As the world’s airlines begin distributing Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine to various corners of the globe, Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration are reminding carriers about dry-ice shipping guidelines. That is because Pfizer’s vaccine must be shipped with dry ice, and dry ice – in excessive quantities – can cause problems in aircraft cabins. “In order to transport Covid-19 vaccines, operators may plan to carry dry ice quantities larger than quantities they may carry during typical operations,” says an FAA 10 December safety alert. “This volume of dry ice may present risks that existing mitigations do not adequately address.” The FAA’s alert came ahead of the vaccine shipping frenzy. The US Food & Drug Administration approved Pfizer’s vaccine on 11 December, and US passenger and cargo airlines have started distributing the inoculation. Because Pfizer’s vaccine much be kept at a chilly -70°C (-94°F), the drug company packs it with dry ice in custom boxes. Each box contains 23kg (51lb) of dry ice, according to Pfizer. Reports say each box holds 5,000 vaccine doses. “High levels of CO2 gas in compartments can lead to unrecognised degradation of cognitive functioning and present an asphyxiation hazard to persons in that space,” the FAA adds. Just how much dry ice can a jet carry? ANA Cargo’s website says it allows 800kg of dry ice on passenger 777-300s, 250kg on passenger 737s and 1,300kg on freighters, according to its website. A 2005 ICAO document shows that one airline, in the past, permitted 114kg of dry ice on narrowbodies and 200kg on widebodies. But when carried in insulated containers, limits jumped to 1,088kg for widebodies. But the FAA recently approved United Airlines to transport 6,800kg of dry ice on some flights, according to reports. The FAA publishes a formula for determining the limit, and Boeing provides airlines with guidance and related charts. “We are in very much a supporting role with our operators. We’ve worked proactively to provide our operators with the guidance they need to transport dry ice,” says Boeing engineering leader Dan Freeman. “At the end of November we issued new charts for all or our models.” Several factors determine how much dry ice a jet can safely carrying, including cabin volume, temperatures, aircraft model, the capability of the jet’s environmental control system, number of people aboard and the sublimation rate of the dry ice. Sublimation is the process by which dry ice, which is frozen CO2, converts over time to gaseous CO2. Sublimation rates vary significantly based on the packaging in which the dry ice ships, according to FAA documents. In 1963, Pan American conducted tests showing that 100lb of dry ice lost about 1lb through sublimation hourly – a 1% sublimation rate. A later FAA study puts the rate at about 2% for smaller amounts of dry ice. Another vaccine made by Moderna does not need to be kept so cold and therefore may not require dry ice to ship.

A European staffing company is reportedly hiring some 160 pilots to assist Boeing’s customers with various aircraft models, including the 737 Max. Reuters reports that Isle of Man-based pilot personnel shop CCL Aviation is hiring the “Global Engagement Pilots” on Boeing’s behalf. The news outlet reports that the pilots will help Boeing ensure its 737 Max jet returns to service smoothly, and build trust with customers. A source familiar with the hiring stresses that the pilots will assist with all Boeing’s passenger aircraft models, not just the 737 Max. They will be embedded with Boeing’s customers, providing expertise on training, flight operations and other topics, and observing operations, the source adds. Boeing declines to comment specifically about the hiring. “We continue to work closely with global regulators and customers to safely return the 737-8 and 737-9 to service worldwide,” the company says. Boeing has recently been “expanding its use of contract pilots” employed by CCL, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), which represents Boeing pilots, said in September. At the time, SPEEA disclosed that Boeing had laid off seven “flight training airplane pilots”, whose jobs involved helping airlines operate aircraft that are new to their fleets. That role is different from the role of the newly hired 160 pilots, a source confirms. SPEEA said, “CCL contract pilots will do nearly all simulator and in-flight training involved in the 737 Max return to service.”

Irkut has carried out the maiden flight of the MC-21-310, the version of the twinjet powered by Russian-built Aviadvigatel PD-14 engines. The flight – with aircraft number 73055 – took place from Irkutsk aviation plant’s airfield on 15 December and lasted about 1h 25min. It was crewed by two test pilots and an engineer, and the flight involved initial powerplant checks as well as tests on the stability of the aircraft. The sortie follows Russian trade and industry minister Denis Manturov’s claims that the aircraft would fly by the end of this year. 'Today we see the result of a consistent state policy in the development of high-tech industries,” he says, adding that this has “created a new generation of designers and production workers”. Manturov adds that the MC-21-310’s first flight is the “fruits of labour from tens of thousands of people” working in the engine-manufacturing facilities. State technology firm Rostec’s general director, Sergei Chemezov, adds that the occasion marks the “unification” of two major Russian civil aviation programmes, the MC-21 and PD-14. The MC-21 had previously only flown with the rival Pratt & Whitney PW1400G engine. This variant of the twinjet is desginated the -300. Chemezov says the MC-21 will “returns our country to the top league of world aviation”.