An internal risk analysis after the first of 2 Boeing 737 MAX airliner crashes showed the likelihood was high of a similar cockpit emergency within months, according to a FAA official familiar with the details and others briefed on the matter. The regulator’s analysis, not previously reported, showed that it “didn’t take that much” for a malfunction like the one confronted by the pilots of the Lion Air flight that crashed into the Java Sea last year to occur, one of the people briefed on the analysis said. Based on the findings, the regulator decided it was sufficient to inform pilots about the hazards of an on-board sensor malfunction. The belief was that if pilots were aware of the risk and knew how to respond, it was acceptable to give Boeing and regulators time to design and approve a permanent software fix to MCAS. <br/>
general
The plane business is booming for Airbus. The only problem is that it can’t make more of them. Airbus said Wednesday that operating earnings rose 72% in Q2 from a year earlier, excluding one-off charges. The company has so far delivered 86 more commercial jets in 2019 than in the same period of 2018, and the margins on them keep growing because they are produced at a declining unit cost. It might seem like the aerospace giant is in an unbeatable position to gain market share, but there’s a catch: Both Airbus and Boeing are fully booked for at least the next 6 years. To this end, Airbus has been aggressively marketing new variants of its A321 jet. But ramping up production of these rejigged models at Airbus’s factories in Hamburg, Germany, and Mobile, Ala., has proven complicated. <br/>
Finnish company, Neste Oyj, whose bet on renewable fuels made it the best-performing large-cap in Finland over the past decade, has set its sights on a new market to conquer: aviation fuel. The market is attractive, with the use of jet fuel growing 2% to 3% per year, despite more fuel-efficient planes, and as airlines seek ways to meet requirements to cut and offset emissions, CE Peter Vanacker said. “We have 100,000 tons of capacity available in that particular quality that the aviation industry needs, the supply chain is set up -- all that is ready,” he’s said. “Now it’s about negotiating the sales contracts. We are already selling renewable jet fuel, but the volumes are at the early stages still small.” The big hurdle is the expense. Renewable aviation fuel can cost as much as 3 times more than kerosene. <br/>
A group of US senators Wednesday questioned the FAA oversight of Boeing's 737 MAX as the agency defended the longstanding practice of deferring much of the process of certifying new aircraft to manufacturers. Chair, Susan Collins, and others criticised the FAA's interaction with Boeing, saying the agency faced pressure from the company to get its new plane approved on schedule. "One has to question what has happened to (the FAA's safety) commitment - whether resource shortages have caused the agency to be too deferential to the aircraft manufacturer and whether it is really wise in the case of Boeing to have allowed the company to certify 96% of its own work," Collins said, citing a media report that found "safety concerns seemed to be placed second to concerns about Boeing able to meet its own timelines." <br/>
The Philippines Wednesday approved a plan to build a new airport near Manila, in a bid to ease congestion with the capital's existing airport operating at full capacity. Philippine conglomerate San Miguel will build the airport in Bulakan town, north of Manila Bay, that will feature 4 parallel runways and serve 100-200m passengers a year, the govt said. "This new international airport is important in helping ease the congestion of the Ninoy Aquino International," Transportation secretary Arthur Tugade said. San Miguel will have to break ground on the US$14b project before the end of the year and open for business no later than 2025. The existing Manila airport, which has 2 runways, handled nearly 260,000 flights and served 45m passengers last year. <br/>