Flight Safety Information [December 2, 2020] [No. 243] In This Issue : Accident: Djibouti B735 at Garowe on Dec 2nd 2020, gear collapse on landing : Incident: ANZ AT72 at Hamilton on Dec 2nd 2020, smoke in cockpit : Cessna 208B Grand Caravan - Ground Collision (Bahamas) : An Emerging Risk of COVID-19 Pandemic: Rusty Pilots Making Flying Errors : Delta Pilots Union Blames Thanksgiving Chaos On COVID-19 : American Airlines holds first civilian passenger flight of 737 MAX in nearly two years : C-5 airplane diverted, lands safely at Bradley : “Star Alliance” Members SWISS And Lufthansa Airlines Adopt NEC Facial Recognition Technologies : New Proposed Bailout For U.S. Airlines Keeps 2021 Travel Hopes Alive : Major US Airlines Pause Nonstop Flights To Shanghai : Artificial intelligence to increase air safety in the face of storms : Frontier Airlines Forms Alliance with Latino Pilots Association : SpaceX's Texas launch site undergoing FAA environmental review for Starship flights Accident: Djibouti B735 at Garowe on Dec 2nd 2020, gear collapse on landing An Air Djibouti Boeing 737-500, registration EY-560 performing flight IV-206 from Hargeisa (Somaliland/Somalia) to Garowe (Puntland/Somalia) with 39 passengers and 5 crew, landed at Garowe (capital of Puntland) Airport's runway 04 at about 09:30L (06:30Z) but suffered the collapse of the right hand main gear at low speed. The aircraft veered to the right but came to a stop within the runway edge resting on right hand engine, left main and nose gear. There were no injuries, the passengers disembarked/evacuated onto the runway and were taken to the terminal. The flight had originated in Djibouti (Djibouti) and was destined for Mogadishu (Somalia) with intermediate stops in Hargeisa and Garowe. Garowe International Airport features an asphalt runway 04/22 of 2000 meters/6600 feet length. Local Media report the airport has been without operating fire truck for about 2 months due to a missing tyre and thus could not respond to the accident although smoke could be seen from the right hand side of the aircraft near the landing gear. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dffab04&opt=0 Incident: ANZ AT72 at Hamilton on Dec 2nd 2020, smoke in cockpit An ANZ Air New Zealand Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration ZK-MVE performing flight N%Z-5813 from Hamilton to Wellington (New Zealand), was climbing out of Hamilton's runway 18L when the crew stopped the climb at FL160 and decided to return to Hamilton reporting smoke on the flight deck. The aircraft landed safely back on Hamilton's runway 36R about 30 minutes after departure. Emergency services reported they were called in for a report of smoke in the cockpit. The airline reported the crew returned to Hamilton due to an indication of an electrical fault. The passengers were disembarked through the main door immediately after the aircraft was on the ground. The passengers were rebooked onto other flights. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dffbd7e&opt=0 Cessna 208B Grand Caravan - Ground Collision (Bahamas) Status: Date: Monday 30 November 2020 Type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan Operator: Royal Bahamas Defence Force Registration: C6-AWO C/n / msn: 208B2084 First flight: 2009 Engines: 1 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: George Town-Exuma International Airport (GGT) ( Bahamas) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Military Departure airport: ? Destination airport: George Town-Exuma International Airport (GGT/MYEG), Bahamas Narrative: After landing, the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan collided with a tree. The left-hand wing susutained substantial damage. The pilot was not injured. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20201130-0 An Emerging Risk of COVID-19 Pandemic: Rusty Pilots Making Flying Errors On Sept. 15, an Indonesian flight carrying 307 passengers and 11 crew to the northern city of Medan momentarily veered off the runway after landing, sparking an investigation by the country’s transport safety regulator. It found the pilot had flown less than three hours in the previous 90 days. The first officer hadn’t flown at all since Feb. 1. The incident underlines an emerging risk from the coronavirus pandemic: pilots aren’t getting enough opportunity to fly because airlines have grounded planes and scaled back operations due to a slump in demand for air travel. In its preliminary report, Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee said the pandemic has made it harder to maintain pilot proficiency and flying experience. The Lion Air aircraft involved was an Airbus SE A330, one of 10 in the carrier’s fleet. Because Lion Air doesn’t have a simulator for the A330, its pilots are trained at third-party facilities in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Covid-19 travel restrictions have made those harder to access. “Regular flying keeps your mind in the cockpit,” said Mohan Ranganathan, an aviation safety consultant who was an adviser