Flight Safety Information - January 27, 2021 No. 020 In This Issue : Incident: Aerostan B742 at Karachi on Jan 26th 2021, engine shut down in flight : Incident: Azul E295 at Teresina on Jan 24th 2021, MAU failure : Incident: Pegasus A20N at Basel on Jan 26th 2021, nose gear tilted 90 degrees on landing : Incident: Buzz B738 at Barcelona on Jan 21st 2021, cracked windshield : Incident: LATAM Brasil A320 at Brasilia on Jan 25th 2021, bird strike prompts multiple system faults : Incident: Bluebird Nordic B734 near Faroe Islands on Jan 26th 2021, emergency descent : 26-JAN-2021 - Zambian Air Force Harbin Yunshuji Y-12E accident : Airliners are on their own with no air traffic control at a Florida airport for 12 days after FAA staff contracted COVID-19 : Jet Aviation Receives IS-BAH Stage II Registration for its FBO in San Juan : 3 dead in military helicopter crash were experienced pilots : Vaccine Rollout Misses TSA Screeners, Air-Traffic Controllers : Masks On Airplanes Will Be Common Long After Mandates End : Rate of guns seized at airport checkpoints jumped in 2020 : UN Officials Warn Staff Against Flying Pakistani Airlines : Emirates Extends South Africa Flight Suspension : Southwest Airlines makes new voluntary leave offer to cut costs : Space Force officially ends launch partnerships with Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman : Position: Assistant/Associate Professor of Aerospace and Occupational Safety : 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Incident: Aerostan B742 at Karachi on Jan 26th 2021, engine shut down in flight An Aerostan Boeing 747-200, registration EX-47001 performing flight BSC-752 from Karachi (Pakistan) to Cairo (Egypt), was cleared to climb to FL300 and was climbing through about FL190 out of Karachi's runway 25L when the crew requested to descent to FL180 reporting the #4 engine (JT9D, outboard right hand) had stalled and was shut down. The crew proceeded to dump fuel and returned to Karachi for a safe landing on runway 25L about 55 minutes after departure. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e22f75a&opt=0 Incident: Azul E295 at Teresina on Jan 24th 2021, MAU failure An Azul Linhas Aereas Embraer ERJ-195-E2, registration PS-AED performing flight AD-4446 from Teresina,PI to Sao Paulo Viracopos,SP (Brazil) with 131 passengers and 5 crew, was climbing out of Teresina's runway 02 when the crew received a "AVNX MAU 2A FAIL" indication. The crew worked the related checklists and decided to continue the flight to Sao Paulo. On approach to Sao Paulo the crew declared PAN PAN due to the loss of nose wheel steering and landed safely on Viracopos' runway 15 about 2:50 hours later. Brazil's CENIPA reported the landing was normal, the aircraft did not receive any damage. The occurrence was rated an incident. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e22f39c&opt=0 Incident: Pegasus A20N at Basel on Jan 26th 2021, nose gear tilted 90 degrees on landing VIDEO A Pegasus Airlines Airbus A320-200N, registration TC-NBH performing flight PC-939 from Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen (Turkey) to Basel/Mulhouse (Switzerland/France), performed a normal descend and approach to Basel's runway 15, no holdings and no delay vectors, and subsequently landed on Basel's runway 15 at 12:05L (11:05Z). However, the nose gear was tilted by 90 degrees, both nose tyres burst, one of the nose wheels was ground down before the aircraft came to a stand still on the runway center line. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Basel 9 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e22f10f&opt=0 Incident: Buzz B738 at Barcelona on Jan 21st 2021, cracked windshield A Buzz (aka Ryanair Sun) Boeing 737-800 on behalf of Ryanair, registration SP-RSA performing flight FR-6329 from Sofia (Bulgaria) to Barcelona,SP (Spain), landed on Barcelona's runway 25L when upon touch down the captain's windshield developed a single crack across the windshield. The aircraft rolled out without further incident and taxied to the apron. The aircraft remained on the ground in Barcelona for about 15:45 hours, then positioned back to Sofia. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e22e098&opt=0 Incident: LATAM Brasil A320 at Brasilia on Jan 25th 2021, bird strike prompts multiple system faults A LATAM Brasil Airbus A320-200, registration PR-MYV performing flight JJ-3080 from Brasilia,DF to Teresina,PI (Brazil) with 150 passengers, was climbing out of Brasilia's runway 29R when the crew reported a bird strike causing unreliable airspeed and stopped the climb at FL090. Multiple system faults involving ADIRU1, ADM2, ADR2, AFS1, EFCS1, EFCS2, SEC2 (complaining about ADR1) and SEC3 (complaining about ADR3) occurred. The aircraft entered a hold while the crew worked the related checklists and prepared for landing, the aircraft subsequently returned to Brasilia for a safe landing on runway 29R about 45 minutes after departure. A replacement A320-200 registration PR-MBA departed Brasilia about one hour after PR-MYV landed and reached Teresina with a delay of about 90 minutes. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e22c87b&opt=0 Incident: Bluebird Nordic B734 near Faroe Islands on Jan 26th 2021, emergency descent A Bluebird Nordic Boeing 737-400, registration TF-BBN performing freight flight BO-6810 from Dublin (Ireland) to Keflavik (Iceland) with 3 crew and 7.2 tons of cargo, was enroute at FL340 about 140nm southwest of Faroe Islands when the crew performed an emergency descent to FL100, turned around and diverted to Aberdeen,SC (UK), where the aircraft landed safely on runway 16 about 50 minutes after leaving FL340. Emergency Services in Dublin and Aberdeen reported they were alerted for an aircraft with a "difficult landing". The airline reported the crew acted in accordance with procedures after verifying the issue at hand, the aircraft and crew were never in danger and landed normally. The aircraft is now being inspected. The aircraft is still on the ground in Aberdeen about 5 hours after landing. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/BBD6810/history/20210126/0545Z/EIDW/BIKF http://avherald.com/h?article=4e22c4cc&opt=0 26-JAN-2021 - Zambian Air Force Harbin Yunshuji Y-12E accident Date: Tuesday 26 January 2021 Time: 08:50 Type: Harbin Yunshuji Y-12E Operator: Zambian Air Force Registration: AF-222 C/n / msn: First flight: Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: Mukinge Mission Airstrip ( Zambia) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Military Departure airport: Lusaka Airport (LUN/FLLS), Zambia Destination airport: Mukinge Mission Airstrip (FLGE), Zambia Narrative: A Zambian Air Force Y-12 aircraft with 5 crew carrying five 210 litre diesel drums from Lusaka to Mukinge, skidded off the runway on landing. Two crew received injuries and were taken to hospital. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20210126-0 Airliners are on their own with no air traffic control at a Florida airport for 12 days after FAA staff contracted COVID-19 The air traffic control tower at St Pete-Clearwater International Airport in St Petersburg, Florida is closed until January 31. The FAA closed the facility for cleaning after personnel tested positive for COVID-19. Allegiant Air is the main carrier at the airport that also sees high general aviation and private jet traffic. The phrases "cleared to land" or "cleared for takeoff" won't be heard at St Pete-Clearwater International Airport until January 31 as the airport's control tower was closed earlier this month, even as planes continue to use the Florida airport. The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily shuttered the facility for cleaning after an air traffic controller tested positive for COVID-19 on January 20. Pilots now have to navigate the "uncontrolled" airport entirely on their own for the time being. These closures have become common during the pandemic but have rarely lasted for 12 days, as is the case in St Petersburg. Most cleanings take a few hours, if that, with the FAA saying they've gotten the protocol down pat to minimize disruptions. "During the past few months, we have greatly reduced the amount of time facilities remain closed for COVID-19-related cleaning - from six to eight hours down to as little as one to one-and-a-half hours," the FAA told Insider in a statement. "We generally schedule COVID-19 cleanings for the overnight hours." But "staff exposure" is forcing the facility to stay closed for longer than normal. Ultra-low-cost carrier Allegiant Air is the primary airline at the airport serving destinations as far as Plattsburgh, New York; Bangor, Maine; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. As many as 42 daily flights operated by the airline are scheduled to depart and arrive in St Petersburg during the week of the tower closure. The Airbus A320 family aircraft utilized by Allegiant will now have to contend with general aviation without the help of air traffic control when departing from and arriving at the airport. Air traffic controllers at nearby Tampa International Airport will help coordinate aircraft under a "one in, one out" policy. But for taxi, takeoff, and landing, pilots will have to brush up on their uncontrolled airport communication skills. Back to basics Pilots are trained on how to operate into uncontrolled airports during primary flight training so for most, it's nothing that they haven't dealt with before. Aircraft talk to each other on a dedicated frequency for that airport and just have to be extra cautious by announcing their location multiple times as they approach and depart the airport, as well as constantly be on the lookout for other planes operating in the area. Uncontrolled airports aren't uncommon as not all of the country's greater than 5,000 public airports feature a fully