Flight Safety Information March 3, 2020 - No. 045 In This Issue Incident: Royal Maroc B738 at Brazzaville on Mar 1st 2020, engine shut down in flight Incident: THY A320 over Hungary on Mar 1st 2020, engine shut down in flight Incident: Easyjet Europe A320 at Tel Aviv on Mar 1st 2020, smoke in cockpit EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Incident: Austral E190 near Neuquen on Mar 1st 2020, loss of cabin pressure Cockpit recorder inactive in Australian air tanker tragedy, crash probe finds Qantas Fatigue Risk Management Plan Approved For 20 Hour Plus Flights Survey Seeks Airline And Instrument-Rated Private Pilots Paragon Aviation Group Launches Safety Program with FBO Partners Virginia Beach woman charged with aiming strobe lights at aircraft Indonesia Volcano Eruption: Mount Merapi Spews Ash Clouds, Triggering Aviation Alert FAA AC Outlines Limits on Web-based Flight-sharing NTSB WORKING TO SPEED UP ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS COVID-19: CATHAY PACIFIC HAS 120 AIRCRAFT GROUNDED Travelers are paying thousands of dollars to evacuate from coronavirus-affected areas on private jet Emirates airline asks staff to take one month unpaid leave over coronavirus SpaceX's Starship rocket prototype collapsed on itself this weekend Incident: Royal Maroc B738 at Brazzaville on Mar 1st 2020, engine shut down in flight A Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737-800, registration CN-RNK performing flight AT-287 from Brazzaville (Congo) to Casablanca (Morocco) with 167 people on board, was climbing out of Brazzaville when the right hand engine (CFM56) failed and was shut down. The aircraft returned to Brazzaville for a safe landing. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Brazzaville about 45 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d407a24&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: THY A320 over Hungary on Mar 1st 2020, engine shut down in flight A THY Turkish Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration TC-JPS performing flight TK-1743 from Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen (Turkey) to Stuttgart (Germany), was enroute at FL360 just having entered Hungarian Airspace about 90nm south of Budapest (Hungary) when the crew requested to divert to Vienna (Austria) due to oil problems with one of the engines (V2527). The crew subsequently reported they had needed to shut the right hand engine down due to engine oil pressure problems. The aircraft drifted down to FL140 and diverted to Vienna for a safe landing on runway 16 about 35 minutes after leaving FL360. The aircraft remained on the ground in Vienna for about 5.5 hours, then continued the flight to Stuttgart and reached the destination with a delay of 6 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d4077df&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Easyjet Europe A320 at Tel Aviv on Mar 1st 2020, smoke in cockpit An Easyjet Europe Airbus A320-200, registration OE-ICZ performing flight U2-5831 from Berlin Tegel (Germany) to Tel Aviv (Israel) with 167 people on board, was descending towards Tel Aviv when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Tel Aviv's runway 21 and stopped on the runway for a check by emergency services for about 5 minutes, then taxied to the apron. The aircraft was able to depart for the return flight after about 2.5 hours on the ground and reached Berlin with a delay of 1 hour. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d40751c&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: Austral E190 near Neuquen on Mar 1st 2020, loss of cabin pressure An Austral Embraer ERJ-190 on behalf of Aerolineas Argentinas, registration LV-CIF performing flight AR- 2667 from San Carlos de Bariloche,RN to Buenos Aires Aeroparque,BA (Argentina) with 98 people on board, was enroute at FL350 about 60nm eastnortheast of Neuquen,NE (Argentina) when the crew initiated an emergency descent due to the loss of cabin pressure, the passenger oxygen masks were released. The aircraft landed safely on Neuquen's runway 27 about 20 minutes later. Argentina's JIAAC is looking into the occurrence. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d4058b5&opt=0 Back to Top Cockpit recorder inactive in Australian air tanker tragedy, crash probe finds Investigation continues in crash of Coulson C-130 air tanker A cockpit voice recorder was inactivated when a Coulson Aviation C-130 air tanker crashed in New South Wales in January, killing three crew members. According to a preliminary report released Thursday by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), there is no cockpit audio from the flight, a factor in a continuing investigation into the cause of the crash. Investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) two days after the aircraft went down following a fire-retardant drop on the Adaminaby Complex bush fire in New South Wales. "Although the recorder assembly was damaged in the accident, ATSB investigators were able to successfully recover all the data from the CVR's crash protected memory module," said Greg Hood, ATSB chief commissioner. "Unfortunately, the CVR had not recorded any audio from the accident flight. Instead, all recovered audio was from a previous flight when the aircraft was operating in the United States." Crash investigators have other evidence they can turn to, including witness