Flight Safety Information - October 21, 2026 No. 207 In This Issue : Incident: ADO B737 at Fukuoka on Oct 20th 2026, flaps trouble : Incident: PSA CRJ9 near St. Louis on Oct 17th 2026, loss of cabin pressure : Incident: Wizz Malta A21N near Gdansk on Oct 9th 2026, first officer incapacitated : Incident: Easyjet A319 at Glasgow on Oct 18th 2026, bird strike, engine vibrations : Somalia Signs IATA Agreement On Safety Audits : Mexico Revamps Aviation Agency Following US Safety Audit : Boeing wins approval for Max 10 jet in boost for turnaround efforts : Calendar of Events Incident: ADO B737 at Fukuoka on Oct 20th 2026, flaps trouble An ADO Air Do Boeing 737-700, registration JA07AN performing flight HD-112 from Sapporo New Chitose to Fukuoka (Japan) with 139 people on board, was on approach to Fukuoka when the crew entered a hold to troubleshoot a flaps problem. The aircraft landed safely on runway 16R at a higher than normal speed about 20 minutes after entering the hold. The aircraft is still on the ground in Fukuoka about 16.5 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=5448760a&opt=0 Incident: PSA CRJ9 near St. Louis on Oct 17th 2026, loss of cabin pressure A PSA Airlines Canadair CRJ-900, registration N574NN performing flight AA-5089 from St. Louis,MO to Philadelphia,PA (USA), was climbing out of St. Louis when the crew stopped the climb at about FL210 and initiated an emergency descent to 10,000 feet due to the loss of cabin pressure. The aircraft returned to St. Louis for a safe landing on runway 30R about 30 minutes after departure and taxied clear of the runway. Passengers reported the aircraft needed maintenance prior to departure to fix an engine (CF34), then the aircraft departed and about 15 minutes into the flight the passenger oxygen masks were released, a burning smell developed thereafter. After landing they were evacuated and directed away from the terminal building. The flight was cancelled. The occurrence aircraft positioned to Knoxville the following day and returned to service two days after arriving in Knoxville. https://avherald.com/h?article=544873a9&opt=0 Incident: Wizz Malta A21N near Gdansk on Oct 9th 2026, first officer incapacitated A Wizz Air Malta Airbus A321-200N, registration 9H-WBK performing flight W6-1736 from Gothenburg (Sweden) to Gdansk (Poland), was enroute at FL350 about 40nm ahead of top of descent when the first officer became unwell with stomach problems and went to the restroom, where the first officer became unconscious. While cabin crew took care of the first officer, the captain declared Mayday and continued to Gdansk for a safe landing on runway 29 about 30 minutes later. The first officer was taken to a hospital. The PKBWL reported a member of cabin crew occupied the first officer's seat for the remainder of the flight. The occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated. https://avherald.com/h?article=54486e4a&opt=0 Incident: Easyjet A319 at Glasgow on Oct 18th 2026, bird strike, engine vibrations An Easyjet Airbus A319-100, registration G-EZFI performing flight U2-415 from Glasgow,SC to Southampton,EN (UK), had departed Glasgow's runway 23 with birds in close vicinity, climbed to FL310 and was enroute when the crew decided to divert to Liverpool,EN (UK) due to vibrations of the right hand engine (CFM56). The aircraft landed safely on Liverpool's runway 09 about 45 minutes after departure. The aircraft returned to service about 52 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=54485459&opt=0 Somalia Signs IATA Agreement On Safety Audits The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has signed a pact with Somalia’s Ministry of Transport and the Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) to strengthen cooperation on aviation safety. The memorandum of understanding is a step toward a single set of internationally recognized audit standards across Africa. Under the agreement, the SCAA will accept the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) as acceptable means of compliance with national regulations. The audits will complement the regulator’s own oversight functions. “Global safety standards are the cornerstone of efficient and safe operations,” says Kamil Al-Awadhi, IATA’s regional vice president for Africa and Middle East, adding that the partnership will promote industry best practice and foster a culture of safety “for the benefit of passengers, operators and the wider aviation industry in Somalia and Africa.” Safety is a priority area under IATA’s Focus Africa initiative, which pools resources from across the aviation value chain to tackle the continent’s most pressing challenges. The program also covers infrastructure, connectivity through the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), finance and distribution, sustainability in line with the Net Zero by 2050 target and future skills. The agreement comes as Somalia’s aviation sector, long disrupted by conflict, shows signs of gradual recovery. Growth is being driven largely by private operators meeting demand for domestic and regional travel, alongside improvements to airport infrastructure, particularly at Mogadishu, the country’s capital. The government’s plan to revive its national carrier, however, has stalled. It was suggested that Somali Airlines would relaunch in September 2026. That deadline passed without a first commercial flight, raising fresh questions about repeated government commitments. Somali Airlines was the country’s flagship carrier, operating international and domestic services from its Mogadishu hub with a mixed fleet of narrowbody, widebody, turboprop and fixed-wing aircraft. The state-owned airline ceased operations in 1991. https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/safety-ops-regulation/somalia-signs-iata-agreement-safety-audits Mexico Revamps Aviation Agency Following US Safety Audit Large Budget Increase Now Planned For Mexico’s Federal Civil Aviation Authority Mexico plans to strengthen its civil aviation agency with more money, staff