U.S. regulator, Boeing complete 737 MAX certification test flights
"The Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing Co (BA.N) have completed certification test flights on the 737 MAX, a key milestone toward the plane’s return to service, the U.S. regulator said on Wednesday.
The MAX has been grounded since March 2019 after two fatal crashes in five months killed 346 people.
The FAA said it must still evaluate data from the three days of testing and has other tasks to complete.
“The agency is following a deliberate process and will take the time it needs to thoroughly review Boeing’s work,” the FAA said. “We will lift the grounding order only after FAA safety experts are satisfied that the aircraft meets certification standards.”
Boeing declined to comment, saying it would defer to the FAA statement.
The tests of Boeing’s proposed changes to the automated flight control system on the aircraft are a pivotal moment in the company’s worst-ever corporate crisis. The FAA must complete the data review, approve new pilot training procedures, among other steps, and is unlikely to approve the plane’s ungrounding until mid-September, Reuters reported this week.
If that happens, the jet is on a path to resume U.S. service before year-end, in a process plagued by delays."
U.S. regulator, Boeing complete 737 MAX certification test flights - Reuters
When with the other regulators have boing boing perform all their own certification test flights?
A tray full of GOLD is not worth a moment in time.
Feck they made a lot of mistakes before the crash.Starts about 4 minutes into the podcast.
AvTalk - Aviation Podcast - AvTalk Episode 88: 262 out of 860 | Listen via Stitcher for Podcasts
Oops. Hope no-one is waiting for refunds or has vouchers.
AirAsia's future in doubt due to virusMalaysian budget carrier AirAsia's future is in "significant doubt" due to the collapse in demand for air travel caused by coronavirus, its auditor warns.
The first of a dozen Qantas A380s has landed at the airliner graveyard at the Southern California Logistics Airport in the High Desert, US.The Australian long-haul airline is parking its A380 Airbus fleet at the Victorville airport while its international flying is in hiatus while many in the airline industry are asking whether the A380s will ever leave the graveyard again
Some people think it don't, but it be.
They haven't even managed to shut down Saudi pirating BeIn Sports, so fuck knows how much use this will be.
United Nations Sides With Qatar Over Airspace Blockade Case - Simple FlyingUnited Nations Sides With Qatar Over Airspace Blockade Case
In June 2018, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) ruled it had jurisdiction to handle a dispute brought by the State of Qatar, which accused its neighbors of breaching an international convention governing international aviation. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has today rejected an appeal regarding this issue by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The appealing nations felt that the ICAO was not the right group to judge in the dispute. They expressed that the issues at hand went beyond civil aviation. Nonetheless, The Seattle Times reports that the United Nations’ top court has ordered in Qatar’s favor. This decision opens up the door for the ICAO to be able to rule in Qatar’s case.
The four countries form part of a coalition that imposed a blockade Qatar since June 2017. Part of this action stopped Qatar Airways’ flights from using its neighbors’ airspace. Moreover, the nation’s only land border, with Saudi Arabia, was closed off.
The move had a massive impact on air travel within Qatar. Therefore, it consulted international bodies for assistance.
In response to the ruling, Qatar’s minister of transport and communications, Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti said the following:
“We are confident that the ICAO will ultimately find these actions unlawful. This is the latest in a series of rulings that expose the blockading countries’ continued disregard for international law and due process. Step by step their arguments are being dismantled, and Qatar’s position vindicated.”
Despite the blockades, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker affirmed that these initiatives have only made his airline and nation stronger. Last year, he said that it was a great shock in the beginning because it was done by people who he thought were part of the country’s greater family.
The executive didn’t expect the events to play out this way. However, he feels that it has only made Qatar more efficient. Above all, he said it was the perfect wake up call. He added that the carrier swiftly adapted to the events, sharing that it was operating at a larger scale than before. In the year that followed the start of the blockade, Qatar Airways’ overall revenue grew by 14% to $13.2 billion.
Altogether, the airline will be glad about the outcome of the Hague-based court’s ruling. With the global health crisis continuing to cause uncertainty across several industries, any opportunity to increase connectivity will go a long way. Now, all of the involved governments will be keeping a close eye on how the ICAO will proceed going forward.
Alright you fucker, what did you do?!
Saudi Arabia permanently cancels license of Qatar's beIN Sports - Egypt IndependentJuly 15, 2020
DUBAI (Reuters) — Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Competition (GAC) said on Tuesday it had permanently canceled the license of Qatari broadcaster beIN Sports, which has been barred from broadcasting in the kingdom since mid-2017 due to a dispute with Qatar.
GAC said in a statement it was also fining beIN Sports 10 million riyals (US$2.7 million) for what it said were “monopolistic practices”, a charge the broadcaster denied.
If it's a Boeing, I'm not fucking going...
British Airways scrapping entire 747 fleet amid coronavirus downturn | UK News | Sky NewsBritish Airways' iconic 747 jumbo jet will no longer be operated by the airline after it decided to retire its entire fleet with immediate effect.
BA has used the famous Boeing plane since 1989 and is currently the world's biggest operator of the 747-400 model.
It was planning to retire the fleet of 31 aircraft in 2024 but its end has been hastened by the coronavirus lockdown, which has forced long-haul air travel to almost grind to a halt.
The decision marks the end of an era for the double-decker jumbo within UK airlines, given that Virgin Atlantic had already announced it was to scrap its remaining 747s.
The airline operated the plane, powered to a top speed of 614mph by four Rolls-Royce engines, to destinations in China, the US, Canada and Africa.
The company said: "It is with great sadness that we can confirm we are proposing to retire our entire 747 fleet with immediate effect.
