Flight Safety Information - January 1, 2021 No. 001 In This Issue : Incident: Avianca A319 at Bogota on Dec 31st 2020, foreign large plastics object entangled with aircraft on final approach : Incident: Canada A320 at Edmonton on Dec 22nd 2020, slat problem : Incident: Canada B773 near Edmonton on Dec 23rd 2020, overspeed due to turbulence : Incident: KLM B773 near Irkutsk on Dec 31st 2020, engine trouble : Robinson R66 - Landing Accident (Malaysia) : Ted Smith Aerostar 600 - Gear-up Landing (Connecticut) : Air France 777 & American Airlines 737 Almost Suffer Conflict Over Caribbean Sea : Airline accident fatalities higher than 2019 despite reduction in flights : The Boeing 737 MAX: Which Countries Have Unbanned The Plane? : 21 Things To Expect From Commercial Aviation In 2021 : U.S. airline 2020 losses expected to top $35 billion in dismal Covid pandemic : EU wants swift resolution of aircraft dispute with Biden : JetBlue just took delivery of its first Airbus A220, the long-awaited jet that will replace the airline's least popular model : Record Year for FAA Commercial Space Activity : 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Incident: Avianca A319 at Bogota on Dec 31st 2020, foreign large plastics object entangled with aircraft on final approach An Avianca Airbus A319-100, registration N557AV performing flight AV-29 from Orlando,FL (USA) to Bogota (Colombia), was on final approach to Bogota's runway 13L at 20:09L (01:09Z Jan 1st 2021) when the aircraft collided with a large plastics object floating in the air, the object got entangled with the left hand engine, left wing and left horizontal stabilizer as well as the right hand engine, right hand wing and right hand horzizontal stabilizer. The crew managed a safe landing on runway 18L nonetheless and steered the aircraft off the runway via a high speed turn off and stopped immediately after crossing the hold short line. Colombian media are speculating the plastics object might have been a pyrotechnic balloon. The airport as well as Colombia's Civil Aviation Authority have not yet commented the occurrence. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e13e8d1&opt=0 Incident: Canada A320 at Edmonton on Dec 22nd 2020, slat problem An Air Canada Airbus A320-200, registration C-FKPT performing flight AC-234 from Vancouver,BC to Edmonton,AB (Canada) with 80 people on board, was on approach to Edmonton descending through 4000 feet when the crew received a "SLAT FAULT" ECAM message and aborted the approach. The aircraft climbed to 6000 feet while the crew was working the checklists but could not solve the problem. ATC was advised of the abnormal landing configuration and the aircraft landed safely about 35 minutes after aborting the first approach. The Canadian TSB reported maintenance replaced the right hand slat actuator #3 type B and returned the aircraft to service after successful tests.. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ACA234/history/20201222/1635Z/CYVR/CYEG http://avherald.com/h?article=4e13943b&opt=0 Incident: Canada B773 near Edmonton on Dec 23rd 2020, overspeed due to turbulence An Air Canada Boeing 777-300, registration C-FNNQ performing freight flight AC-2284 from Seoul (South Korea) to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 4 crew, was enroute at FL390 about 380nm north of Edmonton,AB (Canada) when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence causing the aircraft to accelerate 10 knots into the overspeed warning area for about 30 seconds. The aircraft descended to FL370 into smoother air and continued to Toronto for a safe landing about 3:15 hours later. The Canadian TSB reported maintenance accomplished a severe turbulence and overspeed inspection with no faults found. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ACA2284/history/20201223/1511Z/RKSI/CYYZ http://avherald.com/h?article=4e1392bb&opt=0 Incident: KLM B773 near Irkutsk on Dec 31st 2020, engine trouble A KLM Boeing 777-300, registration PH-BVA performing flight KL-896 from Shanghai Pudong (China) to Amsterdam (Netherlands) with only flight crew carrying cargo only, was enroute at FL320 about 60nm southeast of Irkutsk (Russia) when the crew reported problems with the left hand engine (GE90) and decided to divert to Beijing (China). The aircraft drifted down to FL280 first, turned around, further drifted down to FL250 and landed safely on Beijing's runway 01 about 3.5 hours after leaving FL320. The aircraft is still on the ground in Beijing about 5 hours after landing. The airline reported a technical problem prompted the diversion to Beijing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e1382b3&opt=0 Robinson R66 - Landing Accident (Malaysia) Date: 01-JAN-2021 Time: c. 10:00 Type: Robinson R66 Owner/operator: My Heli Club Registration: 9M-SAW C/n / msn: 0146 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Substantial Category: Accident Location: Strait of Malacca, Port Klang Free Zone, Klang, Selangor - Malaysia Phase: Landing Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang Destination airport: Narrative: The aircraft experienced an apparent dynamic rollover during a landing attempt to gravel terrain at Port Klang Free Zone in the Strait of Malacca, Klang, Selangor. The helicopter sustained substantial damage and the two occupants onboard received minor injuries. