Flight Safety Information - November 28, 2022 No. 228 In This Issue : Incident: Gol B738 at Sao Paulo on Nov 26th 2022, rejected takeoff due to engine failure : Incident: American B789 near Glasgow on Nov 27th 2022, electrical burning odour in cabin : Incident: Gol B38M at Rio de Janeiro on Nov 26th 2022, dented radome : Incident: Skywest E175 at Newark on Nov 21st 2022, pitch trim runaway : Incident: United B764 near St. John's on Nov 25th 2022, smoke in cabin : Incident: Flair B738 at Kitchener on Nov 25th 2022, overran runway on landing : Crews rescue 2 from plane caught in power lines in Maryland : FAA Proposes Adding Powered-Lift To Air Carrier Definition : How & Why Did On-Condition Aircraft Maintenance Begin? : Extreme Storm In Saudi Arabia Sees Multiple Aircraft Damaged : End Of "Airplane Mode" ! Passengers Aboard Flights In The EU Will Be Able To Use 5G On Their Mobile Phones ! : Why One Airline Is Banning Gray Hair (And More) For Flight Attendants : Nepal still red-flagged due to aviation body’s rigidity : Air Moldova quarrels with civil aviation regulator over safety inspections : Former U.S. military pilot who worked in China arrested in Australia, faces extradition : Rolls-Royce successfully tests hydrogen-powered jet engine Incident: Gol B738 at Sao Paulo on Nov 26th 2022, rejected takeoff due to engine failure A Gol Transportes Aereos Boeing 737-800, registration PR-GXP performing flight G3-1016 from Sao Paulo Congonhas,SP to Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont,RJ (Brazil), was lined up on Congonhas' runway 17R cleared for takeoff, when the crew began to accelerate the engines (CFM56) but rejected takeoff at low speed (about 20 knots) after one of the engines emitted a huge bang and disintegrated distributing debris over the runway. The aircraft stopped safely. The runway was closed for about two hours as result of the occurrence until all the debris was removed. The airport reported the runway was closed for nearly two hours due to debris on the runway left by Gol Aircraft, when the engine was accelerated but disintegrated leaving a large amount of debris on the runway. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration PR-GXC reached Rio de Janeiro with a delay of 2:15 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=5019e4a9&opt=0 Incident: American B789 near Glasgow on Nov 27th 2022, electrical burning odour in cabin An American Airlines Boeing 787-9, registration N826AN performing flight AA-71 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA), was enroute at FL350 about 200nm northnortheast of Glasgow,SC (UK) when the crew declared emergency and decided to divert to Glasgow reporting an electrical burning odour on board. The aircraft landed safely on Glasgow's runway 23 about 40 minutes later. After landing the crew stopped the aircraft on the runway and requested emergency services to conduct a thermal scan near doors 2L and 2R due to an electrical burning odour. About 10 minutes after landing the aircraft taxied to the apron with emergency services in trail. https://avherald.com/h?article=5019e134&opt=0 Incident: Gol B38M at Rio de Janeiro on Nov 26th 2022, dented radome A Gol Transportes Aereos Boeing 737-8 MAX, registration PS-GPL performing flight G3-1933 from Salvador,BA to Rio de Janeiro Galeao,RJ (Brazil), departed Salvador's runway 10, climbed to FL400 enroute and landed on Galeao's runway 15 about 105 minutes after departure. A postflight inspection revealed a dented radome. The aircraft returned to service about 19 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=5019df18&opt=0 Incident: Skywest E175 at Newark on Nov 21st 2022, pitch trim runaway A Skywest Embraer ERJ-175 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N603CZ performing flight DL-3700 from Newark,NJ to Minneapolis,MN (USA) with 81 people on board, was climbing through about 3700 feet out of Newark's runway 22R when the crew declared emergency reporting a pitch trim runaway, they needed to return to Newark immediately. The aircraft positioned for an approach to Newark's runway 22L, cleared to land on runway 22L, when already established on final approach tower requested them to sidestep to runway 22R (due to separation to the preceeding landing aircraft becoming too tight) and cleared them to land on runway 22R. The aircraft landed safely on runway 22R about 12 minutes after departure. A replacement Embraer ERJ-175 registration N260SY reached Minneapolis with a delay of 8 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Newark 5 days later. https://avherald.com/h?article=50193ddc&opt=0 Incident: United B764 near St. John's on Nov 25th 2022, smoke in cabin A United Boeing 767-400, registration N66051 performing flight UA-120 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Barcelona,SP (Spain), was enroute at FL360 about 220nm southsoutheast of St. John's,NL (Canada) when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and decided to divert to St. John's requesting an ILS approach to runway 29. The crew advised they did not plan to evacuate but to turn onto runway 16 to vacate runway 29 and proceed to the apron. The aircraft