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S. aviation regulators are increasingly convinced they don’t need to mandate new simulator training for pilots of Boeing’s 737 Max before returning the grounded jet to service, according to people familiar with the discussions. Pilots would be required instead to take a computer-based training course they could perform at home or in a classroom, according to the people. More extensive simulator-based training for all 737 Max pilots may be required in the months after flights resume, the people said. Such a decision would help streamline the return of the plane linked to two fatal crashes and mired in multiple investigations and spare airlines millions of dollars in costs. But it would run contrary to demands by relatives of the victims and some pilots such as Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who crash-landed an airliner in New York’s Hudson River in 2009, and may make it harder to reassure a skeptical public of the plane’s safety. The FAA hasn’t concluded its reviews of Boeing’s proposed software changes to the plane and current thinking could change, according to the people familiar with the discussions. An FAA advisory panel, which issued a preliminary finding in April that simulator training wasn’t necessary to return the plane to service, is reviewing public comments and also hasn’t reached a final opinion. “The FAA still hasn’t made a final decision,” said agency spokesman Lynn Lunsford. “It’s one of the many things we’re still evaluating.” Story has more details.<br/>

Local airlines, desperate to find alternative routes to offset the decline in sales of tickets to Japan, are now facing unexpected challenges from China as Beijing has decided to bar foreign-based carriers from launching new scheduled routes to the country or expanding their operations there for two months. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Thursday, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) notified local airlines of its decision not to receive applications for new routes or expansions of existing ones until Oct. 10. However, the existing air service will continue, the ministry added. The unexpected decision is dealing a hard blow to local carriers, shifting focus from Japan to China and Southeast Asia, as more Koreans are ditching Japan as a popular holiday destination in response to Tokyo's export restrictions on Seoul. "The CAAC said the decision was part of safety and security controls, but we do not know the exact reason," an industry official said. "It is unprecedented for a country to ban additional routes after it has approved new routes. There is speculation that the Chinese government's move is due to the Hong Kong crisis, trying to re-adjust its local flights that are bound for Hong Kong." In May, Seoul and Beijing agreed to provide additional flight rights for local airlines to newly launch or expand existing flights to China.<br/>