The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined American Airlines regional carrier Piedmont Airlines for a breach of safety after a worker was “ingested” into the engine of an aircraft in Alabama on New Year’s Eve. Piedmont Airlines passenger service agent Courtney Edwards was killed on Dec. 31 after she walked too close to a jet engine as it was parking at the gate and was pulled in by the extreme force. OSHA determined the airline was not creating “a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or were likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees that were exposed to ingestion and jet blast hazards,” according to the Communication Workers of America Local 3645 that covers ground workers at Piedmont. “Despite the small penalty, it is likely Piedmont will contest the decision, and CWA will continue to fight for Courtney Edwards, her family, and the safety of all airline workers, who should never fear for their lives on the job,” a memo to union members read. The OSHA fine is at odds with a National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report released in January that said the crew held a safety briefing before the accident and that employees were told “that the airplane should not be approached” until the engine was shut off and a beacon light was turned off.<br/>
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Go Airlines India, which filed for bankruptcy protection in May, hopes to resume operations by the end of the month and restore 94% of its daily flights, a person familiar with the matter said. In a revival plan submitted to the aviation regulator, the airline said it can operate 157 daily flights domestically, compared with the 167 it flew previously, the person said, asking not to be identified because the matter is private. The carrier abruptly halted flights last month, blaming problems with the Pratt & Whitney engines that power its fleet. Go hopes the regulator may approve its proposal this week, allowing it to resume flights in the next two weeks, the person said. The airline previously said it aimed to restart flights in May, but that proved over-optimistic and never materialized. The carrier is also waiting for creditors to approve additional funding, the person said, declining to specify the amount of investment needed. A spokesperson for Go didn’t respond to a request for comment. A representative for the civil aviation ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment. The airline, which rebranded as Go First about two years ago, controls 6.4% of the Indian aviation market — one of the fastest-growing in the world. It plans to deploy 22 aircraft and reserve four jets for future needs, the person said. After losing about 175 pilots during the recent turbulent times, Go still has more than 500 pilots — enough to fly some 30 planes — and doesn’t need to immediately hire more, the person said. Go has said it struggled for years with “premature failures and shutdowns” of Pratt GTF engines that idled half of its Airbus A320neo fleet. It’s seeking $1.1b in compensation from the engine maker in US arbitration and wants outstanding orders for 144 engines to be fulfilled.<br/>
Philippine Airlines is set to finalise an order for nine Airbus A350-1000 wide-body jets at next week’s Paris Airshow, two industry sources said. The airline announced a provisional order in May to expand its route network as air travel recovers from the pandemic. A company source said the deal would be finalised next week subject to final contractual negotiations. Irish leasing firm Avolon will also firm up an order for 40 Boeing 737 MAX jets at the same event, other industry sources said. The world’s third-largest leasing firm said in April it had provisionally committed to ordering the 40 jets in a deal worth over $4b at list prices. Avolon’s jets are set for delivery from 2027 to 2030. None of the companies involved agreed to comment. Final contracts allow the deals to be placed in the order books of the respective manufacturers and generate deposits. Aircraft deals are often announced in two stages, with provisional orders usually - but not always - leading to a firm announcement once the detailed fine print is agreed.<br/>
Sarawak has agreed in principle to take over MASwings in its bid to set up its own boutique airline, says Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg. The Sarawak premier said the takeover was a proposal from the Federal Government. “We are now negotiating the details. We have to do our due diligence,” he told reporters yesterday when asked about the state government’s plans to set up a boutique airline. Abang Johari said it was important to look into getting MASwings to fly to destinations beyond Borneo. “At the moment, MASwings cannot fly to Kuala Lumpur, whereas we want to fly to Kuala Lumpur as well as Singapore. “But in principle, the state government agrees to take over MASwings,” he said. This development marks a revival in Sarawak’s interest in taking over MASwings, a regional airline serving Sarawak and Sabah.<br/>