landed safely on runway 29 about 30 minutes after the decision to divert, vacated the runway and taxied to the apron with emergency services in trail. The airport reported fire fighters inspected the aircraft but found no fire, heat or smoke. A replacement aircraft was being dispatched to St. John's. https://avherald.com/h?article=501922a3&opt=0 Incident: Flair B738 at Kitchener on Nov 25th 2022, overran runway on landing A Flair Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration C-FFLC performing flight F8-501 (dep Nov 24th) from Vancouver,BC to Kitchener,ON (Canada) with 134 passengers and 6 crew, landed on Kitchener's runway 26 at 06:25L (11:25Z) but overran the end of the runway and came to a stop with all gear on soft ground about 140 meters/470 feet past the runway end. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained minor if any damage. The passengers disembarked via stairs and were bussed to the terminal. https://avherald.com/h?article=5018aa32&opt=0 Crews rescue 2 from plane caught in power lines in Maryland GAITHERSBURG, Md. (AP) — Two people were rescued early Monday more than six hours after their small plane crashed into live power lines, causing widespread outages in Montgomery County, Maryland. Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said the plane got stuck in the lines about 100 feet (30 meters) above the ground at around 5:40 p.m. Sunday. Responders secured it to the tower at 12:16 a.m. Monday, and the first occupant was removed from the plane at 12:25 a.m. The second occupant was out at 12:36 a.m. Maryland State Police identified them as pilot Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington, D.C., and passenger Janet Williams, 66, of Marrero, Louisiana. Both suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries and that hypothermia had set in while they waited to be pulled from the plane, Goldstein said. The single-engine Mooney M20J had departed White Plains, New York, and crashed into a power line tower near Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The FAA, National Transportation Safety Board and Maryland State Police are investigating. Utility contractors had to disconnect the high-tension wires to make it safe for rescuers to stabilize the plane. The utility Pepco had reported that about 120,000 customers were without power in Montgomery County, but most of them, outside of the crash site, had their electricity restored before the people were pulled from the plane. The Montgomery County Public School system decided late Sunday night to close its schools and offices Monday due to the outage's impact on safety and school operations. The closures extended to child care programs, the system tweeted Monday morning. https://www.yahoo.com/news/small-plane-caught-power-lines-003000714.html FAA Proposes Adding Powered-Lift To Air Carrier Definition The FAA has proposed a rule that would add powered-lift operations to the regulations covering commercial ops. The rule primarily proposes updating the definition of “air carrier”, which currently only refers to “airplanes” and “rotorcraft.” According to the FAA, the proposed changes are part of “a multi-step process of updating the regulations that apply to aircraft that traditionally have not operated under these parts.” “This proposed rule would add powered-lift to these definitions to ensure the appropriate sets of rules apply to air carriers’ and certain commercial operators’ operations of aircraft that FAA regulations define as powered-lift,” the agency said in its notice of proposed rulemaking (PDF). “This proposed rule is an important step in the FAA’s integration of new entrant aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS).” The proposed rule will be open for comment for 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register. The agency is also proposing a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) to “establish temporary operating and airman certification regulations for powered-lift” while it gathers information to develop permanent regulations. Defined as “a heavier-than-air aircraft capable of vertical takeoff, vertical landing, and low speed flight that depends principally on engine-driven lift devices or engine thrust for lift during these flight regimes and on nonrotating airfoil(s) for lift during horizontal flight,” powered-lift designs have become a focal point over the last several years as companies in the urban air mobility (UAM) sphere work to develop commercial air taxis. https://www.avweb.com/flight-safety/faa-regs/faa-proposes-adding-powered-lift-to-air-carrier-definition/ How & Why Did On-Condition Aircraft Maintenance Begin? Airplanes play a significant role in making flying the safest medium of travel. Operators expect their aircraft to fly safely with minimal or no incidents caused by mechanical failure. With hundreds of moving parts and highly-complex mechanisms, airplanes require routine inspection and maintenance. The aircraft structure goes through extreme stresses during a routine flight from point A to point B. While the cabin is pressurized and depressurized for the breathability of passengers, the outer