Flight Safety Information June 16, 2020 - No. 120 In This Issue Incident: Fedex A306 near Calgary on Jun 9th 2020, hydraulic issues Incident: VARA F100 near Perth on Jan 12th 2020, loss of cabin pressure and smoke 'AirAsia India Violates Passenger Safety,' Alleges Suspended Pilot; DGCA Begins Probe Air Malta in breach of safety rules, pilot union says Retired NYC surgeon spread coronavirus on American Airlines flight: report EU's Aviation Safety Agency classifies Egyptian airports as safe Boeing 737 Max Certification In Focus With FAA Chief Set To Testify Before Senate Committee Senate proposal would strengthen FAA oversight of Boeing plane designs How a woman boarded a Delta flight without a boarding pass or ID IATA re-ups calls on Latin American governments to support airlines China Eastern to launch new airline amid coronavirus tourism downturn EasyJet agrees five-year deferral on 24 Airbus aircraft Former Air Force pilot now the boss at Lockheed Martin Qatar Airways to slash foreign pilots' pay: memo Textron Delivers 250th Citation M2 Light Jet RTCA's free Aviation Technology Connect Webinar series kicks off Wednesday, June 17 Book: GROUNDED - Can we ever fly again? Aviation Safety Survey GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Incident: Fedex A306 near Calgary on Jun 9th 2020, hydraulic issues A Fedex Federal Express Airbus A300-600, registration N725FD performing flight FX-140 from Memphis,TN (USA) to Calgary,AB (Canada) with 2 crew, was enroute at FL340 about 170nm southeast of Calgary when the crew declared emergency reporting hydraulic issues. The aircraft continued to Calgary for a safe landing on runway 35R at a normal speed about 35 minutes later. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 37.5 hours before returning to service. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/FDX140/history/20200609/0843Z/KMEM/CYYC http://avherald.com/h?article=4d8bd0cd&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: VARA F100 near Perth on Jan 12th 2020, loss of cabin pressure and smoke A VARA Virgin Australia Regional Airlines Fokker 100, registration VH-FNJ performing flight VA-721 from Adelaide,SA to Perth,WA (Australia), was enroute at FL320 about 120nm east of Perth when the crew initiated an emergency descent due to the loss of cabin pressure. During the descent smoke was observed in the cabin. The aircraft levelled off at 9000 feet and continued for a safe landing in Perth about 24 minutes after leaving FL320. On Jun 15th 2020 the Dutch Onderzoeksraad/Dutch Safety Board (DSB) reported a technical investigation revealed a faulty cabin pressure regulator unit. The ATSB reasoned the cause was identified, no operational disruptions occurred and there were no further lessons to be learned from this occurrence and thus did not undertake any investigation. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d8b8b43&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top 'AirAsia India Violates Passenger Safety,' Alleges Suspended Pilot; DGCA Begins Probe Gaurav Taneja, who also runs a popular YouTube channel called Flying Beast, on Sunday tweeted that he had been suspended by the airline "for standing up for safe operations of an aircraft and its passengers". New Delhi: Privately-owned low-cost carrier AirAsia India came under the eye of the aviation regulator after one of its pilots alleged grim violations of safety norms. Also Read - Middle Seats in Flights Should be Kept Vacant to 'Possible Extent', DGCA Issues Guidelines to Airlines Gaurav Taneja, who also runs a popular YouTube channel called Flying Beast, on Sunday tweeted that he had been suspended by the airline "for standing up for safe operations of an aircraft and its passengers". Subsequently, he posted a detailed video regarding the same on his YouTube channel. Also Read - Beware of Locust Swarm as Air Intake Ports Can be Blocked: DGCA Issues Notice to Pilots His video went viral across social media platforms, AirAsia customers writing about how their experiences were relatable to Taneja's narration. This forced the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to take up against AirAsia's actions. Also Read - Domestic Flight: From Check-in Baggage to Mandatory Aarogya Setu App- Here Are The New Rules You Should Keep in Mind Before Entering Airport on May 25 The pilot claimed that the airline asked its pilots to do 98 per cent of landings in "Flap 3" mode in order to save fuel and that if anyone does not do it, the airline considers it a violation of its standard operating procedure (SOP). Taneja went on to explain how, in certain cases, "Flap 3" landing becomes extremely difficult and puts the lives of crew and passengers at danger. He gave the example of Imphal airport and said when an aircraft is coming down steeply, it needs to have a drag so that it remains slow, and in such circumstances, a pilot has to do a "Flap full" landing. "In order to achieve targets, what would people do? They will do Flap 3 landings without giving consideration whether it is safe or unsafe. This directly impacts the passenger safety," he said in his video. As a result, the DGCA took note of the complaints raised by a number of stakeholders and started an investigation into the flagged issues. The aviation regulator said it will "take appropriate action based on the outcome of the said investigation". However, AirAsia India has not issued any statement on the incident or responded to requests made. https://www.india.com/news/india/airasia-india-violates-passenger-safety-alleges-suspended-pilot-dgca-begins-probe-4059298/ Back to Top