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=246397 Ted Smith Aerostar 600 - Gear-up Landing (Connecticut) Date: 31-DEC-2020 Time: c. 13:33 Type: Ted Smith Aerostar 600 Owner/operator: A2A Simulations Inc Registration: N122PC C/n / msn: 60-0034-71 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Minor Location: Bradley International Airport (BDL/KBDL), Windsor Locks, CT - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Private Departure airport: Robertson Field Airport, CT (4B8) Destination airport: Worcester Airport, MA (ORH/KORH) Narrative: A Ted Smith Aerostar 600, with intended destination Worcester Regional Airport (ORH/KORH), Massachusetts, diverted to Bradley International Airport (BDL/KBDL), Windsor Locks, Connecticut and experienced an emergency gearup landing. The airplane sustained minor damage and the two occupants onboard were not injured during the incident. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=246396 Air France 777 & American Airlines 737 Almost Suffer Conflict Over Caribbean Sea Two commercial airlines experienced a near miss earlier this month south of Puerto Rico’s San Juan. An Air France jet and an American Airlines jet were high over the Caribbean Sea and closing in on each other before TCAS activated and safely separated the planes. The incident occurred mid-evening on Sunday, December 13, 2020. A potential collision between two passenger jets avoided According to Simon Hradecky’s report in The Aviation Herald, the incident involved an Air France Boeing 777-300 and an American Airlines Boeing 737-800. The Air France jet, registered as F-GZNN was en route to Lima from Paris. The American Airlines jet, registered as N926NN, was heading to Miami after departing from St George in Grenada. Air France’s Boeing 777 is seven and a half years old and painted in the distinctive SkyTeam livery. The American Airlines jet is six and a half years old. This is the first recorded incident for the Air France plane and the second recorded incident for the American Airlines jet. Air France’s Boeing was operating flight AF480. That’s Air France’s regular 10:30 departure from Charles de Gaulle straight down to Lima, arriving later on the same day. The American Airlines flight was AA1546, the 16:17 departure out of Maurice Bishop International Airport in Grenada bound for Miami. According to The Aviation Herald, the Air France Boeing 777 was 220 nautical miles south of San Juan in Puerto Rico and climbing to FL380 from FL360. The American Airlines Boeing 737 was already at FL380 and fast converging with the Air France jet at a right angle. The Alert and Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) on both aircraft were then activated. The American Airlines Boeing 737 climbed, and the Air France Boeing 777 descended to FL374. The report says the American Airlines jet intersected with the Air France jet’s flight path at 38,800 feet, approximately four nautical miles ahead of AF480. The Air France Boeing 777 intersected with the Boeing 737’s flight path at 37,400 feet. The incident highlights the value of TCAS Having passed each other without further incident, both aircraft resumed their originally planned flight paths and continued to their destinations. This incident highlights the value of TCAS (as known as the Airborne Collision Avoidance System or ACAS in some other jurisdictions). TCAS functions independently of the ground-based air traffic control system and provides collision avoidance protection for commercial passenger jets. TCAS makes use of the same radar beacon transponders installed on aircraft to operate with air traffic control’s ground-based radars. The level of protection provided by TCAS equipment depends on the type of transponder the aircraft is carrying. TCAS is a last-resort safety net that works independently of any separation standards. Contemporary TCAS systems use secondary surveillance radar transponder signals. An aircraft’s TCAS examines the Mode C and Mode S transponders of nearby aircraft. It can read the altitude and range of nearby aircraft and, if needed, issue an alert. While the mid-December incident involving the Air France and American Airlines’ jets is a good example of TCAS working well, TCAS runs on short time frames. TCAS kicks in less than a minute ahead of any potential conflict. While four nautical miles might seem a safe distance, when aircraft are each traveling at hundreds of miles plus per hour, things will happen pretty fast. https://simpleflying.com/air-france-777-american-airlines-737-almost-suffer-conflict-over-caribbean-sea/ Airline accident fatalities higher than 2019 despite reduction in flights Despite the sharp reduction in flying during 2020 because of travel restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic, fatal losses for the last 12 months were just as high as in some recent years. Globally there were 12 fatal airline accidents in 2020, resulting in the deaths of 332 passengers and crew. This compares with 22 fatal accidents and 297 fatalities in 2019 when commercial airline activity was at a normal level – which means four or five times the number of flights that took place in 2020. The previous safest year for flying was in 2015, when there were nine fatal accidents and 176 fatalities. Among the four jet fatal accidents, three were the result of poorly-planned and badly-executed approaches in serviceable aircraft in conditions that should not have been a problem for the crews. These involved a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-800 at Istanbul in February, a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 at Karachi in May, and an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 at Kozhikode in August. There were 121 passengers and crew fatalities in these accidents. But there is another unusual factor that sets 2020 apart: accidental shootdowns – in the plural. The worst accident of 2020 involved the shootdown of a Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 on January. The aircraft was climbing out of Tehran on a scheduled service to Kiev, when it was misidentified as hostile by Iranian military, who fired two missiles at it, killing all 176 people on board. Another casualty of misidentification was an African Express Airways Embraer Brasilia operating a medical relief charter flight into Baardale, Somalia. It was shot down, ironically, by a peacekeeping unit. In both cases, effective communication between air traffic control and the military could have prevented the fatal mistakes. The politically unstable conditions in which both events took place are likely to continue, and not only in the Middle East and Africa. Since shootdowns, accidental or not, are killers, airlines need to approach the decision whether or not to continue operating to, or through, a conflict zone as if it were a traditional safety threat. https://www.flightglobal.com/safety/airline-accident-fatalities-higher-than-2019-despite-reduction-in-flights/141796.article The Boeing 737 MAX: Which Countries Have Unbanned The Plane? As 2020 comes to a close, Boeing can officially say it was the year the 737 MAX was ungrounded. Several commercial flights have now taken place with the newly approved MAX. But which countries have allowed the MAX back into the skies, and which countries are yet to do so? Officially approved So, it comes as no surprise that the US has allowed the MAX back. With the FAA so closely involved in approving the changes to the MAX, the plane couldn’t really count as ungrounded until the US was happy. Just two days ago, American Airlines became the first US operator to fly the MAX again officially. Although the FAA technically approved the MAX for flying back in November. However, the US carrier wasn’t the first carrier to officially relaunch the MAX back into service. Brazil has also approved the MAX for service, and Brazilian airline GOL was actually the first airline to operate a MAX flight in 20 months. Aside from Brazil and the US, Mexico has also approved the MAX, with AeroMexico being the second airline to operate a MAX flight with the newly modified aircraft. Panama also has a MAX back in the sky operated by Copa Airlines. Close to approval While very few countries have actually recertified the MAX, there are lots more that are very close. The FAA stamp of approval appears to be persuasive in letting others know the new design is safe. Singapore Airlines has started bringing its grounded MAX back from storage in Australia, ready for certification from the Singapore Aviation Authority. Canada is also moments away from issue official recertification, having approved the MAX design changes earlier this month. The European Union’s Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has also approved the changes, and recertification is expected in January. Although the UK will be leaving the EU regulations tonight at midnight, this may not include UK airspace. Alongside Europe, China, Japan, India, Australia, and Russia all still have bans in place. However, things look likely to change over the coming months. Several African nations, including Morocco and Ethiopia, also look set to approved the MAX soon. The problem with recertification The issue many airlines may face with recertifying the MAX is that their home nation may certify its use, but it still may be unable to fly it. Some countries are still very cautious, and they might not allow the MAX to fly across their airspace. For