Marred only by a 90-minute take-off delay and “a couple of squawks” in flight, the newest iteration of Boeing’s iconic 737, the Max 9, made its initial flight over Washington State Thursday. “The initial flight delay had nothing to do with the aircraft,” said Boeing marketing VP Randy Tinseth. “We had trouble with the downlink for some of the test equipment on the ground and had to troubleshoot that before we could take off.” Once off the ground, the first Max 9 flight lasted 1 hour and 42 minutes as the aircraft, piloted by Capt. Christine Walsh and her co-pilot, Capt. Ed Wilson, crisscrossed Washington at an altitude of 24,000 feet and at a top speed of 240 knots. The 737 Max program is slightly ahead of schedule. The Max 9 first flight occurred about a week earlier than Boeing initially anticipated. <br/>
general
A federal transportation safety official says screening commercial pilots for fentanyl is not yet under consideration, even after one fatally overdosed on the painkiller at his Ohio home. Mary Pat McKay, chief medical officer for the NTSB said that some board members would support fentanyl testing if federal health officials certify screening protocols. She spoke after a Spirit Airlines pilot overdosed in Ohio. Many transportation employees are screened for drugs including marijuana and cocaine. The DoT is currently considering adding tests for some opioids that don't include fentanyl. McKay says fentanyl wasn't as widespread when the proposal was drafted. She says "the system is always going to lag behind." <br/>
Transport minister Marc Garneau is warning Canadian airlines that forcibly removing passengers from overbooked flights will not be tolerated. Garneau’s written warning to airlines comes days after a United Airlines passenger was dragged off an overbooked flight in Chicago after refusing to leave his seat to accommodate airline crew members. "I am writing to you today to convey that such an incident would be unacceptable in Canada,” Garneau said in a letter to Canadian airlines. Garneau said he will introduce a passenger bill of rights in Parliament in the coming weeks after months of consultation with Canadians on their concerns about air travel. The bill will address various aspects of the traveller experience under the control of airlines, such as compensation for passengers who are bumped from flights. <br/>
Cork Airport expects passenger numbers to grow by more than 111,000 this year as new services, including Norwegian Air’s transatlantic flights, take off. The gateway’s head of communications, Kevin Cullinane, said Thursday that 50,000 people will travel through there over the Easter weekend. In 2016, Cork reported that passenger numbers grew 8% to 2.23m. It expects this to grow by a further 5%, or 111,500, this year as several new routes are launched. Cork will get its first transatlantic service when Norwegian Air International begins serving Providence, Rhode Island from the airport next July. Wow Air is also planning to fly to Reykjavik from Cork this summer. This will offer connections to 10 cities across the US and Canada. <br/>