Even as Boeing inches closer to getting the 737 Max back in the air, new problems with the plane are emerging that go beyond the software that played a role in two deadly crashes. As part of the work to return the Max to service, the company and regulators have scrutinized every aspect of the jet, uncovering new potential design flaws. At the request of the FAA, Boeing conducted an internal audit in December to determine whether it had accurately assessed the dangers of key systems given new assumptions about how long it might take pilots to respond to emergencies, according to a senior engineer at Boeing and three people familiar with the matter. Among the most pressing issues discovered were previously unreported concerns with the wiring that helps control the tail of the Max. The company is looking at whether two bundles of critical wiring are too close together and could cause a short circuit. A short in that area could lead to a crash if pilots did not respond correctly, the people said. Boeing is still trying to determine whether that scenario could actually occur on a flight and, if so, whether it would need to separate the wire bundles in the roughly 800 Max jets that have already been built. The company says that the fix, if needed, is relatively simple. The company informed the FAA about the potential vulnerability last month, and Boeing’s new CE discussed possible changes to the wiring on an internal conference call last week, according to one of the people and the Boeing engineer. The company may eventually need to look into whether the same problem exists on the 737 NG, the predecessor to the Max. There are currently about 6,800 of those planes in service. Story has more details.<br/>
general
A Sudanese military plane crashed in the West Darfur region Thursday evening, killing all 16 people onboard, including two children, the military said. A Sudanese employee of the WFP and his family were among the casualties. Several officers were also among those killed when the plane went down in the restless region of West Darfur, which has recently experienced deadly ethnic clashes. Abeer Etefa, the food program’s spokeswoman for the Mideast and North Africa, said on Friday that one of the organization’s Sudanese employees, who was onboard with his wife and two children, had been killed in the crash. The food program was withholding the staff member’s name and other details, pending notification of next of kin. The plane, a Russian Antonov An-12, crashed five minutes after taking off from an airport in the town of Geneina, according to Brig. Gen. Amer Mohammed al-Hassan, who posted a statement Thursday on the Sudanese armed forces’ Facebook page. An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the crash, although there were no immediate reports of foul play. General Al-Hassan said the casualties included seven troops, three judges and six civilians.<br/>
Aviation punctuality reports are a bit like buses; you wait all year for one then two appear at once. On Thursday, travel data analyst Cirium released its annual On-Time Performance Review, naming Russian flag carrier Aeroflot the world's most on-time global mainline airline and Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport the world's most punctual airport. Then on Friday, rival data analyst OAG unleashed its Punctuality League 2020, declaring Indonesia's flag carrier Garuda Indonesia the world's most punctual airline, Aeroflot the most punctual mega airline in Europe and Sheremetyevo International Airport the world's most punctual mega airport. So why the discrepancies? What's the difference between a mega airport and a small one? And why is Russia doing so darn well? Story explains the results.<br/>
Flights were suspended at the only functioning airport in Libya’s capital Tripoli Friday because of rocket fire and shelling, as people in eastern Libya protested Turkish military support for their rivals. Turkey’s parliament voted Thursday to allow troops to be sent to support the internationally-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, deepening fears of more fighting, though analysts and officials said Ankara was unlikely to immediately put boots on the ground. The GNA has sought Turkey’s support as it fends off an offensive by General Khalifa Haftar’s forces, which control the east and swept through southern Libya in early 2019. Haftar’s forces said they had carried out air strikes in several places on Friday, including south of the city of Sirte and in Tripoli. <br/>