Flight Safety Information - September 29, 2023 No. 189 In This Issue : Incident: PIA B773 near Karachi on Sep 28th 2023, fire indication : Incident: Klasjet B738 at Hanover on Sep 25th 2023, loss of cabin pressure : NTSB: No evidence of fire on plane (Pilatus PC-12/47) that crashed off Beaufort (N.C.) killing 8 : Fatal 2021 jet crash in Farmington was likely caused by parking brake left on during takeoff: NTSB : Someone In the Middle East is Leading Aircraft Astray by Spoofing GPS Signals : NTSB: Plane in crash that killed Peltola’s husband was heavily laden with moose meat, antlers : It’s not just a shutdown — Congress has no plan for the FAA either : World airlines mark 20 years of improved safety : Why aviation faces a double whammy as shutdown looms : Viva Aerobus Plots U.S. Growth Following Safety Upgrade (Mexico) : United Airlines agrees to improve flight access for wheelchair users : Demand rising for new pilots, aviation workers Incident: PIA B773 near Karachi on Sep 28th 2023, fire indication A PIA Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777-300, registration AP-BMS performing flight PK-745 from Sialkot (Pakistan) to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), was enroute at FL340 about 160nm northwest of Karachi (Pakistan) when the crew received a fire indication on board and decided to divert to Karachi, where the aircraft landed safely on runway 07R about 24 minutes later. A replacement Boeing 777-200 registration AP-BGJ continued the flight to Jeddah and reached the destination with a delay of about 4 hours. The airline reported a post flight inspection did not reveal any trace of fire, smoke or heat. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground about 11 hours after landing in Karachi. The occurrence aircraft had suffered a similiar occurrence two days earlier, see Incident: PIA B773 near Jeddah on Sep 26th 2023, burning odour in cockpit. https://avherald.com/h?article=50ef4ccf&opt=0 Incident: Klasjet B738 at Hanover on Sep 25th 2023, loss of cabin pressure A Klasjet Boeing 737-800 on behalf of FlyEgypt, registration LY-LOC performing flight FT-3842 from Hanover (Germany) to Hurghada (Egypt), was climbing through FL280 out of Hanover when the crew initiated an emergency descent to FL100 due to the loss of cabin pressure. The aircraft returned to Hanover, burned off fuel at 5000 feet and landed safely on runway 09R about 50 minutes after departure. A SkyUp Boeing 737-800 registration UR-SQP reached Hurghada with a delay of about 26 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Hanover about 50 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=50eeb7d0&opt=0 Incident: Aeroregional B735 near Guayaquil on Sep 24th 2023, cabin pressure problem An Aeroregional Boeing 737-500, registration HC-CUH performing flight RER-877 from Quito to Loja (Ecuador), were descending towards Loja's Ciudad de Catamayo Airport about 10nm north of Guayaquil (Ecuador) when the crew decided to divert to Guayaquil due to a problem with the cabin pressure, the passenger oxygen masks deployed. The aircraft landed safely in Guayaquil about 15 minutes later. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 25 hours, then positioned back to Quito, but has not yet resumed service about 72 hours after landing in Guayaquil. https://avherald.com/h?article=50eeb5ef&opt=0 NTSB: No evidence of fire on plane (Pilatus PC-12/47) that crashed off Beaufort (N.C.) killing 8 BEAUFORT, N.C. (WITN) -There’s new information in the ongoing investigation into the plane crash in the waters off of Beaufort in 2022 that killed eight people. The National Transportation Safety Board says, “There was no evidence of fire on any section of the airplane.” The NTSB is still investigating, but in a nine-page report of an examination of the wreckage, it made that conclusion regarding the possibility of a fire. The preliminary report had previously stated it was unknown if there was a fire. The report also details what parts of the plane were and were not recovered. It says the cockpit, sections of the fuselage, the doors, the nose landing gear and the propeller hub were not recovered. The forward and aft sections of the main wing spar were separated, recovered, and the fracture surfaces exhibited overload. The wing to fuselage interface bolts were found intact for the three locations that were recovered. The left and right main landing gear were recovered. A section of the left wing and left inboard flap actuator was located. Also, a section of the left winglet was recovered. The 7.5 ft inboard section of the right wing flap and a majority of the right winglet were located. Three of the five propeller blades were recovered and were separated at the hub and about midspan of the blade. An audio transcript with air traffic control shows the pilot, 67-year-old Ernest ‘Teen” Rawls of Greenville, had asked if he could land at runway two six at Beaufort Smith Airport. Air traffic control said he could not because it was active with Harriers. At one point during the flight, the plane had entered restricted airspace before flying out of it. Eight people, including four East Carteret High School students, died in the February 13th crash as the group was returning from a duck hunting trip in Hyde County. The Pilatus PC-12/47 plane, headed for the Beaufort