staffed FAA facility. But for airline pilots, it's not something they experience every day on the job, especially at an airport as busy as St Pete-Clearwater International where airliners co-exist with private jets and other general aviation aircraft. The pandemic, however, has forced all pilots to become reacquainted with these skills as it's standard procedure by the FAA to close facilities for cleaning after personnel test positive for COVID-19, and it's wreaked havoc on the national airspace system at times. A positive case detected at one facility can affect hundreds of flights, as was the case in December when the Fort Worth Air Route Control Center closed for cleaning in the middle of the day. All flights departing from airports under the facility's airspace, including Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport, were halted. And aircraft that were just passing through the airspace were forced to reroute around it or hold at their departure airports until the airspace was reopened. St Pete-Clearwater International is also far from the largest airport to have this issue as Chicago's Midway International, Las Vegas' McCarran International, and Orange County, California's John Wayne Airport have all had to close their air traffic control towers for cleaning, leaving the airports temporarily uncontrolled at times. New York's John F. Kennedy International experienced a similar issue in March 2020 but controllers were able to utilize a backup facility while the main control tower was closed. https://www.yahoo.com/news/airliners-own-no-air-traffic-202307253.html Jet Aviation Receives IS-BAH Stage II Registration for its FBO in San Juan SAN JUAN / January 26, 2021 — Jet Aviation is pleased to announce it has achieved IS-BAH Stage II Registration for its FBO in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The San Juan FBO is a full-service handling operation at one of the most convenient U.S. points of entry for international flights. Jet Aviation acquired full ownership of the FBO at Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in February 2019. As the first FBO in Puerto Rico to qualify for IS-BAH Stage I registration in September 2018, Jet Aviation San Juan continues to demonstrate its industry leadership and commitment to the highest safety standards. “Between Hurricanes, the ownership change, and all the new systems that came with it, our team here in San Juan has had much to contend with the past few years and yet continues to raise the bar with new offerings and premium service delivery,” said Hector Vasquez, senior manager FBO. “The rigorous IS-BAH Stage II audit was a first for most of the team and I couldn’t be prouder of them.” Jet Aviation’s San Juan FBO facility features a pilot suite with a shower and snooze room, flight-planning workstations, an executive passenger lounge, and corporate meeting facilities. As the only FBO in Puerto Rico with an onsite U.S. Customs and Border Protection terminal, the company facilitates convenient customs, immigration and agriculture processing of international flights. It also offers parking, re-fueling, and aircraft maintenance, recently extending its services to include airline and cargo fueling in addition to cargo handling. After Hurricane Maria destroyed the San Juan hangar in 2017, Jet Aviation built a new 20,000 sq. ft. hangar that officially opened in June 2020. The hangar can accommodate up to three small- to medium-sized aircraft and three large aircraft, up to the size of the Gulfstream G650 or the Global Express. The International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) establishes criteria for best handling systems, processes and practices to ensure FBOs meet rigorous safety and security standards. With this recent approval, Jet Aviation has a total of 29 IS-BAH registered FBOs around the world, including 10 in the U.S.A., 12 in EMEA, and 7 in APAC. https://www.aviationpros.com/fbos-tenants/press-release/21207343/jet-aviation-jet-aviation-receives-isbah-stage-ii-registration-for-its-fbo-in-san-juan 3 dead in military helicopter crash were experienced pilots Officials say the three National Guard members killed when a helicopter crashed in an upstate New York field this week were experienced pilots with past deployments to Afghanistan MENDON, N.Y. -- The three National Guard members killed when a helicopter crashed in an upstate New York field this week were experienced pilots with past deployments to Afghanistan, officials said Friday. Killed in the crash were Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, 54, of Rochester, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch, 39, of Honeoye Falls, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial, 30 of Rochester, according to the National Guard. The UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter crashed in a farmer’s field near Mendon, south of