general

Two key US lawmakers said on Tuesday they are seeking records from Boeing and the FAA on production issues involving the 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner. House of Representatives Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio and Rick Larsen, who chairs a subcommittee, said they were seeking records after multiple issues recently emerged “regarding the 737 MAX as well as the 787, including electrical problems, the presence of foreign object debris in newly manufactured aircraft, and other issues.” The panel conducted an extensive investigation into the 737 MAX after two fatal crashes led to a 20-month grounding that was lifted in November. The committee’s report was part of the reason Congress approved an overhaul of the FAA’s aircraft certification program in December. The two Democrats want the FAA and Boeing to “provide records regarding production-related issues and the FAA’s oversight of Boeing’s manufacturing operations.” The FAA said it was reviewing the request “and will make every effort to respond to them as quickly and completely as possible.” Boeing, which said it had seen a letter from DeFazio and Larsen and would review it, last week won approval from the FAA for a fix of an electrical grounding issue that had affected 109 737 MAX airplanes worldwide.<br/>

Airports are getting busier and busier with the US TSA data showing a steady rise in screening numbers to a coronavirus pandemic high of 1.85m people on Sunday. And by all forecasts, more travelers will stream through US airports during what could be a busy summer travel season. That has airline, airport and TSA officials all bracing for any potential snags in the flying experience as many people return to the skies for the first time since March 2020. “A lot of people got accustomed to showing up shortly before their flight before the pandemic,” TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said at an event to demonstrate the agency’s preparedness at Baltimore/Washington International Airport on Tuesday. “That’s not going to work anymore.” From the expected larger crowds — Farbstein did not expect screening numbers to reach 2019 levels this summer — and new Covid-19 safety precautions, security could take longer this summer. New precautions include plexiglass dividers between travelers and TSA officers who check IDs, and more frequent cleanings of equipment and bins. On the key issue of staffing, Farbstein reiterated previous comments that the TSA is “fully staffed” for current demand. The agency plans to hire 6,000 new agents by the end of September, a goal it will be halfway to by the beginning of June. No matter the preparations, most — including the TSA — are still warning travelers to be ready. Longer than normal waits and crowds are expected when flying this summer. <br/>

The US aerospace and airline industries are seeking a slice of the $2t infrastructure-investment proposal working through the US Congress, requesting tax credits, grants and other funds for the purpose of advancing clean-energy technology. Some two dozen trade groups and unions made their request in an 18 May letter to eight influential US senators and representatives. “To effectively address the climate change challenge, we must drive technology, infrastructure and operational advances faster and farther,” the letter says. “We urge you to include these provisions in upcoming infrastructure legislation.” The letter came from groups including Airlines for America, Aerospace Industries Association, National Air Carrier Association (NACA), National Business Aviation Association and Regional Airline Association, according to a copy received from NACA. Unions such as Allied Pilots Association, Association of Flight Attendants – CWA and Southwest Airlines Pilots Association also signed on. The White House disclosed broad stokes of its infrastructure plan in a document released on 31 March. The plan heavily focuses on development of clean-energy technologies but makes little specific mention of aviation.<br/>

Airline passengers in the US may be weighed at boarding gates, according to a report. Aircraft are required to ensure a safe weight before taking off and factor in averages for passengers and crew, as well as cargo and fuel. According to a circular advisory from the FAA attracting attention in recent days, airlines could be asked to start updating average airline passenger weight to account for increases in the average weight of American adults. An airline blog, View from the Wing, wrote that “the FAA realises that passenger weight can vary by route and airlines may want to document this difference... Standard weights may not be appropriate for smaller planes, with smaller sample size and greater likelihood of variance from average.” The weighing of passengers, according to the FAA, would set "standard average passenger weights" for crew members, baggage and passengers every 36 months. AirInsight, also reporting on the FAA advisory added that surveying would be random and voluntary, with passengers able to refuse. "Regardless of the sampling method used, an operator has the option of surveying each passenger and bag aboard the aircraft and should give a passenger the right to decline to participate in any passenger or weight survey," the FFA advisory wrote. “If a passenger declines to participate, the operator should select the next passenger based on the operator’s random selection method rather than select the next passenger in a line.”<br/>

Turkish officials failed to convince Russia to lift a one-and-half month ban on flights between the two countries at the end of May, dealing an early setback for a tourist sector attempting to recover from a year of pandemic restrictions as new cases fall. Moscow is now expected to allow tourists to travel to Turkey, a popular destination for Russians, from mid-June at the earliest following high-level meetings in Russia’s capital on Monday, according to a senior Turkish official with direct knowledge of the matter. The two-week delay under the current best-case scenario will take a toll on tourism hot spots, which attracted more visitors from Russia than any other country in 2019. Spending by overseas visitors is a major source of foreign currency for Turkey, helping to finance a current account that has posted 17 straight monthly deficits. Russia’s expected to send a new delegation to assess measures taken by Turkey to protect airports, hotels and other tourist locations from the coronavirus before deciding on when to lift its bar on air travel, a second Turkish official familiar with the talks said. The Russian government Tuesday denied a report that the ban had been extended until the end of June. But state airline Aeroflot said it’s canceling all but two flights a week to Turkey through the end of next month, state-run RIA Novosti reported.<br/>

