Flight Safety Information - November 9, 2023 No. 218 In This Issue : Incident: Southwest B737 near Indianapolis on Nov 6th 2023, smell of smoke : Incident: Smartlynx A320 near Brussels on Nov 5th 2023, smell of smoke in cabin : Incident: Iran A306 at Tabriz on Oct 23rd 2023, smoke in cockpit and cabin : Top US accident investigator says close calls between planes show that aviation is under stress : Crew ignored 2 warnings before crashing with another jet at Hobby Airport, NTSB report finds : ALPA Urges Congress to Invest More in Aviation Safety Systems to Address Near Misses : Airbus To Raise A350 Production Further, Confirms 2023 Delivery Targets : Asia-Pacific joint effort to outline air taxi and drone safety guidelines by 2025 : Families of Flight 3407 fight to close charter flight regulation loopholes : Korean Air now using RTX to improve predictive maintenance : American Airlines Is Trying to Poach All the Industry's Pilots : Pentagon red tape blocking bigger pilot bonuses authorized by Congress : Private jets of Russian oligarchs keep flying but not to Europe : Man caught with loaded gun at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport security checkpoint : Frontier Airlines to open crew base at Cleveland Hopkins airport, with more than 400 new jobs : A documentary exposes concerns among pilots and cabin crew in European aviation, says ECA : Why Flight Attendants Are Walking Away: 9 Hard Truths Behind The Glamor : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: Southwest B737 near Indianapolis on Nov 6th 2023, smell of smoke A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N563WN performing flight WN-2426 from Charleston,SC to Chicago Midway,IL (USA), was enroute at FL340 about 90nm southeast of Indianapolis,IN (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Indianapolis reporting the smell of smoke on board. The aircraft landed safely on Indianapolis' runway 23R about 23 minutes after leaving FL340. A replacement Boeing 737-8 MAX registration N8809L reached Chicago with a delay of about 4.5 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=510d6f1d&opt=0 Incident: Smartlynx A320 near Brussels on Nov 5th 2023, smell of smoke in cabin A Smartlynx Estonia Airbus A320-200 on behalf of SAS Scandinavian Airlines, registration ES-SAB performing flight SK-1804 from Malaga,SP (Spain) to Stockholm (Sweden), was enroute at FL340 about 100nm south of Brussels (Belgium) when the crew decided to divert to Brussels due to the smell of smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Brussels' runway 25L about 30 minutes after leaving FL340. SAS reported the aircraft diverted due to the smell of smoke in the cabin, technicians immediately checked the aircraft. The aircraft, that had departed Malaga with a delay of about one hour, remained on the ground in Brussels for about 1:45 hours, then continued the journey and reached Stockholm with a delay of about 3.5 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=510d6c3e&opt=0 Incident: Iran A306 at Tabriz on Oct 23rd 2023, smoke in cockpit and cabin An Iran Air Airbus A300-600, registration EP-IBA performing flight IR-718 from Istanbul (Turkey) to Tehran Imam Khomeini (Iran), was enroute at FL330 near Tabriz (Iran) when the crew decided to divert to Tabriz reporting smoke in cockpit and cabin. The aircraft landed safely in Tabriz. Iran's CAO reported the same happened again on the onward flight to Tehran after a mechanic had released the aircraft. The occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated by the CAO. https://avherald.com/h?article=510d9dd4&opt=0 Top US accident investigator says close calls between planes show that aviation is under stress The nation’s top accident investigator says a surge in close calls between planes at U.S. airports this year is a clear warning sign that aviation is under stress. Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told a Senate panel Thursday, Nov. 8, 2023 that close calls are incredibly rare, but we cannot ignore the recent increase in such events. The nation’s top accident investigator said Thursday that a surge in close calls between planes at U.S. airports this year is a “clear warning sign” that the aviation system is under stress. “While these events are incredibly rare, our safety system is showing clear signs of strain that we cannot ignore,” Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told a Senate panel on Thursday. Homendy warned that air traffic and staffing shortages have surged since the pandemic. She said there has been a “lack of meaningful” training — and more reliance on computer-based instruction — by the Federal Aviation Administration and airlines. She said technology improvements could help avoid what aviation insiders call “runway incursions.” Representatives of unions for pilots and air traffic controllers and a former chief of the Federal Aviation Administration were scheduled to testify at the same hearing. The FAA said earlier this week that it will hold meetings at 16 airports before year-end to come up with plans to identify and reduce safety risks. Among the airports hosting meetings airlines, pilots and drivers of ground equipment will be Dallas-Fort Worth International, Newark Liberty International in New Jersey, and Logan International in Boston. Those meetings are in addition to 90 that the FAA announced in August. There have been many close calls in recent months, with the scariest occurring in February in Austin, Texas. During poor visibility in the early morning hours, a FedEx cargo plane preparing to land flew over the top of a Southwest Airlines jet that was taking off. The NTSB has estimated that they came within about 100 feet of colliding. An air traffic controller had cleared both planes to use the same runway. In other recent incidents, pilots appeared to be at fault. The NTSB is investigating about a half-dozen close calls this year, and the FAA says there were 23 of the most serious class of close calls in the last fiscal year, up from 16 the year before and 11 a decade ago. Some estimates suggest those figures grossly understate such incidents. https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-business/ap-top-us-accident-investigator-says-close-calls-between-planes-show-that-aviation-is-under-stress/ Crew ignored 2 warnings before crashing with another jet at Hobby Airport, NTSB report finds • An investigation into two small planes crashing at Hobby found that one crew ignored two warning signs to stop. HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A report by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that a private jet that crashed into another small plane at William P. Hobby Airport ignored not one but two warnings to stop moving. On Wednesday, the NTSB released a report of the Oct. 24 crash. In it, there are up-close photos of the private jet that was damaged when it was hit upon landing. The pilot said he did