aerospace and defense companies are scaling more than 55 percent of their digital proofs-of-concept to production. However, fewer than 20 percent of them do so successfully to create lasting benefit to their business. Electronic aircraft technical logbooks would seem to be one such development. The over-arching benefit of a digitized electronic technical logbook is to minimize silos of information between the day of operations workforce-enabling all stakeholders to work in unison to make the aircraft serviceable and ready to depart on time with passengers. This incredibly paper-heavy process of aircraft technical logbooks seems the obvious target to digitize yet attempts to do so have fallen far short of the mark, mostly due to problems with complexity of the solutions which have been brought forward. The result is an extremely low adoption rate of true electronic technical logbooks among commercial airlines. First let's look at the reasons why this has been the case. Electronic Technical Logbooks Historically Provide Complexity for Airlines The issue with a paper-based aircraft technical logbook is that all the information it houses essentially sits as a silo outside the core maintenance system an airline may be using-regardless of the software provider an airline uses. These core maintenance systems are incredibly granular and complex, for good reason as they provide a view of all aircraft maintenance activity, right down to every nut and bolt. But the logbook itself exists as a simple way of interacting between maintenance organization and pilot to minimize turnaround times. It essentially acts as a micro maintenance system-with the ability to sign-off work, track deferred items and look at the history of what has recently been resolved and fixed on the aircraft. As such it is essential to improving and optimizing aircraft turnaround times. In a paper-based scenario, the pilot has to wait until they are at the aircraft before seeing what deferrals are associated with a flight. The pilot may have been handed a flight dispatch in a pre-flight briefing, but this may not reflect the current status of an aircraft, often meaning they wouldn't contain an up-to-date view of anything last minute which took place on the inbound journey. Initial attempts to digitize this process saw electronic technical logbooks integrated into the aircraft itself, which proved a complicated and costly disaster as it required introducing flight proven hardware and software systems, not a viable solution. Following that, things moved forward with the advent of iPads and other tablets being introduced to the flight deck, which brought the possibility to house maintenance data on a portable mobile device. The main stumbling block here was that these 'paperless systems' actually mirrored the paper-based systems they were trying to replace. Simply logging tasks manually into an iPad rather than pen to paper does not make electronic technical logbooks a fully integrated system. A New Digitized Approach is Required From a cost-saving perspective every airline has now provided a pilot with an iPad or tablet, to remove as much paper as possible from the flight deck. Delivering the logbook over a tablet transcends the paper-based platform and gives a pilot access to aircraft status anywhere anytime. But by just electronically mimicking paper-systems, airlines have to effectively integrate two separate maintenance systems together, making for a complex and complicated muddle. In order for an electronic technical logbook to function effectively it has to be an extension of the core maintenance system that an airline already has in place. But even this is not the silver bullet to logbook success -there are some core elements which should be contained within a truly electronic technical which will provide airlines with solution to enable easy collaboration and further shrink turnaround times. The advantage of having data available at the fingertips of pilots as they travel to the airport means they can see anything which was raised during the inbound flight, even if it hasn't necessarily been dispositioned yet. They can start thinking about how a certain type of fault might impact the flight they have, for example the aircraft may require extra fuel because of a performance penalty. Once the pilot arrives at the aircraft, they no longer need to physically walk onto the flight deck to sign-off the logbook. The pilot can be down on the ground, outside the aircraft, signing-off tasks by sending a push notification through their tablet to the airline maintenance department, indicating whether they are happy to begin the flight. Faults Logged in Real Time Means Maintenance on Arrival Once the pilot is flying the aircraft, if they encounter any problems, they should be able to log the fault in the app, which should be able to push updates to the maintenance department, either in real-time or when the aircraft touches the ground. On aircraft with in-flight internet connectivity the maintenance organization will immediately receive a push notification outlining the fault and start preparing work orders and parts, so they are ready to address it the moment the aircraft lands. Another area where previous electronic technical logbooks have often failed is overloading the pilot with information in a format they are not used to dealing with. It makes no sense to simply expose the complete core maintenance system to a pilot. They require a slim and tailored interface which provides quick