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The FAA will scrutinize United Airlines’ operations more closely in coming weeks after a spate of recent safety incidents, the airline told employees in a memo on Friday. “We will begin to see more of an FAA presence in our operation as they begin to review some of our work processes, manuals and facilities,” Sasha Johnson, a vice president of corporate safety at the airline, said in the memo. “We welcome their engagement and are very open to hear from them about what they find and their perspective on things we may need to change to make us even safer." In some of the incidents, which United has said were unrelated, a plane veered off a runway, another arrived at its destination with a panel missing from its body, another lost a tire after takeoff and an engine caught fire after ingesting plastic wrapping. The FAA said Friday that it “routinely” monitored airline operations. The agency said it “focuses on an airline’s compliance with applicable regulations; ability to identify hazards, assess and mitigate risk; and effectively manage safety.” In the United memo, Johnson said the agency would “also pause a variety of certification activities for a period of time.” The FAA said Saturday that certification processes already underway might be allowed to continue, but that future ones could be delayed, depending on what it found. The agency oversees and approves a wide range of airline activities, such as pilot training or new flight routes. United’s CE, Scott Kirby, sought to reassure customers this week that the airline was taking safety seriously after the incidents. “I want you to know that these incidents have our attention and have sharpened our focus,” he said in an email to customers. “Our team is reviewing the details of each case to understand what happened and using those insights to inform our safety training and procedures across all employee groups.”<br/>

Avianca Airlines officially received recognition from the aviation data firm Cirium, which accredits it as the most punctual global airline in 2023. Jeremy Bowen, executive president of Cirium, personally presented this distinction to the Avianca team at a celebration held at the Simón Bolívar hangar in Bogotá. The event also featured the unveiling of an airplane with a commemorative livery highlighting this award. "It requires a lot of effort and teamwork to carry out air operations on time considering all external factors: weather, personnel shortages, mechanical problems, among others. And, especially in 2023, when demand increased. Furthermore, positions at the top of the rankings are often only fractions of a percentage apart. Avianca won the global category with an OTP of 85.73%, 0.2% higher than the second-place airline. But they should be most proud of the change in Avianca's performance from before the pandemic to how it operates now. The 2023 OTP figure is more than 10% higher than in 2019 and 2% higher than in 2022. The change in trend is truly remarkable!" Bowen noted. "Behind this achievement is the commitment of more than 14,000 people from the Avianca team who, in coordination with authorities and allies, work to ensure that our customers reach their destinations safely, on time, and with their suitcases.," said Frederico Pedreira, CEO of Avianca. "And, of course, we thank the more than 32m passengers who trusted us to fly during 2023. We are proud of this recognition that puts us on a par with world-class airlines positioning Colombia as an international benchmark."<br/>

Scandinavian carrier SAS is temporarily withdrawing several Airbus A320neo jets from service while it carries out checks on a specific component on the type. The airline says it needs to inspect pressure regulator transmitters on 18 A320neos. SAS states that this “requires pausing operations with these aircraft”, and admits that this will lead to “traffic disruptions in parts of our network”. The airline has around 84 A320-family aircraft including A320neo models and older-variant jets. SAS says a routine check had not been completed within the necessary timeline, and this has prompted the carrier to ground the affected aircraft temporarily. “Safety is always our number one priority,” it adds. “Before resuming operation with these aircraft again, these checks must be carried out. “Passengers have not been exposed to any risk at any time.” SAS says it is “working hard” to minimise the impact of the inspections, but has not stated when the aircraft are likely to return to operation.<br/>

South African Airways’ failed privatisation is to undergo scrutiny after being referred by parliamentarians to special investigators. The country’s government had intended to divest 51% of the flag-carrier to the Takatso consortium. But the process has taken more than two years and eventually collapsed in March after the two sides were unable to reach agreement on renegotiated terms. The government’s portfolio committee on public enterprises, which has been probing possible irregularities in the sale, has decided to refer the privatisation’s failure to the Special Investigating Unit or, if necessary, another law-enforcement agency. It has highlighted a number of issues. “The committee is concerned about the undervaluation of South African Airways and the need for a comprehensive evaluation of the business,” it says. “It is essential to address the sequence of events that led to the undervaluation and to investigate any potential corruption or misconduct in the process.” The committee says the matter is complex and demands a “thorough and credible” investigation.<br/>

All Nippon Airways parent ANA Holdings will cut daytime air cargo rates to as low as one-tenth of current levels, bringing them in line with trucking costs as it seeks to tap shipping demand stemming from an expected driver shortage. The new rates will be introduced from April 1 on flights connecting Tokyo's Haneda to Sapporo, Fukuoka and Osaka that depart between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. ANA Holdings expects demand from a wide range of fields, from agriculture and fisheries to manufacturing. Japan is bracing for a serious driver crunch starting next month, when overtime work for truck drivers will be capped at 960 hours per year. Nomura Research Institute estimates that by 2030, 35% of the country's cargo will not be able to be transported. One solution is a shift to rail or sea transport. But air cargo is more expensive than other means and currently accounts for less than 1% of domestic cargo transport based on weight. The service will be made available online to individuals in addition to business customers. This is the first time a Japanese company has introduced time-of-day rates for cargo shipping. The rate for transport between Haneda and Fukuoka on the southern main island of Kyushu will be 20,000 yen ($132) per container, which can hold up to one tonne, compared to the usual price of about 200,000 yen. Even when adding the cost of transporting the cargo to and from the airports, the rate is still comparable to truck transport, according to the company. <br/>