not see the plane that hit him, and all he heard was what sounded like a tire blowout on the freeway. Pictures of the jet at fault show a damaged wing. According to the report, the crew told investigators they believed they heard they were cleared for takeoff. In reality, the air traffic controller told them to wait. Once the tower noticed the plane was moving, the crew was told to stop moving but never responded. The plane took off but returned to Hobby about a minute later. Crew members of the jet said they did not see the other plane until about one second before the collision and described the feeling of the impact as a "thud," the report states. The NTSB said it is still going through the black box recording of that plane. No one was hurt in the crash, but the chaos impacted nearly 150 departing and arriving flights at Hobby Airport that day. https://abc13.com/hobby-airport-collision-private-plane-clipped-national-transportation-safety-board-report-crew-ignored-signs-before-jet-crash/14030429/ ALPA Urges Congress to Invest More in Aviation Safety Systems to Address Near Misses WASHINGTON—Testifying before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation today, the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) urged Congress to remain vigilant in protecting the world-leading aviation safety record of the United States and recommended additional technologies that would reinforce aviation safety at all U.S. airports, regardless of size or location. “More work can and must be done to prevent near misses and other incidents. ALPA strongly supports doing more to advance NextGen to enhance pilots’ and air traffic controllers’ ability to pinpoint the position of aircraft while in flight and on the ground. Moving NextGen forward will not only help prevent near misses and enhance safety, but it will also improve traffic management and aircraft utilization, reduce flight delays, cut aviation emissions, and contribute to airline profitability,” said ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi in today’s hearing. Despite an increase in the number of close calls reported earlier this year, the U.S. aviation system continues to operate at a very high level of safety. However, more focus is needed to mitigate such events moving forward. ALPA is calling to expand the capabilities of more airports in areas including flight profile optimization, Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System remote surveillance displays, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out equipage, and NextGen equipage. “The presence of two highly trained and well-rested pilots working on every airliner flight deck is another critical factor in safety. We saw this during a near-miss incident at Austin in February that could have resulted in tragedy if not for the actions of the two FedEx pilots working on board the flight deck,” continued Ambrosi. “The success that we’ve achieved in aviation safety didn’t happen by chance. Our progress has also resulted from critical changes to the regulations governing pilot qualification and training, fatigue, airline operations and maintenance, and technology.” https://www.alpa.org/news-and-events/news-room/2023-11-09-alpa-urges-congress Airbus To Raise A350 Production Further, Confirms 2023 Delivery Targets FRANKFURT—Backed by several recent major orders for the type, Airbus has decided to increase the production rate of the A350 family further. The manufacturer confirmed Nov. 8 that monthly output of its most important widebody will increase to 10 aircraft per month in 2026. Airbus also specified the target to bring the A220 up to 14 aircraft per month—a rate now also to be achieved within the next three years. Airbus delivered 36 A350s in the first 10 months of 2023, an average rate of under four aircraft per month. The program, like the rest of the commercial business, has steep growth ahead of it already: A350 production is expected to more than double between now and the end of 2025 to nine aircraft per month. Rate 10 has already been reached once before in 2015 as part of the manufacturer’s initial ramp-up plan. Airbus has seen strong sales of the A350 of late. The biggest deals in 2023 include 34 A350-1000s for Air India, 10 for Lufthansa, and 18 for EVA Air. Also, a once-canceled commitment by Qatar Airways for 23 aircraft has been reinstated after the airline and Airbus resolved their dispute over surface degradation in an out-of-court settlement. Airbus’ decision comes as Boeing is also in the process of boosting 787 output. Its U.S. rival also aims at a rate of 10 aircraft per month in 2025 or 2026. Boeing Commercial Aircraft CEO Stan Deal indicated at the Paris Air Show in June that the company may go even higher if demand justifies the move. Boeing’s highest 787 production was 14 aircraft per month. The manufacturer is also promising its customers that it will begin deliveries of the 777-9 in 2025. Meanwhile, Airbus appears to have gained confidence in its ability to give more precise guidance on boosting A220 production, too. The OEM had previously guided the market for a rate of 14 per month by the middle of the decade. It now says that level is to be reached in 2026. Airbus is also working toward a rate of 75 A320 family aircraft per month that same year. Once the growth plan has been achieved, Airbus plans to produce a total of 89 narrowbodies per month, plus 14 widebodies, for a total of over 100 aircraft per month. The only program for which further production increases are not planned at this time is the A330neo. It is slowly moving up to four aircraft per month in 2024. Airbus delivered 20 A330neos in the first 10 months of 2023. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said he expects “the supply chain to remain challenging as we progress on the production ramp-up.” The speed of ramp-up is “paced by a few critical suppliers, not only engines.” Despite the issues, Faury is “satisfied with the ramp-up” for the time being. “Q3 was okay, October was good,” Faury said. Airbus delivered 71 aircraft in October. The company also stuck to its guidance of handing over around 720 aircraft in 2023. Faury pointed to the fact that the company delivered 166 units in the final two months of 2022 and has 161 more to go this year to get to its target. He predicted that the output will be “significantly higher” in 2024, though Airbus will only specify its production plans at the beginning of next year. The A321XLR will enter service in the second quarter of 2024 after having concluded its route proving campaign. According to Faury, Airbus is taking “as few engines as possible” to be able to secure the ramp-up, but also allow support of the in-service fleet. He acknowledged that A320neo family customers are going through “a lot of pain” because of the Pratt & Whitney inspection program that will force a large number of aircraft on the ground in the coming months. Talks