Flight Safety Information - July 6, 2022 No.129 In This Issue : Incident: Jetblue A320 at New York on Jun 30th 2022, could not vacate the runway : Incident: Spicejet DH8D near Mumbai on Jul 5th 2022, cracked windshield : Incident: Delta A321 near Charleston on Jul 2nd 2022, fire in cargo hold : Incident: Spicejet B38M near Karachi on Jul 5th 2022, suspected fuel leak : DGCA raises safety concerns with Spicejet over recent mid-air incidents (India) : High number of aircraft crashes raising questions of (U.S.) military preparedness : Vistara aircraft engine fails after landing at Delhi, passengers safe (India) : SOME RUSSIAN AIRLINES WANT TO RETURN LEASED AIRCRAFT? : Arajet Introduces Air Safety Team to Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC) : Pilot strike grounds more SAS flights as first Chapter 11 court date nears : Embraer Accounts For 26% Of The First Time Executive Jet Market In 2021 Incident: Jetblue A320 at New York on Jun 30th 2022, could not vacate the runway A Jetblue Airbus A320-200, registration N607JB performing flight B6-1692 from Guanacaste (Costa Rica) to New York JFK,NY (USA), had safely landed on New York's runway 22L when the crew stopped the aircraft on the runway and advised tower they were unable to vacate the runway and needed a tow. Emergency Services responded, the aircraft was towed to the apron later. https://avherald.com/h?article=4fb49f1c&opt=0 Incident: Spicejet DH8D near Mumbai on Jul 5th 2022, cracked windshield A Spicejet de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration VT-SUV performing flight SG-3324 from Kandla to Mumbai (India), was enroute at FL230 about 100nm north of Mumbai when the right hand windshield cracked. The aircraft continued for a safe landing in Mumbai. The airline reported the P2 outer pane of the windshield cracked at 23000 feet, the pressurization remained normal however. The crew requested a priority landing in Mumbai. https://avherald.com/h?article=4fb426ee&opt=0 Incident: Delta A321 near Charleston on Jul 2nd 2022, fire in cargo hold A Delta Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N319DN performing flight DL-2187 from New York JFK,NY to Orlando,FL (USA), was enroute at FL360 about 120nm southeast of Charleston,SC (USA) over the Atlantic Ocean when the crew received a forward cargo smoke indication and diverted to Charleston for a safe landing on runway 33 about 23 minutes later. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT DIVERTED TO CHARLESTON DUE TO A FIRE IN THE FORWARD CARGO AREA, CHARLESTON, SC." and stated the aircraft received minor damage. https://avherald.com/h?article=4fb41cea&opt=0 Incident: Spicejet B38M near Karachi on Jul 5th 2022, suspected fuel leak A Spicejet Boeing 737-8 MAX, registration VT-MXG performing flight SG-11 from Delhi (India) to Dubai (United Arab Emirates), was enroute at FL360 about 100nm north of Karachi (Pakistan) when the crew suspected a leak from one of the wing fuel tanks and decided to divert to Karachi for a safe landing on runway 25R about 20 minutes later. The airline reported an indicator light malfunctioned. The passengers disembarked safely in Karachi and are going to continue their journey on a replacement aircraft. India's DGCA reported the crew observed an unusual fuel quantity reduction, the fuel display in the cockpit appeared to indicate an unexpected loss of fuel from the aircraft. https://avherald.com/h?article=4fb3f77e&opt=0 DGCA raises safety concerns with Spicejet over recent mid-air incidents (India) It was the third incident related with the SpiceJet in a day, raising concerns among flyers over the flight safety. Civil aviation regulator DGCA has issued a show cause notice to SpiceJet, asking the Indian budget carrier a written explanation on the series of mid-air incidents. In the latest incident, China-bound SpiceJet cargo plane returned to Kolkata on Tuesday due to faulty weather radar. The SpiceJet freighter aircraft of Boeing 737 was scheduled to operate from Kolkata to Chongquing, but after the takeoff it was found that weather radar was unserviceable, according to the spokesperson. The pilot-in-command decided to return to Kolkata and landed the plane safely there. "On July 5, 2022, SpiceJet Boeing 737 freighter was scheduled to operate from Kolkata to Chongqing. After take-off, the weather radar was not showing the weather. The PIC (pilot-in-command) decided to return to Kolkata. The aircraft landed safely at Kolkata," SpiceJet spokesperson told HT. “Passenger safety is paramount. Even the smallest error hindering safety will be thoroughly investigated & course-corrected,” Union minister of civil aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia said in a tweet. This is at least the 9th incident of technical malfunction happening on SpiceJet aircraft in the last few weeks forcing emergency landings. On Tuesday, a Delhi-Dubai flight was diverted to Karachi due to a faulty fuel indicator while its Kandla-Mumbai flight did priority landing