Flight Safety Information - April 18, 2023 No. 074 In This Issue : Accident: Indigo A321N at Nagpur on Apr 14th 2023, tail strike on landing : AIR FRANCE and AIRBUS ACQUITTED IN AF 447 MANSLAUGHTER CASE : Incident: Luxair DH8D near Hamburg on Apr 17th 2023, cracked windshield : Incident: Porter DH8D at Sault Ste Marie on Apr 16th 2023, runway overrun : Delta Air Jet Badly Damaged After it Was Hit By Aeromexico Plane While Waiting to Takeoff in Mexico City : Faulty emergency locator delayed attempted rescue of pilots killed in Eagle River plane crash, NTSB says : Flight 3407 families rally to fight against regional air carrier push on co-pilot hours : Dead stowaway found on KLM flight from Lagos : An Air Canada passenger says he was left furious after being served in business class by a flight attendant who didn't speak French : How Ethiopian Airlines Is Working To Accelerate African Aviation's Development : Air India revamps compensation structure for pilots, cabin crew : Replacement of T-38 Talon, T-7A Red Hawk trainer jet suffers new delay : Canada seized a massive Russian cargo jet after last year's invasion. Ukraine says it's going to repossess it. Accident: Indigo A321N at Nagpur on Apr 14th 2023, tail strike on landing An Indigo Airbus A321-200N, registration VT-IML performing flight 6E-203 from Mumbai to Nagpur (India) with 225 passengers and 7 crew, landed on Nagpur's runway 32 but bounced. Upon second touchdown the tail contacted the runway surface, the aircraft rolled out without further incident and taxied to the apron. The aircraft is still on the ground in Nagpur 3 days 10 hours later. A local reported there were strong thermals due to the hot weather which may have contributed. https://avherald.com/h?article=507f1262&opt=0 AIR FRANCE and AIRBUS ACQUITTED IN AF 447 MANSLAUGHTER CASE Commentary by Roger Rapoport It took a little over four minutes for an Air France jet flying at 35,000 feet to disappear into the South Atlantic on the night of June 1, 2009 and another 13 years for the French legal system conclude Monday that the tragedy was “Pilot Error.” A NOT GUILTY verdict in the manslaughter case brought by the French Public Prosecutor means that airline and Airbus will not have to pay the maximum penalty of about $500,000. Aggrieved relatives and friends now know that the 228 people lost in this crash were definitely not murder victims. This raises a key question: Is now the time to put the well trained Air France 447 flight crew on trial. If such a case were to go to court would the same company lawyers who successfully blamed this case on those deceased pilots win a murder verdict. This strategy, commonplace in the annals of air accident investigation, protects the airlines and their insurors from the possibility of crash cases going beyond civil penalties. More to the point it protects airlines and manufacturers from the threat of bankruptcy, jail time or both. Attempts to defend the pilots, which failed in this landmark case, are of course made more difficult by the fact that none of these potential flight crew defendants can tell their side of the story. If, by some Artificial Intelligence miracle, the defense could go beyond their cockpit transcripts and literally read their minds, would a jury see a mass disaster from the flight deck point of view? The idea that the pilots, as the tribunal acknowledged in its verdict, were trained incorrectly on how to handle the stall they were unexpectedly in predictably becomes irrelevant. The “fact” is that they should have known how to ignore their completely wrong airline high altitude stall recovery procedure by descending to lower the angle of attack. What Monday’s verdict makes clear is that pilots will always be a soft target for lawyers who are masters at deconstructing their actions. Remarkably, French prosecutors in the AF 447 manslaughter case ended their nine week trial by telling the astonished tribunal that Air France and Airbus were “not guilty”. Their decision, just short of actually dropping the case, is proof positive that victory goes to the legal team that tells best story. In this case that narrative was constructed by well paid Airbus and Air France consultants who knew exactly how to wow judges with zero flight time behind them. No one is actually lying in court. These corporate lawyers are simply telling the “truth” at the time in their own context. This set of carefully orchestrated alternative facts conveniently add up to “pilot error.” They make good legal sense to juries who believe in their hearts that air travel is always the safest way to travel. Those who see it otherwise will have to walk. During the 13 years he has covered the Air France 447 case, Flight Safety Information senior editor Roger Rapoport has interviewed hundreds experts including executives at Airbus and Air France, EASA, pilot unions and aeronautical universities. He is coauthor of a book on the crash, Angle of Attack (Lexographic Press) and producer of the award winning feature film Pilot Error. He is