Air Malta in breach of safety rules, pilot union says The pilots' association, ALPA, has said that the national airline was in breach of safety rules and procedures when Air Malta dismissed its pilots and demoted a substantial amount of Captains without having commissioned a Safety Risk Assessment in terms of the airline's Safety Management System Manual. The risk assessment is also required by the Transport Malta Civil Aviation Directorate. In a statement on Tuesday, ALPA explained that the lack of risk assessment has given rise to a state of illegality which led to newly-demoted pilots being pulled off rosters. Air Malta may only deploy around 30 pilots to operate upcoming flights, ALPA said. Court upholds ALPA injunction against Air Malta The pilots' association said that Air Malta's CEO Clifford Chetcuti is legally responsible for the irregularity and the consequences which stem from it. Chetcuti also occupies the role of Accountable Manager of the national airline. He was 'hand-picked' for the role by disgraced Minister Konrad Mizzi, despite not having any previous experience in managing an airline. ALPA 'surprised' with Air Malta's decision to lay-off 69 pilots The association also referred to reports that Air Malta's shareholder was willing to re-enter negotiations with it, however, to date no one has approached ALPA in this regard. ALPA said that Air Malta's lawyer Dr Galea Cavallazzi made it clear that the national airline would not meet ALPA on Monday. The association reminded that the the redundancy of 69 pilots was communicated directly to its members, despite discussions still being underway and despite its committee having received assurances that no redundancies or demotions would be made. Pilots' union files criminal complaint over Air Malta redundancies Recently Air Malta has ranked in the first place in the European Hall of Shame for its treatment of its employees. The European Hall of Shame is a classification by the European Cockpit Association. The latter was created in 1991 and is the representative body of European pilots at a European level. https://newsbook.com.mt/en/air-malta-in-breach-of-safety-rules-pilot-union-says/ Back to Top Retired NYC surgeon spread coronavirus on American Airlines flight: report The retired Manhattan surgeon, who would test positive for coronavirus, took off from JFK airport on his way to an LA dementia-care facility. A retired Manhattan surgeon spread the coronavirus on a flight to Los Angeles in mid-March - but no one bothered to warn the passengers or crew they were at risk of catching the illness, a report said Monday. The 69-year-old man had just been released from a hospital in the virus-stricken Big Apple when he took off from JFK March 19 as he moved to an LA dementia-care facility, The Los Angeles Times reported. The day after his American Airlines flight, the surgeon was rushed from the facility to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with a 101.9-degree fever and a cough. He later tested positive for COVID-19. None of the 49 other passengers or eight crew members on his flight were notified of his results, according to the Times. This despite local public health officials assuring they were investigating each case of the virus and contact tracing to curb the spread. The airline only recently learned of the case from The Times, the paper reported. The virus also spread to other people in the Silverado Beverly Place assisted living facility, where 32-year-old nurse Brittany Bruner-Ringo and a dozen others later died. He was not placed in quarantine when he arrived to the home from LAX, three employees told the newspaper. The nurse assigned to welcome him, Bruner-Ringo, later told her mother, sister and a colleague that the man had a fever and a cough when he arrived, the paper reported. The facility has denied that and said medical records prepared by the nurse showed he had no symptoms. The Times said it was not naming the man because his mental competency is unclear. It took 11 days for the LA county health department to learn of the man's COVID-19 diagnosis, and by that point, "the contact information provided for the individual was incomplete and the investigator was not able to conduct an interview." According to the Times, contact tracers with the health department closed the case after 14 days, when they were unable to reach the surgeon for an interview. LA health officials never alerted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the flight so that contact tracing could be initiated, the CDC told the Times. "Any delay in contacting exposed individuals will increase the likelihood of disease spread," a CDC spokesman said. https://nypost.com/2020/06/15/retired-nyc-surgeon-spread-covid-19-on-american-airlines-flight-report/ Back to Top EU's Aviation Safety Agency classifies Egyptian airports as safe CAIRO - 16 June 2020: The European Union's Aviation Safety Agency has classified all the Egyptian airports as completely safe, and placed the country's airports on a list of the international airports that have taken the necessary measures to combat the emerging coronavirus. The list was developed to achieve an additional level of protection for passengers and aircrew staff, which is mainly based on information from the World Health Organization, the European Center for Disease Prevention, and several prestigious health centers. Information from these organizations is based on data collected and categorized according to several criteria that include the total number of cases infected with coronavirus, the number of recoveries, the