general

A U.S. House of Representatives panel will hold a hearing next week on air traffic control issues after a series of incidents highlighted concerns about persistent staffing shortages. Witnesses from Airlines for America, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Government Accountability Office, National Air Traffic Controllers Association and Professional Aviation Safety Specialists unions will testify before the Transportation and Infrastructure's aviation subcommittee on Tuesday, officials said.<br/>Last week, the U.S. aviation sector called for "robust emergency funding" from Congress for air traffic control technology and staffing after a series of crashes. Lawmakers have also called for new funding. Airlines for America, a trade group which includes American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, was among those pressing for new funding. A persistent shortage of controllers has delayed flights and led to mandatory overtime and six-day weeks to cover shifts at many facilities. The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and has about 10% fewer controllers than in 2012.<br/>

Air travel advocates are in an uproar about proposed changes to the federal government agency that handles passengers’ complaints. When travellers experience issues such as cancelled or delayed flights, or lost bags, and feel the airlines don’t respond appropriately, they can take their complaint to the federal government’s Canadian Transportation Agency. However, when their hearing ends, they are required to keep the ruling confidential. Now the agency is proposing to fine people for going public about their decisions. Air travel advocates say that is unacceptable. “The government is not serving the public interest here whatsoever,” Gábor Lukács with Air Passenger Rights told Global News. “They’re acting here as a front, a straw man for the airlines, pretending that they are just mediating, adjudicating air disputes. Well, in reality, the function here is making these disputes go away and make sure that the airlines can continue doing what they are doing, continue keeping this shabby corporate conduct confidential.”<br/>

Media reports say some power has been restored in parts of Chile's capital Santiago, after a near nation-wide cut left huge swathes of the country without electricity. A state of emergency was declared with a curfew in affected areas, where soldiers have been deployed. The Viña del Mar festival, the largest music event in Latin America, has had its third day cancelled. Hospitals and prisons across the country are on emergency generators and transport is severely disrupted. The government blamed a system failure. Latam Airlines said some of its flights might also be disrupted while power supplies were down, and urged passengers to check their journey status.<br/>

Gatwick airport’s expansion has received the backing of the UK’s aviation regulator, which argued it would bring “benefits to consumers” even with the prospect of a third runway at Heathrow. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced its support for the West Sussex airport’s proposed new commitments for the next four years, saying they would increase choice for passengers. Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, has a deadline of Thursday for her decision on whether to approve Gatwick’s plan to bring its emergency runway into routine use. This would enable the airport to be used for 100,000 more flights a year. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, gave her backing for Heathrow’s third runway project in a speech on growth last month. The CAA said it had considered the implications of a third runway at Heathrow airport on its fellow London hub. It argued: “Gatwick’s airline and passenger base is significantly different from that using Heathrow and we remain of the view that there are likely to be benefits to consumers in expanding capacity in Gatwick, including in relation to meeting the demands of passengers in the choice of destinations, enhanced competitive pressure on airlines and the greater resilience of airport infrastructure.” A third runway at Heathrow is likely to cost far more than the last estimate of £14bn and would cause more noise, pollution and disruption – as it involves demolishing hundreds of homes, lowering the M25 for the new runway to cross, rerouting rivers and building parking for nearly 50,000 cars.<br/>

Boeing commercial airplanes head Stephanie Pope will focus on the recovery of the company's crucial and challenged plane-making unit under a reorganization that ends her role as the company's chief operating officer but leaves her as the No. 2 executive. The move narrows the focus and responsibility of Pope. She already headed the unit making planes for airlines around the world and was the executive tasked with improving safety and raising airplane production following a series of accidents. Pope's role as COO ended as of Feb. 19, the company said on Tuesday. Boeing does not plan to fill the COO position, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly. Boeing shares were barely changed in after-hours trade. Pope was appointed to the newly created role of COO in December 2023, after then-CEO David Calhoun named her as his choice to succeed him. After the mid-air blowout of a panel on a nearly new 737 MAX jet in January 2024, she was tapped to also run Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The accident put renewed focus on production quality problems in the division and contributed to Calhoun's exit from the company. In August, Kelly Ortberg became Boeing's new CE. Boeing's commercial airplane production has struggled through a series of crises beginning in 2019, after two fatal 737 MAX crashes revealed serious safety concerns. Historically, it has been the biggest of the company's three divisions in terms of revenue and employees. Deliveries to customers, however, have begun to pick up. Boeing delivered 45 airplanes in January, up from 30 the previous month and the most in a month for the U.S. planemaker since 2023.<br/>

Opposition has arisen to a regulatory exemption Boeing has requested for the 737 Max 7’s and Max 10’s stall-management yaw damper (SMYD), while Boeing continues insisting its proposal poses no safety threat and that the SMYD is well proven. Boeing in January asked the Federal Aviation Administration for a temporary exemption that would allow the long-delayed Max 7 and 10 to be certificated despite Boeing not yet having demonstrated that the types’ SMYDs meet new, stricter software requirements. If accepted, the exemption would also allow the company to more-quickly introduce in-development “enhanced angle-of-attack safety features” for all Max variants, including for the already in-service Max 8 and 9. Boeing asked that the exemption be good through end-October 2028. Between now and then, it intends to complete work to demonstrate that the SMYD, unchanged, meets FAA requirements. Boeing badly needs to get its Max 7 and Max 10 certificated and into customers’ hands following years-long delays. But the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) is pushing back, asking the FAA to reject Boeing’s request on safety grounds. “ALPA believes the certification of the SMYD system should be concluded before entry into service,” the union told the FAA in a 3 February letter. “ALPA furthermore does not agree with the 3.5 years Boeing is asking for an exemption.”<br/>

Brazilian plane maker Embraer said Tuesday its board approved an additional four-year pause in the development program of E175-E2 jet, according to a securities filing. Embraer said the decision is related to discussions in the United States over the maximum take-off weight limitation for up to 76 seats aircrafts, as well as global market condition and the continue interest for the current E175 jet in the North America.<br/>