video, Hood said. ATSB must still complete a teardown and inspection of the aircraft's engines and propellers, review its maintenance history, performance and handling characteristics, and analyze witness reports. Investigators are also using 3D drone mapping to gain a better understanding of the crash sequence. "The ATSB's on-site examination of the wreckage, damage to the surrounding vegetation, and ground markings indicated that the aircraft initially impacted a tree in a left wing down attitude, before colliding with the ground," Hood said. Strong winds were reported at the time of the crash and have been cited as a possible factor. "ATSB preliminary reports do not contain findings, identify contributing factors or outline safety issues and actions, which will be detailed in an investigation's final and any interim reports," said Hood, noting that probes can take up to 18 months. "We are continuing to work with the ATSB, and we are providing every assistance to them as part of the investigations. It's important for us, for our team and for the families of those we've lost, to understand what happened that day," said company CEO Wayne Coulson. The crash - at the height of the worst Australian wildfire season on record - claimed the lives of American crew members Ian McBeth, Paul Hudson and Rick DeMorgan, all military veterans. The crew was honoured Feb. 22 by the New South Wales government in a state memorial service attended by family members as well as survivors of other fire season victims, fellow firefighters and Coulson staff. In a post on the company's Facebook page, Wayne Coulson said grieving family members expressed gratitude for the show of support at the ceremony. "The loss of Ian, Paul and Rick are felt very deeply by the families, and felt very deeply by their team members and the Coulson family," he said. "People in Australia, and New South Wales, in particular, have continued to show how grateful they are for the work of the teams and for the work of all firefighters during what has been a terrible bushfire season for Australia." An Airservices Australia recording found no distress calls were made prior to the Jan. 23 accident. The crash ignited a fuel-fed fire that destroyed the air tanker, a former U.S. Navy plane built in 1981. Coulson Aviation specializes in adapting and leasing aircraft to deliver advanced firefighting capabilities. In November 2019, the company landed a $52-million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to install retardant delivery systems on seven C- 130s for use in California. https://www.peacearchnews.com/news/cockpit-recorder-inactive-in-australian-air- tanker-tragedy-crash-probe-finds/ Back to Top Qantas Fatigue Risk Management Plan Approved For 20 Hour Plus Flights Qantas has just signed off on a fatigue risk management system (FRMS) that helps pave the way for the proposed ultra-long-range Project Sunrise flights. Qantas has a new FRMS that covers 20+ flights but not Project Sunrise flights. Photo: Qantas News Room. The latest FRMS was given the thumbs up by Australia's aviation safety regulator, CASA, following a 12-month trial. While the new FRMS allows for flights in excess of the current 20-hour ceiling, Project Sunrise flights will still need to be approved on a route by route basis. However, a Qantas spokesperson told Simple Flying that this FRMS is an important regulatory step in advance of Project Sunrise. A calm and steely airline CEO The clock is ticking for Qantas. Their self-imposed deadline for announcing whether Project Sunrise would go-ahead is the end of March. If Qantas boss, Alan Joyce is feeling any pressure, he isn't showing it. As the deadline approaches, Mr. Joyce and his team are going onto the front foot to clear the last obstacles out of their way. On the other hand, the Qantas pilots union, the Australian International Pilots Association (AIPA), must be feeling some pressure. Negotiations between Qantas and AIPA continue over a pay deal with ultra-long-range flights. This pay deal will incorporate agreement and acceptance of matters such as FRMS. The negotiations have gone on for some time and have been characterized by their acrimony. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has warned he will bring in new pilots to operate Project Sunrise flights if AIPA doesn't come to the party. Photo: Qantas News Room. While CASA said they had taken into account AIPA's concerns in approving the latest FRMS, AIPA had a limited role to play in the approvals process. This FRMS is unusual in that it was put together by Qantas, rather than Qantas adopting a template model from CASA. However, CASA did oversee and audit the entire process. AIPA not happy at being sidelined The relative sidelining of the AIPA hasn't impressed them. AIPA President Mark Sedgewick said; "This is a clear breach of the regulator's legal and safety responsibilities, according to advice from the International Civil Aviation Organisation, which states that pilots must be involved at all stages of an FRMS implementation. "AIPA is concerned that Qantas is fast-tracking the establishment of an FRMS in order to allow certainty over an investment decision for the delivery of its A350 aircraft order. "This has the potential to undermine safety and threaten Qantas' reputation." A classic Alan Joyce move The sidelining of AIPA is a classic Alan Joyce maneuver. Done and dusted, thanks for coming. In recent weeks, Alan Joyce has ratcheted up the pressure on AIPA by suggesting Qantas could recruit a fresh pool of pilots if a pay deal couldn't be brokered. It wasn't management's preferred course of action, Qantas International CEO Tino La Spina said in February, but it was a live option. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Joyce's history of negotiation with unions would agree the fuse is probably already burning on this one. On matters IR, Alan Joyce's key lieutenant at Jetstar, Gareth Evans, has sidestepped his ground crew's union, the Transport Workers Union, by putting a proposed enterprise bargaining agreement directly to employees. The employees voted to accept the offer. That's another union put down by the Qantas group - temporarily at least. A lot of pilots happy to head home The coronavirus outbreak might be impacting Qantas' bottom line, but it is also releasing thousands of pilots onto the employment market. Many of the pilots now flying for the largely idle Chinese mega carriers were trained and sourced from western airlines like Qantas. There are a lot of highly trained and underutilized pilots on the market right now. Photo: Qantas News Room. Apparently, quite a few of them would be happy to call Sydney home and to take a paycheck from Qantas once again. While the clock is ticking for Qantas, the stars are also aligning for it. With its bete noire, AIPA, on the backfoot, Qantas can push through the changes it needs - with or without AIPA's assistance and approval. According to its half-yearly investor notes released last week, barring these last few hiccups, the airline is locked and loaded and ready to call Airbus to confirm those A350s. An announcement is due by the end of the month. Qantas will probably spring it a week or two early. They do that regularly. Flights are due to commence in 2023. https://simpleflying.com/qantas-fatigue-risk-management-plan-approved/ Back to Top Survey Seeks Airline And Instrument-Rated Private Pilots Researchers from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) are looking for instrument-rated private pilots and airline pilots who also fly general aviation aircraft to complete a survey on the amount and type of non-revenue flying each group engages in. The study's purpose is to determine how safely airline pilots operate light aircraft under Part 91. Instrument-rated private pilots will be referenced as a control group. Information from the survey will be analyzed alongside NTSB accident data for both groups from the period between 1988 and 2017. Accident data assessed will include phase of operation, flight history, demographics of accident pilots, accident causes, ambient flight conditions (lighting and IMC/VMC) and injury severity. Researchers hope the study will prove useful in improving general aviation safety for either or both groups of pilots. The survey questionnaire, which can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GK3ZD3B, takes approximately five minutes to complete. Responses are anonymous and, other than age, personal information is not collected. The results of the study are expected to be published via peer-reviewed academic journal two to three months after the survey closes. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/survey-seeks-airline-and-instrument-rated- private-pilots/ Back to Top Paragon Aviation Group Launches Safety Program with FBO Partners Paragon Aviation Group, an elite group of carefully vetted FBOs that provide a five-star experience for general aviation travelers across the world, has selected aviation consultancy FBO Partners' Online Safety Officer (OSO) Program to spearhead their safety initiative. Under the agreement, FBO Partners, which provides business management advisory services to Fixed Base Operations (FBOs), provides participating Paragon FBO locations consistent, industry-leading safety communication, promotion and training, along with oversight of Paragon's networkwide safety principles. Megan Barnes, President of Paragon Aviation Group says, "As an elite group of the best FBOs in the world, safety is far more than a buzzword for a Paragon member FBO. The Paragon Network's emphasis on safety is an investment in our members' success, and the consistent, safe handling of customers and their assets when visiting a Paragon FBO location. As our network continues to grow, we're pleased to have partnered with FBO Partners as the launch customer for their Online Safety Officer Program." "The safety initiative by Paragon Aviation Group® cements our leadership in advancing safety within the FBO industry and offering a complete solution for like-minded FBOs to compete on a level playing field with national or regional chains," adds Barnes. FBO Partner's monthly subscription-based safety program, which meets several IS-BAH and SMS requirements, offers subscriber FBOs a complete framework for an effective, consistent safety promotion and communication program regardless of the FBO's size, staffing level or stage of SMS. FBO Partners Senior Associate Patrick Moylan, who leads the Online Safety Officer Program initiative, notes "The OSO program is unlike anything in the industry today. Often, the biggest barrier to creating a strong safety culture is consistent communication and promotion. For most FBOs that barrier is in the form of time, which OSO