Flight Safety Information - June 8, 2022 No.109 In This Issue : Incident: Arabia A320 near Ahmedabad on Jun 6th 2022, engine shut down in flight : Chinese fighter jet cut in front of an Australian plane and dumped debris into its engine, likely forcing it to abort its mission, officials say : Oligarch’s U.S.-Built Jets Ordered Seized By Federal Judge : Western New York lawmakers urge FAA to reject new pilot training exemption : Plane Crash Mysteries Spur Renewed Calls for Cockpit Cameras : EASA Revokes Kenya Airways' Part 145 Aircraft Maintenance License : Second loaded handgun in three days confiscated at Pittsburgh International Airport : Second loaded handgun in three days confiscated at Pittsburgh International Airport : France to strengthen Cambodia’s aviation safety and security : LATAM Leads The Way As Brazil's Aviation Recovery Hits 75% : Purdue to offer 100% online aviation financial management graduate certificate : Hawaiian Airlines New Fleet Could Be Delayed Until 2025 : Which Worldwide Airline Has The Biggest Fleet? : Cloud-Based Flight Management Systems for Next Generation Aircraft : FULL STEAM AHEAD: JET AIRWAYS BEGINS RECRUITMENT FOR MANAGEMENT POSITIONS (India) : APSCON 2022 / APSCON Unmanned 2022 in Reno, NV : July 25 - 30, 2022 : GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Incident: Arabia A320 near Ahmedabad on Jun 6th 2022, engine shut down in flight An Air Arabia Airbus A320-200, registration A6-AOT performing flight 3L-62 from Chittagong (Bangladesh) to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), was enroute at FL360 about 90nm west of Ahmedabad (India) when the crew received indication the #1 engine (CFM56) had stalled. The crew shut the engine down and diverted to Ahmedabad for a safe landing on runway 23 about 35 minutes later. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Ahmedabad about 20.5 hours after landing. India's DGCA have opened an investigation. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f9eca7a&opt=0 Chinese fighter jet cut in front of an Australian plane and dumped debris into its engine, likely forcing it to abort its mission, officials say A Chinese jet cut in front of an Australian plane and fired debris into its engine, officials said. Australia's defense ministry said the incident happened on May 26 over international waters. Chinese aircraft regularly "buzz" or try to interfere with foreign aircraft near their airspace. A Chinese fighter jet veered in front of an Australian military plane and fired off a cloud of debris that entered its engine, Australia's defense ministry said. The incident happened on May 26 in international airspace over the South China Sea, the ministry said Sunday. The South China Sea is an area where China has tried to assert dominance to gain a strategic advantage in recent years. Richard Marles, Australia's defense minister, told 9News that a Chinese J-16 fighter jet cut across an Australian P-8 maritime-surveillance aircraft and released "chaff," which are small pieces of metal debris used to confuse missiles. "The J-16 then accelerated and cut across the nose of the P-8, settling in front of the P-8 at a very close distance," Marles said. "At that moment it then released a bundle of chaff, which contains small pieces of aluminum, some of which were ingested into the engine of the P-8 aircraft," he added. "Quite obviously, this is very dangerous." Peter Layton, a former Royal Australian Air Force officer, told CNN that the incident would have forced the P-8 to return to base, though the defense ministry did not give details as to the state of the aircraft. Chinese aircraft regularly fly close to or try and interfere with foreign aircraft that fly over the South China Sea. China's relations with Australia have soured over trade and accusations of election interference. In a Sunday article, the Chinese state media outlet the Global Times called the Australian aircraft "provocative" and rejected claims that Chinese military planes had recently "buzzed" Canadian surveillance aircraft. Australia's defense ministry said in its statement: "The intercept resulted in a dangerous maneuver which posed a safety threat to the P-8 aircraft and its crew." "Defense has for decades undertaken maritime surveillance activities in the region and does so in accordance with international law, exercising the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace," it said. In February, Australia said a Chinese military vessel pointed a laser at another P-8 patrol aircraft to try and distract the pilot, calling it "reckless." https://www.yahoo.com/news/chinese-fighter-jet-cut-front-120503600.html Oligarch’s U.S.-Built Jets Ordered Seized By Federal Judge Top-tier Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich will likely have to find another way to get around the planet after a U.S. federal judge signed a warrant clearing the way for the Department of Justice to seize his pair of U.S.-built jets—a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and a Gulfstream G650ER. The action stems from sanctions imposed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February that have expanded to include “export, reexport, or in-country transfer of, among other things, aircraft and aircraft parts … to or within Russia without a license,” according to an affidavit by FBI agent Alan Fowler filed in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan. According to current sanctions, since both aircraft were manufactured in the U.S., they need a special license in order to travel from a foreign country into Russia. Fowler’s affidavit alleges, “But no licenses were applied for or issued. Nor was any license exception available, including because the Boeing and the Gulfstream were each owned and/or controlled by a Russian national: Roman Abramovich.” U.S. officials believe the Boeing was illegally flown to Russia in March, against regulations, and is currently in Dubai. The Gulfstream is reportedly currently in Russia. https://tinyurl.com/2p8ekdv6 Western New York lawmakers urge FAA to reject new pilot training exemption Local leaders are urging the Federal Aviation Administration to reject a request by Republic Airways for an exemption to the 1,500 hours pilot training. U.S. Reps. Brian Higgins and Chris Jacobs sent a letter to the FAA saying the request would roll back aviation