at rogerrapoport.com Incident: Luxair DH8D near Hamburg on Apr 17th 2023, cracked windshield A Luxair de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration LX-LQA performing flight LG-5554 from Oslo (Norway) to Luxembourg (Luxembourg), was enroute at FL240 about 15nm west of Odense (Denmark) when the aircraft descended to FL100 after the left hand windshield cracked. The aircraft diverted to Hamburg (Germany), about 120nm south of their position, for a safe landing about 35 minutes after leaving FL240. The passengers were taken to the terminal, a number was rebooked to Munich to continue to Luxembourg from there, a number was rebooked onto the next day's flight Hamburg to Luxembourg. https://avherald.com/h?article=507f0ede&opt=0 Incident: Porter DH8D at Sault Ste Marie on Apr 16th 2023, runway overrun A Porter Airlines de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration C-GLQB performing flight PD-2691 from Toronto City,ON to Sault Ste Marie,ON (Canada) with 48 passengers and 4 crew, landed on Sault Ste Marie's runway 12 at 22:21L (02:21Z Apr 17th) but overran the end of the runway and came to a stop on soft ground about 85 meters/280 feet past the end of the runway. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained minor if any damage. The runway was closed and is still closed about 15 hours after landing. The airport reported the aircraft went off the runway and came to rest at a grassy area. There were no injuries and no damage. The passengers were taken to the terminal with airport limousines. https://avherald.com/h?article=507f00c5&opt=0 Delta Air Jet Badly Damaged After it Was Hit By Aeromexico Plane While Waiting to Takeoff in Mexico City A Delta Air Lines jet bound for New York JFK was badly damaged after it was hit by an Aeromexico plane while waiting to take off in Mexico City on Monday. The airport authority confirmed the crash, saying the incident happened between taxiways B and D when the wingtip of the Aeromexico-operated Boeing 737 collided with the horizontal stabilizer (which forms part of the tailfin) of the Delta Air-operated Boeing 757. Photos posted on social media showed what appeared to be the Aeromexico plane’s torn-off wingtip embedded into the horizontal stabilizer of the Delta jet, although Mexico City Airport confirmed that there were no reported injuries. A spokesperson confirmed that an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the incident. Both Delta flight DL624 and Aeromexico flight AM117 bound for Chihuahua were forced to return to the gate following the crash at around 3 pm on Monday. The Delta flight was subsequently cancelled, while Aeromexico managed to transfer passengers onto an alternative plane with an arrival delay of around three hours. As noted by airline insider JonNYC on Twitter, data supplied by Flight Radar 24 appears to show that the Delta jet was waiting to take off on a slipway between two taxiways when the Aeromexico plane taxied past it on the main taxiway. Investigators will determine whether the Delta pilots stopped too short in the slipway and whether more could have been done to prevent contact between the two aircraft. Ground collisions such as this are relatively uncommon but aren’t unheard of. In fact, over the last few days, there has been a spate of similar incidents. Last week, the horizontal stabilizer of an Emirates Boeing 777 was badly damaged after it was hit by the wingtip of an Air Transat jet at Miami International Airport. And on Sunday, the wingtip of an EVA Air Airbus A321 sliced into the nose of a parked Boeing 777 plane at Taipei-Taoyuan International Airport while it was being towed. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2023/04/18/delta-air-jet-badly-damaged-after-it-was-hit-by-aeromexico-plane-while-waiting-to-takeoff-in-mexico-city/ Faulty emergency locator delayed attempted rescue of pilots killed in Eagle River plane crash, NTSB says A Cessna 172P crashed into a mountainside in Eagle River Valley on July 26, 2021, killing 23-year-old Dakota Bauder and 27-year-old McKenna Vierra. It took rescuers about nine hours to find a plane that crashed into a steep mountainside in the Eagle River Valley in July 2021 because the emergency locator did not activate, federal investigators say. The crash killed 23-year-old flight instructor Dakota Bauder and 27-year-old pilot McKenna Vierra. It’s unclear if an earlier response would have saved either Bauder or Vierra, but Bauder’s Apple Watch detected a pulse up to two hours after the plane was believed to have crashed, according to a National Transportation Safety Board final report released last week. Bauder was an instructor with Angel Aviation Flight School and had gone out with Vierra on a “discovery” or introductory flight in the Chugach Mountains on July 26, 2021, according to investigators. Messages left for Angel Aviation were not returned on Monday. Vierra was visiting Alaska from her home in Hawaii to celebrate her boyfriend’s birthday, her family has said. She was a flight attendant