gives back to its subscribers by providing a complete, turn-key solution to those challenges." Moylan, who joined FBO Partners in 2019, is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), IS-BAH Auditor, and OSHA Trainer https://www.aviationpros.com/fbos-tenants/press-release/21127761/paragon-aviation- group-paragon-aviation-group-launches-safety-program-with-fbo-partners Back to Top Virginia Beach woman charged with aiming strobe lights at aircraft The Naval Criminal Investigative Service released on its official social media platforms a pair of blurred images that appeared to show special agents and Virginia Beach Police Department officers detaining a suspect who allegedly used a strobe light to target aircraft at Naval Air Station Oceana. (NCIS) A 64-year-old from Virginia Beach has been charged with using strobe lights to interfere with aircraft conducting night training operations at Naval Air Station Oceana, a Virginia Beach Police Department spokesperson said. Lou Ella Moore, 64, was arrested Friday in the 4400 block of Blackwater Road, Master Police Officer Linda J. Kuehn - a spokesperson for the Virginia Beach Police - told Navy Times Monday. Virginia Beach officers assisted in serving the warrant, Kuehn said. NCIS took to Twitter Friday to announced that an unnamed individual was arrested that day for directing strobe lights at aircraft. The agency also released two blurred photos that appeared to show someone being detained. NAS Oceana spokeperson Jennifer Hayes referred questions to NCIS, but a spokesperson declined further comment, saying the investigation was ongoing. Online Virginia Beach General District Court records say the alleged incident occurred Dec. 16, 2019. Moore was released on bail and her arraignment is set for Wednesday. The charge is a class 6 felony. A woman who identified herself as Moore declined to comment when reached by Navy Times Monday morning. "There's nothing to comment on," she said. https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/03/02/virginia-beach-woman- charged-with-aiming-strobe-lights-at-aircraft/ Back to Top Indonesia Volcano Eruption: Mount Merapi Spews Ash Clouds, Triggering Aviation Alert The most active volcano in Indonesia, Mount Merapi, erupted early on Tuesday leading to a code-red aviation alert. Plumes of smoke and ash filled the sky over its peak in the aftermath of the eruption, going as high as 19,680 feet (6,000 meters). Mount Merapi is located about 19 miles off Java Island. The eruption has also triggered sweltering gas clouds to emerge in the main island of Java and the ash cloud moving north, Indonesia's Geology and Volcanology Research Agency said on its website. The code-red - the highest level of warning for aviation - was issued following the significant emission of ash into the atmosphere due to the eruption, the Centre for Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development (BPPTKG) said in a statement. Mount Merapi, which has an elevation of about 9612.861 feet (2,930 meters), had ash fall around its 3.7-mile radius after the eruption occurred at around 5:22 a.m. local time on Tuesday (5:22 p.m. EST, Monday). The eruption reportedly lasted for nearly eight minutes. The volcano, in a series of eruptions in 2010, killed over 350 people. The international airport in Solo, a city in the Java province and also the nearest one from the volcano, had been temporarily shut down since 9:25 p.m. EST on Monday (9:25 a.m. local time, Tuesday). Neighboring village leaders told local news agency Antara that they were carrying out their routine activities regardless of the explosion. "Residents are monitoring the situation, although they are going about their daily activities as per normal," Marwoto, Klakah village head, said, adding students were going to school and farmers were continuing to work in the fields. https://www.ibtimes.com/indonesia-volcano-eruption-mount-merapi-spews-ash-clouds- triggering-aviation-alert-2932837 Back to Top FAA AC Outlines Limits on Web-based Flight-sharing The FAA last week released much-anticipated guidance outlining when flight-sharing is permissible but reinforcing policy that holding out to the general public through a website or app without an operator's certificate is prohibited. That guidance comes at the behest of Congress, which had asked the FAA to clarify regulations governing expense-sharing flights. That measure, included in the 2018 FAA reauthorization act, was a compromise as certain organizations, including FlyteNow, were making a strong push on Capitol Hill for legislation to open the door to online flight-sharing. Legislation was offered to alter the definitions of pilots, compensation, and common carriage to facilitate such operations. But other organizations, including the National Air Transportation Association, expressed strong opposition, warning that such a measure would lead to illegal charter activity. AC 61-142 states that "pilots may share operating expenses with passengers on a pro- rata basis when those expenses involve only fuel, oil, airport expenditures, or rental fees." But it specifics that private pilots who wish to share expenses may not "hold out" to the public as willing to offer transportation services. "Holding out is accomplished by any means that communicates to the public that a transportation service is indiscriminately available to the members of that segment of the public that it is designed to attract," the AC states. While acknowledging no specific rule provides criteria on how holding out is achieved, the FAA said that determinization is assessed by available facts and that advertising in any form raises the question of holding out. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-03-02/faa-ac- outlines-limits-web-based-flight-sharing Back to Top NTSB WORKING TO SPEED UP ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS The NTSB is working to reverse a slowdown in its reporting of probable aviation- accident causes that has occurred despite declining caseloads, agency officials told AOPA at a meeting at NTSB headquarters in Washington, D.C. AOPA has been urging that the NTSB oversee its field investigators more directly and standardize reporting processes to help cut down the delays, said Richard McSpadden, executive director of the AOPA Air Safety Institute after the February 24 meeting. "I am a big believer in the NTSB. The work they do is so critical and so helpful," he said. With accident investigations down 10 to 15 percent in recent years but fatal accident reports taking about 22 months to conclude-compared with the NTSB's targeted 12-to- 18-month range for completion-the Air Safety Institute has been "pressing the NTSB for a while on timeliness." AOPA was encouraged by the NTSB's assurances that the effort to make accident-cause reporting more efficient-now in its data-gathering stage-would show results this year, McSpadden said. From the personal level to industrywide impacts, final NTSB accident reports make their presence felt across aviation and beyond. The reports' determinations of probable accident causes, accompanied by the fact-finding accomplished during investigation, can bring closure to the families of accident victims, reveal trends that affect FAA policy and resource allocation, and influence decision making by aircraft manufacturers and insurance underwriters, he said. The Air Safety Institute's Joseph T. Nall Report on general aviation accident trends is based on NTSB probable-cause findings for the most recent year in which causes have been determined for 80 percent of accidents. The most recent Nall Report, released in October 2019, was based on 2016 accident statistics. Delays finding probable accident causes come to the public's attention following high- profile accidents. For example, a probable cause has yet to be determined for the November 7, 2017, fatal crash of an Icon A5 amphibious airplane in Clearwater, Florida, that killed retired Major League Baseball star pitcher Roy Halladay despite what McSpadden described as a fairly straightforward set of circumstances and the availability of ample evidence. "They have video, toxicology, the intact aircraft, so we asked, 'Why is this taking two years?' They had no good answer for it," McSpadden said. Probable causes, not guarantees He noted that the NTSB's final reports provide insight into probable causes, not an "absolute, no-doubt-in-my-mind" assertion of the cause of any aviation accident. He criticized the NTSB's widely reported public statements that predicted a yearlong timeline for investigating the January 26 helicopter crash that killed retired National Basketball Association star Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others, given the availability of weather and terrain information, video imagery, witness accounts, and physical evidence. "The point is, we all know what happened. Why tell the world it will take a year?" McSpadden said. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2020/march/02/ntsb-working-to- speed-up-accident-investigations Back to Top COVID-19: CATHAY PACIFIC HAS 120 AIRCRAFT GROUNDED According to SCMP, Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon have 120 aircraft idling on the ground at any given time; which accounts for more than half of their fleet. In addition, the group has cut more than three-quarters of their weekly flights in March. Around 1,470 weekly flights were originally scheduled for this month, but it is now been trimmed down by more than 1,120 flights. Data source: SCMP Back in 2003, during the SARS crisis, Cathay trimmed 45% of their scheduled flights and had around 30% of their fleet idling on the ground. Comparing these two epidemics, it appears that Convid-19 is bringing a greater impact to the airline. SCMP video showing dozen of aircraft idling at Hong Kong International Airport In the past couple of weeks, Cathay Pacific has asked 27,000 employees to take 3 weeks unpaid leave; they have also temporarily closed three of their premium lounges at Hong Kong International Airport. Explaining the situation, an analyst from Bocom International, Luya You, said that "an outbreak is the kind of macro impact that is really hard for an airline to plan around... during an outbreak, all of it collapses because people, no matter the price point, are no longer willing to fly". Singapore Airlines, one of Cathay's closest rival, has temporarily suspended over 3,000 flights, from February until the end of May. In addition, the management team is taking a 15% pay cut; they will also be offering a voluntary no-pay leave scheme to employees. https://samchui.com/2020/03/02/covid-19-cathay-pacific-has-120-out-of-200-aircraft- idling-at-any-one-time/ Back to Top Travelers are paying thousands of dollars