Flight Safety Information - May 13, 2022 No.092 In This Issue : Incident: Skywest CRJ2 at Houston on May 11th 2022, runway excursion on landing : Incident: Canada A333 at Toronto on May 6th 2022, brakes problem on approach : Accident: Blue B738 at Naples on May 6th 2022, hard landing and tail damage : Incident: Central Mountain DH8A at Smithers on Apr 18th 2022, smoke in the cabin : F-16 jet breaks after sliding off runway; pilot safe : United reaches new contract deal with pilots’ union, the first of the major airlines in pandemic : Emirates airline cuts annual loss to $1.1 billion as travel rebounds : Bahamas Urged: Target 80% In Next Aviation Safety Audit : Raytheon Technologies Invests in Hypersonic Aircraft Startup Hermeus : Baldwin Safety and Compliance partners with JumpSeat for crowdsourced airport intel : Now Hiring: airBaltic Seeks To Recruit 120 Airbus A220 Pilots : The Worldwide Business Jet Rental Industry is Expected to Reach $13.6 Billion by 2027 - Research and Markets Incident: Skywest CRJ2 at Houston on May 11th 2022, runway excursion on landing A Skywest Airlines Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of United, registration N965SW performing flight UA-5069 from Victoria,TX to Houston Intercontinental,TX (USA) with 13 passengers and 3 crew, landed on Houston's runway 08R (tower reported winds from 120 degrees at 13 knots) at 14:19L (19:19Z) maintaining routine communication but veered off right off the runway on landing and came to a stop with all gear on soft ground about 1450 meters/4750 feet down the runway. Tower alerted emergency services at that point telling them the aircraft was on the grass between taxiways NK and J (editorial note: the aircraft came to a stop on the grass between taxiways NH, NK, NA and NJ). The crew advised emergency services, everything on board was fine, no damage, no indications, no injuries, they had shut down the engines and were operating the APU, no evacuation intended/needed, everybody was calm in the cabin, they just needed to get out and taxi to the apron, they kept the doors closed to keep cool in the aircraft. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained minor if any damage. The main door was eventually opened and the passengers disembarked normally onto the grass via the aircraft stairs. The airline reported the aircraft experienced a steering issue and rolled off the runway at the end of its landing run. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f8bb75b&opt=0 Incident: Canada A333 at Toronto on May 6th 2022, brakes problem on approach An Air Canada Airbus A330-300, registration C-GHKC performing flight AC-110 from Vancouver,BC to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 152 passengers and 10 crew, was on approach to Toronto's runway 05, when upon selecting the landing gear down the crew received a "Brakes - Auto Brakes" message on their ECAM display. The crew went around, worked the related checklists and determined only the alternate braking was available for landing. The crew declared PAN PAN, requested runway 15L and landed on runway 15L without further incident. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f8b3ccc&opt=0 Accident: Blue B738 at Naples on May 6th 2022, hard landing and tail damage A Blue Air Boeing 737-800, registration YR-BMM performing flight 0B-143 from Bucharest Otopeni (Romania) to Naples (Italy), landed on Naples' runway 24 at 16:03L (14:03Z) but touched down hard. The aircraft rolled out without further incident and taxied to the apron. The aircraft is still on the ground in Naples 6 days later (May 12th 2022). Italy's ANSV reported they rated the occurrence an accident, the aircraft sustained substantial structural damage to the rear on the hard landing. An investigation has been opened, the flight data recorders have been acquired. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f8b33d8&opt=0 Incident: Central Mountain DH8A at Smithers on Apr 18th 2022, smoke in the cabin A Central Mountain Air de Havilland Dash 8-100, registration C-GNCJ performing flight 9M-8016 from Smithers,BC to Dease Lake,BC (Canada) with 26 passengers and 3 crew, was about 15 minutes into the trip when the flight attendant advised the flight crew of smoke in the cabin. The crew declared PAN PAN and returned to Smithers for a safe landing. The occupants deplaned rapidly. Subsequent examination found that the heat source no longer existed. The Canadian TSB reported a maintenance inspection found a light bulb in an overhead locker showed evidence of electrical arcing and overheat. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f8b3bcc&opt=0 F-16 jet breaks after sliding off runway; pilot safe An F-16 Fighting Falcon jet belonging to the South Dakota Air National Guard’s 114th Fighter Wing skidded off of a Sioux Falls runway upon landing Wednesday afternoon, coming to rest nose-down in the grass. The airman in the jet was returning from a routine training mission around 2:45 p.m. local time, according to the wing, which flies F-16C/D airframes. The jet’s landing gear appeared to have collapsed and its nose separated from its body, per photos taken by the Argus Leader news outlet and others on social media. Its canopy was open but not gone — indicating the pilot climbed out once on the ground at Joe Foss Field, where the wing is based at the Sioux Falls airport. Airmen were safe following the incident, and emergency crews responded to the scene, the wing said. The Air National Guard is investigating the accident. In March, another F-16 assigned to the Oklahoma National Guard crashed in Louisiana while conducting training out of Texas. Its pilot safely ejected. The Air Force suffered three F-16 mishaps in fiscal 2021, including one that destroyed the airplane and killed its pilot, according to the Air Force Safety Center. About three Fighting Falcons have been totaled each year on average for the past decade. The service owns about 900 F-16C/D airframes, which have flown since the 1980s. Each jet cost $19 million in 1998 dollars, the Air Force said, or more than $30 million now. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/05/12/south-dakota-air-national-guard-f-16-jet-broken-after-sliding-off-runway-pilot-safe/ United reaches new contract deal with pilots’ union, the first of the major airlines in pandemic • The airline is the first of the major carriers to strike a deal with its pilots. • United reached unique agreements with its pilots during the Covid pandemic to keep them trained for a rebound. • The deal likely includes higher pay and other improvements for pilots. United Airlines and its pilots’ labor union have reached an agreement on new contract terms, the first of the major carriers to strike a deal since the start of the Covid pandemic. The crisis roiled the industry and exacerbated a pilot shortage and training backlog. The Air Line Pilots Association and United didn’t disclose the terms of the deal on Friday, but they will likely include higher pay and other improvements. United has had perhaps the least contentious relationship with its pilots’ union of the major carriers and struck early deals during the pandemic to keep aviators on staff and trained. “United Airlines was the only airline to work with our pilots union to reach an agreement during COVID,” CEO Scott Kirby said in a LinkedIn post. “It’s not surprising that we are now the first airline to get an Agreement in Principle for an industry leading new pilot contract.” The agreement still faces a vote by the union and later, by pilots. Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and American Airlines are still in negotiations with pilots unions, which have organized pickets in recent months to protest grueling schedules. United isn’t immune to the pilot shortage. The Chicago-based airline, like other carriers, has had to cut back on routes and park planes because of a shortage of pilots who fly for the smaller regional carriers that feed its network. On Friday at 1 p.m. ET, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., will hold a hearing on the future aviation workforce, which will take place at the United Aviate Academy, United’s new flight school, in Goodyear, Arizona. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/13/united-airlines-pilots-union-reach-contract-agreement.html Emirates airline cuts annual loss to $1.1 billion as travel rebounds DUBAI, May 13 (Reuters) - Dubai's Emirates airline on Friday posted an annual loss of $1.1 billion, a sharp improvement on the $5.5 billion loss in the previous year, as demand for international travel was boosted by governments easing pandemic-related curbs. The airline, which only operates international services, reported a 91% jump in revenue to $16.1 billion for the year ended March 31 as passenger numbers tripled to 19.6 million. "Business recovery picked up pace particularly in the second half of the year," Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said in a statement. The state-owned airline said it filled 58.6% of seats flown, up from 44.3% a year earlier, while the number of destinations it served increased from 120 at the start of the financial year to more than 140 as of March 31. It was the airline's second consecutive annual loss and only the fourth in its almost 40-year operational history. Emirates has forecast a return to profitability this financial year, while Chairman Sheikh Ahmed said on Friday the Emirates Group, which includes the airline, would too. "This year, we focussed on restoring our operations quickly and safely wherever pandemic-related restrictions eased across our markets," said Sheikh Ahmed, while cautioning the Group was closely tracking the impact of high fuel prices and inflation. Chief Operating Officer Adel Al Redha warned this week that while Emirates was managing high fuel prices and inflation, the current oil price was not sustainable for airlines. He said air fares would increase, though airlines would have to absorb some costs so as not to stifle the rebound in travel. Emirates Group reported a $1 billion loss for the year, with revenue rising 86% to $18.1 billion. The Group's global airport and travel services business dnata made a $30 million profit. Sheikh Ahmed said this week he hoped the airline would after the current financial year be able to start paying back the 15 billion dirhams ($4.1 billion) it received from the Dubai government during the pandemic. Gulf rival Qatar Airways, whose financial year also ended March 31, is yet to report its annual results. ($1 = 3.6726 UAE dirham) https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/emirates-airline-cuts-annual-loss-106-bln-2022-05-13/ Bahamas Urged: Target 80% In Next Aviation Safety Audit The Bahamas must target a “high 70s-80 percent score” on its next aviation safety audit and match the world’s best, an attorney said yesterday, adding: “We’ve made great strides in a short span of time.” Llewellyn Boyer-Cartwright, an aviation specialist who has his own legal practice, Harley James, said the results from