to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation. “Being away from flying for such a long time brings in some complacency. Add loss of income, uncertainty about jobs or the future of the airline, that brings in additional stress. With an increase in stress levels, proficiency drops.” Analytics company Cirium says almost a third of the world’s passenger jets remain in storage — parked in the center of Australia and the U.S.’s Mojave Desert. While there’s been a recovery in domestic travel in larger markets such as China, international traffic is way off pre-pandemic levels because of border restrictions and mandatory quarantine, a big deterrent to travelers. Thousands of pilots have been laid off or furloughed, and those still in work are flying a lot less because there’s so little demand. The return to the skies of Boeing Co.’s Max 737 could add another layer of complexity. The jet was grounded worldwide in March 2019 after two fatal crashes but was last month cleared by the U.S. FAA with an extensive package of fixes. “For some operators of the Max, depending on where they are and their operational status, the grounding may cause additional challenges,” said Shukor Yusof, founder of aviation consulting firm Endau Analytics in Malaysia. “However, this is something that Boeing has already been working on and they have teams to help their customers throughout this process.” Pilot rustiness was also cited by Europe’s top aviation-safety official as a possible factor in the crash of a Pakistan International Airlines Corp. plane in Karachi in May that killed all but two of the 99 people on board. Nobody was injured in the Lion Air runway incident. “The pilots did not seem to be as fluent in the way they were conducting their flights as they should have,” European Union Aviation Safety Agency Executive Director Patrick Ky said in September regarding the PIA flight. “If you haven’t flown for three months, six months, you need to be retrained in some way in order to come back.” That concern is shared by others. At an event in October, Singapore’s central bank chief Ravi Menon spoke about the lingering effect Covid-19 will have on the aviation industry and pilots who haven’t flown for long periods. “It’s not like picking up after taking two months off. When you take two years off, it’s very different,” he said. In its preliminary report on the Lion Air incident, the Indonesian safety authority laid out the pilots’ experience, the approach of the plane, weather conditions and landing. The pilot in command was a 48-year-old Airbus A330 flight instructor with about 17,000 hours flying experience; the 46-year-old first officer, who’d been working as a captain for Thai Lion Air before relocating to Indonesia in March, had a similar amount of flying hours. On its approach, Flight 208 requested a change of runway due to stormy weather. At about 1,000 feet, the first officer handed control to the pilot. He then noticed that the plane was nearing the left edge of the runway and told the pilot to adjust. The right rudder pedal was applied after touching down but the left main landing gear went off the tarmac, breaking two runway lights. The report noted that Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued a circular in May on testing pilot proficiency during the pandemic, with certain exemptions and extensions allowed due to limitations on flying time. However the circular didn’t provide detailed guidelines to airlines on how they should operate under these exemptions. A Lion Air spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment. In an interview with Bloomberg Television last week, the International Air Transport Association’s vice president for Asia Pacific, Conrad Clifford, said the industry group has been looking at creating special travel bubbles so pilots can access simulators to ensure they can remain current. “I’m glad to say that governments are doing something about this,” he said. Additionally, the International Civil Aviation Organization has called for flight crew to be recognized as key workers so they can use travel bubbles and access training facilities, including simulators so they can maintain certifications, experience and proficiency. Ian Cheng, senior vice president of flight operations at Scoot, Singapore Airlines Ltd.’s low-cost carrier, said its pilots are being kept engaged with simulator sessions and meetings to update on latest developments. “Because of the low amount of flying, it’s essential to keep proficiency levels up,” he said. According to Ranganathan, it will take about a month of regular flying for pilots to get their confidence and skill levels back, along with lots of training. “When you are not focused, decisions can get delayed,” he said. “Just a few seconds can make a difference between a safe flight or an accident.” https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2020/12/01/592219.htm Delta Pilots Union Blames Thanksgiving Chaos On COVID-19 In the lead-up to the Thanksgiving holiday, Delta Air Lines canceled hundreds of