India's air safety watchdog fined Tata Group-owned Air India 8m rupees ($95,658) for violating flight duty time limitations and fatigue management systems of its flight crew. In January, the aviation regulator increased the mandatory weekly rest period for flight crew to 48 hours from 36 hours, a decision that followed a review of pilot fatigue data after an IndiGo pilot collapsed and died in August last year before his flight. calAir India did not provide adequate weekly rest, adequate rest before and after ultra-long flights and adequate rest on layover to flight crew, thus violating revised rules, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Friday. Air India did not immediately respond to a request for comment. DGCA issued a show cause notice to Air India on March 1, following a spot audit in January to verify the regulatory compliance by the airline, a response to which was not found satisfactory, according to the regulator. Although pilot fatigue is a global problem, India, the world's fastest-growing aviation market, is at the heart of the matter, with hundreds of new planes being ordered by IndiGo and Air India.<br/>

Korean Air Chair and CEO Walter Cho secured his position as a board member of the national flag carrier and pledged to steer the company toward successful integration with Asiana Airlines this year, marking a leap toward establishing a megacarrier. Cho received an 85% endorsement from participating shareholders during their annual meeting on Thursday. "Despite the prolonged timeline, the merger between Korean Air and Asiana Airlines will be a substantial driver of long-term growth," Cho said in a written statement to shareholders on Thursday. "The ongoing business review for the acquisition of Asiana Airlines gained approval from Japan in January and the EU in February, with only the US' review pending. Our company is diligently preparing to expedite the review process and ensure a successful integration with Asiana Airlines." Despite the divestment of Asiana Airlines' cargo freighter business and the transfer of specific European routes on the way to comply with the EU's conditional approval, the industry foresees that the merger will propel the company to the list of the global top 10 air carriers. Korean Air also aims to resolve concerns over potential route monopolies raised by the US Department of Justice through consultations by June, seeking approval within the year. Meanwhile, a day prior to the shareholders' meeting, Cho convened a face-to-face town hall gathering where he openly engaged with Korean Air employees and addressed their concerns. According to industry sources, the meeting was held at the Korean Air headquarters, where approximately 100 employees voluntarily participated and reportedly queried Cho on various aspects of the impending merger. In response, the chair assured them of the company's commitment to securing favorable outcomes from US regulation authorities, which is regarded the final hurdle in the process.<br/>

Singapore Airlines (SIA) will suspend flights to Chengdu and Chongqing from March 31, less than five months after flights to the two Chinese cities resumed. In response to queries, an SIA spokesman said the suspension is due to regulatory reasons, without elaborating further, including on the length of suspension. The flag carrier currently operates daily flights to Chengdu, and thrice-weekly flights to Chongqing, said the spokesman. “China is an important market for the Singapore Airlines Group,” he said. “We will continue to work closely with the relevant authorities, as we adjust our network and capacity to China.” SIA’s services between Singapore and Chongqing, Chengdu, Shenzhen and Xiamen were also suspended in 2023 for regulatory reasons. Flights to the four cities subsequently resumed from Nov 26, 2023. Local Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao reported on March 20 that the latest suspension is because SIA has not received approval from the CAAC to fly to both cities in the summer and autumn seasons of 2024, citing Chongqing-based aviation industry sources. Mayur Patel, head of Asia at global travel data provider OAG Aviation, said that both Chongqing and Chengdu are not on SIA’s summer 2024 flying programme between March 31 and Oct 26. Both Chinese cities are strategically important to Changi Airport’s status as South-east Asia’s aviation hub, and its ability to offer regional connections from various markets, said Patel. However, he added that Chongqing is “well served” by Air China and Chongqing Airlines – both operate one flight each daily between the city and Singapore – while Chengdu is also served by Air China and Sichuan Airlines at the same flight frequency.<br/>

Air New Zealand’s long-awaited new business class will take wing in October this year as the Kiwi carrier begins upgrading its existing Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. The Star Alliance member’s modern take on what it calls Business Premier will swap the current 20-year old ‘sleeper shells’, with narrow confines and a steep rake that sees many passengers facing one another like commuters on a bus. To the relief and delight of all business class travellers, the new Business Premier seats adopt a more conventional layout which shifts the cabin from open space to your own space. Business class seats located on either side of the 787 will be angled slightly inwards, but still close enough to the window to enjoy the view. There’s also greater privacy from sliding privacy panels – although these are not full doors – along with creature comforts such as a storage cabinet and vanity mirror, a spacious side shelf, wireless device charging and a massive 24” video screen with Bluetooth audio streaming to your own cordless headphones or earbuds.<br/>