example, the US has approved the MAX, but airlines would not be able to use the MAX to fly across Europe while Europe has the type grounded. So, while things are certainly looking up for Boeing and its troubled 737 MAX, there is still a long way to go. Although Boeing will undoubtedly be thrilled when Canada and EASA have recertified the MAX, its biggest market is China. China hasn’t given any indication of when recertification will come. Additionally, many Middle Eastern nations have been very quiet about when the MAX may be back in the sky. However, with so many travel bans still in place, even with the MAX recertified, the 790 737 MAX aircraft, which were grounded worldwide, won’t all be back in the sky soon. https://simpleflying.com/boeing-737-max-unbanned/ Thailand bans food, drink, newspapers and magazines on domestic flights In an effort to stem the tide of the coronavirus, Thailand has banned food, drink and any printed materials other than safety information cards on board domestic flights. The airlines will have to follow the regulations or could face possible penalty from their regulator, Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand. This is the second time that such a move has been taken. Thailand previously banned in-flight food and drink service on April 26, 2020, but than ban was lifted on August 31. Chula Sukmanop, Director General to Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), confirmed the measure to CNN. "Cleaning time after each stop of domestic flight is extremely short, since operators tend to do the quickest turnaround as possible and I think it is unlikely operators would be able to thoroughly clean all of these items. Therefore, having non-essential reading materials on-board would create more risk of virus exposure," he said. That doesn't mean that passengers will have to find a way to kill time during the flight with no reading material. They are allowed to bring their own magazines or newspapers on board, but they will likely be asked to take those items with them when they deplane. The CAA ban applies to anything that would be handed out on board, like menus, duty-free catalogs (not an issue for domestic travel) or in-flight magazines. The consumption of food or drink is also prohibited on domestic flights, even if passengers bring it on board, as masks must be worn at all times. According to a release from the CAAT, cabin crew will be allowed to give out water if passengers ask for it, which can happen in situations where, for example, someone needs water to take medicine. Domestic air travel in Thailand is currently at about 40% of the usual capacity. The ruling went into effect on December 31. https://www.kctv5.com/thailand-bans-food-drink-newspapers-and-magazines-on-domestic-flights/article_967df269-9f09-54b1-97df-583dcef5e29d.html 21 Things To Expect From Commercial Aviation In 2021 2020 has been a year that the airline industry will want to forget. Nonetheless, many lessons would have been learned and these will be taken into the new year. Let’s take a look at what we can look forward to in 2021 now that it has finally come. 21. Alaska’s oneworld membership It felt right to kick off the list with something that’s been highly anticipated, especially for oneworld members. On March 31st, for the first time in its 88-year history, Alaska Airlines will become a member of a global airline alliance. Other carriers in the alliance have expressed their excitement about the move, especially Qatar Airways! 20. Sustainability initiatives There have been breakthroughs in technology, with billions of dollars of investment going into more sustainable aircraft and fuel. We can expect to see new announcements when it comes to aircraft innovations in this field next year as airlines continue their commitments. 19. 777X reveals While the 777X introduction has been delayed until at least 2022, we can look forward to plenty of updates with the program. The plane has gone through plenty of testing. Moreover, its GE9X achieved certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). So, we can expect some additional news ahead of its entry to service. 18. Increasing production There have been significant aircraft production halts in 2020 amid the challenging conditions. However, manufacturers could keep with their plans to ramp up. For instance, Airbus shared that it is sticking with its planned A320 family production rate increase. 17. Dreamliner deliveries The Boeing 787 Dreamliner will see several new homes. El Al is planning to take on its final 787-8 in March 2021. Additionally, after flying its first Boeing 787-9 in 2020, Vistara is not slowing down with its deliveries of the model as it has been expecting to take on six more units. These planes will help the Indian carrier to carry on expanding across the seas following its European launch. 