and easy access to the information they need, without the need to go digging around. This new approach to a true electronic technical logbook, extended from a core maintenance system, relies on a simple and elegant user interface for the pilot and maintenance technicians. No complex integration to aircraft systems or other separate maintenance systems; just the right core information delivered between pilot and maintenance organization, at the right time. A pilot-driven user experience means the electronic technical logbook developer must build into the UX an understanding of the flight deck environment where pilots are operating. Many pilots are already using in-flight apps, so an electronic technical logbook should look and feel like an extension of those. This includes inherently built-in dark modes for operating in night-time environments for example, and other unique requirements which come from working on an aircraft flight deck. Sounds obvious but not often done! Benefits Beyond the Flight Deck-The Connected Workforce... The widespread benefit of next generation electronic technical logbooks is an increasingly connected workforce. Airlines are striving towards connectivity across their operations, from check-in, in-flight connectivity right down to a connected and fleet- wide maintenance system. This is the goal, and an effective electronic technical logbook allows pilots to communicate clearly and quickly with the whole team involved in flying an aircraft on the day of operations-spanning mechanics, maintenance control centers, engineers and more. There are also benefits which extend into aircraft safety. When dealing with a paper logbook, mechanics have to wait for an aircraft to land, taxi and have passengers disembark before even accessing the paper log. The mechanic records the faults, then manually inputs it into the core maintenance system. Core systems then run a complex compliance analysis and validation, which flags any faults-sometimes delaying the turnaround time or, even worse, flagging after an aircraft has left for its next destination. With an electronic logbook inputting data into the core system in real-time, compliance discrepancies can be caught immediately, preventing the release of an aircraft in a non- compliant state. According to Frost & Sullivan, Tier I airlines in particular, take a holistic view of digital transformation, viewing it as an umbrella term that embraces changes to culture, business models, people, products, as well as advanced technologies. The adoption of electronic technical logbooks should be considered a key part of the digitization of airline processes, because maintenance should be a focus point for them. Why? By arming the pilot with logbook information well in advance, and connecting the entire operations workforce, airlines can significantly minimize the last-minute surprises which contribute to longer aircraft on ground (AOG) scenarios-keeping planes in the air, passengers happy and looking after that bottom line. https://www.aviationtoday.com/2019/12/30/electronic-technical-logbooks-enable- seamless-pilot-maintenance-collaboration/ Back to Top Pilot shortage can't be addressed by existing programs, docs suggest Should governments and airlines help pay for training? Federal officials combing through skills training programs have concluded major changes are needed if those are to be used to address a shortage of airline pilots. Instead, officials are suggesting a strategy being used by other countries as a way for Canada to address a growing need for pilots: governments and airlines partner to pay for pilot training. The funds - either dedicated financing or government-industry training programs - in turn could ensure "that a sufficient supply of trained pilots can sustain the current and projected demand," reads the briefing note The Canadian Press obtained through the Access to Information Act. The cost of training can be fully or partially covered, and pilots typically owe airlines a certain number of years of service in return. John McKenna, president and CEO of the Air Transport Association of Canada, said his group has asked the government to guarantee private loans from banks to qualified students or forgive interest payments. The association pegs the annual cost to government at $5 million, based on 10 per cent of students failing to finish training, but is hoping to keep those figures far lower through strict candidate screening. "For $5 million, the government could help train 600 people a year. We add 600 people a year, every year, and we're going to largely solve the shortage in Canada," McKenna said. Industry estimates say Canada will need 7,300 new commercial pilots by 2025 as demand for air travel increases, but will fall 3,000 short of that mark. That number doesn't take into account new rules around rest periods for pilots, which kick in one year from now. Worldwide, the global demand for new pilots is expected to hit 255,000 by 2027, with most yet to start the long process of training and logging flying hours. But a July briefing note to a senior official at Employment and Social Development Canada says existing government programs "are not well suited" to help train more pilots. Nor do the programs address the high cost to earn a commercial license in Canada, which can range from $80,000 and $95,000. In September, the government announced up to $4.9 million over three years for the First Nations Technical Institute to expand its commercial pilot training program