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☆ Airlines are combating the pilot shortage by paying pilots more, making it easier to become one, and hiring from Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An ongoing pilot shortage has plagued US airlines since travel came roaring back post-pandemic. While some organizations — like the Regional Airline Association advocacy group — have praised the legalization, the Air Line Pilots Association has opposed it, Reuters reported. Increasing pilot payRegional flying has been particularly impacted by the pilot shortage, forcing airlines to slash dozens of flights to small markets and even ground regional jets. Other regional carriers like Mesa Airlines, Republic Airways, and Delta's wholly-owned airline Endeavor Air have also gotten pay increases. Lowering training requirementsRegional carrier Republic recently asked the FAA to reduce the flight hour requirement for pilots graduating from its LIFT pilot training academy.

☆ SpaceX Starship explosion spread particulate matter for miles
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Of primary concern is the large amount of sand- and ash-like particulate matter and heavier debris kicked up by the launch. Images captured during the test flight show that the SpaceX launch pad also exploded, with concrete chunks from it flying in multiple directions leaving behind a giant crater underneath. That would translate to a one-square-mile debris field, with debris emanating about three-quarters of a mile away from the site, he said, referencing SpaceX environmental site assessment documents that are public record. Health concernsThe impacts of particulate emissions from the SpaceX launch won't be understood until samples are evaluated and the debris field measured comprehensively. Margolis and Cortez both noted that roads had been damaged, with gates and cordons closed immediately following the SpaceX Starship test flight.

☆ FAA Acting Chief Billy Nolen to Depart
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Andrew Tangel | Alison Sider | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Billy Nolen has taken himself out of consideration by the White House to fill the job permanently. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesThe Federal Aviation Administration faces a potential leadership vacuum as its acting chief, Billy Nolen, has decided to leave the U.S. air-safety regulator. Mr. Nolen announced his departure plans Friday in a letter to agency employees. He plans to leave the agency sometime this summer, according to his letter.

☆ Elon Musk had a rough week across his empire — Tesla, Twitter and SpaceX
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The investors are particularly concerned with Musk and Tesla's handling of human rights and workers' rights. Their letter recounts many lawsuits in which Tesla has been sued over: racial discrimination, union-busting, wage theft, sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions. "Instead of working to address problems with regulators, CEO Musk has made derogatory tweets and comments, fueling tensions," they wrote. The open letter to Tesla's board comes after Tesla shares have declined more than 15% over the past month. Musk-led Twitter also removed "government-funded" and "China state-affiliated" labels from Twitter accounts of a myriad of global media organizations.

SpaceX cleared the final regulatory hurdle standing before the inaugural launch of its Starship rocket last week. “After a comprehensive license evaluation process, the FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy, payload, airspace integration and financial responsibility requirements,” the FAA said in a statement. Some background: SpaceX had been waiting more than a year to get FAA approval for this launch. In June, the FAA granted SpaceX one key approval for launching Starship, though it laid out a list of “mitigating actions” the company would need to take before the first launch. The FAA official also said government personnel will be on the ground to ensure SpaceX complies with its license during the test launch.

☆ SpaceX's Starship Explosion: How We Got Here
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Dave Cole | Emil Lendof | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SpaceX and other companies are looking to step up the frequency of rocket launches, prompting regulators to rethink how they handle such flights. “Due to the increasing pace of space activity, the FAA is taking steps to optimize and equitably manage the airspace in the vicinity of launch sites,” the Federal Aviation Administration said. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images

“As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation,” SpaceX tweeted. The massive Super Heavy rocket booster, which houses 33 engines, lifted off and sent a massive boom across the coastal landscape as it fired to life. NASA administrator Bill Nelson took to Twitter to share his congratulations on the flight test. Looking forward to all that SpaceX learns, to the next flight test —and beyond.”The test flight comes after years of explosive tests, regulatory hurdles and public hyping from Musk. SpaceX's Starship lifted off for the uncrewed test flight in Boca Chica, Texas.

Space fans walk the dunes as workers prepare the SpaceX's Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket as they attempt to schedule another launch launch from Starbase after it was scrubbed on April 17, 2023. SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas — Elon Musk's SpaceX is again attempting to launch of its towering Starship rocket to space after scrubbing an attempt earlier this week. The Starship orbital launch, out of a private facility in Texas along the Gulf Coast, represents the culmination of years of regulatory work and technological tests. The company had hoped to conduct the first orbital Starship launch as early as summer 2021, but faced delays in development and in winning FAA approval, which came late Friday. Watch SpaceX's live stream below and follow along for live updates out of South Texas.

The Dallas-based carrier has blamed the hour-long outage on a vendor-supplied network firewall failure, causing a temporary loss of connection to key systems. Southwest told Reuters on Wednesday it opted to halt flights out of caution, adding there were no indications of a cyber attack. It declined to identify the vendor and did not address why this failure was not part of the company's planning. While the exact cause is not clear, some industry experts questioned why Southwest systems did not include more redundancy. Southwest was able to manually launch flights while SWIFT was down but decided to suspend departures at 8:27 a.m. CST.