Algeria has backed off a decision to reopen land borders closed because of the coronavirus pandemic but will go ahead with a plan to partially resume international flights from next month, the presidency said on Tuesday. The North African country said on Sunday it would reopen land and air borders on June 1, but with only five flights a day to and from Algerian airports. "It was decided to keep land borders closed, except in case of necessity," the presidency said after a meeting of the High Security Council chaired by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. It did not elaborate.<br/>

Indian carriers saw domestic passenger numbers decline again in April, as the country plunged into crisis amid a resurgent wave of coronavirus infections. Data released by the Indian Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) shows that the country’s carriers flew 5.7m passengers in April, a 27% drop compared to March passenger numbers. The DGCA notes that there was no year-on-year comparison, as India banned all domestic flying in April last year, during the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak. State-owned Air India flew just 685,000 passengers on its domestic network, 25% lower month on month. Other private carriers — including low-cost carriers like IndiGo and Spicejet — carried just over 5 million passengers in the month, a 27% decline compared to March. Passenger load factors also fell in April, though the DGCA attributes it to the end of the vacation period in the country. Air India’s domestic passenger load factor tumbled nearly 18 percentage points to 52% in April. Other major carriers reported lower declines: Spicejet’s domestic load factor fell about 5 percentage points month on month to 70.8%, while full-service carrier Vistara saw its passenger load factor fall nearly 10 percentage points to 54.6%. IndiGo, meanwhile, reported a 7.7 percentage point decline in domestic passenger load factors, to 58.7%. <br/>

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has proposed the removal of the cap for airfares on domestic flight routes operated by at least three carriers. It made the request in a draft report reviewing the implementation of the 2006 Law on Civil Aviation of Vietnam and the revised edition in 2014. It said the domestic transportation market has become very competitive with more and more airlines. The CAAV has proposed on routes with three or more airlines operating together, airlines can decide their own domestic ticket prices and list them according to regulations. At present, the ceiling rates of domestic airfares are decided based on distance in accordance with State regulations. The basic economy fares are applicable from August 2015 for five groups of air routes, stand between US$70-$163, depending on distance and excluding additional costs. Ceiling prices will limit airlines from improving flight service quality. This will affect the airlines 'ability to compete on quality of service', an important factor in sustainable development, CAAV, stated in a report submitted to the Ministry of Transport. <br/>

Liabilities tied to the five most valuable airline-loyalty programs in the US soared almost 12% to $27.5b last year, according to new analysis by LendingTree Inc.’s consumer-finance website ValuePenguin. Airlines looking to shore up their balance sheets could reduce the value of those rewards or reinstate policies that allow miles or points to expire, the firm warned. “Especially in a time where airlines have gone through such financial issues, it would be easy to see that they would look at some sort of devaluation of the miles and points as a way to make up a little bit of financial ground,” said Matt Schulz, LendingTree’s chief credit analyst. “I would suspect we would see something like that going forward.” Airlines are typically secretive about the earnings tied to their loyalty programs. For some, the sale of miles -- mostly to the large banks that issue their co-brand credit cards -- is a higher-earning activity than their traditional business of flying people from place to place. The five most valuable airline loyalty programs are Delta’s SkyMiles, American Airlines’s AAdvantage, United’s MileagePlus, Southwest’s Rapid Rewards and JetBlue’s TrueBlue, according to the analysis.<br/>

After a year reeling from the pandemic, one of the world’s most lucrative aviation markets is braced for further disruption. JetBlue, one of the most successful US low-cost carriers, is making its transatlantic debut this summer.  But it is the plane — a single-aisle Airbus on routes that are dominated by large, twin-aisle planes — that may have ramifications just as profound for the aviation industry as the carrier’s low-cost business model. The New York-based airline is launching its assault with the Airbus 321LR, a long-range version of a plane best-known as a workhorse for short-haul services such as those between London and Frankfurt. The model is just one of Airbus’s A320 family of jets, whose success has given the Toulouse-based company a 60% share in the single-aisle market and the upper hand over fierce rival Boeing. After the worst year in decades for airlines — and with a return to pre-pandemic travel, particularly among business customers, far from clear — the market for cheaper, nimbler single-aisle planes is now the hottest in the aviation industry. “The recovery will be led on the short-haul part of the business, on the narrow-body side,” said Aengus Kelly, CEof leasing company AerCap, one of the world’s biggest purchasers of aircraft. The A321 can fly 4,000 nautical miles, several hundred further than a normal short haul Airbus. Boeing does not yet have a plane to match it.<br/>

Airbus has ordered suppliers to demonstrate as soon as possible that they are factory-fit for increased single-aisle jet output, in a letter that lays bare the extent of recent industrial quality problems. In the letter to suppliers in late March, seen by Reuters, Chief Procurement Officer Juergen Westermeier gave no specific targets but called for “immediate actions” to prepare for higher output, in the latest evidence of a recovery for mid-range jets. Airbus declined to comment on contacts with suppliers. The straight-shooting letter from Airbus highlights a slim margin for error as the world’s largest planemaker reboots an industrial ecosystem weakened by a global travel slump. Reuters reported last week Airbus had told suppliers to be ready for output of 53 A320neo-family jets a month by the end of 2022, up from current monthly output of 40 and a target of 45 by end-2021. Airbus has declined to comment on any preliminary goals beyond 2021. But underscoring advanced planning for higher output, Airbus urged suppliers in the letter to “demonstrate rate and capability readiness as early as possible.”<br/>