with Hawaiian Airlines and had recently earned her private pilot’s license, studying for flight exams as she underwent chemotherapy treatments for lymphoma. A month after she earned her license, the once softball-sized tumor near her heart was no longer detectable. Vierra wanted to log flight time during her Alaska trip because she was working toward becoming a commercial pilot, her family said. She and Bauder left Merrill Field in a Cessna 172P around 12:15, the NTSB report said. The plane crashed into a steep mountain in Eagle River Valley about an hour later, according to the report. McKenna Vierra, 27, died Monday July 26, 2021 during a plane crash in the Eagle River Valley. Vierra had a private pilot license and was working toward a commercial license, her family said. The report doesn’t make it clear what caused the plane to crash: investigators did not find enough physical evidence to determine that during their nearly two-year examination of the crash, said Clint Johnson, head of the NTSB’s Alaska office. Carburetor icing may have been a factor, but that’s a common thing for pilots to encounter and Bauder was likely monitoring the risk of icing and taking steps to mitigate it, Johnson said. The emergency locator transmitter installed on the plane failed to send an alert on impact, the report said. The model had been flagged by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2015 after multiple reports that it failed to send emergency signals as needed. The equipment was required to undergo annual testing, according to an airworthiness directive issued by the FAA in 2017. A mechanic wrote in the maintenance records kept for the plane that the transmitter had been replaced with a different make and model about a year and a half before the crash, but NTSB investigators discovered the equipment had never actually been changed out, according to the final report. The mechanic again inspected the aircraft six months before the crash and wrote that the transmitter had been tested, the report said. A family member notified authorities that the plane was overdue when Bauder and Vierra had not returned by 2 p.m., the report said. The wreckage was located “in an area of steep, rising glacial terrain at an elevation of about 3,100 feet” in Eagle River Valley around 10:45 p.m., it said. Bauder and Vierra were dead when the plane was located. “Had the ELT (emergency locator transmitter) functioned as designed, emergency personnel would have been alerted to the accident, even if the company did not report it overdue,” investigators wrote in the report. “Similarly, had the AD-affected ELT been removed and replaced with a functional unit as was noted in the maintenance records, the search and rescue response likely would have been faster; however, whether faster location of the wreckage would have prevented a fatal outcome could not be determined.” https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/aviation/2023/04/17/faulty-emergency-locator-delayed-rescue-of-pilots-killed-in-eagle-river-plane-crash-ntsb-says/ Flight 3407 families rally to fight against regional air carrier push on co-pilot hours • Families of Flight 3407 as they strive to make sure that enhanced flight safety rules stay intact. BUFFALO, N.Y. — It's been an enduring task for the families of Flight 3407 as they strive to make sure that enhanced flight safety rules, especially on pilot training and experience, stay intact in the wake of the 2009 Clarence Center crash. So this week before Congress and with local Congressional allies, they are now fighting what they say is an industry attempt to weaken those rules. Karen Eckert, who lost her sister Beverly in the 3407 crash held up a graphic on flight safety for reporters. She noted: "These are fatal crashes - zero since the Airline Safety Act went into effect." That may be the strongest argument for the Flight 3407 family group, who lost loved ones, to make it this coming week in Washington as the US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hears testimony. It is considering the overall re-authorization by September of the Federal Aviation Administration which enforces those rules dating back to 2010. That committee is now led by a new chairman U.S. Representative Sam Graves of Missouri. John Kausner, who lost his daughter Elly in the crash, says he has never spoken with Graves but he is concerned. "Our understanding is he is looking favorably at altering some of the rules. That would be unfavorable to us." The family says that relates to a "legal loophole" move by regional carrier Skywest. They say the Utah - based firm, which also flies with airline partners such as United Express, Delta Connection, and American Eagle, may reportedly have its subsidiary charter operation use 30 and under passenger regional jets with co-pilots in the right seat with a third less experience or 500 hours. That would be rather than the 1,500 hours currently required for all non-military background pilots on all carriers. Susan Bourque, who was the