Boeing’s CE said Thursday that a software update designed to prevent disasters like two recent fatal crashes involving its 737 MAX is working, with about two-thirds of the fast-selling jetliner’s customers having seen the fix in simulator sessions. In his first public speech since an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX crash that killed all 157 aboard on March 10, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said additional tests are expected in the coming weeks as the planemaker works to regain the confidence of its customers and the flying public. The world’s largest planemaker is under pressure to convince MAX operators and global regulators that the aircraft, which was grounded worldwide in March, is safe to fly again. Muilenburg said he recently joined one of 96 test flights during which Boeing crew performed different scenarios that exercised the software changes in multiple flight conditions over 159 hours of air time. “The software update functioned as designed,” he said, without indicating when Boeing will deliver the fix to international regulators for their review, which is expected to last around 90 days. Boeing is working to address a glitch when separate software is integrated into the system that was uncovered during an internal review, raising questions on how long before it submits the upgrade for certification. Initial accident investigation reports show a 737 anti-stall system triggered by bad data from a key airflow sensor was “one link in a longer chain of events” in the two crashes, Muilenburg said. “We know we can break this chain link. It’s our responsibility to eliminate this risk.”<br/>
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Before last month’s crash of a flight that began in Ethiopia, Boeing said in a legal document that large, upgraded 737s “cannot be used at what are referred to as ‘high/hot’ airports." At an elevation of 7,657 feet -- or more than a mile high -- Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport falls into that category. High elevations require longer runways and faster speeds for takeoff. The Ethiopian airport’s altitude hasn’t been cited as a factor in the downing of Flight 302 and likely didn’t cause the crash. But it could have exacerbated the situation because an airplane’s performance degrades at higher altitudes, said a 737 pilot who flies into high-elevation airports such as Denver and agreed to speak on background since he’s not authorized to talk with the media. “The faster the airplane is going, the more force of air there is on its wings and control surfaces which requires more force on the pilots’ part to pull the control” column, said Robert Mark, a commercial pilot and senior editor with Flying Magazine. Boeing cited the performance of the 737 Max 8 in a case brought before the US International Trade Commission in 2017. Boeing charged that unfair competition from Bombardier -- which beat out Boeing for a large order from Delta -- threatened its 737-700 and Max 7, the smallest of its upgraded single-aisle jets. By pointing out the limitations of the Max 8, the planemaker sought to preserve market share for the 700 and Max 7. A Boeing spokesman said that Addis Ababa can handle large airplanes because it has long runways.<br/>
The US FAA will this week hold a meeting with major US airlines that fly the currently grounded Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and three major pilots’ unions, the agency confirmed Thursday. The meeting, to be held on Friday at FAA headquarters in Washington, is set for three hours and will include safety representatives from American, United and Southwest as well as officials from the three unions. The FAA is also convening a joint review with aviation regulators from China, Europe, Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, Ethiopia and other countries. Boeing has reprogrammed software on its 737 MAX passenger jet to prevent erroneous data from triggering an anti-stall system that is under mounting scrutiny following the two deadly nose-down crashes and revised pilot training. Boeing CE Dennis Muilenburg said Thursday that the software update is working, with about two-thirds of the fast-selling jetliner’s customers having seen the fix in simulator sessions. But on April 1, Boeing said it had delayed submitting the proposed revisions to the FAA for approval. The FAA said the meeting is to help “the FAA to gather facts, information, and individual views to further understand their views as FAA decides what needs to be done before returning the aircraft to service.” The agency “continues to gather all available information and data in considering the return of the 737 MAX to service,” it added.<br/>
Kenya Airports Authority expects its land holdings to be worth more than 1 trillion shillings ($9.9b) after a revaluation is concluded in a month, CEO Jonny Andersen said. “Since we’ll have a different balance sheet, we can go to the banks and ask for completely different financing because we’ll have so much value,” Andersen said. “It will completely change the balance sheet of KAA because we are valued at a completely different rate.” The state-owned agency last valued its 11,000 acres of land in the capital, Nairobi, in 2004 at 80m shillings, which is “putting KAA at a huge disadvantage,” Chairman Isaac Awuondo said Wednesday. The agency’s revenue was 15.9b shillings in the 12 months through June 2017, about 80% of which was from Kenya’s biggest airport in Nairobi. The facility has lost market share to neighboring rival Ethiopia Airlines Group, which has invested in a new fleet and expanded the main airport in Addis Ababa into a regional hub. KAA will have to invest in the Nairobi hub to stem the loss in market share, which now stands at 34% of regional traffic, from 47% in 2013, Andersen said.<br/>
A scandal over improper maintenance work at jet-engine maker IHI Corp. deepened as the company said it has found over 7,000 cases of flawed engine inspections in the process of making engine parts during the two years through January. The latest findings, which also affect parts supplied to Self-Defense Forces aircraft, raised the tally of improper inspections by the Tokyo-based company to over 13,000. IHI said Monday it has found no safety problems due to the improper checks. IHI, a supplier of engines to Boeing Co. and Airbus, is among a slew of Japanese manufacturers recently embroiled in scandals over improper quality controls on their products, including Nissan Motor and Kobe Steel Ltd.<br/>