with Pratt about 2024 deliveries are ongoing, though the issues the engine manufacturer is dealing with “do not change what we told you for 2023.” Faury said Airbus was “supporting Spirit [AeroSystems]”—a supplier that has asked for better contract terms for its work shares in the A220 and A350 programs as it orchestrates a financial turnaround. “But we also expect from Spirit to well support Airbus,” Faury added. “After all, we are their customer.” In the first nine months of the year, Airbus handed over 488 aircraft—51 more than in the first three quarters of 2022. Among them were 41 A220s, 391 A320 family aircraft, 20 A330s, and 36 A350s. Revenues in Airbus’ commercial aircraft business increased 18% to €31.5 billion ($33.7 billion) based on the higher deliveries. Adjusted earnings before interest and tax (Adjusted EBIT) rose by 11.9% to €3.2 billion, a 10.2% margin. https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/aircraft-propulsion/airbus-raise-a350-production-further-confirms-2023-delivery Asia-Pacific joint effort to outline air taxi and drone safety guidelines by 2025 • Volocopter, which in 2022 announced plans to launch commercial air taxi flights in the Marina Bay, said it will give updates by the end of November. SINGAPORE – The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and its regional counterparts have begun collaboration on a framework for safety rules and standards to regulate air taxi and drone operations. They met for the first time on Thursday, and aim to develop a set of regulatory reference materials by 2025 that each country can adapt and adopt to govern the emerging air taxi and drone sectors. The meeting, organised by CAAS, was attended by representatives from 17 Asia-Pacific civil aviation authorities, including those from China and Japan, 24 private sector institutes, and companies such as Skyports Infrastructure and Vertical Aerospace. “Regulators need to keep pace with technology for us to be able to reap the full benefits of ensuring security, as well as public and aviation safety,” said CAAS director-general Han Kok Juan. “This is not something that any one regulator can do on his own.” The civil aviation authorities agreed that the two priority areas for drones are technical guidance and personnel training. For air taxis, they agreed on six priority areas, including certification, collaboration between a country’s national agencies, and public education to promote this new form of air transport. Collaboration among the regulators will allow CAAS to understand how risks are mitigated for air taxi operations, and to apply this information to regulatory requirements for Singapore, noted Mr Han. Air taxis are small aircraft that can take off and land vertically, transporting passengers across short distances within a country. Various models have been certified or are in the process of being certified in different countries. In October, start-up EHang’s fully autonomous passenger-carrying air taxis were approved for operations in China, while the European Union Aviation Safety Agency is currently working on the certification of the Volocopter flying taxis in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Volocopter, which in 2022 announced plans to launch commercial air taxi flights in the Marina Bay area by early- to mid-2024, said it will give updates on this by the end of November. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/housing/asia-pacific-joint-effort-to-outline-air-taxi-and-drone-safety-guidelines-by-2025 Families of Flight 3407 fight to close charter flight regulation loopholes Safety requirements for airlines continue to be under the microscope as the FAA is considering a move to strengthen oversight of scheduled charter flights. Families of Flight 3407 victims strongly support this, saying it would close a loophole that allows some charters to operate without the same training and rest requirements as other commercial flights. What You Need To Know The FAA filed a Notice of Intent in August to strengthen safety requirements for pilots and crews on scheduled charer flights Flight 3407 families and the Air Line Pilos Association are in favor of the revisions In August, the FAA filed a Notice of Intent to consider safety regulations of "on-demand" operation, supplemental operation, and scheduled operation of charter flights. Flight 3407 families and the Air Line Pilots Association are both in favor of the revision of regulations. In a statement from the families, Scott Maurer, whose 30-year-old daughter Lorin Maurer died in the crash, said, "We applaud the DOT and FAA's decision to address this critical issue head-on…This is the right step to address the current regulation and eliminate the loophole. Allowing airlines to operate passenger routes as charters with less experienced pilots and lower safety requirements puts air travel at risk. The recent rise in near-miss incidents underscores the importance of pilot skill and experience in preventing potential disasters." The Air Line Pilots Association told Spectrum News 1 in a statement: "Some airlines use the public charter loophole to cut costs by skirting lifesaving safety rules, but if they run similar operations as commercial scheduled airlines, then they are not operating as charter, and that’s an issue. ALPA is committed to ensuring that small communities continue to receive robust air service through strong Essential Air Service reform, but that service should never come at the expense of safety. Closing the public charter loophole would be a step forward for safety that will guarantee one level of safety, so passengers flying into small communities can depend on the same safety and security as passengers flying in Atlanta or New York.” Maurer responded to the concern of regional airlines in an interview with Spectrum News 1 and said, "We hear all the time from rural airports, they’re saying no, no it’s too expensive to do all this stuff," Mauer said. "Well, what’s the value of a life? Can you put a price tag on that?" https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/buffalo/news/2023/11/07/families-of-flight-3407-fight-to-close-charter-flight-regulation-loopholes Korean Air now using RTX to improve predictive maintenance CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Collins Aerospace, an RTX business (NYSE: RTX), announced today that Korean Air will use Collins Aerospace's Ascentia® Prognostic and Health Management (PHM) solution on its growing Boeing 787 fleet. "Ascentia's ability to monitor the health of a wide variety of components on our Boeing 787 fleet will help us improve reliability by predicting potential issues before they occur," said Jonghoon Oh, General Manager - Predictive Maintenance Team, Korean Air. "By tailoring Ascentia to our specific requirements, it will further improve our predictive and preventative maintenance operations, giving our passengers an even more reliable