airport, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. https://www.witn.com/2023/09/29/ntsb-no-evidence-fire-plane-that-crashed-off-beaufort-killing-8/?outputType=amp Fatal 2021 jet crash in Farmington was likely caused by parking brake left on during takeoff: NTSB A small jet that crashed into a building in Farmington in September 2021, killing four people, was going slower than usual as it took off because the pilot had left a parking brake on, according to a report released Thursday. The failure to release the brake was the probable cause of the accident, according to the report from the National Transportation Safety Board, which also said a lack of equipment on the jet to notify the pilots of such a problem contributed to the crash. The twin-engine Cessna 560XL was to have flown from Robertson Airport in Plainville to Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo, North Carolina, on Sept. 2, 2021. But it crashed into a manufacturing building shortly after takeoff and burst into flames. https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/fatal-2021-jet-crash-in-farmington-was-likely-caused-by-parking-brake-left-on-during-takeoff-ntsb/3113657/?amp=1 Someone In the Middle East is Leading Aircraft Astray by Spoofing GPS Signals GPS spoofing from an unknown source in the Iraq-Iran area is causing complete aircraft navigational system failures in some overflying airliners and business jets. As a result, one bizjet almost strayed into Iranian airspace without clearance. A flight data intelligence crowdsourcing website called OPSGROUP began reporting incidents of GPS navigation signals spoofing on Monday. The site claims to have a membership of 8,000 pilots, flight dispatchers, schedulers, and controllers. According to OPSGROUP, commercial and business aircraft using Airway UMB688 in northern Iraq (a major airway utilized by traffic routing between Europe and the Middle East) have experienced complete navigation system failures after receiving spoofed GPS broadcasts. They appear to have broader cyber components than just the replacement of position data beamed by the GPS signals with false coordinates. Earlier this week, OPSGROUP reported that, “[Twelve] separate reports have been now received by OPSGROUP, and in most cases the [Inertial Reference System] becomes unusable, VOR/DME sensor inputs fail, the aircraft UTC clock fails, and the crew have been forced to request vectors from ATC to navigate.” Since then, reports of GPS spoofing have risen to 20 incidents. In one report, the site says that an Embraer 650 business jet crew enroute from Europe to Dubai related that they lost both GPS navigation units aboard the airplane and GPS signals to both pilot/co-pilot iPads. “Further, the IRS didn’t work anymore,” the crew reported. “We only realized there was an issue because the autopilot started turning to the left and right, so it was obvious that something was wrong. After couple of minutes we got error messages on our FMS [aircraft flight management system] regarding GPS, etc. So we had to request radar vectors. We were showing about 80 nm off track. During the event, we nearly entered Iran airspace (OIIX/Tehran FIR) with no clearance.” Forbes Daily: Get our best stories, exclusive reporting and essential analysis of the day’s news in your inbox every weekday. In another reported incident a Bombardier Challenger 604 bizjet required ATC radar vectors all the way to its destination at Doha, Qatar after losing GPS. “Nearing north of Baghdad something happened where we must have been spoofed. We lost anything related to Nav and the IRS [inertial reference system] suggested we had drifted by 70-90 miles. We had a ground speed of zero and the aircraft calculated 250kts of wind. The FMS’s [flight management systems] reverted to DR (Dead Reckoning) and had no idea where they were.” “We initially took vectors to get around the corner at SISIN [northern Iraq airspace]. Nav capability was never restored, so we required vectors all the way from Iraq to Doha for an ILS. We never got our GPS sensors back until we fired up the plane and went back to home base two days later.” For background, OPSGROUP notes that airway routes over Baghdad near the eastern Iraq-Iran border are considered sensitive areas by Iran. “There are two large missile bases just across the boundary: one at Kermansah (a huge facility with dedicated anti-aircraft weapons), and another at Khorramabad. For context, Iran shot down a passenger aircraft in 2020 in Tehran (accidentally), and has been heard in September 2023 issuing warnings on [the] 121.5 [MHz frequency] with threats to shoot down aircraft entering the FIR without a clearance.” Iraqi airspace A map of Iraqi airspace showing the border countries of Iran (to the east), Saudi Arabia, Jordan, ... [+]OPSGROUP The FAA is aware of the spoofing incidents and issued a Notice to Air Men (NOTAM) on Wednesday evening centered on Baghdad overflights; “ALL AIRLINES FLYING THROUGH BAGHDAD FIR-ORBB SHOULD EXPECT GPS JA MMING/GNSS INTERFERENCE IN THE NORTHERN PART OF IRAQ ALONG THE ATS RO UTE UM688 FROM RATVO TO VAXEN. 2-ALL AIRLINES WITH DESTINATION ORER SHOULD EXPECT GPS JAMMING/GNSS I NTERFERENCE DURING FINAL APPROACH PHASES. 