A government watchdog said Friday that federal safety regulators routinely fail to ensure that American Airlines gets to the cause of maintenance shortcomings when they are discovered. The Transportation Department’s inspector general said that in some cases, the FAA closed compliance cases before American took steps to correct the problem. The report raised questions about the FAA’s policy of relying on airline “safety management systems” to find and fix issues before they become hazards. In one case, American flew a plane with a broken emergency-evacuation slide for nearly three years before telling the FAA. In another, no risk assessment was done for a plane that had missing engine bushings and improperly installed struts holding the engines in place. The plane made 1,002 flights “in an unairworthy condition,” according to the report. An FAA spokeswoman said the agency “agrees with many of the recommendations in the report and is taking steps to address them.”<br/>
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Two key groups of Latam Airlines Group creditors, frustrated by a bankruptcy process that has dragged on for almost 18 months, are asking for a mediator to help devise an exit plan for the Chilean carrier. The airline’s unsecured creditors and a consortium holding billions of dollars in claims complained on Thursday about the lack of progress and asked the court to order mediation. A mediator would facilitate talks about how creditors will be repaid and where existing shareholders fit into that plan. “It has become abundantly clear that the parties are in fundamental disagreement regarding key legal issues,” Rachael Ringer, a lawyer for a group of Latam creditors, said in court papers. A “massive economic gulf” exists that requires the help of a mediator, said Ringer, whose group included Strategic Value Partners and Sixth Street Partners as of early July. A key issue is whether Santiago-based Latam’s current shareholders are entitled to anything when the bankruptcy ends. In the US, where the bankruptcy is playing out, shareholders are dead last in line for repayment and usually get wiped out. But in Chile, shareholders have certain legal rights that may be at odds with US rules. Latam’s major shareholders include the Cueto family, Delta and Qatar Airways. The unsecured creditors committee, which also ranks relatively low on the list for repayment but ahead of shareholders under US rules, cried foul last month over the rough outline of a bankruptcy plan circulated among stakeholders. <br/>
Japan Airlines has partnered with Irish aircraft leasing company Avolon Holdings to launch a flying car business in Japan. Under the terms of the deal, JAL will have the right to purchase or lease up to 50 eVTOL, or electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The machines are being developed by UK-based Vertical Aerospace Group. The partnership also includes an option for JAL to purchase 50 additional eVTOL aircraft. JAL also announced that it has placed an order with German air taxi startup Volocopter for up to 100 flying cars and drones. Last year the Japanese carrier bought a stake in the German company, which manufactures flying cars and other equipment. The Japanese company aims to review the aircraft before offering flights at the World Expo in Osaka in 2025 and elsewhere. JAL plans to offer a passenger transportation service using flying cars, staring in fiscal 2025, taking advantage of its expertise in air transport. The airline has already begun a passenger transportation service connecting airports with tourist destinations in Mie Prefecture, in western Japan, to try out the business model and flight routes. The company hopes the business will become an alternative to taxis and other traditional forms of transportation.<br/>
Qantas has said all of its Australia-based staff will return to work and it will restart flights to more overseas destinations, as airlines in the locked-down Asia-Pacific region prepare for the return of international travel. The Australian airline said on Friday 11,000 stood-down workers would return to their jobs in early December, representing half of its Australia-based staff, six months ahead of its original schedule. The airline also announced five international routes would resume service by mid-January, bringing to at least 12 the number of destinations it planned to return to operation by early 2022. The airline normally provides services to a total of 27 overseas destinations. Australia’s rising vaccination rates against Covid-19 have allowed it to push ahead with reopening domestically and to the world after months of lockdowns. It joins countries across the Asia-Pacific region, including Singapore and Thailand, that have touted plans to restart their travel industries in recent weeks. The exceptions remain Hong Kong and mainland China, which have yet to show any sign of relaxing stringent quarantine and entry regimes for foreign visitors and residents. Brendan Sobie of Sobie Aviation, an independent aviation and travel analyst based in Singapore, said international travel would begin to recover in the Asia-Pacific region in the last two months of this year. Sobie said that while Asia lagged behind the rest of the world in terms of reopening to travel, flight resumptions and the easing of restrictions would put pressure on governments to further open up. Qantas said flights to Singapore would resume from November 23, four weeks earlier than scheduled. Flights to Fiji would follow in early December, with flights to Johannesburg, Bangkok and Phuket to return in January 2022. <br/>
Qantas has again announced that its flagship Airbus A380s will return to service sooner than previously expected, with the first superjumbos expected to return to regular passenger flights by April 2022. In order to meet the new fast-tracked target, the carrier stated at least one A380 will be returned to Australian shores from long-term storage by the end of this year to begin the necessary preparations to get the aircraft and staff ready for flight. It comes after the airline announced in August that it would accelerate the A380s’ return – previously flagged to return to service in 2023 – with five aircraft scheduled to fly between Sydney and LA from July 2022, and between Sydney and London, via Singapore, from November 2022. Now, Qantas will see two of its four-engined jets operate to Los Angeles as soon as April, three months ahead of its previous announcement. A further three superjumbos will return to service from mid-November 2022, Qantas said, with the remaining five to be gradually welcomed back by early 2024.<br/>