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The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it was proposing three directives to mandate engine housing inspections and component replacements on Boeing 737NG airplanes after a 2018 Southwest Airlines fatal fan blade incident. The directives cover 1,979 US-registered and 6,666 737 airplanes worldwide and would require operators to inspect and replace certain components on the engine cowling by July 2028. Boeing said it supported the FAA's proposal to make mandatory a set of service bulletins it made "to improve the design of the 737NG. ... Airlines can continue safely operating the fleet with interim actions until permanent modifications can be made." The 737NG was the newest version of the best-selling jet before the 737 MAX was introduced. A passenger was killed on a Southwest Airlines plane in April 2018 after an engine failure caused by a broken fan blade, the first accident fatality on a US passenger airline since February 2009. The National Transportation Safety Board had called on Boeing to redesign the fan cowl structure after the incident. The FAA said on Tuesday Boeing developed modifications to the inlet cowl, fan cowl, and exhaust nozzle that must be installed by July 2028. The accident occurred 20 minutes into the flight when a fan blade fractured as a result of a fatigue crack on a Boeing 737-700 jet powered by two CFM International CFM56-7B engines after taking off from New York's LaGuardia Airport. The plane, bound for Dallas, diverted to Philadelphia International Airport. Eight of the 144 passengers suffered minor injuries.<br/>

A trio of top Senate Democrats is demanding the federal government require airlines to carry epinephrine auto-injectors – such as EpiPens – on board commercial flights. In a letter shared first with CNN, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer and Ed Markey tell the Federal Aviation Administration it has a “glaring gap” in its requirements for what is carried as part of in-flight emergency kits, which “puts airline passengers at risk.” Epinephrine auto-injectors treat a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. The letter says FAA standards last updated in 2004 only require that airlines carry epinephrine in syringes “designed to be used primarily in the event of a cardiac emergency.” Stocking only the vials of epinephrine, without auto-injectors, could have deadly consequences, according to the advocacy group FARE (Food, Allergy, Resource & Education). “Most Americans do not know how to determine the proper dose of epinephrine to administer from a vial to treat an anaphylactic food allergy reaction, nor do they know how to safely and properly do so without an autoinjector.” the group warns on its website. Now the lawmakers are pushing the FAA to change its requirements for airlines. “We urge you to amend the current standing regulation to require that epinephrine auto-injectors be included in the emergency medical kit of every flight, as well as engage in regular review of medical kit requirements,” the letter reads. The FAA said Tuesday it will respond directly to the senators and is reviewing emergency medical kit requirements. In 2020, the agency said airlines could voluntarily carry epinephrine beyond the ampules required to be carried “mainly for cardiac resuscitation,” after it received input from the Aerospace Medical Association in 2019.<br/>

A Chinese C919 jet arrived in Hong Kong on Tuesday in the Chinese-made plane’s first foray outside of mainland China as its manufacturer prepares to take on Airbus and Boeing in the market for single-aisle commercial aircraft. The C919 is due to perform a fly-past over the city’s scenic Victoria Harbor on Saturday, giving people on the waterfront a glimpse of the new aircraft, weather permitting. As a precaution, flying of drones and remote control planes, kits and releases of balloons will be restricted, the government said in a statement. C919 and ARJ21 received a “ceremonial water salute” as they arrived, the statement said. An official welcoming ceremony is planned for Wednesday at the airport. The C919 and another Chinese-made aircraft, an ARJ21, will be on display at Hong Kong’s international airport until Sunday and can be visited by officials and lawmakers, representatives from the aviation industry and youth groups, among others, it said. The maker of the C919, the Commercial Aircraft Company of China, or COMAC, designed many of the C919’s parts, but some of its key components are still sourced from the West, including its engine. The aerospace industry is viewed as an important step on the path laid out by Chinese leaders to transform the country from the world’s low-cost factory into a creator of profitable technology.<br/>

