Flight Safety Information - April 27, 2023 No. 081 In This Issue : Incident: Swiss A320 at Zurich on Apr 25th 2023, lightning strike : Incident: Sunwing B738 at Santa Clara on Apr 26th 2023, could not retract left main gear : Aviation Safety Compliance : Incident: Allegiant A320 at St. Petersburg on Apr 26th 2023, bird strike : Incident: Sunwing B738 enroute on Apr 20th 2023, e-cigarette doesn't satisfy addiction : Incident: Srilankan A332 near Colombo on Apr 21st 2023, cabin did not pressurize : Incident: Avianca A320 at San Andres on Apr 25th 2023, bird strike : Ethiopian Aviation University To Start Producing Aircraft Components : Air India seeks to onboard more than 1,000 pilots amid staff dissent on salaries : Avolon agrees $4 billion deal for 40 Boeing 737 MAX jets Incident: Swiss A320 at Zurich on Apr 25th 2023, lightning strike A Swiss International Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration HB-IJL performing flight LX-1058 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Hamburg (Germany), was climbing out of Zurich's runway 32 when the aircraft received a lightning strike. The crew stopped the climb at FL310 and decided to return to Zurich, where the aircraft landed safely on runway 28 about 40 minutes after departure. A replacement A320-200 registration HB-IJI reached Hamburg with a delay of about 2.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 13 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=5085d111&opt=0 Incident: Sunwing B738 at Santa Clara on Apr 26th 2023, could not retract left main gear A Sunwing Boeing 737-800, registration C-FFPH performing flight WG-307 from Santa Clara (Cuba) to Montreal,QC (Canada) with 190 people on board, was climbing out of Santa Clara when the crew could not retract the left landing gear. The crew stopped the climb at 5000 feet and diverted to Varadero (Cuba) for a safe landing becoming disabled on the runway due to tyre damage on the left main gear. Emergency services sprayed the left landing gear. The aircraft is still on the ground in Varadero about 14 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=5085cd68&opt=0 Incident: Allegiant A320 at St. Petersburg on Apr 26th 2023, bird strike An Allegiant Airbus A320-200, registration N249NV performing flight G4-996 from St. Petersburg,FL to Omaha,NE (USA), was climbing out of St. Petersburg's runway 36 when the crew stopped the climb at about 1500 feet due to a bird strike. The aircraft returned to St. Petersburg for a safe landing on runway 36 about 10 minutes after departure. A replacement A320-200 registration N282NV reached Omaha with a delay of about 4:15 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=50856bd7&opt=0 Incident: Sunwing B738 enroute on Apr 20th 2023, e-cigarette doesn't satisfy addiction A Sunwing Boeing 737-800, registration C-FWGH performing flight WG-283 from Moncton,NB (Canada) to Cancun (Mexico) with 193 people on board, was enroute when a passenger's e-cigarette battery overheated under a seat. Cabin crew secured the e-cigarette in a secure container, the aircraft continued to destination for a landing without further incident. The Canadian TSB reported: "During cruise, a passenger's e-cigarette battery was found overheating under a seat and emitting smoke. After the battery had burnt a hole in the passenger bag, Cabin crew retrieved the ecigarette and transported using an empty dry coffee pot in the front galley. Cabin crew elected to discharge a Halon fire extinguisher in the coffee pot, filled it with water and placed it into a larger metal container where it was monitored for the remainder of the flight." The aircraft continued to Cancun. The aircraft remained on the ground in Cancun for about 2.5 hours, then departed for the return flight. https://avherald.com/h?article=508559f3&opt=0 Incident: Srilankan A332 near Colombo on Apr 21st 2023, cabin did not pressurize A Srilankan Airbus A330-200, registration 4R-ALH performing flight UL-225 from Colombo (Sri Lanka) to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) with 256 passengers and 14 crew, was climbing out of Colombo when the crew stopped the climb at about FL200 and performed a rapid descent to FL080 due to the cabin not pressurizing properly. The aircraft returned to Colombo for a safe landing on runway 22 about 45 minutes after departure. The rotation was postponed to the next day. The aircraft was repaired, departed again and reached Dubai with a delay of about 16 hours. Passengers reported there was no announcement by the crew, however, they were told later it had been a loss of cabin pressure. The oxygen masks had not deployed. https://avherald.com/h?article=50854387&opt=0 Incident: Avianca A320 at San Andres on Apr 25th 2023, bird strike An Avianca Airbus A320-200, registration N411AE performing flight AV-9377 from San Andres to Bogota (Colombia) with 184 people on board, was climbing out of San Andres' runway 06 when the right hand engine (CFM56) ingested a bird and emitted a series of bangs and streaks of flames (indicative of compressor stalls/engine surges). The crew levelled off at 1500 feet, shut the engine down and returned to San Andres for a safe landing on runway 06 about 16 minutes after departure. The flight was cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto the next flight. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in San Andres about 15 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=50852f03&opt=0 Ethiopian Aviation University To Start Producing Aircraft Components A first for Africa! Ethiopian Airlines has developed its training academy into a university, offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Ethiopian Airlines Group remains committed to the development of African aviation. It has trained pilots, cabin crew, and technicians for over 65 years. Now, it is stretching even further to manufacturing aircraft components and training the next generation of aviation professionals. Last month Ethiopian Airlines (ET) celebrated 77 years of operations in the aviation industry. Its training institution, Ethiopian Aviation Academy (EAA), which is the biggest pilot training center in Africa, has been developed into a fully functional university offering various undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. More about Ethiopian Aviation University (EAU) EAA has provided aviation professionals for Africa and the rest of the world for many years. After six decades, it is expanding to meet the future needs of African aviation as an educational wing. Ethiopian Aviation University (EAU) will be an integral part of Ethiopian Airlines Group and the industry. With its state-of-the-art facilities, EAA has trained pilots for the Boeing 787, B737NG, B737MAX, B767, and Airbus A350, to mention a few. It has over eight modern full-flight and fixed-base simulators for pilot upgrades, transition, and recurrent training. Additionally, it now has facilities for training professionals in different aviation sectors. The university's primary purpose is to lead and grow with current technological developments and meet the sophisticated demands of airline operations and airport management. EAU Vice President for Aviation Trainings and Acting President Mr Kassie Yimam said in an interview with Simple Flying; "When we were dealing with training, we were dealing with competencies to enable people to do some tasks. For example, pilots were meant to fly airplanes effectively and safely, that's it. Aircraft maintenance technicians are trained to maintain airplanes so they are always airworthy and safe, and they also make preventive maintenance. As time goes on, we need to develop further toward the production and manufacturing of aerospace components, airplane systems, and so on." Developing human resources Ethiopian Airlines attributes its 77 years of excellence to the successful development of its human resources. The academy has been the backbone of its dominance, and to continue on this path, it intends to develop human capital even further. EAU will introduce undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in addition to its training portfolios. The programs will start in September 2023, while applications are currently open on its website. Students can choose from the following programs: • B.Sc. in Aeronautical Engineering: It will be one of the few institutions in Africa to offer an accredited aeronautical engineering degree. The course encompasses designing, developing, and modifying aircraft components and systems. • B.Sc. in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering: It is an advanced form of maintenance training it used to provide. This dives deeper into science and engineering, and after five years, graduates will earn an engineering degree and a civil aviation license. • B.Sc. in Aviation Management and Operations: This program will have two streams but will be studied as one degree. Toward the program's conclusion, students will have the option to specialize in airline or airport management. • BA in Tourism and Hospitality Management: Travel and tourism is a significant wing of the aviation industry. World air travel is expected to increase demand for tourism and hospitality managers over the next decade. • MBA in Aviation Management and M.Sc. in Data Science: The university will offer two postgraduate degrees. Using big data and analytics has become integral to an airline's operations. EAU will train the next generation of managers and data scientists. The group is committed to developing aviation in Africa. It will groom talent and professionals within the airline and provide opportunities for citizens around the continent. This will help Ethiopian and its partner airlines as the next generation prepares for innovation. Mr Kassie added; "We have been operating an airline, and we want to transfer the success to our students. That will help Ethiopian Airlines as well as other partner airlines in Africa. We're not going to lead this airline forever. We have to develop people who can manage our lead better and bring new ideas. We can be more successful when we teach our experiences, and then they innovate and make it better. So we get better every day. When we teach, we mean it for Africa, not only for Ethiopian Airlines, we cannot grow alone." Feeding the production line Ethiopian Aviation University aims to train competent engineers and aviation professionals that can feed the aerospace manufacturing industry in Africa and elsewhere. The university will enable the aviation sector in Africa to create new products rather than maintain existing ones. It plans to expand and manufacture aircraft components, systems, and even small aircraft soon. The institution will employ internationally renowned professors to ensure students receive the highest quality of education. There will be a primary and secondary professor to ensure the concepts taught in class are applied well in the field. Ethiopian Aviation University is one of the few universities with modern aircraft, flight simulators, workshops, airline processes, and procedures in the group to practically demonstrate what has been taught in class. Partnering with various stakeholders Ethiopian has partnerships with various airlines and stakeholders across the African continent. EAU is fully owned and operated by Ethiopian Airlines. However, it is open to partnering with other institutions and airlines for the enhancement of the aviation industry in Africa. The group will be looking for partners in areas where there is potential for development and demand for its products. The African aviation market has almost fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, so great potential is waiting to be unlocked. The acting President added; "Our development strategy is to partner with African companies, training centers, universities, airlines, airports, and so on. Look, we truly believe in the importance of partnership. So partnering will make all of us better, and it will be a win-win for all partners. So we love to have reliable partners who are serious about the importance of developing human resources for their industry." Ethiopian Airlines' commitment to continental development is unprecedented. It plans