and double the number of students. Edmonton-based non-profit Elevate Aviation was given $400,000 to develop a plan to attract and retain more women to the sector. A spokeswoman for Transport Minister Marc Garneau said officials are looking at other ways to redo training programs in the sector. https://www.coastmountainnews.com/news/pilot-shortage-cant-be-addressed-by- existing-programs-docs-suggest/ Back to Top Air Kiribati receives its first E190-E2 jet The aircraft will be configured in a dual class layout seating 92 passengers in total, with 12 seats in business class and 80 seats in economy class. SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, BRAZIL - Air Kiribati, the flag carrier of the Republic of Kiribati, received its first E190-E2 jet. Embraer announced the contract with the Government of Kiribati, in partnership with its national airline, Air Kiribati, in December 2018. The airline ordered two E190-E2s and has purchase rights for two more. "Aviation is critical for any island nation and Kiribati is no exception. Our Government has made the conscious decision to take into our hands the opportunity to unlock economic prosperity for our people and our nation through the purchase of these two aircraft," said Hon. Willie Tokataake, Minister for Information, Communication, Transport and Tourism Development of the Kiribati Government. "The arrival of our first jet today is the culmination of three years of vision, strategic thought, government focus, research, evaluation, hard work, commitment, partnership and a good measure of problem solving." Air Kiribati is the launch operator for the E190-E2 in Asia Pacific. The aircraft will be configured in a dual class layout seating 92 passengers in total, with 12 seats in business class and 80 seats in economy class. Located in the central Pacific, Air Kiribati can now fly longer domestic and international routes than it currently does with its turboprop fleet. "This is first E190-E2 delivered in the Pacific region," said Cesar Pereira, Asia Pacific Vice President, Embraer Commercial Aviation. "We're are honored that Air Kiribati selected the E190-E2 as the best fit for the airline's challenging flying environment. The E190-E2 has cutting-edge technology and is the most fuel efficient and environmentally-friendly single aisle jet in the world. These attributes are extremely important for Kiribati." With a maximum range of up to 2,850 nautical miles, the E190-E2 can serve destinations throughout the vast expanse of Kiribati, including nonstop from Tarawa to Kiritimati (Christmas) Island, one of the most challenging routes in the Pacific. The current domestic flight from Tarawa to Kiritimati requires an international stopover in Fiji. Spanning four time zones and comprised of more than 30 islands, Kiribati is the only country in the world to be in all four hemispheres. Embraer has been present in the Pacific since the first Bandeirante was delivered to a customer in Australia in 1978. The company continues to support operators across Oceania more than 40 years later. The E190-E2 is the first of three new aircraft types in the E-Jets E2 family, developed to succeed the first-generation E-Jets. Compared to the first-generation E190, the E190-E2 burns 17.3% less fuel and nearly 10% less than its direct competitor. This makes it the most efficient single-aisle aircraft on the market. The E190-E2 generates significant savings for airlines in terms of maintenance costs. It has the longest maintenance intervals - 10,000 flight hours for basic checks and no calendar limit in typical E-Jets utilization. This means an additional 15 days of aircraft utilization over a period of ten years. The E2 cockpit features advanced Honeywell Primus Epic 2 integrated avionics. Combined with closed-loop fly-by-wire controls, the systems work together to improve aircraft performance, decrease pilot workload and enhance flight safety. From a passenger perspective, the E2 cabin features a comfortable two-by-two layout. The absence of a middle seat enables passengers to have an enjoyable flight experience with more legroom and additional luggage storage space. Embraer is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial aircraft up to 150 seats with more than 100 customers across the world. For the E-Jets program alone, Embraer has logged more than 1,800 orders and 1,500 aircraft have been delivered. Today, E-Jets are flying in the fleets of 80 customers from 50 countries. The versatile 70 to 150-seat family is flying with low-cost airlines as well as with regional and mainline network carriers. https://www.traveldailynews.com/post/air-kiribati-receives-its-first-e190-e2-jet Back to Top 2020 is the year of the $1 trillion space economy The first time I can find "space economy" and "trillion dollars" in the same sentence is in 1984, when then-congressman Robert Walker told the Associated Press that a space station in low-Earth orbit could "lead to a half-trillion-dollar economy in space by the turn of the century." Some 35 years later, we've fallen short of the mark. The best estimates of the money made from space-which these days mostly come from building and operating rockets and satellites, and using them to provide services back on Earth-is about $400 billion. To be fair to Walker, now a lobbyist who served on US president Donald Trump's NASA transition team, the space station under discussion didn't begin operations until 2000. The turn of the century was a hard time for the space economy, as tech