More than 100 pilots in India over the past three years tested positive for alcohol in their bloodstream before they were scheduled to fly, sparking safety concerns about the country’s rapidly growing air-travel industry. According to figures released Thursday in Parliament by Mahesh Sharma, India’s junior minister for civil aviation, 112 pilots failed blood-alcohol tests from January 2013 to this April. Pilots have to take Breathalyzer tests before each flight in India — 45 minutes ahead of departure time for domestic routes and one and a half hours before on international itineraries. Pilots are grounded for three months if even a trace of alcohol is found. The largest number of pilots caught were from the country’s two biggest airlines by market share, IndiGo and Jet Airways. The rest belong to carriers including SpiceJet and state-run Air India. In 2015, 43 pilots reported for duty with alcohol in their bloodstream. The count was sharply higher than the 2014 tally of 26 pilots and the 2013 rate of 30 pilots. So far this year, 13 pilots reported to work with alcohol in their system, Sharma said.<br/>
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US airlines have been pressing the government to act to reduce the intolerably long security lines at the nation's airports. Now, they're even asking passengers for help by sharing their frustration on social media. Lines during peak hours at some airports have topped 90 minutes. The airlines already are warning customers to arrive at the airport two hours in advance, and are fearful the situation will only get worse with a record number of travelers expected this summer. Earlier this week, the TSA said it would increase staffing at security checkpoints and boost the number of bomb-sniffing dogs to help the lines move more quickly. The agency also is asking Congress for more money to hire additional screeners and pay existing ones overtime. Both sides have encouraged travellers to enroll in the TSA's expedited screening program called PreCheck. But the airlines also want travellers to do something that comes more naturally: complain. Airlines for America, the industry's trade group, just launched a website called iHateTheWait.com , encouraging fliers to post photos of the lines on Twitter and Instagram along with the hashtag #iHateTheWait. Presumably this will make Congress more aware of the problem — and let fellow travelers know what they're in for when they get to the airport. The group's spokeswoman Jean Medina, said the campaign is "raising awareness of the issue and serving as crowd-sourced (wait time) information."<br/>
Boosted by a CSeries order from Delta, Bombardier is reestablishing sales talks with several US and European carriers, and eyeing China, the world's fastest-growing aviation nation. Bombardier is using last week's order for 75 CS100s to renew contact with established Western carriers, while looking to win a breakthrough order from Chinese airlines, company executives said. The Delta deal, along with an expected order for 45 planes from Air Canada, give Montreal-based Bombardier the North American "anchor" it needs to bolster efforts globally, the company's CE said. "I would say the focus (on China) has to increase," CEAlain Bellemare said. "Clearly, this is a target market for us." The momentum has helped the company to "advance" its conversations with Chinese carriers, say company executives. Chinese passenger traffic has grown by double digits over the last decade, and industry observers expect the country's air travel market to remain buoyant despite any economic slowdown.<br/>
Aircraft leasing company AerCap would be interested in a larger version of Boeing's 737 MAX 9 if the weight, size and range were right, the company's CE said. "We may possibly (be interested) but only if it makes money for the shareholders of AerCap," CE Aengus Kelly said, confirming that his company had discussed the plane with Boeing. "We think the MAX 9 could definitely do with some enhancements," he said. "I think Boeing have recognised that and I think they will address it." Numerous design factors are in play, including a longer fuselage, weight, range, seating and engines, he said. The 737 MAX 9 which seats 178 passengers in a two-class configuration, has been outsold by the Airbus A321neo, which will seat 206 passengers in two classes. Boeing also is considering enlarging its smallest 737, the MAX 7, providing more seating. Airlines have expressed interest in that plane as well.<br/>