almost to double its fleet over the next ten years and vastly expand its global network. The development of Ethiopian Aviation University will be essential to making ET one of the most prominent airline groups in the world. https://simpleflying.com/ethiopian-aviation-university-making-planes-parts/ Air India seeks to onboard more than 1,000 pilots amid staff dissent on salaries The carrier, which was taken over by the Tata Group in January last year, is hiring more than 1,000 pilots, according to an advertisement on Thursday. "We are offering multiple opportunities and accelerated growth across our A320, B777, B787 and B737 fleet for captains and first officers, as well as trainers," it said, adding that more than 500 aircraft are joining its fleet. Tata Group-owned Air India on Thursday announced its intent to hire more than a 1,000 pilots, including captains and trainers, as the airline expands its fleet and network. The airline, which currently has more than 1,800 pilots, has placed orders for 470 aircraft with Boeing and Airbus, including for wide-body planes. The latest Airbus firm order comprises 210 A320/321 Neo/XLR and 40 A350-900/1000. The Boeing firm order comprises 190 737-Max, 20 787s and 10 777s. The move comes even as its pilots have raised concerns about the airline's latest decision to revamp their salary structure and service conditions. The carrier, which the Tata Group took over in January last year, is hiring more than 1,000 pilots, according to a newspaper advertisement. "We are offering multiple opportunities and accelerated growth across our A320, B777, B787 and B737 fleet for captains and first officers, as well as trainers," it said, adding that more than 500 aircraft are joining its fleet. On April 17, Air India rolled out a revamped compensation structure for its pilots and cabin crew, which has since been rejected by the two pilot unions - Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) - on grounds that the airline, in alleged violation of labour practices, did not consult them before finalising the new contracts. ET had earlier reported that Air India is on the lookout for over 4200 cabin crew and 900 pilots in 2023 as the airline adds new aircraft and rapidly expands its domestic and international operations. Currently, Air India has around 1,600 pilots to operate its 113 aircraft fleet and in recent times, there have been instances of ultra-long haul flights getting cancelled or delayed due to shortage of crew. Tata Group has four airlines -- Air India, Air India Express, AIX Connect and Vistara, which is a joint venture with Singapore Airlines. The group is in the process of merging Air India Express and AIX Connect as well as Vistara with Air India. Air India, which Indian conglomerate Tata bought from the government as it was burning taxpayer's money with piling losses and debt, is seeking a multi-stage transformation roadmap towards becoming a "world class global airline with an Indian heart." The flag carrier is expanding its fleet and network, revamping its customer proposition, and improving reliability in operations. Earlier in April, the airline said it had concluded the first phase of its five-year transformation plan, called Vihaan.AI. Between May 2022-February 2023, Air India has hired over 1900 cabin crew. Over 1,100 cabin crew have been trained in the last seven months (between July’22-January’23), and in the past three months, approximately 500 cabin crew have been released for flying by the airline. The first phase in the airline's transformation journey focussed on addressing legacy issues of the airline and laying the foundation for future growth. Air India also recently announced it will use artificial intelligence-driven chatbot and other initiatives as part of modernising the digital systems for which it has made an initial investment of $200 million. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/air-india-to-hire-more-than-1000-pilots/articleshow/99809550.cms?from=mdr Avolon agrees $4 billion deal for 40 Boeing 737 MAX jets DUBLIN (Reuters) -Global leasing giant Avolon said on Thursday it had committed to ordering 40 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in a deal worth over $4 billion at current list prices, a boost for the U.S. planemaker as it grapples with fresh delivery issues. Stay ahead of the market Avolon, the world's third largest aircraft leasing firm, said the new jets are scheduled for delivery from 2027 to 2030 and will increase the overall size of its owned, managed and committed fleet to 870 aircraft. The deal comes a day after Boeing said it planned to ramp up production of 737 MAX jets during the back half of the year to make up for a slowdown in the second quarter to fix manufacturing issues. "Boeing are obviously working through their issues which are well documented. We at our core have confidence in the fundamentals of the (MAX) program and Boeing's capability to deliver these aircraft," Chief Executive Andy Cronin told Reuters in an interview. Cronin said the new manufacturing issue at Boeing will delay some of its aircraft deliveries but not to the degree where it will require a compensation discussion or fundamentally impact its business. Before Thursday's transaction, rival Airbus' best-selling A320neo family of jets made up 184 of the 252 jets Avolon had committed to buying. Cronin confirmed that Avolon understood that Airbus had contacted a "wide number of customers" about impacts to production schedules for next year. Reuters reported on the delivery delays last week. He said the industry-wide supply chain issues had eased over the past two to three quarters. "But I think everyone is realistic... We see these challenges persisting through the end of this year and into next year for sure," Cronin said. The Dublin-based lessor delivered $599 million of lease revenue and net income of $56 million in the first quarter, citing strong demand for aircraft and high levels of leasing activity amid a continued shortage of jets. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/avolon-agrees-4-billion-deal-082444619.html Curt Lewis