Flight Safety Information [December 3, 2020] [No. 244] In This Issue : Incident: British Airways B789 at London on Dec 2nd 2020, slat problem : Cessna 551 Citation II/SP - Runway Excursion - Damage (Texas) : Airlines Cleared to Ban Emotional-Support Pigs, Peacocks : IBAC Launches New IS-BAO Progressive Stage 3 Program – Operator Leadership Team Pilots The Transition : IBAC Welcomes the Irish Business and General Aviation Association as New Member : Uber reportedly selling air taxi business, but would it have taken off in Australia? : Guidelines for COVID-19 testing and quarantine of air travellers - Addendum to the Aviation Health Safety Protocol : Rolls-Royce Sees Chance to Return to Narrow-Body Jet Market : Boeing nears 737 MAX deal with Ryanair in win for embattled jet : Virgin Galactic may attempt a rocket-powered test flight next week Incident: British Airways B789 at London on Dec 2nd 2020, slat problem A British Airways Boeing 787-9, registration G-ZBKL performing flight BA-243 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Mexico City (Mexico), was climbing out of Heathrow's runway 27R when the crew stopped the climb at FL100 reporting a problem with their slats. The aircraft descended to FL080, positioned to the Bristol Channel to burn off fuel and positioned for the approach to Heathrow's runway 27R about 2 hours later. On approach the crew advised, they did have problems with their slats and needed to fly the approach at a higher than normal speed, their final approach speed would be around 185 KIAS. The aircraft landed safely on runway 27R at a higher than normal speed (about 180 knots over ground) about 2:10 hours after departure. The aircraft was checked by emergency services before emergency services were stood down and the aircraft taxied to the apron. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dffda9a&opt=0 Cessna 551 Citation II/SP - Runway Excursion - Damage (Texas) Status: Preliminary Date: Wednesday 2 December 2020 Time: 08:42 Type: Cessna 551 Citation II/SP Operator: Aviation Star S II LLC Registration: N48DK C/n / msn: 551-0095 First flight: 1978 Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: Lufkin Angelina County Airport, TX (LFK) ( United States of America) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, TX (AUS/KAUS), United States of America Destination airport: Lufkin Angelina County Airport, TX (LFK/KLFK), United States of America Narrative: The aircraft experienced a runway overrun upon landing on runway 16 at Angelina County Airport (LFK/KLFK), Lufkin, Texas. It crossed a road and impacted a fence. The undercarriage broke off as a result before the aircraft came to rest in a field. The airplane sustained substantial damage and one occupant received minor injuries. Two of the three occupants onboard the aircraft were not injured. Runway 16 is 1314 m long with a 90 m paved stopway at the end. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20201202-1 Airlines Cleared to Ban Emotional-Support Pigs, Peacocks • Regulators received more than 15,000 letters on proposal • Only dogs allowed as service animals in plane cabins Emotional support animals such as peacocks, alligators, or pigs will be banned from flying inside the cabin on U.S. airlines under a new rule aiming to counter the growing menagerie of species brought on flights in recent years. The rule, announced Wednesday, will narrow the Department of Transportation’s definition of a service animal to include only canines trained to assist a person with a disability. Customers traveling with a support animal that isn’t a service dog would be required to pay an airline’s pet fee to bring the creature aboard. Airlines will be allowed to require that a service dog fit in the passenger’s foot space on the plane, according to the Transportation Department. The nation’s largest flight attendant union and Airlines for America, a group that represents carriers such as JetBlue Airways Corp., United Airlines Holdings Inc., and American Airlines Group Inc., have long advocated for a policy that would help airlines cut down on animals that they say pose a threat to passengers and crew. Emotional support animal behavior “has ranged from mauling and biting to urinating and defecating,” Airlines for America, the carriers’ trade group, said in a statement Wednesday. “This misbehavior not only threatens the health and safety of passengers and crew, but also passengers with disabilities traveling with trained service animals.” Airlines have already altered their stance on animals on their own in recent years in response to a soaring number of passengers incorrectly claiming they needed them for emotional support. The Department of Transportation said in 2018 that it wouldn’t penalize airlines if they refuse to let passengers fly with more than one support animal or require proof of an animal’s training. Delta Air Lines Inc. and United in 2018 began requiring 48-hour advance notice to travel with an emotional support animal. Under the rule released Wednesday, airlines can limit a passenger to two service dogs. The rule will narrow the Department of Transportation’s definition of a service animal to only include dogs trained to assist a person with a disability. The rule is likely to be controversial. Advocates for people with disabilities, including the National Disability Rights Network, said earlier this year that forcing flyers to fill out paperwork to travel with a service animal is burdensome. The rule released Wednesday allows airlines to require forms developed by the Department of Transportation attesting to a service animal’s health and behavior. Curt