The safety of our airplanes is Boeing’s highest priority. During the FAA’s review of the 737 MAX software update and recent simulator sessions, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified an additional requirement that it has asked the company to address through the software changes that the company has been developing for the past eight months. The FAA review and process for returning the 737 MAX to passenger service are designed to result in a thorough and comprehensive assessment. Boeing agrees with the FAA’s decision and request, and is working on the required software. Addressing this condition will reduce pilot workload by accounting for a potential source of uncommanded stabilizer motion. Boeing will not offer the 737 MAX for certification by the FAA until we have satisfied all requirements for certification of the MAX and its safe return to service.

Source: World Airline News

EVA Air’s cabin crew strike has entered its 12th day — the longest such strike in Taiwan — with the airline racking up NT$2.11 billion ($68.1 million) in revenue losses. On 29 June, the union voted in favour of terms proposed by EVA, potentially ending the strike. But both parties failed to reach an agreement on benefits-related issues later that day. The airline adds in a stock exchange disclosure that 469 flights have been cancelled since 20 June, when the strike began. Led by the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union, the strike comes after the latest negotiations over pay and working conditions with airline management reached an impasse. Two weeks before, the union voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action. EVA said in a statement on its website that it “regretted” the outcome, and urged the striking employees to return to work soon.

Source: FlightGlobal

Two crew members have been killed in a runway excursion involving an Angara Airlines Antonov An-24 which had attempted an emergency landing at Nizhneangarsk in southern Russia. The twin-engined aircraft (RA-47366) had been transporting 43 passengers and four crew members from Ulan-Ude, as flight 2G200, on 27 June. "During the landing, the aircraft rolled off the runway and collided with ground infrastructure," the airline says. Video images purportedly taken during the landing indicate the aircraft veered off the right side of runway 22. The airport has a single runway, designated 04/22, which is some 1,600m in length. Russia's emergency situations ministry for the Buryatia region says the aircraft struck a sewage-treatment plant after crossing rough ground and crashing through a fence. The carrier adds that a fire subsequently broke out and the An-24 was evacuated. While all the passengers survived, the aircraft's captain and a flight mechanic did not.

UPDATE: Preliminary investigation into the fatal Antonov An-24 runway excursion in southern Russia suggests the Angara Airlines aircraft suffered engine failure before landing. The crew informed air traffic control that the left-hand Progress AI-24 engine had failed during the descent towards Nizhneangarsk, when the aircraft was some 16nm (30km) from its destination.

Source: FlightGlobal