general

The FAA is barring US pilots and carriers from flying in areas of Iraqi, Iranian and some Persian Gulf airspace. The agency is warning of the “potential for miscalculation or mis-identification” for civilian aircraft amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran. The emergency flight restrictions follow ballistic missile strikes Tuesday on two Iraqi bases that house US troops. Such restrictions are often precautionary in nature to prevent civilian aircraft from being confused for ones engaged in armed conflict. The FAA says the restrictions are being issued due to “heightened military activities and increased political tensions in the Middle East, which present an inadvertent risk to US civil aviation operations.”<br/>

Several Asian airlines Wednesday said they would be avoiding Iranian airspace. Singapore Airlines said it was diverting all flight routes from Iranian airspace. The announcement came after Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against multiple bases housing US troops in Iraq. “In view of the latest developments in the region, all SIA flights in and out of Europe are diverted from the Iranian airspace,” the airline said. “We are monitoring the situation closely and will make the appropriate adjustments to our routes if necessary.” Taiwan’s China Airlines also said it will not fly over Iran or Iraq due to regional tensions, Reuters reported. The largest carrier in Taiwan, China Airlines said that it will continue to monitor the situation and adjust routes accordingly. Another Taiwanese airline, EVA Air, and Malaysia Airlines also said they’re avoiding flying over Iran airspace. Tehran’s attack follows the US killing of Iran’s top general, Qasem Soleimani, last Friday. <br/>

Boeing said Tuesday it was recommending that airline pilots undergo simulator training before they resume flying the 737 MAX, a shift from its previous position that pilots only needed computer-based training. If US and international regulators ultimately back Boeing’s proposal, it could take airlines longer to prepare their crews to fly the 737 MAX jets that have been grounded since March after two crashes that killed 346 people. Boeing has been working on revised pilot training and software updates for the 737 MAX to win regulatory approval for the jets to fly commercially again. After repeated setbacks, the US FAA is not expected to give the greenlight until at least February, perhaps March or later. Last year, the planemaker said it would propose that MAX pilots did not need to train on costly simulators, a position it originally used to market the latest version of its 737 narrowbody workhorse against competition from European rival Airbus. Airlines that bought the MAX have had to cancel flights while the global fleet remains grounded. If only computer-based training were required for renewed 737 MAX commercial flying, Boeing’s largest customer Southwest had said it would take one to two months to prepare its more than 9,500 pilots on the updates.<br/>

A volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Islands has sent up another ash cloud that could threaten aircraft, the Alaska Volcano Observatory announced. Shishaldin Volcano erupted at 5 a.m. Tuesday, said Hans Schwaiger, a geophysicist with the US Geological Survey, one of the agencies that make up the observatory. Elevated surface temperatures indicated active lava at the vent in the volcano summit, the observatory said. The observatory first detected increased seismic activity at the volcano. When clouds parted, a satellite recorded images of an ash cloud to 7,010m and a plume that led back to the vent, Schwaiger said, meaning the eruption had continued after 5 a.m. Wind blew the ash cloud northeast into the Bering Sea and north of the route used by jets flying between North America and Asia. The National Weather Service issued an ash cloud warning for aircraft to 7,315m.<br/>

China’s three largest airlines will be increasing their presence at Tokyo Narita airport, with new route launches and increased frequencies. China Eastern will launch Kunming-Tokyo Narita flights on 18 February. The Skyteam carrier will operate the route four times weekly with its Airbus A330-200 and Boeing 787-9. It has launched three new flights to the Japanese capital since the start of the year. On 2, 4 and 5 January, it began flights from Yantai, Wuhan and Qingdao respectively. These flights are operated by the airline’s 737-800s and A320s. Separately, Air China will commence operations from Hangzhou on 10 January. The flights, operated four times a week, will be flown with the Star Alliance carrier’s A321s. China Southern will also recommence flights between its Guangzhou hub and Tokyo Narita. The four-times weekly service will be operated with 737-800s and commences 10 January. A Narita Airport release indicates China Southern last operated the route four years ago.<br/>

Heathrow will later this year submit its final planning application for the construction of a third runway, having been forced to delay the expected completion date by a year when the UK’s aviation regulator capped the amount that could be spent in the early phases of the project. The London airport’s operator announced today that it would run an eight-week public consultation between April and June to help finalise its expansion proposals. Responses from the consultation will feed into the final planning application, which the operator says will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate “towards the end of 2020”. Heathrow Airport said last month that it now expects to complete its third runway between early 2028 and late 2029 instead of in 2026, as previously targeted. This followed a review of expansion costs by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, which concluded that a “modest delay” to the third runway’s completion would be preferable to the higher early construction costs that would be incurred by targeting a 2026 opening. The CAA noted in its December report that in order to retain the 2026 target Heathrow had said it would need to bring forward the timing of certain spending, and that total early costs would need to be about GBP2.9b (in 2014 prices), made up of GBP500m in planning costs (or Category B costs) and GBP2.4b in early construction costs (or Category C costs). The regulator does not want passengers to bear the brunt of early spending costs for a project that has yet to secure planning permission.<br/>