travel experience." The cloud-based solution uses advanced data analytics and machine learning algorithms to help airlines improve maintenance operations and increase aircraft reliability. Analyzing flight data and maintenance records in real-time allows Ascentia to help predict potential maintenance issues and provide recommendations for corrective actions, improving aircraft availability and reducing unscheduled downtime. "Ascentia is designed to help airlines improve their customers' experience," said Clotilde Enel-Rehel, executive director for Customer Programs at Collins Aerospace. "Our data-driven solution will provide Korean Air with predictive maintenance recommendations to optimize their schedule and improve their operational efficiency." Collins Aerospace's Ascentia solution is currently in use by several major airlines around the world. Equipping KAL's Boeing 787 fleet with Ascentia represents a significant milestone as Collins Aerospace expands its presence in the Asia-Pacific region. About Collins Aerospace Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, is a leader in integrated and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Our 80,000 employees are dedicated to delivering future-focused technologies to advance sustainable and connected aviation, passenger safety and comfort, mission success, space exploration, and more. About Raytheon Technologies RTX is the world's largest aerospace and defense company. With more than 180,000 global employees, we push the limits of technology and science to redefine how we connect and protect our world. Through industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon – we are advancing aviation, engineering integrated defense systems for operational success, and developing next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2022 sales of $67 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. About Korean Air Serving the world for more than 50 years, Korean Air is one of the world's top 20 airlines, carrying more than 27 million passengers in 2019, pre-COVID. With its global hub at Incheon International Airport (ICN), the airline serves 120 cities in 43 countries on five continents with a modern fleet of 156 aircraft and over 20,000 professional employees. Korean Air's outstanding performance and commitment to the highest level of safety and customer service has widely been recognized. The airline has been granted numerous awards including a 5-star airline rating from Skytrax as well as Air Transport World's Airline of the Year and Cargo Operator of the Year awards. Korean Air is a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance, and has grown into one of the largest transpacific airlines through its joint venture with Delta Air Lines. For more information about Korean Air, please visit www.koreanair.com, Korean Air Newsroom, facebook.com/KoreanAir, instagram.com/KoreanAirworld and Twitter@KoreanAir_KE. For questions or to schedule an interview, please contact corporatepr@rtx.com https://www.rtx.com/news/news-center/2023/11/09/korean-air-now-using-rtx-to-improve-predictive-maintenance American Airlines Is Trying to Poach All the Industry's Pilots To combat a crippling pilot shortage, PSA Airlines, a regional flier and subsidiary of American Airlines, is dangling bonus packages worth $250,000 to lure pilots away from FedEx and UPS. Believe it or not, the two shipping giants are helping them fill the cockpit. Clipped Wings The captain crunch – that's literally what insiders call it – has been especially hard on regional airlines like PSA, which typically offer lower pay and fewer career opportunities. PSA has already raised wages to $217.50 an hour for experienced pilots, but even that rate comes in well below what FedEx fliers can typically pocket (FedEx captains can earn as much as $336 an hour). Hence the bonus package: PSA is offering pilots a $175,000 bonus attached to their first paycheck, according to a Wall Street Journal report, plus another $75,000 after a year of service, as well as a pathway to fly for the American Airlines mothership, where captains can score over $400 an hour. Luckily for PSA, the cargo side of the industry is slowing just as commercial air travel is picking up: Through the first three-quarters of the year, UPS has seen domestic average package volume fall by 9% from a year ago, while FedEx said it saw a 13% drop for its domestic Express unit in the fiscal year ended in May. FedEx said in July that its crew of roughly 5,800 pilots is about 700 too many. And earlier this year, nearly 200 senior UPS pilots accepted a voluntary buyout package as the company looked to cull its ranks. Both cargo giants have gone so far as recruiting on PSA's behalf, passing along the message of the regional flier's bonus program. Friendly Skies: The shifting winds of pilots' employment prospects reflect a pivot by the American economy, one in which consumers are finally spending less on things and more on experiences -- i.e., less Amazon splurging, more late-night impulse buys on Expedia. What's good for American Airlines may just be bad for Amazon, at least until Jeff Bezos decides terrestrial air travel is just as exciting as going to space. https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/american-airlines-is-trying-to-poach-all-the-industrys-pilots Pentagon red tape blocking bigger pilot bonuses authorized by Congress • The Air Force received an exception allowing them to boost the bonuses, but what about the Army and Navy? When the fiscal year 2023 defense policy bill became law in December 2022, Congress authorized the military to boost its pilot retention bonuses in response to a long-running pilot shortage exacerbated by a private sector hiring spree. The law increased the maximum annual amount of the aviation incentive from $35,000 for each additional year of service to $50,000 per year. But nearly a year later, the Army and Navy still cannot use the larger bonuses because the Office of the Secretary of Defense is yet to update a policy document that controls pilot incentives, according to military spokespeople and documents obtained by Military Times. Both services still await answers about exceptions to policy requests that would permit them to start paying the higher amount. (The Marine Corps acknowledged emailed questions from Military Times but did not respond before this story’s publication deadline.) “The Department appreciates Congress’s actions to increase the maximum bonus amount allowed by law for aviation officer career specialties,” said Navy Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman, a Defense Department spokesperson, in an emailed statement. She noted that all branches independently determine how to pay bonuses (within DoD policy) as one of many tools used to meet their individual retention needs. Schwegman, who did not provide an estimated timeline for the Pentagon to complete the bonus policy