Flight Safety Information [December 15, 2020] [No. 252] In This Issue : Incident: Sunwest DH8B at Calgary on Dec 8th 2020, hydraulic failure : Incident: Wizz A320 at Gibraltar on Dec 14th 2020, bird strike : Incident: UPS B763 at Dublin on Dec 10th 2020, engine failure : Eclipse 500 - Runway Excursion (Colorado) : Airlines warned over safety as jets return from pandemic storage : Boeing Widens 787 Dreamliner Inspections After Finding More Assembly-Line Defects : Worker Crushed to Death By Airplane Equipment at O'Hare Airport : iPhone 6 is dropped out of an airplane — and lives to tell the tale : HAI, FAA Call for Voluntary Rotorcraft Safety Retrofits : Argus: Bizav Ops Continue Declines in November : Vaccine Vacations: Should Airlines Offer COVID-19 Shots To Jumpstart Travel? : Dubai Aerospace delivers first of 18 Boeing aircraft to American Airlines : Samples from asteroid more than hoped for, Japan researchers say : 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Incident: Sunwest DH8B at Calgary on Dec 8th 2020, hydraulic failure A Sunwest Aviation de Havilland Dash 8-200, registration C-GYUP performing flight CNK-22 from Calgary,AB to Conklin,AB (Canada) with 15 passengers and 3 crew, was enroute at FL100 about 25nm eastsoutheast of Calgary when the crew decided to return to Calgary due to a hydraulic failure. The aircraft landed safely in Calgary more than 30 minutes after departure. The Canadian TSB reported a hydraulic line had ruptured, the engine driven hydraulic pump had operated for 15 minutes or more without hydraulic fluid. Both engine driven and power transfer unit hydraulic pumps were replaced. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/CNK22/history/20201208/1700Z/CYYC/CET2 http://avherald.com/h?article=4e08350d&opt=0 Incident: Wizz A320 at Gibraltar on Dec 14th 2020, bird strike A Wizzair UK Airbus A320-200, registration G-WUKE performing flight W6-5147 from London Luton,EN (UK) to Gibraltar (Gibraltar), was on final approach to Gibraltar's runway 27 when the aircraft received a bird strike. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 27. The aircraft however was unable to depart for its return flight. The flight has been postponed to the next day (Dec 15th). The airline reported the aircraft sustained a bird strike on approach requiring an inspection during the night. The flight has been postponed to the morning of Dec 15th, the passengers were provided with meals and accomodation. The flight was Wizzair UK's second flight to Gibraltar following the inauguration flight last Friday (Dec 11th). http://avherald.com/h?article=4e08334a&opt=0 Incident: UPS B763 at Dublin on Dec 10th 2020, engine failure A UPS United Parcel Service Boeing 767-300 freighter, registration N391UP performing flight 5X-249 from Dublin (Ireland) to Cologne (Germany), was in the initial climb out of Dublin's runway 28L when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting a right hand engine (CF6) failure and requested to join the downwind for a return. The aircraft stopped the climb at 3000 feet, the crew detailed they were climbing through 1300 feet when they heard a big bang and noticed vibrations from the right hand engine and N1 issues with the right hand engine, which was kept running however, and landed safely back on runway 28L about 17 minutes after departure. A replacement engine was flown in the following day. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Dublin about 69 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e07787b&opt=0 Eclipse 500 - Runway Excursion (Colorado) Date: 13-DEC-2020 Time: 20:00 Type: Eclipse 500 Owner/operator: Musgrave Properties Registration: N686TM C/n / msn: 000221 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Unknown Location: Lake County Airport (LXV/KLXV), Leadville, CO - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Private Departure airport: San Diego-Montgomery Field, CA (MYF/KMYF) Destination airport: Leadville Airport, CO (LXV/KLXV) Narrative: The aircraft experienced a runway excursion upon landing at Lake County Airport (LXV/KLXV), Leadville, Colorado. The airplane sustained unreported damage and the sole pilot onboard was not injured during the incident. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=245694 Airlines warned over safety as jets return from pandemic storage SYDNEY (Reuters) - Regulators, insurers and experts are warning airlines to take extra care when reactivating planes left in extended storage during the COVID-19 pandemic, citing potential pilot rustiness, maintenance errors and even insect nests blocking key sensors. The unprecedented number of aircraft grounded as coronavirus lockdowns blocked air travel - at one point reaching two-thirds of the global fleet - has created a spike in the number of reported problems as airlines return them to service. The number of "unstabilised" or poorly handled approaches has risen sharply this year, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Such mishaps can result in hard landings, runway overshoots or even crashes. Worried by IATA's data, insurers are questioning airlines about whether they are doing extra pilot training to focus on landings, said Gary Moran, head of Asia aviation at insurance broker Aon PLC. "They want to know about the circumstances of the training," he said. Approaches and landings place significant demands on crew for which training and regular experience are seen as vital. According to aircraft maker Airbus SE, the largest category of fatal accidents can be traced back to the approach to an airport, while the largest number of non-fatal accidents happen during landing. In May, a Pakistan International Airlines jet crashed after an unstabilised approach, killing 97 people, while 18 died in an Air India Express crash on landing in August, also after an unstabilised approach. INSECTS IN TUBES Training is not the only concern. