The male-dominated aviation industry must attract more women into the workforce to avoid the “impending crisis” of not having enough pilots, a senior executive has said. Angela Gittens, DG of the Airports Council International, said that if demand for flights continues to grow rapidly, men alone cannot provide sufficient pilots. According to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, only 6.7% of pilots are female. “The fact is that if you ignore half of the world’s population, we’ll never get there,” Gittens said. Airbus has projected that the industry will need 530,000 new pilots in the next 20 years, as well as 550,000 new technicians. Gittens said improving the gender balance in the industry was also a question of fairness. <br/>
general
Airbus A380 operators have been ordered urgently to update the type’s flight manual with new procedures intended to prevent the risk of structural damage from bleed-duct rupture. The emergency directive from EASA follows previous measures imposed 2 years ago, when damage to an aircraft was traced to uncontrolled overpressure in the pneumatic system following a valve closure during take-off. While the flight manual was updated as a result, EASA states that new cases of engine bleed-duct rupture have emerged, leading to structural damage in a “critical” area. EASA had previously ordered installation of a new software standard, version 6.4, for the engine bleed air system. This was intended to avert the overpressure scenario, and consequent rupture. <br/>
As summer vacationers start to pack up and head home, Congress is considering a sweeping tally of proposals that could affect travellers, from dictating seat size and legroom to rolling back rules that require airlines to advertise the full price of a ticket. The current law authorising operations of the FAA expires Sept. 30. The House passed its version of the same bill in April. Consumer advocates see victories and setbacks among the provisions in the two bills. Airline seats are being closely watched. The House bill would give the FAA a year to set minimums for seat width and length and the distance between rows, although it didn't set specific measurements. The version approved by a Senate committee would only direct FAA to study whether there should be minimum requirements for the distance between rows. <br/>
A coalition of aviation stakeholders is urging the leadership of the US Senate Commerce Committee to refrain from attaching additional amendments regulating aircraft noise to the chamber’s version of the FAA reauthorisation bill. Leaders in the Senate are working through amendment proposals before the full chamber takes up the bill as early as next week. A4A, the Air Line Pilots Association and 6 other industry groups wrote in a July 26 letter to the leaders and ranking members of the Senate Commerce Committee and Aviation Subcommittee that: “While appreciating that aircraft noise exposure is an issue in certain communities, US aviation has achieved tremendous noise reductions and the aviation industry remains committed to further advancements.” <br/>