number of routine infections, the number of tests, the number of deaths and the condition in the cities compared to rural areas. Egypt closed off tourism in March due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic but decided to gradually reopen as of July 2020. https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/9/88640/EU-s-Aviation-Safety-Agency-classifies-Egyptian-airports-as-safe Back to Top Boeing 737 Max Certification In Focus With FAA Chief Set To Testify Before Senate Committee A bipartisan draft bill on FAA certification reform is reportedly circulating as the FAA chief heads to testify before a Senate Commerce Committee Wednesday on the Boeing (BA) 737 Max. Boeing stock were little changed near the close, slashing morning losses. Federal Aviation Administration chief Steve Dickson will testify before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET. According to the committee, Dickson will answer questions about "issues associated with the design, development, certification, and operation" of the Boeing 737 Max. The hearing will also look at ways to reform the certification process. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., have reportedly authored a draft bill to reform the way the FAA certifies new aircraft, according to Reuters. The bill would give the FAA power to hire or let go of employees at aircraft manufacturers performing FAA certification tasks. The FAA would also have authority to appoint safety advisors. Boeing 737 Max Culture The Boeing 737 Max was involved in two deadly crashes that killed a total 346 people and has been grounded since March 2019. Problems with the complex Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (or MCAS) were blamed for the two crashes. Investigations into Boeing's certification process further exposed a toxic work culture. Reports said management ignored warnings from some employees that overworked employees were making mistakes amid quality control issues at Boeing's factories. Text messages between employees from 2016 suggested that the Dow Jones aerospace giant misled the FAA about the 737 Max's MCAS system. A test pilot also reportedly complained that he felt pressure from management to ensure the Boeing 737 Max jets wouldn't require expensive pilot training. At hearings last year, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle blasted the company's close relationship with the FAA. A House investigation that began a year ago was released in early March. That report said the FAA "failed in its duty" and that its review of the troubled plane was "grossly insufficient." The report also called out Boeing for having a "culture of concealment." Join IBD experts as they analyze actionable stocks in the coronavirus stock market rally on IBD Live. In December, Boeing's board ousted Dennis Muilenburg as CEO amid criticism of his handling of the crisis and scoldings by regulators for pushing for a quicker return to service for the 737 Max. Boeing is facing scrutiny from other federal agencies as well. The Securities and Exchange Commission is reportedly investigating the aerospace giant's financial disclosures related to the jet's grounding. The Justice Department, FBI and the Transportation Department are probing whether the aerospace giant misled regulators and customers about the jet. Boeing 737 Max Recertification Flight Amid Covid-19 The recertification flights have been a long time coming. Regulators had to agree on the final fixes and Boeing uncovered new software issues that needed correcting. In February, Dickson said that certification flights will start in the next few weeks. But the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic stalled plans. Boeing now reportedly expects to run an FAA recertification flight for the 737 Max later this month. 737 Max Return Delayed Before the pandemic, airlines had taken the Boeing 737 Max jet out of service through the busy summer travel season. But as Covid-19 decimated air travel, Southwest Airlines (LUV) removed the troubled plane from its schedule through October and American Airlines (AAL) and United Airlines (UAL) are expected to follow suit. The Dow giant halted production of the Boeing 737 Max in January amid the prolonged grounding as finished jets spilled out into employee parking lots. On May 28, Boeing resumed production at a "low rate" with plans to increase to 31 737 Max jets per month in 2021. That's down from the 57 jets per month it had earlier expected to build this month. In April, Boeing 737 Max saw 108 additional net order cancellations, as airlines rushed into survival mode. In March, Boeing customers canceled a total of 150 Boeing 737 Max orders. https://www.investors.com/news/boeing-737-max-certification-faa-chief-senate-committee-hearing/ Back to Top Senate proposal would strengthen FAA oversight of Boeing plane designs SEATTLE - A proposed bill to tighten controls on how federal aviation safety regulators oversee and approve Boeing's design of new jets has been hammered out by a Senate committee after backroom negotiations and a pressure campaign by families of the 346 people who died in two crashes of the 737 MAX. If passed, the bill would reverse the years-long trend of delegating more and more control of the process to Boeing itself, and would shift the balance of oversight responsibility back toward the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). "We're pleased," said Michael Stumo, the father of 24-year-old Samya Stumo, who died in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March last year and whose extended family