Boeing is increasingly committed to transferring more control of aircraft from pilots to computers after 2 crashes exposed flaws in an automated system on its 737 MAX that overpowered aviators in the disasters. Executives at Boeing and other makers of planes and cockpit-automation systems for some time have believed more-sophisticated systems are necessary to serve as backstops for pilots, help them assimilate information and, in some cases, provide immediate responses to imminent hazards. Now, such changes also seek to address the fact that average pilots may not react to problems—including those tied to automation—as quickly or proficiently as designers traditionally assumed, according to former and current Boeing officials and industry executives. <br/>
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Boeing and the US FAA have clashed over a safety modification for Boeing 727s, with the regulator rejecting 3 attempts by the airframer to have the proposal withdrawn. The FAA’s concern centres on 727s fitted with Boeing’s body-mounted auxiliary fuel tanks. It argues that the fuel-quantity indicating system presents a potential electrical ignition source and, within 12 months, operators should either modify the system, to eliminate the risk of explosion, or de-activate the fuel tanks. But Boeing has objected to the requirement, on 3 fronts. It insists its own safety assessment shows the 727 does not have an unsafe condition, that the likelihood of an undetected latent electrical fault of the indicating system is “extremely remote”, and that the type’s vulnerability is limited. <br/>
The unionised workers responsible for refuelling planes at Montreal’s two airports walked off the job Tuesday morning, raising the prospects of more flight delays and cancellations amid freezing rain and snow. About 100 employees of Swissport Canada went on strike after rejecting Friday a tentative agreement reached between the employee and their union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Refuelling operations are continuing using trained managers and workers from other airports, but the operator of Pierre Elliott Trudeau International and Mirabel International warned the strike could cause flight delays. Air Canada, the biggest airline at Trudeau airport, said it took actions ahead of time to ensure its operations are not affected by the strike. <br/>