the latest International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) inspection “provide the foundation” for The Bahamas to further enhance its oversight and regulatory regime and make the sector increasingly attractive for investors. ICAO data confirmed The Bahamas has effectively “doubled its score” from 2017, when it was found to have only properly implemented 32 percent of the “critical elements of a safety oversight system”, to now just over 32 percent. Four out of the eight areas in which this nation was assessed, namely legislation; organisation; airworthiness; and accident and investigation exceeded the global average coming in with marks between 80 percent to just over 90 percent. The Aircraft Accident and Investigation Authority (AAIA), in particular, said in a website statement. “The AAIA, due to its establishment of the authority and creation of legislation, regulations, guidance materials, procedures and processes, and retention of qualified personnel found lacking in the 2017 audit, compliance scores increased from that obtained in 2017 of 13.59 percent to the 2021 scores of 90.29 percent.” However, the late 2021 ICAO audit found that The Bahamas was still lacking - and lagging - in several areas. In particular, it only achieved a score of just over 40 percent on “operations” while it was slightly over 50 percent for licensing. Aerodromes, too, were just above 40 percent, while air navigation services fared slightly better at around 60 percent. All four areas, though, were below the global ICAO average. Mr Boyer-Cartwright, striking a positive tone, said of the ICAO audit rankings: “We doubled our score. Can you imagine, hopefully, five years from now we should be able to constantly improve that score again. If we could get into the high 70 percents-80 percent we’re up there with some of the best systems. There’s no reason why we should not strive for that. “The advantage or benefit [of The Bahamas doubling its score] is that one, we’re sending a message that we’re actually taking steps to improve the overall standing of aviation in the country. And we can also say the region. It’s providing a foundation in which to continue to improve. It’s not going to happen overnight, but it can really continue to benefit the country. Who wants to operate in a jurisdiction where they think it’s lacking in two or three areas. “We’ve come a very long way in a short span of time. I think as long as we continue on this course, and the commitment from the Government is there, we can only improve. I think with the last three pieces of legislation passed in 2021 it moved us much further ahead. There’s no doubt about that. The previous legislation, although well-intended, was still lacking and what we now have in place is a great improvement.” Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation under the former Minnis administration, oversaw several regulatory reforms designed to address weaknesses exposed by the last ICAO audit. This included passage of the revised Civil Aviation Act, plus the Bahamas Air Navigation Services (BANS) Authority Act, which further separated regulator and operations by breaking out the air traffic controllers from the Civil Aviation Department. Finally, the Civil Aviation Authority Act defined the Civil Aviation Authority’s organisational structure and set-up as the sector regulator, as well as “how it operates and codifying in law” the oversight functions it performed. All three reforms were passed into law in early 2021 to give The Bahamas a chance to bed-in the necessary improvements ahead of the November/December audit by ICAO. http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/may/06/bahamas-urged-target-80-next-aviation-safety-audit/ Raytheon Technologies Invests in Hypersonic Aircraft Startup Hermeus It’s the first investment by the aerospace and defense giant’s new venture arm. Aerospace and defense giant Raytheon Technologies is investing in Hermeus, the Georgia-based startup working to build hypersonic aircraft. It’s the first investment for RTX Ventures, the multibillion-dollar firm’s newly established venture capital group. “Hypersonic technologies are of critical importance to national security, which is why we made our first investment in a company with such a bold plan and vision in this space,” Daniel Ateya, managing director of RTX Ventures, said in a statement. “Hermeus’ technical approach and business plan balances near-term defense applications with long-term commercial aspirations and will help our customers reimagine the possibilities of hypersonic technologies.” Terms of the investment value were not disclosed; the funding is part of the Hermeus’ $100 million, Series B financing round. Raytheon, the second largest aerospace and defense firm, becomes the first major defense contractor to partner with the U.S. Air Force-backed startup. The company’s money will go toward building Hermeus’ first aircraft, an unmanned test plane called Quarterhorse, and accelerate development of its next aircraft, Darkhorse, a hypersonic aircraft that could carry people or cargo. https://www.defenseone.com/business/2022/05/raytheon-technologies-invests-hypersonic-aircraft-startup-hermeus/366849/ Baldwin Safety and Compliance partners with JumpSeat for crowdsourced airport intel Baldwin Safety and Compliance announced it has partnered with JumpSeat to integrate the real-time crowdsourced application into the Baldwin flight risk assessment tool Introduced last year, the JumpSeat app is currently free