The FAA said Wednesday that it had recently discovered a new problem with the 737 Max jet that Boeing must correct before the plane is returned to service. In a flight simulator last week, FAA pilots tested erroneous activations of anti-stall software that pushes down the nose of the Max, people with knowledge of the matter said. The software, known as MCAS, was involved in 2 crashes. In at least one instance, an FAA pilot was unable to quickly and easily follow Boeing’s emergency procedures to regain control of the plane. The pilot rated that failure as catastrophic, meaning it could lead to the loss of an aircraft mid-flight, the people said. The situation that was tested is highly unlikely to occur during a typical passenger flight, but the regulator is still requiring Boeing to make a fix, one of the people said. <br/>
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Airlines and regulators are gathering at a closed-door summit in Montreal Wednesday to exchange views on steps needed for a safe and coordinated return of Boeing's grounded 737 MAX jets to the skies following 2 deadly crashes. The meeting, organised by IATA comes as airlines grapple with the financial impact of a global grounding of nearly 400 737 MAX jets that has lasted 3 months. IATA DG Alexandre de Juniac has said "shoring up trust among regulators and improving coordination" within an industry that grounded the MAX planes on different dates in March would be priorities at Wednesday's summit. Regulators including Transport Canada, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the FAA will join airlines at the meeting. It is the second such meeting organised by IATA. <br/>
An organisation representing airports in 45 European countries said Wednesday that it plans to get airports to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Airport Council International Europe president Michael Kerkloh told aviation officials that the strategy's launch aligns European airports with the Paris climate accords by putting climate change at the heart of business decisions. That's "an absolute must" for all industries, said Kerkloh. The net zero carbon emissions target applies to all member airports. Kerkloh said 140 airports operated by 40 members have affirmed their commitment to the goal, while 3 Swedish airports have already achieved it. The goal does not include aircraft emissions but those of the airport's buildings, infrastructure and vehicles. <br/>