Rochester, around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. There were no survivors. The crew had been conducting night vision goggle proficiency training in the local training area, the National Guard said. The helicopter was based at the Army Aviation Support Facility at Rochester International Airport. Witnesses who called 911 reported hearing an engine sputtering and said the helicopter was flying very low. An Army Safety Investigation team arrived at the site Thursday from Fort Rucker in Alabama. Skoda served in the Army from 1985 to 1987 and joined the National Guard 1987. He was a veteran of the Afghanistan War and was deployed there in 2013 and 2019. He was a UH-60 senior instructor pilot and maintenance test pilot with nearly 5,000 flying hours and worked full time as a National Guard technician. Koch, a 20-year member of the Guard, served in the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq. He also was a civilian pilot for the New York State Police, which said he was recently honored by the Red Cross for his role in the rescue of an 11-year-old boy who fell 100 feet down a ravine in June. Koch is survived by his wife and four children, state police said. Prial served in the Army after earning a commission at the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2012. He served as a medical evacuation platoon leader with the 82nd Airborne Division's 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade and deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 and 2015. He became a captain before accepting an appointment as a warrant officer in the Guard so he could continue to fly, officials said. Prial worked at the Aviation Support Facility as a federal technician. https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/dead-military-helicopter-crash-experienced-pilots-75425415 Vaccine Rollout Misses TSA Screeners, Air-Traffic Controllers By Alan Levin • Essential federal workers left to local governments for shot • Acting head of homeland security names task force to remedy They’re essential workers performing critical safety work and have been assigned priority designation to receive the coronavirus vaccine. Yet tens of thousands of airport security screeners, air-traffic controllers and federal accident investigators who must report to work in spite of the virus ravaging the U.S. haven’t gotten the shot and aren’t sure how and when they will. “It’s incredibly frustrating,” said Jennifer Homendy, one of five members of the National Transportation Safety Board. “The vaccine rollout from my point of view has been mismanaged.” The problem, according to multiple officials, is that the shots are being delivered by scores of state and local health agencies, which are using varying standards for who should be given priority. In some cases, employees have been told they qualify for the vaccine, only to be directed back to their employer after saying they work for the federal government, Homendy said. Nowhere has the impact been more severe than among the roughly 50,000 TSA Transportation Screening Officers. So far in the pandemic, more than 6,100 TSA employees, most of them airport screeners, have contracted coronavirus and 14 have died, according to TSA. Hydrick Thomas, president of the American Federation of Government Employees TSA Council 100 union, said he has fielded repeated complaints from his members about the lack of access. “TSA has been pushed to the back of the line for some reason,” Thomas said. “We are protecting the country. When it comes down to protecting the employees, they are very lackadaisical.” About 14,000 air-traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration have also been required to work in the close confines of airport towers and windowless control centers across the country. So far, more than 900 at 313 facilities have contracted coronavirus, according to the agency. The acting secretary of Homeland Security on Monday, reacting to concerns from its workforce over lack of access to the vaccine, established a task force called Operation Vaccinate our Workforce, according to a letter obtained by Bloomberg News. “In keeping with the intent behind Operation VOW, my vow to you is that I will have no higher priority than your health and safety,” wrote David Pekoske, who was temporarily elevated to head DHS from his post as chief of the Transportation Security Administration. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has helped establish priority lists for those being vaccinated, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. In one of his first actions, Biden on Jan. 20 signed an executive order requiring creation of a task force to study how to prioritize and distribute the vaccine to federal workers. Since Dec. 14, more than 23 million shots have been given in the U.S. and the rate has climbed to an average of 1.25 million in the past week. Some federal agencies, such as the State Department, received their own allotments of vaccine. But many large agencies with essential workers, including DHS and the Transportation Department, haven’t. That has essentially left their workers to fend for themselves. “States have been given prioritization recommendations, but they are making their own operational decisions,” said Kelly Moore, a doctor who is deputy director of the Immunization Action Coalition, which promotes vaccine education. Thousands of FAA employees who conduct safety inspections, maintain critical equipment and travel to plane crashes have been waiting to find out when they can be vaccinated. Their union, the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, has asked the agency for “a different approach or strategy,” it said in a statement. “At this point, states are determining which of their residents receive vaccination priorities,” the FAA said in a statement. Local Agencies The NTSB has only a few hundred workers but they are spread out around the country, meaning about 70 different local government agencies are responsible for administering the shots to its employees, many with different policies, Homendy said. The agency is contacting each one of the 70 jurisdictions in an attempt to speed up the process, Homendy said. NTSB’s accident investigators aren’t trying to take priority from other critical workers and there’s no move to get political appointees or those who work from the office immunized, Homendy said. While the NTSB has mostly been keeping its investigators at home during the pandemic, it sent a team to Indonesia earlier this month to participate in a probe of a Jan. 9 crash of an airliner. “If something big happened tomorrow, we’d be there,” Homendy said. “But that’s a risk to our workers and potentially others.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-26/vaccine-rollout-misses-tsa-screeners-air-traffic-controllers Masks On Airplanes Will Be Common Long After Mandates End One of President Biden’s first-day orders was to put a mask mandate on federal property, and also on major transportation including airlines and railroads. For airlines, this puts federal backing around rules airlines have had in place for months. That’s why this mandate was well received by airlines. But what happens after the mandates are gone? Wearing masks on airplanes is still likely to be common and won’t be considered strange or not necessary. The mandate itself backs flight attendants and puts them in a stronger position with airline customers. If someone is not wearing a seatbelt, a flight attendant today can remind them to put it on and there have been no reported cases of someone refusing for freedom or other reasons. That’s because in our culture we have accepted seatbelts not only as a good safety tool, but as a law that needs to be followed. I bet that when pulled over by police for a traffic violation, one of the first thing people do is make sure that their seatbelt is on so they don’t get ticketed for that too. Masks have been required by all U.S. airlines since JetBlue first required them back in April 2020. But there have also been multiple reports of people refusing to wear masks even when asked by a flight attendant, because unlike a seatbelt this was seen as a request, not as a law. This mandate changes that, and while some may still try to buck the rule, my guess is that the number of mask-wearing refusers on an airplane are going to diminish greatly following this executive order. It has been a law that following a flight attendant’s orders is required for a long time, but for many this somehow didn't apply when asked to wear their mask. That loophole is now gone. Months, and maybe years from now when this pandemic is fully controlled, masks are still likely to be worn on airplanes and in denser public gatherings. A report recently noted that the number of hospital admissions for flu are greatly reduced this winter. The reason suspected is that thanks to mask wearing for Covid, people are protecting themselves from the flu also. People have masks, some match their mask to their clothes, and the whole idea is no longer consider abstract, ridiculous, or overly cautious. As a result, once the mandate is gone I expect that some number of people on every flight will still be wearing masks, and everyone will be safer as a result. Also, boarding a flight in 2025 and seeing masks on some people won’t elicit stares or confused looks. It’s part of our new life forever and things like the common cold will also be lessened as a result. Sometimes cultural change comes very slowly, and sometimes it needs a whack on the side of the head. As many Asian countries have known for years, mask wearing is a sensible thing for overall health and protection in some situations. It is not a “while we must only” activity and the most common place these will be worn in the future is onboard airplanes and in other crowded