REUTERS/Jim VondruskaApril 18 (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines Co's (LUV.N) said a technology failure caused a one-hour nationwide stoppage of its flights on Tuesday, another snafu for the carrier after a software problem over the Christmas holiday stranded thousands. The Dallas-based carrier's flights resumed after a vendor-supplied computer network firewall went down Tuesday morning and connection to some operational data was "unexpectedly" lost. Data from flight tracker FlightAware showed 47% of Southwest's flights were delayed as of late afternoon on Tuesday. "This is another demonstration that Southwest Airlines needs to upgrade their systems and stop the negative impacts to individual travelers,” said Senator Maria Cantwell in a statement. The FAA had to halt flights nationwide in January due to a systems outage.

CNN —Hundreds of Southwest Airlines flights were delayed after technical issues that prompted the airline to temporarily halt its operations on Tuesday morning. The Federal Aviation Administration initiated the ground stop at the airline’s request, citing “equipment issues.” The ground stop was soon lifted, and in a tweet at 11:35 a.m. Southwest had delayed 1,820 flights or 43% of its schedule as of just after noon Tuesday, according to FlightAware. Southwest called the latest problem “intermittent technology issues” in a social media post to customers. Several took to social media to complain about delayed flights.

☆ Southwest Airlines briefly pauses departures after reporting technical problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Passengers check in for Southwest Airlines flights at Chicago Midway International Airport on April 18, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. Southwest Airlines briefly paused its departures on Tuesday after reporting technical problems, delaying flights around the country. The Federal Aviation Administration said the ground stop had been lifted, but many flights were still delayed. "Early this morning, a vendor-supplied firewall went down and connection to some operational data was unexpectedly lost," Southwest said in a statement. Airlines or the FAA will occasionally pause departures, particularly at certain airports, to avoid bottlenecks for parking on the ground.

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas — Elon Musk's SpaceX is attempting to launch its towering Starship rocket to space for the first time Monday from a private facility in Texas along the Gulf Coast. SpaceX had hoped to conduct the first orbital Starship launch as early as summer 2021, but delays in development and FAA approval pushed back the timeline. Starship is designed to carry cargo and people beyond Earth and is critical to NASA's plan to return astronauts to the moon. Two years ago, SpaceX won a nearly $3 billion contract from NASA to use Starship as a crewed lunar lander. Watch the run-up to the launch below and follow along for live updates from South Texas.

☆ SpaceX gets US regulatory green light for debut Starship flight to space
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Friday granted a long-awaited license allowing Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch its Starship rocket to orbit for the first time, clearing the way for a test flight crucial to the company's goals in space. "After a comprehensive license evaluation process, the FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy, payload, airspace integration and financial responsibility requirements," the FAA said in a statement on Friday, adding that the license is valid for five years. The launch, from SpaceX's Starbase rocket facilities in Boca Chica, Texas, is slated for Monday April 17, the company affirmed on Twitter. Regulatory notices filed earlier on Friday indicate liftoff could occur anytime from 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central time. Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ More Than 250 Cases of Unruly Passengers Referred to FBI Since 2021
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

There have been more unruly passengers in the skies since the coronavirus pandemic began. The Federal Aviation Administration said it has sent more than 250 cases of unruly passengers to the Federal Bureau of Investigation since 2021. The FAA said that of the thousands of unruly airline passengers in recent years, it referred some of the most violent ones to the FBI. They had assaulted flight attendants, released the evacuation slide and tried to enter the flight deck, among other things.

☆ SpaceX cleared by FAA to launch first orbital Starship flight
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Starship prototype is seen stacked on top of a Super Heavy booster at the company's launch facility near Brownsville, Texas. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a Starship launch license to Elon Musk's SpaceX, a crucial final regulatory step that clears the company to attempt an orbital launch of its towering rocket for the first time. The company recently stacked Starship prototype 24 on Super Heavy booster prototype 7 in preparation for the launch. SpaceX for several years has been building up to the first orbital flight test of its Starship rocket, with company leadership stressing the experimental nature of the launch. While SpaceX had hoped to conduct the first orbital Starship launch as early as summer 2021, delays in progress and regulatory approval have pushed back that timeline.

☆ Boeing's 737 Max problem is the latest headache for airlines hungry for new planes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An aerial view of the engines and fuselage of an unpainted Boeing 737 MAX airplane parked in storage at King County International Airport-Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, June 1, 2022. The problem is related to two of several brackets in the aft fuselage of some 737 Max planes, including the most popular model, the Max 8. Boeing has a backlog of 4,196 Max planes, according to a tally on its website. "Boeing contacted us regarding an issue with a supplier's manufacturing process that will affect the delivery of Boeing 737 MAX planes to Southwest," the company said in a statement Thursday. A worldwide grounding and production pause of the 737 Max followed two fatal crashes of the Max.

