Flight Safety Information - July 18, 2024 No. 143 In This Issue : Incident: Nile A321 at Dammam on Jul 18th 2024, rejected takeoff due to brakes fire : Incident: Jet2 B733 at Leeds on Jul 14th 2024, engine shut down in flight : Incident: Canada B789 over Atlantic on Jul 8th 2024, burning smell on board : Delta Air Jet With 234 People Onboard Makes Emergency Landing in Milan After Smoke Spotted Coming From Engine During Takeoff : Air-safety officials schedule 2 days of hearings about Boeing 737 : Batik Air under investigation after Australian Transport Safety Bureau says it flew below minimum altitude on flight to Canberra from Bali : Airbus to expand Safety Promotion Centres to China, US, Germany and UK : Accident Investigators Call On Boeing to Prove it 767 Airplanes Are Safe Following ‘Serious Incident’ With Delta Air Flight That Made Emergency Landing : Supersonic, Rocket-Powered Aircraft Gets All Clear to Break Sound Barrier : Study: Aircraft Delivery Projections Inconsistent With Net-Zero 2050 : China Southern Airlines' First Group of C919 Pilots Complete Training : Germany to impose tougher penalties on people who break through airport perimeters : Summer heat is causing soda cans to burst on Southwest Airlines flights, injuring flight attendants : Calendar of Events Incident: Nile A321 at Dammam on Jul 18th 2024, rejected takeoff due to brakes fire A Nile Air Airbus A321-200, registration SU-BQL performing flight NP-232 from Dammam (Saudi Arabia) to Cairo (Egypt) with 186 passengers and 8 crew, was accelerating for takeoff from Dammam's runway 34L when the crew rejected takeoff (about 100 knots over ground) due to a brakes fire. The aircraft slowed safely, stopped on the runway and was evacuated via slides, emergency services responded and put the fire out. There were no injuries. Dammam Airport issued a statement: King Fahd International Airport Management has issued a statement regarding wheels fire incident involving a Nile Air Airbus aircraft, encountering fire in its wheels, during takeoff. The incident occurred at 02:15 AM on Thursday, July 18,2024. The airport management confirmed that emergency teams responded promptly to the incident, successfully extinguishing the fire and evacuating all 186 passengers and 8 crew members safely. Thankfully, no injuries were reported. A specialized team is currently investigating the incident, thoroughly examining the details and determining the root cause. The management has also assured that the incident has not impacted the airport's takeoff and landing operations. The airline issued a statement: Press release issued by Nile Air regarding flight number NP232 Nile Air flight number NIA 232 from Dammam to Cairo on 7/18/2024 experienced a fire in the wheel system during takeoff. The flight crew cancelled the takeoff and evacuated the passengers using the emergency slides successfully and without any injuries. The company quickly provided the necessary care to the passengers and provided alternative flights and hotels to ensure the comfort and safety of the passengers. The competent air authorities were notified and a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of the incident was initiated. We are fully cooperating with all concerned parties. The aircraft is still on the ground in Dammam about 10 hours after the rejected takeoff. https://avherald.com/h?article=51b4724b&opt=0 Incident: Jet2 B733 at Leeds on Jul 14th 2024, engine shut down in flight A Jet2.com Boeing 737-300, registration G-GDFO performing flight LS-245 from Leeds,EN (UK) to Split (Croatia), was climbing out of Leeds' runway 32 when the crew stopped the climb at FL130 after receiving a low oil pressure indication for one of the engines (CFM56). The crew shut the engine down and decided to divert to Manchester for a safe landing on runway 23R about 50 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration G-JZHK reached Split with a delay of about 2:10 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 31 hours after landing in Manchester. https://avherald.com/h?article=51b40da3&opt=0 Incident: Canada B789 over Atlantic on Jul 8th 2024, burning smell on board An Air Canada Boeing 787-9, registration C-FSBV performing flight AC-864 (dep Jul 7th) from Montreal,QC (Canada) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was enroute at FL380 over the Atlantic Ocean about 480nm eastnortheast of Gander,NL (Canada) when the crew declared PAN PAN and decided to turn around and divert to Gander reporting a strong burning odour in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely in Gander about 90 