spaces. https://www.forbes.com/sites/benbaldanza/2021/01/26/masks-on-airplanes-will-be-common-long-after-mandates-end/?sh=3d7e839a558b Rate of guns seized at airport checkpoints jumped in 2020 There were fewer air travelers in the United States last year, but a higher percentage of them were carrying guns WASHINGTON -- Security screeners confiscated guns at airport checkpoints at a record pace last year although the total number of guns dropped along with the steep plunge in travelers because of the pandemic. The Transportation Security Administration said Tuesday that screeners found 3,257 firearms on passengers or in their carry-on bags in 2020, or about 10 for every million travelers. About 83% of the guns were loaded. The rate was double that in 2019, when screeners found 5 guns for every million passengers. However, with 500 million more travelers screened in 2019, TSA officers found a record 4,432 guns that year. Screeners found 220 guns at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, followed by 176 at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, 126 at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, 126 at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport, and 104 at Denver International Airport. Federal law prohibits passengers other than certain law enforcement officers from bringing guns or ammunition into the cabin. Federal law allows passengers to put guns in checked bags that go into the cargo hold if they are unloaded and in a locked case. Airlines don't have to permit guns even in checked bags. All leading U.S. carriers temporarily banned guns in checked bags on flights to Washington, D.C.-area airports for a week after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump. Those bans lapsed last weekend, three days after the inauguration of President Joe Biden. https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory/rate-guns-seized-airport-checkpoints-jumped-2020-75490577 UN Officials Warn Staff Against Flying Pakistani Airlines The United Nations, and subsidiary agencies, has cautioned its staff against flying with any Pakistani airlines. The UN warning comes after the ongoing pilot license scandal, wherein pilots were flying with fake licenses. The statement names 14 Pakistani carriers, including flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). UN says no According to an advisory from the United Nations Security Message System, seen in the Times of India, employees have been told not to fly any Pakistan registered carrier. The warning means that UN staff in Pakistan will be unable to fly internationally or domestically with the listed airlines, setting up transport issues in the future. Explaining the reason for the ban, the advisory states, “Due to an ongoing investigation of the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) Pakistan…due to dubious licenses caution is advised on the use of Pakistan-registered air operators.” The list of airlines banned includes every single Pakistan-registered carrier, numbering 14 in total. This means PIA, Serene Air, Air Blue, and others will likely no longer carry UN officials. The blow will be particularly impactful for PIA, which previously may have carrier dozens of staff on its international flights. Arising from the scandal The UN’s advisory is only the latest in a string of responses to Pakistan’s pilot license scandal. In June, Pakistan’s Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said at the time that possibly 30% of the country’s pilots had fake licenses and weren’t qualified to fly. The news came as a shock to aviation regulators globally and raised critical safety issues. Flag carrier PIA moved quickly to suspend 150 pilots, out of 434 in total, over possibly dubious licenses. This meant nearly 35% of the airline’s pilots were not qualified to fly. Since then, the airline has sacked dozens of pilots and restored some too. However, international regulators have moved quickly to address the situation. The European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA) banned Pakistan International from flying in EU airspace for at least six months and even recommended suspending the licenses of all Pakistan-qualified pilots. The FAA also banned and downgraded PIA’s rating to Category 2, preventing new routes to the country in the future. No appeal In September, PIA opted not to appeal its six-month EU ban and instead focus on continuing to resolve the pilot scandal. Since then, the airline remains banned from the EU for a few more months, which can be extended again. Until Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority and PIA both pass stringent safety checks, they are unlikely to return to the EU. While Pakistani airlines, and domestic flights, might be banned for UN employees, international flying remain intact. Virgin Atlantic began flying to Pakistan in December, while British Airways extended its services. This means international connectivity