Republic Airways wants the US Federal Aviation Administration to grant it an exemption on pilot training rules that would allow it to address an industrywide staff shortage by employing pilots with fewer flight hours than required for most US commercial flights. Republic operates flights for United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, and owns its own pilot school called the Leadership In Flight Training (LIFT) Academy. The Indianapolis-based regional carrier states in a filing submitted to the FAA on 14 April that it wants to hire pilots from that school once they reach 750 flight hours. A law enacted in 2010 requires US commercial airline pilots to have 1,500 flight hours. That law allows commercial airline requirements for flight hours to be reduced to 750 hours for current or former military pilots. Republic states in its filing that it could match that safety exemption through its LIFT academy. "Very much like the military, Republic has created a closed-loop training environment in which LIFT’s part 141 flight training programme is uniquely aligned with Republic’s Standard Operating Procedures," the airline says. "The closed-loop, integrated program curriculum, takes a student from initial flight training to become qualified as a first officer applicant at Republic through a controlled and rigorous environment." Regional airlines since the start of US travel demand recovery in 2021 have struggled to accelerate pilot training, unable to compete against larger carriers that recruit their pilots from regional carriers with the promise of greater salary and benefits. Republic's filing published in April gained greater attention on 9 May when Mesa Airlines chief executive Jonathan Ornstein mentioned the issue during an earnings call. He said the Phoenix-based regional carrier faced a similar need to accelerate pilot training to match demand. Ornstein during the call criticised the FAA’s requirement that commercial pilots have 1,500 flight hours to be “ill-conceived, ill-advised and politically motivated”. The USA enacted that pilot training law in response to the flight 3407 crash in 2009 of a Bombardier Dash-8 aircraft operated by regional airline Colgan Air, during which 50 people died when the jet stalled and crashed into a house. Families of Flight 3407 crash victims published a statement on 13 May calling for the FAA to reject Republic’s request for an exemption to the training rule, stating that it would increase the risk of a pilot being “unable to recognise and react to a situation that went beyond the scope of the technology in the cockpit”. Another opponent to Republic’s filing is retired airline pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who in December 2021 became the US representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization. “There is no civilian flight training equal to the screening, comprehensiveness, rigor, discipline, or culture of excellence of US military flight training,” Sullenberger states. “Regional airlines, for their own expedience, are trying to weaken critically important pilot experience standards that are needed to keep passengers and crews safe.” Sullenberger reached national fame as “Sully” in 2009 as captain of US Airways flight 1549, when he and his crew piloted an Airbus A320-214 to an emergency landing in the Hudson River after striking a flock of birds and losing engine power shortly after takeoff from New York LaGuardia. They avoided fatalities during the emergency landing, which became known as the “Miracle on the Hudson”. Airlines struggled to recruit and retain enough pilots to match their growth plans even prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. It remains a defining challenge for US carriers as they plan networks through 2022.

A Tibet Airlines Airbus A319 caught fire after an aborted take-off caused it to veer off the runway at Chongqing Jiangbei Airport in southwestern China on 12 May. The airline says in a 12 May statement that the A319 (registered B-6425) was bound for Linzhi and carrying 113 passengers and nine crew members when the accident occurred. Flightcrew found the aircraft was behaving "abnormally" and had "interrupted take-off", which caused the aircraft to be "out of alignment" and to skid off the runway. All passengers and crew were evacuated safely. Some had slight injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment. The airline says the A319 later caught fire and suffered damage. Tibet Airlines says it has immediately launched its first-level emergency plan and has made every effort to respond and deal with the aftermath of the accident. Fleets data shows the 128-seater Tibet Airlines A319 (MSN 5157) is of 2012 vintage and powered by CFM International CFM56-5B7/3 engines. It is managed by China Development Bank. The data also shows the airline is an all-Airbus operator with a fleet of 40 aircraft, comprising 29 A319-100s, six A320-200s and five A330-200s. This accident comes within two months of the fatal China Eastern Boeing 737NG crash of 21 March, which prompted China to launch a safety overhaul of the civil aviation sector.

The price of jet kerosene has fallen sharply over the past week on the back of softer crude values, although it remains near record highs. Data provided by energy information provider ICIS, shows the value of jet fuel for delivery to Northwest Europe standing at $1,302.50 per tonne on 10 May, which represents a weekly fall of $20 per tonne and compares with around $1,600 per tonne at one point during April. "The softness seen in European jet kerosene spot prices this week has been mainly due to weakening upstream values as supply tightness and healthy demand for aviation continues to support fundamentals," writes ICIS. "Outright values have still been at multiyear highs even though trading activity in the physical market has been limited." Lockdowns in China means that jet fuel has been transported to markets in Europe instead, bringing down values, despite inventories there remaining low. Looking forward, ICIS expects prices to remain supported by firm demand from airlines as the recovery takes hold, while annual refinery maintenance planned for the summer could further restrict jet fuel supply. Europe's airlines have faced increasing financial pressure from higher jet fuel prices, which usually account for around 25% of a carrier's costs, rising to 35% for budget airlines. Although the sector has largely implemented hedging programmes to shelter them from the effect of higher prices, these cover only a portion of their needs and no airline remains completely immune from higher fuel prices.