has campaigned for accountability ever since. "This is the baseline for going forward. This is real." In recent days the bill has grown new teeth that were absent from an initial draft circulated last week by Committee Chairman U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. That early version called for a two-year study of ways to improve the system, but mandated no specific changes. The strengthening of the bill follows intense negotiations with the committee's ranking minority member, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and a concerted lobbying campaign by the families of the crash victims. For Cantwell, it was a role reversal. A longtime champion of Boeing and the jobs it brings to Washington state, she wrote an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 that eliminated the few remaining barriers to delegating most of the certification work to Boeing. While the MAX was certified before that act became law, the two crashes that occurred within five months of its signing have changed the congressional calculus. In negotiations with the Republicans on the committee over the past week, Cantwell insisted that if Wicker wanted his bill to be bipartisan, certification would have to move in the opposite direction, putting limits and controls on Boeing's role in certifying its own airplanes. Cantwell said she focused on "making sure the FAA's oversight is strong, clear and transparent." The families of the crash victims mobilized for the same goal. After Wicker's initial draft bill was posted on a WhatsApp group chat for the families last week, participants sent a flood of passionate emails to 59 members of the Commerce Committee staff. The brother of 29-year-old Kenyan electrical engineer George Kabau, who died in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019, wrote that the Senate staffers should fulfill their "duty of safeguarding the future safety of the flying public, not just for Americans, but for the entire world by proposing and endorsing adequate legislative interventions." Javier de Luis, brother of 63-year-old Graziella de Luis, a United Nations translator from Mexico who also died on that flight, wrote that as an MIT-trained aerospace engineer familiar with certification failures, he thought the initial draft bill "does nothing to address the systemic failures that led to my sister's death." Samya Stumo's mother, Nadia Milleron, interviewed with her husband last week, said the emails must have struck a chord with Wicker's staffers. "They knew they couldn't go forward with a Boeing Protection Act. That they would look terrible," she said. "That's why they rewrote it." The draft bill would restructure the organization within Boeing of company engineers who work on behalf of the FAA and are tasked with testing and approving the design of a new airplane. Those engineers today are appointed by Boeing. According to a copy of the bill obtained by The Seattle Times, it requires that they be appointed by and approved by the FAA. Those engineers today are supervised by Boeing managers and discouraged from talking directly to their FAA technical counterparts. The bill requires that the FAA regularly audit their performance and that they communicate routinely with an FAA technical advisor, typically a government safety engineer or inspector. In addition, no FAA employee can be offered any kind of financial incentive for performance "related to meeting schedules." And neither FAA nor Boeing management can prohibit the technical staff on either side from communicating freely with each other. "The lines of communication and authority between all aviation manufacturers and the FAA need important improvements," said Cantwell. "Strong technical aviation expertise on the ground cannot simply be ignored by senior management at the FAA." These provisions in the bill spring directly from revelations that during certification of the MAX, managers at both the FAA and at Boeing put "undue pressure" on technical staff to push through approvals quickly. The changes amount to reverting back to an older version of the oversight system when the Boeing engineers who worked as "authorized representatives" of the FAA had more independence from company managers. Another item addressed in the bill is that current law allows the FAA to designate certain companies as able to completely self-certify their own aircraft designs and production processes, sometimes referred to as "delegation on steroids." While this isn't the norm today, it has been pushed as a vision for the future by aerospace industry lobbyists and FAA leadership to speed the regulatory process and get government out of the way of industry. The bill specifically repeals that provision, blocking the further extension of oversight delegation in future. "They are taking that out, so the FAA can never go down that road," said Stumo. https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/business/senate-proposal-would-strengthen-faa-oversight-of-boeing-plane-designs/article_2d613278-af21-11ea-872b-7b1d32d02459.html Back to Top How a woman boarded a Delta flight without a boarding pass or ID • The woman and her belongings were screened by TSA, according to the report. • Woman makes it onto plane without ID, boarding pass TSA officials said they screened the unnamed passenger at Orlando International Airport but did not provide further details. A woman who was able to board a Delta flight without a boarding pass or ID bypassed the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) document checker by blending in with two families and