Flight Safety Information - October 5, 2023 No. 193 In This Issue : Accident: Fedex B752 at Chattanooga on Oct 4th 2023, hydraulic problem, unsafe gear, main gear up landing, runway overrun : Incident: United B39M at Seattle on Oct 3rd 2023, tyre damage on landing : FedEx jet skids off the runway at a Tennessee airport after landing gear failure : Single-Pilot Operations Are Under Increased Scrutiny : Ukraine’s Passenger Aircraft Shot Down By Iranian Air Defense Missile In 2020 Still Finds No Compensation : Kansas man federally charged after laser pointer aimed at aircraft : American Airlines says a flight attendant failed to follow its policies when she called authorities about a Black passenger's multiracial children : American Airlines Threatens to Discipline Flight Attendants Who Wear Union T-Shirts On Flights or at Training School : Saudi Arabia, Brazil sign MoU on aviation cooperation Accident: Fedex B752 at Chattanooga on Oct 4th 2023, hydraulic problem, unsafe gear, main gear up landing, runway overrun A Fedex Federal Express Boeing 757-200 freighter, registration N977FD performing flight FX-1376 from Chattanooga,TN to Memphis,TN (USA) with 3 crew, was climbing out of runway 20 when the crew stopped the climb at 5000 feet reporting a minor issue requiring them to work checklists. About 15 minutes later the crew indicated they needed to return to Chattanooga and needed some time to run the checklists, no emergency was declared. Another 5 minutes later the crew reported they still needed time to bring the flaps down, then they would be ready for an approach. The crew reported ready for the approach another 4 minutes later and commenced the approach, advising they were having flight control issues but no assistance was needed. While on approach the crew requested to abort the approach advising they now had an unsafe gear indication. The crew subsequently indicated that after landing they would not be able to vacate the runway, they were able to lower their landing gear, and declared emergency. The crew subsequently requested a low approach to have the airport check whether the gear was down. Following the low approach both ground staff and tower reported they could not see any gear. Emergency services were alerted to a "no gear landing" at alert level 3. The crew advised they would be stopping on the runway and would evacuate, they had about one hour of fuel remaining. The aircraft positioned for a no gear landing on runway 20, then advised they wanted another orbit, approach clearance was cancelled. About 10 minutes later the crew intercepted the localizer runway 20 again and touched down about 85 minutes after departure but overran the end of the runway. Tower immediately closed the airfield when the aircraft touched down. There were no injuries. Chattanooga's fire department reported: "Public safety agencies rushed to the Chattanooga Regional Airport late Wed night after receiving reports that a FedEx757 was on its final approach with a landing gear failure. The call came in at 11:04 PM on 10/4/23. CFD, CPD and HCEMS quickly staged in position and waited." https://avherald.com/h?article=50f4076e&opt=0 Incident: United B39M at Seattle on Oct 3rd 2023, tyre damage on landing A United Boeing 737-9 MAX, registration N37507 performing flight UA-450 from Chicago O'Hare,IL to Seattle,WA (USA) with 176 passengers and 6 crew, landed on Seattle's runway 34L but blew two tyres and became disabled while turning off the runway onto taxiway E. Another aircraft reported they "shredded" their tyres. Tower asked UA-450 to pull forward by about 20 feet (6 meters) to clear the runway, the crew managed to pull forward that distance. Following a runway inspection the runway was opened again, the aircraft remained on taxiway E for an inspection by airport operations. Passengers reported they were sitting on the tarmac for more than two hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 11.5 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=50f37f0e&opt=0 FedEx jet skids off the runway at a Tennessee airport after landing gear failure A plane operated by FedEx skidded off the end of a runway at an airport in Chattanooga, Tennessee, after reporting a landing gear failure, emergency officials said. Three people were aboard the Boeing 757 aircraft, which came to a stop between the runway and a nearby road late Wednesday, the Chattanooga Fire Department said on social media. “All three people on the aircraft are accounted for,” the department said. The Federal Aviation Administration said it will investigate the incident. “FedEx Flight 1376 landed with its gear up and slid into the grass at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport” around 11:45 p.m., the FAA said in a statement. The plane “was headed to Memphis International Airport when it returned.” CNN reached out to FedEx for more information. Emergency crews were called to the airport just after 11 p.m. on reports that the jet was making its final approach with landing gear failure, fire officials said. The plane circled