revision, added that branches “may request an exception to current policy to pay higher bonuses.” The Air Force received such an exception and started doling out bigger bonuses in June, according to Air Force spokesperson Laurel Falls. The temporary authority lasts through September 2025, should the DoD policy update drag out. The Army, meanwhile, wants to use the bigger bonuses but can’t, according to a bonus planning document obtained by Military Times. The branch wants to offer warrant officer pilots $250,000 in return for five years of service, and it has requested an exception to policy, according to the document. Army Lt. Col. Andy Thaggard, spokesperson for the service’s aviation proponent, confirmed that the Army is “working with sister services to request a permanent increase within the [DoD policy document].” Along with the Army, the Navy’s personnel command “has submitted an exception to policy request to raise the aviation bonus cap,” said Lt. Cmdr. Sean Brophy, a spokesperson for the Navy. He added that an “exception to policy request was submitted to OSD this month and is currently pending approval.” It’s not clear why the Army and Navy’s respective exceptions to policy requests are languishing. Bureaucratic delays can have significant consequences. According to the document, the Army’s fiscal 2023 aviation bonuses went partially unused, which planners blamed on “late release” of the personnel message authorizing it. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2023/11/09/pentagon-red-tape-blocking-bigger-pilot-bonuses-authorized-by-congress/ Private jets of Russian oligarchs keep flying but not to Europe Summary • Instead of French Riviera, Belarus for jet linked to oligarch • Since Ukraine war, some 50 private jets re-registered in Russia • Sanctions limit destinations, harder to get spare parts • Now flying to Turkey, Dubai, China, ex-Soviet states • Nov 9 (Reuters) - In the two years before the war in Ukraine, a private Boeing 737 linked to Russian oligarch Vladimir Yevtushenkov criss-crossed the globe, taking in the French Riviera, the Maldives and Seychelles along with world capitals and financial centres. This year, instead of traditional playgrounds of the well-heeled, the jet has visited ex-Soviet states Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Belarus a handful of times, along with China, flight tracking data by Flightradar24 shows. In a sign of both the limitations and reach of Western sanctions in place since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, some of Russia's rich and powerful are finding ways to keep personal jets airborne, Reuters reporting shows, but the restrictions have sharply curtailed where the planes can travel. The Boeing linked to Yevtushenkov was among at least 50 private jets re-registered under the Russian flag since the February 2022 invasion, according to previously unreported national aircraft registry data up to early August reviewed by Reuters. Several of the repatriated private jets were associated with prominent politicians and business figures, according to two senior Russian aviation industry sources, who were not authorised to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. The two sources said Yevtushenkov personally used the Boeing-737, which until last year bore the logo of the company he founded, telecoms-to-timber conglomerate AFK Sistema (AFKS.MM), pictures on website Jetphotos show. Yevtushenkov said he would not respond to questions about the aircraft, including whether he uses the plane. Yevtushenkov formally ceded control of Sistema after the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on him last year. He remains the main shareholder of the group. Russia's aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, and the Ministry of Transport did not respond to requests for comment. There is no suggestion companies associated with the planes have contravened any sanctions with the repatriations or ongoing flights. SOME JETS ARE STRANDED Jurisdictions including Aruba and the Isle of Man, where some of the jets were previously registered, observe the Western sanctions. That had made it hard to get insurance, fuel and permits for Russian-owned planes flying under their flags, one of the sources said. Putting the planes under the Russian flag allows them to fly to and from nations that have not imposed a flight ban or where individual travellers are not sanctioned, including Turkey and Dubai. Despite such manoeuvres, more than half of Russia's private and corporate jet fleet of around 400 remains stranded abroad or has been sold, the same source estimated, based on his extensive knowledge of the sector. The total number of business jets under the Russian flag is now 145, up from 97 as of early March 2022, according to the list. Because of sanctions, Russian planes are prohibited from entering the 27-country European Union, where Russia's oligarchs previously flew frequently for business and leisure and where many private jets linked to them were registered before the war, tail numbers show. Both aviation sources, who organise and manage business jets, said some jet owners are flying from Russia to Turkey or ex-Soviet states and then chartering different aircraft to EU airports, providing the individuals were not under personal sanctions. Examples of this practice happen at least once a week, one of the sources added, without giving specific examples. According to customs data, some of the repatriated aircraft are linked to state enterprises and business leaders who have backed President Vladimir Putin in the war in Ukraine or who are associated with him. They include a Bombardier Challenger 650 the data shows was imported by Uralkali, a major fertiliser producer formerly led by Dmitry Mazepin - among the tycoons who attended a gathering of leading entrepreneurs led by Putin earlier this year. A Bombardier Global 6000 was imported by VEB.RF, a state-owned development bank led by Igor Shuvalov, a former first deputy prime minister. VEB, Uralkali and Mazepin did not respond to requests for comment on the registration of the jets in Russia. The customs data shows that most private aircraft repatriated after the outbreak of the war returned to Russia from ex-Soviet countries as well as from the UAE and Turkey. As in the case of the Boeing linked to Yevtushenkov, the other re-registered aircraft have avoided crossing into EU airspace and have kept to countries considered friendly to Russia, Flightradar24 data shows. Just over a year later, after the war had started, the plane appeared in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, according to a photo on Jetphotos. The tail number had changed to the Russian registration RA-73890 and the Sistema logo had been removed. But the engine covers still bore the identification P4-AFK and the grey stripes remained. Sistema declined to comment on the plane or its ownership. The United