then boarding the plane alongside a passenger with a wheelchair, according to a TSA report obtained by ABC News. The female passenger, identified by authorities as Sylvia Rictor, approached the security checkpoint at the Orlando International Airport on the morning of Oct. 5 with "an unknown family." At the time there was another family in the adjacent lane allowing Rictor to "use the groups of people to hide her(self), circumventing security by entering the checkpoint without a boarding pass," the report explained. Rictor and her belongings were then successfully screened by TSA, and she proceeded to the gate where she was able to pre-board the Delta flight headed for Atlanta alongside a passenger in a wheelchair. Rictor did not present a boarding pass. "I approached the woman that went around and asked if she had been scanned, and she stated yes she had," the gate agent recalled in a written statement included in the report. "That was when I assumed she was with the wheelchair passenger and allowed her to board." It wasn't until passenger Jenni Clemons found Rictor in her assigned seat that people started questioning Rictor. "She just said I'm not moving," Clemons told ABC News in October. "She never broke her gaze from the back of the seat in front of her, even when all of the authorities were speaking to her." Authorities asked Rictor for a boarding pass and a form of government identification. "She stated she had thrown away her boarding pass after it had been scanned," the agent wrote in a statement. She then showed her a picture on her phone "like a selfie," according to the agent. After the agent explained that the photo was not an acceptable form of identification, Rictor replied it was "just as good," according to a video that passenger Shannon Hire recorded of the incident. Rictor was eventually escorted off the aircraft, and the almost 200 passengers were forced to de-plane and had to be re-screened by TSA. As part of TSA's investigation they contacted Rictor to give her an opportunity to "submit any information regarding the matter." Rictor responded in a handwritten letter claiming that she did purchase her ticket. "I am so sorry," she wrote in the letter included in the TSA report. "I don't know (what) else to say but don't blame me everything falls on your ... security." A TSA spokesperson explained that after the incident they added partitions and plexiglass to clearly delineate the security lines at the airport in an attempt to prevent a passenger from sneaking into the checkpoint again with large groups of people. In October, a spokesperson for the FBI's Tampa Division said no charges would be filed against Rictor. The TSA report revealed Rictor had been involuntarily institutionalized on at least three separate occasions. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/woman-boarded-delta-flight-boarding-pass-id/story?id=71260973 Back to Top IATA re-ups calls on Latin American governments to support airlines Commercial aviation association IATA has strengthened calls for Latin American governments to assist their respective airline industries in order to help them survive the coronavirus crisis that has brought the sector to a near-standstill. IATA, which represents 290 airlines worldwide, on 15 June strongly urged governments in Latin America to intervene on behalf of the industry and the 7.2 million jobs that it supports across the region. Air traffic fell by about 96% in Latin America and the Caribbean as the coronavirus pandemic reached its peak in April, and has yet to make any significant steps toward recovery. "This is our last chance to survive this crisis," says Peter Cerda, IATA regional vice-president for the Americas. "Time is against us and every day that goes by places more agony on an industry that is seeking clarity on timelines to restart operations. No sector has the liquidity to stay afloat during a four- or five-month standstill. We recognise the efforts made by the authorities in fighting this pandemic and we understand what countries are facing, but air transport is essential for our region and cannot be allowed to disappear." Struggling Latin American airlines include Avianca, which in recent months filed for bankruptcy protection and is now reorganising. Latin American governments have been much less forthcoming in their support for the commercial aviation industry tshan those in other areas, such as North America and Europe. Billion-dollar aid packages in those regions have helped airlines stay afloat, at least temporarily, and reorganise their operations after passenger demand dropped off sharply. Despite recent positive trends and a slow easing of travel restrictions, airlines are still burning through millions of dollars every day. Without the aid, they would likely have had to lay off thousands of employees or shut down completely. This is not the first time IATA has highlighted what it describes as the region's sluggish and uncoordinated reaction to the pandemic, as well as its luke-warm handling of plans to re-start air travel operations. In May, IATA said that governments had provided less than 1% of the airlines' 2019 operating revenue in financial aid, making it the least-supportive region in the world. At the moment, much of South America continues to have stark travel restrictions in place, with most countries planning to reopen in coming weeks. Notable outliers are Colombia and Argentina, which have basically halted passenger air transport operations until 31 August and 1 September, respectively. IATA also says the countries should begin to relax quarantine