sister of Beverly said, "Having two qualified pilots, fully qualified pilots in the cockpit of a regional and a mainline carrier is absolutely critical. The co-pilot shouldn't be learning on the job". Last year the FAA rejected a Republic Airways plan for an in-house pilot training plan to also hire pilots with only 750 hours. Regional carriers claim there's a severe pilot shortage with a post-COVID demand for flights and their more experienced pilots moving up to take regular airline positions. That is as seasoned airline pilots retire or were eased out during the pandemic slowdown. "If they make an exception for Skywest or for any airline that is a really slippery slope. Because it's not just about - oh who cares - it might be a small venue. It is going to spread and it is going to come to the Buffalo airport. The Rochester airport," Eckert said. The family group has local Congressional allies. Republican Representative Nick Langworthy in the 23rd District, which now takes in Clarence says, "No business decision should ever come before public safety period - end of the story. Every industry has labor problems." While Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins of the 26th District said, "There is an effort to undermine the very provisions that these families and all of us fought for over the past 14 years. We have to make sure that doesn't happen." Both representatives say they will also reach out to Congressmen Marc Molinaro, Anthony Esposito, and Brandon Williams from the New York delegation. A spokesperson for Skywest did respond with this statement: "SkyWest’s first and foremost priority is safety. We want to be abundantly clear: SkyWest has requested no regulation changes, including to the ‘1500-hour rule’. SkyWest has long been a leader in aviation safety and continues its efforts to raise the bar for safety across both Part 121 and Part 135 operations. As we implement a Part 135 operation under well-established guidelines, SkyWest Charter has the resources, standards, and operational expertise available to provide this service better than any carrier operating under Part 135 today, with jet aircraft and experienced senior pilots." The 3407 Families group plans to be in Washington for the hearing on Wednesday when the Regional Airline Association president is expected to testify. The president of the Airline Pilots Association union is also expected to speak. Letters in opposition to the Skywest plan have also been written to US Transportation Secretary Buttigieg and Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen. https://www.wgrz.com/article/money/business/flight-3407-families-rally-to-fight-against-regional-air-carrier-push-on-co-pilot-hours-community-life-health/71-1c3d325e-8d64-4993-9dc1-8843d38cd4bc Dead stowaway found on KLM flight from Lagos The discovery of a deceased stowaway in the wheel well of a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 777 (registered PH-BQM) on Monday has raised questions about how and when the man was able to climb into the aircraft, which originated from Lagos, Nigeria. An investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. According to a spokesperson from the Royal Dutch Marechaussee, stowaways in wheel wells of aircraft face extreme temperatures that can drop to as low as minus fifty degrees during longer flights. This makes survival virtually impossible, and hypothermia is likely to be a contributing factor in this case. He said, “Sometimes they survive, but most of the time it goes wrong given the sharp drop in temperature. On longer flights, temperatures can go down to minus fifty degrees, impossible to survive.” Despite the risks, some stowaways still attempt to use this method to travel without proper documentation or authorisation, often seeking a better life or escaping difficult situations in their home countries. The discovery of this deceased stowaway highlights the need for increased security measures and thorough inspections of aircraft before departure to prevent such incidents from occurring. Airlines and aviation authorities regularly review and update their security protocols to ensure the safety and security of passengers and crew onboard. https://punchng.com/dead-stowaway-found-on-klm-flight-from-lagos/ An Air Canada passenger says he was left furious after being served in business class by a flight attendant who didn't speak French • The passenger was flying on Air Canada from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. • An Air Canada passenger complained after a flight attendant failed to serve him in French. • Jean-Pierre Beaudoin was told he'd have to take another flight if he wanted a French speaker. • Air Canada told Insider two of its three attendants on the flight could speak French. An Air Canada passenger filed a complaint with language authorities after a flight attendant was unable to serve him in French. Jean-Pierre Beaudoin told the Canadian French-language channel TVA Nouvelles that he was flying in business class last month