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has reported an "alarming trend" in the number of reports of unreliable airspeed and altitude readings during the first flight after a plane leaves storage. In some cases, take-offs had to be abandoned or the aircraft had to return to base. In most cases, the problem was traced back to undetected insect nests inside the aircraft's pitot tubes, pressure-sensitive sensors that feed key data to an avionics computer. In June, a Wizz Air Holdings PLC jet halted take-off after the captain found the airspeed was reading zero. Examination of the plane found insect larvae in one of the pitot tubes, with the aircraft having been parked for 12 weeks before the flight, the U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch said last month. No passengers were on board. Insects blocking a pitot tube contributed to the 1996 crash of a chartered Birgenair plane in the Dominican Republic that killed all 189 people on board. Kate Seaton, a Singapore-based aerospace partner at law firm HFW, said flight crews need to be aware of potential defects that might not have been identified properly as planes return to service after an unprecedented grounding. "We are in new territory - the industry must take steps to mitigate the risks but need to be prepared for the unexpected," she said. HONEST ASSESSMENT EASA said last month that issues found after prolonged parking included an engine shutdown in flight after technical problems, fuel system contamination, reduced parking brake pressure and emergency batteries losing their charge. "We've got people returning to work who are quite rusty, which is a big issue," insurer Aon's Moran said. Airlines have developed training programmes for pilots re-entering service ranging from theory refreshers to multiple simulator sessions and supervised in-flight checks, depending on the length of absence. Australia's aviation regulator said on Nov. 30 its inspectors would beef up surveillance on COVID-19 related risks involving the re-entry into service, pilot training and safety risk management for the remainder of the year through to June 30, 2021. Pilots also need to make an honest assessment of their skills and confidence upon returning to work, International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations representative Peter Meiresonne said at an industry webinar in October. They may need to turn down offers like shorter landing approaches from air traffic control if they do not feel ready, he said. "Maybe now is a good time to say, 'We are not able today' or 'Give us a six- or 10-mile lineup rather than a four-mile lineup', which you might accept when you are more proficient and (flight experience is) more recent," he said. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/airlines-warned-over-safety-jets-230835659.html Boeing Widens 787 Dreamliner Inspections After Finding More Assembly-Line Defects Federal regulators determine defects don’t pose an immediate safety risk, but added scrutiny has slowed deliveries By Andrew Tangel and Andy Pasztor Boeing Co. BA -0.74% has expanded inspections of newly produced 787 Dreamliners after finding a previously disclosed manufacturing defect in sections of the jet where it hadn’t been initially detected, according to industry and government officials. Boeing engineers and U.S. air-safety regulators agree the newly discovered problem doesn’t pose an imminent safety hazard, the officials said. But the new issue is likely to ramp up a Federal Aviation Administration review of 787 production safeguards sparked earlier this year by other defects, one of these officials said. The broader quality-control checks, covering the entire fuselage of the planes rather than just certain sections around the tail, are why inspections are taking longer than previously anticipated, the officials said. It also explains why no Dreamliners were delivered in November. The Chicago-based plane maker disclosed the inspection and delivery delays Dec. 4 without specifying the reasons for them. The defects in question are spots where the surface of the 787’s carbon-composite fuselage isn’t as smooth as it is should be, a Boeing spokesman said. Such areas can create tiny gaps where fuselage sections are linked together and could lead to premature structural fatigue, which can require extensive repairs. The spokesman said the inspections have pinpointed areas where assembly of portions of the 787 fuselage “may not meet specified skin flatness tolerances.” The defects mark the fourth assembly-line lapse affecting Boeing’s popular family of wide-body jets that has come to light in as many months. Other than May, after the Covid-19 pandemic roiled airline operations and forced the plane maker to briefly shut down production facilities, November was the only month since 2013 without a Dreamliner delivery, according to an analysis of delivery data. The company found the latest issue through strengthened