safety reforms successfully reached after the deadly crash of flight 3407 in Western New York back in 2009. In a letter to FAA Acting Administrator Bill Nolen, Higgins and Jacobs wrote, in part, "The request for an exemption would effectively roll back hard-fought aviation safety reforms implemented after the deadly crash of Flight 3407 in Western New York. This and any other request to scale back flight safety measures should be soundly rejected to ensure that the safety of the flying public is not compromised." The law signed in 2010 increased the training requirements for pilots. It was included in the Airline Safety and FAA Extension Act. "As you know, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 was caused in part by pilot inexperience leading to error, which resulted in the deaths of all passengers and crew on board and one individual on the ground," the letter continues. "Like Republic Airways, Colgan Air was a regional airline. Since the crash of Flight 3407 in 2009, there has not been a fatal crash on a U.S. carrier, a testament to the necessity of the flight safety reforms enacted in the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010, including the increase to 1,500 required pilot training hours. Any permission to roll back these reforms jeopardizes the safety of the flying public and puts communities across the country in the position of potentially suffering an unthinkable tragedy." An exception to the law would allow their pilots to fly with 750 hours training, half the amount of training. "It is discouraging to say the least that thirteen years later we are still fighting back attempts from these regional airlines to water down the safety reforms that Elly and all of our loved ones paid for in blood," John Kausner of Clarence Center, who lost his 24-year-old daughter Ellyce in the crash, said. "Particularly when this law has led to the safest period of our nation's aviation history, with no fatal crashes in over a decade. We cannot say thank you enough to Congressmen Higgins and Jacobs for their unwavering support and strong reminder that safety is a bipartisan issue, and we are firmly resolved to keep up this fight in the upcoming FAA Reauthorization process." https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/buffalo/news/2022/06/07/wny-lawmakers-urge-faa-to-reject-new-pilot-training-exemption Plane Crash Mysteries Spur Renewed Calls for Cockpit Cameras Video would give investigators invaluable ‘eyes’ on a situation but pilots say cameras would be a violation of privacy. “We’re too low! We’re too low! We’re too low!” The Boeing Co. 737 co-pilot’s frenzied warnings on Sept. 28, 2018 came too late. Within seconds, the Air Niugini Ltd. passenger flight slammed into the waters of the western Pacific, half a kilometer short of the runway at Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia. One of the 47 people on board, unbelted and flung forward on impact, was killed before the plane sank. But investigators got lucky. Sitting at the back of the cockpit, a maintenance engineer was recording the flight’s final minutes on his iPhone, just for fun. The footage laid bare the sequence of events almost immediately. It showed the pilot headed toward a storm cell that lit up his navigation screen. He descended blindly through rain and cloud, windscreen wipers flailing, and ignored the order on his flight display to pull up. Six other passengers were seriously injured upon impact, though there were no additional fatalities. Several disasters later -- including two Boeing 737 Max tragedies and the fatal plunge into a hillside in March by a China Eastern Airlines Corp. jet -- there are renewed calls for aircraft to be fitted with cockpit image or video recorders. The push is reigniting a standoff between pilots who guard their privacy, and crash specialists and bodies such as the US National Transportation Safety Board that are under pressure to solve mystery accidents and prevent them from happening again. Among those advocating for image recorders is air-safety pioneer Mike Poole, who worked for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada for more than 20 years and led its flight-recorder laboratory. Poole produced the first three-dimensional animation almost four decades ago using the data from a pair of flight recorders after two planes almost collided over the Atlantic Ocean. Poole leads Plane Sciences Inc., which specializes in flight data analysis and assists countries in setting up accident investigation boards. He helped Papua New Guinea officials recreate the last moments of Air Niugini Flight 73. This is an edited transcript of an interview with Poole from Ottawa. How would image or video recorders help air safety? You’re trying to find out what happened. In the vast, vast bulk of cases, it would make a very big difference. At the very least, images eliminate or dramatically reduce controversy. And that’s not to be underestimated because controversy causes all kinds of roadblocks for safety. If you don’t agree on the facts as a world community, then you’re not going to get to the safety action. It’ll also make the investigations a lot less expensive because it’s not a jigsaw puzzle anymore. What Do Pilots Say About Image Recording? “It wouldn’t help,” says Uwe Harter, a former A380 captain who’s executive vice-president of technical and safety standards for the Montreal-based International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations. “There’s so much downside. We see a lot of issues with privacy. There’s no way to protect the data. Videos can be tampered with. And seeing somebody dying? What does it do emotionally to us? Do we really want to find out what’s happening or do we want to blame? It’s very personal. We’re just not convinced.” IFALPA represents more than 100,000 pilots worldwide. What would images show that you can’t grasp from data and voice recorders? We record a lot of data, but we still don’t record enough to replicate that cockpit, not by a long shot. The typical camera would be just behind the crew, looking forward. You want to know what they can see, and what they can’t see. What’s the cockpit environment? Is there smoke? What’s the workload like in the cockpit? You would see who’s flying, the general cockpit displays, and all the non-verbal cues, like a thumbs up. Cockpit voice recorders are very cryptic. If you’ve ever listened to one, you would see how frustrating it is. It’s like, ‘I would give my right eye just to see what they’re looking at right now and what they’re referring to.’ You could see the weather radar, you could see the big red blob coming. You could see the windshield wipers come up. They hit a big cloud storm and couldn’t see anything. I can guarantee that without the image recording, that accident would’ve been very controversial because people would say, ‘There must have been something else. There’s no way they would’ve kept going if they couldn’t see anything.’ It was the final little piece of the puzzle. So for me, that was the gold star of investigations. The shortest time, exquisite detail, zero controversy, and a problem that we really need to fix through behavioral changes. What about the China Eastern disaster? (The Boeing 737 jet’s plunge killed all 132 people on board. According to the Wall Street Journal, black-box data indicates someone on the flight input the controls to trigger a dive.) You’re alluding to cases where perhaps there’s a deliberate action by the flight crew, and clearly an image recorder is going to go a long way. In those rare cases, an image would tell you which crew member, or if a third party got into the cockpit. Historically, it does tend to be fairly obvious, because even without a voice recorder, one of the first things investigators look for is, did the airplane do what it was commanded to do? If you have a deliberate act, then you kind of see that in the data. The voice will usually corroborate that. But the video or image would just eliminate controversy. What About Major Safety Bodies and Regulators? What’s Their Take? The US Federal Aviation Administration said in an email that it’s involved in international work to define image-recorder types, such as screen-capture systems, that record information displayed to pilots as well as the position and selection of buttons, knobs and switches. It also encourages the voluntary use of cockpit image recorders. The NTSB, which first called for cockpit image recorders more than 20 years ago, says the devices would improve safety. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau says voice, data or video recorders can play a critical role in explaining aviation accidents. “The ATSB welcomes their fitments in all passenger-carrying aircraft,” Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said in a statement. What about privacy concerns? I have a great deal of respect for the privacy concerns and I’m not for a moment advocating they’re not legitimate. But the value of those images outweighs the potential concerns. Making it hard to figure out what happened -- when we can know what happened -- is simply an impediment to safety improvements. Join the modern world: Lots of employers have images of their employees all the time. The cockpit is not your personal space. It really isn’t. You’re paid to do a job up there. The audio is way more sensitive than a camera pointing forward from the back of your head. So why is adding the image a problem? If you only have four frames a second and there’s an image showing the cockpit instruments and the back of your head, it’s not as bad as you think. The people watching it are the authorities, not the world. The images are protected, just like the cockpit voice recording. What needs to happen before image recorders become standard? The US needs to do it. That’s the obvious place. Until a lead state actually does it, it’s never going to be standard. So if the US and Canada and Australia were doing it, then you’d see ICAO starting to adopt it. (ICAO is the International Civil Aviation Organization.) https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-07/plane-crash-mysteries-spur-renewed-calls-for-cockpit-cameras EASA Revokes Kenya Airways' Part 145 Aircraft Maintenance License The European agency found issues with Kenya Airways' MRO setup. Kenya The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has revoked Kenya Airways' Part 145 aircraft maintenance license after the airline failed a compliance audit. This license enabled Kenya Airways to conduct maintenance on European aircraft. Kenya Airways maintenance license withdrawn After failing an audit, Kenya Airways has surrendered its Part 145 aircraft maintenance license. The EASA withdrew the license after finding faults during the certification audit. Specifically, the agency has requested that Kenya Airways implement a temperature control device and separate its general storage. The airline responded that the Kenyan climate negates the need for advanced temperature controls. Kenya Airways had hoped to bring in revenue by maintaining European aircraft. Kenya Airways Technical Director, Gilbert Bett, told the Business Daily, "As you may know we are in the tropics and our manuals do not require us to have temperature controls such as those in Europe where there are extremes. We are, however, working on compliance." Kenya Airways will seek to comply with EASA standards to regain its license. Without this license, the carrier will be unable to perform maintenance on European aircraft and stands to lose out on lucrative revenues. Bett added, "Compliance is our license to operate. This is why we worked with EASA. It forms part of our MRO to service and maintain European-registered carriers." What is a Part 145 maintenance license? A Part 145 maintenance license is the European standard for granting maintenance rights, essentially allowing a company or airline to conduct maintenance on European-registered planes. According to ThomasNet, "European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part 145 Approval is a company level certification to the European Commission Regulation standards of design, production, maintenance and operation of aircraft components. An aircraft component is described as any product, part, or appliance installed in European aircraft." Kenya Airways applied for Part 145 approval partly to help grow its maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) arm and open up the possibility of servicing and operating European-registered aircraft. Diversifying revenue streams Kenya Airways is in the process of expanding its MRO operations as an alternative revenue stream, allowing it to earn money servicing aircraft. The