from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale, Florida when a flight attendant who only spoke English served him. He asked for a bilingual flight attendant to serve him so that he could speak in French. Beaudoin told TVA the crew member spoke to a colleague and then told him "in English, 'Sir, this is my section. You have the right to leave the plane or I will serve you.'" Moving food from farm to table puts global supply chain logistics to the test. Here's how Cargill is helping navigate these challenges He said a man, who was either an Air Canada employee or an airport agent, came on to the plane to tell him that either an English-speaking attendant would serve him, or he would have to leave the aircraft. Beaudoin said: "It made my blood boil. I was thinking, 'We're in Quebec. The flight originates from Quebec.' It wasn't a choice for me to leave the plane." Beaudoin, who speaks both French and English, told TVA he decided to stay on the plane and only reply in French when crew spoke to him in English. He described the act of rebellion as a "matter of principle." He told the outlet he'd filed a complaint with the Quebec Office of the French Language after the flight. Beaudoin said he didn't complain to Air Canada because he didn't trust their process, instead escalating the matter to language authorities. Air Canada is subject to Canada's Official Languages Act, which gives equal status to both English and French. The airline was fined $15,700 in 2019 after a couple complained that some signs on a domestic flight were only in English, BBC News reported. In a statement to Insider, an Air Canada representative said two of the three cabin crew on the flight could speak French. "Therefore, service in the two official languages was available and offered. In this regard, it is false to claim that the only solution was to ask him to leave the aircraft since French-speaking staff members were able and available to serve Mr. Beaudoin in French," the airline added. The Quebec Office of the French Language didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider made outside normal working hours. https://www.businessinsider.com/air-canada-passenger-left-boiling-inside-not-served-in-french-2023-4 Boeing’s 737 Max problem is the latest headache for airlines hungry for new planes • Boeing disclosed a production problem with two fittings in the aft fuselage. • The manufacturer and the FAA said it doesn’t affect flight safety but it will delay deliveries of the best-selling plane. • Southwest Airlines and American Airlines are among the airlines expecting new Max aircraft. Boeing ’s warning that a production quality problem will delay deliveries of its best-selling 737 Max is another headache for airlines clamoring for new planes to handle a rebound in air travel, just ahead of the peak season. The problem is related to two of several brackets in the aft fuselage of some 737 Max planes, including the most popular model, the Max 8. Boeing has a backlog of 4,196 Max planes, according to a tally on its website. Boeing disclosed the production issue on Thursday but has not said how many planes are affected or how long deliveries could be delayed. The current delivery schedule of the planes stretches to the second half of the decade. The fuselage supplier, Spirit Aerosystems , Boeing and the FAA said the problem doesn’t affect flight safety. But addressing the issue could mean time-consuming additional work. The two brackets in question are on the interior of the plane and are not as simple to reach as a concern on the outside of the fuselage would be, according to a person familiar with the matter. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will likely comment on the issue during the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Tuesday. Boeing disclosed the issue just weeks after an executive said it was gearing up to increase output of the jets from the current rate of 31 a month. Lengthy delays would be bad news for airlines already hamstrung by a global shortage of new aircraft. They could also hurt Boeing’s plan to improve cash flow, since airlines pay the bulk of a plane’s price upon delivery. “It doesn’t sound like it is going to be a terribly invasive fix, but on the other hand I think everyone’s a bit spooked because of recent experience,” said Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamics Advisory. Southwest Airlines , which operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet, said it discussing the affects of the problem with the manufacturer. “Boeing contacted us regarding an issue with a supplier’s manufacturing process that will affect the delivery of Boeing 737 MAX planes to Southwest,” the company said in a statement Thursday. “We expect this to impact our current delivery schedule; we are in discussions with Boeing to understand what that impact will be in 2023 and beyond.” CEO Bob Jordan said on an earnings call in January that the airline expects roughly 90 Max planes this year, lowering its forecast from 100 “in