3-PILOTS ARE EXPECTED TO INFORM THE RELEVANT ATS UNIT IN THE EVENT OF GPS SIGNAL OUTAGE IN ORDER TO REPORT IT TO THE CONCERNED AUTHORITIES AND TAKE THE APPROPRIATE ACTION TO ENSURE THAT ALL FLIGHT OPERATIONS ARE CARRIED IN SAFE AND EFFICIENT MANNER...” I queried U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) - which oversees U.S. and coalition military operations in the Middle East - regarding what knowledge of GPS spoofing it has, whether U.S./coalition military aircraft have experience similar episodes and whether the source of the spoofed GPS signals has been identified. A CENTCOM spokesperson said the Command was aware of the issue but had no further comment. Updates from CENTCOM may be coming however, and I’ll include them here when issued. Based on information from its members, OPSGROUP characterized the spoofing as something beyond the ordinary GPS jamming common to the area. It reports that a specific GPS receiver on a single aircraft is sent a signal that shifts the displayed position by 60 nautical miles. The aircraft’s navigation systems cannot process or make sense of the sudden new data and in almost all reported cases navigation systems and GPS displays are rendered useless. The pilots then have to call air traffic control for vectors to stay on course. Any delay in recognizing the loss of navigation and resultant positional drift near Iranian border areas could result in an intercept by Iranian Air Force aircraft, the consequences of which can be unpredictable. https://www.forbes.com/sites/erictegler/2023/09/28/someone-in-the-middle-east-is-leading-aircraft-astray-by-spoofing-gps-signals/?sh=5c63cb843183 NTSB: Plane in crash that killed Peltola’s husband was heavily laden with moose meat, antlers A plane flown by U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola’s husband was loaded with more than 500 pounds of moose meat and a set of antlers before the crash near St. Mary’s earlier this month that killed him, investigators say. The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report Thursday on the Sept. 12 crash that killed 57-year-old Eugene “Buzzy” Peltola Jr. The report, compiled after an NTSB team traveled from Washington, D.C., to Alaska, sheds new light on both the crash and Peltola’s death as he awaited an overnight rescue flight. According to the report, Peltola had been flying the Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub on the second of two flights that evening to ferry moose meat to Holy Cross. A group of five hunters had camped near a landing strip about 80 miles northwest of Holy Cross, and started to load the plane at about 7:40 p.m. on Sept. 12 with the second load. “During the next hour, the pilot and the hunters loaded the airplane with the meat,” investigators wrote. “One of the hunters reported that the airplane held about 50 to 70 pounds more meat than during the previous flight. The meat was strapped into the rear passenger seat area with both the seatbelt and chord and was loaded into the airplane’s belly pod, which did not have tie-down provisions. The pilot then tied the antlers to the right wing strut; the antlers were cupped outward and perpendicular to the direction of flight.” Peltola also told one of the hunters that he expected to be at reserve fuel levels when he reached Holy Cross. The two also noted that intermittent wind gusts were passing over the airfield. “Members of the group reported to the pilot that the wind was gusting much stronger at the departure end of the airstrip,” investigators wrote. When Peltola took off at about 8:45 p.m., one of the hunters recorded a video of his takeoff from the airstrip. Investigators noted that the plane rolled about 20 degrees right then leveled after takeoff, with no abnormal engine noise or smoke seen in the video. “The hunters noticed that the ground roll was slightly longer than before, and that the airplane appeared to be more ‘labored’ than during the previous flight,” investigators wrote. “They stated that, as the airplane reached the end of the airstrip, it pitched up and turned sharply to the right but, rather than climbing as before, the airplane flew behind the adjacent ridgeline and out of view.” At first the hunters thought the Super Cub’s takeoff was successful, according to investigators. But when the plane didn’t reappear beyond the ridgeline, they climbed it and found the crash site. One of them sent an SOS on an InReach satellite communicator, then pulled Peltola from the crashed plane. “Once he was removed, they covered the pilot in blankets, and set a heater upwind to keep him warm,” investigators wrote. “The pilot was talking and did not appear to be in pain, but he became less responsive during the next 2 hours, after which time the pilot no longer had a pulse.” The Alaska Air National Guard sent a rescue helicopter and a rescue plane to the crash site from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. Guard officials have said the aircraft had to refuel in McGrath, with the helicopter arriving at the crash site at 1:50 a.m. on Sept. 13. Investigators at the crash site, including representatives from plane manufacturer Piper and engine maker Lycoming, found no initial sign of engine failure. The propeller had separated during the crash, with divots in the ground marking the impact points of its right wingtip and main landing gear. “The airplane cargo was weighed at the