Decker, executive director of the National Disability Rights Network, said in a statement Wednesday that the rule will “undermine the rights of people with disabilities and instead almost exclusively accommodate the interests of the airline industry.” The group has yet to review the full rule. Thousands of Letters The Transportation Department’s January proposal to ban emotional support animals from flights inspired about 15,000 letters from across the country weighing in on the issue, from animal lovers, guide-dog owners, and canine trainers, among others. Melanie Benware, president of the International Association of Canine Professionals, wrote with colleagues that airline employees should be trained to recognize “unsafe animal behavior.” Abby Volin, a lawyer who specializes in animal accommodation law, wrote with Vivian Leven, a canine behavior consultant, that air carriers should consider lowering their pet fees to “a reasonable amount.” And Allie Epstein, a California eighth grader who said she uses a service dog, wrote that airlines should ask service animal handlers whether they would like to board ahead of other passengers. “This way, there are no complications between humans and animals that might end badly, such as a dog allergy or a smaller service dog being trampled,” Epstein said in a letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. https://about.bgov.com/news/airlines-can-bump-emotional-support-pigs-peacocks-in-new-rule/ IBAC Launches New IS-BAO Progressive Stage 3 Program – Operator Leadership Team Pilots The Transition International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) has announced the new International Standard for Business Aircraft Operators (IS-BAO) Progressive Stage 3 Program (PS3) as a new Stage 3 option offered to all qualified IS-BAO registered operators. The beta transition leadership team of operators designed and tested the PS3 over the course of two years. “This was one of our Vision 2020 initiatives and I am excited to announce this advanced option is now available to the legacy IS-BAO Stage 3 group,” acknowledged Bennet Walsh, director of the IS-BAO Programme. “Most of the beta PS3 leadership team have been successfully registered as an IS-BAO operator for 10-15 years and have gone through three or more Stage 3 audits so their input was crucial to the development of this programme.” The Progressive Stage 3 (PS3) was built by operators, for operators, that are looking for a way to advance their Stage 3 safety system, share data, and take advantage of opportunities to mentor and share their best practices with others. The PS3 beta team included both large and small corporate IS-BAO Stage 3 operators with mature safety management systems as well as the Progressive Auditor group. “The PS3 initiative demonstrates that business aircraft operators can go beyond simply implementing SMS,” said Kurt Edwards, IBAC director general. “They can emphasize continuous improvement, develop mature safety cultures, and share safety knowledge and experience with peers and those earlier along the SMS path. We look forward to growing a truly global PS3 community of operators and Progressive Auditors and further enhancing business aviation safety.” One of the key benefits that comes with PS3 is the innovative one-day progressive auditing process that features a specific credentialed Progressive Auditor that is based in the operator’s region of the world. Representing the best of the best in their field, IS-BAO credentialed Progressive Auditors are invited by IBAC from the experienced auditor corps, and are highly standardized and aligned to the program, similar to a check airman or state designated examiner. The audit is low impact and allows the operator to focus on relevant areas that might have more room for improvement. The new IS-BAO Progressive Stage 3 benefits include: • Access to exclusive IS-BAO safety database (PS3 shared de-identified data), provided by Baldwin Safety & Compliance • Provides a tailored schedule of audit chapters relevant to the operator • Interaction and audit support from highly qualified and credentialed Progressive Auditors • Provides additional pathways for continuous improvement • Opportunities to participate in IS-BAO progress • PS3 leadership opportunities • Long-term model with subscription options to simplify program management, planning and budgeting An informative webinar has been created and can be viewed from the IBAC website to further introduce the PS3 program and includes input from representatives from the PS3 Leadership Team of operators and auditors. “The mission we share always includes continuous improvement,” added Walsh. “And these Stage 3 operators live and breathe it every day. I am very proud of the PS3 leadership team and the newly credentialed Progressive Auditors that have gone above and beyond to help develop this innovative programme. I am honored to work along side them all as we strive for risk reduction in a mature culture and other value adds. We look forward to many more Stage 3 operators transitioning to PS3 in the near future.” https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/business-general-aviation/press-release/21164919/international-business-aviation-council-ibac-ibac-launches-new-isbao-progressive-stage-3-program-operator-leadership-team-pilots-the-transition IBAC Welcomes the Irish Business and General Aviation Association as New Member International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) announced the Irish Business and General Aviation Association (IBGAA) has joined IBAC as its newest member association. Kurt Edwards, director