Addresses The Imminent Furlough Threat To More Than 2,850 Pilots

The elected union leaders of the United pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Intl., (ALPA) have reached a tentative agreement (TA) with United Airlines management that addresses the imminent furlough threat to more than 2,850 pilots. The pilots’ elected leadership voted unanimously to send the agreement for full pilot membership ratification...

Those Pinnacles of Aviation Expertise, the US House, Hammer Boeing and the FAA -- Again

A long awaited report from the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure has been published and as many government reports are wont to do, they place a lot of blame... but not always prioritized according to the realities of the situation at hand. While the politicians were patting themselves on the back generously, the report fails to prioritize the ponderous issues involved with the airlines (and the training issues associated with them), that the airlines involved in the two accidents, presented. It also makes sweeping judgments about improper/fraudulent intent on the part of Boeing and the FAA when the aero-community scuttlebutt insists that (in many cases) such malevolent intentions were not truly evident -- i.e., they may have screwed up, but it was through error, careless and such rather than outright intent to deceive, defraud and the like.

"We Have Learned Many Hard Lessons As A Company From The Accidents..."

Boeing cooperated fully and extensively with the Committee’s inquiry since it began in early 2019. We have been hard at work strengthening our safety culture and rebuilding trust with our customers, regulators, and the flying public. The passengers and crew on board Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, as well as their loved ones, continue to be in our thoughts and prayers. Multiple committees, experts, and governmental authorities have examined issues related to the MAX, and we have incorporated many of their recommendations, as well as the results of our own internal reviews, into the 737 MAX and the overall airplane design process. The revised design of the MAX has received intensive internal and regulatory review, including more than 375,000 engineering and test hours and 1,300 test flights.

Nearly 2000 Pilot Jobs At Risk

The airline industry has been hammered by the COVID crisis despite the MANY billions of taxpayer dollars that have been made available to keep them flying... but deadlines legislative occurring in just a few weeks may make the situation even worse and force extensive layoffs -- which many airlines are preparing for by paring costs, and making agreements with employees for reduced staffing, early retirements and other cost-cutting measures. Delta is pushing to create a survivable situation in the midst of the pandemic.

Aircraft Will Be Additionally Equipped With Controller-Pilot Digital Private Communications System

SSJ100 aircraft has successfully completed test flights and proved the performance capability of ATN system in real conditions in Europe. The installation of this system is relevant primarily for the operators flying to EU countries. Equipping of all civil passenger aircraft with ATN system starting from February, 2020 is a mandatory requirement of the European aviation authorities for flight operations in various European countries above FL285.