accident site, revealing a load of about 520 pounds that consisted primarily of moose meat and a set of moose antlers,” investigators wrote. “About 150 pounds of meat was found in the forward section of the belly pod; the remaining portions were firmly secured in the rear cabin seating area. The antlers were secured to the inboard side of the right-wing strut.” Clint Johnson, the NTSB’s Alaska chief, stressed Thursday morning that investigators have not yet determined what caused the plane’s crash. Investigators are examining how the plane was loaded, he said, but are still determining the weight of everything on board — as well as whether the plane was rated for a higher maximum weight than the stock PA-18-150 Super Cub’s 820 pounds. “Right now, we’re still looking and trying to find the maintenance records for this aircraft. We’re in the process of doing networking with family,” he said. “So we don’t really know whether there was a loading issue or not.” NTSB meteorologists are planning to model weather conditions at the airstrip, Johnson said, to estimate the strength of the wind gusts during the plane’s takeoff. Investigators are also awaiting results of an autopsy conducted on Peltola. The next step, according to Johnson, is a closer look at the wrecked plane — which is no longer at the airstrip. “The wreckage itself has now been removed and brought back to Anchorage,” he said. “And we plan to revisit that wreckage again, to begin the analytical part of the investigation.” Peltola, a family man and a former Alaska regional director for the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, retired from the position to support his wife’s successful run for Congress. A funeral for him was held in Bethel on Sept. 18, with hundreds of Alaskans in attendance. https://alaskapublic.org/2023/09/28/ntsb-plane-in-crash-that-killed-peltolas-husband-was-heavily-laden-with-moose-meat-antlers/ It’s not just a shutdown — Congress has no plan for the FAA either The airline sector is staring down an authorization and funding lapse amid congressional paralysis. The FAA is estimating that travel will reach its peak for the year heading into Indigenous People's Day weekend, which will begin in a week. | Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images It’s not just a broader government shutdown. By Sunday, the aviation system could also have almost all of its funding cut off if Congress can’t stop squabbling. And House Republicans don’t seem to have a plan to avoid that, either. It’s a crucial moment for the Federal Aviation Administration, which is faced with a possible lapse in its statutory authorization for the first time since 2011, as well as a possible gap in funding if the entire federal government shuts down this weekend. The funding cliff comes as the powerful agency has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since April 2022, at a time when near-misses have spiked and air travel has surged. If Congress can’t act to head off a shutdown and FAA lapse by Sunday, most air traffic controllers will continue working without pay, but some 2,600 controllers in training — including 1,000 that are already working in FAA centers nationwide — will be forced to go home, putting significant strain on an already stressed system. Grant money for important safety improvements will stop and some regulations in process, such as ones intended to shore up passenger protections, will grind to a halt. And the country’s aviation system will lose an estimated $54 million a day in fuel and fare tax revenues. “At this point, there isn’t a specific plan for [FAA], because there’s so many areas that are important that need to be extended as well,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said in an interview. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) said discussions about passing any standalone bills in the House, such as one that would extend the FAA’s expiring authorities, are “frozen.” Donalds insisted that the Senate should abandon its attempt to pass a short-term government funding bill. “What the Senate should be doing is passing our FAA bill, not stripping it to pass a [continuing resolution] that’s dead here in the House,” Donalds said. “If you had that good faith, even with the Senate, you could figure out a single-issue situation dealing with air traffic control and FAA.” There is bipartisan support in both chambers for sparing the FAA the brunt of a lapse. But how to get that result while also threading the needle of the fractious House Republican conference, portions of which are spoiling for a shutdown, has remained elusive. Meanwhile, the FAA is estimating that travel will reach its peak for the year heading into Indigenous People’s Day weekend, which will begin in a week. Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), a vocal critic of McCarthy who has vowed not to vote for any short-term spending bills, said he supports voting on standalone authorization bills like the FAA but that the crush of looming deadlines is designed to get members to fall in line. “The fact that we’re backed up against shutdown politics is not a bug of the system, it’s a feature of the system,” Gaetz said. “The leadership does this on purpose so they centralize power and the lobbyists and special interests that make the biggest donations get the biggest say in the policy we’re working on.” The FAA’s authorization aside, the House and Senate remain far apart on a path to keep the federal government open. McCarthy has vowed to try to pass an amended version of a continuing resolution — with additional border security language incorporated — but faces a bloc of hard-right conservatives rigidly against any short-term government funding patch. House Transportation Committee Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) said he was “not sure” what path the House would take regarding a potential standalone FAA extension – including one he introduced, H.R. 5711 (118), on Tuesday. Graves, like many House Republicans, does not want the FAA’s authorization to lapse. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), a senior member of the committee close to McCarthy, said he was not aware of a backup plan to advance an FAA reauthorization. That’s the sense of half a dozen senior Republicans on the Transportation Committee, many of whom blamed the Senate for the possible lapse. They point out that their chamber passed a five-year FAA authorization in late July, while the Senate has yet to act on its own version. “I’m concerned about [a lapse] but again, it’s out of our control over here. It’s in the Senate,” Westerman said in an interview. In the Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is advancing a bill that would extend both government funding and the FAA’s expiring authorization, legislation that House Republican leadership says won’t pass the House. The House and Senate now have dueling plans to potentially avert a FAA lapse. The Senate attached a three-month FAA extension to its continuing resolution that would fund the federal government through Nov. 17. The House has its own three-month extension that Graves introduced on Tuesday. But there’s currently no path to either of them becoming law in time to avert a lapse, given House Republicans’ opposition to the Senate’s stopgap government funding bill. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), the top Democrat on the House’s Aviation Subcommittee, wasn’t optimistic. “I think we’re going to have a shutdown,” he said during a conference held by the Regional Airline Association on Wednesday. https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/28/congress-faa-lapse-government-shutdown-00118718 World airlines mark 20 years of improved safety World airlines have marked the first 20 years of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) at the IATA World Safety and Operations Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam. They noted that over the past two decades, IOSA has made a major contribution to improving safety, while reducing the number of redundant audits. IATA’s Senior Vice President of Operations, Safety and Security, Nick Careen, said while it is a condition of membership in IATA, more than 100 non-IATA member airlines also see the value of participating and we welcome others. Likewise, while more than 40 governments use or are intending to use IOSA in their safety oversight programs, many more do not. The safety data confirm that in aggregate, airlines on the IOSA registry have a lower accident rate than airlines that are not on the IOSA registry. Since 2005, the all-accident rate for airlines on the IOSA registry is 1.40 per million sectors, compared with 3.49 per million sectors for non-IOSA airlines. In 2022, IOSA-registered carriers outperformed those not on the registry by a factor of four (0.70 accidents per million sectors vs. 2.82 accidents per million sectors). Reflecting the strong safety performance of airlines on the IOSA registry, IATA entered into IOSA’s third decade with a call for regulators to recognise the contribution to safety that IOSA makes as the global standard for airline operational safety and to incorporate IOSA into their own safety regulatory oversight programmes. Also, airlines not yet on the IOSA registry should join. Currently, some 417 operators are on the IOSA registry, of which 107 are non-IATA members. Recall that IOSA was launched in September 2003 with Qatar Airways as the first airline to be audited and join the IOSA Registry. IOSA has been a requirement for IATA membership since 2006. It is also a condition of membership in the three global airline alliances, as well as several regional airline associations. It is used by regulators in numerous countries to complement their safety regulatory oversight programmes, and as the primary means to verify operational safety for many airline codeshare arrangements. The audit assesses an airline’s conformity with the IOSA standards and recommended practices (ISARPs). These are based on the internationally agreed standards and recommended practices set down and maintained through the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). IOSA was developed in cooperation with aviation regulatory bodies, including Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transport Canada. Last year, IATA began evolving IOSA to a risk-based model under which audits are tailored to the operator’s profile and focusing on high-risk areas. The new approach also introduces a maturity assessment of the airline’s safety-critical systems and programmes. According to Careen, “IOSA is the globally