general, IBAC, stated “Our Member Associations are the foundation for increasing awareness and understanding of business aviation and its economic and societal contributions. We are excited to have IBGAA join our efforts to represent, advocate, and grow the global business aviation industry. A warm welcome from all of us at IBAC to Josh Stewart, founding chairman of IBGAA, and the entire IBGAA team. We look forward to working with you.” Stewart said, “To come on board as the 15th member association of IBAC is a huge honour and a massively important step in our mission to bring Ireland’s business and general aviation industry together. As a national non-profit association, IBGAA aims to have an international reach, while actively striving to showcase Ireland as a global hub for business and general aviation opportunities. We are committed to connecting the rest of the world to Ireland, and we believe our membership in IBAC is a fitting validation of our ongoing efforts to contribute to the long-term growth, success and sustainability of our industry, both in Ireland and across the globe.” The Irish Business & General Aviation Association (IBGAA) is committed to shaping a successful and sustainable future for business and general aviation in Ireland, while facilitating the growth and development of its members’ businesses and every sector of the industry. https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/business-general-aviation/press-release/21164932/international-business-aviation-council-ibac-ibac-welcomes-the-irish-business-and-general-aviation-association-as-new-member Uber reportedly selling air taxi business, but would it have taken off in Australia? Reports of the startup darling selling Uber Elevate to Joby Aviation could ground the dystopian dream of an air taxi service in Melbourne. As reported by Axios early Thursday, Uber is in advanced talks to sell Uber Elevate to Joby Aviation. Joby Aviation is a US aerospace startup founded in 2009. Uber Elevate, formerly known as Uber Air, was touted by the company as an "urban aviation ride-sharing product". Uber was pushing the service as a response to ease traffic congestion on the ground. In reality, the idea was a bold, expensive, and dystopian dream. "In the long term, the vision is for safe, quiet electric vehicles transporting tens of thousands of people across cities for the same price as an UberX trip over the same distance," Uber said in a statement announcing the initiative was coming to Australia. The company in August 2018 announced five possible markets to launch its pipedream: Australia, Brazil, France, India, and Japan. It also confirmed that from 2023, customers will be able to get a flight on-demand in Dallas and Los Angeles. Although Uber entered the Australian market prior to regulation and the green light from state and territory governments, forcing the lawmakers to retrospectively fix the mess, it was saying pre-pandemic it was "working with" the appropriate parties. Regulation, specifically in Australia, was proving to be difficult, however. In Australia, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulates aviation safety. The government body issues licenses to pilots, registers aircraft, and oversees safety. In order for Uber to get an aircraft up in the air, it would need to pass through CASA's vigorous approvals process. This includes pilot approval, approval to carry passengers, and the aircraft itself -- which didn't even exist. One issue from the Australian government perspective was that Uber was proposing an aircraft and purpose that currently does not fall under any pre-existing category. Airservices Australia, the government-owned entity responsible for providing safe, secure, efficient, and environmentally responsible services to the aviation industry currently would not have jurisdiction over Uber Air, as its remit is for aircraft above 1,000 feet. ZDNet understands the Department of Transport was working on policy, but when trying to determine who exactly would have responsibility over what, no clear answer was found. In Australia, Uber partnered with Macquarie, Telstra, and Westfield-operator Scentre Group, and said it would work with existing partners including Melbourne Airport to develop the infrastructure and telecommunications needed to create the aviation network. With nothing tangible, and more than a handful of regulatory, legal, economical, and practical roadblocks, pre-pandemic it was unclear if Melbournites could expect the Jetsons-like future of unmanned planes shuttling around those that could afford it. Post-pandemic, it's looking even more unlikely. In July, Uber said it had met with Australian-based partners and that although Melbourne remained Uber Air's first planned international expansion market beyond the United States, there would not be any public demonstrations or test flights hosted in the Victorian capital this year. "The Uber Air team remains focused on piloting the core technology in the United States first, because it is where most of our vehicle partners are already developing their aircraft and where many plan to receive certification," it said. "All of the Uber vehicle partners are expected to progress initial vehicle certification in their home jurisdictions. Accordingly we anticipate public demonstrations will happen in North America first, but will not speculate when that might be as the ripple impact of COVID-19 has not yet been fully realised. "Uber Air is continuing to progress a safe, reliable, clean, quiet, and affordable air mobility service and will remain working with local partners to bring this