before making the emergency landing, the officials added. The plane’s engines emitted smoke, but there was no fire detected, the fire department said. “Great work by the pilot and airport personnel, as well as all responding agencies for their coordinated efforts,” the department said. https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/05/us/fedex-jet-emergency-landing-chattanooga/index.html Single-Pilot Operations Are Under Increased Scrutiny The A350F could be an early platform to test reduced flight crew operations scenarios. A push to develop procedures and new flight deck functionality that supplant a pilot even for short time periods is receiving increased attention from global labor groups that fear a direct path to aircraft designed for single-pilot operations. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations and European Cockpit Association launched a joint campaign against single-pilot operations (SPO) this year without flagging any specific projects. Soon, targets emerged: projects underway at Airbus and Dassault as well as a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) study on extended minimum crew operations (EMCO) and SPO (AW&ST June 13-26, 2022, p. 32). EASA now says nothing will change before 2027, and SPO for commercial airline operations—if they ever happen—are much further off. Airbus and FedEx discussed single-pilot A321 and A350 plans EASA is studying concepts but does not have a timetable Pilot groups are unified in opposition While regulators will drive any reduced-crew operations (RCO) timelines, at least two large industry stakeholders have considered plans with far more ambitious timetables than EASA’s latest public statements. Airbus has pitched two new freighters to FedEx that would leverage having fewer pilots on board, Aviation Week has learned. The more radical proposal is an A321F that would be type-rated for two pilots at the outset but would attain single-pilot approval over time, documents seen by Aviation Week suggest. The second concept is an A350F approved for EMCO—essentially permitting one pilot on the flight deck during low-workload cruise portions of the flight, which could lead to needing fewer pilots on long-haul flights that require relief crews under current regulations. The ideas, pitched in early 2022 and dubbed Project Morgan, are not moving forward at the pace Airbus envisioned due primarily to regulatory hurdles. But details in the documents lay out the manufacturer’s thinking on how SPO could evolve. Under Project Morgan, Airbus would further develop concepts trialed under its Dragonfly program, such as automated emergency descents. These would converge with EASA’s EMCO work, which focuses on evaluating the risks and potential benefits of allowing a single pilot on the flight deck during low-workload periods The A350F plan proposed to FedEx envisioned a formal application in 2022 and entry into service—with at least some RCO approvals—in 2026. This would follow rulemaking and standards development by both EASA and the FAA. When EASA unveiled its EMCO and SPO study last year, its timeline aligned with Airbus’ FedEx pitch. Its original target was industry consensus on EMCO and some approved operational applications such as single-pilot flight decks during long-range cruise by the middle of the decade. While the broad vision remains in place, both the regulator and the manufacturer have throttled back. “We have been asked to look at single-pilot operations [for freighters] as industry has been approaching us to look at the viability of the case,” EASA Acting Executive Director Luc Tytgat tells Aviation Week. “We don’t have yet a pre-application, just . . . a partnership agreement with the industry actor. They want to question us [on] whether it is realistic or not. We are at step zero of the process.” Regarding timing, he adds: “There is not so much activity. We don’t see [entry into service in 2025 or 2026]. Single-pilot operations is not something immediate.” FedEx aircraft Airbus has discussed an A321F with single-pilot approvals as a replacement for FedEx’s large narrowbodies. Airbus “is constantly looking for ways to improve and advance its range of products to deliver higher levels of safety, efficiency and performance,” the manufacturer tells Aviation Week. “We believe that pilots will remain at the heart of operations for the foreseeable future and that automation can play a crucial role by assisting them in the cockpit and reducing workload. . . . Our studies are based on a minimum of two operating crew per flight and do not involve flights with only one pilot on board. As we do so, we are in constant dialog with our customers and the authorities.” Airbus is developing an A350F that is scheduled to enter service in 2026. It has not launched a new-build A321F. “We have no further comment about the launch of an A321 freighter version,” the manufacturer says. “There are many studies, but not all of them see the light of day.” Whether Airbus has shelved its A321F SPO plan or simply set it aside is