recognised standard for airline operational safety auditing. Now we are taking it to the next level by tailoring the audit activity to the operator’s profile and focusing on high-risk areas. “As IOSA evolves to deliver greater value for the operator and the industry, we hope additional airlines will see the value of this important safety program and strongly urge more governments to make it a formal part of their safety oversight,” she said. https://guardian.ng/business-services/aviation-business/world-airlines-mark-20-years-of-improved-safety/ Why aviation faces a double whammy as shutdown looms The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is facing down a dual threat as Congress careens toward a government shutdown, with potential consequences for an air travel industry already struggling with waves of delays. On top of losing funding, the law establishing the agency’s authority is set to lapse without renewal. Both face a Saturday deadline. After passing the House earlier this year, the agency’s renewal failed to proceed in the Senate. Its reauthorization is now tied up in the Senate’s efforts to advance a continuing resolution, or stopgap funding measure, to avert a government shutdown. However, with just days to go, a final deal on the continuing resolution — and in turn a path forward for the FAA’s reauthorization — remains elusive. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned Thursday of the threats posed to the agency by both a potential shutdown and a lapse in authorization. “It’s not just the shutdown: FAA is operating on a 5-year authorization that also expires this Sunday, unless Congress acts,” Buttigieg said in a post on X. “This chaos among House Republicans must end so that Congress can do its job.” More than 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 transportation security officers are expected to continue working throughout a potential shutdown without pay, according to the White House. While such aviation-related federal workers would largely be exempted from the shutdown, the Biden administration warned that previous shutdowns have led to significant delays and longer wait times for travelers at airports. During the 35-day shutdown from December 2018 to January 2019, absenteeism rose among air traffic controllers, which led to major delays and ultimately played a significant role in ending the shutdown, according to The Washington Post. “I want you to imagine the pressure that a controller is already under every time they take their position at work,” Buttigieg said at a press conference Wednesday. “And then imagine the added stress of coming to that job from a household with a family that can no longer count on that paycheck. That is the consequence of a shutdown.” A failure to renew the FAA’s authorization would also mean that the agency could not collect revenue, effectively giving airlines a “tax holiday” that would likely be “unrecoverable,” Buttigieg added. During the brief lapse of the FAA’s authorization in 2011, the agency lost more than $350 million, according to The New York Times. Buttigieg also warned that a shutdown could stymie progress the administration has made to reduce air traffic controller shortages. The FAA would have to stop training new air traffic controllers and furlough another 1,000 who are already in the training pipeline, he said. “The complexity of the hiring and training process means even a shutdown lasting a few days could mean we will not meet our staffing and hiring targets next year,” Buttigieg added. A June report from the Transportation Department Office of Inspector General found that 77 percent of critical air traffic control facilities were staffed below the threshold required by the FAA. Rich Santa, the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, urged senators Wednesday to move forward with the continuing resolution attached to the FAA reauthorization and prevent a shutdown. “Shutting down the FAA for any length of time is deeply problematic for both aviation safety professionals and the National Airspace System (NAS),” Santa said. “The FAA, its frontline workforce, and the flying public can ill afford another disruptive shutdown, regardless of its duration.” https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/4228596-why-aviation-faces-a-double-whammy-as-shutdown-looms/ Viva Aerobus Plots U.S. Growth Following Safety Upgrade (Mexico) Viva Aerobus has unveiled plans to open six new routes to the U.S. following the FAA’s decision to restore Mexico to the agency’s highest safety rating. The new transborder services are all from Monterrey, connecting the city with Austin, Texas; Denver; Miami; New York; Oakland, California; and Orlando, Florida. The ULCC is also launching three new domestic services, marking the airline’s largest-ever expansion from the Mexican city. Mexico’s safety rating was downgraded by the FAA to Category 2 in May 2021, preventing the country’s airlines from adding new routes, increasing frequencies or changing equipment—including aircraft upgauging. However, Category 1 status was reinstated on Sept. 14, ending a 28-month saga. Viva Aerobus operates 20 nonstop routes between Mexico and the U.S. at present, including six from Monterrey International Airport (MTY). The first of the six new services will start