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.
SAA to reinstate Johannesburg-Mauritius service
October 14, 2021
South African Airways will resume flights between Johannesburg and Mauritius from 21 November. The carrier says it will initially operate twice-weekly flights between OR Tambo International airport and Mauritius. SAA interim chief executive Thomas Kgokolo states: “Part of our growth strategy is to identify routes where there is demand and which can be profitable to the carrier. The resumption of services to Mauritius meets both those criteria.” SAA says it is now approaching its first full month of operations with local flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town and regionally to Accra, Kinshasa, Harare and Lusaka. A daily Maputo service will begin in December.
Boeing nearly doubles Max deliveries in September from August
October 14, 2021
Boeing during September delivered 35 commercial aircraft and booked 22 net orders, increasing the pace of shipments to customers from the previous month amid demand for 737 Max jets. New orders for the Chicago-based airframer were less than half of the 53 commercial aircraft ordered during August. Boeing has booked a net total of 302 aircraft orders during 2021 after factoring cancellations and conversions of other orders. Cancellations during September included Air Lease removing one 787-9 order, while GECAS removed four Max orders. Customers that booked new orders during September include 777 Partners, which ordered six Max jets following the investment firm's order for eight of those aircraft during August. Orders also included five 737-800-based maritime patrol aircraft for the German government and one 777 freighter for FedEx Express. Two unidentified customers also booked separate orders for 10 Max aircraft and five 777F's, respectively. Boeing increased deliveries of Max jets from 14 during August to 26 in September. Deliveries of Max jets to customers during September included seven to Ryanair, five to Turkish Airlines, four to Air Lease, and two to Air Canada. The US airframer also delivered one 777F to FedEx Express and another of that type to Lufthansa Cargo. Freighter deliveries also included a 747-8F to UPS and two 767-300F's to FedEx Express. Total deliveries during the third quarter for Boeing was 85 commercial jets, higher than 79 delivered during the second quarter. During the third quarter 2020, Boeing had delivered 28 commercial jets. The US Federal Aviation Administration lifted its flight ban against Max aircraft in November 2020. Boeing has delivered 241 aircraft during 2021. Airbus remains ahead of Boeing in aircraft deliveries during 2021, having shipped 40 aircraft to 25 customers during September, hitting the exact same mark as in August for a total of a total of 424 aircraft deliveries so far this year. The European airframer generated one aircraft order during September and has booked 133 net orders for aircraft during 2021. Boeing has scheduled its third quarter earnings call for 27 October.