light of recent discussions with Boeing and continued challenges in supply chain.” American Airlines said it is also discussing the problem with Boeing. The airline has 88 Max aircraft on order, according to its 2022 report. Both carriers plan to report results on April 27, when they will likely face questions about the issue. United Airlines , which reports on Tuesday said: “Boeing is keeping us informed about this issue, and at this time we do not expect any significant impact on our capacity plans for this summer or the rest of the year.” The problem is the latest in a string of quality problems and aircraft delays at Boeing that has also included its 787 Dreamliner planes. A worldwide grounding and production pause of the 737 Max followed two fatal crashes of the Max. After the planes were cleared to fly again and production resumed, the pandemic threw the industry into disarray as it hemorrhaged cash and lost thousands of skilled workers. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/14/boeings-737-max-problem-latest-headache-for-airlines.html How Ethiopian Airlines Is Working To Accelerate African Aviation's Development Ethiopian Airlines aims to enhance intra-Africa connectivity through partnerships with other flag carriers. Ethiopian Airlines, the host of the upcoming 11th African Airlines Association (AFRAA) convention, remains committed to developing intra-Africa connectivity through partnerships with airlines from different regions. Ethiopian Airlines (ET) is a member of AFRAA, which allows it to play an active role in developing African aviation. The airlines' association will host its 11th stakeholder's convention from the 7th to the 9th of May in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Changing the African aviation narrative AFRAA has been discussing the challenges faced by African airlines and has decided to implement measures to develop the African market. In an interview with Jon Howell, CEO of AviaDev, AFRAA Secretary General Mr Abderahmane Berthe, and Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Ato Mesfin Tasew Bekele gave an insight into the agenda of the convention. The convention will bring together various aviation industry stakeholders to address the development of air transport, sustainability, digitalization, cybersecurity, and the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM). The hosts aim to change the narrative and unlock the potential of African aviation. Mr Abderahmane said in the interview; "At AFRAA, we think now it's time to implement things to move for our industry. We have five tasks working on a specific subject because we want to really change the narrative of the African aviation industry, the narrative being the market share is very low, taxes and charges are very high, and ticket fares are not affordable." African airlines intend to keep up with global standards while focussing on air safety and customer satisfaction. The convention will engage airline CEOs, ACI Africa, the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA), the International Air Cargo Association (IACA), and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), to mention a few. Additionally, Ethiopian Airlines intends to leverage its partnerships to continue connecting Africa to the rest of the world. The airline cannot serve every African city, so it has engaged with various flag carriers to enhance connectivity. Partnership with Nigeria Air Ethiopian has been working with the government of Nigeria for nearly five years to establish a flag carrier for the West African nation. The two have agreed on nearly all terms and have made significant progress in setting up the new national airline, however, they are facing a single challenge. A court case is delaying the introduction of Nigeria Air into commercial service. The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) disputed the government's decision to give ET a 49% stake in the new airline. Ato Mesfin Tasew Bekele hopes the court case will be over soon. He said in the interview with AviaDev; "We have also reached an agreement with the Nigerian government on nearly all terms. So now we're ready to start the airline, except there is one obstacle. That obstacle is a court case. A group of smaller Nigerian airlines went to court and blocked or brought a temporary order to suspend the establishment of the airline. And we expect the court case will be closed in the coming few weeks in favor of establishing the airline." Ethiopian Airlines intends to enable Nigeria to have a reliable national carrier. ET offers excellent connectivity to the Nigerian market, serving four cities, but there isn't a connection between Nigeria and Europe. Ato Mesfin Tasew says the new flag carrier will link the two regions. Partnerships in West and Central Africa Ethiopian Airlines has strong partnerships strategically located in Western, Central, and Southern Africa to gain better access to local markets. It has a partnership with Togo's Asky Airlines. The airline serves more