flights. It was an unusual move for an airline that prides itself on not canceling flights. At the time, there was speculation a worker slowdown was a contributing factor. Simple Flying reported on that speculation. However, this week, a leading Delta pilot refuted that speculation, saying there was no organized sick out. An opportunity lost for Delta Air Lines Officially, the Thanksgiving holiday travel period ran from Friday, November 20, until Sunday, November 29. The TSA says approximately 9.5 million passengers passed through airport security checkpoints over this time. There were over one million passengers every day between Friday, November 27, and Sunday, November 29. That’s way down on normal passenger numbers but still the best numbers since March. So when Delta canceled over 500 flights last week, it caught people’s attention. That closely followed a deal between Delta Air Lines and the Air Line Pilots Association to avoid impending pilot furloughs. There were reports many pilots remained unhappy with the deal. In the lead-up to the best travel weekend in many months, an under the radar worker slowdown was flagged as a contributing factor to the cancelations. Pilots were not to blame for cancelations, says Delta union leader But in a memo to pilots on Monday, Captain Ryan Schnitzler, Chairman of the Delta branch of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), said that suggestion was irresponsible and preposterous. “Not only was there not an organized sick out, but the data shows that sick calls, year over year, have been down in 2020,” Captain Schnitzler, a New York-based Boeing 737 pilot, wrote. He said there were several contributing factors behind Delta’s spate of canceled flights. Captain Schnitzler was critical of pilot training issues at Delta, saying it would “put us at an operational disadvantage when demand rebounded.” He says too many line check pilots (LCPs) have been retired or displaced, leaving their ranks thin. “As a result, OE training is getting backed up significantly and, to make matters worse, it is taking six to nine months to train new LCPs in many cases.” Hoping to capitalize on increased demand, Delta added more flights to its schedules over Thanksgiving. But Delta has too many pilots offline and/or unavailable for the understaffed narrow-body fleets. Captain Schnitzler said; “This confluence of events … created yet another perfect storm of operational disruption.” COVID-19 impacting pilot ranks at Delta Air Lines Captain Schnitzler also said COVID-19 was having an impact among pilot ranks. “We are witnessing increased levels of infection within our pilot group. Currently, Delta pilots are leading the new infection rate among all employee groups at Delta. In November, we saw a 113% increase to NFLY status.” While unsure why, Captain Schnitzler suspects the domestic rotations constructed in October and earlier as a possible cause of infections. He says that lead to split rotations with up to seven cockpit crew changes per trip. Captain Schnitzler says this is a good way to spread the infection exponentially if a single pilot has COVID-19. He also notes Delta Air Lines has since stopped doing this. Captain Schnitzler says COVID-19 remains a problem at the pilot training center. He says it is continuing to spread there. The Delta union leader stridently criticized reports Delta pilots contributed to the Thanksgiving cancelations. He says the opposite occurred, with Delta pilots going the extra mile. “We did our jobs this holiday weekend. As pilots, we went above and beyond as we always do and carried this operation as the leaders that we were hired to be.” https://simpleflying.com/delta-thanksgiving-chaos-cause/ American Airlines holds first civilian passenger flight of 737 MAX in nearly two years DALLAS (Reuters) - Boeing Co’s 737 MAX on Wednesday will make its first public demonstration flight with members of the media since being grounded over fatal crashes, as one of its biggest customers, American Airlines, seeks to prove it is safe for passengers. The flight from the airline’s base in Dallas, Texas, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, comes weeks before the airline’s first commercial flight on Dec. 29, and is part of a PR effort by the planemaker and airlines to rehabilitate the jet’s image following a record 20-month ban. Boeing said it had no comment on the American flight and that it would not have staff aboard. The planemaker has said that airlines will take a direct role in demonstrating to passengers that the 737 MAX is safe. Boeing’s best-selling jet was grounded worldwide in March 2019 after two crashes five months apart killed a combined 346 people, marking the industry’s worst safety crisis in decades and a huge setback for U.S. aviation regulatory leadership. Wednesday’s flight marks the first time anyone besides regulators and industry personnel have flown on the MAX since the grounding. Last month, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration cleared it to fly. Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes is planning a similar high-profile event for the redesigned MAX this month, with cautious hopes to fly its first commercial flights as soon as next week, a representative said. SMOOTH RETURN? A smooth return to service for the MAX is seen as critical for Boeing’s reputation and finances. The U.S. planemaker is bracing for intense publicity from even routine glitches by manning a 24-hour “situation room” to monitor every MAX flight globally, and has briefed some industry commentators on details on the return to service, industry sources said. Airlines and leasing companies have spent hundreds of billions of dollars buying the latest upgrade of the 737, the world’s most-sold aircraft. But families of some of the crash victims in Indonesia and Ethiopia have protested the return to service, saying it is premature before a final investigative report on the second crash has been released. The PR efforts are designed to highlight software and training upgrades which the FAA has said remove any doubt about the plane’s safety. Boeing toned down its original plans for the plane’s eventual return as the crisis dragged on longer than executives expected, scrapping a high-profile publicity campaign which had included a ceremony in the Seattle area and a tour using an Oman Air 737 MAX, industry sources said. A Boeing representative declined to comment. Meanwhile, in a vote of confidence, airlines are stepping in to place orders for the MAX, with Alaska Airlines agreeing to lease extra MAX jets last week, and Ireland’s Ryanair expected to top up MAX orders as early as this week. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-boeing-737max-american-airline/american-airlines-holds-first-civilian-passenger-flight-of-737-max-in-nearly-two-years-idUSKBN28C1LV C-5 airplane diverted, lands safely at Bradley WINDSOR LOCKS, CT (WGGB/WSHM) -- Officials at Bradley International Airport told Western Mass News that a C-5 military cargo plane was diverted to their airport Tuesday night. Airport officials would not confirm why the plane was diverted or where it came from. They did say the plane landed safely. We have reached out to Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee to see if the plane was one of theirs. https://www.westernmassnews.com/news/c-5-airplane-diverted-lands-safely-at-bradley/article_a159d3e2-3428-11eb-a45e-375d8b25698b.html “Star Alliance” Members SWISS And Lufthansa Airlines Adopt NEC Facial Recognition Technologies NEC Face Recognition is one of the top software available for the airline industry. NEC facial recognition adopted by the “Star Alliance Biometrics” platform; services launched at Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport. Lufthansa Airlines and Swiss International Airlines (SWISS), Lufthansa Group airline members of Star Alliance, launched the “Star Alliance Biometrics” identity verification platform utilizing NEC’s facial recognition technologies at Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport. Currently, NEC Corporation is recognized as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of “Orchestrating a brighter world.” Face recognition technologies for Biometrics have come a long way since their initial testing days. From fingerprinting to 3D face scans, there are countless ways to identify and authenticate a person’s presence at a particular location or space, using AI-enabled software, sensors and computer vision. Airlines are using video surveillance and camera-based Face Recognition software to develop identity matching and authentication platforms. NEC Facial Recognition is one of the top software available for the airline industry. NEC and Star Alliance have been cooperating since July 2019 in the development of an identity verification platform utilizing biometric certification, and this launch at Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport is the first commercial service to emerge from the partnership. Passengers using this service can pass through security access and boarding gates without contact by registering face images and passport information with mobile apps from each company in advance. This platform features NEC’s facial recognition engine, which has been evaluated as the world’s most accurate(2), in order to ensure high-precision certification, even when individuals are wearing masks. With the worldwide spread of COVID-19, NEC aims to contribute to safer and more secure air travel by helping to control the spread of illness by enabling non-contact, mask-worn check-in airport boarding procedures. This service is available to Lufthansa and SWISS Miles & More frequent flyer program members who agree to and register for the use of biometric information. Facial images and personal information of passengers are encoded and safely stored on the platform, which is designed in accordance with the laws and regulations of information protection in each country that it operates, and customer names are not saved. Moreover, Star Alliance will not use personal information without the