Dozens of older Boeing 737 planes have been grounded worldwide after inspectors found cracks in a part that connects wings to fuselages, the manufacturer said. Qantas grounded three of its Boeing 737 NG, or next generation, aircraft, it said Friday. “These aircraft have been removed from service for repair,” it said. Cracks in the so-called pickle forks is the latest problem to hit Boeing, which is mired in crisis over its grounded 737 Max planes after two fatal crashes. The problem does not apply to the 737 Max, which has been grounded since mid-March in the wake of the second crash of the nearly brand-new jets. The inspections were conducted after Boeing warned about the issue and the FAA ordered inspections within a week for aircraft that had flown more than 30,000 flights and for aircraft between 26,000 and 29,999 cycles within 1,000 flights. Boeing said more than 1,000 planes met the conditions for the inspections and less than 5% qualified for repairs. Qantas said it inspected 33 of its 737 NG planes, performing the checks ahead of schedule as a precaution. American Airlines and United Airlines are inspecting their older 737 NGs, but have so far not found any problems, the companies said. Delta Air Lines said it hasn’t found any structural fatigue in its 737 planes after it took “an extra look during the past few weeks,” said spokesman Morgan Durrant. The repairs cost at least $275,000 for both wings, according to aviation consulting firm IBA.<br/>
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Flights to and from New Delhi's international airport were delayed and diverted on Sunday as pollution reached "unbearable" levels, leaving the Indian capital blanketed with heavy smog. Visibility was so poor that 37 flights -- including at least one international journey -- were diverted from the city's Indira Gandhi International Airport, a senior airport official said. Pollution indexes saw air quality in the Indian capital climb to "hazardous" levels in the city on Sunday. Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted that pollution was "unbearable" across North India. New Delhi has been ranked the most polluted city in the world, according to Greenpeace and AirVisual; a report by the two found that seven of the world's 10 cities with the worst air pollution are in India. On Sunday, major airlines including Air India and SpiceJet warned of delays and cancellations to flights to and from the international airport. The senior airport official said that although planes can land during times of poor visibility, not all pilots are trained to do so. "During winter months, when it's foggy early in the morning and at night, and the visibility is poor, we have a roster of pilots who are experts to land in those conditions, so the schedules are made keeping in mind low visibility. That is something we can plan for," he said. "But the visibility dropping suddenly due to pollution -- that's not something we plan for when making pilot's schedules," he said. The official said conditions had improved somewhat later in the day, allowing some flights to resume.<br/>
Flights at the world's busiest airport in Atlanta were briefly stopped Saturday morning after a threatening note was found onboard an American Airlines flight bound for Dallas, authorities said. The note was discovered while the plane was still at the gate at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, said Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos. "The passengers were disembarked and re-screened at the gate, and (police are) on scene to conduct a security sweep of the plane," Campos said. "A temporary ground stop that had been in effect has been lifted and operations at the airport are back to normal." The airport said there were no significant travel delays. No emergency landings were required, said American Airlines spokesman Joshua Freed. "There was a non-credible threat. But out of an abundance of caution, law enforcement searched" an aircraft, Freed said.<br/>
Brazilian government officials this week tempted airline executives with a pitch: Latin America’s largest domestic aviation market is opening up and it badly needs more competition. Promises abounded to lure low-cost carriers to fly domestic routes. The infrastructure minister promised to double the number of passengers in Brazil’s skies. A monopoly on jet fuel by government-controlled Petrobras is set to end. An $18 fee charged on every international flight ticket was scrapped. But many industry veterans say that the new promises and recent reforms are not enough, and the country remains an unattractive money pit littered with barriers. “It won’t happen under the current conditions,” said Peter Cerda, VP for the Americas at industry group IATA. “You can have infrastructure. You can be the largest market in the continent. But if you’re costly, (new airlines) aren’t going to come.” Brazil transported 118m passengers in 2018, 20% more than Mexico, Latin America’s No. 2 market. However, experts say airlines in Brazil struggle with sky high fuel taxes, labour costs and legal liabilities - as well as lack of access to the coveted Congonhas airport in Sao Paulo, where the landing slots are fully booked. Brazil’s domestic market is controlled by just three airlines who dominate Congonhas’ schedule, meaning a new competitor would have to find its footing elsewhere, a hard pill to swallow. Those already operating in the country are not particularly profitable. Story has more details and background.<br/>
Amid fierce competition, South Korean low-cost carriers are seeking to attract more passengers by upgrading their in-flight services and diversifying routes. They had previously focused on no-frills cheap flights without meals and entertainment. But in early October, Air Seoul -- under the country’s No. 2 full-service carrier Asiana Airlines -- began offering in-flight movies, in a first for a low-cost carrier here. The LCC operates the Airbus 321-200, which has personal screens for each seat, unlike the Boeing 737-800 aircraft used by most budget airlines. The in-flight movies are available to passengers flying medium-haul routes, such as to China, Southeast Asia and Guam. Comic or sports clips are offered on short-haul flights, such as those to Japanese cities. Meanwhile, LCCs are also diversifying flights after the nationwide boycott of trips to Japan severely hit the domestic industry. To replace Japanese destinations, budget airlines have added flights to China and Southeast Asian cities, such as popular holiday destinations in Vietnam like Danang and Phu Quoc. “Unlike in the past, when LCCs mainly competed with lower ticket price deals, the rivalry now centers on differentiated in-flight services and other perks for passengers, such as establishing a passenger lounge at the departure terminal,” said an industry insider who works at a domestic LCC. “Sales strategies will continue to shift toward offering premium and luxury services for consumers,” he added.<br/>