Flight Safety Information - October 27, 2025 No. 214 In This Issue : Incident: France B773 over Switzerland on Oct 24th 2025, heat in the cabin : Incident: Delta B739 at Minneapolis on Oct 23rd 2025, rejected takeoff due to engine failure : Incident: Delta B763 over Atlantic on Oct 21st 2025, engine shut down in flight : Flights to Los Angeles International Airport halted due to air traffic controller shortage : More than 8,000 US flights delayed as air traffic control absences persist : How Long Does The Average Boeing Plane Stay In Service? : Why The Boeing 787 Has Four Cockpit Windows Instead Of Six : Navy loses two aircraft from USS Nimitz aircraft carrier within 30 minutes : Calendar of Event Incident: France B773 over Switzerland on Oct 24th 2025, heat in the cabin An Air France Boeing 777-300, registration F-GZNG performing flight AF-652 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Saint Denis (Reunion) with 312 passengers and 14 crew, was enroute at FL310 about 50nm southsoutheast of Zurich (Switzerland) when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting heat in the cabin and requested to return to Paris Charles de Gaulle. The crew subsequently decided to dump fuel on the way back and advised no further assistance was needed. Swiss ATC advised, that upon entering France they would need to declare emergency to be able to dump fuel over French territory, the crew thus upgraded to Mayday, Mayday. The aircraft landed safely on Charles de Gaulle's runway 26R about 100 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 777-300 registration F-GSQP reached Reunion with a delay of about 6:15 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground about 22 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=52ed4a2b&opt=0 Incident: Delta B739 at Minneapolis on Oct 23rd 2025, rejected takeoff due to engine failure A Delta Airlines Boeing 737-900, registration N829DN performing flight DL-1661 from Minneapolis,MN to Portland,OR (USA) with 187 people on board, was accelerating for takeoff from Minneapolis' runway 30R when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed (about 135 knots over ground) due to the failure of the right hand engine (CFM56). The aircraft slowed safely and stopped on the runway, the crew requested emergency vehicles to attend to the aircraft. A runway inspection found engine debris on the runway. Following inspection by emergency services the aircraft taxied to the apron. A replacement Boeing 737-900 registration N836DN reached Portland with a delay of about 2:45 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Minneapolis about 38 hours after the rejected takeoff. https://avherald.com/h?article=52ed29a5&opt=0 Incident: Delta B763 over Atlantic on Oct 21st 2025, engine shut down in flight A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N193DN performing flight DL-45 from Dublin (Ireland) to New York JFK,NY (USA), was enroute at FL350 over the Alantic Ocean about 700nm southsouthwest of Keflavik (Iceland) when the crew decided to divert to Kelfavik due to the failure of the left hand engine (PW4060). The aircraft drifted down to FL210 and landed safely on Keflavik's runway 01 about 90 minutes later. A replacement Boeing 767-300 registration N194DN reached New York with a delay of about 29 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Keflavik about 90 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=52ed264c&opt=0 Flights to Los Angeles International Airport halted due to air traffic controller shortage Flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility, the Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday, when the agency also reported staffing-related delays in Chicago, Washington and Newark, New Jersey. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world's busiest airports soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed and canceled in the coming days as the nation's air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. During an appearance on the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures,” Duffy said more controllers were calling in sick as money worries compound the stress of an already challenging job. “Just yesterday, ... we had 22 staffing triggers. That’s one of the highest that we have seen in the system since the shutdown began. And that’s a sign that the controllers are wearing thin,” he said. The FAA said planes headed for Los Angeles were held at their originating airports starting at 11:42 a.m. Eastern time, and the agency lifted the ground stop at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. The hold did not appear to cause continuing problems at LAX; according to flight tracking website FlightAware, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport saw a much bigger share of late arrivals due to what the FAA said were weather and equipment issues. Too few air traffic controllers per shift also caused takeoff and arrival disruptions Sunday at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport and Teteboro Airport, and at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Meyers, Florida, according to the FAA. On Sunday evening, the FAA also slowed traffic into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport because of traffic controller staffing. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/flights-los-angeles-international-airport-173720053.html More than 8,000 US flights delayed as air traffic control absences persist WASHINGTON (Reuters) -More than 8,000 flights were delayed across the U.S. on Sunday as air traffic controller absences continued to disrupt travel and a federal government shutdown reached its 26th day. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration experienced air traffic control staffing issues at 22 locations on Saturday, and added additional shortages were expected to lead to more flight delays and cancellations in the days ahead. According to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, there were more than 8,000 U.S. flight delays by 11 p.m. ET on Sunday (0400 GMT on Monday), an increase from about 5,300 on Saturday. Delays have often been above average since the government shutdown began on October 1. Southwest Airlines had 45%, or 2,000 flights delayed on Sunday, while American Airlines had nearly 1,200, or a third of its flights delayed, according to FlightAware. United Airlines had 24%, or 739 flights, delayed and Delta Air Lines had 610 flights, or 17%, delayed. Some 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must work even though they are not being paid during the shutdown. Increased air travel delays and cancellations are being closely watched as observers look for indications that the shutdown is making life harder for Americans. That, in turn, could pressure lawmakers to break the budget deadlock that led to the shutdown. The FAA on Saturday had 22 "triggers" that indicated shortages of air traffic controllers, Duffy told the Fox News "Sunday Morning Futures" program. He said the figure was "one of the highest that we've seen in the system" since October 1. "That's a sign that the controllers are wearing thin," Duffy said. The FAA said ground delay programs had been issued because of staffing shortages on Sunday at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, Washington's Reagan National Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport. An earlier ground stop was issued at Los Angeles International Airport, but that was later withdrawn. The Trump administration has warned that flight disruptions will increase as controllers miss their first full paycheck on Tuesday. Advertisement Air traffic controllers received a paycheck two weeks ago at 90% of their regular pay. But Tuesday's payday would have been for their first pay period solely for work in October. More in U.S. Air traffic control staffing problems spiked over the weekend, raising concerns about growing disruption Controllers facing the prospect of missing a federal paycheck are looking for other sources of income, Duffy said. "They're taking second jobs, they're out there looking," he said. The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and many had been working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown. In 2019, during a 35-day shutdown, the number of absences by controllers and TSA officers rose as workers missed paychecks, extending wait times at some airport checkpoints. Authorities were forced to slow air traffic in New York and Washington. Duffy and other Republicans have criticized Democrats for opposing a "clean" short-term funding bill with no strings attached. Democrats have criticized President Donald Trump and Republicans for refusing to negotiate over health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/more-8-000-us-flights-035652925.html How Long Does The Average Boeing Plane Stay In Service? The Canadian carrier Nolinor Aviation operates a fleet of Boeing 737s with an average age of 44.4 years, making it one of the oldest Boeing fleets on the planet. But is this a true representation of how long the average Boeing plane stays in service? The answer is no, Nolinor is very much an outlier when it comes to the average Boeing aircraft. But before we explore this in more detail, let's just clarify that this article focuses on commercial aircraft and therefore we can exclude the legendary Boeing B-52 bomber, which may see 100 years of service. It's also useful to define what we mean by age. Whilst counting years is obviously correct, from a technical standpoint, the age of an aircraft is more accurately measured in flight cycles and flight hours. A flight cycle counts each takeoff and landing as one. It's the pressurization of the cabin and subsequent depressurizing that can stress a passenger jet's airframe. Equally, time in the air is also a factor. According to Boeing's own analysis of retirement data, passenger jets are typically withdrawn from service after around 26 years — though the range can stretch from as little as five to as many as 50 years. Narrow-body models such as the Boeing 737 Max usually reach that point sooner because of more flight cycles (about 50,000), while long-haul aircraft like the 777 or 787 often remain in service longer (25,000 to 45,000 flight cycles). Boeing's study also notes that economics, not airframe fatigue, usually determines when an aircraft is retired. Like most mechanical things, the key to a long and healthy service life is proper maintenance. This is especially true of aircraft, where the consequences of getting it wrong can be disastrous. For Boeing aircraft to operate for decades, this longevity relies on meticulously following the required maintenance program. Every commercial jet operates on a maintenance and inspections schedule that increases in depth and complexity as the plane ages. The most intensive of these are known as "D checks". The all-important D check involves stripping the jet down to its framework so that engineers can check every inch for corrosion or signs of metal fatigue. Depending on the model and its service history, a check like this will typically occur every six to ten years and can take up to 50,000 labor hours to complete. To find tiny cracks or signs of fatigue, engineers use non-destructive methods like eddy current testing, ultrasonic scanning, and magnetic particle inspection. Airlines may also have to comply with Airworthiness Directives and service bulletins from Boeing, these specify extra — often compulsory work — which address extra risks as they're identified. Among the FAA rules that manufacturers must adhere to is publishing a Limit of Validity (LOV). This defines, in flight cycles or flight hours, how long an aircraft's structural maintenance data remains valid before widespread damage could occur. Once the LOV is reached, the plane can only continue operating if additional inspection programs are approved. From flight to retirement Retired commercial aircraft