States added Sistema to its sanctions list on Nov. 2. Between early 2020 and the invasion of Ukraine, which Russian officials call a "special military operation", P4-AFK made multiple trips to Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the Maldives, and one each to Croatia, the Czech Republic and the Seychelles, Flightradar24 data shows. It also travelled 105 times in Russia, 17 in France, eight in Italy, the United Arab Emirates and Latvia, five in Britain and four in Turkey. After the invasion began, the plane flew between airports in Turkey, UAE, Oman and Kazakhstan for the remainder of 2022, never crossing into EU territory. It made only 14 trips during that period. According to Russia's aircraft registry, published on Rosaviatsiya's website in August, the jet was registered under the Russian flag in late December. Customs data shows it was officially imported to Russia on Dec. 30 from Bishkek, the capital of ex-Soviet member Kyrgyzstan, after which its flights have been largely limited to Russia. So far in 2023, it has flown 47 times within Russia and a combined nine times to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and China. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/private-jets-russias-rich-keep-flying-glamour-fades-2023-11-09/ Man caught with loaded gun at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport security checkpoint BUFFALO, N.Y. – A Lancaster, N.Y., man was stopped by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport on Nov. 7, when they detected a handgun in the man’s carry-on bag at the security checkpoint. The .45 caliber gun was loaded with 10 bullets, including one in the chamber. Alongside the gun was an additional magazine containing 10 additional bullets. It was the sixth handgun that the security team has detected at the airport’s checkpoint so far this year. The gun was caught as the man entered the security checkpoint. An alert TSA officer was operating the X-ray unit at the checkpoint when they detected what appeared to be a firearm. The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police were notified and responded. Upon arrival, the passenger admitted to law enforcement that there was a firearm in his bag and that it was loaded. The bag was opened at the NFTA Police Department where the loaded firearm and ammunition were removed. The traveler had a valid New York State pistol permit and voluntarily surrendered the firearm to police, who also cited the man on a weapons charge. Guns are not permitted through the security checkpoint and now the man faces a stiff financial civil penalty from TSA. The penalty for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000. “I would like to acknowledge my appreciation to the TSA officers who detected the firearm at the checkpoint and also recognize the quick response of law enforcement,” said Bart R. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Upstate New York. “As a result, a deadly weapon was prevented from getting onto an airplane.” “I would also like to express my disappointment in a licensed and trained New York State pistol permit holder who did not have the self-awareness of where his handgun was. Instead, he entered an active security checkpoint with a loaded handgun and created a potentially dangerous situation through his own actions,” Johnson added. Passengers are only permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage. Firearms must be unloaded then packed in a hard-sided locked case. The locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and gun owners have a duty to ensure they are not violating any local firearm laws. Additionally, contacting the respective airline could reveal any additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition. Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a gun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances. This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because a concealed carry permit does not allow a firearm to be carried onto an airplane. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. Additionally, if a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges. Unsure if an item should be packed in a carry-on bag, checked bag, either or neither? Download the free myTSA app, which has a handy “What can I bring?” feature that allows you to type in the item to find out if it can fly. Or ask on Twitter or Facebook Messenger at @AskTSA. Travelers may send a question by texting “Travel” to AskTSA (275-872). https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2023/11/08/man-caught-loaded-gun-buffalo-niagara-international-airport-security Frontier Airlines to open crew base at Cleveland Hopkins airport, with more than 400 new jobs CLEVELAND, Ohio – Frontier Airlines plans to open a crew base at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, with hundreds of new jobs for pilots, flight attendants and aircraft maintenance workers. The crew base is expected to open in March and will employ up to 110 pilots, 250 flight attendants and 50 aircraft maintenance personnel within the first year of operation, the airline announced Wednesday morning. The new positions are expected to generate nearly $80 million annually in local wages, according to the airline. Additional jobs will be added in future years as the carrier continues to grow in Cleveland and throughout the United States, said Frontier CEO Barry Biffle. “We’ve been very successful in Cleveland,” he said. “The Cleveland area has taken a real liking to Frontier.” Indeed, Frontier is the third largest carrier at Cleveland Hopkins, with 1.23 million passengers in the first nine months of 2023, behind only United and American airlines. The carrier flies to 17 nonstop destinations, more than any other airline, with more to come in 2024, said Biffle, in a Tuesday interview. “You should expect to see more new routes in 2024,” said Biffle, though he declined to say what those new destinations might be. Airport director Bryant Francis said he was thrilled with the news. “We look forward to continuing to partner with Frontier and to support them as they increase their presence at Cleveland Hopkins,” he said. He noted that Frontier’s strong growth in 2023 – which included new routes to San Juan, San Diego and San Francisco -- contributed to the airport’s return to pre-pandemic travel demand. Cleveland will be one of 11 Frontier crew bases, which are also located in Denver, Dallas, Las Vegas, Orlando, Atlanta, Phoenix and Miami. In addition to new routes, Cleveland travelers should also see an improvement in reliability from the airline, as Hopkins will become a home base for seven aircraft, said Biffle. The new Cleveland base is part of a wider corporate strategy focused on increasing the number of aircraft that start and end their day in the same location. “This enables us to run more reliably,” he said. “The chances for us having cancellations or major disruptions