The union representing about 10,000 Southwest pilots told Reuters on Friday it supports an effort in Congress to extend an exemption from modern cockpit alerting requirements for the Boeing 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 airplanes. Boeing faces a December deadline to win approval from the FAA of the 737 MAX 7 and 10 variants, or it must meet new modern cockpit-alerting requirements that could significantly delay the plane's entry into service. Southwest Airlines Pilots Association President Capt. Casey Murray said Friday it made sense to have common alerts through the 737 family of airplanes. "We believe in the interest of safety and commonality that it should be certified under the same rules," Murray said, adding he supports the legislation's goal to require future planes to have modern cockpit alerting systems. On Wednesday, the Allied Pilots Association representing 15,000 American Airlines pilots said it opposes the extension for the Boeing MAX airplanes. Boeing argues it is safer to have one common 737 cockpit alerting system. "A consistent operational experience across an airplane family is an industry best practice that benefits flight crews and the flying public by enhancing safety and reducing risk," Boeing said. The requirements were adopted by Congress as part of certification reform passed after two fatal 737 MAX crashes killed 346 people and led to the bestselling plane's 20-month grounding. Reuters reported on Monday that Boeing does not anticipate winning regulatory approval for the MAX 10 before next summer, according to an FAA letter.<br/>
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Brazilian airline Azul expects to expand its routes by 30% next year, with plans to add new slots at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport, one of the busiest in the country, CEO John Rodgerson said. In an interview on Thursday at the company's headquarters on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Rodgerson said Azul currently has only 26 slots in Congonhas, whereas its rivals Gol and LATAM Airlines each have around 250. "The new rules are fairer," he said, referencing national aviation regulator ANAC's decision in July to distribute 86 slots at Congonhas to increase competition, with 45 new slots and 41 previously used by bankrupt Avianca Brasil. Bradesco BBI analysts estimated last month that nearly all the new slots - 84 of 86 - would go to Azul, allowing the company's presence in the airport to grow fourfold. Rodgerson expects to start selling tickets for flights from the new slots beginning in March.<br/>
A Boeing 737 MAX flight by MIAT Mongolian Airlines landed in Guangzhou on Monday morning, flight tracking websites showed, marking what appeared to be the first commercial flight by the model to China since the country grounded the plane in March 2019. Chinese airlines have not returned the 737 MAX to commercial service and Boeing last month said it would begin to remarket some of the planes meant for Chinese customers. The 737 MAX has returned to commercial service in almost every market globally, with the exceptions of China and Russia, which is now sanctioned over its invasion of Ukraine. Flight OM235 from Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar landed in Guangzhou on Monday morning, according to FlightRadar24 and VariFlight. Boeing declined to comment on the MIAT flight, saying it continued to work with global regulators and customers on the safe return of the MAX, which was grounded after two fatal crashes.<br/>