Taiwan’s accident investigation agency has raised new concerns about what it determined were inadequate efforts by TransAsia Airways to enhance pilot training in the wake of a 2014 fatal turboprop crash. The final accident report by the government’s Aviation Safety Council, released at the end of January, cited multiple pilot errors, lax corporate safety management and inadequate government oversight in the July 2014 accident that killed 48 of the 58 people on board the twin-engine ATR plane. But one portion of the document, which has received scant media attention, highlights glaring lapses in both pilot performance and evaluation that continued months after the crash. During a one-month-period following the accident, the report indicates, investigators evaluated crews on two dozen TransAsia flights and documented 15 separate instances of improper cockpit actions. They included failures to follow checklists, disregarding appropriate climb speeds and crews executing what are called “unstable approaches,” or potentially hazardous descents in which airspeed was too slow or too fast. The findings amount to the latest official criticism of the carrier’s broader safety culture leading up to and immediately after the crash. The report describes a company that, according to investigators, lacked reliable incident data, failed to mitigate the hazards of a rapidly growing fleet and exhibited “questionable senior management commitment to safety.”<br/>
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SpiceJet, the Indian budget carrier choosing between Boeing and Airbus for its at least $11b order, has one condition: Delivery needs to be on time. "One of the selling points for anybody to make the offer more attractive to SpiceJet would be early deliveries," Chairman Ajay Singh said. "When Airbus and Boeing are talking to us, they are mindful of the fact that we need early deliveries." Shares of the operator of IndiGo, India’s biggest airline, plunged 19% on Jan. 22 after saying Airbus will be unable to keep to the schedule for delivering the A320neo, while Qatar Airways declined to take delivery of the A320neo because the engine needed special measures at start up. There is no clarity yet on when actual deliveries will take place to these airlines. Deliveries of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners were delayed by three years. "I don’t want to have a situation where I do the deal wrong," Singh said. "We are in a competitive space. We need to ensure that we are not in a situation that our deliveries are delayed. We need to make sure that we get planes which are more fuel efficient, sooner rather than later."<br/>
A commercial flight headed to Los Angeles filled with smoke, turned around and made an emergency landing in Tucson, Arizona, where some passengers had to jump from the airplane to the runway. The United flight operated by SkyWest Airlines took off from the southern Arizona city Sunday morning. The cabin filled with smoke, and the plane headed back to the Tucson International Airport. It landed about a half-hour after taking off. The scene was chaotic as passengers used all exits to escape during the emergency evacuation. But airport spokeswoman Jessie Butler says no injuries were reported and all 73 passengers, along with four crew members, declined medical assistance.<br/>
Alaska Air has selected Embraer to provide as many as 60 regional jets to serve the airline’s ambition of serving smaller markets farther from its Pacific Northwest base, according to two people familiar with the planned deal. The proposed firm order for 30 E175 aircraft and 30 additional options is valued at more than $2.6b at list prices, though airlines typically receive steep discounts. The aircraft would be operated by its regional subsidiary Horizon Air. While the contract isn’t finalised, the Seattle-based airline has selected the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer and now enters into exclusive negotiations. The decision comes ahead of the company’s board of directors meeting on Wednesday, the people said. An Alaska Air spokeswoman said the airline remains “in the midst of a competitive process to evaluate, and hopefully select, a 76-seat regional jet to add to Horizon’s fleet. No final decision has been made, no documents have been signed and our board of directors has not approved any new jet purchase. If and when a definitive agreement has been signed, we will release a statement.”<br/>
A Cyprus-based budget airline said Monday it has secured investment from a wealthy Hong Kong group that brings it closer to launching flights and replacing the island's shuttered national carrier. "This broadens our investor base to include both Cypriot and Chinese capital and is a major boost to our plan to launch operations this year as Cyprus' new flag carrier," said Gregory Diacou, chairman of the carrier Cobalt. Diacou said it was the first major foreign investment in Cyprus since the island secured a E10b bailout to save its economy and failing banks in March 2013. The amount was not disclosed and neither was the name of the Hong Kong company, which it said was on the Fortune 500 list of the world's top firms. Cobalt's chief executive Andrew Pyne said the January 2015 closure of bankrupt national carrier Cyprus Airways had created "a vacuum in terms of an airline that puts Cyprus first and promotes the island as its home". He said the airline would establish Cyprus as a major aviation hub, capitalising on its geographical location, and aimed to create 500 local jobs over the next five years.<br/>
Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways posted a net profit of KD15.4m (US$51.3m) for 2015, reversed from a loss of KD2.8m in 2014. The 2014 figure was skewed by a major restructuring of the airline that saw it undergoing a sale and leaseback of its fleet to an external lessor. The latest profit was made on revenue of KD58.6m, down 6.2% compared to 2014’s figure of KD62.5m. Passenger numbers rose 4.5% to 1.22m, up from 1.17m last time, while capacity rose 3.5% and load factor climbed 1% to 69%. The increase in capacity was due to better utilization of the airline’s fleet of seven Airbus A320s. One more A320 may be added next year, depending on passenger loads, Jazeera said Feb. 8. Plummeting oil prices meant that fuel dropped to 22% of operating costs compared to 31% for the previous year. “We had a fantastic year and have a very strong position for 2016,” Jazeera Group chairman Marwan Boodai said.<br/>
Oregon-based SeaPort Airlines has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection but the company says daily operations will not be interrupted. The commuter airline said Friday it expects to continue to operate its current schedule of flights, pay its employees and honor existing tickets and reservations. The company also announced Rob Kinney has resigned as CEO and president. Timothy Sieber, who recently served as executive vice president, has been named president.<br/>