than 25 destinations in Western and Central Africa. Ethiopian has also partnered with Malawi Airlines to serve Southern and Eastern Africa. It uses the ET flight code and currently serves seven regional destinations. The Malawian government has a 51% stake in the airline, while Ethiopian owns 49%. Ato Mesfin Tasew added that; "Our multi-hub strategy will enable us to reach more Africans and provide a more convenient, affordable air transport service among Africans and connecting Africa to the rest of the world." Ethiopian Airlines plans to expand its service to Central Africa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The group CEO said, "We have already finalized the contract with the government; it will be a joint venture between Ethiopian Airlines and the government of DRC. We are waiting for a final go-ahead from the government. But all the paperwork has been finalized. In fact, it is ahead of the Nigerian initiative. We're just waiting for the government to press the button." https://simpleflying.com/ethiopian-airlines-working-accelerate-african-aviation-development/ Air India revamps compensation structure for pilots, cabin crew • Under the new structure, part of the Tata Group-owned airline's five-year transformation plan, salaries will be hiked for more than 2,700 pilots across Air India and AIX Connect (including Air Asia India and Air India Express) as well as for more than 5,600 of Air India's cabin crew, as per the source. • Air India may announce new pay structure for cabin crew, reveal new interior today In a major revamp, the airline has rolled out over 29 new policies for employees in the last six months as part of the initiatives under its five-year transformation plan. Air India has revamped the compensation structure for pilots and cabin crew, including increasing the per-hour flying rate for pilots, according to a source. Under the new structure, part of the Tata Group-owned airline's five-year transformation plan, salaries will be hiked for more than 2,700 pilots across Air India and AIX Connect (including Air Asia India and Air India Express) as well as for more than 5,600 of Air India's cabin crew, as per the source. The guaranteed flying allowance component will be doubled from the current 20 hours to 40 hours. There will also be additional compensation for pilots undergoing training for command upgrade and conversion training for the time spent in-ground and simulator training, the source added. Further, Air India will hike the pilots' per-hour flying and flying allowance rates. The source said the airline will introduce an additional reward to recognise the long service of its tenured staff and also double the stipend for trainee pilots. Among others, the contracts of nearly 800 FTC (Fixed Term Contract) pilots, which were earlier renewed for a stipulated period of 5 years, will now be extended until the pilots attain the age of 58 years. Air India has about 4,700 FTC cabin crew and nearly 1,000 permanent cabin crew. Further, Air India will introduce two additional levels/designations -- Junior First Officer and Senior Commander. A large number of senior pilots, who have flown for four or more years as Commanders, will be promoted to the Senior Commander rank, giving them instant inclusion into the management cadre with extra allowance for executive duties, the source said. The cabin crew organisation structure for both permanent and FTC cabin crew has been redesignated into four segments -- Trainee Cabin Crew, Cabin Crew, Cabin Senior and Cabin Executive. As per the source, the trainee stipends for fresher and experienced cabin crew will be hiked by more than 20 per cent. The airline will also double the domestic layover allowance and the allowance for check crew. Besides, it has also introduced additional allowances for cabin supervisors and for their grooming. In February, Air India announced plans to hire more than 4,200 cabin crew trainees and 900 pilots this year. The airline has also placed orders for 470 planes with Boeing and Airbus. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/air-india-revamps-compensation-structure-for-pilots-cabin-crew/articleshow/99563135.cms Replacement of T-38 Talon, T-7A Red Hawk trainer jet suffers new delay Boeing is not expected to deliver the first aircraft to the US Air Force until 2026 due to ejection seat issues Boeing should only deliver the first supersonic T-7A Red Hawk training jet between the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, the US Air Force (USAF) acknowledged. The new delay in the program of the aircraft that will replace the Northrop T-38 Talons involves the ejection seats, which have not reached a degree of confidence required by the USAF. The T-7A was developed by Boeing in partnership with Saab and pioneered the use of digital tools to accelerate the development process. In fact, between the digital design and the first flight, only three years passed, thanks to advances that allowed a more precise assembly of the prototype. The US Air Force awarded