Japanese and South Korean carriers have suspended operations of Boeing 777s powered by Pratt & Whitney 4000 series engines, although the limited numbers of these flying mean there have been few schedule disruptions.
The FAA plans to order stepped-up inspections of Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines like the one the failed on a United Airlines Boeing 777-200 near Denver on Feb. 20.
Representatives of European pilots and members of the European Parliament have called for an “open skies” agreement between the EU and Qatar to be paused in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FAA is leveraging its wide-ranging flight data tracking and analysis contract with Aireon to monitor Boeing 737 MAX operations as part of the model’s return to service, using a pair of products to get real-time flight alerts.
Embraer said on Feb. 18 it was formally withdrawing its World Trade Organization (WTO) case against Canada and Bombardier over airliner manufacturing subsidies now that the issue is moot with Bombardier’s focus on business aviation.
The FAA is giving affected Boeing 787 operators 45 days to inspect forward and aft cargo compartments for damaged decompression panels after inspections for a related issue turned up the new problem, the agency said.
Iceland’s air navigation service provider Isavia ANS announced Feb. 17 that it has implemented satellite-based surveillance of aircraft in its airspace.
The government of Singapore will pour another S$870 million ($657.5 million) into its aviation sector, in an effort to help the Singapore air hub edge out competition as the industry claws its way to recovery.
U.S. pilot unions are joining airlines and manufacturers in opposing a potential coronavirus test requirement for domestic U.S. airline passengers, though a mandate to move forward with the proposal does not seem imminent.
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has extended the duration of its 80% limit on how much pre-COVID-19 capacity airlines in the country are allowed to fly.
France’s transport minister has called for “fair competition” regarding conditions set to be imposed by the European Commission (EC) on a planned state recapitalization of Air France-KLM.
Despite entering 2020 in a good financial position and implementing “drastic measures” to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, Sweden’s airport operator Swedavia recorded a loss for the year of SEK 1.28 billion ($154 million) compared to a profit of SEK583 million in 2019.
A manufacturing defect is being cited as the reason for a November 2020 uncontained engine failure incident involving a Volga-Dnepr An-124 super heavy cargo aircraft, according to the head of Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency.
Democratic House lawmakers proposed an additional $26 billion to help struggling airlines, airports and manufacturers survive the air travel downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indonesia National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) officials investigating the Jan. 9 crash of Sriwijaya Air Flight SJ182 are further examining the Boeing 737-500’s autothrottle system.
Boeing cautioned the White House against pursuing a COVID-19 testing proposal for domestic air travelers, warning such a policy would produce “severe unintended consequences” that far outweigh any potential public health benefits.
