The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has for the first time issued greenhouse gas (GHG) standards for new aircraft which, it argues, will ensure “international consistency” and give US manufacturers a “level playing field” with foreign competitors. The government environmental regulator says on 23 December that the rule will “ensure control of GHG emissions, maintain international uniformity of airplane standards, and allow US manufacturers of covered airplanes to remain competitive in the global marketplace.” The rule mirrors ICAO’s standards and recommended practices for certification of aircraft CO2 emissions, announced in 2017. It limits the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) commercial airliners and business jets can emit beginning in 2028. “We anticipate US manufacturers would be at a significant disadvantage if the US failed to adopt standards that are harmonized with the ICAO standards for CO2 emissions,” the agency adds. The matching standards will “help ensure international consistency and acceptance of U.S. manufactured airplanes worldwide.” Aviation regulator FAA says it welcomes the announcement, adding that US manufacturers can now be sure that they are competing fairly against those in other countries. “Implementation of this standard in the United States will allow the FAA to include the requirements in its regulations for certifying new airplanes, placing US engine and airframe manufacturers on a level playing field with manufacturers in other countries that have adopted the international standard,” the US regulator says. The rule was proposed in July, and has come under fire from environmental groups which say it does not go far enough to ensure commercial airliners contribute to lowering GHG emissions across the board. The aviation industry, which, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, accounted for about 3% of global man-made CO2 emissions, has committed to sustainability goals under an ICAO-led framework called the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). That effort calls for the airline industry to cap carbon output at 2020 levels and to cut emissions to half of 2005 levels by 2050. Most new aircraft comply with the EPA’s new rules already, but the the agency says that it expects non-compliant aircraft such as the Boeing 767 freighter will ”either be modified and re-certificated as compliant, will likely go out of production before the production compliance date of January 1, 2028, or will seek exemptions from the GHG standard”. Therefore, EPA says, it is not expecting the new rule to result in new greenhouse gas reductions. ”Even if we assume no continuous improvement, the projected GHG emissions reductions for the final standards will still be zero since all the non-compliant airplanes… are projected to be out of production by 2028,” the EPA writes. ”For these reasons, the EPA is not projecting emission reductions associated with these GHG regulations.” With environmental stewardship an increasingly important aspect of airlines’ business models, carriers are investing in newer and more efficient aircraft, carbon offset schemes as well as aviation fuels made from renewable sources.

Montenegro Airlines is to cease all operations, attributing the decision to the refusal of the country’s government to continue supporting the carrier. It states that it will “completely suspend” its services from 26 December. Montenegro Airlines has apologised to passengers for the problems this will cause over the next few weeks, adding its gratitude for “the years of trust, travel and friendship”. “Safety of passengers, crew and aircraft has been a priority for the company from its inception,” says the carrier, adding that it is unable to accept the risks associated with a continuation of services. Montenegro Airlines, which is state-owned, operates a small regional fleet comprising Embraer 195 and Fokker 100s. Following a meeting to discuss various national topics on 24 December, the Montenegrin government says the airline’s debts are such that it faced the “possibility of confiscation of aircraft” from 26 December. The government says the company’s business is suffering from “numerous omissions and shortcomings”, adding that the social element is “serious”, with monthly salaries to employees last paid in September. Among the debts owed, it says, are €1.2 million to lessors of its E195s plus another €600,000 relating to the engines. The government adds that the company also owes €500,000 to Belgrade airport and €160,000 to air navigation organisation Eurocontrol. Liquidation of the airline is an “inevitability”, according to the government. But it adds that a national carrier is of “unquestionable importance” to the country, and it signals that it will establish a new airline – although this will not occur for at least six to nine months.

Air Canada says that one of its reactivated Boeing 737 Max jets experienced an engine issue during a repositioning flight, bringing renewed scrutiny to the beleaguered type just weeks after it was recertificated following a 20-month grounding.
The aircraft was on a non-revenue flight from a storage facility in Marana, Arizona to Air Canada’s home base in Montreal on 22 December, says the carrier. On board were three crew and no other passengers. “Shortly after take-off, the pilots received an engine indication and, as part of normal operating procedures in such situations, decided to shut down one engine,” the airline told FlightGlobal. “The aircraft then diverted to Tucson, where it landed normally and remains.” According to Cirium fleets data, the airline has 24 of the aircraft with another 16 on order with Boeing. In November, the Federal Aviation Administration recertificated the aircraft with a long-awaited airworthiness directive (AD) after Boeing made some design and software changes, allowing it to re-enter revenue service in the USA. Canadian civil aviation regulator Transport Canada said at the time that it would also approve the type “soon”. On 17 December the regulator “validated” the airframer’s updates, indicating that it would lift the jet’s grounding in that jurisdiction in early 2021. “In January 2021, the department expects to issue a Canadian airworthiness directive which will stipulate the Canadian design changes that must be incorporated in Canadian aircraft,” Transport Canada added. Airlines around the world were forced to remove the 737 Max from their schedules in March 2019, after two fatal accidents killed 346 people. Since the ungrounding, Latin American carriers Gol and Aeromexico have returned the type to revenue service. In the USA, American Airlines will resume Max flights on 29 December, with the carrier planning to operate the aircraft on a round trip between Miami and New York’s LaGuardia airport. Airlines will bring the type back into its schedule on 11 February, and all-Boeing carrier Southwest Airlines expects to have it flying in revenue service by March.