FAA retained oversight of the Boeing MAX’s new maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) early on in the aircraft’s certification process, but later delegated it to Boeing once the agency was confident the company had the expertise to manage it, FAA acting administrator Dan Elwell told a Senate hearing Mar. 27.
Key changes to the Boeing 737 MAX’s MCAS will incorporate more redundancy into the aircraft’s much-scrutinized flight-control law and give pilots ultimate elevator authority by limiting the degree of nose-down stabilizer command which the automated system can trigger, the company confirmed Mar. 27.
Despite a record-breaking year in terms of passenger numbers, Montenegro Airlines foresees another challenging year, president Nikola Vukićević said Mar. 27.
The AirAsia X Group is considering launching routes to both Europe and the U.S. West Coast over the next two years, using its initial deliveries of Airbus A330neos.
A spike in flight cancellations linked to several unrelated issues will drive Southwest Airlines’ year-over-year first-quarter (Q1) 2019 non-fuel unit costs up 10%, or 4% higher than its previous guidance, and will cost the carrier about $150 million in lost revenue, the airline revealed Mar. 27.
Norwegian Air Shuttle is temporarily withholding ticket sales for its routes normally operated by the Boeing 737 MAX to ensure it can “meet customer expectations” in its latest update since the aircraft type’s grounding by aviation authorities around the world.
Ethiopian Airlines has issued a statement strongly refuting recent reports stating that Ethiopian GCEO expected the preliminary release of a report into the March 10 crash of its Boeing 737-8 MAX "maybe this week or next week.”
Cathay Pacific is poised to enter Asia’s LCC market, after announcing a deal to purchase 100% of Hong Kong Express (HKE) and operate it as a subsidiary.
The identification of in-service issues with the Boeing 737 MAX maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) does not signal errors made during the system’s design and risk analysis, FAA Acting Administrator Dan Elwell will tell the Senate Wednesday.
SINGAPORE/FRANKFURT—China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS) has signed a General Terms Agreement (GTA) with Airbus for 290 A320 family aircraft and 10 A350s in one of Airbus’ biggest deals for its narrowbody aircraft.
Boeing is confident that sales of its Boeing 777X family, which it views as solid, will move at a steady pace, underscoring airlines’ shifting widebody ordering patterns.
Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsia has restricted Nordwind Airlines air operator’s certificate (AOC) from Mar. 25, canceling its ETOPS permits.
AirAsia X is working with Airbus on the details of a potential order for longer-range versions of the A321neo, with discussions covering issues such as configuration, quantity, timing and variant.
Boeing’s 767-based tankers use a version of the pitch augmentation system that grounded the 737 Max 8 fleet, the manufacturer and U.S. Air Force officials say.
FAA does not want to be the first regulator to lift its 737 MAX operations ban and is working with other agencies to find consensus on joint approval of the model’s return to service, but the agency is prepared to act alone if the authorities cannot agree, sources with knowledge of the agency’s thinking tell Aviation Daily.