requirements, congruent with other regions, so that the industry can begin taking steps to recover some of the ground it lost. "Such restrictions severely hamper economic activity by effectively blocking travel, which is essential for the counties of Latin America and the Caribbean that are heavily reliant on tourism," the organisation writes. This, even though coronavirus infection numbers in Brazil, for example, are surging. The most populous country in South America has reported the second-highest number of cases and deaths after the United States. Two of the continent's major airlines, Colombia's Avianca and Santiago, Chile-based LATAM Airlines last month filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US as they look to rebalance debt and protect themselves from creditors. Analysts say these two were the first but may not be the last carriers on the continent to seek such protections as the countries also deal with general economic weakness as a result of the pandemic. Supporting airlines is a difficult political proposition for most Latin American nations, even though in the past few years air travel has become more of a public service. Low-cost carriers have begun to bridge vast distances across the continent where ground-based transportation networks, infrastructures and systems are sometimes unreliable. They offer the possibility of connecting far-flung regions much faster by air at a price point that appealed to a larger swath of the population. Avianca's pilots' union ADPA says on 15 June that political squabbling is hindering the reopening of the El Dorado Luis Carlos Galan Sarmiento International airport in Bogota, Colombia's major hub, and it urged authorities to reassess the risks in order to save the industry in that country. "We observe that many countries affected by this crisis are already starting commercial flights, based on the low risk of transmission of the disease in the passenger cabins of aircraft and the high capacity of traceability on users, especially when a suspicious or positive case is detected," Leonardo Roldan Hernández, vice president of the pilots' union, says. This kind of tracing is virtually impossible in ground-based transport such as taxis, buses and subways, he adds. The industry supports 600,000 jobs in the travel and tourism sector in Colombia alone, ADPA says, and many of those jobs could be at risk if the crisis drags on longer than three months. "If the restrictions are extended, job losses and the decrease in the contribution to GDP will have a major impact on the country's economic and social recovery." Last week IATA joined four other international associations representing airlines, airports, air navigation services providers, travel and tourism suppliers and related sectors in calling on the region's governments to quickly implement the ICAO's global guidelines for restoring air connectivity. The document lays out a plan to keep the travelling public and crews safe during this time. https://www.flightglobal.com/strategy/iata-re-ups-calls-on-latin-american-governments-to-support-airlines/138837.article Back to Top China Eastern to launch new airline amid coronavirus tourism downturn (CNN) - The global tourism industry might be struggling, but that's not stopping China's second-biggest airline from launching a new carrier in Hainan, the country's most popular island holiday destination. The new carrier, Sanya International Airlines -- named after the main beach city of Hainan Province -- is a joint venture between China Eastern Airlines and several other companies including the state-owned Hainan Province Transport Investment Holding Company Limited and Trip.com, China's largest online travel platform. China Eastern Airlines will be the majority shareholder of the new airline. Sanya International Airlines was revealed during a signing ceremony on June 13 held to launch the future development of Hainan as a free trade port -- "a project envisioned and directed personally by China's President Xi Jinping," said a press release issued in Chinese. "As one of the first airlines to tap into Hainan, China Eastern Airlines has always placed great importance on the development of Hainan's aviation industry," said Liu Shao Yong, China Eastern Airlines' president, in the release. "China Eastern will take this contract as an opportunity. It will continue to increase its investment in resources in Hainan and fully utilize Hainan's strength in the aviation industry." The company also said that the future Sanya International Airlines will position itself as a world-facing, diversified and innovative air carrier with "excellent genes" -- referring to the backing of renowned state-owned and private travel-related companies. As for when the airline will start flying, no timeline was provided at the ceremony. Often referred to as the "Hawaii of China," the southern island province of Hainan is famous for its many tropical beaches and forests. It's one of the few places in China that offers visa-free access to international tourists from nearly 60 countries, including the United States. Designated a special economic zone in the 1980s, Hainan has recently sped up its economic and tourism development following the 2018 announcement of Xi's plan to turn it into a Free Trade Port. