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A US Senate committee on Thursday voted on legislation to boost safety inspector and air traffic controller staffing, but declined to endorse raising the airline pilot retirement age to 67 from 65. The US House of Representatives in July voted 351-69 on a sweeping bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that would hike the mandatory pilot retirement age to 67. The Senate Commerce Committee voted 14-13 to reject the retirement age hike after the FAA said earlier this week it would prefer additional research was conducted before Congress raised the age. Current international rules would still prevent pilots older than 65 from flying in most countries outside the United States. Differences between the $107b five-year FAA Senate bill and the House version will need to be resolved, but the push has gained momentum after the recent in-flight emergency involving an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 raised questions about FAA oversight of the aircraft maker. The Senate bill would also approve five additional round-trip flights from Reagan Washington National Airport sought by Delta Air Lines but opposed by other airlines. The Senate bill prohibits airlines from charging fees for families to sit together and requires airlines to accept vouchers and credits for at least five years, but did not adopt many stricter consumer rules sought by the Biden administration.<br/>

The FAA said on Thursday it was formally mandating inspections in Boeing 737 MAX airplanes for loose bolts in the rudder control systems after the planemaker recommended them in December. The FAA said all US airlines had completed the inspections in early January and found no missing or loose rudder bolts. The inspection requirement issued on Thursday, opens new tab fulfills US international continued operational safety obligations. The issue of bolts and Boeing planes has taken on new significance since the National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report this week on the Jan. 5 mid-air emergency of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 that lost a cabin panel at 16,000 feet. The agency said evidence suggested the door panel was missing four key bolts. The NTSB said the panel known as a door plug - fitted into this MAX 9 model in place of an optional exit - could have detached from the plane.<br/>

The FAA is exploring the use of an independent third-party to oversee Boeing inspections and quality oversight after evidence emerged the planemaker failed to install key bolts on a jet that suffered a midair emergency. The question of oversight came into greater focus after the National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday it found evidence that suggested four bolts were missing on a door panel that blew out of a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 plane at 16,000 feet. In the wake of the January accident, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker has begun talking publicly about setting up a non-profit third party entity to potentially help oversee Boeing's quality control. Whitaker told Congress this week that an outside firm is reviewing a longstanding agency practice of delegating some aircraft certification tasks to Boeing. The FAA must certify new airplanes as safe before they can be delivered to airlines. Senate Commerce committee chair Maria Cantwell, whose committee oversees aviation, said on Thursday she plans to call Whitaker for a hearing to discuss his idea in the coming months. "The issue is how do you have the right technical people that really understand the technology and how do you get them in the FAA system, in the oversight system to be on the job now," said Cantwell. Boeing's 737 MAX planes are built in her home state of Washington.<br/>

Boeing is "undoubtedly" making significant progress in getting on top of quality issues, the head of Avolon, the world's second largest aircraft leasing firm and a major Boeing customer, said on Thursday. Boeing was hit by the latest in a series of problems on Jan. 5 when a door panel flew off one of its 737 MAX 9 jets in the midst of an Alaska Airlines flight. Avolon CEO Andy Cronin said preliminary findings, opens new tab from a US regulatory investigation into the incident were "positive", in not appearing to show any design implications for the aircraft or systemic production issues. "I think undoubtedly they're making significant progress on what they've been trying to achieve," Cronin told Reuters when asked if Boeing was getting on top of its problems. Boeing has been under fire from regulators and airlines over a succession of quality issues that have snagged production and development timelines. Aircraft lessors are major buyers of aircraft and Avolon has 116 737 MAX on order. Cronin said Avolon had discovered a large number of "lower level" quality issues on aircraft recently delivered by multiple manufacturers, adding they were not confined to Boeing or the MAX. "As supply chains are scrambling to reinstate production, we are seeing compounding factors impacting quality and delivery but not at a level where it's impacting safety," he said. Examples of the issues might be around cosmetic items or "second, third order" type fittings, Cronin added.<br/>

Most US adults believe that air travel is generally safe in the US, despite some doubts about whether aircraft are being properly maintained and remain free from structural problems. About 7 in 10 US adults say planes are a “very” or “somewhat” safe method of travel, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Even with that high level of trust, only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults have “a great deal” of confidence that airplanes are being properly maintained, or that they are safe from structural faults. Another half have a “moderate” amount of faith that this is the case. The poll was conducted after a Jan. 5 accident in which a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner 16,000 feet (4,900 meters) above Oregon, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane. That led to the grounding of more than 140 planes and raised questions about Boeing’s ongoing manufacturing problems as well as the FAA’s ability to address them. U.S. adults are more confident in airline pilots’ and air traffic controllers’ ability to maintain air safety than they are in the commercial airlines, airplane manufacturers or federal government agencies charged with it. A majority have at least a “moderate” amount of confidence that each is ensuring safety. Some with fears of flying expressed even more concern because of the Alaska Airlines incident. Even with maintenance concerns, U.S. adults have a higher level of certainty that airline pilots and air traffic controllers are well-trained and engaged in proper safety procedures. Slightly fewer than half — 45% — have “a great deal” of confidence in pilots’ training, while 38% say that about air traffic controllers.<br/>