body is exposed to extreme temperatures. Similarly, landing gears absorb large forces upon touchdown while brakes and tires take a significant beating. The same goes for hundreds of other parts and systems. Preventive maintenance philosophy In the early days of commercial aviation, the aircraft maintenance philosophy was based on timed inspections and maintenance. With a preventive maintenance strategy, almost all critical and non-critical systems came with a time limit for maintenance. For example, an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) would go through dismantling and maintenance at regular intervals. During a maintenance check, functional parts would be replaced with new parts, and the limit is zeroed until the next interval is reached. In 1960, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and several airlines from around the world established a task force to measure the effectiveness of the preventive maintenance philosophy. A survey of worldwide data showed that preventative maintenance was ineffective due to the cost of maintenance and lost time on the wing. Functional parts routinely went through dismantling and replacement, only to have a negligible effect on the overall reliability of the aircraft. The analysis also revealed that interfering with the perfectly-well running system created new faults. On-Condition maintenance philosophy Reflecting on the results from the survey, the FAA established a Maintenance Steering Group (MSG) in 1968, which comprised the FAA, operators, manufacturers, and material suppliers. The MSG focused on establishing and implementing an on-condition aircraft maintenance philosophy. The first maintenance program was developed around the Boeing 747 aircraft, a newly launched jetliner at the time. Instead of following the hard-timed maintenance strategy, systems that operated within limits were left untouched. Alongside, routine inspections are implemented to identify critical parts maintenance needs. For example, instead of changing aircraft tires every so often, pre-flight checks were put in place to determine the wear. This method ensures that as long as the tires’ condition is within acceptable limits, no maintenance is required. When the condition falls below the limit, on-condition maintenance is performed. On-condition maintenance was primarily established for systems and components that trigger safe operations of the aircraft. Non-critical items, such as cabin-related equipment, were not necessarily covered under the on-condition maintenance program. Engine maintenance Traditionally, aircraft engines are maintained based on a fixed maintenance cycle which dictates hard limits for various component groups. However, condition monitoring of engines allows continuous monitoring of engines during operation. A number of performance parameters, including pressure, temperature, and speed, are recorded. The data is routinely monitored for trends and abnormalities in the engine. OEMs and MROs provide recommendations to rectify performance issues. Trend monitoring allows operators to identify specific deficiencies and request targeted on-condition maintenance of the engine. https://simpleflying.com/on-condition-aircraft-maintenance-origin-story/ Extreme Storm In Saudi Arabia Sees Multiple Aircraft Damaged A Saudia Airbus A330 and a Libyan Airlines Airbus A320 were damaged by the extreme weather conditions. Heavy rainfall and violent hailstorms over Jeddah on November 24th resulted in disruption at the city’s airport and damage to at least two aircraft as they came in to land. An Airbus A330-300 belonging to Saudia was operating flight SV452 from Khartoum (KRT) to King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) when it encountered the inclement weather. The aircraft, registration HZ-AQ25, entered a hold at high altitude prior to landing to wait for conditions to improve. The onboard crew attempted an initial approach, but subsequently climbed back to an altitude of 19,000ft and continued to hold. On its second approach, the flight encountered severe hail and turbulence. The flight landed safely at 11:14, approximately 45 minutes after entering the first hold, however, the Airbus A330-300 had suffered significant damage as a result of the hail, as can be seen in this tweet: Flight SV452 – Khartoum to Jeddah Saudia flight SV452 is a scheduled service between Khartoum, Sudan, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The service is operated six times per week using a mixture of Airbus A330 and Airbus A320 aircraft. The flight is scheduled to depart Khartoum at 04:15 and arrive in Jeddah at 07:00. On November 24th, the flight’s multiple holds can be seen on Flightradar24.com: Saudia and the Airbus A330 HZ-AQ25 had visited Istanbul, Dubai, and Cairo in the days prior to its trip to Sudan and back. The Airbus A330-300 was delivered new to Saudia on May 25th, 2017, and is one of 32 Airbus A330-300s in the airline’s fleet. The carrier’s other widebody aircraft include the Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 787-9, and Boeing 787-10. Saudia has two seating configurations on its Airbus A330-300s. HZ-AQ25 