consent of passengers. Over 1,700 Miles & More members have already registered for the new service, with processing efficiency measurements now underway. NEC’s facial recognition is part of the NEC I:Delight(3) platform of contactless biometric solutions that make touchpoints touchless. Going forward, NEC aims to strengthen biometric collaboration with Star Alliance, while expanding personalized services both inside and outside the airport in order to make the travel experience more enjoyable. NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. https://aithority.com/news/star-alliance-members-swiss-and-lufthansa-airlines-adopt-nec-facial-recognition-technologies/ Registration Opens for Defence Aviation Safety Conference 2021 SMi reports: Registration is now open for The Defence Aviation Safety Conference, which will take place as a virtual event on 21st – 22nd April 2021. LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, December 1, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- SMi Group are delighted to announce that the Defence Aviation Safety Conference will return to take place as a virtual conference on 21st – 22nd April 2021. As the leading event dedicated to aviation safety in the defence and military environment, it will be a key diary date for all those in the industry. This two-day event will bring together UK military leadership with responsibility for safety in aviation, as well as international senior defence experts from government and industry, to discuss the latest strategies and technologies being used to enhance aviation safety. The conference will also provide the opportunity for delegates to network virtually with senior military leaders in the aviation safety domain, as well as defence experts in government and industry from around the world. The 2021 brochure is now available at http://www.defenceaviationsafety.com/EINpr1 Key topics will include: • Designing and maintaining safe air systems including the role of certification in each • Ensuring and assuring safe operation of air systems • Weapons safety and integration • Safe integration and certification of systems-of-systems • How military and industry can work together to apply standards more effectively to reduce the cost and length of the certification process • Mutual recognition and the shared use of available evidence • Certification requirements at different stages of a system’s lifecycle Preview of the 2021 speaker line-up: HOST NATION SPEAKERS: • Sir Simon Bollom, Chief Executive, DE&S, UK MoD • Air Vice-Marshal Allan Marshall, AOC, No.1 Group, Royal Air Force • Air Vice Marshal Richard Maddison, AOC, No. 22 Group, Royal Air Force • Director Helicopters, DE&S, UK MoD • Commodore Stuart Henderson, Director, Navy Safety Centre, Royal Navy • Commodore Nick Walker, Deputy Director Naval Aviation and Commodore Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy • Colonel Paul Hughes, Chief Engineer and Type Airworthiness Authority for UK Strategic RPAS, Defence Equipment and Support, UK MoD • Colonel Ed Butterworth, Deputy Commander (Find), 1st Aviation Brigade, British Army • Wing Commander John Moorehead, SO1 Air Safety, Joint Helicopter Command Headquarters, UK MOD INTERNATIONAL MILITARY AND EXPERT SPEAKERS: • Major General John Rauch, Commander, US Air Force Safety • Rear Admiral Frederick Luchtman, Commander, US Naval Safety Center, US Navy • Air Commodore J.P. (Jan-Paul) Apon, Director Military Aviation Authority, Netherlands Armed Forces • Colonel Anthony Kleiger, Director of Safety, Air Combat Command, US Air Force • Colonel Kim Juhala, Director, Finnish Military Aviation Authority • Colonel George Ferido, Commander 110 Aviation Brigade, US Army Aviation • Colonel Ronald Ells, Deputy Commander, US Army Safety Center, US Army • Lieutenant Colonel Sandor Simon, Head of Airworthiness Section, MAA, Hungarian Defence Forces • Mr Francois Mathieu, Air Capabilities/Military Aviation Authority, Luxembourg Directorate of Defence • Richard Duriez, Airworthiness Aerospace Capabilities Section Defence Investment Division International Staff, NATO Registration is FREE for military and government personnel, and just £999 for commercial organisations. Register at http://www.defenceaviationsafety.com/EINpr1 https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/531825435/registration-opens-for-defence-aviation-safety-conference-2021 New Proposed Bailout For U.S. Airlines Keeps 2021 Travel Hopes Alive A proposed bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill, which would provide USD$17 billion in support for the beleaguered aviation sector, offers hope to US travelers planning vacations in 2021. While the passage of the bill into law is not yet certain, the news provides a timely boost to US airlines, which have been placed under significant financial pressure due to a huge drop in passenger numbers since the pandemic. With federal assistance, airlines are much more likely to survive the next few months intact and be in a stronger position to offer full flight schedules to US