China on Friday kicked into high gear on the eve of the annual Lunar New Year holiday, with travellers cramming onto trains and planes to head back to their hometowns and families preparing for traditional reunion dinner gatherings. The country has been adding travel capacity to help smooth transportation after harsh weather threatened trips for millions returning home for the holiday. Some 1,873 passenger trains were added on one day across a vast railway network, a record according to state media outlet Global Times. Several provinces rushed to upgrade emergency response measures to remove snow that restricted traffic flow on hundreds of highways, stranding passengers in cars. Authorities worked to clear ice off power lines and train tracks, and de-ice planes and runways at airports. In the busiest travel migration period in the world, 13.1m passengers rode on China's national railway on Wednesday alone. That marked the first time during the Spring Festival travel rush, also known as Chunyun period, that daily passengers exceeded 13m, according to Global Times. The eight day-long holiday officially begins on Saturday but many travellers opt to begin their trips earlier. It also marks a year since China fully lifted COVID-19 curbs that had disrupted the holiday for the three years prior.<br/>

Airbus is set to aim for a delivery target of about 800 commercial aircraft this year, analysts at Jefferies predicted, as the planemaker ramps up output to work through an extensive order backlog. The European planemaker may set the goal, which is equivalent to an increase of about 10% over 2023, when it reports earnings on Feb. 15, the analysts said in note to clients on Feb. 7. They added that the target has “potential upside should supply chain challenges stay under control.” Airbus declined to comment ahead of its results. The European planemaker has sought to strike a balance between customers buying planes in record numbers and suppliers still struggling to keep up with the faster pace of production. It managed to beat its annual delivery target in 2023, when it handed over 735 planes, more than the 720 it had initially forecast. The prior year, the manufacturer fell short of its goal. Jefferies expects Airbus to ramp up output of its best-selling A320neo model to 55 a month from about 50 at present. Airbus has said it aims to build 75 A320s a month by 2026. <br/>

Airbus signed a deal to make doors for all variants of A220 aircraft in India as the South Asian nation seeks to boost domestic manufacturing. Bengaluru-based engineering firm Dynamatic Technologies Ltd. will manufacture and assemble cargo, passenger, service and over-wing emergency-exit doors of the single-aisle aircraft, Thierry Cloutet, Airbus’ procurement head for India, said at a press conference in New Delhi Thursday. No financial details of the partnership were shared. The doors, eight in each A220 plane, will then be delivered to Airbus’ final assembly line in North America, said Cloutet. The deliveries will begin early next year, said Dynamatic CEO Udayant Malhoutra. The deal will help Airbus increase its procurement of aircraft parts and services from India, which it hopes to increase to $1.5b in the next few years from $750m currently, said Remi Maillard, president of the Indian unit. The move is part of PM Narendra Modi’s longstanding “Make in India” push to lure manufacturing to the country in industries ranging from automotive to renewable energy. India’s fast-growing aviation market is expected to lead air traffic growth in South Asia. The planemaker last year signed a contract with Tata Advanced Systems for making cargo and bulk doors of the A320neo aircraft family. Airbus has two final assembly lines in India for the C295 military transport and the H125 helicopter.<br/>

Bombardier Inc. boosted sales on the back of soaring plane deliveries last quarter, allowing it to forecast even higher earnings for the coming year after a surge in profits over the past 12 months. On Thursday, the business jet maker reported net income of US$445m in 2023, compared with a net loss of US$148m the year before. The company churned out 138 of its Global and Challenger planes last year, more than 40% of them in Q4 alone. The total marks its biggest tally since before Bombardier streamlined its business to become a pure-play private jet manufacturer. “Our Global aircraft broke many speed records in 2023, but those were not the only records we set last year. Our team came together to deliver the highest revenues and earnings, record aftermarket revenue and the highest deliveries since we refocused our business in 2021,” said CE Eric Martel. “Today, we are marching ahead with confidence. Our 2024 guidance reflects the path of continuous growth we have been on for the past three years.” For the coming year, Bombardier forecast between 150 and 155 deliveries. It also predicted full-year revenues of between US$8.4b and US$8.6b. That target sits well above last year’s US$8b revenue, which in turn marked an increase of 16% from 2022.<br/>