is in the higher-density regional configuration, seating a total of 330 passengers in two classes – 30 in business class and 300 in economy class. The SkyTeam member's lower-density Airbus A330-300s have a larger business class cabin, seating 36 passengers, and 288 in economy class. Get the latest aviation news straight to your inbox: Sign up for our newsletters today. A Libyan Airlines Airbus A320, registration 5A-LAK, is also believed to have been damaged. The aircraft was operating flight LN1256 from Benghazi (BEN) to Jeddah when it encountered the same adverse weather conditions as the Saudia flight. At the time of writing, both the Saudia and the Libyan Airlines aircraft remain on the ground in Jeddah. According to Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology, Jeddah recorded 179mm of rain in just six hours. The resulting flash floods tragically killed two people, and left several buildings and roads badly damaged. The total amount of rainfall was the highest ever recorded, and exceeded that of November 25th, 2009, when over 120 people died in flash floods in the city. King Abdulaziz International Airport advised that "due to weather conditions, the departure of some flights has been delayed," and encouraged passengers to contact their airline in case of any schedule changes. https://simpleflying.com/saudi-arabia-storm-aircraft-danaged/ End Of "Airplane Mode" ! Passengers Aboard Flights In The EU Will Be Able To Use 5G On Their Mobile Phones ! Already critics are available with their views of future flights becoming chaotic , due to an increased level of voice calls due to proliferation of 5G data inflight. But, travellers are happy with the development as they expect plane trips to become less boring , thanks to the fact that the European Union is going to allow mobile phones to connect to the 5G Internet service in full flight. Traditionally, on each of our plane trips, it used to be a mandatory requirement to configure our smart devices such as mobile phones in "airplane mode", but , this could change very fast, say, within months time, as announced by the European Commission itself, since You can use your mobile phone at full speed. Within the European Union , carriers will be able to install the latest 5G technology on their aircraft , allowing flyers to use their smartphones and other connected devices just as they do on the ground. The European Commission is adapting the legislation on mobile communications to the most modern standards . As a result, 5G coverage can also be made available on aircraft. EU Countries Reorganising the 5G wireless broadband ! European countries are working actively to welcome 5G , the Spanish government has reorganised the concessions of the telecommunications operators working in the 3400-3800 MHz frequency range, which is one of the priority bands for the introduction of 5G technology in Europe. According to the Spanish official government statement , the main objective of this reorganisation is to facilitate more efficient provision of 5G wireless broadband services, to fully take advantage of all the possibilities provided by 5G technology and, ultimately, to reduce the costs of deploying mobile communications networks in this band. Stand of European Union of 5G usage on planes ! Airlines will be able to provide the latest 5G technology on their planes, alongside previous mobile technology generations as the Commission updated the implementing decision on spectrum for mobile communications on-board aircrafts, designating certain frequencies for in-flight 5G technology. Passengers aboard flights in the EU will be able to use their mobile phones to the maximum of their capacity and features, just like with a ground-based 5G mobile network. Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal market, said “5G will enable innovative services for people and growth opportunities for European companies. The sky is no longer a limit when it comes to possibilities offered by super-fast, high-capacity connectivity.” Since 2008, the Commission's implementing decision has reserved certain frequencies for mobile communications on planes, allowing airlines to provide messaging, phone calls and data services to passengers flying in the EU. This update of the Commission implementing decision on mobile communications on-board aircraft paves the way for the wide-spread deployment of 5G services. The service is provided within the cabin of an equipped aircraft using special network equipment, the so-called ‘pico-cell', to connect the users and route calls, texts, and data, typically via a satellite network, between the airplane and the ground-based mobile network. The Commission also amended an implementing decision on 5GHz frequency bands, which makes the bands available for Wi-Fi in road transport, for example in cars and buses. The amending decision lays the foundation for innovations in the automotive industry and potentially for Metaverse applications. According to the amendment of the implementing decision, the Member States shall make the 5GHz frequency bands available for use aboard road vehicles as early as possible and at the