Federal investigators Thursday said the engine fan blade that broke apart during a Southwest Airlines flight last month showed signs consistent with metal fatigue, as inspectors probe the first passenger fatality on a US airline in nearly a decade. The accident touched off a scramble to inspect similar equipment. US regulators this week broadened a directive to check the fan blades in hundreds of engines similar to the one that blew apart. The identification of metal fatigue, the degradation of a metal's structural integrity over repeated use, could necessitate more frequent and more comprehensive inspections of these parts. The NTSB's investigation is ongoing to determine how long it takes for fan blades begin to show signs of fatigue and whether current inspection measures can effectively detect cracks. <br/>
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Southwest Airlines intends to offer island-hopping flights within Hawaii after it ramps up service to the state from California, boosting the competitive threat to Hawaiian Airlines. Inter-island flights will “eventually” be added to complement new service from the US mainland, Southwest said Thursday. The carrier named San Jose, San Diego, Sacramento and Oakland as the first California cities that will get nonstop flights to Hawaii. The lucrative inter-island market is a mainstay for Hawaiian, which derives about 94% of its in-state revenue from the 5 largest routes in that network. Encroachment on those flights by Southwest would be “a fairly significant headwind for Hawaiian,” one analyst said. Hawaiian said it’s ready for the challenge, citing its 170 daily flights between islands. <br/>
Months before an airborne accident claimed the life of a Southwest Airlines passenger, the FAA found that distrust between managers and mechanics at Southwest’s Dallas maintenance base was so bad, FAA investigators feared it could put passengers at risk. In an investigation of whistle-blower complaints from Southwest mechanics, the FAA determined that Southwest supervisors discouraged mechanics from reporting some aircraft problems and that supervisors questioned mechanics when they found maintenance issues beyond portions of the plane they had been assigned to inspect. In late October, the FAA reported that Southwest management’s questioning of mechanics appeared to be, “... a tool used to influence a relaxing of standards, to look the other way, or to gain a degree of approval through a leniency of standards.” <br/>
The head of AirAsia’s Indian joint venture is stepping down to return to the group’s Malaysian headquarters. AirAsia India CE and MD Amar Abrol will leave AirAsia India in June. He will work on group strategic projects at the AirAsia Group headquarters. Abrol “expressed his desire to return to Malaysia to be closer to his family,” AirAsia India said. The board of AirAsia India “will work closely with [Abrol] to ensure a smooth transition.” There is not yet any information about Abrol’s successor or whether there will be an acting CE, an airline spokesperson said. Abrol led AirAsia India for 2 years, during which time he has expanded its fleet, workforce and network threefold, the airline said. Prior to joining the Indian carrier, he was CE of Tune Money, a sister company to AirAsia. <br/>
Wizz Air has secured its UK AOC and operating license, paving the way for Wizz Air UK to launch flights May 3. Wizz Air UK has been created to protect Wizz Air from route-right uncertainty, as the UK prepare to leave the EU. Other major European LCCs, like EasyJet and Ryanair, have followed a similar strategy. For the time being, Wizz Air UK has been established as a wholly owned subsidiary of EU-owned Wizz Air Holdings. This may ultimately need to change, depending on post-Brexit airline ownership requirements. “While Wizz Air UK is a key part of our Brexit contingency plan, it is also the first genuine ultra-LCC licensed in the UK and the natural next-step in the development of our UK business,” Wizz Air CE József Váradi said. <br/>
Tigerair pilots have called off industrial action that could have caused flights to be delayed or cancelled this weekend after a breakthrough in wage negotiations with the airline. Members of the Australian Federation of Air Pilots and fellow union VIPA had threatened a range of protected actions that would have disrupted services starting Friday morning after bargaining over a new wage deal hit a deadlock. But the AFAP said the planned action by more than 90% of Tigerair's pilots would not go ahead after the unions reached an in-principle agreement with the airline. AFAP executive director Simon Lutton said: “We believe the new agreement is fair and reasonable and are happy the parties could work constructively to avoid industrial action. <br/>