airline won't lose out on any immediate revenues as it doesn't have any European-registered aircraft undergoing maintenance, but delays in getting recertified could have an impact. "There is no revenue loss as there is no aircraft under maintenance that requires EASA certification. We do not have any European-registered aircraft under maintenance." Kenya Airways, one of the largest airlines in Africa, has made some wise cost-cutting moves over the pandemic, including redrafting aircraft leasing agreements to only pay for aircraft in active service. This helped the airline save around $45 million in fees. Compared to the previous year, things have been looking up for Kenya Airways financially after the carrier cut its yearly losses by around 56% through 2021. https://simpleflying.com/kenya-airways-easa-145-revoked/ Second loaded handgun in three days confiscated at Pittsburgh International Airport MOON TWP, Pa. — A second loaded handgun in three days was confiscated by Transportation Security Administration officers at Pittsburgh International Airport. According to a news release, TSA found the gun in a passenger’s carry-on bag Tuesday. The Pittsburgh man said he forgot the gun was in his bag. It was confiscated by Allegheny County police. “This individual told us that he had taken the gun with him on a camping trip and forgot that he had it with him later when he came to the airport,” said TSA’s federal security director for the airport, Karen Keys-Turner. “I have two pieces of advice to offer. First is that if you own a firearm, you need to know where it is at all times, because that’s part of being a responsible gun owner. Second is that when packing for a flight, start with an empty carry-on bag so that you know all of the contents of that bag. Doing so ensures that you will not be carrying anything prohibited or illegal. Because this traveler carried his gun to the checkpoint, he now faces a federal financial civil penalty that could run into the thousands of dollars.” The release said that when a local resident brings a gun to the airport security checkpoint, their concealed carry license is revoked due to negligence. On Sunday, a West Virginia man was stopped after Transportation Security Administration officers found a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag at the Pittsburgh International Airport. He also said he forgot the firearm was in his bag. Nationwide, TSA officers detected 5,972 firearms on passengers or their carry-on bags at checkpoints last year. Of the guns caught by TSA in 2022, about 86% were loaded. https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/allegheny-county/second-loaded-handgun-three-days-confiscated-pittsburgh-international-airport/2WGFMUPB6VA77H4AJOULV25MYA/ France to strengthen Cambodia’s aviation safety and security French Development Agency or AFD has launched a project worth €450,000 (approximately $481,599) to strengthen safety and security as well as integrate environmental issues in Cambodia’s civil aviation sector. The technical project headed by resident expert Michelle Devilliers in Phnom Penh will run for one year. The project was launched last Friday in the presence of Mao Havanall, Minister in charge of the State Secretariat for Civil Aviation and French Ambassador to Cambodia Jacques Pellet. “In a context of economic and tourist recovery, this project aims to strengthen the safety and security of the sector, as well as to integrate environmental issues into the country’s airports,” the French Embassy in Cambodia wrote on its official Facebook page. “In line with AFD’s commitment to have a 100 percent Paris Climate Agreement activity, the project aims in particular to reduce the carbon footprint of airports,” it said. Sin Chan Serey Vutha, under-secretary of state and spokesman at the State Secretariat for Civil Aviation, said that the project aims to strengthen the security and safety of the aviation sector as well as environmental issues at airports in Cambodia. The project focuses on four key areas – strengthening airport security and cooperation with tour operators; aircraft repair and maintenance; the health sector which focuses on medical treatment for air travellers and climate change. “The project is designed to be implemented for one year and the French side has sent experts to Phnom Penh in a group of three or four,” he said. The number of foreign tourists arriving in Cambodia by air increased remarkably in 2022 after the government lifted Covid-19 restrictions, the Ministry of Tourism has said. Cambodia’s three international airports handled 131,864 passengers between January and April this year, which is 243.9 percent compared to the same period last year, according to a report. The Phnom Penh International Airport handled 113,406 tourists during this period – an increase of 261.5 percent, while Siem Reap International Airport and Kong Keng (Sihanouk) International Airport handled 15,171 and 3,287 foreign tourists respectively. In early May, AFD pledged more than 300 million euros ($316 million) in financing to Cambodia for agricultural development, water, sanitation and vocational training. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501089870/france-to-strengthen-cambodias-aviation-safety-and-security/ LATAM Leads The Way As Brazil's Aviation Recovery Hits 75% LATAM Brazil has carried over 9.2 million passengers so far. After more than two years of the COVID-19 impact, the Brazilian aviation industry has recovered approximately 75% of its pre-pandemic traffic levels, led by LATAM Brazil. Domestically, the country is bouncing back stronger, while the international market has lagged behind. Let’s dive into the numbers. So far, in 2022 According to data released by Brazil’s Civil Aviation National Agency (ANAC), the country has seen 29.8 million travelers in 2022. If we compare this number to the 39.8 million travelers the country had between January and April 2019, Brazil has made a 75% recovery. Domestically, Brazil has had 25.6 million travelers (versus 31.4 million in 2019, an 81.5% recovery). Meanwhile, Brazil has had 4.2 million travelers internationally, with not a single carrier surpassing the one-million-traveler mark. Brazil has recovered exactly 50% of its pre-pandemic international traffic levels, signaling a slow rebound of this segment. LATAM is leading the