The US aviation regulator will ensure certification of Boeing's 777X wide-body jet is conducted rigorously, the agency's head said Wednesday while reaffirming that its review of the grounded 737 MAX will not be rushed. Problems with a number of aircraft models have led some airlines to accuse plane and engine makers of over-promising on performance capabilities, while the grounding of Boeing's 737 MAX has increased scrutiny of testing and certification. The comments from Steve Dickson, administrator of the FAA, come a day after Emirates -- Boeing's largest 777X customer -- demanded that the aircraft be tested for at least 16 months to ensure it is safe to fly and meets performance expectations. <br/>
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Strong customer demand and positive traffic trends in the face of current global trade tensions as well as decreasing fuel costs should enable US airlines overall to maintain profitability if a recession should strike in 2020, JP Morgan analyst Jamie Baker writes in a Nov 19 research summary of the global airline industry. 2019 marks the first in 4 consecutive years that operating and pre-tax margins have expanded for most of the major US airlines Baker covers. He credits the expansions to capacity growth discipline at the beginning of 2019 and a further tightening of capacity after the grounding of Boeing's 737 Max, leading to increased pricing power for US airlines, particularly those with fewer Max aircraft in their fleets. <br/>
Kuala Lumpur has established a task force of both local and international personnel to help it obtain FAA Category 1 status. The team was organised by the Ministry of Transport and comprises 4 pilots, 3 engineers, and a technical coordinator, according to CAAM. It will be led by Kok Soo Chon, an industry veteran who led Malaysia’s investigation into MH370. Kok will coordinate the task force, lead its work plan, and ensure that its findings are implemented. “This task force of experts is set to finalise all rectifying works under the 33 FAA IASA assessment findings which were categorised as “open status” and other issues related,” says CAAM. “Thereafter, the FAA will be invited to conduct a re-assessment of the IASA program with the objective of re-categorising CAAM from Category 2 to Category 1.” <br/>
Chinese airlines are adding seats on short- and mid-range Asian flights in a strategic shift away from prestigious but loss-making North American routes to a market that promises better returns and growth. Over the past decade, the number of seats on US routes operated by China's top 3 state-owned carriers rose fourfold, but such breakneck expansion came at a price. The nation's international aviation industry has been in the red for at least 3 years, with losses reaching US$3.13b in 2018, according to recent China Air Transport Association data. In response, Chinese airlines are increasingly seeking growth closer to home. Out of 105 international routes that Chinese carriers plan to add to over 800 existing ones for the new winter-spring season, most focus on East Asia and Southeast Asia. <br/>