The head of the Transportation Security Administration faced pointed criticism from members of a House committee on Thursday during a hearing that examined many continuing problems at the agency, including long security lines at airports and suspected retaliation against employees who report security lapses. The House Oversight Committee hearing was the second inquiry by the panel focused on management shortcomings and misconduct at the agency, which also included the awarding of bonuses to supervisors who ignored warnings about security lapses and allegations that employees who reported problems were reassigned to other airports. A hearing last month featured three TSA whistle-blowers, all of them senior managers, who said the agency remained plagued by poor leadership and inadequate oversight. “There are some very serious concerns about the performance of TSA,” said Representative John L. Mica, Republican of Florida, a longtime critic of the agency. Peter V. Neffenger, the T.S.A. administrator, said the agency had taken steps to address some of the issues raised by members of Congress, including starting a program to retrain all security screeners and refocusing the agency’s mission on security rather than merely speeding passengers through lines. Neffenger said he had also changed several policies, including one called directed reassignments, that employees at the agency said had been abused to relocate to different airports employees who reported security lapses and misconduct by managers. “I share your concerns,” he said. “I hold those who violate standards accountable.”<br/>
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More than 3,000 checked bags missed their outbound flights in Phoenix on Thursday because of a problem with a screening system at Sky Harbor International Airport, officials with Transportation Security Administration said. "TSA is experiencing significant, unprecedented technical issues with its computer server allowing the automated screening of checked bags for explosives," TSA spokesman Nico Melendez said. Melendez didn't elaborate on the problem, which began about 6:45 a.m. and only affected Sky Harbor. There was no immediate timetable for the problem to be fixed. But Melendez said TSA hoped to be back online shortly and that it wasn't a safety issue. "TSA is working diligently with our airline and airport partners and using alternative screening tools to screen bags, though that method are not as efficient as our automated system," Melendez added. "TSA is currently bringing additional canine units from other airports and bringing in network specialists to address the situation and keep passengers safe and screen all bags."<br/>
Asia’s biggest aircraft lessor is seeking to raise US$1.1b to fund an expansion as the region is poised to become the world’s top air travel market in about two decades. BOC Aviation Ltd., the Singapore-based company that has more than 100 planes leased out to airlines around the world, will sell new and existing shares at HK$42 apiece in a Hong Kong initial public offering. It will become the second Asian plane-leasing company to get listed in the stock markets after China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Ltd. went public in July 2014. Spurred by strong economic growth in the past decade and rising incomes in the world’s two most-populous countries, China and India, Asia is on course to beat the U.S. as the biggest market, according to Airbus Group SE and Boeing Co. That potential has lured billionaires such as Li Ka-shing and budget-carrier pioneer Tony Fernandes to the plane-leasing market, where returns from multiyear contracts can exceed those of airlines. “Asia is the fastest-growing aviation market with demand for pilots, aircraft and leased aircraft,” said Mark Martin, founder of Dubai-based Martin Consulting LLC. “Strategically, it’s a perfect time for BOC to capitalize on what they have already achieved.”<br/>
Boeing has laid out an ambitious, five-year strategy to increase revenue and profits, promising to boost efficiency, return free cash to shareholders and expand the after-market services and parts business. But senior executives, speaking to analysts at a conference, faced questions about whether Boeing can tame the commercial aircraft business cycle. The company gave few new details about plans to modify existing planes to better match market needs to counter competitive threats from Airbus and Bombardier. Boeing expects to lift profit margins to a double-digit percentage next year and has an "aspirational target… towards the end of the decade of getting to mid-teen margins," Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg said. The company is re-engineering itself to become more flexible and efficient in designing and building aircraft, using automation, 3-D printing and other measures. These moves, Muilenburg said, would allow Boeing to create a steady, sustainable business in what has historically been a highly cyclical industry.<br/>