way So far, LATAM Airlines has been the leader in terms of traffic in the Brazilian market. It has carried 9.24 million passengers so far, holding a 30.97% market share. Behind LATAM, we can find GOL, which has carried 8.67 million passengers and holding on to a 29.05% market share, and Azul, with 8.48 million travelers and a 28.42% share. Most of the travelers have come from the domestic market. Internationally, LATAM has carried 648,999 travelers, holding a 15.45% share. Neither Azul nor GOL crack the top 5 of international operators in Brazil. Instead, the airlines that have carried the most international travelers behind LATAM are TAP Air Portugal, American Airlines, Copa Airlines, and LATAM Chile. Azul has carried 189,045 international travelers (a 4.50% market share) and GOL 160,102 (3.81%). Aline Mafra, LATAM Brazil’s director of Sales and Marketing, recently explained the terrific results by LATAM so far, "Leisure tourism, mainly to destinations in the Brazilian northeast, has already been recovering with the progress of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign and the easing of sanitary restrictions. Recently, the business segment has also started to demand more flights. For this reason, we have sequentially expanded operations on the São Paulo-Rio de Janeiro route and other services capable of connecting more people to more destinations in our hubs.” What can we expect going forward? LATAM is ready to cope with the high demand in July, the airline claimed in a statement. The carrier has scheduled nearly 3,000 domestic and international flights for next month. The increase in take-offs aims to meet the growing demand for domestic and international travel in Brazil at a time of resumption of leisure tourism and school holidays. The main increases in the domestic market are in flights to the Brazilian northeast from São Paulo (Guarulhos and Congonhas), Rio de Janeiro (Santos Dumont), Brasília, and Fortaleza. In the international market from Brazil, the company will expand its flights to Santiago, Buenos Aires, Miami, and Orlando. In addition to increasing the frequency of weekly flights on some routes during July, LATAM will also resume routes that were temporarily suspended, such as the direct flights between Porto Alegre and Lima and Fortaleza-Miami, and will give continuity to the debuts planned and maintained for 2022. Next month, the company will launch five new destinations abroad and at home: Rome, Montes Claros, Cascavel, Caxias do Sul, and Juiz de Fora. With these debuts, the company will reach the mark of 54 domestic destinations and 20 destinations abroad on flights departing from Brazil. https://simpleflying.com/brazil-aviation-recovery-75-percent/ Purdue to offer 100% online aviation financial management graduate certificate WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Financial professionals in the aviation industry have specialized skills in finance, leasing and trading that set them apart from their peers in other industries. As airline revenue managers, for example, they juggle slippery fares that shift continually with supply and demand while aiming to maximize profit at the end of the day. As asset managers they deal with airline fleets, half of them with the added complication of being leased, and with other aviation facilities representing assets worth billions. That makes personnel with expertise in aviation and the elements of aviation financial management in-demand professionals. Purdue University is moving to meet this demand with a new 100% online graduate certificate in aviation financial management. The new graduate certificate should be offered in the spring of 2023, and applications are being accepted now. The courses also are available to residential students on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus. The certificate from the School of Aviation and Transportation Technology in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute will prepare aviation professionals to evaluate financial operations, develop strategies for maximizing revenue, proactively manage aviation capital assets and effectively use financial tools to manage risk. All courses are delivered fully online and taught by expert Purdue faculty with a background in aviation financial management. The four required courses can be completed in as little as 12 months. Students have up to five years to finish the certificate program. The curriculum is practice-based and designed for working professionals. Students learn key competencies in finance, management, analytics, communication and strategic thinking to build interdisciplinary skills. Purdue works with industry partners including airlines, airports and aircraft leasing companies in both developing and refining the program's curriculum and providing learners opportunities to gain hands-on experience. In addition, the 12 credit hours required to earn the graduate certificate in aviation financial management may be applied to Purdue's online Master of Science in aviation and aerospace management if a student decides to go on and earn a master's degree. Purdue also offers a specialized graduate certificate in aviation safety management that can be applied to the master’s degree. Purdue’s history in aviation and aerospace education is long and storied. It includes the first university-owned airport, opened in 1930 and designated a historic landmark, as well as Amelia Earhart as a former career counselor and more than two dozen alumni astronauts. Purdue developed a four-year aviation degree with options in flight, maintenance and management in the 1940s. Not surprisingly, the university developed a 100% online master’s degree in the field early on as well. “We are the leading university in collegiate aviation education and training,” said Associate Professor Yi Gao, who helped develop the graduate certificate in aviation financial management and teaches the topic. “Our faculty is recognized for its expertise, not only in the United States but internationally as well.” For more information on Purdue’s graduate certificate in aviation financial management, visit the program website. https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2022/Q2/purdue-to-offer-100-online-aviation-financial-management-graduate-certificate.html Hawaiian Airlines New Fleet Could Be Delayed Until 