on Jan. 25, 2024, connecting MTY with Denver twice a week. The launch will be followed by flights to Austin from March 9 with four frequencies per week; to Orlando on May 9 with three roundtrips per week; and to Miami and Oakland on July 1, with three and two weekly flights, respectively. Details of an MTY-New York John F. Kennedy route will be announced at a later date. In Mexico’s domestic market, Viva Aerobus will also commence operations to Tapachula on Nov. 2, 2023, with three flights per week; to La Paz on Dec. 23 with 2X-weekly frequencies; and to Durango on April 18 with three services every week. Earlier this month, the carrier also opened reservations for daily flights to Tulum, beginning on Dec. 1. Viva Aerobus CEO Juan Carlos Zuazua says the new routes mark a “before and after” in terms of Monterrey’s national and international connectivity, increasing the airline’s capacity at MTY by 23% to around 13 million seats during 2024. “[The routes] to the U.S. are designed to serve the world’s largest international air market with a low-cost option that truly makes it easier for people to visit their relatives and friends, vacation or do business,” he adds. The carrier has long sought to further increase its U.S. network, but has been hampered by the Category 2 status, which has also delayed the implementation of a proposed joint venture (JV) with Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air. The two airlines unveiled their new partnership in December 2021, which includes plans by Allegiant to invest $50 million in Viva Aerobus. Mexico’s Federal Economic Competition Commission authorized the commercial agreement unconditionally in October 2022, but the U.S. Transportation Department halted its review into the planned JV on July 31, citing “outstanding questions relating to the continued implementation of the U.S.-Mexico air transportation agreement.” https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airports-networks/viva-aerobus-plots-us-growth-following-safety-upgrade United Airlines agrees to improve flight access for wheelchair users WASHINGTON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - United Airlines agreed on Thursday to improve air travel for passengers using wheelchairs under an agreement with the U.S. Transportation Department following a government investigation into a disability complaint. United has agreed to make available a flight filter on its booking engine to make it easier for passengers who use wheelchairs to find flights where wheelchairs fit and be safely transported and refund any fare difference for passengers using the filter when preferred flights are not available. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/united-airlines-agrees-improve-flight-121303521.html Demand rising for new pilots, aviation workers If you’ve ever had a flight canceled, it can potentially be due to staffing issues, which have been difficult to deal with in the aviation industry since travel resumed following COVID-19 restrictions. According to management consulting firm Oliver Wyman, North America is short by about 8,000 pilots, which is roughly 11% of its supply. That’s only expected to worsen throughout the next decade. The sounds of planes practicing landing and taking off are frequent at the Hudson Valley Airport, where Dutchess Community College’s Aviation Education Center is located. “For me, there's no better feeling,” said Matthew Helgesen, a student in the Aviation Science Pilot program. Helgesen, 18, has been interested in planes from a young age. This led him to take his passion to college to prepare for a career in the field. “It can be difficult at times,” Helgesen said. “It's a very demanding class, but, you know, just keep it on your A-game. You got to really want to do this if you want to pursue a career in it.” John Trosie, chair of the aviation program, was one of its founders in 2005. “It is a great reward to watch students grow and their abilities grow and then to watch them move on to the airlines,” Trosie said. There are three different aviation program tracks: pilot, management and maintenance technician. It was previously designed to have students transfer to a four-year school upon completion, a requirement many airlines relaxed due to extreme staffing shortages in the industry. The mandatory commercial pilot retirement age was 60 up until 2007 when a new law raised it to 65. Now, Congress is looking to increase that to 67 due to the shortage of pilots. Research from Oliver Wyman shows that because of more demand for travel these days, there’s a need for more pilots than can be supplied, as pilot training comes with a price tag and time commitment that can be quite challenging. Not enough pilots could mean fewer flights available for travelers. “The pilot shortage is real. It's going to be around for a while longer,” Trosie said. “There's a lot of people in the industry that are trying to help people get through the training.” Students like Helgesen recognize that the shortage is making now a good time for them to break into the industry. “When I look at that, I see more opportunity,” Helgesen said. “It's almost something, motivation to look forward to.” https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/business/2023/09/28/pilots-aviation-workers-demand Curt Lewis