quality-assurance practices over the past year, when other defects had been identified, the Boeing spokesman said. And he said the company has asked suppliers to perform similar checks. “These findings are part of Boeing’s review of assembled 787 aircraft to ensure each meets our highest quality standards prior to delivery to customers,” he said. The FAA, which has been considering actions to mitigate the problems by potentially issuing safety directives, on Sunday released a statement saying the agency regularly engages with Boeing on “continued operational safety and manufacturing oversight processes to appropriately address any issues that might arise.” Boeing’s production cuts have sent shockwaves through the aviation industry, forcing suppliers to lay off thousands of employees. Tool Gauge reconfigured its operations just after opening a new facility in Tacoma, Wash., designed to manufacture Boeing parts. Photo: Joel Winter for The Wall Street Journal (Originally Published October 19, 2020) Under pressure from the FAA, Boeing also has stepped-up internal manufacturing controls focusing on other lapses ranging from inspection paperwork problems to debris mistakenly left behind by assembly-line workers inside 737 MAX jetliners and military tankers. The wide-body passenger jets, which Boeing first delivered in 2011, have an excellent safety record and are frequently used on long international routes. If found on planes already carrying passengers, the latest defect can be addressed during comprehensive maintenance checks that are required as the jets age, some of the officials familiar with the matter said. Delivery delays threaten to add to Boeing’s financial strain as it struggles with fallout from the pandemic, which has sapped global demand for air travel and passenger jets. Boeing Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith has said Boeing expected to continue working to clear its growing inventory of undelivered Dreamliners through next year. Earlier this year, Boeing disclosed the skin-smoothness defect near the rear of the planes, as well as improperly sized shims—or parts used to fill small gaps where the fuselage sections are joined together. It wasn’t immediately clear how many planes have been found with the skin-smoothness defects in additional locations, but officials familiar with the matter said instances appeared relatively isolated. Boeing engineers previously determined that when the defects involving skin smoothness and shim size both occur in the same location, the result can be tiny imperfections creating a potential hazard such as a cracking in the fuselage under extreme flying conditions. Boeing in August took the unusual step of voluntarily grounding eight aircraft in airlines’ fleets for immediate repairs. Those earlier problems prompted the FAA to start reviewing quality-control lapses in Boeing’s 787 production stretching back almost a decade. Boeing also previously identified a third quality-control lapse affecting the horizontal stabilizer, a movable, winglike panel in the tail. Earlier this month, Mr. Smith disclosed Boeing’s intention to further cut 787 production next year because of weak demand and a growing backlog of parked planes. Boeing, which has been producing around 10 Dreamliners a month, as of early December had 53 built but undelivered 787s that had been in its inventory for an average of about five months, according to aviation-research firm Ascend by Cirium. Mr. Smith said the monthly 787 production rate would remain below Boeing’s target of 10 before slowing to five in May at its plant in North Charleston, S.C. Assembly of 787s is set to end at a Seattle-area Boeing facility. The 787 manufacturing issues are unrelated to design flaws in a flight-control system that kept the global fleet of 737 MAX jets grounded for nearly two years. The plane models are built in separate facilities. https://www.wsj.com/articles/boeing-widens-787-dreamliner-inspections-after-finding-more-assembly-line-defects-11607971193 Worker Crushed to Death By Airplane Equipment at O'Hare Airport A 35-year-old Des Plaines man died after being crushed by airplane equipment Sunday afternoon at O’Hare International Airport. Jijo George died of multiple injuries after being crushed by an “aircraft drivable pushback apparatus” at hanger 764, according to autopsy results released Monday by the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Chicago police said they were called about 2 p.m. to the airport for a man unresponsive under the vehicle. A police source said the man was an employee. George was taken to Resurrection Medical Center, where he died at 3:50 p.m., authorities said. The autopsy ruled his death accidental. The Chicago Department of Aviation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/worker-crushed-to-death-by-airplane-equipment-at-ohare-airport/2394563/ iPhone 6 is dropped out of an airplane — and lives to tell the tale There are all sorts of reasons Apple doesn’t recommend that you drop your iPhone out of airplanes. But, if it does accidentally happen, you may not be totally out of luck. A report from Brazilian news outlet G1 concerns filmmaker Ernesto Galiotto, who accidentally dropped his iPhone 6 out of a plane at a height of 984 feet. An accompanying video shows that Galiotto was trying to use the device to film over a beach 100 miles east of Rio de Janeiro, when it was whipped out of his hand and