latest by 30 June 2023. Not only will this change in the European Union benefit airlines and air travel, but 5G frequencies will also be opened up to connections WiFi in cars , buses and other means of transport. With this development, the fact of switching to the airplane mode on our mobile phones, tablets and computers inflight has the days numbered, but we expect to see multiple debates on this, before it actually happens. https://fl360aero.com/detail/end-of-airplane-mode-passengers-aboard-flights-in-the-eu-will-be-able-to-use-5g-on-their-mobile-phones/1172 Why One Airline Is Banning Gray Hair (And More) For Flight Attendants One airline is catching heat for forcing its flight attendants to spiff up. Air India has issued strict grooming requirements for cabin crew in an exhaustive 39-page handbook. The new rules include a ban on gray hair—which must be regularly dyed a natural shade. And male employees with receding hairlines or bald patches must now shave their head in order to maintain a cleaner look. That’s just the start: Crew cuts aren’t permitted. No beards (male crew members must be freshly shaved and carry a shaving kit on every flight). High top knots and low buns are banned for female crew members. Women can’t wear pearl earrings—only plain gold or diamond studs. There are even rules about what the crew can read while onboard the plane, as well as what they can post on social media (no politics, no company-related issues). The requirements are part of an attempt by new owners Tata Group to overhaul the airline’s image now that it has been made private. The airline’s new CEO, Campbell Wilson, comes from Singapore Airlines, which is famous for its own strict image guidelines. Singapore Airlines flight attendants have been wearing the same uniform since 1968 and must adhere to rules about hairstyles, lipstick color and more. Air India’s new rules also come at a time when many airlines around the globe are relaxing dress codes. Virgin Atlantic now allows its staff to show off their tattoos (“At Virgin Atlantic, we want everyone to be themselves and know that they belong,” the airline’s chief people officer, Estelle Hollingsworth told the Wall Street Journal). South Korea’s Aero K Airlines has introduced casual gender-neutral uniforms with sneakers and T-shirts. And Alaska Airlines has updated its uniform guidelines “to provide freedom and flexibility in individual and gender expression,” allowing anyone to wear nail polish, tattoos and more. The goal: To allow its staff to “bring their best and most authentic selves to work.” But for Air India, authenticity is far from the goal, and according The Hindustan Times, the new guidelines haven’t been well received. An Air India official told the paper that “some think it is required for building the image of the airline, but others see it to be a little too much.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2022/11/28/why-one-airline-is-banning-gray-hair-and-more-for-flight-attendants/?sh=2c40ccb47aaf Nepal still red-flagged due to aviation body’s rigidity European Commission says no grounds for revising the list of carriers, including Nepal’s, barred from serving the EU. Global aviation watchdogs have questioned the civil aviation body’s dual role and urged Nepal to split the organisation into two entities—service provider and regulator. Nepal Airlines found out the hard way what the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal could do if you caused it displeasure. On October 30, the regulator cancelled its scheduled flight to Delhi as punishment for defying instructions to move some of its international services to Bhairahawa's empty airport. Nepal Airlines' jet remained on the ground, and more than 500 passengers suffered as a result of the last-minute cancellation. The incident raised questions about whether the regulator had the authority to tell airlines what to do so it could promote another airport. Industry experts and Tourism Ministry officials said it was "illegal" to force airlines to serve particular airports, and that it was a display of the regulator's hegemony. The Civil Aviation Authority performs dual functions as regulator and service provider. As service provider, it runs two international airports—Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and the newly opened Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa. “If the regulator tells airlines they have to operate flights from its other airports, it is a total conflict of interest to promote business, not safety,” said Sanjiv Gautam, former director general of the Civil Aviation Authority. “The October 30 incident is really serious.” Several unnamed experts told the Post that the civil aviation body has been misusing its authority but no one wants to speak against it for fear of retaliation. “How can a regulator force airlines to 'go here and there' to fulfil its interest to promote business?” International airlines have been given a mid-December deadline to move some of their flights to Bhairahawa. Global aviation watchdogs have questioned the civil aviation body’s dual role and urged Nepal to split the organisation into two