travelers when normal service resumes. Bipartisan Bill To Provide Much-Needed Support A group of US senators including both Republicans and Democrats has devised a USD$908 billion COVID-19 federal assistance plan which they expect to receive widespread bipartisan support in Congress. The proposed bill represents the latest attempt to break a long political deadlock on measures to provide much-needed assistance for key sectors of the economy, including airlines which have been hit particularly hard by the travel restrictions introduced to control the pandemic. Although the bill has not yet received support from the White House or President-Elect Joe Biden, it has received backing from senators across the aisle including Republicans Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Mark Warner. This has boosted the chances of it passing into law, and providing USD$17 billion for four months of payroll assistance needed to keep airlines functioning during the pandemic. While no major US airlines have been forced out of business by the pandemic, all have been badly hit by the large reduction in air traffic, with passenger numbers down by around 60% since March. At least two regional airlines, Trans States Airlines and Compass Airlines, have declared bankruptcy, but others have been forced to tap financial markets and federal loans in order to stay afloat. With losses mounting American Airlines and United Airlines were forced to furlough 32,000 workers in October after a previous federal payroll assistance program expired, highlighting the need for Congress to pass the new bill offering further support for the aviation industry. Unless more federal assistance is provided, travelers could face more restricted options in terms of flights and reduced quality and availability of services. For example, if the airlines are forced to permanently shed workers this would restrict their operating capacity and make it more difficult to ramp up flight offerings once demand begins to increase again. US Travelers Looking Forward To 2021 The proposed support for airlines means that US travelers can begin to look forward to vacations next year as the pandemic gets under control and travel returns to normal. Airlines have already been urging passengers to return to flying by highlighting their safety credentials and pioneering COVID-19 testing and quarantine-free international travel corridors. While the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) continues to advise against non-essential travel at present, the rolling out of pre-flight COVID-19 testing programs, as well as potentially successful vaccination against the virus, offers hope that Americans will be able to return to pre-pandemic travel practices in the new year. Americans can expect major airlines to continue offering a full flight schedule in 2021, allowing them to travel across the country and internationally. Southwest Airlines, based in Dallas Texas, has already announced an expanded flight program starting March 11 including new domestic services to Sarasota, Savannah and Honolulu as well as reinstating international flights to Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. Meanwhile American sun-seekers will welcome the news that United Airlines has expanded its services to Central America from December, including new nonstop flights between Los Angeles and San Jose, Costa Rica and San Pedro Sula, Honduras; between Denver and Belize City; between Washington D.C. and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and between Liberia, Costa Rica and Los Angeles and San Francisco. With airlines desperate to welcome back passengers and a combination of federal assistance and COVID-19 health screenings supporting a safe return to travel, American travelers can begin put the difficulties of 2020 behind them and look forward to vacationing again in the new year. https://www.traveloffpath.com/new-proposed-bailout-for-u-s-airlines-keeps-2021-travel-hopes-alive/ Major US Airlines Pause Nonstop Flights To Shanghai American Airlines and United are putting their nonstop Shanghai plans on hold, the carriers confirmed Tuesday. Reports on long waits to enter the country and restricted accommodation have given rise to concerns regarding crew rest requirements. Services, including cargo-only, will continue to operate via Seoul Incheon. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines is reportedly going ahead with nonstop flights to China. American and United Airlines are pausing their plans for nonstop Shanghai flights due to concerns over crew rest requirements and accommodation. Photo: Getty Images Both American Airlines and United have halted their plans to fly nonstop to Shanghai in China. Concerns have been raised from unions about reports on lengthy waits for tests upon arrival. There is also apprehension regarding the government-mandated hotel for crew at Pudong airport, where movement is reported to be severely restricted. These cumbersome procedures take a large chunk out of the federally regulated rest requirements for airline crew. Crew continues to change in Seoul American had planned to initiate non-stop cargo-only flights from Los Angeles to Shanghai in December. However, it will now continue to operate the service with a stop in Seoul, South Korea, for a crew change, CNBC reported Tuesday. Meanwhile, the return journey will go straight from Shanghai to LA. Sources told the publication that American would continue to include stops in Seoul for its flights from Dallas-Fort Worth to Shanghai and from LAX to Beijing. “We started operating passenger service from DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) to PVG (Shanghai Pudong) on Nov. 11 through Seoul (ICN) due to testing requirements for crews,” a spokesperson for American Airlines told Reuters. They also added that cargo flights are continuing to operate through Seoul for the same reason. United adding the stop back in United Airlines previously flew to Shanghai via Seoul on the way there. However, on October 21st, the airline removed the stop on its San Fransisco to Shanghai Pudong route. Now, due to the same concerns over crew rest time and limited local accommodations, the carrier is adding Seoul back to the itinerary. “Due to changes in operating conditions, we adjusted service between San Francisco and Shanghai to now include a stop in Seoul, South Korea for a crew change as we did earlier this year,” a United spokesperson said to CNBC. Union making sure Delta’s decision is airtight Delta Air Lines, however, is, thus far, still going ahead with the reintroduction of direct flights to China’s largest city. The carrier is set to offer nonstop services from both Seattle and Detroit starting this week. As the first US airline to reconnect the US and China since the flight suspension in February, Delta resumed a twice-weekly service to Shanghai in June. Since then, flights have also operated with a stop at Seoul Incheon. “Delta has shared with us their plan and the logistics surrounding the initiation of nonstop service to Shanghai. Right now, we are studying it to make sure that it is airtight,” the ALPA told CNBC in a statement. Simple Flying has reached out to the above-mentioned airlines with a request for further comments but was yet to receive a reply at the time of publication. https://simpleflying.com/us-airlines-pause-shanghai-flights/ Artificial intelligence to increase air safety in the face of storms Sometimes, during flights, aircrafts have to change their route (their flight plan) because of unforeseen events, such as storms. These meteorological phenomena, which may be accompanied by hail and lightning, are difficult to predict; they are known to appear in a wide area, but it is difficult to accurately predict when and where the storm focus will happen. START's objective is the development of research algorithms for optimising air transport networks in terms of their resilience (the system's recovery capacity) when facing this kind of disruptive phenomena. "The storms we are analysing in this project are convective, typically cumulonimbus (a type of cloud), which are very energetic and dangerous for an aircraft in flight, so pilots tend to systematically avoid them", explains the project's coordinator, Manuel Soler, from the UC3M's Department of Bioengineering and Aerospace Engineering. In addition to heavy rain, these storms often present hail, lightning, and thunder, and may eventually block airports or large airspace corridors. "It is important that, when developing these algorithms, they are resilient, in other words, they can automatically react to storms and recover the system. In this way, flights could be planned with the knowledge that there is a chance that storms will occur in a particular area, even if the specific place and time are unknown," the researcher explains. In addition to this, the system will also take other factors that may cause uncertainty when planning flights into account, such as the different aircraft models being used, their weight and cargo, gusts of wind, or take-off and landing attempts. Scientists anticipate that the final result of this project will be a flight planning software that will improve air transport system indicators, reducing delays, increasing their capacity, and improving safety. It will also improve airlines' economic indicators by reducing their costs and increasing their revenue with improved flight timing. On a methodological level, this project requires a multidisciplinary approach. On the one hand, scientists will use Artificial Intelligence to characterise the uncertainty of all of the elements that make up air traffic, using an epidemiological model to simulate how delays in the system spread at the network level. On the other hand, they will use Big Data (data science) to analyse how large volumes of information can be processed continuously, in addition to the development of these flight optimisation algorithms. START (A Stable and resilienT ATM by inTegrating Robust airline operations into the neTwork) is a European scientific project funded by