Commercial pilots have raised concern over an increasing number of “GPS Spoofing” incidents, during which they are sent bogus signals while flying. Aviation officials and regulators have said that spoofed Global Positioning System signals are spreading beyond active conflict zones, and have seen a recent surge – resulting in more than 1,000 flights being affected every day in August. GPS spoofing refers to the deliberate transmission of fake signals aimed at manipulating the perceived location of a receiver, according to SkAI Data Services. Such manipulation causes the receiver to erroneously believe it is situated in a different location than its actual position. However, GPS spoofing differs from GPS jamming, which involves the disruption of GPS signals, thereby preventing the receiver from determining its location altogether. Confusing navigation and safety systems has been known to be used tactically in war zones including the Middle East and Ukraine to ward off drones and missiles. But, according to The Wall Street Journal – which cited pilots and aviation experts – attacks began affecting a large number of commercial flights about a year ago. The number of flights affected daily has surged from a few dozen in February to more than 1,100 in August, according to analyses from SkAI Data Services and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. Christopher Behnam, a retired Boeing captain at United Airlines, said he frequently encountered GPS interference flying into the Middle East. “We are trained for these things, so you stay calm and you just follow the procedure,” Behnam told the WSJ. However he said that, in certain circumstances, such attacks could be “very, very alarming.” As a result of the increased attacks airlines and aircraft manufacturers are now working with regulators, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop short-term workarounds and longer-term fixes.<br/>
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A federal watchdog raised concerns about the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic controller systems, saying that many are critically outdated and that the agency’s heavy reliance on them could jeopardize the safety and efficiency of the nation’s airspace. A Government Accountability Office evaluation of the F.A.A.’s 138 air traffic controller systems found that 51 are considered unsustainable, while another 54 are deemed potentially unsustainable, according to a report released on Monday. The accountability office said many of those systems “have critical operational impacts” on air traffic safety and efficiency. Many of them are also facing “challenges that are historically problematic for aging systems,” according to the report. “These challenges,” it added, “include no longer meeting mission needs, difficulty finding spare parts and limited technical staff with expertise in repairing the aging system.” The F.A.A. did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The accountability office’s examination was prompted by a severe systems outage in January 2023 that resulted in thousands of flights across the country being grounded. The F.A.A.’s Notice to Air Missions system provides critical information to pilots about hazards like runway closures and airspace restrictions. The outage was determined to have been caused by contract personnel unintentionally deleting files while working on the system. While the F.A.A. is trying to update these systems, the report found that some could take more than 10 years to modernize. The agency has long faced criticism for not upgrading its technological systems quickly enough. More than two decades ago, Congress initiated a major overhaul of the national aviation system, known as the Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen. This multibillion-dollar project aims to enable airlines to operate more flights and update some of the F.A.A.’s aging technology, but it has been plagued by problems and has taken longer than expected.<br/>
The Labour Ministry plans to temporarily allow foreign pilots to fly domestic routes through wet lease arrangements for airlines, but future requests from other airlines will be considered on a case-by-case basis. "The ministry is still awaiting a final meeting with the airline to conclude the discussion," said Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. Last month Thai Vietjet, the Department of Employment, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and the Thai Pilots Association discussed this issue after Thai Vietjet urged former prime minister Srettha Thavisin to temporarily grant permission for foreign pilots to fly domestic routes via wet lease agreements. All stakeholders are supposed to arrange another meeting soon, after the new cabinet assumes their roles. Phiphat said Thai Vietjet plans to lease two aircraft from a foreign company for six months under a wet lease agreement, which means pilot, crew, maintenance and insurance are included in the same package. The airline hopes to operate these jets during the tourism high season. According to the ministry, flying domestic routes is typically reserved for Thai pilots, while flying international routes is allowed for foreign pilots. "In reality, Thailand doesn't have a shortage of pilots. This is the lessor's condition that leases should include their pilots," he said. "The ministry is preparing to allow permission on a temporary basis for this airline."<br/>
Boeing upped its wage proposal to thousands of striking workers on Monday, offering a 30% general wage increase over four years in what it called its "best and final" offer as the strike drags on. The U.S. planemaker is also offering to reinstate a performance bonus, improve retirement and double a ratification bonus to $6,000, if the workers accept by Friday. The Seattle-area Boeing workers who build the planemaker's strongest-selling 737 MAX jet and other planes assembled in its Washington state factories went on strike on Sept. 13, after rejecting their first full contract in 16 years. Boeing has frozen hiring and started furloughs for thousands of US employees to reduce costs. A prolonged strike could cost several billion dollars, fraying the planemaker's already strained finances and threatening a downgrade of its credit rating. The strike, Boeing's first since 2008, is the latest event in a tumultuous year for the company that began with a January incident when a door panel detached from a new 737 MAX jet mid-air. Factory workers rejected an earlier tentative deal between Boeing and the union, which offered a 25% raise over four years, and a commitment that a new plane would be manufactured in the Seattle area if it were launched during the four-year agreement. A union spokesperson for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers was not immediately available for comment.<br/>
Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. is probing and reviewing 14 years of internal records after discovering irregularities with paperwork for aircraft parts it manufactured, the company said Monday. The Wichita, Kansas-based company said it “discovered a relatively small number of parts delivered where we are unable to produce valid Coordinate Measuring Machine reports, spanning several customer programs since 2010.” Spirit Aero spokesman Joe Buccino said the aeroparts supplier had notified affected airline customers. The aerospace industry relies on accurate record-keeping of every component which underpins the aviation and airline industry’s safety in operating planes and flying passengers. A major supplier of Boeing Co. and Airbus SE, Spirit has grappled with the quality of its work on the factory floor. Manufacturing standards and practices are a key part of how a near brand-new Alaska Air 737 Max jet door blew out in January, triggering upheaval for Boeing and Spirit Aero alike. Spirit, which was spun out of Boeing in 2005, is in the process of being reacquired by its former parent, while some jet parts production will taken on by Airbus. Reuters, which first reported the matter, said the investigation had not uncovered any potential safety red flags.<br/>
Petrobras plans to invest in a process to convert alcohol into sustainable aviation fuel using corn or sugarcane ethanol. Brazil’s oil giant is seeking a location for a plant that would target domestic and international markets, said William França, the company’s head for industrial processes and products. Logistics will be crucial, França said, adding Petrobras may need to build pipelines to get the ethanol to the plant. “We haven’t set a deadline yet, although we’re speeding up the project,” França said. Petrobras is investing to adapt its refineries to produce biofuels and low carbon products as part of its $16.7b investments earmarked for refining in 2024-2028. Brazil recently approved a bill that increases mandates for ethanol and biofuels, while also obliging airlines to reduce emissions using sustainable aviation fuel. Petrobras’s lost the battle to have its so-called diesel R — made by co-processing fossil fuel with animal or vegetable oil — as part of the mandatory green diesel blend defined in Brazil’s new legal framework “Fuel of the Future.” França said the company is discussing business to business contracts to sell it to big private companies.<br/>