in Maharashtra's capital city after cracks developed on its windshield mid-air. Amid string of problems hitting the airline this summer, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered an investigation into the incident involving the Delhi-Dubai flight where about 150 passengers had to wait for over eight hours in Karachi before a replacement jet arrived. Here are the eight recent midair snags on SpiceJet aircraft: May 4: Chennai-Durgapur B737 MAX aircraft turned back after one of its engines had to be shut mid-air due to oil filter warning. May 28: Mumbai-Gorakhpur flight returned to base after the aircraft's windshield cracked. June 19: Delhi-Jabalpur Bombardier Q400 Dash 8 plane returned to origin after cabin pressure did not build up with gain in altitude. June 19: Patna-Delhi Boeing 737 aircraft made emergency landing after its engine aircraft caught fire due to bird hit soon after take-off July 2: Jabalpur-bound Bombardier Q400 Dash 8 plane returned to Delhi after smoke was observed in cabin at around 5,000 feet. July 5: Kandla-Mumbai Q400 aircraft did priority landing in the financial capital after its windshield cracked at 23,000 feet altitude. July 5: Delhi-Dubai Boeing 737 aircraft diverted to Karachi after fuel indicator started malfunctioning. July 5: Kolkata-Chongquing Boeing 737 cargo plane returned to Kolkata due to faulty weather radar. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/chinabound-spicejet-cargo-plane-returned-to-kolkata-due-to-faulty-weather-radar-101657091774203.html High number of aircraft crashes raising questions of (U.S.) military preparedness WASHINGTON (TND) — As of early July 2022, the U.S. Navy recorded nine serious aviation crashes and a dozen deaths, placing the country's military preparedness under sharp scrutiny. “We’re on track to do about a billion dollars of damage but a single life, a single aircraft is too much,” said Rear Admiral John Meier, commander of Naval Air Force Atlantic. After a bad seven-day stretch in early June saw three crashes and six deaths, the Navy called for a safety day. “The air boss and I set as our number one priority this year aviation safety,” said Meier. “And while that’s been a priority, quite frankly we’re not doing a very good job this year.” Investigations into these crashes are still underway but the sheer number brings up scrutiny of preparedness across all branches of the military. The age of the aircraft is becoming a problem and pilots need more time in the cockpit. The quality of the next generation of aviators is also causing concern. “When you take those folks who are actually not the cream of the crop anymore, they are just the crop, and then you fly them once a week and ask them to be competent, you’re going to actually see these numbers just skyrocket,” explained J.V. Venable, a former Thunderbird commander and current senior research fellow with the Heritage Foundation. Last year, the Air Force reduced admission standards for flight school. “GPA is no longer considered, flight experience is no longer considered because that was considered some form of racial inequality,” explained Venable. Performance cuts for the Air Force flight school are now virtually at zero according to Venable, compared to the 1980s when 30-40% of students failed to get their wings. The Navy is now planning to spend an extra $1.4 billion on air operations to increase flight hours and “maximize readiness.” ”For flight mishaps, about 85% of causes are human errors,” said Meier. Although not currently at war, no contingency plan can replace competency and readiness should a threat arise. https://13wham.com/news/nation-world/high-number-of-aircraft-crashes-raising-questions-of-military-preparedness-navy-air-force-army-marines-coast-guard-space-force-united-states-aviation-accidents-flight-school-pilot-training-admission-standards-human-error-aging-equipment-cockpit Vistara aircraft engine fails after landing at Delhi, passengers safe (India) The airline said one of the engines had developed a "minor" electrical malfunction after the aircraft landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday An engine of a Vistara aircraft on way from Bangkok failed after it landed at the Delhi airport but all passengers disembarked safely, aviation regulator DGCA said on Wednesday. The airline said one of the engines had developed a "minor" electrical malfunction after the aircraft landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday. After vacating the runway, the engine number 2 of the aircraft was shut down as pilots wanted to do single-engine taxiing using engine number 1, DGCA officials said. However, as engine number 1 failed at the end of the taxi way, a tow truck was brought to take the aircraft to the parking bay, they said. All passengers safely disembarked from the plane, they said. In a statement, a Vistara spokesperson said: After landing in Delhi, while taxing to the parking bay, our flight UK122 (BKK-DEL) had a minor electrical