to users and a first of its kind to allow pilots to share and access important operational information that may not be addressed in a formal Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM), and will save crews the time needed to research multiple sources. Jason Starke, Director of Safety at Baldwin Safety and Compliance, commented: “Now we can make it even easier for our clients to access local intelligence at their departure and destination airports from the Baldwin system, to help make more informed decisions regarding risk associated with their trip. It is simple to use, and as the user numbers go up, the more valuable it will become. I see it as a must-have resource for every trip.” JumpSeat Co-Founders Ben Zavadil and Bradley Doebelin worked together to develop a first of its kind crowdsourced aviation app that now has several thousand users. The intuitive app allows users to search by airport using a map and offers a global events feed with favorites section on the menu to quickly check frequent locations in real-time. Reports are made quickly by choosing a category such as Air Traffic Control (ATC), Runways, Fuel, Ground Handling, Scams, Weather, and others. https://www.airmedandrescue.com/latest/news/baldwin-safety-and-compliance-partners-jumpseat-crowdsourced-airport-intel Now Hiring: airBaltic Seeks To Recruit 120 Airbus A220 Pilots The airline currently employs 315 pilots. As the aviation industry gradually recovers, airlines such as airBaltic have been opening up new bases and taking in deliveries of additions to the fleet. The aircraft will not fly by itself, so airBaltic has started a recruitment drive for 120 additional pilots, including the airBaltic Pilot Academy graduates. Interested candidates must have EU citizenship, a valid EU FCL CPL or ATPL license, and at least 300 hours of Commercial Air Transport operations on aircraft with EFIS, FMA, and FMS systems. Additionally, the maximum take-off weight of the previously-operated aircraft must be at least 5.7 tonnes. Prospective pilots should also keep in mind that airBaltic operates an exclusively all-Airbus A220-300 fleet of aircraft. Getting back into the industry In the past few months, recruitment drives from airlines have been rapidly increasing, as staffing shortages have begun interfering with the airlines' ability to ramp up their schedules. Despite passenger demand and flight schedules rapidly reaching near or even on-par with pre-pandemic levels, the return of aviation jobs worldwide is still falling relatively short. airBaltic, New Employees, Fully Vaccinated airBaltic hired nearly 560 employees last year but is still looking for additional staff to cater to the increasing operations and the possibility of staff falling ill. Hiring pilots remains the most prominent problem for the airlines as training new hires takes time. The rehiring of former employees has been trickier due to wage and age limitations. Nonetheless, the recruitment drive for airBaltic is still an excellent opportunity for former employees of the aviation industry who had not yet gotten back into their old companies or jobs. As a matter of fact, airBaltic is keen on recruiting previous employees who were made redundant due to the pandemic, regardless of prior designation and company, as highlighted by Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic: “While we continue to employ our airBaltic Pilot Academy graduates and rehire former employees, this time, our needs for additional staff reach further, meaning that we are looking for external pilots to join our company. Additional pilots are required to prepare the airline for [the] capacity we will fly in summer 2023.” Currently, airBaltic employs 315 pilots, within its total of more than 1,600 employees. The airline seeks to continue active recruitment throughout this year and aims to hire at least an additional 500 employees. In terms of open vacancies, airBaltic has more than 40 availabilities ranging from pilots and cabin crew to aircraft maintenance, and even IT. Back on a growth path The past couple of years has impacted airBaltic, as the airline has not yet been able to return to profitability. Ever since the introduction of the EU Digital Covid Certificate and the lifting of restrictions in Latvia, airBaltic has been back on a growth path, starting with its fleet. The Latvian carrier currently has 34 Airbus A220-300s, and the number is set to grow to at least 40 by the end of the year. airBaltic A220 Fleet One of airBaltic's newest Airbus A220-300 has been making stops within the Asia-Pacific region to show off the aircraft's capabilities. After that, airBaltic will be expecting more deliveries next year for further expansions. These will align with the airline's plans to further expand its network out of Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius. Possible developments would include expansion into Asia-Pacific, as the airline recently brought out its newest fleet addition YL-ABH on an Asia-Pacific tour. As airBaltic continues to ease back into normal operations and beyond, the airline is hoping that it can return to making profit in 2023. https://simpleflying.com/airbaltic-airbus-a220-pilot-recruitment/ The Worldwide Business Jet Rental Industry is Expected to Reach $13.6 Billion by 2027 - Research and Markets Dublin, May 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Business Jet Rental Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Business Jet Rental market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 