A United Airlines aircraft skidded off an airport runway in Houston last month after the plane’s captain appeared to stray from the carrier’s procedures for landing in slippery conditions, a preliminary report by US safety investigators said. The captain flying the Boeing Co. 737 Max touched down on the runway after lowering the plane’s autobraking system to a level that provided less stopping power than what United instructs for landings in wet and slippery conditions, according to the report by the National Transportation Safety Board. The pilot told investigators that the runway at George Bush Intercontinental Airport appeared dry, while the first officer recalled it looking wet, the report shows. The NTSB report suggests investigators are probing actions taken by the flight crew before the plane skidded off the runway and came to rest in grass near a taxiway. None of the 160 passengers or six crew members were injured. The NTSB’s preliminary report doesn’t cite the incident’s probable cause. United, which is under scrutiny for a series of safety incidents, said it would continue working with the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration investigators. The captain, 61, began flying for United in 1987 and has more than 15,000 hours experience operating Boeing 737s, according to the report. The first officer, 38, was hired by United in 2019 and had flown 737s for more than 1,250 hours. The incident was one of several recent safety scares involving United airplanes in recent weeks. The FAA has been considering actions that would constrain United’s growth in response to the incidents. This could include preventing the carrier from adding new routes, Bloomberg News reported last month, citing people familiar with the situation. After touching down normally, the captain switched off the autobraking system. He told investigators that he did not “slow too much initially” because the runway appeared dry, and that he preferred to slow down gradually for the comfort of passengers, according to the report. Story has more.<br/>
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Air Canada is celebrating the launch of its newest Pacific route: Vancouver to Singapore. The first flight departed Vancouver (YVR) on April 3 and arrived in (SIN) the following morning, marking the only nonstop flight between Canada and the island country. Stretching 12,818 kilometres, the route is Air Canada’s longest flight measured by distance, with a flying time of up to 16 hours and five minutes. “Air Canada is thrilled to welcome customers onboard our newest route linking Canada and Singapore from our Pacific hub in Vancouver. These new Singapore flights are part of our strategic expansion at YVR, which together with an efficient and seamless in-transit connection process, further position the airport as the preferred North American gateway to Asia,” said Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President, Revenue and Network Planning at Air Canada. “Singapore is also an important gateway to beyond destinations. Customers have a multitude of connection options travelling to Southeast Asia, Southern India and Western Australia with our longstanding codeshare and Star Alliance partner, Singapore Airlines,” he added.<br/>
Turkish Airlines remains in talks to finalise the Boeing portion of a major planned order aimed at supporting its long-term growth plan. The Star Alliance carrier last year disclosed it was working on an order for 400 narrowbodies and 200 widebodies as it looks to double its fleet to more than 800 aircraft over the next decade. It had initially hoped to finalise orders by mid-2023. While completion of both orders were delayed, Turkish Airlines in December announced commitments for 345 Airbus jets That covers firm orders for 70 A350s – including five freighters – and options on 25 more, as well as orders for 150 A321neos and options on a further 100 of the single-aisle jet. ”Our talks with Boeing still continue,” Turkish Airlines CFO Murat Seker said during the company’s 2023 earnings call on 4 April. “Just a few days ago our chief investment officer had a meeting with Boeing executives. Our negotiations are continuing.” Seker played down suggestions that Boeing’s recently announced management changes or its production issues are delaying a deal, reiterating previous comments that the order is complicated by also finalising an engines order. ”With the Max in particular, the decisions could be a little later, but with the widebodies we don’t see any technical problem,” he says. ”It is just that negotiations on the aircraft plus the engine, which we are trying to manage simultaneously, are continuing.”<br/>
Air New Zealand this week launched its new Taste of Aotearoa menu in the premium cabins of long-haul flights departing New Zealand, with ambitious new offerings including crayfish, wild venison and snapper. The airline describes the new food items as contemporary cuisine with a focus on showcasing the country’s finest regional produce and "unique" New Zealand flavours. "I'm extremely proud of this menu, I think it's what New Zealand cuisine is all about," Justin Koen, head of culinary at Air NZ, told Newshub. "It's about our regions and the wonderful produce that we have the luxury of working with as chefs. We have incredible produce all around the country, and we believe that if we can get it locally, we should." Among the items being discontinued in favour of the new menu is an amuse-bouche made with paua. "Unfortunately, the process behind getting the paua - the supplier can't do it for us anymore. Hopefully we can work with them again in the future and bring it back to life, because that was excellent and we loved using it," said Koen. While it may not present the supply challenges of paua, the wild venison dish on the menu was far from easy to get right. Air NZ has served venison inflight before, but not wild venison, with a previous attempt to do so around a decade ago proving unsuccessful, according to Koen.<br/>