malfunction on 05July, 2022. Keeping passenger safety and comfort in mind the crew elected to tow the aircraft to the bay. https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/vistara-aircraft-engine-fails-after-landing-at-delhi-passengers-safe-122070600838_1.html SOME RUSSIAN AIRLINES WANT TO RETURN LEASED AIRCRAFT? Russian airline operators generally did not return aircraft that they had leased from foreign companies. But it seems that some now want to! We recently looked at how Russian authorities are placing obstacles for pilots in Russian airlines that wish to work abroad. But while it seems that this was happening, at a smaller scale, even before the pandemic, it was overshadowed by what happened with the fleets of Russian carriers. These airlines had leased most of their aircraft from foreign companies – that then asked for the jets’ return. In general, state-owned carriers toed the line and started registering these jets in Russia. This effectively made the jets stolen property, since the owners (lessors) wanted them back. But unofficially at least, some Russian carriers reportedly wanted to return their leased aircraft. We saw that airlines line AirBridgeCargo, a subsidiary of Volga-Dnepr, grounded its all-Boeing fleet, soon after the sanctions began. INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS? The airline reportedly furloughed or terminated the contracts of many pilots of these jets. But it now seems that AirBridgeCargo and its parent continued to look for alternative ways to use these aircraft. And at the same time, it wants to keep its international partnerships, including with lessors, hoping for better times in the future. So Volga-Dnepr reportedly requested permission to return 14 freighter aircraft that it previously leased abroad. Then these aircraft would go to lessor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, who will lease them to Etihad Cargo. With Volga-Dnepr and Etihad then striking a partnership, the hope is they can resume operations of these jets, under Etihad’s AOC. Of course, for this to work, the sanctioning countries would need to agree. That’s if these jets fly to these countries. Moreover, the United States could object to such an agreement, even if the aircraft don’t fly in the US. If income from these aircraft operations can be shown to go into Russia, it could fall foul of US export restrictions. The leased aircraft that Volga-Dnepr wants to return are in storage in Russia. If Russian authorities accept such a move, it could trigger more similar partnerships. We saw how S7 sent some of its pilots to work in the United Arab Emirates. This agreement would allow the company’s pilots to keep some skills current. ANOTHER REASON TO RETURN LEASED AIRCRAFT But S7 wants to send more than pilots abroad. This airline also wants to return leased aircraft to their owners. Specifically, it wants to return two Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. S7 has a mostly-Airbus fleet but also operates 19 737-800s. It had begun taking deliveries of 737-8s, before the type’s grounding in 2019. The airline only leased the two aircraft that it now wants to return. Even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a 737 MAX ungrounding there didn’t seem to be close on the horizon. This now seems less likely than ever. So understandably, S7 has little reason to hold onto its two 737-8s. One of them belongs to Aviation Capital Group (ACG), the other to Air Lease Corporation (ALC). Again S7 is a private airline. Some private Russian airlines previously returned aircraft to lessors… allegedly. Officially, the companies put their aircraft in storage, in third-party countries. Once there, lessors were able to recover aircraft in some of these countries, as we saw. For S7, a return of leased aircraft to their owners would show some good faith. Such a gesture might come in handy in the future, at least in theory. But western lessors aren’t likely to hurry back to Russia, even if this war somehow ends quickly. https://mentourpilot.com/some-russian-airlines-want-to-return-leased-aircraft/ Arajet Introduces Air Safety Team to Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC) SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Arajet, the newly launched Dominican low-fared airline, introduced its operational team of air safety experts, all of whom have vast international experience in the management of safety processes and standards in the aviation industry, to the director of the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC), Héctor Porcella. Víctor Pacheco Méndez, CEO of Arajet, explained that the airline is getting ready to connect the country with other markets across The Americas. “We are assuming the responsibility of the reborn of Dominican aviation, with a highly qualified international team, appointed to guarantee that our operations meet the highest safety standards in the global aviation industry, while providing the most comprehensive