entities—service provider and regulator—to enhance the safety of flyers. But the government has shown no interest in doing so, and Nepal's aviation industry is suffering the consequences. On Thursday, the European Commission continued its ban on Nepali airlines for not meeting international safety standards. They remain on the updated EU Air Safety List which means they are still barred from EU skies even after nearly 10 years. According to the Official Journal of the European Union published on Thursday, the European Commission has said, “As part of its continuous monitoring activities, on September 14, 2022, the commission met with the representatives of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). On that occasion, the CAAN provided the commission with information regarding the safety oversight in Nepal and notably their revised considerations about the functional separation of the regulatory and service provider roles which is a longstanding issue identified during the commission consultations with Nepal, as well as by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme.” This means the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has communicated it will not be fragmented into regulator and service provider. Nepali experts say the civil aviation body has offered no strong logic why it doesn’t want this functional separation. The European Commission added in its report, “As a follow-up to that meeting, on November 10, 2022, the CAAN submitted to the commission the information and documentary evidence about the adoption of a new CAAN regulation, which in CAAN’s view ensures the functional separation of CAAN’s regulatory and service provider roles, namely by preventing the transfer of staff between regulatory and service provider sections of the CAAN.” The report states, “The implementation of this new regulation and progress in aligning the CAAN’s safety oversight with the relevant international safety standards would allow the commission to consider whether a European Union on-site assessment visit to Nepal should be organised in 2023. On the basis of evidence gathered during such a visit, the commission could assess if a removal of air carriers certified in Nepal would be justified.” Following the September 2012 crash of Sita Air Flight 601 at the Manohara River which killed 19 people, including seven British citizens, the European Commission imposed a blanket ban on Nepali airlines from flying into the 27-nation bloc in December 2013. The European Commission has said at this time there are no grounds for amending the list of air carriers which are subject to an operating ban within the Union with respect to air carriers from Nepal. “Member states should continue verifying the effective compliance of air carriers certified in Nepal with the relevant international safety standards through prioritisation of ramp inspections of those air carriers.” Several unnamed experts told the Post that the civil aviation body has been misusing its authority but no one wants to speak against it. Post File Photo The chief of the civil aviation body Pradip Adhikari has been repeatedly saying to Nepali media that they will work from two offices instead of splitting the organisation. Insiders say there is larger politics to prevent the organisation from being separated. They say that once it is broken up, some top position holders will lose the dual benefits they have been enjoying. The existing system allows the director general of the Civil Aviation Authority to issue tenders for multi-billion-dollar projects. The same person also has the plum job of overseeing compliance with the project and the aviation regulations governing the issuance of licences to airlines and crews. “No one wants to lose this scope and power. That’s why, despite intense pressure, it has become hard to separate the civil aviation body for a long time,” insiders say. “It’s a shame that Nepal is still on the air safety list even after nearly 10 years,” said aviation analyst Hemant Arjyal. “It may impact Nepal’s tourism industry and the economy in the long run.” The Civil Aviation Authority has been repeatedly issuing assurances that the European Commission will remove Nepal from the air safety list, citing ICAO's audit report which shows that the country's safety standard has improved some. There are eight critical elements that ICAO considers essential for a state to establish, implement and maintain in order to have an effective safety oversight system. But ICAO’s final audit report, a copy of which the Post has obtained, shows that Nepal’s performance on organisation, which defines the organisational structure needed to meet safety standards, remains poor. The effective implementation score on organisation, one of the eight critical elements, has been reduced to 45.45 percent from the earlier 50 percent. The global average is 71.1 percent. In its final audit report, United Nations aviation watchdog ICAO formally asked Nepal to split the civil aviation body into two entities—service provider and regulator. "The request has come in written form after Nepal showed no eagerness to separate the organisation and