16. New business models Following this year’s shakeup, airlines are having to go back to the drawing board to find ways to build up cash again. So, many companies will be looking at revising their business models. There has been a rise in airline subscriptions in recent years and the initiative is starting to gain traction. Following the likes of Volaris seeing results with this method, it won’t be a surprise to see more carriers jumping on the bandwagon in 2021. 15. Coming out of bankruptcy There was a series of Chapter 11 bankruptcies as airlines needed to restructure. These airlines will be expecting to come back stronger as 2021 develops. LATAM has confirmed that it will come out of its reorganization process during the second half of the year. 14. Return to profits Profits have been a long-gone memory for most carriers. However, there are already indications that several operators will be reporting profits sooner than later. Volaris expects to be profitable again as soon as the second quarter. 13. Rex Aviation’s Inter capital operations In the first six months, passengers will be keeping an eye on Rex with its new Boeing 737-800 inter-capital jet services. The Australian carrier is expecting to fly between Sydney and Melbourne from March. With domestic operations having a refined focus in a country, this project could be a game-changer. 12. South American Startups Several new carriers are emerging in South America. The likes of Ita Linhas Aereas, Nella Linhas Aereas, and Ultra Air will be looking to disrupt the industry. With the industry going through recovery, what better time to make a mark? 11. Breeze Airways Speaking of startups, Breeze will be hitting the skies in 2021. David Neeleman’s project, which previously went by the name of Moxy will be making waves in the industry from March. The airline has already started pilot training and received its first aircraft, an Embraer E195-E1, last week. 10. New Hawaii Routes Passengers will be treated to even more options to Hawaii. Hawaiian Airlines will be flying to the state nonstop from Austin, Texas from April 21st with twice-weekly trips. Furthermore, United Airlines will be heading to Maui from Newark four times a week from next June. 9. Bangalore expansions It’s not just Hawaii that’s getting extra treatment. India’s famous tech center of Bangalore will have plenty of more flights heading into the city. American Airlines will be heading there from Seattle while United and Air India will be flying in and out from San Francisco. 8. Lift Airlines Earlier this month, South African start-up LIFT Airline completed its maiden flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg. Just in time for the South African summer season, the carrier could make a name for itself amid South African Airways’ struggles. 7. Wizz Air in Abu Dhabi Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will operate its inaugural flight in the middle of next month. In a region that’s dominated by familiar players, it will be interesting to see how the low-cost carrier features in the market. 6. Emirates premium economy After keeping passengers waiting for several years, Emirates finally revealed its premium economy cabin. Undoubtedly there will be plenty of travelers gearing up to try out the highly-anticipated offering. 5. JetBlue’s transatlantic launch JetBlue is on track for its transatlantic single-aisle long-haul launch. The airline will be flying from Boston Logan and New York JFK to London using its new Airbus A321LR aircraft. This move will mark a new era in transatlantic aviation. 4. Return of the MAX Since being grounded in March 2019, the Boeing 737 MAX is finally returning to the air. A handful of carriers are already deploying the plane. However, as the year gets going, we will be seeing many units at airports across the globe. 3. Immunity passports? As governments try to put effective solutions for air travel into place amid the current climate, we could see the rise of immunity passports after the successful rollout of a vaccine. This sort of documentation divides opinion, but the likes of Qantas have already said that they would require passengers on future international operations to be vaccinated against COVID-19. 2. Reopening borders With this progress in vaccination expected to continue throughout the year, we will hopefully see fewer borders being outright closed. So, the likes of Australia and several other Asia-Pacific nations can have life at their airports again. 