unclear. But as recently as last year, it was crafting a sales strategy around the concept. The A321F SPO plan included application to both EASA and FAA in 2023 and entry into service in 2027, according to the documents seen by Aviation Week. In parallel, Airbus would support development of what it dubs the “single pilot/second pilot-optional” certification project that would pave the way for full-mission SPO. FedEx would work with the FAA on operational details, including a pool of pilots trained to fly either alone or in traditional crew pairs. The ambitious project aimed for entry into service by 2030. Several industry sources said the FAA’s list of near-term priorities does not include any substantial RCO work. A FedEx pilot union source said Project Morgan has not been discussed with its ALPA-represented membership. FedEx did not respond to Aviation Week’s inquiries. The increasing activity around RCO and pilot unions’ concerns stem from multiple concepts converging. Automation’s evolution is bringing capabilities to the flight deck that supplant pilots. Airbus last year selected Thales’ PureFlyt as one flight management system (FMS) option for the A320, A330 and A350. Among the functionalities that Thales is building into the system is a “pilot assist” function, Yannick Assouad, executive vice president for avionics, revealed during this year’s Paris Air Show. Designed to automate weather-related route changes and other unexpected flight plan diversions, PureFlyt will start as a function pilots must opt to use. Remove that critical step, however, and it becomes part of a truly automated FMS functionality. “You can easily imagine a system that has [data from] millions of flights integrated—all the failure scenarios that you can imagine in the airplane and procedures to answer them are automatically loaded in that system,” Assouad said. “It can become a flight assistant with no pilot [activation]. It has the power to absolutely do that.” While true SPO will require a step change in automation, aircraft designs also must evolve. When industry shifted away from having a flight engineer as the third person on the flight deck, aircraft designs changed. Boeing Chief Pilot and Vice President for Flight Operations Craig Bomben suggests a similar shift would be needed to introduce single-pilot scenarios safely. Single-pilot operations would require enhancements to current-generation flight decks. “As far as I know, there has not been a commercial airplane built yet that was designed for single-pilot operations,” Bomben said at a recent ALPA conference. “Because of that, there are certain things you cannot do from a single seat,” he added, using a jammed control as one example. “Solving that requires both pilots.” As aircraft designs evolve, industry is exploring more reduced-crew scenarios on today’s aircraft. The concept dates back decades, starting with so-called controlled rest—or planned naps—in the cockpit. EASA is among many regulators that, under very specific guidelines, allow one pilot to take a nap in their seat while the other stays at the controls. The European air transport industry took advantage of a 1989 NASA study published in the International Civil Aviation Organization’s journal the following year, flight safety consultant Bertrand de Courville explains. “As a guiding principle, taking some rest in flight helps being in a good shape for critical flight phases, such as approach and landing,” says the French Air and Space Academy member and former Air France captain. “Electroencephalography shows sleep is a physiological need; it is no use trying to fight it. If you do not rest to recover vigilance, you will have a drop in alertness or fall asleep before you know it.” The idea is to take a nap without settling into deep sleep. The total duration should be around 30 min., including a wake-up phase. Proponents say the practice helps prevent loss of vigilance but has limited impact on fatigue. Loss of vigilance and fatigue are different, even though building up fatigue paves the way for losing vigilance. “Briefings are key,” de Courville says. Under the framework set by EASA for each operator to create its own procedures, briefings take place before and after the controlled rest period. Before, the crew discusses the situation, upcoming tasks and the possible need to wake up the sleeping pilot. After the rest period, the pilot who stayed awake briefs the other on the situation. The FAA has studied it and even prepared a draft advisory circular (AC) in the early 1990s that would have allowed it. But opposition from pilot unions, notably ALPA and the American Airlines-affiliated Allied Pilots Association, kept the AC from being adopted, and subsequent guidance has codified the FAA’s position. “The FAA authorizes inflight naps for flight crew if there is an augmented complement so that two pilots are on the flight deck while the augmented crewmembers are resting,” states a 2010 Basics of Aviation Fatigue AC. “Although a number of foreign air carriers authorized in-seat cockpit