to evacuate from coronavirus- affected areas on private jets. Thanks to aviation loopholes, they can get out quickly despite travel bans. Private jet travel companies have reported surges in demand in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Shutterstock/IM_Photo * Private jet companies have reported increased demand, as commercial aviation takes a hit due to coronavirus travel bans. * Both corporations and individuals are paying top dollar to evacuate and avoid areas affected by the coronavirus. * Private jets are able to bypass travel bans and screenings through "many holes," according to Justin Crabbe, CEO of private jet charter company Jettly - though country regulations are ever-evolving. * Because private jets fly out of smaller terminals, passengers aren't necessarily subject to commercial security and health screenings, Crabbe told Business Insider. As commercial airlines cancel flights around the world due to the coronavirus outbreak, private jet companies are swooping in to fetch both leisure and business travelers. "In short, we are booming," Justin Crabbe, CEO of private jet charter company Jettly, told Business Insider. "I've never seen so much activity in our evacuation flight department." Jettly, which has headquarters in New York and Toronto, connects clients to 23,713 private aircraft around the world and calls itself the "Expedia of private aviation." The company has seen an unprecedented spike - thousands of requests "within hours" - in last-minute travel and evacuation requests from clients trying to avoid existing and impending travel bans. "This time of year we typically see 2,000 to 3,000 flights requested each day, but we have doubled that for almost every news release of a major outbreak in the past weeks getting people out of the affected areas," Crabbe said. To accommodate the demand, Jettly is tripling its flight support staff. Adam Twidell, CEO of London-based PrivateFly, told Business Insider that his company has also seen a rise in demand for short-notice charter over the past few weeks related to the coronavirus. "We've had a very significant number of inquiries for group evacuations and from corporates and individuals," he said. The coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has since spread to at least 69 countries and infected over 89,000 people. Over 74 commercial airlines have canceled flights around the world as a result of the outbreak, which the International Air Transport Association estimates will cost the global airline industry close to $30 billion in 2020. Reporting for the Financial Times, Tanya Powley noted that the number of business jet flights from Hong Kong - a destination close to the outbreak's epicenter - to North America and Australia was up 214 percent year-over-year in January, and the number of flights from Hong Kong to locations around the globe was up 34.2 percent-year-over year. Events such as the Superbowl have created demand spikes in the past, Crabbe noted, but these requests usually come weeks in advance of the events. The coronavirus-related demand is unlike anything Crabbe has seen. "It's very unusual to see the sporadic and immediate demand we see as a result of this coronavirus outbreak." Media reports of the coronavirus outbreaks and travel bans have fueled demand - and clients are willing to pay top dollar for last-minute flights Demand has been driven by media, Crabbe noted. Reports of travel bans, city quarantines, evacuations, and new cases "drive the public to become extremely fearful and prefer to stay away from commercial airport terminals and commercial aircraft cabins due to the increased levels of exposure," he said. PrivateFly's coronavirus-related flights have ranged from the transport of medical teams to new clients wishing to avoid exposure that a commercial flight might bring. "Recent inquiries have included transport of a decontamination team within Asia, and flights from Hong Kong for a family traveling to Bali. They normally fly by commercial airline but on this occasion, are concerned about exposure on the flight," Twidell told Business Insider. Jettly customers, both individual and corporate, are willing to pay well above standard rates - a typical rate for a light jet that seats six to eights passengers is $5,000 for an hour - to evacuate areas within 24-48 hours instead of waiting a few days. "We have seen dozens of bookings that are two to three times the regular rate for the flight due to the increased demand and the shortage of available aircraft and crews in the area," Crabbe said. "Many aircraft are having to fly in to pick up customers and evacuate them. All of that additional flight time comes with additional cost." Large companies, in particular, are spending top dollar. "Some of our large corporate clients have already activated their disaster relief plans which include the evacuation of employees out of affected areas back home to the United States and there appears to be no limit to what some of them will spend," he said. Private jets can capitalize on "many holes" in the system to avoid travel bans and other coronavirus-related regulations Private jets have more flexibility when it comes to flying in and out of areas affected by coronavirus than commercial planes, according to Crabbe. "In my opinion, there are many holes that are being left open," he said. "Passengers are using private