1. Returning to the skies! Operators have managed to hold on for the most part until now despite the extreme difficulties. As testing programs get more robust and vaccines continue to be rolled out, there will be more opportunities for passengers to fly high again. It’s not just customers that are looking to return to the air. Airline staff will also be eager to hit the skies after such a tough period. https://simpleflying.com/21-things-to-expect-from-commercial-aviation-in-2021/ U.S. airline 2020 losses expected to top $35 billion in dismal Covid pandemic • Analysts expect U.S. airlines’ losses to top $35 billion as the pandemic weighs on demand. • Most carriers won’t see relief until the second half of 2021. • Carriers have slimmed operations and parking hundreds of jetliners. The Covid-19 pandemic has been brutal for U.S. airlines and significant relief isn’t expected until the second half of 2021. U.S. carriers’ 2020 net losses likely topped $35 billion, according to analyst estimates provided by FactSet. That includes what’s expected to be Southwest Airlines’ first annual loss in more than four decades. The pandemic ended a decade of profits that the historically boom-and-bust industry enjoyed until 2020, a stretch during which they hired tens of thousands of workers, bought new planes and expanded their networks. Airline stocks in 2020 dropped the most in years. American Airlines’ share price lost 45%, its biggest percentage decline since before the carrier’s 2013 merger with US Airways. Delta Air Lines’ stock lost 31%, while United Airlines fell 51% over the last 12 months, its biggest drop since 2008. Southwest shed 14%. The S&P 500, meanwhile, rose by more than 16% in 2020. The pandemic forced carriers to quickly shrink, cut routes and park hundreds of jets. U.S. carriers’ increased their total debt by $67 billion in 2020 to more than $172 billion to weather the crisis, according to trade group Airlines for America. Paying that down will be a headwind over the next several years. The good news is air travel demand has recovered a lot of ground compared with the volumes hit early in the pandemic. On April 16, the Transportation Security Administration screened 95,085 people at U.S. airports, less than 4% of the 2.6 million people that had passed through those checkpoints a year earlier. TSA airport screenings, fueled in part by the yearend holidays, surpassed 1 million people a day in the last five days through Wednesday, though that’s still down about 45% from a year earlier. With lucrative business and international travel largely sidelined, leisure travel became the most important market. Airlines are expected to trim their losses and in some cases — including Southwest, Delta, Alaska — turn profitable next year, according to analysts’ estimates. Authorization of coronavirus vaccines has helped boost optimism about future travel demand though it isn’t yet clear when more of the public will resume flying. Airline executives have recently warned that they expect difficult months ahead as they pushed out targets for when they will break even and say they will continue to operate limited capacity to match weak demand. American Airlines President Robert Isom earlier this week said the carrier’s January and February capacity will likely be 45% of 2019 levels. Many potential customers are still not flying as coronavirus infections rise to ever higher records, new travel restrictions are implemented and government officials recommend avoiding travel to slow the spread of the disease. U.S. officials last week said all passengers must test negative for Covid-19 before flying to the United States after a highly contagious strain of the disease was detected in the U.K., though it has also been identified in California and Colorado. Carriers recently won $15 billion in additional payroll support in the latest coronavirus relief package that President Donald Trump signed Sunday. That requires airlines to keep employees on staff through March 31 and to call back more than 30,000 workers they furloughed when the terms of last package, which was $25 billion, expired on Oct. 1. United Airlines executives said they expect it will be temporary. “The truth is, we just don’t see anything in the data that shows a huge difference in bookings over the next few months,” CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart said in a Dec. 21 employee note. “That is why we expect the recall will be temporary.” https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/01/us-airline-2-losses-expected-to-top-35-billion-in-dismal-2020-from-pandemic.html EU wants swift resolution of aircraft dispute with Biden BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Thursday that new U.S. tariffs on EU products disrupted ongoing negotiations with Washington to resolve a 16-year battle over aircraft subsidies and it hoped to find a swift solution with the next U.S. president, Joe Biden. The Commission, which coordinates trade policy for the 27-nation European Union, said it regretted the U.S. action, which “unilaterally” disrupted ongoing talks about subsidies for European planemaker Airbus and U.S. rival Boeing. “The EU will engage with the new U.S. administration at the earliest possible moment to continue these negotiations and find a lasting solution to the dispute,” it said in an emailed statement. https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-trade-eu-commission/eu-wants-swift-resolution-of-aircraft-dispute-with-biden-idUSL8N2JB1BU JetBlue just took delivery of its first Airbus A220, the long-awaited jet that will replace the airline's least popular model JetBlue Airways became the second US airline to receive the Airbus A220 on Thursday with the first aircraft flying to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The A220 comes as part of a fleet renewal that will see JetBlue retire its smallest jet, the Embraer E190. Passengers can expect to fly on the jet in 2021 with the first routes planned out of JetBlue's Boston hub. