The effort to return Boeing’s 737 Max airliners to flight hit another hurdle when Canada’s transport minister said he favoured requiring new simulator training for pilots. Transport minister Marc Garneau said Wednesday that the planes would be grounded “for as long as it takes” and pilots should experience the fixes Boeing is devising in simulators instead of relying only on more basic, computer-based ground training. Garneau said: “From our point of view, it’s not going to be a question of pulling out an iPad and spending an hour on it.” His comments stand in contrast to a proposal released by the US FAA Tuesday that concluded the differences between the 737 Max and the most recent earlier models weren’t significant and there wasn’t a need for additional simulator time for pilots transitioning from one plane to the other. <br/>
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The EC has blacklisted Moldova and put Belarus and the Dominican Republic under closer scrutiny in its latest EU Air Safety List update, while also lifting bans on 2 Angolan airlines. Airlines that appear on the EU Air Safety List are subject to EU operating bans or restrictions because of shortcomings in their air safety oversight. “All the air carriers from Moldova, with the exception of Air Moldova, Fly One and Aerotranscargo, have been included in the list due to a lack of safety oversight by the civil aviation authority of Moldova,” the Commission said. “The civil aviation authorities of the Dominican Republic and of Belarus have been put under heightened scrutiny because of signs of a decrease in safety oversight.” <br/>
A new, long-delayed 88-passenger jet from Japan may finally be the right plane at the right time. More cities in Asia and Europe are seeking to link up with each other and the global air travel network. The Mitsubishi Regional Je began certification flights last month in Moses Lake, Washington, to satisfy that demand. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' new airliner is testing the skies just as rivals are moving to sell off their manufacturing operations for jets with up to 160 seats. Boeing is set to buy 80% of the Embraers commercial operations in a joint venture, while Bombardier last year sold control of its C Series airliner project to Airbus and is exploring “strategic options” for its regional-jet operations. At stake, particularly in the market for jets with fewer seats, is US$135b in sales in the 2 decades through 2037. <br/>