Flight Safety Information - March 22, 2023 No. 055 In This Issue : Incident: Transat A321 near Montreal on Mar 18th 2023, first officer incapacitated : Incident: American B773 near Frankfurt on Mar 21st 2023, water leak : Incident: Allegiant A320 at Moline on Mar 17th 2023, bird strike : Super Air Jet A320 enroute Bali – Jakarta declares emergency : Senators propose raising US commercial pilots mandatory retirement age : Regional aviation safety centre to be set up in Singapore to raise standards in Asia-Pacific : How Much Can Unintentional Slide Deployments Cost Airlines? : US airlines want rival foreign carriers banned from Russian airspace : Flight Safety Foundation Establishes Asia Pacific Centre for Aviation Safety in Singapore : Senate committee set to vote on Biden’s embattled FAA nominee : Colombia's aviation regulator conditionally approves Avianca, Viva Air merger : Not so fast: JetBlue's proposed Amsterdam flights hit regulatory roadblock : US Air Force aims to retire 310 aircraft by March 2024 : Small planes and secrecy: Pilots fly people to Kansas and other states for abortions Incident: Transat A321 near Montreal on Mar 18th 2023, first officer incapacitated An Air Transat Airbus A321-200, registration C-GTCY performing flight TS-739 from Fort de France (Martinique) to Montreal,QC (Canada) with 191 people on board, was enroute at FL360 about 200nm south of Montreal still in USA Airspace when the first officer became incapacitated. The aircraft continued to Montreal for a safe landing on runway 24L about 30 minutes later. The Canadian TSB reported a second officer officer available on board replaced the incapacitated first officer, the aircraft continued to Montreal with two flight crew members and without further incident. https://avherald.com/h?article=506c686f&opt=0 Incident: American B773 near Frankfurt on Mar 21st 2023, water leak An American Airlines Boeing 777-300, registration N718AN performing flight AA-293 (dep. Mar 20th) from Delhi (India) to New York JFK,NY (USA), was enroute at FL300 about 130nm east of Frankfurt/Main (Germany) when the crew decided to divert to Frankfurt due to a water leak that rendered a number of toilets and sinks inoperative and caused flooding around the restrooms. The aircraft landed safely on Frankfurt's runway 25C about 30 minutes later. A replacement Boeing 777-300 registration N733AR positioned from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Frankfurt as flight AA-9781, departed Frankfurt 11:15 hours after landing of N718AN resuming flight AA-293 and reached New York with a delay of about 12 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=506c6475&opt=0 Incident: Allegiant A320 at Moline on Mar 17th 2023, bird strike An Allegiant Air Airbus A320-200, registration N276NV performing flight G4-883 from Moline,IL to Punta Gorda,FL (USA) with 182 people on board, was climbing out of Moline's runway 27 when a bird collided with the aircraft. The crew stopped the climb at about 10,000 feet and returned to Moline for a safe landing on runway 27 about 30 minutes after departure. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE STRUCK A BIRD DAMAGING NOSE CONE, MOLINE, IL." and rated the damage minor. The aircraft returned to service about 18 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=506ba417&opt=0 Super Air Jet A320 enroute Bali – Jakarta declares emergency Indonesian Super Air Jet flight IU737 enroute from Denpasar, Bali (DPS) to Jakarta (CGK) has declared a general emergency in the last few moments. The aircraft, an Airbus A320-200 registered PK-SAW, is maintaining track to Jakarta, and is currently cruising at 10,000 feet. The aircraft had departed Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) on the Indonesian island of Bali and climbed to an altitude of FL290 (29,000) before initiating a descent to 10,000 feet. A descent to 10,000 may be suggestive of a pressurisation problem, though it must be stressed that no formal report of the nature of the emergency is as yet available. Super Air Jet is an Indonesian airline headquartered in Jakarta and based at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. The airline was founded in March 2021 and commenced operations on August 6, 2021. The aircraft in question, an Airbus A320-200 operated by the airline, is registered PK-SAW and is currently listed as being 9 years old. UPDATE 1105 UTC The aircraft is now in the Jakarta Flight Information Region (FIR) enroute Jakarta and maintaining a cruising level of 10,000 feet. UPDATE 1140 UTC Flight IU737 is now making its final approach to Jakarta, descending through 1,500 feet. https://aviationsourcenews.com/emergency/super-air-jet-a320-enroute-bali-jakarta-declares-emergency/ Senators propose raising US commercial pilots mandatory retirement age Pilots are seen in the cockpit of an airplane as it sits on the tarmac at John F. Kennedy International Airport on the July 4th weekend in Queens, New York City WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A group of seven U.S. senators on Tuesday proposed legislation to raise the mandatory commercial pilot retirement age to 67 from 65, in a bid to address airline industry staffing issues. The legislation first proposed last year by Senator Lindsey Graham and other Republicans now includes Democrats Joe Manchin and Mark Kelly, a former Navy pilot and astronaut. The proposal, which would require pilots over age 65 to pass a rigorous medical screening every six months, follows complaints of pilot shortages by many regional airlines. It comes as Congress is considering various