are much lower with base aircraft.” The airline has been plagued by lousy on-time arrival figures in recent years, which Biffle blamed largely on air traffic control issues. In August, the carrier was on-time just 62% of the time, according to U.S. Department of Transportation figures. Frontier is what is known as an ultra-low-cost airline, with very low base fares and extra fees for baggage, advanced seat assignments, drinks and other amenities. The carrier flies primarily to popular leisure destinations, including Orlando, Fort Myers and Tampa, Florida; Las Vegas, Phoenix and Cancun and numerous other cities. The carrier, based in Denver, has experienced fast growth in recent years, with 25.5 million passengers nationwide in 2022, up from just 10.2 million in 2013. In Cleveland, its growth has been even more remarkable. The carrier increased seat capacity by 53% in the past year, making it the fastest-growing carrier at Hopkins. “Frontier is making a big bet on Cleveland,” said Mayor Justin Bibb, at a celebratory press conference at the airport Wednesday morning. “They see there’s a lot of good things in the pipeline,” he added, noting upcoming plans to rebuild the aging airport terminal starting in 2025. Frontier is one of several airlines that entered or expanded in the Cleveland market in the years after United Airlines closed its hub at Hopkins in 2014. United still maintains a crew base in Cleveland, with more than 500 pilots and flight attendants in Northeast Ohio. Biffle said most of the Cleveland-based Frontier employees would be new employees, although existing workers would be given the opportunity to relocate to Northeast Ohio. “We expect to start taking applications as soon as tomorrow,” he said on Tuesday. To accommodate the new staff, the airline will be leasing additional space in the Cleveland Hopkins terminal. Last month, Frontier reported a $32 million loss for the third quarter, leading some observers to speculate that pent-up demand for travel after the pandemic has started to level off. Biffle, however, said the company continues to see strong demand. He acknowledged uncertainty over interest rates, inflation and other economic factors. “There’s a concern about demand,” he said. “If we can engineer a soft landing, it will be great for everyone.” To celebrate the news, Frontier put fares between Cleveland and Atlanta on sale for $29 one way. Fares must be purchased by Nov. 20 for travel through Dec. 20. Blackout dates apply. https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/11/frontier-airlines-to-open-crew-base-at-cleveland-hopkins-airport-with-more-than-400-new-jobs.html A documentary exposes concerns among pilots and cabin crew in European aviation, says ECA • This thought-provoking documentary by the Dutch broadcast organization BNNVARA sheds light on alarming practices within the aviation industry, raising significant doubts about the safety of European air travel. BRUSSELS – European pilots and cabin crew feel strongly that flight safety is no longer the primary concern of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and of some industry stakeholders. In a compelling new documentary, aviation professionals express their fears and profound disappointment with the state of aviation safety in Europe. The documentary paints a disturbing picture of EASA, showing indications of being unduly influenced by economic pressures from industry stakeholders. The Agency’s failure to address safety concerns and its dismissive attitude towards scientific studies have eroded trust and confidence among aviation workers. The European Commission, responsible for overseeing EASA, has also quietly withdrawn from its responsibility and accountability. ECA European Cockpit Associaton (ECA) President Capt. Otjan de Bruijn emphasises the tragic lack of judgment displayed by EASA: “Scientific studies from reputable institutions like the London School of Economics, Ghent University (Belgium), and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, consistently highlighting the impact of job insecurity on flight safety, have been unjustly dismissed. EASA’s refusal to acknowledge these findings raises serious questions about its commitment to safety.” The studies* reveal a chilling reality: non-traditional employment practices compromise safety decision-making in European cockpits. Pilots employed in atypical ways are less likely to voice safety concerns, more prone to taking risks, flying while sick and fatigued and lack confidence in safety reporting processes. The Agency’s dismissive attitude has let a culture of fear and intimidation flourish in the industry, making it harder to report safety concerns and putting commercial interests above safety. “Unfortunately, I believe, we can speak about a widespread culture of fear and intimidation within European aviation”, says ECA Deputy Secretary General Ignacio Plaza. “A few outspoken industry leaders have created this culture and EASA has been the silent partner enabling it with its passive attitude towards safety concerns. Pilots don’t report or speak up, safety issues remain hidden. Of those who dare, many face disciplinary measures and retaliation. All this can end very badly one day because the entire aviation safety chain is simply broken.” The documentary also calls into question the role of the European Commission and its responsibility in ensuring the safety of European passengers. Despite repeated pleas and studies highlighting urgent issues, the Commission has failed to address the problem of bogus self-employment in aviation, leaving pilots and cabin crew vulnerable. The recent rejection of revising Regulation 1008/2008 underscores the Commission’s apathy towards aircrew concerns in general. Moreover, the EU Commission is supposed to oversee EASA and ensure the agency is independent from commercial interests. “The Commissioner for Transport’s absence in the documentary speaks volumes, reflecting her typical approach to aviation issues throughout her mandate,” says ECA President Otjan de Bruijn. “As her mandate concludes soon, urgent attention is needed to address the aviation industry’s persistent challenges. It is clear that EASA and the European Commission must do some serious soul searching and fulfil their responsibilities, ensuring passengers’ safety without compromise.” * According to Ghent University, nearly half of self-employed pilots struggle to address airline instructions that conflict with their own safety or liability concerns. This alarmingly high number demonstrates how non-traditional employment can influence the independent decision-making process and safety choices made by crews before or during flights. Similar findings were revealed by a scientific study involving over 7,000 European pilots conducted by the London School of Economics (LSE) and EUROCONTROL in November 2016. The study found that pilots on non-traditional contracts have