Medical examiners who evaluate airline pilots have received more training in detecting mental health problems, US regulators said Thursday, after reviewing procedures in the wake of last year's deadly Germanwings crash caused by a co-pilot who suffered from severe depression. The FAA stopped short of calling for formal psychological tests on pilots. That step was recommended for new pilots in Europe after the March 2015 incident, in which a Germanwings plane crashed into the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board. The FAA said it will help airlines and unions expand support networks for pilots such as confidential hotlines, and integrate these into airlines' safety management programs. The decisions, which followed recommendations by a government-industry task force, underscore the challenge of making pilots feel comfortable disclosing health issues, despite risking a required medical leave or an end to their careers. "While some conditions automatically disqualify someone from flying, many pilots have treatable conditions," FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said. "We need to do more to remove the stigma surrounding mental illness in the aviation industry so pilots are more likely to self-report, get treated, and return to work." The FAA prohibits pilots from flying if they have bipolar disorder, severe personality disorder or certain other conditions. The regulator said that it started extra training on mental health in January for medical examiners, who are designated to evaluate pilots' fitness every six to 12 months.<br/>
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Brazil's Embraer will replace its CE with the current head of its commercialaviation division next month, the company said Thursday, in a surprise decision. Paulo Cesar Silva will take the reins of the world's third-largest commercial aviation firm after nearly two decades at the company, including six years in charge of its core airliner business that saw the development of the next-generation E-Jet family. Frederico Curado, who has run the company for more than nine years, will give up his executive role in July and contribute to a transition through the end of 2016, Embraer said. "After more than 32 years at Embraer, with 22 of them on the executive board, I am ending a cycle in my career and I will focus on other professional and personal activities," Curado said in the statement. "With Paulo, Embraer is in excellent hands."<br/>
Canada will introduce a new kind of security line at airports in Montreal and Calgary later this year to move people through checkpoints more quickly as pressure rises in North America to reduce passenger bottlenecks. The automated line, one element in a new checkpoint developed by the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), is an example of how US and Canadian airports are using technology to speed passenger flow despite complaints of insufficient numbers of screening staff. The redesigned CATSA Plus checkpoint combines elements that exist separately at other airports such as electronic gates to screen passports and ceiling-mounted sensors to track the flow of passengers and display waiting times at line-ups, an authority spokesman said. "We have to find new ways to keep security, which is our first priority, but also improve the passenger flow, the customer experience," said CATSA spokesman Mathieu Larocque. The Montreal trial will start in late August with one line, but include elements of the CATSA Plus checkpoint such as a separate X-ray screening room where agents can view scans of carry-on bags remotely.<br/>
The looming market for inexpensive, secondhand Airbus Group SE A380 superjumbos could attract new airline customers for a plane that has struggled to win orders, the boss of the plane maker said Thursday. Airbus CE Fabrice Brégier said he expects the used A380 market to start emerging around 2020 when some of the first superjumbos to enter airline service are phased out by their operators. Singapore Airlines was the first airline to fly the A380 commercially in 2007. “[The secondhand market] I believe it will be a good opportunity for airlines that just cannot afford such a big and expensive aircraft. They will have a possibility to have it at least at half price,” Brégier said. None of the early operators have said when they would start phasing out their early planes. Brégier said buyers of used superjumbos “will make tons of money because it will be by far the most competitive [aircraft].”<br/>