aviation reforms ahead of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Sept. 30 expiration of operating authority. Graham said roughly 5,000 pilots will be forced to retire within the next two years. He noted hundreds of flights are being canceled due to a shortage of available pilots and crews. The Regional Airline Association (RAA) praised the proposal, saying 324 airports have lost, on average, a third of their air service, including 14 small airports that have lost all service, and more than 400 airplanes are parked because of a lack of pilots. RAA President Faye Malarkey Black in an email said raising the retirement age is "the one solution that will immediately mitigate the pilot shortage, particularly the captain shortage, which is an even more acute constraint within a constraint." She added that it also would reduce "wrongheaded age discrimination against healthy pilots." The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) opposes proposals to increase the retirement age. Even if the proposal is approved, the union said pilots older than 65 would still not be able to fly in most countries outside the United States because of international rules. Graham previously noted that in 2007 the United States raised the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65, and "the sky did not fall." Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has previously said he does not support raising the pilot retirement age. Some have urged the lowering of the number of hours experience needed to be a co-pilot. The FAA denied a request last year by regional carrier Republic Airways for allowing only 750 hours of flight experience instead of 1,500 hours. https://news.yahoo.com/senators-propose-raising-u-commercial-201735612.html Regional aviation safety centre to be set up in Singapore to raise standards in Asia-Pacific The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said it will step up its safety efforts further in the coming year. SINGAPORE – A regional centre will be established in Singapore to study issues related to aviation safety in the Asia-Pacific, including how best to recruit and train pilots to meet a rising demand for competent air crew. For a start, the new Asia-Pacific Centre for Aviation Safety will pull together data to identify region-specific risks, develop targeted solutions, and look into the capabilities that are needed to maintain effective safety leadership. This comes at a pivotal moment in the region’s aviation recovery, with the skies set to be busier than ever before, said Transport Minister S. Iswaran, who announced the centre’s launch on Wednesday at the inaugural Asia-Pacific Summit for Aviation Safety, held at Sands Expo and Convention Centre. “Aviation safety must be our top and undisputed priority,” Mr Iswaran said, noting that this will not only help to secure the current recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic but also bolster prospects for long-term growth. “Our efforts to recover from the pandemic will come to nought if public confidence in the safety of aviation is undermined. “While aviation has become safer over the years, brought about by innovations in technology and improvements in processes, we cannot take this for granted.” The new centre will be set up by the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF), a non-profit organisation based in the United States. It will offer expert advice, share recommendations with regulators and the industry, and encourage collaboration. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) will provide funding to support the centre’s initial set-up and its activities for the first five years. Mr Mitchell Fox, who has nearly three decades of experience at the International Civil Aviation Organisation, a specialised agency of the United Nations, will move to Singapore to head the new centre as its first director. Dr Hassan Shahidi, president and chief executive of FSF, said the new centre will look to work with universities in Singapore once it is up and running. A search is under way to find a suitable location for it. On Tuesday, CAAS director-general Han Kok Juan warned of the mounting stresses that airports and airlines face as air travel returns, and the potential impact this will have on safety. The Asia-Pacific is still lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of passenger traffic recovery, but it is expected to be the fastest-growing region for air travel over the next two decades. In Singapore, efforts made to strengthen the safety regime, culture and leadership allowed operations to be ramped up significantly in 2022 without any mishaps, Mr Han said. He noted how air traffic volumes in the Republic moved from 12 per cent of pre-Covid-19 levels in January 2022 to about 80 per cent now. According to the CAAS, pilots for airlines based in Singapore flew about 75 hours a month as at the first week of March 2023, up from five hours a month at the lowest point during the pandemic in 2020. The number of Singapore-registered aircraft in operation jumped to 197 from 88 during this time, and the number of foreign airlines flying to Singapore more than doubled to 95 from 39 over the same period. CAAS said it will step up its safety efforts further, including rolling out schemes to support the mental health of pilots and air traffic controllers. This is an issue that has come into sharper focus because of the stress caused by the pandemic. Safety regulations will be modernised to provide for a “more outcome-based approach”, CAAS added, but it did not provide more