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/china-eastern-sanya-international-airlines/index.html Back to Top EasyJet agrees five-year deferral on 24 Airbus aircraft EasyJet has reached an agreement with Airbus to push back by five years the delivery of 24 aircraft that were originally destined to join its fleet between 2020 and 2022. The aircraft will now be delivered between 2025 and 2027, potentially resulting in EasyJet having to pay up to an additional £95 million ($120 million) due to inflation. "Any increase would be materially offset by the reduced cost of borrowing associated with the significant cash flow benefits in the next 16 months, arising from these deferrals," says the airline. The agreement gives EasyJet the flexibility until December 2020 to defer two further aircraft deliveries and opt against taking up to seven more jets that were scheduled for delivery between 2022 and 2026. EasyJet's agreement with Airbus also includes deadline extensions for exercising existing options on 13 additional aircraft. The deadline on seven of these options has been extended by one year to November 2021, with the remaining six options to be exercised by November 2022. "The changes agreed defer capacity in the medium term while continuing our long-term strategy of replacing our older fleet with the advanced and lower fuel-burning A320neo family," states EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren. EasyJet had announced in April that it planned to defer its order for 24 aircraft. The move followed pressure from the airline's founder and major shareholder, Stelios Haji-Iaonnou, to cancel or renegotiate an order for 107 Airbus aircraft. Haji-Iaonnou had sought to remove the airline's chairman, chief executive, chief financial officer and an independent non-executive director from the board over the dispute, but this attempt failed when shareholders voted to back management. https://www.flightglobal.com/fleets/easyjet-agrees-five-year-deferral-on-24-airbus-aircraft/138853.article Back to Top Former Air Force pilot now the boss at Lockheed Martin Former Gulf War Air Force pilot and aerospace industry veteran James Taiclet on Monday formally assumed the chief executive role at Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defense and aerospace contractor. James D. Taiclet, 60, became president and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation on June 15. (Courtesy PRNewsfoto/Lockheed Martin) In March, 60-year-old Taiclet was chosen to succeed Lockheed CEO Marillyn Hewson, who had served as CEO since 2013. Hewson now serves as executive chairman of the board. Taiclet has been a member of the Lockheed Martin board of directors since 2018. He comes from Boston-based communications real estate company American Tower, where he served as CEO since 2003. Before that, he was president of Honeywell Aerospace Services, and before that, vice president at the engine services division of Pratt & Whitney. "As a former military pilot, I understand the mission of this great corporation to provide global security and innovative solutions for the brave men and women who protect our freedom," Taiclet said. "I come into this role at a time when our nation and its allies have been tested globally by new and emerging threats." In addition to Lockheed Martin being the world's largest defense and aerospace contractor, it is one of the capital region's largest employers with about 4,000 employees in the D.C. area. It employs 110,000 people globally, with approximately $60 billion in annual revenue. https://wtop.com/business-finance/2020/06/former-air-force-pilot-now-the-boss-at-lockheed-martin/ Back to Top Qatar Airways to slash foreign pilots' pay: memo Doha (AFP) - Qatar Airways will slash some pilots' salaries and make others redundant to offset the revenue collapse caused by the novel coronavirus travel crisis, it said in a memo seen by AFP Monday. The Gulf airline, which flew to more than 170 destinations with 234 aircraft as of March, has been hit by airport closures and travel bans imposed to contain the spread of the COVID-19 disease. The International Air Transport Association warned in April that air traffic in the Middle East and North Africa would plummet by more than half this year. Qatar Airways' most senior pilots "will be subjected to a 25 percent reduction" in salaries, chief flight operations officer Jassim al-Haroon wrote to pilots in a memo dated June 4. "In the upcoming weeks many of our captains, senior first officers, first officers and cadet pilots will be made redundant," Haroon wrote, without specifying how many would be let go. More junior pilots will face an immediate 15 percent cut to their salaries, although the measures will not be applied to the airline's Qatari pilots, the memo added. The airline warned cabin crew at the start of May that they faced "substantial" job losses. "It's very gloomy. Communication hasn't been clear -- we don't know if this will be the last reduction or if there will be more," said one pilot, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity. "Without a union, they can do what they want to our contracts." At the worst point of the novel coronavirus travel crisis, the airline had to slash its passenger services to just 35 destinations. It has since begun to resume some mothballed routes. The economy of super-wealthy gas exporter Qatar has been buffeted by the global economic downturn and associated energy price collapse caused by the pandemic. Doha-based sports broadcaster BeIN will shed around 100 jobs and cut some salaries in response to the virus downturn and the fallout from piracy of its output, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. "We have started a limited redundancy programme in relation to our Middle East and North Africa business -- which will be as limited as possible, while securing our long-term future," BeIN