The FAA met for 3 hours Friday with representatives from the 3 major US airlines that own now grounded Boeing 737 MAX jets and their pilots' unions to discuss 2 fatal crashes and the path forward. More than 300 Boeing 737 MAXs have been grounded worldwide after a total of 346 people died in a Lion Air crash in Indonesia in October and in an Ethiopian Airlines crash outside Addis Ababa last month. American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines officials attended the meeting, where FAA acting administrator Dan Elwell said he wanted to know operators' and pilots' thoughts before the agency decides to return the 737 MAX to service. Elwell said the meeting participants' "operational perspective is critical input as the agency welcomes scrutiny on how it can do better." <br/>
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Bicameral legislation introduced in the US Congress would protect against inflight toxic fumes by mandating installation of carbon monoxide detectors in aircrafts’ supply systems and establishing training and reporting requirements to help pilots crew members identify air contamination events in the cabin. Toxic fume events can occur when air contaminated by engine exhaust, fuel fumes, de-icing fluids and ozone flows through the jet engine intake and into the aircraft cabin. Passengers exposed to low levels of these fumes can become incapacitated, and long-term exposure could lead to “serious, debilitating health issues,” according to the bill’s co-sponsors. The bill directs airlines and manufacturers to install and operate carbon monoxide detectors in aircrafts’ air supply systems. <br/>
The number of flights around the UK has fallen almost 20% in the past decade as taxes, improved train services and market economics have pushed domestic air connectivity down the aviation sector’s list of priorities. Analysis of Civil Aviation Authority data shows the number of domestic routes with more than 1,000 passengers per year has fallen from 228 in 2007 to 188 in 2017. Domestic passenger numbers fell 10% in the same period to 22.8m, according to CAA figures. By contrast, the number of people flying internationally rose 43% to 229m over the same period. Jonathan Hinkles, MD of Scotland’s Loganair, which flies mostly within the UK, said there had been “a major loss of domestic air connectivity” with airlines “progressively closing routes one by one”. <br/>
Passengers traveling to and from Spain during the busy Easter holiday season will need to expect delays as airport ground workers, security staff and pilots plan strike action. Security staff of Aeropuerto Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, Spain’s main airport and Iberia’s major hub, announced an open-ended strike from April 12, following the collapse of negotiations on working and contract conditions with airport operator Aena. Trade unions USO and UGT, representing 60,000 ground staff, have also threatened strike action for April 21 and 24 at all airports in Spain. Earlier this week, pilots of Spanish regional operator Air Nostrum announced 6 24-hour strike days from April 15-17 and April 22-24, to protest a growing transfer of production to other airlines within Iberia Group. <br/>
Available airline seats at Dubai International will decline by 29% as the world’s busiest airport upgrades a runway. Dubai Airports will commence the 45-day long refurbishment of the southern runway at Dubai International at 3 pm April 16, it said Sunday. “The runway is nearing the end of its design life and requires a complete upgrade to accommodate future traffic growth,” it said. Dubai Airports will move some flights to the city’s second airport in the south, Dubai World Central, to try to reduce the impact. As a result, the number of seats across Dubai will decline by 20%. Emirates plans to reduce its flights by 25% during the closure of Dubai International Airport’s southern runway, it said in January. <br/>