vision to life." According to the Axios report, a deal could be announced later this month as Uber pushes forward with its plan to turn a profit. Uber is currently undergoing a phase where it's trying to tighten its belt and get rid of money-losing and peripheral aspects of its business. https://www.zdnet.com/article/uber-reportedly-selling-air-taxi-business-but-would-it-have-taken-off-in-australia/ PIA to acquire eight new aircraft on dry lease RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided to add eight new narrow-body aircraft to its fleet on dry lease. The aircraft with seating capacity of 170-plus (all economy with soft divider after two rows) are expected to be delivered from January to December 2021. The PIA management has sought bids from different parties by January 11 next year for acquiring the eight aircraft on dry lease, which means the airline would only acquire the aircraft without flight crew. PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez Khan said the airline was looking to improve and modernise its fleet. The spokesman said new aircraft would replace some of the older planes in the fleet. He added it was part of the business plan PIA had been working on for the past two years which got pushed back due to reduced demand owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. Signs agreement to operate direct and daily dedicated cargo flights to China According to the information available on the PIA website, the airline’s fleet comprises 37 aircraft — seven Boeing 777s, nine Airbus-320s and 21 ATRs. PIA’s Chief Executive Officer Air Marshal Arshad Malik had said that 12 new aircraft will be added to the airline’s fleet by 2023. With the induction of the new aircraft the PIA’s fleet would go up to 45 by 2023. Meanwhile, the PIA and Oriental Sky Aviation Ltd signed a landmark cargo charter agreement on Wednesday, paving the way for direct and daily cargo flights between Pakistan and China. The PIA spokesman said that the instrument of agreement was signed by PIA’s general manager for charters and MD of Oriental Sky Aviation at the PIA offices. PIA’s CEO Air Marshal Malik and Chief Commercial Officer Ali Tahir Qasim also attended the signing ceremony. As per the agreement, PIA will operate seven weekly flights to Urumqi (China), with four flights a week originating from Islamabad and three flights from Lahore. It will be one of its kind operations as PIA has never operated daily cargo flights in this sector. The national airline will be using its Airbus A320s for the said operations. When contacted, the PIA spokesperson said that during the Covid-19 pandemic, airlines across the globe had seen unprecedented surge in demand for air cargo and many airlines were converting their passenger planes to cargo freighters to take advantage of this situation. “PIA is also aggressively pursuing this path and we are evaluating and on a lookout for opportunities to operate dedicated cargo flights to a number of sectors, specifically on China and Central Asian routes.” PIA is already operating passenger and cargo charters to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan and Xi’an in China for different customers. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Air Marshal Malik praised his commercial team for initiatives to augment the existing revenue. He thanked the MD of Oriental Sky Aviation for his patronage of PIA. He said with a daily connection, trade and commerce between the two countries in post-Covid scenario would be greatly facilitated and would help in normalcy after perhaps the most devastating year for commercial aviation worldwide. https://www.dawn.com/news/1593687/pia-to-acquire-eight-new-aircraft-on-dry-lease Guidelines for COVID-19 testing and quarantine of air travellers - Addendum to the Aviation Health Safety Protocol This joint ECDC-European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) document aims to support Member States in determining a coordinated approach to reduce the risks related to the movement of people within and between the EU/EEA countries and the UK in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is intended for use by decision-makers in the Member States, including public health authorities and civil aviation authorities, as well as aviation stakeholders. The recommendations outlined in this document may also be taken into account by Member States when considering temporary restrictions on non-essential travel to the EU in relation to residents of third countries. Executive summary The document provides information on effective and differentiated strategies to enable the health authorities to evaluate scenarios and make informed decisions on the best possible measures. Scientific evidence and information, presented and analysed in this document, give rise to the following key considerations: In the current epidemiological situation, where SARS-CoV-2 is established in all EU/EEA countries and the UK, imported cases account for a very small proportion of all detected cases and are unlikely to significantly increase the rate of transmission. