The acting administrator of the US Federal Aviation Administration Billy Nolen plans to step down from the position during the upcoming northern summer, saying "it is time for a new captain to guide the FAA". "I told [Department of Transportation Secretary Pete] Buttigieg and notified the White House that I will depart as a new nominee is named this summer," Nolen says in a 21 April letter to colleagues. "I have given everything to this agency, and now it’s time to do the same for my family, who have sacrificed so much and supported me during my time at the FAA." Nolen's departure comes as the FAA is facing several challenges, including a recent series of near-catastrophic events on runways at US airports, as well as an 11 January Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) outage that briefly grounded thousands of domestic departures. He commenced as head of the agency on 1 April 2022 following the departure of Steve Dickson departed halfway through his five-year term int he role that began in 2019. The Department of Transportation and the White House are searching for a full-time nominee to lead the FAA, which must be confirmed by the Senate. Last month, Phil Washington, US president Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the FAA, withdrew from the confirmation process amid an expected lack of approval votes from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Nolen continues in his 21 April letter: "I’m immensely proud of what we accomplished together. The majority of certification reform is done. Rules that languished for years, like more robust flight attendant rest rules and SMS for airports, are final. Secondary barrier for flight decks and SMS for manufacturers are nearing completion. "We will see eVTOLs certified in just a few years, instead of decades. And we have not been afraid to act to preserve the safest era in aviation history but to also say that our current record is not good enough. We should build a system so safe it doesn’t require heroic intervention." US secretary of transportation Pete Buttigieg states of Nolen's departure: "Billy is a tremendous leader, a true expert, and a dedicated public servant. He has kept safety as the FAA’s north star through one of the most complex periods in modern aviation. "I can speak for everyone at DOT in saying that his skill and expertise are a great asset to this department, and will continue to be as FAA prepares for its upcoming leadership transition."

Wizz Air has announced a £5 million ($6.22 million) investment in UK-based biofuel producer Firefly Green Fuels. The partnership will allow Wizz to supply up to 525,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to its UK operations for 15 years from 2028, the central European budget carrier says. The agreement has the potential to save 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, it adds. The deal marks the first equity investment in SAF research and development for Wizz, which aims to reduce its carbon emissions per passenger/km by 25% by 2030. Firefly produces SAF using sewage sludge, a low-value waste product available in large quantities, as feedstock. More than 57 million tonnes of sewage sludge are produced in the UK each year, with the potential to produce 250,000 tonnes of SAF, Wizz notes. Firefly's SAF, which will be independently certified against the sustainability standard RSB, is expected to deliver a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil jet fuel on a life cycle basis. "Firefly will facilitate a step change towards the future of air travel," Firefly Green Fuels' chief executive James Hygate says. "The feedstock, sewage sludge, is available in vast quantities globally and with Firefly we can put it to a truly beneficial use, reducing the use of fossil fuels in the hardest to decarbonise areas."

Boeing chief executive David Calhoun aims to keep the company's goal to accelerate 737 Max aircraft production, undeterred by both ongoing supply chain troubles and anticipated Max delivery delays amid a new flaw discovered in some newly-built jets. Calhoun has sought to provide clear expectations to help suppliers plan their budgets during the aviation sector recovery, so on 18 April he told the company's annual meeting of shareholders: "We are not changing the supplier master schedule, including any anticipated rate increases". Boeing seeks to increase Max production to 50 per month by 2025. The company ended March with a backlog of 3,585 orders for 737 type aircraft, after the airframer factored in cancellations, conversions and the uncertainty of fulfilment. Labour costs continue to rise as companies work to recruit and retain workers after downsizing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Supply chain difficulties are expected to continue during 2023, Calhoun says, adding: "We feel like the worst is behind us, and that we will slowly improve as we move into the next year." "We are comfortable holding buffer stock so that our supply chain can keep its pace," Calhoun says. "We don’t expect this issue to change our long-term guidance for 2025 or 2026." He goes on to say: "As part of our capability building, we hired 23,000 new employees last year, primarily engineers and manufacturing employees. And this year, we plan to add another 10,000 with that very same focus. Similarly, we’re starting to bring up spending on research and development and capital expenditures. In 2023, we plan to increase these investments by more than 10 percent to more than $4.5 billion." This investor guidance comes a week after Boeing on 13 April forecast "lower near-term 737 Max deliveries" as the airframer and the US Federal Aviation Administration resolve a manufacturing quality issue that "will likely affect a significant number of undelivered 737 Max airplanes, both in production and in storage". Spirit AeroSystems, the fuselage supplier for Max aircraft, told Cirium on 13 April that it notified Boeing after identifying "a quality issue on the aft fuselage section of certain models of the 737 fuselage that Spirit builds". The FAA has allowed in-service Max jets to continue flying, and Spirit states the non-standard manufacturing process used "is not an immediate safety of flight issue". Boeing states that this "non-standard manufacturing process" was used by Spirit "during the installation of two fittings in the aft fuselage section of certain 737-7, 737-8, 737-8-200 and P-8 model airplanes". The airframer notified the FAA of the issue and forecasts lower Max deliveries because it raises "the potential for a non-conformance to required specifications". Speaking to shareholders, Calhoun says "this delivery delay removes approximately 9,000 seats from our customers’ summer schedules and we apologise to all of them". "Unaffected airplanes will continue to deliver," he says, adding that there is "an airplane-by-airplane evaluation" to determine which need reworking. The airframer based in Arlington, Virginia, accelerated its rate of deliveries during 2022 from the previous year to both reduce its Max inventory and prepare for faster jet production. Shipments to China have been a wild card for Boeing's long-term guidance. Despite a number of Max jets resuming flying within China, the Civil Aviation Administration of China has made no formal notification about when shipments of new jets will resume, while Calhoun says "we’ve recently seen encouraging progress" with the regulator. "As of this month, all Max operators in China have returned to flying their airplanes in service, and 45 of the 95 Max airplanes in China are now in service," Calhoun says. China Southern was the first Chinese carrier to return Max jets to service in January and expects to take delivery of 103 new 737s by 2025. China Eastern is scheduled to receive eight 737s through 2024, of which six already appear to be built. It is unclear if orders for an additional 11 737s will be cancelled or postponed for its subsidiary Shanghai Airlines. Air China has removed all of its 737 deliveries for the next three years. Boeing is seeking interested parties for those 20 737s it built for Air China, along with two more aircraft in production.