2025 We’ll be waiting far longer than expected for Hawaiian Airlines’ Dreamliner fleet, that was scheduled to begin arriving here in the islands this year, and was then postponed to 2023. But now we have a further update and timing doesn’t seem to be good, much like buying most anything nowadays. We could now be talking 2024 or 2025. Hawaiian has a firm order for 10 of the advanced aircraft equipped with flatbeds. It also has purchase rights for 10 additional planes. The problem is that there is now a backlog of nearly 600 unbuilt or undeliverable Dreamliners currently in the pipeline. And 10 planes bound for Hawaiian aren’t the highest priority. Earlier this year, HA CEO Peter Ingram said “Our two 787s that were scheduled to be delivered in 2022 are delayed and we now expect to receive them no earlier than the first half of 2023.” We said at that time that we “read between the lines here and suggest that these probably won’t come on board until late in 2023 and will go into service hopefully by early 2024. And that’s assuming no further delays.” Dreamliner deliveries have already been on hold for one and a half years. Structural flaws continuing to exacerbate long delivery delay. Boeing mega-client Emirates last month announced that deliveries of their Boeing 787 Dreamliners will be delayed by at least one additional year – until 2024 or longer. That because of Boeing’s ongoing delivery suspension due to structural flaws. Emirates ordered 30 of the wide-body jets or three times the Hawaiian order. That was almost three years ago as part of a much larger deal for other planes (777x), which are also on delay. Emirates COO said “now we know for sure that’s not going to happen in 2023. It may not even happen in 2024.” Boeing said it hopes to start the delivery process as soon as this summer, but we think that’s highly unlikely. The relationship between the FAA and Boeing is also not conducive to resolution and early delivery resumption. Will Hawaiian and others receive compensation for lengthy aircraft delivery delays? When asked, Emirates declined to comment on whether they are seeking remuneration for the losses associated with the non-deliverability of the Dreamliners. Boeing also commented on the Dreamliner delays last month, saying “we are completing comprehensive inspections across 787 production and within the supply chain, while holding detailed, transparent discussions with the FAA, suppliers and our customers.” Previously, we were told that Dreamliner deliveries would restart later in 2022. Hawaiian Airlines Dreamliners are the company’s future. The Dreamliners will provide significantly better fuel efficiency and range compared with the current A330-200 fleet, which are now, on average nearly a decade old. Dreamliners open entirely new possibilities for the Hawaii bellwether, ranging from a more premium New York to Hawaii service, and one premium west coast to Hawaii service, plus many new international destinations. The planes, which Hawaiian ordered, can travel up to 7,635 miles nonstop from Hawaii for routes of up to fourteen hours duration. The HA Dreamliner features new lie-flat business class private pod/suites. They include “cabana suites” combining two seats, that are ideal for couples. Economy seating is set to feature additional legroom. We’re Dreamliner fans (also A350 and A380) for long-haul flights. They offer a generous feeling cabin, big electronic shade control windows, better pressurization, and overall wide-body appeal. https://beatofhawaii.com/hawaiian-airlines-new-fleet-could-be-delayed-until-2025/ Which Worldwide Airline Has The Biggest Fleet? American Airlines currently has the world's largest fleet. American Airlines IATA/ICAO Code AA/AAL Airline Type Full Service Carrier Hub(s) Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Miami International Airport, New York JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Year Founded 1926 Alliance oneworld CEO Robert Isom Country United States When it comes to measuring airline size, there are multiple metrics to be evaluated. Fleet size is a commonly used metric and the metric which Simple Flying is using for this article. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many fleet changes to airlines, with aircraft retirements and restructuring. The big question is, which airline has the largest fleet in the world? World's largest aircraft fleet According to planespotters.net, the world's largest fleet belongs to American Airlines. American Airlines currently has a fleet of 913 aircraft, with another 13 on order or planned. This number does not include all the aircraft in the fleet of American's regional airlines/subsidiaries. With nearly 100 years of history, the airline has seen plenty of highs and lows. The oneworld airline has flown everything from Douglas DC-3s to the Boeing 777. The Texas-based airline has pushed through, growing from its roots as a mail carrier to one of the most well-known airlines in the world. American Airlines Boeing 787-9 LAX American Airlines uses its widebody aircraft on select domestic routes, like MIA-LAX. Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying Today, American Airlines operates a narrowbody fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft and a widebody fleet of solely Boeing aircraft. Let's have a closer look at the American Airlines fleet. Narrowbody Narrowbodies make up the most significant portion of the American Airlines fleet, totaling 800 aircraft. Of the 800 narrowbodies, 455 are Airbus aircraft, and the remaining 345 aircraft are Boeing. The most popular aircraft of the largest fleet globally is the Boeing 737-800. American Airlines has a total of 345 Boeing 737 aircraft in its fleet, 303 are the -800 variant, and the remaining 42 are the newer, more efficient 737 MAX 8. The average age of the -800 models is 12.6 years, while the average for the MAX 8 models is 3.3 years. On the Airbus side, American Airlines operates 455 aircraft of the Airbus A320 family. Breaking down the 455 Airbus aircraft, American has 133 A319-100 (also known as the Baby Bus), 48 Airbus A320-200, 218 A321-200, and 56 A321neo. One aircraft was not explicitly identified above, and it is American's most unique aircraft, the A321T. America Airlines introduced the A321T in 2014. This particular Airbus aircraft is a premium cabin-heavy configuration. The