☆ Watch SpaceX launch Starship, the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built, on its first orbital flight as soon as Monday
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Marianne Guenot | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

SpaceX plans to launch Starship, its flagship mega-rocket, to orbit for the first time as soon as Monday. If Starship succeeds, it'll be the tallest, most powerful, and only fully reusable rocket ever flown. Watch the launch attempt live in the broadcast below. Starship is the rocket on which SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk is hinging his biggest aspirations — including building and populating a human settlement on Mars. Shortly after the FAA granted its license, SpaceX announced it would attempt a launch as soon as Monday, with a launch window from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Central Time.

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - Boeing (BA.N) has stopped deliveries of some 737 MAXs as it grapples with a new supplier quality problem by Spirit AeroSystems (SPR.N) that could stretch back to 2019, the company disclosed on Thursday. The issue will likely affect a "significant" number of undelivered 737 MAX airplanes both in production and in storage, and could result in lowered 737 MAX deliveries in the near term, the company acknowledged. The company, which announced deliveries of 111 MAXs over the first quarter, had aimed to increase monthly MAX production rates from 31 to 38 by June. The FAA has closely scrutinized Boeing aircraft since two fatal plane crashes in 2018 and 2019. The FAA continues to inspect each 737 MAX and 787 aircraft before an airworthiness certificate is issued and cleared for delivery.

MEXICO CITY, April 13 (Reuters) - The airport operating business in Mexico is thriving as traffic surges due to multinational companies bringing overseas operations closer to home and growth at Mexican airlines, according to the head of GAP, which operates 12 airports in the country. Manufacturing hubs such as Guadalajara have seen record traffic growth due to the relocation trend, called nearshoring, CEO Raul Revuelta told Reuters in an interview late Wednesday. "But it's also Mexican airlines, VivaAerobus, Volaris, Aeromexico, expanding their fleets, which allows them to open new routes and move more passengers." The downgrade has prevented Mexican airlines from opening new routes to the United States, limiting expansion plans. The passage of a proposed aviation reform by Mexico's Congress will be an important step, he added.

CHICAGO, April 13 (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) on Thursday posted weaker-than-expected earnings in the first quarter, hit by a severe winter storm that drove up operational expenses for the carrier. CEO Bastian said on a post earnings call that Delta expects to bring down non-fuel costs in the second half of the year. For the June quarter, Delta expects its revenue to rise 15% to 17% from a year earlier on capacity growth of 17%. "We're growing supply at that level and not seeing a deterioration in the overall revenue," Bastian said. Delta expects an adjusted profit of $2.00 to $2.25 per share in the second quarter, with an operating margin of 14% to 16%.

Higher costs and a shortage of available new parts are also delaying aircraft repairs, which risk pushing up air fares. Some makers of brand-name parts like General Electric Co (GE.N) stand to benefit because they also sell used parts, known as used serviceable material. Honeywell Aerospace Trading (HON.O), the U.S. conglomerate's used parts business, is among companies enjoying higher demand since 2021. Ultimately, the alternatives to new parts may bring relief but a congested supply chain must be fixed, said Benjamin Hockenberg, president of JSSI Parts & Leasing. "Certain models, certain situations, (used parts) will fill the void, but I think we also need to see a repaired supply chain," said Hockenberg.

☆ US FAA refers more unruly airline passengers to FBI
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The FAA last year said its zero-tolerance policy for addressing unruly passengers would become permanent even after the end of a mask mandate onboard airplanes that was tied to most of the earlier reported incidents. Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said on Thursday the agency has "zero tolerance for unruly behavior." FBI Assistant Director Luis Quesada said the agency "will continue to work with our FAA partners to ensure the safety of all passengers and to combat violence aboard commercial flights." Reported unruly passenger incidents rose by almost 500% in 2021 to 5,981, which included 4,290 mask-related incidents. The FAA opened investigations into 831 unruly passenger incidents in 2022, up from 146 in 2019, but down from 1,099 in 2021.

☆ Boeing warns of reduced 737 Max production and deliveries due to parts issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Sara Salinas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Boeing 737 Max airplanes sit parked at the company's production facility on November 18, 2020 in Renton, Washington. It said the issue affects certain 737 Max 8 planes, the company's most popular model, with customers including American Airlines and Southwest Airlines . It also affects certain 737 Max 7, the 737 8200 and P-8 planes. "We expect lower near-term 737 MAX deliveries while this required work is completed. "We're aware of the issue and working with Boeing to understand how it may impact our MAX deliveries," an American Airlines spokesman said in statement.

☆ Boeing delivers 130 planes in Q1, beating Airbus by 3 jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Valerie Insinna | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 11 (Reuters) - Boeing (BA.N) on Tuesday announced 130 airplane deliveries over the first quarter of 2023, inching past rival Airbus (AIR.PA), which delivered 127 jets. The U.S. planemaker delivered 64 aircraft in March, 36% more than the 41 jets transferred to customers in the same month last year. The 737 MAX made up 52 of that sum, with United Airlines and Southwest Airlines each taking ownership of 12 MAX jets. Boeing is on track to meet its 737 MAX delivery target, having delivered 113 jets so far this year. But with only 11 787s delivered so far, the company will have to pick up the pace to meet that goal.

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