remains to the country, but carriers like PIA will continue to struggle until issues are resolved. https://simpleflying.com/un-pakistani-airlines-warn-against/ Emirates Extends South Africa Flight Suspension UAE carrier Emirates has extended its flight suspension to South Africa. The airline had been intending to resume such services tomorrow (January 28th). However, for the time being, the flight suspension has been extended until February 4th. Around the world, airlines are constantly changing their flying plans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has seen routes reopening where travel restrictions have been lowered, and demand has returned. However, on the flip side, it has also seen routes being withdrawn. South Africa has especially seen this effect since it became known as an area where a new COVID-19 variant is prevalent. Flight suspension extended Emirates has extended its suspension of South African flights. The flights to Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg were first suspended from January 16th. The airline had planned to resume such services tomorrow. However, this will not be the case, as Emirates made clear on Monday. According to the airline, such flights now remain suspended until February 4th. This is in line with a government directive restricting travelers from South Africa from entering the United Arab Emirates. The order was issued concerning the virus variant prevalent in South Africa. Given that the suspension is related to the directive, it is possible that it could once again be extended beyond February 4th. An Emirates spokesperson told Simple Flying, “Emirates’ flights to South Africa will remain suspended until 04 February 2021, in line with recent government directives that restrict the entry of travellers originating from South Africa, into the UAE. The health and safety of our customers, colleagues, and the communities we serve, will always be our top priority… Emirates remains committed to serving our customers in South Africa, and we look forward to resuming passenger services when conditions allow…” Not just the UAE It’s not just the UAE that has banned South Africa flights concerning its new virus variant. Indeed, Germany was one of the first nations to ban travel from South Africa for most individuals. However, travel is now allowed with a COVID-19 test before departure. This isn’t the case with the UK, however. The UK has banned travel from South Africa, in addition to multiple nearby countries. Travelers who have been in South Africa in the past ten days won’t be allowed access to the United Kingdom unless they are British or Irish nationals or UK residents. Then they are subject to enhanced quarantine restrictions. On Monday, new United States President, Joe Biden, indicated that South Africa would be added to the travel ban currently restricting travel from Europe, the United Kingdom, and Brazil in response to its increased COVID-19 incidence. https://simpleflying.com/emirates-south-africa-flight-suspension/ Southwest Airlines makes new voluntary leave offer to cut costs (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines Co said late on Tuesday it was offering employees another round of voluntary leave as its staffing levels remain high and the coronavirus outbreak crimps travel. "Southwest remains overstaffed in many areas. As a result, some departments will be offering additional opportunities for Employees to take Extended Time Off (ExTO) beginning in March 2021, based upon projected staffing levels", the company said in an email to Reuters. "The additional opportunities for leave align with the period when some Employees will return from previously-awarded, six-month leaves on March 1, 2021", the company added. Bloomberg reported earlier that 791 Southwest pilots have agreed to take off one to three months. The "Big Four" U.S. airlines – Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest – have also asked for additional bailouts. The U.S. Treasury Department this month began distributing $15 billion in new payroll assistance to airlines, money allocated by Congress to help more than 32,000 aviation workers return to jobs through at least March 31. Southwest had said it expected to receive $1.73 billion in total. Last month, the company said it had issued notices to 6,828 employees warning them that they could be furloughed. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/southwest-airlines-makes-voluntary-leave-022033634.html Space Force officially ends launch partnerships with Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman From October 2018 through December 2020, Blue Origin was paid $255.5 million and Northrop Grumman got $531.7 million. WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force on Dec. 31 officially terminated launch technology partnerships signed in October 2018 with Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman. The Air Force awarded Launch Service Agreements to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman and United Launch Alliance. These were six-year public-private partnerships where both the government and the contractors agreed to invest in rocket development and infrastructure required to compete in the National Security Space Launch program. The plan from day one was to discontinue the LSAs with companies that did not win a National Security Space Launch procurement contract. Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman lost to ULA and SpaceX, which were selected in August 2020. The Space and Missile Systems Center confirmed in a statement to SpaceNews that the LSAs with Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman ended in Dec. 31, 2020. From October 2018 through December 2020, Blue Origin was paid $255.5 million. The original six-year agreement was worth $500 million. Northrop Grumman got $531.7 million over that same period, nearly two-thirds of the total value of the LSA which was $792 million. “All remaining development activity for the Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman LSA milestones was completed and submitted by Dec. 31, 2020,” SMC said. In return for the investment, the Space Force will get limited rights to data and hardware the companies developed under the agreements. “These rights provide the government access to the technology developed under these agreements for future purposes, but also allows industry to apply these technologies to their own future developments.” The LSAs supported the development of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket and Northrop Grumman’s OmegA. After being eliminated from the National Security Space Launch program, Northrop Grumman discontinued the development of OmegA but Blue Origin is pressing forward and said it plans to fly New Glenn in late 2021 and compete in the commercial launch market. https://spacenews.com/space-force-officially-ends-launch-partnerships-with-blue-origin-and-northrop-grumman/ Position: Assistant/Associate Professor of Aerospace and Occupational Safety The Applied Aviation Sciences Department of the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, FL invites applications for Assistant/Associate Professor of Aerospace and Occupational Safety (AOS) to begin August 2021. This is a nine-month position. Teaching assignments may include, but not be limited to, graduate and undergraduate courses in occupational safety and/or aviation safety/accident investigation, and related areas. These position will also include advising students as they explore different options with internships, research, coursework, and career trajectories. The Applied Aviation Sciences Department offers four bachelor's degree programs, each unique: Spaceflight Operations, Air Traffic Management, Aerospace and Occupational Safety, and Meteorology. Each program is very different from the others, however, all are good choices for students who want challenging and rewarding careers. Aerospace and Occupational Safety gives students opportunities to gain the knowledge and the expertise needed to address safety concerns in aviation, aerospace operations, as well as most businesses and industries across the globe. Graduates of the AOS program have gone on to fill key safety management roles in both the public and private sectors. Qualifications Master’s Degree required, PhD Preferred. The preferred candidate will have a Doctorate degree in Safety, Health, Environmental, Public Health, or closely related field. ABDs with a clear plan for completion are encouraged to apply. Prior aviation and/or aerospace workplace, including risk management experience is a plus. Demonstrated or potential excellence in teaching, research, service, and mentoring undergraduate students is expected. The position will begin in August 2021. Applications will be reviewed immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Interested individuals should submit a letter of application clearly showing that the applicant meets the minimum qualifications, a current resume or curriculum vitae, and a statement of teaching and research interests. Please include three professional references with contact information and unofficial transcripts from accredited institutions. Official transcripts will be required at a later date should the applicant be selected. Applications must be submitted online at https://embryriddle.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/External/job/Daytona-Beach-FL/Assistant-Associate-Professor-of-Aerospace-and-Occupational-Safety--Daytona-Beach-Campus-_R-00104 . 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Registration Now Open ** Thanks to our generous sponsors, registration is currently free, so book today! ** 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 currently FREE, so book today! 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