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 March 27.
Key changes to the Boeing 737 MAX’s maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (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 the automated system can trigger.
Pilots of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 reported an emergency and returned to Orlando International Airport soon after takeoff March 26, the airline and FAA confirmed.
Despite a record-breaking year in terms of passenger numbers, Montenegro Airlines foresees another challenging year, president Nikola Vukićević said March 27.
Identification of in-service issues with the Boeing 737 MAX maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) flight control law follows a common pattern for newly certified products, and does not signal errors made during the system’s design and risk analysis, FAA Acting Administrator Dan Elwell told a Senate panel March 27.
China Aviation Supplies Holding Co. (CAS) has signed a general terms agreement (GTA) with Airbus for 290 A320 family aircraft and 10 A350s, in one of the Toulouse-based manufacturer’s biggest narrowbodies deals.
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.
AirAsia X is working with Airbus on details of a potential order for longer-range versions of the A321neo, with discussions covering issues such as configuration, quantity, timing and variant.
FAA does not want to be the first regulator to lift its Boeing 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 ATW.
Ethiopian Airlines group CEO Tewolde Gebremariam has reaffirmed his belief in Boeing in the wake of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX crash that claimed the lives of all 157 people onboard.
Boeing is scheduling a meeting in Renton, Washington, on March 27 to update airlines and aviation regulators on its actions to address concerns about the 737 MAX.
Canada’s Longview Aviation Capital agreed to buy the Dash 8 program, including Q400 regional turboprop production and the de Havilland name, from Bombardier.
Garuda Indonesia has informed Boeing it wants to cancel its order for 49 737 MAX aircraft, and is considering seeking a deal for Boeing widebody aircraft instead.
Spanish LCC Volotea is considering expanding to 40-60 aircraft by 2022, when it will have completed its transition from Boeing 717s to an all-Airbus A319 fleet.
Details of Boeing’s plans to upgrade the 737 MAX’s flight control system are increasing the spotlight on flight-deck human factor breakdowns in the model’s design.
Changes to the 737 MAX as a result of the crash of Lion Air flight JT610 are expected to be approved by US authorities “in the coming weeks,” Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ (BCA) top salesman said March 21.
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker anticipates that deliveries of the Boeing 777X will be on time and hopes the airline will be the first to fly the new long-haul aircraft. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2020.
Russia’s Atran Airlines, an air express subsidiary of Volga-Dnepr Group, took delivery of its first Boeing 737-800BCF March 20, becoming the first operator of the type in the country.
British Airways (BA) has brought in assistance on another route as it seeks to cope with the continuing disruption caused by problems with its Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) received its first of three Airbus A380s March 20, which the carrier plans to use to double capacity between Japan and Hawaii.
US operators with Boeing 737 MAXs are shuffling aircraft assignments and canceling flights to address gaps created by grounded MAXs, and may have enough flexibility to keep the ramifications of a short-term grounding minimal.
US Department of Transportation (DOT) secretary Elaine Chao on March 19 requested the Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) initiate a probe to review the process FAA used to certify the Boeing 737 MAX as safe prior to the two fatal crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia.