maintenance service to our new and modern fleet,” stated Mr. Pacheco Méndez. The air safety team is made up by John Allen, Chair of the Safety Review Board; Garret Malone, Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Alan Arias, Director of Operations. The three veteran aviation executives have significant experience in air safety management and have been assigned by the Dominican-flagged airline to guard and guarantee the safety and tranquility of all its passengers and flights throughout The Americas. John Allen is a specialist in aviation, security, safety and quality management systems and served as Director of Flight Standards for the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from 2009 to 2013. He is also responsible for leading the development and effectiveness of Safety Operations Programs for Arajet, both in the air and on the ground. Garret Malone, has deep experience in the area of operations, particularly in the ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) industry in Europe. In Latin America, he has served as Vice President of Operations and Maintenance, being a fundamental pillar in the process of transforming low-cost carriers in the region. Alan Arias, Dominican pilot, has extensive training and aviation industry experience, and has served as Director Flight Standards at IDAC. He has also served as Inspector of Air Operations and currently leads the Operations Department in Arajet. With the appointment of this team of aviation industry experts, Arajet reaffirms its commitment to the safety of all its passengers and flights, strengthened with the operation of its new fleet of Boeing 737-8 aircrafts with the latest technology, meeting the requirements of an increasingly modern aeronautical market, that demands enhanced safety and comfort. About Arajet Arajet is the first ultra-low-fare airline in the Caribbean region and will commence operations in 2022 from its base at Las Americas Airport in Santo Domingo, under its airline operator certificate (AOC) from the Dominican Republic. Arajet will operate a fleet of Boeing 737-8 aircraft that provide safe and affordable travel to and from the Dominican Republic to several destinations in North, Central and South America, and the Caribbean region. For more information, visit www.Arajet.com. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220706005158/en/Arajet-Introduces-Air-Safety-Team-to-Dominican-Institute-of-Civil-Aviation-IDAC Pilot strike grounds more SAS flights as first Chapter 11 court date nears SAS pilots go on strike after talks break down SAS airplanes are parked at the Oslo Airport Gardermoen, as Scandinavian airlines (SAS) pilots go on strike, Norway July 4, 2022. STOCKHOLM, July 6 (Reuters) - Airline SAS (SAS.ST) headed into the third day of a crippling pilot strike which sent new bookings tumbling and prompted the cancellation of well over half its flights on Wednesday. The carrier, whose biggest owners are the Swedish and the Danish states, geared up for the first court date in its bankruptcy proceedings later in the week after it filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States on Tuesday to help cut debt. read more . Talks between SAS and pilots over a new collective bargaining agreement collapsed on Monday, triggering a strike that adds to travel chaos across Europe and sparked heated trading of blame between management and unions in a region long praised for strong labour market models. There have been no negotiations with the Scandinavian airline since the strike broke out, a spokesperson for the Swedish Pilot Union told Reuters. "We are in principle still sitting and waiting for them at the table," SAS Chief Operating Officer Simon Pauck Hansen told Reuters. He said SAS had not been able to agree to a deal yet because the pilots had only met about half of the demands set out in the airline's comprehensive cost-cutting plan, which it says is crucial to its survival. "We must get the compensation level down so it matches other companies," Hansen said adding that SAS' pilots are about 30% more expensive if you measure what is being paid per day they fly compared to peers at other airlines in Denmark. The pilots have said they are not asking for increased wages and would accept cuts but won't accept SAS' decision to hire new pilots through two new subsidiaries - Connect and Link - under what unions say are worse terms. They insist the airline should instead first re-hire 450 former employees dismissed during the pandemic, when almost half of the airline's pilots were let go. SOLIDARITY Asked about the fact many say the strike increases the risk SAS won't make it, Swedish SAS pilot Joakim Oberg - who was on the picket line at Arlanda Airport on Monday and Tuesday - said: "We are aware of that but I am prepared to risk my job for this cause. If not I will not have a job anyway down the line." Oberg, who usually flies from Oslo, said job security and solidarity with colleagues let go during the