said in a statement, adding that further details could not be provided as consultations were ongoing. https://news.yahoo.com/qatar-airways-slash-foreign-pilots-pay-memo-155700761.html Back to Top Textron Delivers 250th Citation M2 Light Jet Textron Aviation has delivered the 250th Cessna Citation M2 entry-level jet, the Wichita airframer announced today. The milestone copy of the upgraded variant of the Model 525 CitationJet was delivered to Fast Rabbit Aviation in Seattle. "The M2 is an ideal fit for operators in need of an agile aircraft with the power, range, and speed to complete their mission with efficiency and comfort," said Textron Aviation senior v-p of sales Rob Scholl. "Today, when reliability, flexibility, and value are more vital than ever before, we're proud to reach this milestone and continue providing an aircraft that can support the operations of many dynamic organizations worldwide." The single-pilot light twinet was certified and first delivered in December 2013. Powered by two Williams FJ44 turbofans, the M2 seats seven passengers and has a range of 1,550 nm and a 404-ktas cruise speed. Recent updates to the aircraft include Garmin G3000 avionics that Scholl said allow "a straightforward transition for piston and turboprop aircraft pilots." Fast Rabbit owners plan to use their new M2 for frequent trips along the U.S. West Coast and are considering a round-the-world flight. Textron Aviation noted this latest delivery adds to its more than 5,000 light jet deliveries, which include the Citation CJ3+ and CJ4. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-06-15/textron-delivers-250th-citation-m2-light-jet Back to Top RTCA's free Aviation Technology Connect Webinar series kicks off Wednesday, June 17. Featured speakers include: Wayne Monteith, FAA's Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation and Gregg Leone, The MITRE Corporation's VP Director Center for Advanced Aviation System Development. More details: https://www.rtca.org/content/agenda TO ALL PROFESSIONAL PILOTS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS, members of their Management, Regulators and related organizations (airplane, helicopter, civil or military) WE REQUEST YOUR SUPPORT FOR A JOINT AVIATION SAFETY SURVEY (JASS) ON: "AERONAUTICAL DECISION-MAKING, INCL. MONITORING & INTERVENTION IN PRACTICE" Dear aviation colleague, you are invited to participate in a research project conducted by the department of Psychology at City, University of London, which aims to elicit your views and thoughts on Aeronautical Decision-Making, including Monitoring and Intervention in normal operation,by which we mean routine line flights without any incidents or technical malfunctions. The questions deal with teamwork and decision-making issues in various Pilot-roles, e.g. the role of the Pilot Monitoring (PM), Pilot Flying (PF), Pilot in Command (PIC) and Co-Pilot, and respectively in the Air Traffic Controller (ATCO)-roles of the coordinating and radioing/radar ATCO as well as pilot's and controller's training and occupational picture. This survey is completely anonymous - no identifying information will be requested or collected - and all responses will be treated as strictly confidential. The survey is approved by City's research and ethics committee (Approval Code: ETH 1920-1414). The introductory section of the survey will provide you with further information and the informed consent. Please click here to access the survey or copy the survey-link below into your browser. https://cityunilondon.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6n7cxeunMyfy0fz By completing the questionnaire, you can - in addition to supporting aviation safety research - even do more good as we will donate a minimum of €2 for the first 1000 fully completed responses to the UNICEF COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund which helps to care for vulnerable children and communities all over the world. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via email: aviationsafety@city.ac.uk or tom.becker.1@city.ac.uk or via phone: +49 172 7178780. We thank you very much in advance. Your support is truly appreciated. Best regards, Capt. Tom Becker Prof. Peter Ayton Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Dear Participants, You are being asked to participate in a research study of your opinions and attitudes about stress and mental health. This research started almost two years ago. The purpose of this study is to examine mental health issues in aviation, specifically Part 121 airline pilots. During this study, you will be asked to complete a brief online survey about your opinions on various life circumstances, stress, and mental health topics. This study is expected to take approximately 15 minutes of your time. In order to participate, you must possess an FAA issued Airline Transport Certificate (ATP) and you must also be currently working as a pilot for a Part 121 air carrier that is headquartered within the United States. Participation in this study is voluntary and data will be collected anonymously, stored confidentially, and you may choose to opt out of the study at any time. We sincerely appreciate your consideration and time to complete our study, as it is another small but important step towards increasing safety in aviation. Please click on the link below to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7ZG6M6L For more information, please contact: Tanya Gatlin - Student Researcher Gatlint1@my.erau.edu 281-924-1336 Dr. Scott Winter - Faculty Advisor winte25e@erau.edu 386-226-6491 Curt Lewis