naps during flight, the FAA does not authorize such in-seat cockpit naps.” ALPA President Jason Ambrosi says the union’s position has not changed. “Controlled rest is not a solution for fatigue,” he says. “That should not be a stopgap for proper rules. Our fatigue rules here in the U.S. allow for multiple pilots on long legs. There’s fatigue mitigation through actual rest, not controlled rest.” ALPA sees controlled rest and EMCO’s allowance of one pilot on the flight deck while a second pilot naps as not just poor regulatory policy, but steps toward true SPO. “There is no safety argument to be made” for having one pilot on duty at a time, Ambrosi says. ALPA is backing its stance with contract language. Recently crafted pilot agreements at Delta Air Lines and United Airlines include provisions that require two pilots, for example. United’s contract updated the previous language that specified having two pilots on the aircraft. Now they must be on the flight deck. Boeing’s Bomben acknowledges that the company’s automation-related research, which CEO David Calhoun has said will be a significant driver in its next clean-sheet airplane design (AW&ST June 19-July 2, p. 42), includes RCO concepts. “This has picked up a head of steam, and we could not ignore it,” Bomben said. “So we’re looking at it.” Boeing’s approach is straightforward, Bomben said. It is looking at failure scenarios one by one and determining whether automated functionality might assist. It also is examining how the same scenarios would be affected by having one pilot at the controls, even for a short stretch. So far, the results are sobering. One example is a notional EMCO scenario with one pilot on the flight deck while a second is napping in the crew rest area. The pilot flying has a seizure and inadvertently disconnects the autopilot. “Now you have an airplane that is not being flown,” Bomben said. Malicious actor scenarios are another category that seems to conflict with permitting only one trained pilot on the flight deck, he added. “There is a lot of technology being developed out there right now being touted as the technology required to go to reduced crew ops,” Bomben said. “Boeing is not going to support an effort that doesn’t meet an equal or greater level of safety. “I’m not saying we’re not going to get there at some point,” he added. “But I’m telling you right now there are a lot of questions that need to be answered.” https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/safety-ops-regulation/single-pilot-operations-are-under-increased-scrutiny Ukraine’s Passenger Aircraft Shot Down By Iranian Air Defense Missile In 2020 Still Finds No Compensation Iran continues to neglect Ukraine’s claims and recommendations concerning compensation for the tragic incident involving Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight PS752 in 2020, reported the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. Ukraine said that representatives from Ukraine, Great Britain, Canada, and Sweden, constituting the International Group for the Coordination of Assistance to Victims of Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight PS752, engaged in discussions with Iranian authorities concerning the accountability for the tragic incident involving the downing of flight PS752 on January 8, 2020. According to the press release, the Coordination Group is committed to the peaceful resolution of conflicts and has been actively working towards resolving this issue since 2020 through multiple negotiation attempts. Finally, in September 2023, Iran consented to meet with all members of the Group for discussions. As a result, representatives from the four members of the Coordination Group convened with Iranian officials this week to address Iran’s state responsibility for the tragic downing of Flight PS752. The Coordination Group emphasized that their discussions centered on Iran’s accountability for breaching international law and the imperative for Iran to provide full reparations to address the harm caused by the downing of Flight PS752. To the group, “full reparations” encompass more than just monetary compensation. Comparison between missile debris found in a residential area near Parand and known design of the SA-15 missile. The undestroyed green and black nose of the missile lays in a ditch filled with dead grass and rocks. The bottom part of the missile nose appears burnt. A visual of a complete missile is shown with the same coloration and design in comparison with the debris. “The Coordination Group regrets that Iran remains unwilling to engage meaningfully with our position and continues disregarding our claims. Based on the discussions, which took place this week, the Group considers that our respective positions are too far apart to be reconciled through negotiations,” the Group added. Therefore, the Group declared that the Coordination Group will persist in taking steps to address this dispute in compliance with international law, which may include seeking recourse at the International Court of Justice. Besides the nine Ukrainian crew members, 167 passengers were on board, comprising 82 individuals from Iran, 63 from Canada, three from the United Kingdom, four from Afghanistan, ten from Sweden, and three from Germany. Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) Flight PS752 On January 8, at 06:12 local time (02:42 GMT), Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 departed from Imam Khomeini International Airport, Iran. Within six minutes of its departure, the plane descended rapidly towards the ground, with flames emanating from its fuselage. It struck the ground before erupting into a fiery explosion, leading to the complete disintegration of the aircraft and the heartbreaking loss of all 176 lives on board. The aircraft’s black boxes, which document flight data and cockpit audio, were retrieved from the wreckage. Initially, the Tehran government claimed that the UIA aircraft encountered a technical issue shortly after departing. Iran’s statement referenced witnesses, including the crew of another passenger plane, who claimed to have seen the aircraft on fire before it crashed. At the time, some reports also indicated that mechanical diggers were dispatched to the crash site before international investigators had a chance to arrive. This raised suspicions that evidence might have been tampered with or intentionally destroyed. Furthermore, the timing of the accident, occurring just hours after Iran had launched missiles at US targets in Iraq, led to speculation about alternative potential causes. Imam Khomeini International Airport is located on the bottom left hand side of the map with a solid red line demonstrating flight PS752’s trajectory from IKA, upwards and to the left. Midway, the solid red line becomes a dashed red line to indicate the location of PS752 at the time of probable impact of the missile and end of transponder data at 6:15 local time. The dashed red line then curves up and towards the right to show the trajectory of the flight after the first missile and the attempt to return to IKA and, ends at the crash site at 06:18 local time. Three probable surface to air missile launch points are indicated through small blue houses with flags in the top left hand corner. Two solid green lines demonstrate how the SAM operator would have perceived the 105 degree misalignment and the trajectory of PS752. Flight trajectory of Flight PS752 and reported misalignment Experts promptly raised questions about the assertions made in Iranian state media, which suggested that the crash might have been due to an engine fire. Typically, commercial aircraft are built to withstand engine failures and execute safe landings as part of their standard design. Confronted with increasing evidence contradicting their previous statements, Iranian authorities eventually acknowledged that an Iranian air defense team had shot down the passenger jet using two Russian-made missiles. The Iranian military contended that the plane’s downing resulted from “human error,” as the aircraft had ventured near a “sensitive site” under the jurisdiction of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps. An Iranian General alleged that the Iranian operator, having misidentified the Boeing as a “cruise missile,” attempted communication and waited for 10 seconds, ultimately choosing to open fire. The final report of the Iranian Flight PS752 Accident Investigation confirmed that the responsible air defense unit that downed Flight PS752 was identified as an SA-15 Gauntlet, also referred to as a Tor M1. In April 2023, in a trial conducted by the Tehran Military Court, 10 lower-ranking officers associated with the downing of the aircraft were prosecuted, resulting in sentences ranging from one to three years for disciplinary infractions. The missile operator received a 13-year sentence for criminal negligence leading to loss of life. However, the four countries, Ukraine, Great Britain, Canada, and Sweden, released a statement expressing their skepticism, as they believed that the trial lacked transparency, with names and evidence withheld, characterizing it as a “sham trial.” https://www.eurasiantimes.com/ukraines-passenger-aircraft-shot-down-by-iranian-air-defens/ Kansas man federally charged after laser pointer aimed at aircraft WICHITA, Kan. (WIBW) - One Kansas man is in hot water after a federal indictment alleged he aimed a laser pointer at a passing aircraft. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas says that on Wednesday, Oct. 4, Cletis Ringwald, 68, of Lyons, was indicted on federal charges that claimed he pointed a laser pointer at a passing plane. The Federal Aviation Administration noted that pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime. Those who are caught violating the law face fines of up to $11,000 per violation and $30,800 for multiple violations. In 2021, the FAA issued $120,000 in fines for this crime. The FAA indicated that aiming laser pointers at an aircraft can incapacitate pilots and put passengers at risk. When the laser hits the plexiglass window of an airplane, it can temporarily blind pilots. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Kansas Highway Patrol continue to investigate the case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Kari Burks prosecutes. https://www.wibw.com/2023/10/04/kansas-man-federally-charged-after-laser-pointer-aimed-aircraft/ American Airlines says a flight attendant failed to follow its policies when she called authorities about a Black passenger's multiracial children • The passenger was flying with his children from Atlanta to Los Angeles last month. • A Black passenger said an American Airlines flight attendant contacted authorities about his children. • He said he was met in Los Angeles by four police officers who questioned his two multiracial children. • The airline said that the attendant failed to follow its policies on suspected human trafficking. American Airlines said a flight attendant failed to follow its human-trafficking policies when she contacted authorities about a Black passenger because she was concerned that the two multiracial children with him weren't actually his. David Ryan Harris had documented his experiences flying from Atlanta to Los Angeles on September 15 with his two children. Getting off the plane he was met by four police officers and an American Airlines employee who had been contacted by the flight attendant with concerns about the wellbeing of his children and suggestions that they might not have been his, he said in videos on Instagram. The police questioned his children and let the family go after they were satisfied they were his own, he said. Harris said that the flight attendant had become suspicious over a roughly 30-second interaction in which his "pretty shy" seven-year-old son didn't respond when she tried to engage him in conversation. "There were many steps that she could have taken before she lobbed the hand grenade of having the authorities called," Harris said in a video. The incident left him "shocked and humiliated," he added. Harris said that he lodged a complaint but didn't receive a response until more than a week later, when an American Airlines agent reached out after hearing about the incident on social media. He said he was told the airline had conducted an investigation and offered him 10,000 air miles. In an Instagram post this week, Harris said he'd been sent a statement from American Airlines about its investigation. "We and our flight attendant realized that our policies regarding suspected human trafficking were not followed, and through coaching and counseling … our flight attendant realizes that their interaction and observations did NOT meet the criteria that human trafficking was taking place," the airline told Harris, according to his Instagram post. "Our flight attendant in question wanted to make sure that you were aware that they sincerely offer a heartfelt apology to you and your family for their actions, and the results that their actions generated," American Airlines continued, per Harris' post. Potential indicators of human trafficking include being disoriented, confused, fearful, timid, or submissive, as well as deferring to someone else, according to the Department of Homeland Security. American Airlines says it provides mandatory human-trafficking awareness training for flight attendants and "empowers" them to act if they suspect human trafficking. "From the beginning, I didn't (and still don't) think that a slow or tentative response from a 7 year old on an early morning flight should be enough criteria to have the authorities called," Harris wrote on Instagram this week after being sent the statement. "I've never begrudged the red flag, I've always begrudged the apparent lack of diligence on the part of the flight attendant," Harris continued. He added that he "wholeheartedly" accepted her apology. Harris has started a petition asking the Transportation Security Administration to make it mandatory for airport staff to check the ID of children under 18 before they board flights, which he said would make it "significantly more difficult for criminals involved in child trafficking operations to go undetected." An American Airlines representative told Insider by email: "We strive to create a positive, welcoming environment for everyone who travels with us and apologize for any misunderstanding that may have occurred." https://www.insider.com/american-airlines-failed-follow-human-trafficking-policies-black-passenger-children-2023-10 American Airlines Threatens to Discipline Flight Attendants Who Wear Union T-Shirts On Flights or at Training School American Airlines is threatening to discipline flight attendants who wear t-shirts emblazoned with their union’s logo while on flights to or from the carrier’s training center near Dallas. The threat has provoked an angry response from the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), who have filed a presidential grievance with American Airlines and demanded bosses revoke the threat of discipline immediately. The issue came to a head after APFA