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Christmas came a bit late for one airline as Thursday saw the first delivery of the Airbus A220 to JetBlue Airways, just in time for the new year. Airbus handed the keys over to JetBlue for the first of 70 models, marking a new era for the 20-year-old carrier that will see its smallest aircraft retired and replaced with one of the newest aircraft currently flying. The new plane, which remains nameless for the time being but wears the registration N3008J, came painted in JetBlue's instantly-recognizable blue and white livery but sports a new tail design. The pattern is called "hops," the term for the flights that make up a larger journey, as the curved lines resemble airline routes. Each new JetBlue aircraft type receives a new tail design, a trend that started with the arrival of the Airbus A321 in 2013. Passengers seated near the wings of the A220 will also notice the design is also painted on the aircraft's wing attachments, known as winglets, in a first for a JetBlue aircraft. Powering the aircraft are two Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan engines, offering between 19,000 and 25,000 pounds of thrust while reducing fuel burn by 40% compared to the aircraft they'll be replacing, according to the airline. Their fuel efficiency is only matched by their quietness as their manufacturer says noise levels are reduced by half. JetBlue hasn't yet unveiled the interior of the aircraft but customers won't likely be disappointed as the airline has been steadily improving its onboard product, as Business Insider found on a flight from New York to Fort Myers, Florida on a newly-refurbished Airbus A320. The new cabin experience will almost definitely include free in-flight WiFi, touch-screen entertainment screens, on-demand movies and television shows, and in-seat power outlets. "The interior of JetBlue's A220 will be as impressive as the operating capabilities of the aircraft," the airline said in a statement. "Customers will also enjoy an elevated inflight experience with wider seats, spacious overhead bins, and extra-large windows." The A220 is the fifth aircraft type to join JetBlue's fleet since its inception at the turn of the century. Its arrival comes at an exciting time for the airline as it introduces a new service offering for Mint business class and prepares to head overseas with service to London in the new year with a new aircraft slated to join the fleet in 2021, the Airbus A321neoXLR. JetBlue is the second US carrier to fly the aircraft behind Delta Air Lines, which began flying the smaller A220-100 in February 2019 from New York to Boston and Dallas. Delta now flies the aircraft on routes across the country and just acquired the larger Dash 300 variant that JetBlue now flies. Delta's order gave the A220's former manufacturer, Bombardier, the foothold it needed in the US but also prompted the trade dispute that resulted in Airbus taking over the project. The A220 will also power JetBlue founder David Neeleman's new startup airline, Breeze Airways. And to the north, Air Canada began flying the larger A220-300 in January. The first routes for the jet have not been announced but JetBlue's head of revenue and planning, Scott Laurence, told Business Insider in a prior interview that Boston will see the new jet first. Initial service will be on existing short-haul routes such as Boston-Washington so flight crews can get acquainted with the new plane. "We're planning around making sure that the introduction is flawless and we want to give the airplane a bit of a boost in flying easily operated an easily operated initial network," Laurence said. After that, Laurence said the plane will head further and further west, flying to cities like Austin and Denver before eventually serving the West Coast. The A220 has a cross-country range of 3,350 nautical miles that JetBlue intends to use to the fullest with eventual transcontinental service from Boston to cities like Sacramento, California and Portland, Oregon during the summer. "That airplane is so flexible for us," Laurence said, as the aircraft can fly nearly every route JetBlue operates in the US and most of its current international routes. New York will also see the aircraft on routes to cities like Albuquerque and the A220 will serve to aid JetBlue's new hybrid route network. The pandemic has seen JetBlue