a contract to Boeing in early 2018 and five years later, however, only two prototypes have been evaluated in flight, although there are another five aircraft in different stages of production and which should be delivered in 2023. Because of the problem with the ejection seats, USAF pilots cannot fly the T-7, which prevents the delivery of production jets. The Air Force and Boeing said they were confident the system would be fixed soon. According to the service, the ejection tests showed that the escape system can cause concussions in the pilots, although industry sources pointed out that the USAF would have instrumented the dummies in the wrong way. Order of hundreds of aircraft The new delay was revealed after the Air Force did not include production of the aircraft in the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget as the start of assembly was moved to 2025. The T-7A Red Hawk is a single-engine supersonic jet for advanced training that brings some conceptual changes. One is a more versatile cockpit, able to accommodate pilots of various sizes, hence the need for a more efficient ejection system. Northrop T-38 Talon (USAF) The USAF plans to acquire between 350 and 475 aircraft to finally retire the T-38 Talon, a training aircraft that gave rise to the well-known F-5 Tiger II light fighter. The change in planning, however, should force the Air Force to extend the useful life of the Talons, which have been in service for more than 60 years. https://www.airdatanews.com/replacement-of-t-38-talon-t-7a-red-hawk-trainer-jet-suffers-new-delay/ Canada seized a massive Russian cargo jet after last year's invasion. Ukraine says it's going to repossess it. • Volga Dnepr Airlines Antonov An-124, one of the largest production cargo planes in the world was grounded at Pearson International Airport in late February after Russia invaded Ukraine in Mississauga. May 24, 2022. • A Ukrainian official said his country is preparing to confiscate a Russian cargo jet seized last year by Canada. • The An-124 first flew in 1982 and is capable of transporting more than 330,000 pounds. • The plane was seized after Canada prohibited Russian aircraft from its skies following the invasion. Canada is preparing to hand over a massive Russian cargo jet to Ukraine that it seized in the days after Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to a top Ukrainian official. In a post on Facebook, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that his country was "preparing to confiscate the An-124 aircraft and other assets of he aggressor in Canada and transfer them to Ukraine." Shmyhal visited Canada last week and met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced a new military aid package consisting of more than 21,000 assault rifles and 2.4 million rounds of ammunition. James Emmanuel Wanki, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, the country's department of foreign relations, told Insider that he could not comment on "potential asset seizures." However, he noted that Canada earlier this month added the plane's owner, Volga-Dnepr Group, to its list of sanctioned Russian entities — and that Canadian law allows for "the seizure, forfeiture, disposal, and redistribution of assets belonging to [sanctioned] individuals and entities." Canada grounded the Volga-Dnepr Group An-124 last year after it landed in Toronto just three days after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, citing a prohibition on Russian aircraft in Canadian airspace. Since February 2022, it has racked up more than $330,000 in fees for parking at the city's international airport, The Wall Street Journal reported. In March, a judge in Kyiv, ruling on a lawsuit brought by the plane's manufacturer, ordered that the An-124 in Toronto and two others owned by Volga-Dpner Group be prohibited from flying and handed over to Ukraine, stating that the company had failed to obtain legitimate safety certifications for the aircraft, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported. A spokesperson for Volga-Dnepr Group, based in Ulyanovsky, Russia, specializing in the transport of heavyweight air cargo, did not respond to Insider's request for comment. First flown in 1982, the four-engine An-124 Ruslan was used as a military transport plane by the Soviet Union — at the time it was the world's largest cargo jet, capable of transporting more than 330,000 pounds — before it shifted to carrying commercial goods. It is just over 223 feet long with a wingspan of more than 240 feet, according to its Ukrainian manufacturer, the state-owned Antonov, which made 55 of the planes by the time production ended in 2014. At the start of the 2022 invasion, Russia destroyed an even larger cargo jet, the An-225 Mirya, that was based on the An-124 — the only one in existence and a source of national pride for Ukraine. Antonov announced last November that it intends to build another. https://www.businessinsider.com/canada-donating-seized-russian-an-124-cargo-jet-to-ukraine-2023-4 Curt Lewis