sent hurtling toward certain death. Well, almost certain, that is! In fact, the phone astonishingly managed to survive in apparently good condition. “It is something that, if you tell someone, they wouldn’t believe you,” Galiotto told G1. Through a quirk of fate (or, perhaps not, since else would someone be holding their iPhone outside a plane while flying?), Galiotto was filming at the time he dropped the handset. That means that the rapid descent of his phone was recorded. You won’t be able to gauge too much from it, though, since the falling is essentially one long strobing blur until the phone landed safely in the sand. You can watch the video on the G1 website. Needless to say, this is one of those stories that almost certainly wouldn’t be replicated if you tried to repeat the experiment hundreds of times under the exact same conditions. The fall onto a soft surface, combined with the light weight of the phone, likely helped, but there’s still plenty that could have made this a less happy (and, in turn, less remarkable) incident. It’s not the first remarkable iPhone survival story, though. Earlier this year, an iPhone user found their phone still working after a two-month submersion in the Thames river in London. While Apple advertises the water-resistance of its iPhones as a selling point, this isn’t supposed to extend to river water for weeks at a time. Further back, in 2015, a 74-year-old Texas businessman also dropped his iPhone out of an airplane. In that case, it fell a significantly greater distance (a massive 9,300 feet), and miraculously survived. https://www.cultofmac.com/730393/iphone-6-airplane-fall/ HAI, FAA Call for Voluntary Rotorcraft Safety Retrofits In separate appeals issued in early December, the president of Helicopter Association International (HAI) and the FAA administrator called on helicopter operators to retrofit their legacy aircraft with crash-resistant fuel systems, seats, and structures. Writing to his members, HAI president James Viola, a former FAA director for general aviation safety assurance, called for operators to voluntarily upgrade their aircraft to improve safety. Viola noted that while these improvements are mandated for new helicopter fuel systems manufactured after April 5, 2020, and that crashworthy seats and structures have been required on all new helicopter certified after 1989, only 10 to 16 percent of the total helicopter fleet met that requirement due to low turnover. Citing FAA data, Viola said that “from 2009 to 2017, non–crash-resistant seats caused the deaths of 307 people in helicopter crashes; 58 deaths were attributed to postcrash fires during the same period.” “As aviation professionals, we share a duty to reduce the risks inherent in aviation. Once a hazard has been identified, we can’t pretend it doesn’t exist—not when that hazard has been demonstrated to be both likely and severe in consequences,” Viola said. “Retrofitting aircraft to include these features will increase the likelihood of accident survival for your most precious resources—your employees and customers—and will make a clear statement of your commitment to safety. I know times are tough right now for most operators. A large portion of the industry is merely trying to hang on, make payroll, and stay insured. However, when times are tough, the strongest survive and thrive because they conduct their operations with safety as a foundational principle.” At a subsequent HAI webinar, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson echoed the call for these retrofits on a voluntary basis as part of the agency’s “data-driven approach to safety.” “We’re taking a scientific approach that is data-driven and urging, not mandating, the adoption of safety proposals," he said. "We’re advocating for operators to make voluntary safety upgrades where it is beneficial.” He added that improved helicopter occupant protection was an obvious area where improvement could and should be made. “We know that blunt-force trauma injuries are linked to more than 90 percent of helicopter fatalities,” Dickson noted. He acknowledged that retrofitting these improvements into legacy helicopters was an additional expense for operators, but said that they are already required in new production helicopters. “We’d really like to see these same systems available and operators voluntarily installing them in our legacy helicopter fleet.” While praising the industry for not posting a single rotorcraft-related fatality in the 90 days leading up to December 1, Dickson said the 15-year trend for fatal helicopter accidents had not improved overall, and more needed to be done, particularly with regard to the adoption of safety management systems (SMS). “No accident, certainly no fatal accident, is acceptable,” Dickson said. Speaking again of the FAA’s anticipated 2022 rule to widen the SMS requirement for Part 135 and 145 operators and PMA parts providers, Dickson urged helicopter operators to “not wait for the rule. You can voluntarily implement it. You can identify hazards, and you can head off accidents or incidents by putting safety risk management processes in place. The key is being able to proactively identify and understand the risks in your operation. That is what an SMS really provides. It’s not a stand-alone process. It’s a business process that is integrated into your business. It leads to good data and good situational awareness, and good data drives good