launch new routes to secondary markets like Charleston, South Carolina, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia to cities as far as Las Vegas and Los Angeles. They're called "long, thin routes" as demand is often middling but the right aircraft can make the route viable. And the A220 has the economics to make them work. "We're going to stretch the legs of this airplane," Laurence said. "It produces great seatbelt cost on long routes, and that's something that we could not do with our E190 fleet." The A220 will also be deployed to hard-to-reach airports including Key West, where the runway is just shy of a mile long at a mere 5,076 feet. JetBlue is launching non-stop flights to the Lower 48's southernmost city in 2021 from New York and Boston with the Embraer E190 and is forced to limit the number of seats it sells to meet the airport's standards. But for the A220, it's nothing the aircraft can't handle. "As we start integrating the A220 in the network, some of our more performance challenged airports will become priorities for the A220," Laurence said. "Key West is likely one of them." https://www.yahoo.com/news/jetblue-just-took-delivery-first-214127366.html Record Year for FAA Commercial Space Activity A record number of launches, new streamlined launch and reentry licensing regulations, and a historic licensed crewed mission are some of the noteworthy commercial space transportation achievements of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2020. The FAA will build on these accomplishments in the coming year. “This record-setting year in launches, and the new streamlined launch and reentry licensing regulations, bode well for continued rapid growth of America’s commercial space sector,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao. In 2020, the FAA licensed 41 commercial space operations (launches and reentries), the most in the agency’s history. Those operations included a record 39 FAA-licensed launches, including the first-ever NASA crewed mission to be licensed by the FAA. For 2021, the FAA is forecasting the number of licensed operations could reach 50 or more. “The FAA is well positioned to keep pace with the dramatic increase in commercial space operations and support the innovation driven by the aerospace industry while keeping public safety a top priority,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. Contributing to this year’s accomplishments are the benefits of a recent reorganization of the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation. The changes increased the efficiency, effectiveness and accountability of the office, allowing it to dynamically scale its processes to meet the burgeoning private sector licensing demand. The organizational changes will help the FAA implement a new rule that modernizes how the agency regulates and licenses commercial space launch and reentry operations. The rule consolidates multiple regulatory parts to create a single licensing regime for all types of launch and reentry operations, replaces prescriptive requirements with performance-based criteria, and allows the aerospace industry to continue to innovate and grow. In 2021, the FAA will continue to provide policies and guidance to support the streamlined licensing rule by publishing advisory circulars that will identify possible means of compliance. Working with the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Council (COMSTAC), the FAA also will prioritize its other regulations for updates and streamlining. Additionally, the agency anticipates the private sector will make notable progress toward commercially viable space tourism. In the coming year, the FAA also will continue to test new technologies to further enable the safe and efficient integration of space-vehicle operations with other types of air traffic in the National Airspace System. Additionally, the FAA will establish an interagency working group to develop a recommended National Spaceport Strategy to advance a robust, innovative national system of spaceports. It will also support the directives and other tasks of America’s National Space Policy (PDF). An FAA license is required to conduct any commercial space launch or reentry, the operation of any launch or reentry site by U.S. citizens anywhere in the world, or by any individual or entity within the United States. Once the FAA issues a license or permit, the agency works with operators to make sure they are meeting the requirements to conduct launches and reentries. This includes having FAA safety inspectors monitor licensed activities. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=56766 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Registration Now Open ** With over 500 registrants in just 10 days - the sponsors have extended the free registration to the first 1000 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 1000 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