the European Commission (GA 893204) that started this year and will run until 2022. It is being coordinated by the UC3M and has partners participating from five European countries: Boeing Deutschland (Germany), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the French National Civil Aviation School (France), the flight planning company Flightkeys (Austria), the Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña (Spain) and the Istanbul Technical University (Turkey). ### More information: START Project website http://www.start-atm.com YouTube interview (english subtitles): https://youtu.be/R6r2RADRZGU https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/ucid-ait111920.php Frontier Airlines Forms Alliance with Latino Pilots Association Low-fare carrier Frontier Airlines today announced it has formed an official alliance with the Latino Pilots Association (LPA), a non-profit dedicated to fostering the growth and success of Latino pilots in aviation. Through the alliance, Frontier and LPA will work together to support LPA’s mission of uniting individuals and promoting aviation careers among Latinos. “We are extremely pleased to form this relationship with the Latino Pilots Association,” said Brad Lambert, vice president of Flight Operations for Frontier Airlines. “We believe a diverse range of backgrounds and talents creates a richer and more dynamic workforce. Additionally, we are strongly committed to joining with organizations like LPA to mentor, support and inspire younger generations to reach for and achieve their career goals.” “We look forward to partnering with Frontier Airlines and are grateful for their commitment to our mutually shared goal of elevating Latinos in aviation and mentoring the next generation of Latino aviators,” said Jerry Dooyes, president, Latino Pilots Association. The Latino Pilots Association conducts a variety of activities to foster career interest in aviation including career days, aviation science camps, the awarding of scholarships and community volunteering, among other programs. About the Latino Pilots Association: The Latino Pilots Association was founded in August 2015. LPA is a non-profit, volunteer organization comprised of professional pilots from different sectors of the aviation industry. The organization’s mission is to lead by example, stay true to core values, inspire, motivate and advise future generations of professional aviators. Through community outreach and with member participation, LPA is a nationwide network of pilot mentors seeking to give back to the Latino community, but not limited to any one demographic. https://www.rustourismnews.com/2020/12/01/frontier-airlines-forms-alliance-with-latino-pilots-association/ SpaceX's Texas launch site undergoing FAA environmental review for Starship flights SpaceX's new Texas launch site will undergo an environmental review to prepare for the first flights of the company's new Starship spacecraft. The private spaceflight company owns a launch site in South Texas, near the village of Boca Chica, where Starship prototypes are currently being built and tested. The Starship spacecraft is SpaceX's next-gen transportation system designed to take people to and from the moon, Mars and beyond. On Nov. 23, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that SpaceX plans to apply for licenses for suborbital and orbital launches of Starship. The FAA will conduct an environmental review of the site before SpaceX can launch its new spacecraft, which is powered by the Super Heavy rocket. "The proposed update to Starship/Super Heavy operations falls outside of the scope of the existing final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision for the launch site and requires additional environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)," the FAA said in a statement. The NEPA helps ensure that environmental impacts are assessed during the launch licensing process. In order to receive the appropriate licenses for suborbital and orbital launches, SpaceX must follow environmental and safety regulations. In addition, the company must develop agreements for the license application, according to the statement. Technicians attach the nose cone to SpaceX's Starship SN8 prototype in South Texas on Oct. 22, 2020. Currently, the FAA is in the beginning stages of conducting the environmental review of the launch site and developing a public outreach plan. SpaceX is drafting an environmental assessment (EA), which will determine the impact of launching Starship from the Texas site, as well as appropriate mitigation measures. The EA will also be subject to the FAA's evaluation and approval. SpaceX has started hiring offshore operations engineers to help develop the floating, superheavy-class spaceports that will be used to launch Starship. If all goes according to plan, SpaceX representatives have said that the first operational Starship missions could launch as early as next year. https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-texas-site-faa-environmental-review Curt Lewis