started to issue bright red t-shirts to its members emblazoned with the union’s logo. The t-shirts are just one way that the union is trying to put pressure on the airline during difficult contract negotiations. Some of the t-shirts also feature a new logo which reads ‘We Are Ready’ – a shortened version of APFA’s call that they and AA’s flight attendants are ready to strike if their demands for big pay rises and other contract improvements aren’t met. The first letter of each word has been capitalized and written in a different color so as to spell out ‘WAR’. On Monday, however, AA’s managing director of labor relations took issue with the t-shirts, specifically the fact that flight attendants were wearing them during their annual mandatory refresher training, calling them “divisive” and alleging that they could distract crew members. Shortly afterwards, American Airlines issued a ban on flight attendants wearing any form of slogan shirt while at training school or during flights to or from training. APFA is now seeking to challenge the ban, saying that its t-shirts depict a logo and not a slogan and should, therefore, be allowed. “According to Oxford Languages, a ‘slogan’ is defined as ‘a short and striking or memorable phrase used in advertising.’ Conversely, a ‘logo’ is defined as ‘a symbol or other design adopted by an organization to identify its products, uniform, vehicles, etc.’ The APFA logo is clearly a symbol, not a phrase, meaning a shirt displaying the AFFA logo is not a ‘t-shirt with a slogan’,” the union wrote in a letter to airline bosses that was leaked by aviation insider xJonNYC on social media platform X. The union also says that AA has never banned logos or even slogan t-shirts at its training school, so it can’t implement a ban now. “It is unquestionably evident that the Company’s prohibition of Flight Attendants wearing an APFA logo shirt to/from and while attending training is solely intended to ‘chill’ and/or suppress lawful union activity,” the union wrote in the letter to AA’s labor relations legal team. Last week, APFA admitted that it had accepted help from the Association of Flight Attendants, the largest crew union in the US, which represents flight attendants at United, Alaska and Frontier Airlines, amongst others. The Association of Flight Attendants has made its chief negotiator available to APFA as they try to break a deadlock in stalled contract talks with AA. Flight attendants at the airline have already voted overwhelmingly in favor of strike action, but the union must pursue every opportunity to reach a deal before it has any chance of being ‘released’ by federal mediators to conduct ‘self-help’. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2023/10/05/american-airlines-threatens-to-discipline-flight-attendants-who-wear-union-t-shirts-on-flights-or-at-training-school/ Saudi Arabia, Brazil sign MoU on aviation cooperation Agreement signed during conference in Rio de Janeiro to highlight investment opportunities in aviation sector ‘The two countries have a long history of cooperation and partnerships in various fields’: GACA president SAO PAULO: The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation and Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of civil aviation during a conference in Rio de Janeiro. The conference highlighted investment opportunities in the aviation sector. The two countries intend to reinforce cooperation to exchange knowledge, aiming to improve the passenger experience in air transport, among other goals. The Saudi Press Agency reported that the partnership fulfills the objectives of the National Aviation Strategy, which seeks to make the Kingdom a global aviation hub. With this partnership, Brazil can provide expertise in infrastructure projects and other areas of the Saudi aviation sector. “By participating in the event, the Kingdom seeks to prove its global leadership in the field of aviation and its readiness to expand and strengthen cooperation with Brazil,” the SPA said. The MoU includes information exchanges such as reports, service quality indicators and passenger satisfaction surveys related to practices adopted in Brazil and Saudi Arabia. The agreement also includes the exchange of information, standardized procedures for passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility, and training courses and workshops focusing on improving the passenger experience. The MoU will be implemented according to the laws and regulations of both countries. GACA President Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Duailej, who attended the conference’s opening ceremony, said the Kingdom values relationships built on trust and hard work. “Despite the long distance between Saudi Arabia and Brazil, the two countries have a long history of cooperation and partnerships in various fields,” he added. Saudi Arabia is heavily investing in its aviation sector to boost tourism by 2030, targeting 330 million passengers by the end of the decade. https://www.arabnews.com/node/2385201/saudi-arabia Curt Lewis