decisions. “The aviation system is so data-rich," Dickson continued. "The machines [aircraft] are generating data. The air traffic control system is generating data. We have data from voluntary safety programs and flight data monitoring. A lot of the time when something bad happens, there was somebody in the world who knew there was an elevated risk. The challenge is to get that data, synthesize it, and present it in a way so that we cannot just be proactive, but actually predictive." Dickson also said the FAA was working in concert with the aviation community to bring the agency’s Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) system “into the rotorcraft community. “This is a big deal," he emphasized. "We are working with the [rotorcraft] industry and HAI and other industry partners to push ASIAS to the forefront of helicopter safety. We’ve stood up an ASIAS rotorcraft analysis team. It can take us to the next level of safety in rotorcraft. A centralized database allows [helicopter safety] teams to dive into that data to be predictive of hazards and risks while maintaining key protocols and data protection critical to the success of the program. You can scan data from flight operations that could potentially lead to accidents and ideally have operators share that data with the [U.S.] helicopter safety team to develop mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of fatal accidents for the entire community,” Dickson said. He also touted the value of virtual safety workshops and the FAA’s newly instituted helicopter Infoshare program. “You can share stories and see how others have handled similar safety risks.” He also praised the work of the Helicopter Safety Advisory Council, which has developed best practices for the offshore energy sector. The administrator expressed concern that the Covid pandemic and other recent “disruptions” have diluted human capital from commercial carriers and OEMs with the potential to negatively impact safety. “There have been a lot of retirements and there's been a lot of change, people getting laid off. Instability and unpredictability are the enemies of safety. You don’t like for things to change. We’ve had a lot of change introduced into the system and a lot of disruption in a matter of months, sometimes weeks. The aviation system we had in February and March of 2020 is really not there anymore in the same way.” Dickson said this change made it imperative that the industry and the FAA be even more collaborative when it comes to safety and identifying risks. The risks, Dickson said, “may not be the same ones that were here seven or eight months ago.” https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2020-12-14/hai-faa-call-voluntary-rotorcraft-safety-retrofits Argus: Bizav Ops Continue Declines in November The recovery of business aviation operations in North America and the Caribbean has flattened out, remaining down year-over-year by 16.4 percent in November, according to the latest TraqPak report from Argus. The data analyst added that it expects activity to slide a bit further in December. TraqPak monitors flight number-specific arrival and departure information on all IFR flights in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. All operational and aircraft categories experienced year-over-year declines in November with Part 91 large jet operations dropping the most, by 34 percent. Including all aircraft categories, Part 91 flights were down 24.1 percent. Part 135 and fractional operations fared better with decreases of 6.4 percent and 14.5 percent, respectively. By aircraft category, light jet operations were down the least, by 11 percent year-over-year in November, with fractional light jets down just 1.6 percent. Counting all operational categories, flights of large aircraft were down the most, by 27.7 percent. However, when compared with October 2020, large jets flown in Part 135 operations showed a modest 1.8 percent uptick. This was the only category to show improvement in the month-over-month comparisons. Fractional turboprop operations slid the most from October, down 22.7 percent. Looking forward, Argus analysts anticipate operations will be down year-over-year overall by 18.5 percent in December. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-12-14/argus-bizav-ops-continue-declines-november Vaccine Vacations: Should Airlines Offer COVID-19 Shots To Jumpstart Travel? In 2021, airlines and travel packagers may offer flights and trips with “free” COVID-19 vaccination included, or provide perks, priority treatment, or discounts to those who can prove they are vaccinated. A vaccine vacation, if you will. With a grim milestone of 300,000 dead and many US cities under stay-at-home orders, few people are thinking about travel. Indeed, 69% of Americans say they will not travel for Christmas, and 65% are unlikely to travel for spring break 2021. With such forbidding statistics, the American Hotel and Lodging Association says 71% of hotels will not last another six months without immediate assistance. The growing availability of a COVID19 vaccine has the potential to turn this situation around. As an Allianz Partners’ survey of 3500 of its travel insurance customers found, the majority (58%) responded that a proven vaccine would make them feel safe again to travel. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine won emergency use permission this weekend, and the long cold chain from its Kalamazoo, Michigan factory began roll out. California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted, “Hope has arrived.” Expectations are high, but questions like ‘Do the COVID19 vaccines work without major side effects?’; ‘When will the vaccines be widely available?’ and ‘What percentage of people will take them?’ have yet to be answered. Behind the scenes, there is a scramble for the vaccine. Who will get it first? Are ‘frontline workers’ in the airlines and the hospitality industry next? And are the millions of people desperate to get out of their house and go ready for a vaccine? A "vaccine vacation" offer could take the form of "buy the package, get the vaccine," or have coupons for vaccine providers like CVS or Kroger. It could come from m an airline, hotel, or online travel agent like Expedia or Booking.com. There could be discounts or other perks for travelers who provide proof of vaccination. The International Air Transport Association is reportedly launching a digital IATA Travel Pass which could include vaccine information, in the first quarter of 2021. Travel providers could even buy up stocks of vaccines when available (they are predicted to cost from $4 to $40) to offer to customers. In addition to such potential “carrots,” the airlines may wave a big stick to force passengers to get vaccinations. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce told CNN that the airline would require international travelers to prove they have been vaccinated against Covid-19 before they could fly. The idea of “throwing in” a free vaccine with a service or product is less far-fetched than you might think. A senior living center in Los Angeles sent out a mass mailing boasting “Our residents will be the FIRST to receive the vaccine for FREE. ” Travel providers are already providing COVID tests. Why not vaccines? From Dubai’s Atlantis to Ibertostar and Sofitel, hotel chains are offering COVID-19 testing to guests, often for free. At Iberostar hotels, the ‘Travel at Ease’ service includes a PCR test for guests who show symptoms. Iberostar promises to extend the stay of guests and their families who test positive. The airlines, which have been quick to offer testing, may also be expected to move rapidly with a vaccination program. United, the first US airline to offer testing, has a number of testing options available. In November, the airline began offering free tests on for flights from Newark, New Jersey, to London. United also offer self-collected, mail-in COVID-19 tests for travelers to Latin America and the Caribbean ($119), and two different tests that will be accepted by Hawaii for its strict quarantine: day-of-travel rapid testing ($250) and drive-through testing 72 hours before travel ($105). Of course, nothing is foolproof. A couple reportedly tested positive before a United flight to Kauai and somehow boaredd, only to be arrested on landing. American Airlines is offering at-home Covid-19 test for passengers. Tests are a pricy $129 but the idea is to help US passengers avoid state quarantines that can keep travelers cooped up as long as two weeks. The test provider, LetsGetChecked, promises online results “within 24-72 hours.” What if, instead of bulk testing, travel providers bought bulk vaccination packages for passengers? No, your Airbnb home share host won’t inject you, but vaccinations might be possible at the airport before a flight, or at a pharmacy with some kind of ironclad digital or other proof. Could the travel industry get early access to the vaccine? Uber, is trying. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi tweeted, “I’m asking governors in all 50 states + DC to prioritize drivers & delivery people for early vaccine access. These frontline workers should get the vaccine before people like me.” If Uber drivers are essential workers, are pilots, gate workers, flight attendants and mechanics? And if an airline manages to secure a supply of COVID-19 vaccine for employees, could it offer some to its customers? We asked several airlines and travel providers if they had plan to offer “vaccine deals.” Emirates Airlines, Delta and American did not have a comment. United said United Cargo ha a COVID Readiness Task Team that can transport up toa million vaccine doses on a single Boeing 777-200. As for “vaccine deals” for passengers, United said, “We don’t have information to share on the topic.” Although widespread availability of a vaccine could certainly restart the moribund convention industry, a spokesperson for the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority said only, “Nothing to speak of in that realm at the moment.” MGM Resorts said, “We’re not in a position to comment on anything around this right now.” Southwest Airlines said, “While we continue to monitor the developments around a vaccine closely, we don’t have any plans ready to share at this time.” It’s certainly early, but not too early for the travel industry to plan for the vaccine. It will also have to figure out how to deal with customers who don’t want to get vaccinated. Daniel Durazo, Director of Marketing and Communications at Allianz Partners USA says, “The promise of a highly-effective COVID-19 vaccine could be a substantial step toward recovery for the travel industry, and a key factor in customers feeling more confident booking trips for 2021.