Southwest Airlines executives used much of the company's second quarter earnings call to outline how the Boeing 737 Max grounding has affected its operations, finances and fleet plan. Assuming regulators approve the 737 Max to fly in November, Southwest aims to have at least 30 of the aircraft operating by 6 January, airline executives said on the 25 July call. The Dallas-based carrier pulled 34 737 Max from service following the worldwide grounding in March, prompting it to cancel tens of thousands of flights and rack up $175 million in related costs in the second quarter. On 25 July Southwest announced it removed 737 Max flights from another two months of flight schedules, pushing to 6 January the date on which Southwest expects the aircraft will be airborne again. “Assuming regulatory approval to return the Max to service by early November, our baseline plan would be to control the process so we could provide the network at least 30 Max aircraft… by January 6," Southwest chief operating officer Mike Van de Ven says. "Then we would ramp up from there in a controlled fashion depending on the delivery schedules.” Southwest concedes the timeline remains uncertain, noting the process for approving the 737 Max rests in the hands of regulators.

Source: FlightGlobal

A temporary suspension of GippsAero GA8 aircraft operations has been lifted by CASA. The temporary suspension was put in place as a safety precaution following a recent fatal parachuting accident in Sweden. The precautionary suspension was triggered by initial information from the investigation into the Swedish accident which showed the accident aircraft had broken up in flight. New information from the investigation indicates there is no evidence of a potential unsafe condition associated with the aircraft. CASA will continue to monitor the investigation into the Swedish GA8 accident and will take appropriate action if any related safety issues arise. A CASA airworthiness inspector has been observing the investigation. Sixty-three GA8 aircraft in Australia were grounded, as well as a number operating overseas. The suspension was in effect for five days and ended at midnight on 25 July 2019. A safety assurance review of Australian parachute operations will also be conducted over coming months. The parachuting accident happened on 14 July 2019 near Umeå in northern Sweden. None of the nine people on board the aircraft survived the accident.

An emotional-support dog bit an American Airlines flight attendant Monday, resulting in an injury that required five stitches. The incident occurred on Flight 3506 from Dallas to Greensboro, North Carolina, operated by partner Envoy Air, American Airlines said. Medical personnel examined the attendant when the plane arrived. He did not require treatment and was cleared to return to Dallas/Fort Worth, where he received five stitches, the airline said. American Airlines did not say what type of dog was involved. The Association of Flight Attendants called for the Department of Transportation to prevent Monday's incident from repeating. "What happened on yesterday's American Airlines flight is completely unacceptable and inexcusable," the flight attendant union said in a Tuesday statement. "For years, AFA has supported the role trained animals can provide to passengers in the cabin, but we have also called for action in regards to setting standards for emotional support animals." American Airlines last updated its emotional-support animal policy in March. For service animals, the airline permits dogs, cats and miniature horses. Emotional-support animals must be dogs or cats. Passengers who want to bring aboard an emotional-support animal must provide a veterinary health form and immunization details.

Source: World Airline News