Qatar Airways is highlighting its steps towards offering full touchless in-flight technology onboard its aircraft in a further sign of how airlines are adapting their product and marketing in light of customer sensitivities to flying in the post-pandemic environment. The Gulf carrier is introducing technology enabling passengers to navigate the onboard IFE across its Airbus A350 fleet using their personal electronic devices, as well as the offering the option to use their own headphones to access onboard content via Bluetooth technology on its Boeing 787 fleet. Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker says: “The introduction of the state-of-the-art zero-touch technology, and enabling passengers to use their personal Bluetooth headset on board is an important step in taking our already rigorous and stringent Covid-19 precautions to another level, limiting passenger surface contact and preventing any possible spread of infection on board. “We hope it provides yet further assurance of the safety of air travel, as well as offering passengers on board increased confidence that they are enjoying the most consistently advanced customer experience available in the sky.” The Gulf carrier’s zero-touch technology, introduced in partnership with the Thales AVANT IFE system, will enable A350 passengers to pair their personal electronic devices with their seat-back IFE screen by connecting to the ‘Oryxcomms’ Wi-Fi and scanning a QR code displayed on the screen. This will allow passengers to use their own devices to navigate the onboard IFE system. The Doha-based airline will also offer passengers the option to pair their personal Bluetooth headphones with the onboard seatback IFE system in all cabins across its Boeing 787-9 fleet.

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada will temporarily stop producing Dash 8s and begin vacating its Downsview Toronto production site in the second half of 2021. The company disclosed the changes on 17 February, calling the move a production “pause”. But De Havilland insists it remains committed to the Dash 8 turboprop, saying it is investing in product upgrades and intends to restart production as soon as possible. “Given that prevailing industry circumstances have hindered the ability to confirm new aircraft sales, De Havilland Canada will not produce new Dash 8-400 aircraft at its Downsview site beyond currently confirmed orders,” the company says on 17 February. “Approximately 500 employees will be affected by the production pause.” De Havilland describes the decision as “a responsible and prudent measure that reflects current industry conditions, and will limit strain on the market and De Havilland Canada’s supply base as the pandemic recovery occurs”. De Havilland does not specify how many outstanding firm Dash 8 orders it holds or specify when work at Downsview will stop. The company also does not respond to a request for comment. However, Cirium fleets data shows that De Havilland holds 17 Dash 8-400 orders from airlines including Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Canadian aerial firefighting company Conair, Nigeria’s Elin Group, Ethiopian Airlines, Philippine Airlines, the government of Tanzania and TAAG Angola Airlines. De Havilland delivered 11 Dash 8s in 2020, it says. De Havilland assembles Dash 8s at a leased facility in the Downsview section of Toronto. The lease expires in 2021, though De Havilland has previously said the lease can be extended until 2023. “Accordingly, De Havilland Canada has begun preparing to leave the site over the latter part of the year. There are a number of excellent production site options in Canada, and the company will be ready to meet new aircraft demand as the industry recovers,” De Havilland says. The airframer’s parent Longview Aviation Capital acquired the Dash 8 programme from Bombardier in May 2019 for $250 million. “We fully expect worldwide demand for the Dash 8 to return once the industry has recovered from the pandemic,” says David Curtis, Longview executive chairman. He says the turboprop’s performance and operating economics will make it “an important part of the aviation industry’s post-pandemic recovery”. The company insists it intends to “resume new aircraft delivery at the earliest possible time, subject to market demand”. Also on 17 February, De Havilland outlined several “enhancements” it is making to the Dash 8 programme. Those include “investing significant capital” in the Dash 8’s customer support and information technology systems so as to reduce operating costs. De Havilland is also developing Dash 8 upgrades and modifications, among them “cabin refurbishment features” that include overhead bin extensions. “While the pandemic has ravaged the global aviation industry, De Havilland Canada is making future-oriented investments in its organisation, systems and infrastructure to enhance the Dash 8 platform for current and future aircraft operators,” the company says.

The US Federal Aviation Administration will publish an airworthiness directive on 19 February ordering the inspection of cargo compartments on Boeing 787 type aircraft, adding to the list of safety and maintenance complications for the aircraft. The FAA estimates that 222 787 aircraft will be impacted, according to a copy of the unpublished directive obtained. The agency says it received "reports of multiple incidents", so it will require "repetitive inspections" of the forward and aft cargo areas of 787s for disengaged or torn decompression panels, which should be reinstalled or replaced if necessary. These decompression panels are a safety risk because "in the event of a cargo fire, significant leakage in the bilge area could result in insufficient Halon [fire extinguisher gas] concentrations to adequately control the fire", the FAA says. The agency estimates that each inspection cycle will cost $56,610. The first inspections should be done by the end of March and should be repeated within 120 days. This safety fix is the latest in a growing list of maintenance defects and other quirks Boeing faces with its 787 family aircraft. Manufacturing errors reported by Boeing and the aircraft's operators have included a problem that affects the aircraft’s horizontal stabilisers, troubles with its autopilot flight-director systems, and gaps in its fuselage