16.51% during the forecast period to reach US$13.648 billion by 2027, from US$4.684 billion in 2020. A business jet refers to an aircraft that is turbofan-powered and is intended to transport small groups of people. Based on the aircraft type, the market is divided into light jets, mid-size jets, and large jets. Some of the most prevalent types of business jets are single-pilot airplanes, propeller-driven jets, turbine aircraft, and piston jets. These aircraft are usually used for business trips, leisure travel, short-haul flights, and VVIP transportation by individuals, and also by private and government organizations. They can also be transformed for various objectives, such as rapid parcel delivery, emergency evacuation, and military cargo transportation. Technological advancements, time-saving capabilities, an increase in net disposable income, growth in tourism activities, convenience, and high hygiene levels are prime factors driving the growth of the business jet rental market. Development in tourism activities as business jet rental services grow. Their expansion by introducing more routes both nationally and internationally will additionally propel the market demand for this segment. Technological advances in the aviation sector and interior cabin products are anticipated to make this growth probable and successful. As business jet rentals are being used for more than one activity now to meet the different needs of individuals, people are gradually apprehending their advantages. These jets provide comfort, optimum performance, convenience, ease of travel, and shorter fleet time, and hence are hugely adding to their enhanced demand. As airline travel becomes remarkably stressful, tiresome, and time-consuming due to an escalation in the number of customers every day, a huge quantity of customers are starting to favour business jets for travel because of its benefits. Such enhanced demand is expected to favourably impact the business jet rental market as well. Moreover, the advantages offered by business jet rentals, such as fewer people, lack of crowds and queues, high hygiene levels, direct flights, and flying as per one's schedule, contribute to the growth of the market. The introduction of new aircraft programs, coupled with a growing number of high-net-worth personnel, is anticipated to propel the growth of the market. A considerable challenge for the business jet rental market is the lack of infrastructure in several nations. Developing economies such as Nigeria, India, China, and Malaysia have the potential market for business jet rentals, but the infrastructure of these countries makes it unsuitable for the business jet rental market to grow. There are several cities which are not well connected in terms of ease of travel. Certain areas lack airports and aerodromes; others lack convenient landing space; and still others are inaccessible from city limits. Pie charts Based on geography, North America is expected to hold a significant market size and the European region is also anticipated to increase. By region, the North American market is expected to account for a notable share in terms of revenue and is anticipated to continue its dominance over the market throughout the forecast period. The presence of leading players and widespread adoption of private jet rentals among end-users, particularly in the US, are factors driving the growth of the market in this region. Moreover, huge domestic investment and customer spending are also amongst the factors boosting the expansion of this market in North America. The regional business aviation network, including producers, suppliers, dedicated airports, and Fixed Base Operators (FBOs), has observed rapid expansion, making one of the most attractive regions for business aviation across the globe. In addition, the availability of airports across the region facilitates business travel with ease. . As North America is the largest region by area, it is crucial for business travellers to opt for the speediest mode of transport to save time. This further results in the growing demand for business jets. The European market is expected to grow profitably in terms of revenue during the forecast period, owing primarily to increased investments in the expansion and modernization of aviation infrastructure. Determinants such as longer distances between the towns as well as insufficient ground transportation networks in the region are encouraging the requirement for large and medium business jets. This, in turn, will propel the growth of the business jet rental market in the region. COVID-19 Insights The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on the commercial airline sector, but its impact on the business jet rental market was comparatively positive. Due to the novel coronavirus, there were severe restrictions on commercial flights, and people were concerned about their health and safety. This led to a boost in the business jet rental market as these jets provided less crowded terminal, safety, and hygienic measures, less contact time with others, and security clearance. Moreover, business jet activity witnessed incremental growth in the latter half of 2020 in comparison to the first half of the year because of the controlled permit for commercial flights. With the ease of travel restrictions, more people opt for a private jet for convenient, safer, and faster travel. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/worldwide-business-jet-rental-industry-102300706.html Curt Lewis