terminals off to the side of the regular commercial terminals and are not subject to commercial security, possibly even including temperature screenings," he said. GlobeAir, a Europe-based private jet charter company, has set up a coronavirus advisory page on its website, noting that private jet charters and lounges are "much more secure than big airports' terminals" for travelers looking to avoid coronavirus exposure. However, the company encourages clients and staff to follow preventative health measures. The company states that "instructions to report the state of health to the authorities are known" to its staff. The long-term effects of the coronavirus outbreak on the private aviation industry are yet to be determined While private air travel is surging, the long-term effect of the coronavirus outbreak remains to be seen. "Any short-term gain is obviously balanced with longer-term concerns and challenges, including the impact on the global economy," Twidell told Business Insider. "Even now, while we're seeing short-term additional demand, other clients are changing or canceling their travel plans," he said. "And obviously the operational logistics of flying in or out of China, and increasingly between other countries, is now highly complex, with low availability of aircraft and crews making it difficult to fulfill requests. Operational protocols are changing daily - it's a very fluid situation, which we are monitoring closely." What's more, "some pilots and air operators are no longer willing to fly into red zones such as Iran for fear of putting themselves or their families at risk of infection through a passenger onboard," Crabbe said. https://www.businessinsider.com/private-jet-travel-surge-evacuate-coronavirus- outbreak-covid19-travel-aviation-2020 Back to Top Emirates airline asks staff to take one month unpaid leave over coronavirus FILE PHOTO: Emirates Airline Boeing 777-200LR lands at Mexico City International Airport during its first route from Dubai via Barcelona to Mexico City DUBAI (Reuters) - Major international airline Emirates is asking staff to take unpaid leave for up to a month at a time due to the rapidly spreading coronavirus that has led to flight cancellations around the world. Emirates has canceled flights to Iran, Bahrain and to most of China because of the virus, and countries around the world have placed strict restrictions on entry of foreigners. The airline has more resources than it needs as a result of cutting frequencies or cancelling flights to some destinations, said Chief Operating Officer Adel al-Redha in a statement on Tuesday. "Considering the availability of additional resources and the fact that many employees want to utilize their leave, we have provided our employees the option to avail leave or apply for voluntary unpaid leave for up to one month at a time," he said. Emirates Group, the state-owned holding company that counts the airline among its assets, has asked staff to consider taking paid and unpaid leave as it seeks to manage a "measurable slowdown" in its business, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing an internal company email. The group had more than 100,000 employees, including more than 21,000 cabin crew and 4,000 pilots, at the end of March 2019, the end of its last financial year. Major concerts and events in the United Arab Emirates, an air transit center that includes tourism and business hub Dubai, have been canceled or postponed as the coronavirus spreads in the Gulf. The airline industry's largest global body IATA on Monday urged Middle Eastern governments to provide support to airlines as they try to manage the impact of the outbreak. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/emirates-airline-asks-staff-one-082553184.html Back to Top SpaceX's Starship rocket prototype collapsed on itself this weekend SpaceX Another SpaceX test ended in failure this past weekend. A prototype of the company's Starship rocket, SN1, imploded in a pressure test late Friday night. Elon Musk acknowledged the incident on Twitter, sharing a video and writing, "It's fine, we'll just buff it out." SpaceX Boca Chica - Starship SN1 cryo proof test failure - Feb 28, 2020 The prototype caved in on itself after being filled with super-cold, liquid nitrogen propellant, The Verge reports. In a tweet, Musk said it had to do with a "puck" at the base of the vehicle. "Don't shuck the puck!" he joked. Musk said the company plans to strip the next Starship rocket prototype, SN2, to the bare minimum and test its puck under pressure, first with water, and then with the cryo propellant. It could be ready to test in just a few days. SN1 was the first of a series of test articles that SpaceX is building and testing in order to refine the systems needed for a fully functional Starship, according to Space.com. "Each SN will have at least minor improvements, at least through SN20 or so of Starship V1.0," Musk tweeted in December. SpaceX revealed the first full Starship prototype, Starship Mk1, last fall. A couple months later, its bulkhead blew off during a pressure test. The company has already moved on to the second- and third-generations, Mk2 and Mk3. But with these test failures, it's hard to say if it's still on track to meet the ambitious timeline Musk once promised. https://www.engadget.com/2020-03-02-spacex-starship-sn1-prototype-implodes.html Curt Lewis