USA to ease international travel restrictions on 8 November
October 18, 2021
The US government has finally disclosed the specific date in November when it will lift quarantine restrictions for non-essential travellers arriving in the nation who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Beginning on 8 November, foreign national travellers to the USA who provide proof of vaccination and recent negative Covid-19 test results before boarding a flight to that country will bypass quarantine requirements. To do so, international arrivals must be fully vaccinated with a drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization. The soon-to-be diminished travel restrictions date back to the earliest weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic. The US government beginning in late January 2020 and continuing through the subsequent four months established a series of "212(f)" pandemic-related restrictions on inbound international travellers. White House spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a tweet on 15 October that the vaccination requirement and the 8 November commencement date of the new rule "applies to both international air travel and land travel". The US government on 20 September disclosed that at some point in November it would ease restrictions on inbound international travellers. US network carriers since then have been adding international flights and destinations to their schedules through the end of the year and into spring 2022. JetBlue Airways' chief executive Robin Hayes said on 5 October at IATA's annual general meeting in Boston that "a significant number" of the New York-based carrier's customers had made international bookings "already" because of the news. Delta Air Lines' president Glen Hauenstein noted during the carrier's earnings call on 13 October that bookings for European flights in November and December had increased sixfold following the Biden administration's announcement.
Additionally, United Airlines on 14 October disclosed that it had added five new transatlantic destinations set to launch in spring 2022 as part of an overall expansion of its international network. Capacity on international flights to the USA in October is down 49%, compared with the same month in pre-pandemic October 2019, data shows. Nicholas Calio, chief executive for US airlines' trade group Airlines for America, stated on 15 October: "We are pleased that the administration’s new global vaccine and testing framework for international travel will be effective November 8… We have seen an increase in ticket sales for international travel over the past weeks and are eager to begin safely reuniting the countless families, friends and colleagues who have not seen each other in nearly two years, if not longer."
Boeing identifies new 787 issue: report
October 15, 2021
Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have disclosed that some titanium Boeing 787 Dreamliner parts were improperly manufactured over the past three years, according to a media report. The parts were supplied by Italian aerospace manufacturer Leonardo, and these were bought from Italy-based Manufacturing Processes Specifications, Reuters reported citing Boeing. Parts affected include fittings that help secure the floor beam in one fuselage section, and other fittings, spacers, brackets, and clips within other assemblies. FAA says the immediate safety of flights are not affected, according to the report. Reuters cites Boeing as saying that undelivered aircraft will be reworked as needed and any fleet actions would be determined through its normal review process and confirmed with the FAA.
Former Boeing 737 Max chief technical pilot charged with fraud
October 15, 2021
Former Boeing chief 737 technical pilot Mark Forkner has been accused of abusing his position to deceive the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during its evaluation and certification of Boeing's 737 Max aircraft. Forkner, who led the 737 Max flight technical team, is charged with "scheming to defraud Boeing's US-based airline customers to obtain tens of millions of dollars for Boeing", the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement dated 14 October. He allegedly withheld critical information from the FAA Aircraft Evaluation Group (AEG) in its evaluation of the aircraft type, specifically Boeing's Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) flight controls. Court documents indicate that Boeing began developing and marketing the 737 Max in and around June 2011, according to the DOJ. In his role, Forkner was "responsible for providing the FAA AEG with true, accurate, and complete information about differences between the 737 Max and [its previous version] the 737NG for the FAA AEG’s evaluation, preparation, and publication of the 737 Max FSB [Flight Standardization Board] Report". All USA-based airlines were required to use the information in the 737 Max FSB Report as the basis for training their pilots to fly the airplane, says DOJ. In and around November 2016, Forkner discovered information about an important change to MCAS, which DOJ says he allegedly intentionally withheld. "Because of his alleged deceit, the FAA AEG deleted all reference to MCAS from the final version of the 737 Max FSB Report published in July 2017," DOJ states. The department adds: "Forkner sent copies of the 737 Max FSB Report to Boeing’s US-based 737 Max airline customers, but withheld from these customers important information about MCAS and the 737 Max FSB Report evaluation process." 737 Max 8 aircraft were involved in two fatal crashes shortly after takeoff, in October 2018 and March 2019, in Indonesia and Ethiopia operated by Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines, respectively. MCAS was later blamed for the crashes and the US House Transportation Committee released in October 2019 documents showing that Forkner had in 2017 asked the FAA to remove mention of the MCAS system from its report. Acting US attorney Chad Meacham for the Northern District of Texas says in DOJ's statement: "In an attempt to save Boeing money, Forkner allegedly withheld critical information from regulators." He adds: "[Forkner's] callous choice to mislead the FAA hampered the agency’s ability to protect the flying public and left pilots in the lurch, lacking information about certain 737 Max flight controls. The Department of Justice will not tolerate fraud – especially in industries where the stakes are so high." Forkner is charged with two counts of fraud involving aircraft parts in interstate commerce and four counts of wire fraud. He is expected to make his initial court appearance on 15 October before the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count of wire fraud and 10 years in prison on each count of fraud involving aircraft parts in interstate commerce.