details on this. Mr Iswaran on Wednesday said that safeguards for the aviation sector in the region also need to be strengthened so that there is greater capacity to handle disruptions and withstand shocks. Safety systems need to be stress-tested regularly, and processes and procedures need to be proactively updated to detect and quickly mitigate emerging risks, he added. Another area that the region can focus on is improving the safety and resilience of air traffic management by developing comprehensive contingency plans and cooperative arrangements. This is because any disruptions can cause a ripple effect that could increase safety risks for all aviation users, Mr Iswaran said. The minister also urged the region to invest in new technology that creates an integrated air traffic management network so neighbouring air navigation service providers can quickly step in to provide air traffic services when there is a need for them. It was reported previously that CAAS has been laying the groundwork to roll out a new air traffic management system in Singapore in the late 2020s, before the current system reaches the end of its life. Mr Iswaran said: “Aviation inherently transcends borders. It is therefore critical that we pool our resources and amplify our strengths as one aviation community, to build a safer operating environment in the region.” https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/regional-aviation-safety-centre-to-be-set-up-in-s-pore-to-raise-standards-in-asia-pacific How Much Can Unintentional Slide Deployments Cost Airlines? Unintentional slide deployment costs airlines as much as $30,000. Though uncommon in the industry, unintentional emergency slide deployments do occur from time to time. Such incidents can not only cost thousands of dollars for the operator, but they can also cause serious injuries or death to the people caught in the path. Airlines provide adequate flight safety and risk management training to their personnel to avoid such incidents. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), emergency deployment costs the aviation industry approximately $20 million annually. The industry cost is quite significant, considering the low number of emergencies (involving the slides) occurring. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports that these slides are supposed to be activated only during emergencies. In routine operations, the slides must be disarmed before opening the door(s). The process of disarming the slides varies between aircraft types. Some may be disarmed by the cabin crew inside the aircraft, while others can be done from the outside by ground personnel. It requires precise coordination between the grounds staff and the cabin crew to prevent the unintentional deployment of slides. The authorities must investigate even when an accidental deployment of slides takes place. Moreover, airlines must implement proper safety measures to avoid similar incidents in the future. On-purpose deployment While inadvertent slide deployments are mostly “unintentional” accidents, they may be performed on purpose. In 2016, a United Airlines flight attendant intentionally deployed the emergency slide upon arriving at the gate at George Bush International Airport (IAH) in Houston, TX. On that occasion, a flight attendant exited the aircraft through the slide. The action (caught on camera) was supposedly a dramatic quitting of the job with United. United Airlines commented on the incident, "We hold all of our employees to the highest standard. The unsafe behavior is unacceptable and does not represent the more than 20,000 flight attendants who ensure the safety of our customers." - United Airlines A similar incident happened at JetBlue when a flight attendant exited the aircraft after deploying the emergency slide in 2010. In that case, the flight attendant had an argument with a passenger shortly before deploying the slide. The flight attendant swore over the airplane’s loudspeaker and stole a beer before sliding down the emergency exit. JetBlue estimated the cost of repairs to be upwards of $25,000. Other causes It is not impossible for the emergency slide system to fail and result in an accidental deployment. While this is highly unlikely to happen, it is not unheard of. Maintenance personnel regularly check all emergency equipment (including slides) to prevent system failures. Cost of emergency slide deployment The cost of such an action (on purpose or unintentional) can be as high as $30,000 in direct costs. The maintenance crew must repack the pressurized slide and perform additional necessary repairs. According to United Airlines, repacking the slide alone can cost up to $12,000. There is other repair and testing cost on top of that. It is noteworthy that the airline also loses precious time (valued as the indirect cost) due to such incidents. https://simpleflying.com/cost-of-unintentional-slide-deployments/ US airlines want rival foreign carriers banned from Russian airspace US airlines want rival foreign carriers departing, landing or transitioning through America banned from using Russian airspace, according to reports. The airlines are unhappy with the spiraling costs involved with circumventing Russia when flying to destinations such as China, India and Japan. According to the Washington Post executives are complaining to government officials that foreign rivals, whose countries have good relations with Russia, are able to fly over Russia can offer cheaper tickets and quicker flights. In February, 2023, Airlines for America, an aviation association, said: “Foreign airlines using Russian airspace on flights to and from the US. are gaining a significant competitive advantage over US carriers in major markets, including China and India.” Carriers such as Air India, Emirates and China Eastern Airlines can keep costs down because they fly shorter routes from/to the States through Russian airspace. The US airlines are lobbying for their foreign rivals to face the same restrictions and avoid Russian airspace. Marli Collier, an Airlines for America spokesperson, said the US Government should “take action to ensure that foreign carriers overflying Russia do not depart, land or transit through US airports.” The Washington Post reported that the officials from US President Joe Biden’s team are currently considering a Transportation Department order that would ban Chinese airlines that fly passengers to the US from flying through Russian airspace. Delta, American Airlines, and United Airlines are understood to be leading the charge for change. As well as financial disadvantages, security and safety risks are also being raised about US citizens using foreign carriers over Russia. “When foreign airlines overfly Russian territory, even if they do not expect to land on Russian soil, they run the risk of unplanned diversions in Russia for safety, medical, mechanical or more nefarious reasons,” wrote members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Planning new routes around Russia is also posing difficulties to abide by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules. The FAA says that long-haul commercial planes must always be within 180 minutes of a suitable airport in case an emergency landing is needed. President Joe Biden announced on March 1, 2022, a ban on Russian flights from American airspace due to President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Shortly after Russia retaliated, banning US carriers and much of Europe’s fleets from its skies. https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/us-airlines-want-rival-foreign-carriers-banned-from-russian-airspace Flight Safety Foundation Establishes Asia Pacific Centre for Aviation Safety in Singapore SINGAPORE , March 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Flight Safety Foundation will set up the new Asia Pacific Centre for Aviation Safety in Singapore to help aviation stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific region raise safety standards and capabilities to restart and ramp up operations safely as air travel recovers to pre-pandemic levels. Supported by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), the Centre will develop an annual work programme to meet the needs of regulators and industry in the region and undertake projects and studies to provide a deeper understanding of safety challenges and build capabilities in technology, data analytics and safety management processes. The establishment of the Centre was announced by Mr. S Iswaran, Singapore's Minister for Transport and Minister-in-charge of Trade relations at the inaugural Asia Pacific Summit for Aviation Safety organized by the Foundation and CAAS. The Centre will adopt a data-driven approach in its studies and projects. Through the collection and analysis of safety data and information, the Centre seeks to provide insights and recommendations to advance safety in the region. For a start, it will work on three key projects in 2023: Regional Safety Assessment. This project will pull together available safety data across regulators and industry to identify region-specific risk areas, review safety indicators and occurrence trends, and develop targeted safety solutions. Safety Culture Leadership. This project will study the essential elements of knowledge and capability needed to maintain effective safety leadership and organizational effectiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, considering cultural differences. Pilot Competency and Training Capabilities. This project will study best practices on pilot training methodologies to better screen, recruit and train pilots to meet rising demand and support the growth of air travel. More projects will be added to the annual work programme in consultation with regulators and industry in the region. CAAS will help fund the Centre to support the initial set-up and its activities for the first five years. The Foundation has appointed Mitchell A. Fox, a former airline pilot and long-time executive with the International Civil Aviation Organization, to serve as Centre Director. He will be based in Singapore. During his 30 years with ICAO, Fox served as the Chief of the TRAINAIR Programme, Chief of the Operational Safety Section and Chief of strategic planning and regional affairs coordination within the Office of the Secretary General. He also served in the United Nations (U.N.) as the Director of Air Transport Service, managing the more than 200 aircraft that support U.N. peacekeeping missions worldwide. More information on the Asia Pacific Centre for Aviation Safety will be available soon on the Flight Safety Foundation website. Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General of CAAS, said: "Aviation safety must be a top priority of the Asia-Pacific region as air travel recovers to pre-pandemic levels. It requires close collaboration amongst regulators and industry across countries, given its cross-border nature. The setting up of the regional safety centre is timely and provides a common platform for such collaboration. Singapore is deeply honoured to host the centre to do our part to contribute to thought leadership and aviation safety standards in the Asia-Pacific region." Dr. Hassan Shahidi, President and CEO of the Foundation, said: "As commercial aviation in the Asia Pacific region rebounds and recovers from the pandemic, it is important that all stakeholders have the resources and capabilities they need to ramp up operations safely. Working with aviation stakeholders in the region, the Centre will aim to accelerate regional aviation safety enhancements and support the safe growth of the aviation sector in the region." About Flight Safety Foundation Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and communications to improve aviation safety. The Foundation's mission is to connect, influence and lead global aviation safety www.flightsafety.org Media Contacts: Frank Jackman Director, Communications and Research Flight Safety Foundation +1 703.739.6700, ext. 116 jackman@flightsafety.org https://finance.yahoo.com/news/flight-safety-foundation-establishes-asia-130000405.html Senate committee set to vote on Biden’s embattled FAA nominee The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is scheduled to vote on President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday morning – marking a consequential moment for the embattled nominee and the agency, which is attempting to address a slew of major challenges. Phil Washington, whose nomination was first announced by Biden some eight months ago, has faced continued resistance from Republican lawmakers over issues that have emerged since he was nominated last summer, pressing him over a number of matters, including his slim aviation-related credentials. Ahead of Wednesday’s committee vote, a steady stream of groups lined up for and against Washington. Aviation worker unions, former transportation secretaries on both sides of the aisle, Denver-based Frontier Airlines and the family members of crash victims who died on Ethiopian Air Flight 302 have all endorsed Washington in the lead up to Wednesday’s vote. Former Department of Transportation officials who served at the agency during the Trump administration signed onto a letter to the president expressing their opposition to Washington’s confirmation. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, and Missouri Rep. Sam Graves, the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, have both expressed their opposition to Washington’s nomination. The FAA has been operating without a permanent administrator for a year. In that time, the agency has contended with several problems that have plagued travelers and the airline industry, such as recent near-collisions involving airliners, crucial staffing shortages and malfunctions of aging technology that have cause major air travel disruption. While Democrats largely seemed supportive during Washington’s confirmation hearing earlier this month, he was grilled by Republican senators on issues that have emerged since he was named as a prospective administrator last summer. Washington, the current CEO of the Denver International Airport, has held leadership roles at municipal transit organizations, including in Denver and Los Angeles, focused on bus and rail lines. He also led the Biden-Harris transition team for the Department of Transportation. Prior to his work in transportation, Washington served in the military for 24 years. While Washington has worked in transportation-related positions since 2000, he had no experience in the aviation industry prior to joining the Denver airport in 2021 – a major concern among committee members. Since being nominated, Washington had also faced questions about being named in a search warrant issued as part of a political corruption investigation in Los Angeles, along with other potential legal entanglements. Republicans have also questioned whether Washington, an Army veteran who left the military in 2000 after more than 20 years of service, would be statutorily considered a civilian – a requirement in order to serve as the FAA chief. If he’s not considered a civilian, he would need a waiver from Congress permitting him to lead the agency. And Republicans in both the House and the Senate do not support granting Washington a waiver. https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/22/politics/phil-washington-committee-vote/index.html Colombia's aviation regulator conditionally approves Avianca, Viva Air merger BOGOTA, March 22 (Reuters) - Colombia's civil aviation authority has approved a merger between Avianca, the Andean country's flag carrier airline, and Viva Air under conditions that include the smaller carrier reimbursing passengers affected by canceled flights and keeping its low-cost model. The merger is a lifeline for embattled Viva, which has struggled financially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and seen its situation worsen due to higher fuel prices in 2022 and the depreciation of Colombia's peso. "The decision to authorize the integration is conditioned on compliance with diverse structural and behavioral remedies," the authority said in a statement late on Tuesday. Viva must also allow passengers with pending bookings to fly, the authority said, and reinstate frequent flights between Bogota and Buenos Aires. Neither airline immediately responded to requests for comment. The two airlines signed a deal last April to merge their operations into one group while keeping their brands and strategies separate, in a bid to strengthen both companies. However, the proposal was blocked by the civil aviation authority in November, which said the deal represented a risk to competition and consumer welfare. The regulator annulled that ruling in January, citing procedural irregularities, and restarted its assessment of the merger. Avianca exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy at the end of 2021 after completing a corporate restructuring. It has more than 130 planes and over 12,000 employees. Viva, which has operations in Colombia and Peru, has a fleet of 21 planes and around 1,000 direct employees. The carrier temporarily suspended its operations in February after its financial struggles left it unable to operate. Both LATAM Airlines and JetSMART Airlines had also expressed an interest in acquiring Viva. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/colombias-aviation-regulator-conditionally-approves-132245845.html Not so fast: JetBlue's proposed Amsterdam flights hit regulatory roadblock Even though JetBlue just unveiled its brand-new service to Paris, the carrier is continuing to pursue European expansion. The New York-based airline is on a legal blitz to secure permission to fly to Amsterdam, which would represent its third market in Europe following London and Paris. JetBlue recently petitioned the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for help getting access to slots at the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), and now the carrier has been awarded these coveted takeoff and landing permissions — with a twist. Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG's free biweekly Aviation newsletter Instead of receiving long-term slots, which would allow JetBlue to serve Amsterdam for the foreseeable future, the carrier received temporary slots that were previously assigned to now-defunct FlyBe, according to a March 21 public filing with the DOT. In fact, these slots are only valid through this summer, and the aviation authorities in the Netherlands have not given JetBlue permission to keep them on a permanent basis. These limited-time slots pose "significant market planning challenges" for JetBlue since the carrier would face "reputational harm" if it were forced to cancel its Amsterdam flights once the winter season rolls around, the public filing states. Without long-term access to Amsterdam, JetBlue isn't going to launch service there, as it shared in a detailed statement with TPG. "JetBlue is a disruptor in the transatlantic marketplace and we have long said we believe that customers on both ends of these routes deserve better service at a lower price point than what exists today. The Amsterdam slots that we have been granted are on a seasonal temporary basis, which means JetBlue could face immediate expulsion from the airport within months of launching the route. We will continue to vigorously pursue permanent slots via all available avenues, including with the U.S. Department of Transportation. JetBlue’s incredible service and low fares would be welcomed by customers traveling between the U.S. and Amsterdam, and we will wait to determine the feasibility of our entry onto this route when we are further along in this process." JetBlue's reasoning makes sense. Most carriers would be reluctant to invest in a brand-new market only to be told a few months that they need to pack up and leave. While JetBlue continues to solicit the DOT's help in getting permanent access to Amsterdam, the carrier is also concerned that the forthcoming cap on annual departures and arrivals at AMS will negatively impact its ability to secure these slots. This so-called "Balanced Approach" is set to take effect in November 2023, and it'll cap the number of yearly aircraft movements (takeoffs and landings) at AMS to 440,000, down 60,000 from the previous quota, as part of an effort to reduce air and noise pollution in the region. Maximize your spending, earn rewards faster, and easily track all of your points and all of your miles all in one place. So, although the airline's proposed Amsterdam service scored a notable win in the form of temporary slots, JetBlue still faces what's turning into an uphill battle to serve the Dutch capital. According to a recent interview with Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue’s president and chief operating officer, "entrenched legacy carriers and joint ventures that have been around for years are impeding the ability for others to grow." Geraghty is likely referring to the Air France-KLM and Delta transatlantic joint venture partnership, which offers up to five daily flights between New York and Amsterdam. Plus, Delta and KLM are the only two airlines flying between Boston and Amsterdam. If JetBlue eventually wins the slots it needs to serve Amsterdam, it will add flights there. "We can do them both," Geraghty said, referring to flying to Paris and Amsterdam using the five new Airbus A321LR jets that JetBlue plans to receive this year. "We're continuing to knock on their door and hope that at some point they open it and let us in," Geraghty said. https://thepointsguy.com/news/jetblue-amsterdam-slots/ US Air Force aims to retire 310 aircraft by March 2024 Fiscal 2024 budget calls for removing F-22 Raptor fighters, KC-10 tankers and up to three A-29 Super Tucanos used for experimentation The US Air Force (USAF) intends to decommission 310 aircraft between April of this year and March of next year, a period that encompasses the fiscal year of 2024. The country’s defense budget includes investments in new aircraft such as the B-21 Raider bomber, the F-15EX Eagle II fighter and the KC-46A aerial refueling plane, but also lists what is called “divestment”, aircraft that are at the end