and fresh policy planning as it addresses deficiencies that were flagged by U.S. authorities in an audit, which could jeopardize the country's top ‌safety rating. Mexico's top transportation official, Jesús Antonio Esteva Medina, Secretary of Communications and Transportation of Mexico, said on Monday that the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) will get a significant budget increase, along with 100 new operational staffers, as the government seeks to bolster oversight and avoid a potential downgrade by the FAA. The FAA identified 21 technical and administrative areas requiring corrective action during its safety audit, creating a period of regulatory scrutiny as Mexico works to prevent a downgrade to Category 2 status under International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) standards. The FAA uncovered widespread failures in aeronautical English certification processes, severe shortages of qualified technical inspectors, and administrative errors affecting up to 90% of internal processes. Mexico business news reported, according to internal sources, the early findings demonstrate that AFAC has failed to resolve systemic issues that previously triggered its downgrade. "There is no trained staff. We still lack sufficient economic resources. There are many departures and incompetent people," another internal source stated. An initial proposal to cut the budget has been reversed, said Esteva Medina said and now Mexico is substantially increasing the AFAC budget marking a 56% increase compared to its 2025 allocation and the largest funding package in the agency’s history. https://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=F1291BF6-E084-4796-9647-F82FD79F2F94 Boeing wins approval for Max 10 jet in boost for turnaround efforts Long-awaited certification will help US group compete with Airbus as airlines seek larger and more efficient aircraft US regulators approved Boeing’s 737 Max 10, a new version of its flagship jet, marking a crucial milestone in the company’s efforts to restore profitability and claw back lost ground after years of crises. US transportation secretary Sean Duffy on Tuesday said the Federal Aviation Administration had certified the long-anticipated Max 10, a single-aisle airliner that is carrying Boeing’s hopes of a return to profitability following incidents including fatal crashes of 737 jets in 2018 and 2019. “This is a major win for American manufacturing and our nation’s status as a global aviation powerhouse,” said Duffy. Boeing needs the Max 10, the longest variant of the 737, to help it take on European rival Airbus in the lucrative narrow-body segment of the market. The model accounts for more than 50 per cent of all of the company’s 737 Max orders since 2020. The Max programme comprises more than 70 per cent of Boeing’s order backlog of almost 7,000 jets. Airlines are eager to get their hands on the new model, which carries more passengers and improves the profitability of each flight, as they wrestle with elevated jet fuel costs triggered by the Iran conflict. Big carriers including Alaska, American, United and Ryanair have been waiting for years for the Max 10 to be certified. “The 737-10 offers greater capacity, longer range and the best seat economics in its class, a platform that will create more value and opportunities for airlines around the world,” said Stephanie Pope, chief executive of Boeing’s commercial airliner business. Final certification was delayed last month after regulators identified a software glitch that can occur when pilots need to change their planned flight path after an aborted landing. But the FAA concluded the setback did not constitute a safety issue. Sheila Kahyaoglu, an analyst at Jefferies, noted Duffy met the chief executives of US aerospace companies including Boeing, RTX and GE Aerospace last week to discuss ways to speed up the certification process for aircraft and aviation components. “The catalyst for reform is rooted in competition concerns from China as recent aircraft certifications have run significantly behind schedule in the US,” said Kahyaoglu. The FAA’s push was fuelling speculation of a “faster than expected approval” of Boeing’s wide-body 777X following years of delays, she added. Certification of the Max 10 comes weeks after Boeing’s defence business, which has struggled as a result of cost overruns on several fixed-price contracts, defeated rival Northrop Grumman to secure a $20bn contract from the Pentagon to make a new stealth fighter jet for the US Navy. Boeing’s commercial airliner business also successfully avoided a fresh round of labour unrest after management agreed a four-year deal last month with a vital union representing engineers and scientists that had threatened a walkout over pay. It delivered 475 commercial jets in the first nine months of 2026, up 8 per cent on the same period last year. It has received 663 orders so far this year, bringing its total number of unfulfilled orders to 6,863. https://www.ft.com/content/0e99c2bc-873c-4d2d-b5c9-a0876faeb9ed?syn-25a6b1a6=1 CALENDAR OF EVENTS . European Aviation Training Summit 3 – 5 November 2026 • Estoril Congress Centre, Cascais, Portugal . 79TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL AVIATION SAFETY SUMMIT MONTREAL | NOVEMBER 10-12, 2026. . Airlines 2026 conference - November 11, 2026 (London) . 2026 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) Oct. 20-22, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV . Gulf Flight Safety Association (GFSA)conference Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 28th and 29th of October 2026 . Bombardier Safety Standdown (November 10–12, 2026 in Wichita, KS) . CHC Safety & Quality Summit - 11th – 13th November 2025 - Vancouver, BC Canada . Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection, and Investigation17 to 19 November 2026, Woburn MA : Save The Date - February 11-12, 2027 - ProDIGIQ User Conference . 2027 ACSF Safety Symposium - April 6-8, 2027 - ERAU Daytona Beach, FL Curt Lewis