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2020/12/14/should-airlines-and-travel-packagers-offer-vaccines-to-jumpstart-travel/?sh=f55973826e1a Dubai Aerospace delivers first of 18 Boeing aircraft to American Airlines Delivery of the remaining aircraft is expected to be completed in the coming months Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) has delivered the first of 18 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft to American Airlines, it confirmed on December 13. The delivery formed part of the Purchase and Leaseback agreement signed in Q3 2020. Delivery of the remaining aircraft is expected to be completed in the coming months, Dubai Media Office reported. “We are delighted to be in a position to offer a meaningful solution to American Airlines, a long-term customer of DAE, and to see the Boeing 737 MAX return to service,” said Firoz Tarapore, chief executive officer of DAE. “We are also pleased to further invest in these technologically advanced and fuel-efficient aircraft types in line with our commitment to environmental sustainability. The Boeing 737 MAX boasts superior fuel efficiency and reduced emissions and noise pollution, underpinning DAE’s commitment to transition its fleet to newer technology assets, reducing the environmental impact of our business and supporting DAE’s customers’ ambitions to become more sustainable operators. Our owned and committed fleet includes 22 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.” “We’re pleased with DAE’s ability to help create a purchase and leaseback solution for these 18 aircraft,” said Meghan Montana, American’s vice president and treasurer. “DAE’s ability to facilitate an agreement of this size in today’s environment is a testament to their reputation and their confidence in American Airlines, and we look forward to a successful, ongoing partnership.” DAE announced last month that it has plans to expand its portfolio to 450 planes next year, even after the coronavirus pandemic weighed down on the company’s profit. https://gulfbusiness.com/dubai-aerospace-delivers-first-of-18-boeing-aircraft-to-american-airlines/ Samples from asteroid more than hoped for, Japan researchers say TOKYO (Reuters) - Samples of dust collected by a Japanese space probe from an asteroid some 300 million km (186 million miles) from Earth were better than hoped for, with one researcher saying he was lost for words when they opened the capsule for the first time. The samples, the climax of a six-year space odyssey to the Ryugu asteroid by the space probe Hayabusa2, arrived in Japan last week but researchers did not know for sure until this week if they had actually gotten anything. "We were aiming for 100 mg or more, and we definitely got that," said Hirotaka Sawada at Japan Space Exploration Agency (JAXA), who said he was speechless when he first glimpsed the sample. "I think that next I probably screamed, I don't really remember," he told a news conference. "It was really different from what I expected, there was a fair amount." Asteroids are believed to have formed at the dawn of the solar system, and scientists have said the sample may contain organic matter that could have contributed to life on earth. The Hayabusa2 - named for the peregrine falcon - orbited above Ryugu for a few months before landing, then used small explosives to blast a crater and collected the resulting debris. After dropping off the capsule, it changed course and headed back into space. That capsule plunged to earth in Australia's outback on Dec 6 and was flown to Japan. The final stage of its journey was by truck to a JAXA research centre just outside Tokyo, where it was greeted by a crowd of excited researchers. Next up is removing and preparing the samples, including weighing them to determine just how much has been obtained, a process that will take some time, before research can begin. "We're absolutely thrilled," said Sei-ichiro Watanabe, a Nagoya University professor who heads the research team. "There's so many things we should be able to learn from this." https://www.yahoo.com/news/samples-asteroid-more-hoped-japan-061055476.html 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Registration Now Open ** Free for the first 500 registrants ** 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference 15 to 18 March 2021 1500 to 2000 GMT daily via Zoom (0700 to 1200 PST) Four online days of powerful talks given by industry and subject matter experts. Registration is open and FREE for the first 500 registrants. https://www.aircraftcabinair.com/ Following on from the success of the 2017 and 2019 Aircraft Cabin Air Conferences, the 2021 conference will be an essential four-day free modular online event via Zoom. Providing an in-depth overview or update for all those seeking to understand the subject of contaminated air, the flight safety implications, the latest scientific and medical evidence investigating the contaminated air debate and the emerging solutions available to airlines and aircraft operators. The 2021 conference will be the biggest conference ever held on the issue. Who should participate? Airline Management - Aircraft Manufacturers - Safety equipment providers - Health & Safety Regulators - Maintenance Companies - Airline Safety Departments - Air Accident Investigators- Crew & Unions - Policy Makers- Press & Media - Aircraft Insurers - Leasing Companies - Scientists - Occupational Health Professionals - Academics & Researchers - Engineers Register Curt Lewis