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in travellers is estimated likely to be lower than the prevalence in the general population or among contacts of confirmed cases. Travellers should not be considered as a high-risk population, nor treated as contacts of COVID-19 cases, unless they had been in known contact with a confirmed positive case. Travellers should be subject to the same regulations or recommendations as applied to the local population. Member States should always admit their own nationals and EU citizens and their family members resident in their territory, and should facilitate swift transit through their territories. Decision makers are invited to consider the detailed epidemiological evidence that supports the options presented in this document acknowledging that: • In the current epidemiological situation, quarantine or systematic testing for SARS-CoV-2 of air travellers is not recommended. • Harmonisation among Member States is recommended based on the specific measures presented in this document. Chapter 3 outlines the main risk assessment criteria and the available evidence and information on the use of testing and quarantine for travellers. Where scientific evidence is insufficient, the document takes into consideration modelling studies and expert opinions from the relevant experts at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). In Chapter 4, the document presents specific operational recommendations for the management of these travel related measures by the Member States. The document, its observations, recommendations and conclusions are based on the evidence and best knowledge available at the time of writing, as compiled and analysed by experts at ECDC and EASA. Depending on the evolution of the pandemic and future evidence and developments, in terms of risk assessment criteria, testing technologies or the introduction of vaccines, this document may require updating which may prompt further assessment by the Member States in their implementation efforts. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/guidelines-covid-19-testing-and-quarantine-air-travellers Rolls-Royce Sees Chance to Return to Narrow-Body Jet Market • Sluggish travel market could buy time for key engine projects • Chief engineer says firm looking beyond current big-jet focus Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc said the coronavirus crisis may provide it with space for development of critical new engine technologies and a possible re-entry into the narrow-body jetliner market. While the wide-body plane sector in which Rolls specializes has been battered by the pandemic, the slump will also create a window before cash-strapped airlines are ready to invest in radical changes such as a push into hydrogen propulsion, engineering and technology chief Simon Burr said in an interview. “The industry’s going through a bit of a hiatus,” he said. “We want to be in a position that when someone launches a new product we’re credible, whatever that market may be. We don’t rule ourselves out of any part of the market today because evolution in the 2020s could be really quite exciting.” Rolls-Royce’s focus on bigger planes threatens to dent earnings for years to come with demand for inter-continental travel set to remain sluggish even after a Covid-19 vaccine is rolled out, according to the International Air Transport Association. While the U.K. company is cutting thousands of jobs to survive the crisis, Burr said it’s seeking to preserve engineering talent for the future by transferring staff to its nuclear and defense businesses. Rolls is in contact with Airbus SE about new possibilities, and doesn’t rule out putting itself forward to provide engines for a hydrogen-powered model that the Toulouse-based manufacturer aims to produce by 2035, Burr said. That plane would be a narrow-body seating up to 200 people. The company’s shares rose 4.1% to 121.55 pence as of 8:49 a.m. Thursday. They have fallen 48.1% so far this year. Looking Forward Rolls’s main development project right now is the UltraFan jet engine, planned as a successor to the Trent series that helped turn it into a global force. While the Trent family powers only wide-body planes, the UltraFan is set to have a thrust range spanning 25,000 pounds to 100,000 pounds, making it suitable for the full spectrum of jetliners. That could include a conventionally powered narrow-body under consideration at Boeing Co. to succeed the 737 Max. London-based Rolls has held talks on the prospective plane, Bloomberg reported in October. Ground tests on the UltraFan will begin late next year, with the engine entering service toward the end of the decade rather than 2025 as targeted, after the pandemic pushed back development. Still, the launch could be accelerated if a customer wants the turbine sooner, Burr said. Rolls-Royce previously pitched the UltraFan for Boeing’s New Midsize Airplane, intended to occupy a mid-market position once filled by its 757 and 767, but was unable to meet the planned development schedule. The NMA was later shelved amid Boeing’s travails with the Max, buying time to advance the UltraFan’s development and be ready for an alternative aircraft design. Burr said a manufacturing fault with the XWB turbine that powers the Airbus A350 has affected just over 20 engines, the same number flagged in August. The glitch has turned out to be more minor than a succession of costly issues with the Trent 1000 used on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-03/rolls-royce-sees-opening-for-return-to-narrow-body-jet-market Boeing nears 737 MAX deal with Ryanair in win for embattled jet Ryanair Holdings is near an agreement to order more Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, giving the plane maker a shot in the arm as the single-aisle jet comes off an unprecedented 20-month grounding. An announcement could come as early as Thursday, according to the people, who asked not to be named before a deal is finalized. Ryanair, Europe’s biggest discount airline, has 135 MAX jets on order and options to bring the total to 200 or more. A significant purchase from a marquee customer like