A321 features ten first class seats, 20 business class seats, 36 main cabin extra seats, and 36 standard main cabin seats. The Airbus A321-200 has a capacity of almost 200 passengers in a two cabin configuration, while the A321T has a capacity just for 102 passengers. Widebodies American Airlines operates a widebody fleet of all Boeing aircraft, divided between the newer Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the larger 777. The airline has 67 Boeing 777 aircraft, 47 -200 variant, and 20 of the -300ER variant. The remaining 46 aircraft in its widebody fleet are divided between 24 787-8 and 22 787-9. In total, American has 113 widebody aircraft in its fleet. https://simpleflying.com/worldwide-airline-biggest-fleet/ Cloud-Based Flight Management Systems for Next Generation Aircraft GE Aviation, SmartSky Networks, and Mosaic ATM have collaborated since January to connect cloud-based flight management systems (FMS) with airborne FMS. Pictured above are Brit Wanick of SmartSky Networks, Todd Kilbourne of Mosaic ATM, and Gary Goz of GE Aviation sharing their progress at the Connected Aviation Intelligence Summit this week. GE Aviation, SmartSky Networks, and Mosaic ATM have been working together since January to connect cloud-based flight management systems (FMS) with airborne FMS. At the Connected Aviation Intelligence Summit last week, representatives from each company revealed the progress made through this collaboration and what they expect to achieve in the coming months. The teams from GE, SmartSky, and Mosaic are currently finishing the experimental plan and software development, which should be completed within the next two to three months, according to Todd Kilbourne, Senior Program Manager, Mosaic ATM. In August, they expect to begin simulations of the use cases for trajectory negotiation at SmartSky's lab in Virginia. Following the successful completion of these simulations, a flight test will be conducted to validate the results. “We’ve set it up so we can implement this digital twin on three aircraft in a simulated lab. We’ll have one aircraft for the flight test and two simulated aircraft that have this digital twin concept in the simulation lab, and we’ll see how all that works together,” Kilbourne said. In 2023, the collaboration may begin exploring additional use cases beyond trajectory negotiation like conflict detection and continuous descent arrivals. With the digital twin concept, said SmartSky’s Britton Wanick, VP Marketing & Partnerships, “we’re able to take a cloud-based FMS and have information from the airborne FMS, but also have access to a lot more [data] and share it across the entire ecosystem to address a variety of different use cases.” These efforts are part of a NASA Innovation Award. Phase I of the project included SmartSky and Mosaic; GE Aviation joined as a partner for Phase II, which will continue until the end of 2023. “We brought in GE Aviation because they have a modular functional FMS that is very compatible for this project,” explained Kilbourne. “It had an onboard component but also a component that could be easily hosted on the cloud.” Mosaic, an air traffic modernization and optimization company, is building extensions to the cloud that will add functionality and is also creating interfaces to simulations of an air traffic management (ATM) system and an airline operations system. In joining Mosaic and SmartSky for Phase II of this project, GE Aviation’s team made it a priority to enable offboarding of capabilities and reduce reliance on the computer onboard the aircraft. One of the problems in the aviation industry is that computing power installed on an aircraft rapidly becomes outdated, remarked Gary Goz, Navigation Systems Product Director at GE Aviation. “We want to add new capability and new functionalities to the flight management system; we’re constantly adding new capabilities, [but] we run out of computing resources very quickly,” he said. Addressing this issue involves considering what safety-critical pieces are required to be onboard. Goz mentioned flight planning as an example of an area where efficiency can be improved. Pilots carry electronic flight bags (EFBs) onboard to use for finding optimal flight plans, but the information they are using isn’t available to the avionics system. “We’re striving to connect data that’s available outside avionics into the avionics themselves, and being able to use that technology outside of the avionics system,” he explained. GE already has the capability to simulate the FMS on the ground—a digital twin version, essentially—and their current focus is linking onboard systems with the simulated system. There is aircraft data that is only available to the aircraft, including optimal trajectory models, Kilbourne added. Synchronizing that data with a cloud-based digital twin version would result in a more accurate model. The high-resolution weather data, air traffic constraints, and other information that is only available on the ground will enable automation systems to provide more accurate trajectory predictions. “The ground automation systems involved in air traffic control, air traffic management, and flight operations all use different customized trajectory models for calculations. I’ve been working on these for over 25 years and constantly hear things like, ‘I wish we had more information from the aircraft,’” said Kilbourne. Providing more information from the aircraft to air traffic control would improve the ability to deconflict routes, Gary Goz stated. This information includes fuel levels, aircraft weight, and performance characteristics, which are not currently available to air traffic control. By offboarding the ability to optimize routes and deconflict traffic, he added, aircraft will be able to avoid common problems like holding patterns and entering congested areas. “The ground automation systems involved in air traffic control, air traffic management, and flight operations all use different customized trajectory models for calculations. I’ve been working on these for over 25 years and constantly hear things like, ‘I wish we had more information from the aircraft.'" – Todd Kilbourne, Mosaic ATM (Photo courtesy of SmartSky Networks) Goz noted that for the GE Aviation team, the concept of a cloud-based FMS is part of a larger envisioned ecosystem. Such