ensure that there is no conflict of interest even after 10 years," said Gautam, former chief of the aviation body. Splitting the organisation is a crucial organisational reform agenda which has been a work in progress for the last one and a half decades. “The reluctance to listen to the aviation watchdogs will cost Nepal in the long run. Although Nepali airlines don’t fly directly to the EU, tourists, particularly in the high-end segment, are reluctant to travel to countries that have been flagged by the aviation watchdog,” said Arjyal. "Nepal has been receiving backpackers, the low-end segment of tourists, who usually don't care much whether it’s safe to fly in Nepal or not; but for the luxury segment, safety matters very much," said Arjyal. Travel and tour operators say that the travel insurance premium of tourists visiting Nepal increases every time the European Commission updates its air safety lists. They fear that other countries may impose stricter travel advisories as Nepal has remained on the air safety list even after 10 years. Nepal remains red-flagged in international aviation because of its poor safety record. Passing legislation to split the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal into two entities will fulfil a key requirement of the European Commission. This will hasten Nepal’s removal from its air safety list, allowing Nepali airlines to fly to Europe and bring more tourists, but the government is unwilling to break up the aviation agency and loosen its grip on it, insiders say. Nepal’s tourism and aviation sectors lamented that Parliament’s five-year term ended on September 18 without passing long-pending civil aviation bills to separate the civil aviation body, which could severely impede their growth and do long-term damage. Insiders say the hospitality industry has been pouring billions into new properties amid post-Covid optimism that tourist arrivals would take off, but failure to pass the bills could stop recovery in its tracks. Successive tourism ministers and political leaders have been constantly pledging to the diplomatic community that Nepal will pass the bills and start the process to have the country removed from the bad books of the European Commission. The Post unsuccessfully made repeated attempts to contact officials at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal for their reaction. https://kathmandupost.com/money/2022/11/25/nepal-still-red-flagged-due-to-aviation-body-s-rigidity Air Moldova quarrels with civil aviation regulator over safety inspections Air Moldova has clashed with the country’s civil aviation regulator in an extraordinary spat over the results of inspections at the airline. The Moldovan civil aviation authority has declared that, during unannounced inspections, it found “serious deficiencies” in the airline’s finances which could potentially interfere with air safety and the carrier’s operational functionality. According to the regulator, the airline has been categorised as having “major financial difficulties” and faces “potential risk of insolvency”. The authority has sought a corrective action plan from the carrier to remedy the situation and ensure smooth operations. It has also accused Air Moldova of promoting ticket sales for summer 2023 without approval for the flight schedule and despite lack of authorisation to serve certain destinations – and has asked the carrier to suspend such sales, given the results of the inspection. But Air Moldova has reacted fiercely to the regulator’s actions, describing its request to halt ticket sales as “unfounded and illegitimate” – intended to disparage the company’s image – and adding that the inspection results are “dubious”. The airline says it is disputing all the findings of the inspection, rejecting it as “obviously fabricated”, and accusing the regulator of deliberately trying to impact the carrier’s business. While the civil aviation authority says it is pursuing legal channels, with a view to holding accountable those allegedly responsible for the airline’s situation, the carrier retorts that it believes the regulator itself has been compromised, and claims some inspectors have refused to co-operate with the authority regarding its unannounced check on the company. It voices suspicions that conflicts of interest, and “political games”, are behind the regulator’s actions, and that Air Moldova is being attacked to benefit other operators in the country. The airline’s privatisation, which took place around 2018, was the subject of a formal inquiry which sharply criticised the way the carrier was run and the manner in which it was sold. Air Moldova says it will take its own legal action, with a notification to the country’s general prosecutor over the civil aviation authority’s measures. https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/air-moldova-quarrels-with-civil-aviation-regulator-over-safety-inspections/151125.article Former U.S. military pilot who worked in China arrested in Australia, faces extradition SYDNEY, Oct 25 (Reuters) - A former U.S. military pilot and flight instructor who worked in China was arrested in Australia and faces extradition