of their useful life or are no longer part of the USAF’s plans. At the same time, the US Air Force intends to remove from service very important aircraft in the past, but which are at the end of their careers, such as the KC-10A Extender, a tanker aircraft based on the DC-10 airliner. The last 24 trijets in operation should be retired by the beginning of next year, thanks to the incorporation of more KC-46A. USAF Kc-10, KC-46 and KC-135 (USAF) Two combat aircraft will have their fleet significantly reduced, the A-10 Thunderbolt, with 42 units withdrawn from service, and the F-15C/D, whose 57 fighters will stop flying within the plan to remove it from the inventory in 2026. Despite having met resistance from Congress, the USAF also proposes to retire 32 F-22 Raptor stealth fighters from Block 20. These jets have no combat capability, serving only for training purposes. Three A-29s dismissed The list also includes a B-1B Lancer bomber, two E-3 Sentry, three E-8C, two EC-130H (electronic warfare), four EC-130J (psychological warfare), 52 T-1A Jayhawk (training version of the Raytheon Hawker Beechcraft executive jet), 37 HH-60G helicopters and 38 MQ-9 Reaper drones. The Air Force will also take from its inventory three A-29 Super Tucanos turboprops, supplied by the partnership between Embraer and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). The dismissal of the Brazilian plane was, however, already known, since the AT-802 plane was selected for the Armed Overwatch program, in August 2022. The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) had received the three A-29s and two AT-6C Wolverines and they were used in evaluations for anti-guerrilla missions and close air support. Therefore, it no longer made sense for them to remain in the force. The most likely destination is for the USAF to transfer the three aircraft to an air force that already operates the model, in the US government’s military aid program. https://www.airdatanews.com/us-air-force-aims-to-retire-310-aircraft-by-march-2024/ Small planes and secrecy: Pilots fly people to Kansas and other states for abortions Michael, a volunteer pilot with Elevated Access, recently flew a woman back home to the Deep South after an appointment at a Kansas clinic. The pilot, clad in a blue windbreaker, pulls his single-engine, four-seater prop plane onto the tarmac. The small municipal airport sits in a state where abortion is now banned in virtually all cases. But a short flight away in Kansas, it remains legal. That’s launched a wave of travel from across the South and Midwest in pursuit of pills and procedures no longer legal in many places. Michael — who asked to only use his first name — is part of a growing group of hobby pilots who have begun ferrying people across state lines to get abortions and gender-affirming medical care, flouting local restrictions and bans. They’re volunteers with Elevated Access, an Illinois-based group that operates with degrees of secrecy because its work falls into gray legal territory. The flights spare people seeking stigmatized medical care from the costs, delays, and security checkpoints that go along with traditional travel. Elevated Access pilots fly patients to get abortions and gender-affirming medical care from states with bans. “There are tons of little airports like this dotted all over,” Michael says. “I try to avoid the big airports. Usually, we fly into one that’s closer to where they live.” Pilots donate their time and the use of their planes. Most also cover the cost of fuel, because private pilots can’t legally be compensated for flying. (The group is trying to get an exemption that would allow it to reimburse fuel costs.) Recently, Michael took a woman back home to the Deep South after an appointment at a Kansas clinic. He loves to fly — he also does volunteer flights for an animal rescue group and he jumps at the chance to take family and friends up in the sky. But he said the Elevated Access flight felt different. “It’s maybe not the best time in a particular person’s life, or they’re going through a sensitive thing,” he said. “So I treat that with a lot of reverence.” Only a handful of people in Michael’s life know he’s part of the budding network of people helping women get abortions that have become illegal in their home states. He says some members of his family and some of his pilot friends oppose abortion. That’s not surprising — pilots tend to be older, whiter and more conservative than Americans generally. Fewer than 10% are women. Private flights spare people seeking stigmatized medical care from the costs, delays, and security checkpoints that go along with traditional travel. Soon after Roe v. Wade was overturned last summer and Elevated Access was launched, Michael posted a link to the organization in an online pilot forum. The blowback came immediately. “It was obviously a polarizing thing to have shared,” he said. “I’m glad I made quite a few pilots aware of it, even if it raised some ire. But I don’t talk about it a lot since then.” For pilots like Michael, most of whom have day jobs, the flights offer a chance to keep their flying skills sharp while supporting a cause they believe in. But for people trying to get to an abortion appointment several states away — maybe with just a few days’ notice — private flights can be game-changing. They can turn a multi-day drive into just a couple of hours, and they can take off much closer to a passenger’s home than a commercial airport. Elevated Access makes the flights free to passengers, who won’t have to purchase an expensive, last-minute