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Indonesian investigators said Monday more training was needed for Boeing 737 MAX pilots after discovering the situation believed to have faced the crew of a doomed Lion Air jet was not contained in the aircraft’s flight manual. US pilots were also not aware of potential risks, two US pilot unions said. The comments shed further light on the areas under scrutiny as investigators prepare to publish their preliminary report on Nov. 28 or 29, one month after the Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX dived into the Java Sea, killing all 189 on board. Until now, public attention has focused mainly on potential maintenance problems including a faulty sensor for the ‘angle of attack’, a vital piece of data needed to help the aircraft fly at the right angle to the currents of air and prevent a stall. Now the investigation’s focus appears to be expanding to the clarity of US-approved procedures to help pilots prevent the 737 MAX over-reacting to such a data loss, and methods for training them. Dennis Tajer, a 737 captain and spokesman for Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents American Airlines Group pilots, said his union was informed after the crash about a new system Boeing had installed on 737 MAX jets that could command the plane’s nose down in certain situations to prevent a stall. “It is information that we were not privy to in training or in any other manuals or materials,” he said. A US government official said Boeing is expected to unveil a software update to reduce the risks of the 737 MAX stall protection system, but said the timing is unclear.<br/>

Debt-laden Indian carrier Jet Airways will cut flights on less profitable routes and add capacity to more lucrative markets, as part of its effort to lower costs and boost revenues as it struggles to stay aloft. Jet, India’s biggest full-service carrier posted its third straight quarterly loss on Monday, hurt by higher fuel expenses and a weaker rupee. “The airline has embarked on a comprehensive review ... The measures will include rationalisation of operations on select, uneconomic routes,” Jet said, adding that it will redeploy planes to more productive domestic and international sectors. The review is expected to help deliver a more efficient and economically viable network, with a focus on profitability rather than market share, Jet, which is part-owned by Etihad Airways, said. “With our clearly defined focus on profitability, we are in the midst of turning the ship around,” said Jet’s CEO, Vinay Dube. Jet posted a loss of 12.97b rupees (US$178m) for the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with a 496.3m rupee profit a year earlier. Fuel costs rose 58.6% to 24.2b rupees and the airline recorded a foreign exchange loss of 4.17b rupees, up from 730m rupees a year ago. Revenue from operations climbed 9.5%. Jet had a negative net worth as on Sept. 30, with current liabilities exceeding current assets, the airline said.<br/>

Indian conglomerate Tata Sons is conducting due diligence on Jet Airways as it explores the purchase of a controlling stake in the cash-strapped airline, Mint newspaper reported on Tuesday citing two people directly aware of developments. Saurabh Agarwal, CFO of Tata Sons, is leading the discussions while Jet Airways is represented by its chairman Naresh Goyal, the newspaper said, citing the sources who it said asked not to be identified as the talks are private. “An in-house team of Tata Sons is currently conducting due diligence on Jet Airways, which is expected to continue for the next few weeks,” the newspaper quoted one of the two people as saying. After posting its third consecutive quarterly loss Monday, debt-laden Jet Airways said it planned to cut flights on less profitable routes and add capacity in more lucrative markets, as part of efforts to lower costs and boost revenue.<br/>

Investigations are under way into a serious loss-of-control incident involving an Air Astana Embraer 190, during which the crew considered ditching in the sea. It occurred during a post-maintenance ferry flight out of Lisbon aviation technical centre, where the jet had been undergoing C-check work with maintenance firm OGMA. The jet was bound for Almaty under the callsign KC1388 on 11 November. Such was the severity of the situation that the crew advised Lisbon air traffic control that they were intending to ditch, and requested headings for the ocean. Lisbon control told the crew that the ocean was 40nm away and that the closest body of water for a possible ditching was a river. Shortly after departure, at around 13:33, the pilots issued a ‘Mayday’ before informing the Lisbon controller that the aircraft was experiencing a problem and requesting a return to the airport. The controller initially gave a descent instruction to 2,500ft but the crew responded: “Negative.” Story has more details.<br/>

Fastjet, which has warned it might not survive without equity fundraising, is in the process of selling off the company’s stake in the African LCC’s loss-producing Tanzanian subsidiary, according to local media reports. In a Nov. 9 London Stock Exchange funding update, the airline said operations would continue in November “due to some improvement in trading, cash generation and internal efficiencies.” The company had previously said operations could cease by the end of October. As of Nov. 7, the company had cash balances of $3.9m, of which $3m was restricted in Zimbabwe, according to the update. London-based fastjet holds 49% of the Tanzanian operation, which will be transferred to Tanzanian interests, according to the media reports. Former Tanzanian cabinet minister Lawrence Masha was appointed Nov. 6 as fastjet Tanzania’s first executive chairman. “Mr Masha will be working closely with the company’s management team to oversee the smooth operation of the airline and the [equity] buyout which is currently in progress,” fastjet Tanzania GM Derrick Luembe told Tanzanian newspaper The Citizen.<br/>

The Vietnamese government Monday issued an aviation licence to new carrier Bamboo Airways, which is expected to launch its first flights within weeks. The airline, a unit of FLC Group, will operate 100 domestic and international routes when operational, the government said. Bamboo Airlines will launch its maiden flights within 45 days after receiving the licence, FLC chairman Trinh Van Quyet said last week. The government said in its Monday statement that the airline’s first flights will connect Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with the country’s tourism cities. Bamboo Airways, Vietnam’s fifth airline, signed a provisional deal to buy 20 Boeing 787-9 wide-body jets worth $5.6b at list prices in July, as well as a memorandum of understanding with Airbus for up to 24 A320neo narrow-bodies in March.<br/>

Frontier Airlines pilots could be close to reaching a new contract after over two years of talks. The union representing pilots for the Denver-based discount carrier announced Monday it reached an "agreement in principle" on a deal including improvements to pay, work rules and benefits. A statement from the Air Line Pilots Association says it still must be reviewed by the Frontier union's executive council, which will decide whether to send it to pilots for a vote. Frontier pilots have been working under a contract changed in 2011 to keep their airline out of bankruptcy.<br/>

VietJet Air generated an operating profit of D2.5t ($107m) for the first nine months of 2018, up 13% from a year earlier. Revenue for the first nine months grew 50% to D25t, according to a company results presentation. CASK rose 11.8% to 4.25 US cents, owing to higher fuel costs and the initial cost of new international routes. CASK ex-fuel rose 3% to 2.37 cents, while RASK rose 14.8% to 4.88 cents. Cash and cash equivalents as of 30 September stood at D4.9t, nearly triple D1.9t held a year earlier. VietJet carried 16.9m passengers during the first nine months of the year, up 34% from a year earlier, while overall capacity grew 34.9% to 19.9m seats. Load factor remained steady at 88%. Ancillary revenue per passenger grew 16.6% to $16.63.<br/>

Zimbabwe has invited bids for the state-owned airline as President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government pushes ahead with a drive to privatize and end state funding to loss-making firms, Air Zimbabwe’s administrator said on Monday. Air Zimbabwe, which owes foreign and domestic creditors more than $300m, was in October placed into administration to try and revive its fortunes. The troubled airline is among dozens of state-owned firms, known locally as parastatals, that are set to be partially or fully privatized in the next 9 months as the government seeks to cut its fiscal deficit seen at 11% of GDP this year. Air Zimbabwe administrator Reggie Saruchera said in a notice published in newspapers Monday that potential investors should make their bids before Nov. 23 after paying a non-refundable deposit of $20,000.<br/>