to the United States, Australian court documents and company records show. Australian Federal Police arrested Daniel Edmund Duggan, 54, on Friday in the rural town of Orange in New South Wales, and he appeared in court there on the same day, court records show and two police sources and his lawyer confirmed. His lawyer appeared by videoconference, and Duggan was denied bail and taken to the nearby Bathurst jail, two of the sources said. Duggan is a former U.S. citizen and the federal police were acting on a U.S. request for his arrest ahead of likely formal extradition proceedings, said one of the police sources, who was not authorised to speak publicly. Duggan's next court appearance will be in Sydney in November to consider any bail application. Details of the U.S. arrest warrant and the charges he faces are sealed. "An individual was arrested on 21 October 2022 pursuant to a request from the United States of America for their provisional arrest," a spokesman for the federal Attorney-General's Department said in a written statement to Reuters. "As the matter is before the courts, it would not be appropriate to comment further." The arrest came the same week Britain warned dozens of former military pilots to stop working in China or face prosecution on national security grounds under new laws. Australia is also investigating reports some of its former fighter pilots have been approached to work in China. read more An aviation source told Reuters that the FBI sought Duggan because of his work in China. His lawyer, Dennis Miralis of Nyman, Gibson and Miralis, said he could not comment. Duggan moved to Australia after a decade in the U.S. military and started a business called Top Gun Tasmania, hiring former U.S. and British military pilots to offer tourists joyrides in fighter jets, company records show and aviation sources confirmed. Duggan also flew ex-military aircraft in Australian air shows, three pilots told Reuters. Top Gun Tasmania's website says Duggan flew Harrier jump jets in the U.S. Marines and was an air combat instructor. He moved to Beijing in 2014 and soon after sold Top Gun Tasmania, filings in Australia for the company show. Duggan's LinkedIn profile said he has been working in Qingdao, China, since 2017 as the managing director of AVIBIZ Limited, described as "a comprehensive aviation consultancy company with a focus on the fast growing and dynamic Chinese Aviation Industry". Hong Kong company records show AVIBIZ Limited was registered there by Australian passport holder Daniel Edmund Duggan in 2017 and dissolved in 2020. Duggan could not be immediately reached for comment. Under Australia's extradition treaty with the United States, the U.S. government will have 60 days to make an extradition request. The treaty allows Australian citizens to be extradited. https://www.reuters.com/world/exclusive-former-us-military-pilot-who-worked-china-arrested-australia-faces-2022-10-25/ Rolls-Royce successfully tests hydrogen-powered jet engine LONDON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Britain's Rolls-Royce (RR.L) said it has successfully run an aircraft engine on hydrogen, a world aviation first that marks a major step towards proving the gas could be key to decarbonising air travel. The ground test, using a converted Rolls-Royce AE 2100-A regional aircraft engine, used green hydrogen created by wind and tidal power, the British company said on Monday. Rolls and its testing programme partner easyJet (EZJ.L) are seeking to prove that hydrogen can safely and efficiently deliver power for civil aero engines. They said they were already planning a second set of tests, with a longer-term ambition to carry out flight tests. Hydrogen is one of a number of competing technologies that could help the aviation industry achieve its goal of becoming net zero by 2050. Planemaker Airbus is working with French-U.S. engine maker CFM International to test hydrogen propulsion technology. It said in February it planned to fit a specially adapted version of a current generation engine near the back of an A380 superjumbo test plane. The aircraft manufacturer however told the European Union in 2021 that most airliners will rely on traditional jet engines until at least 2050. A switch to hydrogen-powered engines would require a complete redesign of airframes and infrastructure at airports. Eric Schulz, chief executive of SHZ Consulting, said in July that the changes in design are so massive it would take more than one generation of aircraft to get there. Other technologies backed by companies such as Rolls-Royce include electric engines, which would be initially suitable for short flights, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Engines that are already in service can use a mixture of SAF and conventional fuels, but it is only currently produced in miniscule levels. It could eventually be produced by combining carbon captured from the air with green hydrogen, but the process is energy intensive and not yet available on a large scale. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/rolls-royce-successfully-tests-hydrogen-powered-jet-engine-2022-11-28/ Curt Lewis