#160 No Quick Fix For The Boeing 737 Max - BAP Briefing

AVIATION NEWS

• US Transportation Chief Dashes Hopes of Quick Boeing Max 9 Jet Return

US Transportation Secretary  announced that Boeing's Max 9 airplanes will remain grounded until they are deemed safe to fly by regulators, dashing hopes for a quick return to service. The secretary emphasized that safety is the top priority and that no one should be rushed in the process. Boeing is under scrutiny after a door plug ejected from a 737 Max 9 in mid-flight, resulting in a hole in the plane. Inspections and fixes are being conducted to ensure the safety of every plane delivered to airlines.

 

• Undamaged plug exit on Alaska Max 9 had fasteners tightened during assembly

During the assembly of an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9, Boeing personnel tightened six loose fasteners on the fuselage structure around the plug exit opposite the one that later failed. The work was done at Boeing's factory in Renton, Washington, after the fuselage was shipped from supplier Spirit AeroSystems' factory in Kansas. While it is unclear why the fasteners were loose, this indicates that Boeing paid attention to discrepant components during assembly. The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into Boeing to determine if the completed products conformed to approved design and were safe for operation.

 

• Cathay to probe year-end cancellations, as it admits it ‘underestimated’ pilot shortage issue

Cathay Pacific has admitted that it underestimated the number of reserve pilots needed during the year-end period, which resulted in numerous flight cancellations. The airline's chief operations and service delivery officer, Alex McGowan, is leading a task force to identify and resolve the underlying issues that caused these operational problems. The cancellations in January were necessary due to a lack of adequate reserve levels, and further flights had to be canceled in order to stabilize the current operation. Cathay Pacific has faced scrutiny from the Hong Kong government and its pilot union, which blames the airline's job cuts in 2020 for the current pilot shortage. McGowan has vowed to improve the situation and ensure high-quality services and reliability for customers.

 

• SAA’s historical mess of financial losses, broken airline operations finally revealed

South African Airways (SAA) has suffered financial losses of R28.9 billion since 2018, despite receiving R38.1 billion in bailouts from the government during that same period. The airline has been dependent on taxpayer-funded bailouts since 2011 and its financial results for the past four years, which were only recently tabled in Parliament, reveal a dysfunctional airline that was not financially stable, with its biggest expenses being leasing aircraft, the maintenance of aircraft, fuel, and employee remuneration. SAA was placed in business rescue in December 2021 and the recently tabled results show that it is still dependent on government support to cover expenses that exceed its revenue.

 

• Ural Airlines pays rent to farmer after its Airbus A320 lands in wheat field

Ural Airlines has agreed to pay a farmer around $11,000 as compensation for having to rent his land for the commercial jet to stay there since September. The Airbus A320 had suffered a loss of hydraulic system and decided to switch to Novosibirsk Airport, but it ran out of fuel before reaching the airport and made an emergency landing on the farmer's wheat field. The aircraft is preventing the planting of wheat, resulting in losses for the farmer. Ural Airlines has not yet decided how to remove the A320 from the wheat field.

 

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