Inspections around the world after a jet engine failed earlier this year on a Southwest plane, killing a passenger, found an additional eight cases of cracked fan blades like the one that triggered the incident. The unexpected damage to the plane - caused by pieces from the exterior of the engine flying loose and striking the fuselage and wing - led to an examination of other engines and the discovery of additional cracked blades, Mr Mark Habedank, an engineer for engine-maker CFM International Inc told an investigative hearing in Washington on Wednesday. "That's a lot of blades that are cracking," said Mr John DeLisi, the chief aviation safety investigator with the NTSB, one of the questioners at the hearing. The NTSB was examining the failure to see why certification standards designed to prevent such accidents apparently weren't adequate. CFM, a joint venture between General Electric Co and France's Safran SA believes that heightened inspections of fan blades, better lubrication of where they attach and coatings on the metal blades have combined to prevent such a failure in the future, said Habedank, engineering leader for the engine, the CFM56-7B. In conjunction with the US FAA, inspection requirements have been increased on the engines this year.<br/>
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Fast-growing Spirit Airlines will make Austin, Texas, its newest destination. The ultra low-cost carrier will debut there Feb. 14, launching with an aggressive schedule that features nonstop flights to eight destinations. A ninth route will join Spirit’s Austin lineup in May. Spirit’s expansion to Austin furthers a period of explosive growth for the airport. A number of airlines have revealed new or increased flights there during the past two years, including international carriers Lufthansa and Norwegian Air. As for Spirit, its initial Austin schedule will feature flights to eight destinations: Baltimore/Washington (BWI); Chicago O’Hare; Denver; Detroit; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Las Vegas; New Orleans; and Orlando, Florida. The ramp-up is an unusually large one for Spirit. It typically enters a new market cautiously with just a few routes and then expands if its service proves popular. <br/>
Decades-old regulations barring foreigners from owning Brazil’s airlines are outdated and “might make no sense anymore,” the top executive of Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA, said Wednesday. Foreigners are limited by law to a 20% stake in any Brazilian airline’s voting stock. But while Brazil may be entering an economic liberalization phase - far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has vowed to cut spending and privatize state companies - Gol CEO Paulo Kakinoff said it is unclear whether the new administration will seek to loosen the existing regulations. “Our company has always been in favor of bringing to our country all the conditions to have access to foreign capital without any kind of restriction,” Kakinoff said. “This should be one of the positive effects of having some change in the current legislation.” Outgoing President Michel Temer has said he is in favour of allowing full foreign ownership. In 2017, he said he would enact this change through executive action, only to change his mind and submit a bill to Congress, where the plan has stalled. Kakinoff added that Gol is not currently in talks with Delta, which owns a 9.5% stake in Gol preferred shares, or any other entity, about taking a bigger stake in the Brazilian carrier. In October, Gol said it planned to acquire full control of its listed loyalty program, a subsidiary called Smiles Fidelidade. <br/>
Saudi Arabian budget airline flyadeal aims to decide whether to order Airbus or Boeing narrow-body jets by the end of this month, its CE said Wednesday. Flyadeal, a subsidiary of state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines, had been due to decide on the order for 30 Airbus A320neos or Boeing 737 MAXs in the second quarter but held off to further assess the performance of the revamped models. “We want some evidence because we’re committing a huge chunk of capital,” Con Korfiatis said, adding that the planemakers had competed “very vigorously”. Flyadeal is a pure low cost airline, with passengers charged for meals and checked luggage, a model that has so far not had major success in the Middle East beyond United Arab Emirates-headquartered Air Arabia.<br/>
The budget airline Flybe has put itself up for sale as a cocktail of rising fuel prices, the weaker pound and lower demand weigh on profits. Stobart Group and easyJet are among the contenders for all or part of Flybe’s business, after the Exeter-based airline said it is in discussions with a number of strategic operators about a potential sale of the company, in a statement to the stock market. Flybe’s announcement follows a warning last month that profits for the year would be significantly lower than investors expected because of a softening in the market – in part because of uncertainty surrounding the Brexit process. The weaker performance prompted a review of measures to cut costs and reduce the number of flights it makes, although Wednesday it said further action may be necessary. Flybe has appointed an investment bank, Evercore, to help to find a buyer, although it gave no indication of when or if a deal should be expected, or the identity of possible buyers.<br/>