an ecosystem includes connected flight management systems solutions like providing the pilot’s EFB with the same interaction and data that are provided to the digital twin on the ground or in the cloud. When you have these components stitched together, Goz said—”The cloud, connected FMS, ATC—you have all the same data at your fingertips to be able to make decisions about trajectories and deconfliction.” There is the potential for increased risk when enabling such capabilities, he commented. Cybersecurity is a key issue that the team has taken into account from the start. Advanced air mobility (AAM) is an emerging space of interest for GE’s Aviation division, Goz noted. “There’s a need there,” he said. “It’s still very fluid. Things are starting to solidify in some areas, especially around how we manage traffic. This technology could grow quickly once you’ve proven it out in that space you could advance it.” Mosaic’s Kilbourne is also confident that the cloud FMS technology and architecture will transfer to AAM. Although the space is slightly different from commercial and business aviation, there is compatibility in AAM with the developments that Mosaic, GE, and SmartSky are working on. “The FAA doesn’t necessarily control the traffic in some of these UAM corridors,” Kilbourne said. “They have regulatory oversight, but there will be centers where the service providers that oversee these UAM airspaces will handle operations for flights within their control.” In addition to the progress made in collaboration with GE and SmartSky, Todd Kilbourne shared that Mosaic ATM has been awarded a new Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I from NASA to collaborate with a university partner. The focus of this project is creation of a toolkit for urban air mobility (UAM) communications management. The first component of the toolkit is a path loss prediction tool using a machine learning (ML) model, which will be trained using data from ray tracing software. “We’re also going to develop an architecture for UAM comm that would be a robust architecture, could combine satellite communication, ground communication, and even air-to-air communication. [Our] recommendations could move the industry forward in designing a useful, robust architecture for UAM,” he shared. https://www.aviationtoday.com/2022/06/07/cloud-based-flight-management-systems/ FULL STEAM AHEAD: JET AIRWAYS BEGINS RECRUITMENT FOR MANAGEMENT POSITIONS (India) After receiving its AOC, Jet Airways is ready to start hiring for key positions once again. Jet Airways is going full steam ahead after receiving its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) from the government. The airline released a list of six corporate and operational roles that it is looking to fill quickly. Here's a look at what's next for the newly revived airline. The next steps The new Jet Airways had only one goal: pass all the mandatory checks and bag its AOC from the DGCA. This dream came true last week, with the airline recertified to start commercial flights within India. However, now come the next steps of rebuilding the airline from the ground up to handle large flows of passengers. Jet Airways is starting by hiring a few important positions. On its official Twitter account, the airline posted that it is looking for a Senior Manager in Finance, Manager of Cargo Operations, Assistant Manager of Cargo Pricing, Deputy General Manager - Tech Procurement, Senior Manager - Schedule Planning, and Senior Executive - Network Planning. Jet Airways is starting a new airline right now, which means it won't inherit any old slots. Most of these positions require between 5 and 10 years of experience since they are urgently needed to set up the airline's operations once again. Interested executives can use the details in the Tweet to apply. Aircraft next Prior to its AOC, Jet Airways' CEO wrote an internal memo stating that he will be announcing the carrier's aircraft acquisition plans following the certification. Currently, the airline only owns nine aircraft, four 737s and five 777s. However, a new deal is likely to include a lease or order for fresh 737-800s and possibly the 737 MAX as well. This is since the carrier is actively looking to recruit former Jet staff, the crew of whom are trained on the Boeing narrowbodies. The plan is to lease a small set of planes to kick-off flights and then place an order for long-term expansion. This is an important step for jet Airways and one everyone will be watching closely. Competition is prepared Amid Jet Airways' revival, the Indian aviation industry is preparing for more competition. While it will be a while before Jet gets anywhere near securing a large market share, bringing down average fares for customers will pinch airlines at a time when fuel prices are already dragging down profits. Soon after Jet, Akasa Air plans to start its own flights. The well-funded airline, run by former Jet CEO Vinay Dube, is currently awaiting its first Boeing 737 MAX from the manufacturer. The two will be seen as natural competitors having starting operations at the same time. Currently, Jet Airways has set a start date of flights from September, according to Mint, giving the airline just under four months to staff up and start flying again. https://simpleflying.com/jet-airways-management-recruitment/ GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Dear Participant, When you know that, during a conference on cybersecurity organized by the US Air Force, hackers succeeded, at the invitation of the Pentagon, in infiltrating the control system of an F-15, you understand the importance of cybersecurity issues, particularly in the aviation industry. As today's world becomes more and more digital, the contemporary aircraft is equipped with semi-autonomous computer systems which make aviation one of the first sectors potentially vulnerable to cyberattacks. You are being asked to participate in a research study on cybersecurity threats in aviation. This study is expected to take approximately 10 minutes of your time. In order to complete this study, you must be at least a student pilot and at least 18 years old. You may choose to opt-out of the study at any time. Please click on or copy and paste the URL below. We appreciate your time in completing the study. Link : https://forms.gle/VpADSAhXuoeY6hNP7 Curt Lewis