bubble-driven dreams of internet satellites and venture-backed moon missions fizzled out alongside the stock market. But a lot has changed since then, and the dream of a trillion dollar space economy is now cited by everyone from government officials and space entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 executives and Wall Street investment banks. Analysts at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs have predicted that economic activity in space will become a multi- trillion-dollar market in the coming decades, and the US Bureau of Economic Analysis has launched a new initiative to measure it. The trends driving this optimism are the same ones driving the tech economy writ large: The increasing power and miniaturization of transistors, batteries and solar panels, generated in part by the smartphone revolution; the convergence of telecommunications, broadcast media, commerce and nearly everything else into "the internet"; and, naturally, geopolitical tensions that still have governments spending on space and, increasingly, hiring private companies. What does this look like in practice in 2020? The rise of the mega-constellations Elon Musk's SpaceX plans to launch its fifth rocket full of proprietary internet satellites in January. That will raise the total number of satellites in the company's Starlink constellation to about 300, well on the way to the roughly 480 the company's executives say they'll need to begin offering broadband internet access to customers on Earth. How exactly that will happen-as a direct to consumer product or as a partnership with terrestrial telecom firms-remains to be seen, but Musk and his team are confident that if they can build low-latency connectivity, the buyers will come. SpaceX is hardly the only group making this bet: OneWeb, Telesat and Amazon are also investing billions in networks of thousands of internet connectivity satellites. Apple is also reportedly chasing the dream of space connectivity. To be sure, this isn't the first time satellite internet in space on a mass scale has been tried-Bill Gates notably invested in a failed effort called Teledesic in the 1990s. What's different is that all the components-satellites and the rockets that launch them-are an order of magnitude cheaper, the latter thanks mostly to the efforts of Musk to drive down the cost of launch. And meanwhile, the demand for internet access isn't a novelty, but ravenous and central to the economy. Most of the money made in space is on the back of satellite-provided service, so these efforts are likely to meaningfully increase the space economy. The huge increase in satellites (there are about 2,300 operational satellites in space right now) will bring costs as well as benefits, with astronomers worried about interference and everyone fretting about managing all that traffic and dodging space debris. Yet that is likely to spur investment in new satellite servicing businesses that seek to keep low-Earth orbit clean and efficient. The rise of the mini-constellations Venture capitalists have also been throwing millions of dollars at small satellite companies with big dreams. Planet, Hawkeye360, Spire, Capella Space, BlackSky and Swarm are just some of the firms who have raised cash, launched satellites, and are planning for a big 2020. Their business models vary, from tracking radio signals and gathering radar data to imaging every inch of the Earth to communicating with internet- of-things devices. But they all depend on the falling cost of building and operating spacecraft to enable their work. In response to the growing corps of companies operating small satellites, we've seen a growing number of firms building rockets fit for the task. Rocket Lab has been the most successful, but Virgin Orbit promises to begin operations in 2020, and Relativity Space remains on track for a maiden launch in 2021. New options for human spaceflight It's been a long year of one-step-forward, one-step-back for the commercial crew program, NASA's efforts to develop a private space transportation service with Boeing and SpaceX. But both companies are now in the final stretch, with orbital flights of their vehicles under their belts. Sometime in 2020, we can expect them to begin regular service to the International Space Station. NASA officials expect that to increase the amount of research done on the station, a big plus for the space economy. The companies will also have the green light to start bringing up paid passengers, whether wealthy tourists or corporate researchers. While uncertain, that promises new revenues and new opportunities for private-sector activity in low-Earth orbit. Closer to the ground, we can still look forward to space tourism. Virgin Galactic went public this year in a reverse merger, and now Richard Branson's space tourism firm says it has the cash to begin flying regular tourist trips to the edge of space sometime in 2020 for a cool $250,000 a pop. Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' space firm, said it would fly people on its New Shepard suborbital rocket this year, but with a week left, has not-so perhaps 2020 will be the year the company demonstrates its human spaceflight chops. NASA's public-private partnerships NASA's biggest space projects, particularly its plans to return humans to the moon, have had a tough year, with allegations of mismanagement and problems ranging from delayed hardware to muddled strategy. Space visionaries see that return to the moon- and access to the water ice discovered there-as key to the grandest visions of a future space economy, with thousands of people living and working in Earth orbit. For now, though, it's not clear whether the US government can resolve the conflicts between its goals for space exploration and its willingness to change the way NASA does business enough to create a sustainable presence on the moon. In the meantime, NASA is investing in smaller but perhaps more meaningful efforts to bolster the space economy. From the lunar side, it is hiring private companies to build spacecraft, landers and rovers that will carry scientific instruments to the moon. The space agency hopes that, as with its partnerships to fly cargo and crew to the International Space Station, this strategy will deliver more scientific bang for the taxpayer buck. From an economic perspective, the program is likely to bolster the know- how of private companies when it comes to operating on the moon, iterating towards that grand vision. There's also forward movement in low-Earth orbit, where the International Space Station has been opened up to more commercial activity, part of NASA's hope to start sharing the costs of humanity's space outpost more broadly. Space Force This year marked the creation of the Space Force, a branch of the US military dedicated to space as a warfighting domain. Immediate change will be little more than existing US Air Force personnel changing their uniforms and titles, but the move spells a real shift in how the US military treats space. Right now, space exists mostly to aid and abet the other services in projecting power overseas, providing reconnaissance, communications, guidance and navigation. Space Force, at heart, is about creating a bureaucratic and political constituency for thinking bigger in orbit-and investing in new space sensors to track enemy missiles, spacecraft that can defend themselves (and attack others), even crewed military habitats. All that means more money for private companies in space, with half-a-dozen defense agencies already pumping millions into space start-ups building everything from radar networks to high-tech materials. https://qz.com/1774249/2020-is-the-year-of-the-1-trillion-space-economy/ Back to Top RESEARCH SURVEY SMS for small operators: does it make sense? As part of an independent research project at Lund University, we'd like to hear from small business/private aviation operators about their experience with Safety Management Systems (SMS). Does your organisation have an SMS, and a workforce of 20 or less? Does the SMS generate value? Do you think there might be a disconnect between the SMS requirements and t he capabilities of your organisation? Considering the current lack of scientific research and peer-reviewed literature for this particular sector of aviation, this is a rather unique opportunity to share feedback in complete anonymity and to help identify any issue requiring focused attention. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey now, but also to share the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RYDPYYT Any assistance to advance the industry's understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the SMS framework will be greatly appreciated! For any question or comment, please do not hesitate to contact st1830de- s@student.lu.se. Many thanks, and best wishes for 2020! Stéphane De Wolf MSc student, Human Factors & System Safety Lund University Back to Top Back to Top Back to Top Call for Papers - ISASI 2020 Montreal Sheraton, Montreal PQ September 1 - 3, 2020 With "20/20 Vision for the Future" as our theme, the ISASI 2020 Committee is inviting interested individuals to submit abstracts for papers that address the future of aircraft accident investigation. Presentation topics that support the theme may include, but are not limited to: * Recent accident/incident investigations of interest. * Novel investigation techniques for aircraft, helicopter, and drone accidents. * Data investigation methods, techniques and future developments. * Airport investigation methods and techniques * Future investigator selection criteria and training needs. * Future of aircraft data capture and retrieval and protection of safety information. * Future developments in underwater wreckage recovery. * Future evolution of Family Assistance. We are also interested in papers that address the challenges surrounding the recent 737 Max accidents. While it is not our intent to discuss the accidents themselves, we are hoping to generate thought and discussion on the impact the accidents have had on to the industry as a whole and how it has affected the travelling public. Presentations must be in English and should be 25 minutes long. There will be an additional 5 minutes for questions at the end of each presentation. Abstracts should include the author's current CV [1 page only please] and be sent to isasi2020papers@shaw.ca Important dates: March 20th, 2020 - Last date for receipt of abstracts. May 8th, 2020 - Presenters informed of acceptance and provided with additional instructions. May 22nd, 2020 - Draft program for the 2019 Seminar Technical Program will be published. July 10th, 2020 - Last date for receipt of completed paper and PowerPoint presentation. Any papers not received by this date will be removed from the program and replaced by another speaker. If you have questions related to the paper topics or any other inquiries about the program, please contact the ISASI 2020 Program Chair at avsafe@shaw.ca Curt Lewis