pandemic were the main reasons he was striking. SAS has said the strike will cost it $10 million to $13 million per day and the company's ticket sales for future flights will also take a hit. "The (booking) activity is very low and that is very harmful for the company," SAS' Hansen said. Data from flight tracking website FlightAware showed 196 SAS flights grounded on Wednesday, a cancellation rate of 63%. The airline has said the strike will affect about half its flights on a daily basis. At Stockholm's Arlanda Airport, normally buzzing with SAS flights, ground-handling staff were doing their best to cope with the situation, said Martin Johansson, chairman of the local branch of the white-collar Unionen labour union. "They are worried," he said. "Ground handling are the ones taking the first hit - we are always the first ones that the travellers meet here." "There is little they can do but to send people home." The airline has said the move to seek bankruptcy protection was aimed at accelerating a restructuring plan announced in February. The first hearing in the proceedings had been scheduled for Thursday in New York city, a court filing showed. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/pilot-strike-grounds-more-sas-flights-chapter-11-court-date-nears-2022-07-06/ Embraer Accounts For 26% Of The First Time Executive Jet Market In 2021 Embraer's executive jets are in extremely high demand. Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer saw significant growth in its executive aviation branch in 2021 and accounted for 26% of the market of first-time executive jet buyers last year. Embraer executive aviation growth Though the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging for airlines and aircraft manufacturers worldwide, some aviation segments saw growth. A few weeks ago, at Embraer's Media Day 2022, an event held for the international press, Michael Amalfitano, CEO and President of Embraer Executive Jets, gave a presentation on Embraer's executive aviation branch. Amalfitano began his presentation by highlighting the market of first-time buyers. According to Amalfitano, a normal market of first-time buyers is 10-15% and comes in different areas, whether small or large jets. Speaking about past trends in the first-time buyer market, Amalfitano stated, "...there was no real perspective that was consistent, it was unique to the times of the year. In the pandemic period, in this transformation from 2019 to today, the growth from the bottom has been literally a step change. It's at least 20% in total, when you look at the various growth. In our case, we had a 26% share of that growth. " Embraer has such a large share of the first-time buyer market because the growth comes from the base, entry-level jet, light jet, medium cabin, and small cabin aircraft. All four of Embraer's executive jets fit into these categories. Amalfitano, speaking on concerns about executive aviation customers reverting to airlines, said there is no concern that first-time customers will revert to commercial aviation. He stated that in the past, executives may have been hesitant "because they would not want to expose families, customers, and their own companies to that framework of visibility." But now, the drivers for the growth that the executive aviation market is seeing are health, safety, security, and privacy. Historic sales across all four products Let's dive into some specifics of Embraer's growth in executive aviation. In 2021, Embraer Executive Aviation had "historic, record sales, off the charts, across all four products, entry-level jet, light jet, medium jet, and super-midsize," according to Amalfitano. The sales growth was so significant that Embraer's executive jet backlog is solid and approaching $3 billion. Its book-to-bill ratio is over 2.1:1, generating more than two years' backlog. If a customer were to order a jet today, delivery would only occur in Q3 or Q4 of 2024. The Phenom 300 has been the leading aircraft, best-selling, most delivered light jet for ten consecutive years. Embraer's Phenom aircraft (Phenom 100EV and Phenom 300E) hold 31% of the market share, the largest share of any aircraft manufacturer. The Praetor jets are relatively new, having been launched in 2018. Embraer is on-trend to capture close to 30% of the market with the Praetor 500 and 20% or greater with the Praetor 600. In addition to a growth of first-time buyers, Amalfitano stated that there was record growth in the pre-owned aircraft market in 2021. During the same period that Embraer experienced record sales of new aircraft, it also experienced the most number of trade transactions for pre-owned aircraft. When asked whether he believes this first-time buyer growth is a trend or a one-time bump, Amalfitano stated that because Embraer is in the segment at the base of the expansion, he believes that there is a higher propensity for continued growth. https://simpleflying.com/embraer-first-time-executive-jet-market/ Curt Lewis