Some American Airlines flight attendants remain fearful of flying the Boeing 737 Max, even as the planemaker nears regulatory approval for a software update to return the grounded jet to service. Attendants want to be fully versed on what happened in the fatal crashes of the Max and why the plane is safe to fly now, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said Thursday. The union will consider information from Boeing, US regulators, American Airlines, the carrier’s pilots and others before making a final decision. “I hear from some flight attendants every day and they are begging me to not make them go back up in that airplane,” APFA president Lori Bassani said. “We want to know without a doubt that it’s safe to fly.” <br/>
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An international investigation into the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 released a series of phone intercepts Thursday, including one between a top aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin and pro-Russian rebels accused in the crash. Calls between officials in Moscow and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine mostly took place via secure telephones provided by the Russian security service, and intensified ahead of the disaster in the first half of July 2014, the Joint Investigation Team said. The Russian govt, which has denied involvement in the plane's destruction, said Thursday it could not verify the authenticity of the intercepts. A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said that the intercepts followed a wave of "fake news" on the subject and should be regarded with scepticism. <br/>
Qantas will operate its second of 3 ultra-long-haul test flights under Project Sunrise, this time from London to Sydney, a month after it completed its first research flight from New York to Sydney. The latest flight took off at 06:00 Thursday, and will last about 19.5 hours, slightly longer than the New York-Sydney nonstop which flew in October. Like the earlier flight, the aircraft will carry about 50 passengers and crew, and no cargo, in order to give it the necessary range. The Boeing 787-9 that will operate the flight – a new aircraft to be delivered to the airline – will fly 17,800km. This is about 1,500km further than New York-Sydney. Qantas’ second research flight is the second such flight to operate London-Sydney nonstop. Thirty years ago, Qantas flew a 747-400 ferry flight on the same route. <br/>
Cathay Pacific is delaying the delivery of 4 Airbus A320neo family aircraft originally set to join its subsidiaries HK Express and Cathay Dragon next year as it struggles with weakening demand amid continued unrest in the territory. In an analyst briefing, the carrier states that one A320neo meant for HK Express – its newly-acquired low-cost arm – and 3 A321neos destined for Cathay Dragon will be deferred. Cathay will also accelerate the retirement of 1 Boeing 777-300ER, which was scheduled for next year. It is also bringing forward the retirement of 1 of 5 Cathay Dragon A320ceos. Taken together, this will leave Cathay and Cathay Dragon with 6 fewer aircraft for 2020. The move comes a day after the airline warned of "significant pressure" on its overall passenger yield and second-half earnings in its October traffic figures. <br/>