The UK’s international development minister, Andrew Mitchell, has played down the prospects of imposing a levy on frequent flyers to help fund the rescue and rehabilitation of poor countries stricken by climate disaster. A small charge on airline tickets is one of several ideas floated by developing countries to provide cash for the loss and damage fund. The fund was set up at the Cop28 UN climate summit but is grossly under-resourced, with only about $700m having been pledged so far. The needs of developing countries are likely to reach hundreds of billions a year, and this is unlikely to be met only from the public purses of developed countries, so most countries agree that new sources of funding must be found. An airline levy is one of the frontrunners, but Mitchell indicated it could struggle to gain support from the British government. He told the Guardian at Cop28 that this was not an official position but his own view. However, Rishi Sunak has previously acted to reduce air passenger duty in the UK, so it would be little surprise if he vetoed other levies on flying. The frequent flyer levy was proposed last year by the V20 group of the world’s most vulnerable countries, and has broad support among many developed and developing countries. Eamon Ryan, the Irish environment minister who is charged with examining innovative sources of finance for the EU, said: “There are various principles behind it that make sense: ‘polluter pays’ is a basic principle, and there’s equity to it. It’s the wealthier people in the world who fly.” He said the tax need not be large: a small levy on each of the hundreds of millions of international flight tickets sold each year would raise billions, and the EU was already looking at the issue of greenhouse gas emissions from aviation. “It doesn’t have to be punitive,” he told the Guardian in a separate interview at the climate conference.<br/>

Boeing delivered 46 of its 737 family jets in November, its largest such tally in five months, leaving the manufacturer just 24 aircraft short of its revised annual target. The US plane-maker has stepped up its delivery tempo as it streamlines inspections of a supplier defect in some 737 Max models and works to clear already-built aircraft from storage lots. Boeing lowered its annual goal to deliver between 375 and 400 of the cash-cow jets in October after shipments slowed to a crawl. Deliveries would get an added boost should China resume importing the 737 Max after a nearly five-year halt, as air travel rebounds and trade relations thaw with the US. Flights of Max jets earmarked for the mainland have picked up since the leaders of the two countries met last month. An official with China’s main regulator recently encouraged Boeing to deepen its presence in the country. Narrow-body deliveries now stand at 351 for the year, Boeing said. The company shipped 10 widebodies during the month, including six of its 787 Dreamliner jets. With that tally, the manufacturer has handed over 62 Dreamliners through November, leaving it eight jets shy of the range of 70 to 80 deliveries targeted for the year. Output at plane-makers Boeing and Airbus SE typically surges during December as the manufacturers work at full bore to meet annual targets. Airbus needs to deliver 97 planes in December to meet Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury’s 2023 goal of 720 handovers. Boeing recorded 114 gross orders against 10 cancellations in November. Most of that haul came during the Dubai Air Show, with hometown carrier Emirates striking firm orders for 90 of the coming 777X twin-aisle, Boeing’s largest family of jets.<br/>

Global leasing giant Avolon said on Tuesday it had agreed to order 100 A321neo aircraft from Airbus (AIR.PA) and 40 737 MAX aircraft from Boeing in a deal its owner said was worth a combined $18b at list prices. The Irish-based lessor's Chinese owner Bohai Leasing Co Ltd said in filings to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange that the value of the Airbus deal was about $12.95b, based on the planemaker's 2018 list prices, with the Boeing transaction valued at about $4.9b based on its list prices. Major airlines and lessors typically get large discounts from planemakers. Bohai, which holds a 70% stake in Avolon, said the purchase price was "somewhat discounted" from the list price. Avolon said the new jets are scheduled for delivery by 2032 and will increase the size of its owned, managed and committed fleet to 1,037 aircraft, pushing it ahead of rival SMBC Aviation Capital as the world's second largest aircraft leasing firm. Lessors have benefited from a rebound in travel demand following COVID-19 lockdowns and sharp increases in lease rates because of a lack of aircraft as manufacturers struggle to increase production. Avolon also purchased 20 Airbus A330neos planes in September and 40 737 MAXs from Boeing in June. Leasing companies control more than half the world's fleet of aircraft. "Today's orders strengthen our delivery pipeline and reflect our confidence in the long-term outlook for aviation," Avolon CEO Andy Cronin said.<br/>