^ BA have used 747s since they were first formed in the early 70s. I guess the article is referring to first use of 747-400 series, which would be around 1989. The 747 classics (2,3,4 series) have always been my favourite aircraft. An absolute pleasure and money maker for me.
Going on strike when you've been fired.
Cool move, that will rattle them.
Icelandair sacks all its cabin crew and says spare pilots must look after passengers | The IndependentICELANDAIR SACKS ALL ITS CABIN CREW AND SAYS SPARE PILOTS MUST LOOK AFTER PASSENGERS
Union says the airline’s ‘position and attitude in the matter is a disgrace’
From Monday, every crew member on every Icelandair flight will be a pilot.
The Icelandic national airline been negotiating with the Icelandic Cabin Crew Association (Flugfreyjufelag Islands/FFI) for months over new contracts in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In June, the two sides signed a five-year agreement that, according to Icelandair, involved “increasing productivity and flexibility”.
The carrier has made similar deals with the pilots’ and engineers’ unions. But 10 days ago, cabin crew voted against the proposals by a majority of 73:27.
Icelandair now says negotiations have broken down: “It has now become evident that a mutually agreed conclusion will not be reached.”
As a result, it has decided to “permanently terminate the employment of its current cabin crew members and permanently discontinue the employment relationship between the parties”.
The airline says it has been “exploring other options regarding safety and service onboard its aircraft”.
From 20 July pilots who are currently not required for flying duties will be assigned “responsibility for safety on board”.
Passengers are warned: “Services will continue to be at a minimum, as it has since the impact of Covid-19 started.”
Icelandair is now seeking new cabin crew, and is reported to be in talks with staff who lost their jobs when Wow Air collapsed in 2018.
The cabin crew union said a strike would begin at once.
The FFI chairperson, Guolaug Liney Johannsdottir, said: “Icelandair's position and attitude in the matter is a disgrace and I have faith that the public does not take such contempt for employees silently and silently,”
“Icelandair’s position puts FFI in the precarious position of having to start preparations for immediate and extensive strike action.”
Other airlines, including easyJet, have from time to time employed pilots as cabin crew, particularly during economic downturns when flights have been cut back.
Icelandair is currently flying from its hub at Keflavik airport near Reykjavik to Amsterdam, Boston, Copenhagen, Frankfurt and Hamburg, but not to the UK.
First they came for the Cabin Crew
I was not Cabin Crew
Then they came for the Baggage Handlers
I was not a Baggage Handler
Then then came for the Aircraft Maintenance Staff
I was not Aircraft Maintenance Staff
Then then came for the Pilot Testing Examiners
I was not a Pilot Testing Examiner
Then they changes our uniforms
Mine was non discriminatory yellow overall with a pink pinafore
Then they changed our stop over 5* hotels to airbnb
Then my plane crashed ....
Last edited by OhOh; 20-07-2020 at 12:20 PM.
Well done Icelandair.
The trolley dollies caved in and came back to the table.
Now they're going to vote again on 27th July.
Qantas's last passenger jumbo jet, the Boeing 747, has departed Australia for the final time, with the "Queen of the Skies" leaving one last flourish — drawing a kangaroo over the Pacific Ocean.
Key points:
- The Boeing 747 was decommissioned amid COVID-19 disruption
- The last flight departed Sydney bound for a Los Angeles boneyard today
- Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said it had seen the highs and lows of history
Flight QF7474 flew out from Sydney Airport on Wednesday afternoon and provided entertainment to hundreds of plane spotters
The jumbo jet is headed to retirement in the Mojave Desert in the United States, after Qantas brought forward the scheduled retirement of the fleet by six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last Qantas Boeing 747 leaves a flourish in the sky as it says goodbye to Australia - ABC News
^
Costs/passenger mile have been superseded by newer planes, mostly 2 engines now and airline routing choices. Hub collection and consolidation v point to point.
Not sure that this is news exactly but it was news to me today that NokAir just cancelled the gf's flight from DMK to UTH on Sunday, August 2nd. She has an exam in Bangkok that afternoon and needs to be back at work on Monday morning. She only booked the flight a couple of days ago. Of course, they don't want to offer a refund, only a coupon.
This feels close to fraud. Advertise flights, sell tickets, cancel flights, keep the money.
Still not news, maybe it should be if a good investigative journalist grabbed hold of it.
The gf has to return to Udon on Sunday evening. No choice. NokAir cancelled and the only other flight is AirAsia. Now a snip at B1,900 plus change. I am writing my long-awaited first book with the working title The Shutree Conjecture. Of course it is fiction and because the film rights are important I need to sex it up a bit. The plot outline is:
Airline One and Airline Two appear to be fierce competitors in low cost air travel, but there are too few customers post-Covid. They face ruin.
CEOs One and Two meet, mafioso style, in a private room at an exclusive nightclub and hatch a plan to cut costs whilst increasing revenues.
On routes where they compete, both will sell tickets then, at an agreed time, One will cancel and refuse cash refunds, Two will immediately double prices that day to gouge customers. This means only two flights instead of four, saving money, whilst trebling their cash flows.
On other days and other routes they reverse roles.
There is only a tiny risk that the public will perceive a pattern or that the authorities will investigate. In either case: deny, deny, deny.
In the real world the poor stay poor and the rich get richer.
In my fictional account it all falls apart when the stunning hostess who is bedding both CEOs figures out the conspiracy and is suddenly vengeful when she discovers other love interests in their lives. So she teams up with the CEOs' equally stunning and resentful PAs to gather the data that will bring them down. Unfortunately, the powers to whom she presents her dossier are not independent and the final scenes involve tragic accidents and a missing dossier.
I can feel Hollywood clamouring for the rights.
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