plane ticket. And they’re virtually anonymous. Pilots only know a passengers’ first name and weight (to avoid exceeding small aircraft weight limits). “We don’t check ID because that’s not part of private aviation. There’s no ticketing or TSA or anything like that,” said Mike (not to be confused with Michael), the founder of Elevated Access. “If somebody feels like they need to use a fake first name, they can definitely do that.” Elevated Access pilots volunteer their time and the use of their planes to help people reach abortion appointments states away. Pilots are instructed not to ask passengers why they’re traveling. That relieves passengers of any pressure to explain or justify the services they’re seeking. But it’s also intended to give pilots plausible deniability in the face of potential legal threats. Some states are considering prosecuting those who help people get abortions, and Texas has already made them liable to lawsuits. No existing laws specifically target interstate travel, although Idaho could soon make it a crime to help a minor travel out of state for an abortion without parental consent. But legal experts say flying for Elevated Access still might involve some legal risk. “You could see an aggressive prosecutor trying to say, under the current laws, that, ‘We are going to charge this pilot with being an accessory to murder or an accessory to abortion,’” said David Cohen, a law professor at Drexel University. “We haven’t seen prosecutors try that yet. But there’s good reason to believe that’s on the horizon.” Rachel Rebouché, dean of the Temple University Beasley School of Law, said there’s also a possibility that federal officials could place restrictions on abortion-related travel in U.S. air space. “This current administration would not try to use federal aviation powers to penalize people who are flying rather than driving,” she said. “But in years to come, depending on who’s elected, an anti-abortion administration could try to do that.” There are no laws specifically targeting interstate abortion travel, but the pilots still assume some legal risk. Elevated Access has completed “dozens and dozens” of flights and is growing rapidly, Mike said. More than 200 pilots have been vetted and more than 1,000 have expressed interest. “We don’t share our full numbers because we don’t want to become a target,” the group’s founder said. “We want to seem small for as long as possible.” The flights represent a minuscule fraction of the flood of abortion-related travel between states since many began enforcing bans last summer. But it’s a window into the increasingly scrappy tactics of the underground groups working to keep abortion accessible to people across the country. Rebouché said it reflects efforts by abortion rights organizations to be nimble in the face of legal uncertainty. “The threat of passing a law can itself chill behavior — or incite people to organize in different ways,” she said. “It’s an interesting dynamic, how this push-pull of potential policy is shaping both care, but also advocacy strategies.” Elevated Access works with partner groups like abortion funds to coordinate flights, usually after other options are exhausted — if a patient isn’t old enough to rent a car, or if their commercial flight was canceled. Elevated Access has vetted more than 200 pilots so far. The idea for Elevated Access arose out of Mike’s experience volunteering with one of those organizations, Midwest Access Coalition, which helps people coordinate and pay for abortion-related travel. “I wanted to learn about abortion access because I thought pilots might be able to help,” he said. In the last year, Alison Dreith, the group’s director of strategic partnerships, has connected several clients with Elevated Access. Most have low incomes and some have never flown before. The organization’s first official passenger flew from Oklahoma to get an abortion in Kansas City, Kansas last summer. “She was a bit nervous about flying,” said Dreith. “But the pilot was able to walk out into the parking lot and walk her directly onto the airfield. It really feels like a V.I.P. experience.” The private flights afford passengers a degree of anonymity. Dreith said the flights prove particularly useful for people who don’t have the documents needed to fly commercially. That could include undocumented immigrants — or one of her recent clients, who contacted Midwest Access Coalition in December for help getting an abortion. “She was in a domestic violence situation where her abusive partner had destroyed her ID and birth certificate,” she said. Dreith traveled to North Carolina to get the woman away from the house where she was living. The woman thought she was around 16 weeks pregnant — and still legally eligible for an abortion, under the state’s 20-week limit — but wasn’t certain because her partner hadn’t allowed her to get an ultrasound or any prenatal care. When she got to a local clinic, the woman learned she was just past the state's limit. So Dreith contacted Elevated Access, which organized a flight back to the St. Louis area where the woman was from. After getting an abortion over the state line in Illinois, Dreith said the woman got help from a domestic violence group and is now living on her own. “She had been suicidal because she thought she was never going to get out of her situation,” Dreith said. “I don’t even have the superlatives to describe how thankful she was.” https://www.kake.com/story/48587722/small-planes-and-secrecy-pilots-fly-people-to-kansas-and-other-states-for-abortions Curt Lewis