parked in an aircraft graveyard Retired commercial aircraft parked in an aircraft graveyard - 4kodiak/Getty Images Perhaps surprisingly, despite Boeing's assertion that aircraft will happily fly for a quarter of a century or so, many are retired before they reach this milestone. According to Mark Gregory, managing director of Air Salvage International, the average age of airliners scrapped today is about 18 years. Speaking to CNN, he said, "This is already well below the theoretical operational life they have been designed for, but in some occasions we have dismantled aircraft that were not even 10 years old." However, although many of these jets will end up in aircraft "graveyards" where they'll spend their retirement basking happily in the desert sun, this isn't always the case. A financial industry has grown up around the disposal and recycling of retired jetliners, with hedge funds and specialized investment firms operating in the sector. While most of the recycling value is in the engines, about 80-85% of a commercial aircraft's materials can be recycled. In some instances, this figure can be as high as 99%. This is important, as over 800 commercial aircraft are expected to be retired in 2025, and by 2050, the annual retirement rate of jetliners is expected to be over 1,200 per year. As commercial fleets evolve and new models enter service, the end of an aircraft's flying life doesn't always signal the end. Thousands of retired Boeing aircraft are continuing to support their still flying brethren long after their final flight. Or maybe that soda-can you just drank from was once part of a proud 747 streaking through the air. https://www.yahoo.com/tech/transportation/articles/long-does-average-boeing-plane-104500481.html Why The Boeing 787 Has Four Cockpit Windows Instead Of Six Since the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was revealed back in 2007, it has represented a few firsts in the aviation industry. It was the plane that Virgin Atlantic used for the first flight fully powered on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Unlike prior models, it was also the first to feature only four cockpit windows. This change was made possible because the Dreamliner uses composite carbon fiber-reinforced polymers in half of its construction, as opposed to relying mainly on aluminum like previous models. This material is more elastic and is also why the Boeing 787's wings can bend a lot further than you might think. While other commercial aircraft have incorporated this material in the past, the 787 included more of it than ever before. Though there are only four cockpit windows, Boeing's design made each of them larger, which gives pilots ample visibility during operation. These windows on the flight deck feature several layers, including a gold film which defogs the glass and is similar to the system used in fighter jet canopies. Boeing had another reason to switch to four windows on the 787: These windows are heavy, and having fewer can cut back on weight. https://www.yahoo.com/tech/transportation/articles/why-boeing-787-four-cockpit-120500944.html Navy loses two aircraft from USS Nimitz aircraft carrier within 30 minutes Both crashes were under investigation, the Navy's Pacific Fleet said. WASHINGTON — A fighter jet and a helicopter based off the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz both crashed into the South China Sea within 30 minutes of each other on Sunday afternoon, the Navy’s Pacific Fleet said. The three crew members of the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter were rescued, and the two aviators in the F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet ejected and were recovered safely, and all five “are safe and in stable condition,” the fleet said in a statement. The causes of the two crashes were under investigation, the statement said. The USS Nimitz is returning to its home port in Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state after having been deployed to the Middle East for most of the summer as part of the U.S. response to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial shipping. The carrier is on its final deployment before decommissioning. Another aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman, suffered a series of mishaps in recent months while deployed to the Middle East. In December, the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg mistakenly shot down an F/A-18 jet from the Truman. Then, in April, another F/A-18 fighter jet slipped off the Truman’s hangar deck and fell into the Red Sea. And in May, an F/A fighter jet landing on the carrier in the Red Sea went overboard after apparently failing to catch the steel cables used to stop landing planes and forcing its two pilots to eject. No sailors were killed in any of those mishaps. The results of investigations into those incidents have yet to be released. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/26/navy-loses-two-aircraft-from-uss-nimitz-aircraft-carrier-within-30-minutes-00623503 CALENDAR OF EVENTS . Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC™) - 2025 – October 27-29th (Omaha, Nebraska) . 78TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL AVIATION SAFETY SUMMIT (IASS) - Lisbon, November 4–6 . 29th annual Bombardier Safety Standdown, November 11-13, 2025; Wichita, Kansas · CHC Safety & Quality Summit, 11th – 13th November 2025, Vancouver, BC Canada . 2026 ACSF Safety Symposium; April 7-9, 2026; ERAU Daytona Beach, FL . 2026 NBAA Maintenance Conference; May 5-7, 2026; New Orleans, LA . BASS 2026 - 71st Business Aviation Safety Summit - May 5-6, 2026 | Provo, Utah . The African Aviation Safety & Operations Summit - May 19-20 | Johannesburg, South Africa . Safeskies Australia - Australia’s renowned Aviation Safety Conference - Canberra Australia 20 and 21 May 2026 . 2026 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) Oct. 20-22, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV Curt Lewis