Ryanair would bolster confidence in the MAX, and help replenish a Boeing backlog that’s been depleted since the start of the COVID-19 crisis. The jet’s prolonged grounding deepened the impact of the air-travel slump on the U.S. plane maker by giving cash-strapped airlines and leasing firms negotiating leverage to cancel orders rather than just defer them. “A Ryanair order would be a great sign — an outstanding sign, really,” said George Ferguson, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. He added that Ryanair Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Leary “will get a significant discount.” The MAX has been grounded since March 2019, after the second of two deadly crashes that killed 346 people. The MAX Dickson is flying includes flight control design changes to prevent the scenario that played out on the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crash flights. Beyond the bargain pricing, an added MAX order would position Ryanair to expand in coming years as passenger traffic returns and financially weaker competitors nurse their balance sheets back to health. O’Leary has called the MAX a game-changer that will allow the airline to add capacity while reducing fuel burn. Worldwide grounding The MAX was grounded worldwide in March 2019, after two fatal crashes that killed a total of 346 people. It was cleared to fly again by the Federal Aviation Administration last month, and European regulators expect to allow the plane to fly in the region by mid-January. “The key question will be if the company plans to accelerate its near-term deliveries beyond 40-50 aircraft per year,” Daniel Roeska, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein, said of Ryanair. He expects a top-up of the Irish carrier’s order, combined with a renegotiation of the existing terms. Ryanair operates a fleet of all-Boeing jets and has said it’s in talks for a follow-on order. The Irish carrier declined to comment on what it called speculation. Chicago-based Boeing declined to comment. Narrowbody race It’s significant for Boeing that both Ryanair and U.S. discounter Southwest Airlines stood by the model despite the bruising grounding, Ferguson said. “It’s a great thing when core customers come back for more of a product.” Boeing lost hundreds of orders for the MAX this year, ceding ground to European rival Airbus after the coronavirus pandemic wrecked airline balance sheets. While both plane makers have been in intense negotiations with their customers, the U.S. manufacturer has had to contend with the added burden of resolving compensation claims for deliveries that were postponed due to the idling of the MAX. The MAX’s lengthy grounding has allowed customers to walk away from contracts after delivery was delayed for more than a year. The company has also been searching to find new homes for about 100 white tails — jets built during the hiatus and later abandoned by buyers. There have been a handful of small orders for the MAX since its grounding, and a letter of intent for 200 planes by IAG that was reached last year, before the virus hit. It hasn’t been finalized. The MAX has likely fallen behind Airbus’ A320neo model for good, said Nick Cunningham, an analyst with Agency Partners in London. “New MAX production has to compete with more than 800 MAXs in inventory or at the airlines but grounded, which will all come back into service over the next few years,” Cunningham said. “It’s very unlikely that MAX will ever catch up.” Ryanair first ordered the MAX in 2014, and currently has orders for 135 of a specialized version of the plane that can carry more passengers than the standard MAX 8. O’Leary has been a vocal supporter of Boeing’s bestselling jet during the crisis, and has previously said the airline would look to buy more of the model. He said last month that Ryanair plans to take delivery of 30 737 MAX 200 jets by next summer, plus a further 60 planes for the peak season in 2022. While the coronavirus pandemic has decimated travel, and carriers including Ryanair have slashed capacity, O’Leary expects the availability of a vaccine will help melt away travel restrictions that would allow traffic to return to near-normal levels by summer — and possibly by Easter, which falls in early April. https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/boeing-nears-max-deal-with-ryanair-in-win-for-embattled-jet/ Virgin Galactic may attempt a rocket-powered test flight next week Virgin Galactic plans to do the first rocket-powered test flight of its VSS Unity spacecraft from its freshly christened Spaceport America facility in New Mexico as early as next week, the company announced. It could launch as soon as December 11th, and would be the first rocket-powered Unity flight since it took a passenger to the edge of space in February, 2019. So far in New Mexico, Virgin Galactic has conducted Unity glide tests after drops by the carrier plane Eve, but no rocket-powered ones. It had planned to start rocket tests a bit earlier between November 19-23, but those dates were pushed back due to the COVID-19 crisis. The flight team has a number of objectives in mind, “including testing elements of the customer cabin as well as assessing the upgraded horizontal stabilizers and flight controls during boost,” Virgin wrote in a press release. The ship will also carry research payloads, including three from NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program, following a contract award by the US space agency. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/virgin-galactics-unity-is-set-to-fire-its-rockets-again-next-week-120813223.html Curt Lewis