a significantly more negative perception of their airline’s safety culture compared to directly employed colleagues. This reveals a substantial gap between the two groups. As a result of atypical employment, pilots are less likely to voice safety concerns, more prone to taking risks, less confident in the fair treatment of safety reports, less satisfied with the confidentiality of reporting and investigation processes, less involved in safety activities, more likely to work while sick, experience more frequent fatigue on the job, and have less confidence in filing fatigue reports. https://www.traveldailynews.com/aviation/a-documentary-exposes-concerns-among-pilots-and-cabin-crew-in-european-aviation-says-eca/ Why Flight Attendants Are Walking Away: 9 Hard Truths Behind The Glamor Virgin Australia flight attendant Ashlee Jane recorded a TikTok explaining why she quit her job. The flight attendant lifestyle seems rewarding at first, but is actually grueling. You can’t really switch airlines, since you will start out at the bottom (seniority rules). But it’s easy to see why people stick with it once flexibility start to improve a little and pay goes up a bit with seniority – but also easy to see why the job drains you – and why so many flight attendants burn out on the job without leaving it like Ashlee Jane does. She concludes that being a flight attendant is ‘less of a job, and more of a lifestyle’. She says that if you can “adapt” and “surrender” to your employer you might love it. Here are 9 reasons, though, that the job of flight attendant is rough – especially for new hires – and wears down many crewmembers over the course of their careers. You don’t get a consistent schedule. You express preferences for the month, but those probably don’t get honored unless you have substantial seniority or you want to work the flights no one else does, like on Christmas. You can’t plan a life around the job. Since your schedule isn’t consistent, you can’t plan to be home on a specific day and time. That makes it difficult to build stable relationships and to raise a family and friendships can be tough to maintain, too. You can’t commit to attending a book club, a birthday party, or even to attend a wedding when you’re invited months in advance. Even the schedule you get isn’t guaranteed. Bad weather may cancel your flight and you may get re-routed. Even union contracts may not protect you from undesirable trips – an airline may send you somewhere in violation of your contract and you probably have to comply, just getting told to ‘grieve it’ later. The job is always the same. More experience doesn’t get you more responsibility. At most you might get extra paperwork duties and pay as a purser. You’re basically doing the same thing day in and day out for years, rather than challenging yourself and growing. You don’t even get to travel on your own much. People come to the job for the allure of travel, but life as a nonrev is hard. Airlines fill their planes far more than they used to, making it tough to travel standby – and you don’t just need to find a seat to your destination, you need to be able to reliably get back. Full planes make that hard, but you’d better not miss a shift. And it’s not as though you have much disposable income from your flight attendant job to travel, so even when you have the time and available flights, you may not be able to afford to take advantage of it. Even your work trips aren’t glamorous. Until you gain the seniority to travel to far-flung destinations with long layovers, you’re slogging it out to places like Sioux City (if you’re flying United Express) or Des Moines. You may not even get New York trips if you aren’t based there. And at the end of a four segment day that started early and ended with delays, if you don’t time out in a different city from the one you hoped to visit, you may be too exhausted to take advantage of being there. The pay. After 20 years you might be making $70 per hour, but if you’re only flying 80 hours a month that’s still less than $70,000. And starting pay isn’t much more than a third of that. Your union isn’t going to get you more, the best-paid flight attendants are non-union at Delta. There’s not going to be a union wage premium for a job that has low barriers to entry. Plenty of people apply for open positions, and training isn’t very long compared to pilots and mechanics. There’s not much leverage that’ll increase wages. Some airlines would staff with fewer flight attendants if it was legal to do so (most are required to have 1 per 50 passengers, though major airlines with premium cabins frequently staff widebody aircraft with more than that). The passengers. You meet some interesting people. Most of the people you interact with you never even find out whether they’re interesting. And some of them are downright obnoxious, or emotionally draining. Some attack you, others grab you, or snap at you. Even if those are outliers, so are the opportunities for deeper and interesting conversations. Passengers, the tagline from the Kevin Smith film “Clerks” applies: “Just Because They Serve You… Doesn’t Mean They Like You.” Colleagues. Some are great, many are not. You get paired to work with many new people and frequently don’t know what to expect. Since many airlines do little to monitor employees in the air, and there are frequently limited consequences for shirking responsibilities, a conscientious flight attendant finds themselves picking up the slack for others working the flight who are less so. And that’s even more exhausting, and demoralizing. The flight attendant life is a unique blend of allure and adversity, a dichotomy that both attracts and repels. Ashlee Jane’s candid TikTok encapsulates the essence of this lifestyle—a relentless cycle that demands personal sacrifices and offers limited rewards, especially in the early stages of one’s career. And by the time flexibility and pay grow, the rest of the job may have worn too much and its sameness grated enough that it’s difficult to enjoy. While the job provides a window to the world, it often comes with a view that’s uncontrollable. Flight attendants, much like the aircraft they work in, must navigate through turbulent conditions. Too many get stuck – failing to weigh the transient perks against the enduring hardships. Ultimately, it’s a career that isn’t merely about flying from place to place but about finding a way to stay afloat in turbulent skies. https://viewfromthewing.com/why-flight-attendants-are-walking-away-9-hard-truths-behind-the-glamor/ CALENDAR OF EVENTS • CHC Safety & Quality Summit 2023: November 14 – 16, 2023 • 2024 Women in Aviation International Conference - March 21-23 (Orlando) • 2024 ACSF Safety Symposium – Air Charter Safety Foundation - April 1-3, 2024 • 2024 ISASI - Lisbon, Portugal - September 30 to October 4, 2024 • 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition - Oct. 22-24 (Vegas) Curt Lewis