US and European regulators knew at least two years before a Lion Air crash that the usual method for controlling the Boeing 737 MAX’s nose angle might not work in conditions similar to those in two recent disasters, a document shows. The European Aviation and Space Agency (EASA) certified the plane as safe in part because it said additional procedures and training would “clearly explain” to pilots the “unusual” situations in which they would need to manipulate a rarely used manual wheel to control, or “trim,” the plane’s angle. Those situations, however, were not listed in the flight manual, according to a copy from American Airlines seen by Reuters. The undated EASA certification document, available online, was issued in February 2016, an agency spokesman said. It specifically noted that at speeds greater than 230 knots (265mph, 425kph) with flaps retracted, pilots might have to use the wheel in the cockpit’s centre console rather than an electric thumb switch on the control yoke. EASA and the US FAA ultimately determined that set-up was safe enough for the plane to be certified, with the European agency citing training plans and the relative rarity of conditions requiring the trim wheel. Story has more details.<br/>
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An anti-stall system at the center of a probe into the crash of a Boeing 737 MAX jetliner in Indonesia five months ago was also at play when an identical aircraft crashed in Ethiopia earlier this month, three people briefed on the matter said. Data pulled from the Ethiopian Airlines flight recorder suggests the so-called MCAS system, which pushes the nose of the jet downwards, had been activated before the jet ploughed into a field outside Addis Ababa on March 10, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of an interim official report. Boeing and the FAA declined to comment on the data, first reported by the Wall Street Journal. It is the second related piece of evidence to emerge from the black boxes of Ethiopian flight 302 after an initial sample of data recovered by investigators in Paris 11 days ago suggested similar “angle of attack” readings to the first crash. These initial airflow readings from the Ethiopian jet, first reported by Reuters, refer to stall-related information needed to trigger the automated nose-down MCAS system. The system is designed to be activated only when the angle of attack - measuring the way the wing cuts through the air - has become too high to avoid the plane stalling or losing lift. However, it was not immediately clear whether the system on the Ethiopian jet was responding to faulty sensor data, as in the case of the earlier crash, or genuine stall indications.<br/>
There was a prominent no-show among the 200 regulators, pilots and airline managers that Boeing invited to preview a crucial software update for the 737 Max this week, said people familiar with the matter: European safety officials. The planemaker is sending a team across the Atlantic to brief the European Union Aviation Safety Agency on the proposed changes after two of the jetliners plunged to the ground within five months, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. Intentional or not, EASA’s snub points to the delicate politics Boeing faces in convincing regulators the Max is safe as the company seeks to restore confidence in its best-selling jet, which has been grounded for more than two weeks. The reputation of US regulators has taken a hit in the scrutiny of the 737 Max's approval process, and foreign agencies are less likely to rubber-stamp aircraft certifications simply because they have been cleared by the FAA. EASA is expected to play an influential role in determining how long and complicated the review of the Max will be, while safety officials from China to Canada have vowed to conduct their own rigorous analysis. “EASA’s determination should be important for the rest of the world, given its sophistication and perceived independence,” said Seth Seifman, analyst with JPMorgan Chase, in a note to clients. “We had productive information sessions this week and continue to work closely with our customers and regulators on software and training updates for the 737 Max,” a Boeing spokesman said.<br/>
US Senator Chuck Schumer wants Boeing to be removed from an FAA rulemaking committee as investigations deepen into both the company and regulator's role in two deadline airline crashes. Senate Democratic Leader Schumer said Sunday that Boeing should be suspended from the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations on airline industry regulations. He also wants the membership and activities of the committee to be made public and suggested further reforms to the committee. Congress is looking closely at the relationship between Boeing and the FAA after two recent deadly crashes. Both crashes involved a Boeing jet green-lighted by the US regulator, which relied heavily on safety assessments made by Boeing employees. The FAA said it had not received Schumer's request and would provide a response when it does. <br/>
Another airport worker was on Friday confirmed to have contracted measles, raising the number of cases in Hong Kong this year to 32. A dozen cases have been recorded among airport and airline staff alone, including a pilot, baggage handlers and security guards, as the government attempts to get to grips with the outbreak. Health officials said they would prioritise workers at Hong Kong International Airport for vaccinations amid a shortage of supply. <br/>
Indonesia raised the price floor on over 1,000 domestic routes on 29 March, and signalled that it will review the floor regularly to ensure the country’s airlines remain viable. The adjustment has increased the minimum fare that permitted from 30% of the maximum set by the transport ministry for each of the routes to 35%. It is the first change to the price floor mechanism since 2016, but the latest ministerial orders stipulate that fares will be reviewed every quarter. They may also be instigated when "there is a significant event that affects the [viability] of a carrier." Those include a 10% increase in fuel prices, other cost components, or fluctuations in the value of the Indonesian rupiah. The orders also reaffirm the ability of full service carriers Batik Air and Garuda Indonesia to charge the maximum fares on their routes. Hybrid carriers Nam Air and Sriwijaya Air can price their tickets up to 90% of the limit, while low-cost carriers Citilink, Indonesia AirAsia, and Lion Air can only charge up to 85%. "The transport ministry is very concerned with what the consumers need [when it comes to] using the air transport mode. But in this case, the government also needs to ensure the viability of an airline," said the secretary of the directorate general of civil aviation, Nur Isnin Istiartono.<br/>
The ceremony at the Elysee palace in Paris exuded the full pomp of the French state. Under gilded ceilings dripping with chandeliers, executives of Airbus SE and the agency that buys planes for China’s airlines signed an order worth $35b as French President Emmanuel Macron and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, looked on. Normally, such an event would be full of gloating. In commercial aviation—a zero-sum industry with just two global players, Airbus and Boeing—the rivalry is intense and victories are savored and celebrated. But these aren’t normal times, and the ceremony marking Airbus’s biggest deal in several years was unusually muted. Guillaume Faury, soon to be Airbus’s CEO, was subdued, calling the massive order “a sign of confidence between us and our Chinese partners.” Boeing is mired in a painful investigation following two fatal crashes in just five months of its popular new 737 Max jet, which has since been grounded worldwide. The crisis has shifted the playing field in favour of Airbus at a time that it needs a victory. In February, the company cancelled its A380 double-decker after just a dozen years in service. And its sales force, mired in an investigation into allegations of corruption, has suffered the worst start to the year in at least a decade. Yet Airbus has made it clear it has no intention of taking advantage of the tragedies, and sales staff were told on a conference call that they shouldn’t mention them in their pitches to customers, according to a person who participated. At the Paris signing, Faury declined to comment on what the Boeing grounding might mean for Airbus. And CEO Tom Enders has stressed that this isn’t the time to go after the wounded rival’s business. “When something like that happens, we’re all one big family,” he said at an industry event on March 15. “Safety is not a competition item.”<br/>