United Airlines has immediately begun the process of laying off more than 13,000 employees from its workforce after the 30 September expiration date of restrictions related to the US CARES Act payroll-support program passed. The Chicago-based airline intends to furlough 1,995 employees in airport operations; 313 in catering operations; 389 in contact centers; 6,939 in in-flight services; 1,400 in management and administrative roles; and 2,241 in technical operations. Involuntary furloughs of 155 employees at United's network operations centre could be delayed or cancelled if the members of the aircraft dispatchers' union ratify a letter of agreement by 7 October. In late September, United's pilot union ratified an agreement that will delay involuntary furloughs of pilots until June 2021. United had stated on 28 August that it would furlough 2,850 of its 13,000 pilots by the end of 2020, beginning after 30 September. United's chief executive Scott Kirby, along with other aviation executives, met with White House and Congressional leaders on 17 September in an attempt to persuade them to extend the US CARES Act's payroll-support program. As of 1 October, a new coronavirus relief package encompassing a PSP extension is still being negotiated in Congress. "In a continuing effort to give the federal government every opportunity to act, we have made clear to leadership in the [presidential] administration, Congress and among our union partners that we can and will reverse the furlough process if the CARES Act payroll-support program is extended in the next few days," United stated on 30 September. "We implore our elected leaders to reach a compromise, get a deal done now and save jobs."

Source: Cirium

Airlines trade organisation IATA says the industry must thoroughly prepare to play a leading role in the distribution of a coronavirus vaccine when one becomes globally available. The organisation says on 30 September that it will need to closely coordinate and partner with humanitarian aid organisations, pharmaceutical companies, border authorities and other logistics professionals to mastermind a plan for what could mean transporting billions of vials to all corners of the earth quickly and safely. Little is known about what kind of transportation the vials will require, or how many doses will need to be moved around the world. An estimated 7.8 billion vials – one per living person - would require a capacity of 8,000 Boeing 747 aircraft, Hughes says. “Will they need to be deep frozen? Or can they be transported in a more conventional cooling chain of between” 2-8°C (36-46°F)? “It’s a very delicate live culture,” Hughes adds. “If something happens to the temperature range, the entire shipment has to be thrown away.” In addition to the temperature safety aspect, physical security is another top concern which will require in-depth planning and preparation to “avoid unlawful interference with critical supply chains”, Hughes says. “If you look at many parts of the world where there aren’t a lot of freighter operations, it’s critical that there is a robust network of passenger services in place to adequately provide the capacity necessary to transport [the] vaccine when it becomes available,” he adds. The trade group said earlier this week that global cargo capacity, measured by available cargo tonne-kilometres, shrank by 29.4% in August, year-on-year. July had shown a 31.8% drop. The biggest issue continues to be a dearth of belly-cargo capacity in widebody passenger aircraft. Widebody aircraft carry particularly high levels of cargo, but have seen the greatest declines in utilisation through the past months as the global health crisis drags on. In total, belly capacity for international air cargo was down 67% year-on-year in August – partially offset by a 28.1% increase in freighter capacity, IATA said. However, until a vaccine becomes widely available, IATA says the air transport industry must learn to live with coronavirus. It is advocating for pre-departure testing that would act as an alternative to quarantine requirements. Last week, IATA charman Alexandre de Juniac said a systematic pre-flight coronavirus testing regime for all international passengers is the only way to kick-start the airline sector’s recovery. The scale of testing required – perhaps millions of passengers daily – means non-medical personnel would need to deliver tests, he said. At the same time, governments must to agree to common testing standards - possibly with ICAO’s involvement - to ensure “mutual recognition” of results

Source: Cirium

US Federal Aviation Administration chief Steve Dickson piloted a Boeing 737 Max on 30 September, declaring that the experience made him “comfortable” with its systems while insisting his agency will certificate the jet only when convinced it is safe. “I did two landings and also some air-work manoeuvres over about a 2h period,” administrator Dickson says after the flight in the Seattle area. “I felt that the training prepared me to be very comfortable.” Dickson flew 10 “flight scenarios” that involved experience with the jet’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) – the flight control system that contributed to two Max crashes. He said he also experienced “all the changes made to the flight-control computers and autopilot systems”. “I like what I saw on the flight this morning, but we are not to the point yet where we have completed the process,” he adds. Dickson had no difficulty maintaining safe flight, even during scenarios in which the aircraft “was significantly out of trim”, he adds. The administrator says that prior to certificating the Max he intends to examine some outstanding concerns, including those related to “human factors” – meaning pilot responses to cockpit issues. Investigations attributed the two Max crashes largely to how pilots responded to failures of the jet’s angle-of-attack (AOA) sensors, related cockpit warnings and activation of MCAS, which trims the Max nose down. “We are grateful to the FAA for the rigorous process that will lead to the safe return to service of the 737 Max,” Boeing says. “We stand ready to provide the support required to complete the remaining milestones laid out by the FAA and international regulators.” Boeing has said it expects regulators will certificate the Max in time for deliveries to resume in the fourth quarter. Dickson, a former airline pilot with time on 737s and other Boeing and Airbus models, had long pledged to fly the Max prior to certification. His flight was separate from the FAA’s still-ongoing official certification process. “The flight today replicated aspects of the new design of the aircraft,” Dickson says. “I got a chance to see how the new system performed, and essentially it’s a much more benign system than the original design.” “I felt very comfortable and very prepared based on the training… that I completed,” Dickson adds. Prior to the flight, Dickson completed training recently recommended by the FAA’s Joint Operations Evaluation Board (JOEB). He finished “virtual distance learnings” and other ground training, to “understand the systems and the new non-normal checklists that are being proposed”, Dickson says. This week he also completed simulator training, “to gain experience with all of… those procedures, and to see how they work on the flight deck”. Regulators grounded the 737 Max in March 2019 following the crash of a Lion Air jet in 2018 and that of an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft in 2019 – accidents that killed a combined 346 people. The certification process has dragged on as investigators from several countries and various agencies examined the crashes. Investigators have attributed the crashes to issues related to FAA oversight, certification, the Max’s design, the actions of the pilots of the crashed jet, and maintenance procedures. In addition to MCAS, the Max’s manual trim system has come under scrutiny due to reports that pilots can struggle to turn the Max’s manual trim wheel in certain flight conditions. Dickson said he has no concerns about manual trim. “If you maintain control of the aircraft, you are not going to have any problems in the normal flight envelope with the manual trim system,” he says. Dickson addressed a question about whether Boeing’s design of the Max, and its alleged failure to fully disclose aspects of the aircraft, reflects systemic problems within Boeing.“There were definitely issues of concern,” Dickson says. “I’m reserving the right to take additional action as we see fit.” On 3 August, the FAA published a draft Max airworthiness directive (AD) that, when finalised, would clear the aircraft to return to service. The proposed AD would require aircraft have updated flight-control software, and it would revise the jet’s flight-control manual. The manual would include new procedures intended to ensure pilots recognise and properly respond to AOA failures and erroneous horizontal stabiliser movements. The AD also proposes that the Max receive new display system software – a change intended to help alert pilots when the jet’s two AOA sensors disagree. Additionally, the AD would require the Max’s horizontal trim wires be rerouted, which would make the jet comply with the FAA’s wire-separation requirements. The FAA is still reviewing comments related to its proposed AD, and prior to certification the agency’s Flight Standardization Board will publish pilot training standards, with input from the JOEB. Boeing made several changes to the Max amid the grounding. The updated MCAS relies on information from both of the aircraft’s AOAs, can only activate once, and cannot provide more input than pilots can counter using the control columns, according to Boeing.

Source: Cirium