Boeing is considering either suspending or cutting back production of the 737 MAX amid growing uncertainty over the troubled plane’s return to service and could disclose a decision as soon as Monday, according to people familiar with the matter. Boeing management increasingly sees pausing production as the most viable among difficult options as the plane maker’s board began a meeting Sunday, these people said. Support for halting production comes days after regulators warned the aerospace giant it had been setting unrealistic expectations for when the jet would be allowed to fly again, these people said. Cutting production further, following an earlier reduction in April, would inflate Boeing’s costs and trigger charges against its financial results, as well as causing further disruption to airlines. <br/>
general
IATA has spoken out against efforts to “deliberately suppress air travel through punitive passenger taxes,” imploring the global community to support the upcoming Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) scheme. “Taxation aimed at stopping people from exercising their freedom to fly will make travel more expensive but do very little to reduce emissions,” said CE Alexandre de Juniac. “It is a politician’s feel-good solution, without taking responsibility for the negative impact it has on the economy or the mobility restrictions it imposes on people with lower incomes.” IATA’s analysis shows that carbon emissions per passenger has declined by more than 50% since 1990, and this is largely due to improvements in fuel efficiency, which are ahead of target. <br/>
US authorities downgraded Venezuela's aviation rating Friday, saying the crisis-torn nation isn't able to meet basic international standards for airline safety. The FAA said it recently performed an “extensive review” of Venezuela's civil aviation authority, leading to the status change. “The Venezuelan regime does not comply” with international standards, the FAA said. Venezuela's aviation authorities either lack regulations needed to oversee their carriers at a minimum standard or they don't have adequate expertise, training or inspection procedures, among safety concerns, the FAA stated. Venezuela joins countries such as Malaysia, Bangladesh, Costa Rica and Ghana to be deemed below international standards. The rating doesn't automatically ban a nation's planes from landing in the US, but they are subject to more restrictions. <br/>
Expatriate pilots flying Boeing’s most popular plane for Chinese airlines used to be able to take their pick from dozens of jobs paying US$300,000 plus perks thanks to a shortage of experienced aviators there. The grounding of the 737 Max has changed that. Chinese carriers have largely stopped hiring foreign pilots for the 737, according to recruitment agencies. Airlines in China’s booming aviation market had been among the most enthusiastic buyers of the plane, accounting for 20% of a global fleet that now sits idle. Chinese airlines still pay above-market wages but the lengthy grounding has hit a swath of roles paying multiple times the median salary of a commercial pilot in the US. With no clear time-line for the Max’s reinstatement, demand for expat pilots of any 737 variant in China has slowed to a trickle. <br/>