minutes later. The Canadian TSB reported the flight crew had been advised of a strong burning odour mid cabin and added, that maintenance found the lower right hand recirculating fan had failed and replaced the fan. The aircraft remained on the ground in Gander for about 16 hours, then positioned to Toronto,ON (Canada) and resumed service. https://avherald.com/h?article=51b4143a&opt=0 Delta Air Jet With 234 People Onboard Makes Emergency Landing in Milan After Smoke Spotted Coming From Engine During Takeoff A Delta Air Lines jet departing Milan Malpensa Airport on Monday had to make an emergency return after smoke started spewing from one of the plane’s two engines for a ‘prolonged period of time’ during takeoff. The 23-year-old Boeing 767-400 departed Milan nearly an hour late as flight DL175 bound for Atlanta on July 16, but after climbing to just 3,000 feet, the pilots decided to enter a short holding pattern and make a so-called ‘overweight landing’ back at Malpensa. None of the 234 passengers and crew onboard the aircraft were injured during the incident but the flight had to be canceled and the jet involved in this incident is still stranded on the ground in Milan more than 24 hours after it returned. The AV Herald reports that local emergency services reported that the left-hand engine failed during takeoff, and Delta confirmed that the aircraft sustained a bird strike during takeoff. There are also reports that the aircraft experienced a tailstrike as the pilots tried to get the plane off the ground. Unfortunately, Delta doesn’t seem to have much luck at Milan Malpensa and this is just the latest of a series of mishaps which have befallen the Atlanta-based carrier at this airport. In July 2023, another Delta Boeing 767 departing Milan Malpensa for New York JFK flew directly into a hail storm shortly after takeoff, prompting an emergency diversion to Rome. Once safely on the ground, it quickly became apparent that the aircraft has sustained serious damage in the storm including punctures to the right-hand wing and radome. The aircraft also suffered a cracked windshield, punctures to both engine spinners and damage to the fan blades on both engines as it was battered by hail. The following month, in August 2023, another Delta jet operating as flight DL175 from Milan, encountered severe turbulence as it flew across the Atlantic. Of the 151 passengers and 14 crew members onboard, 11 had to be transported to the hospital with injuries sustained during the turbulence encounter. In an emailed statement, Delta told us: “Delta flight DL175 on Tuesday, July 16 from Milan to Atlanta experienced a bird strike shortly after take-off.” “The aircraft returned safely to Milan’s Malpensa Airport and passengers deplaned normally. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers and teams at MXP worked to rebook customers to their final destinations Tuesday.” https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2024/07/17/delta-air-jet-with-234-people-onboard-makes-emergency-landing-in-milan-after-smoke-spotted-coming-from-engine-during-takeoff/ Air-safety officials schedule 2 days of hearings about Boeing 737 The National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday said it had scheduled two days of hearings about the mid-flight emergency on a Boeing (NYSE:BA) 737 Max-9 flown by Alaska Airlines (ALK) in January. The hearings on Aug. 6-7 will review Boeing’s (BA) manufacturing and inspection procedures for the 737 Max and how the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration oversaw Boeing (BA) and its key supplier Spirit AeroSystems Holdings (SPR), according to the NTSB. A key issue is determining how the plane left Boeing’s (BA) factory missing four bolts to secure a door plug used in place of an emergency exit on its fuselage, or main body. Alaska Airlines (ALK) in October took delivery of the plane after it had received a certificate of airworthiness. On January 5, the door plug blew out shortly after takeoff, terrifying passengers and forcing an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon. https://seekingalpha.com/news/4125153-air-safety-officials-schedule-2-days-of-hearings-about-boeing-737 Batik Air under investigation after Australian Transport Safety Bureau says it flew below minimum altitude on flight to Canberra from Bali In short:The inaugural Batik Air flight from Bali to Canberra is being investigated after the ATSB said it had come in "below minimum altitude". The ATSB described is as a "serious incident". What's next?The bureau said it expects to complete its investigation in the last three months of this year. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating the inaugural Batik Air flight into Canberra Airport over what it said was a breach of air safety rules. The airline was holding an event at the airport on June 14, attended by dignitaries including the Indonesian Ambassador, when its first commercial flight from Bali landed an hour early. The ATSB said as the Boeing 737-800 approached the airport, about 19 kilometres south of the runway, the crew of the aircraft elected to hold at a designated waypoint in the air. "During the holding, the aircraft was operated below the minimum holding altitude," an ATSB statement said. A waypoint is a computer-checked coordinate at each stage of a flight. The investigator has described it as a "serious incident", and has launched an investigation. No injuries have been associated with the incident. The ATSB said it had already interviewed the flight crew and air traffic controller, analysed recorded flight data and air traffic surveillance data and examined pilot and operational records. "Should a critical safety issue be identified during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant parties, so that appropriate safety action can be taken," the ATSB said. The ATSB expects to complete its investigation in the last three months of this year, and its report will be released to the public. An airport departure board showing multiple flights, with the Batik Air flight to Denpasar at the top. The flight landed at Canberra Airport on June 14.(ABC News: Monte Bovill) Batik's flights on June 14 marked the first direct flights from Canberra to Bali. The airline committed to operating three flights a week between the cities, with the ACT Chief Minister saying at the launch he hoped that number might rise to five. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-18/batik-air-first-canberra-flight-atsb-investigation/104112954 Airbus to expand Safety Promotion Centres to China, US, Germany and UK Airbus plans to expand its Safety Promotion Centres (SPC) to China, the USA, Germany, and the UK, aiming to enhance aviation safety globally. Introduced in 2023, these centres focus on disseminating safety protocols and collaborating with industry stakeholders. The SPC in India, located in Bangalore, supports Airbus's worldwide safety initiatives. Airbus is set to expand its Safety Promotion Centres (SPC) to China, the USA, Germany, and the United Kingdom, added Nicolas Bardou, the product safety communications and aircraft accident crisis response advisor, during a discussion with ANI. The Safety Promotion Centre is a specialized facility focused on enhancing safety within the aviation industry. The SPC was introduced in 2023 as a strategic initiative to disseminate safety controls. Notably, in India, Airbus operates a satellite SPC located in Bangalore, furthering its global safety outreach. The core functions of an SPC encompass several key aspects: advancing flight safety through insights gained from past accidents, ensuring the safety of aircraft through meticulous design, manufacturing, testing, and operational practices, and fostering collaboration by promoting information-sharing among employees and the broader air transport community. Safety remains a paramount concern in aircraft technology, and the continual integration of advanced technology plays a crucial role in enhancing safety measures. The Airbus Safety Promotion Centre in Toulouse operates under the motto "Safety is everyone's business." Bardou also emphasized the significant impact of technological advancements on safety, stating, "What we have observed is that whenever we put additional technology in the body of aircraft it brings an additional level of safety. We are using new technologies in our job that help us better understand safety norms." In addition to technological innovations, Airbus is also proactively collaborating with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to prepare for future pandemics. Bardou elaborated on these efforts, stating, "So we are working also with ICAO and EASA to prepare, to have a plan for the next pandemic. It's called Health Onboard within Airbus, and you can find everything on our website. We are working on and we are preparing for the next pandemic to ensure that we can face a new pandemic" he said. (ANI) https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/airbus-to-expand-safety-promotion-centres-to-china-us-germany-and-uk/articleshow/111828593.cms?from=mdr Accident Investigators Call On Boeing to Prove it 767 Airplanes Are Safe Following ‘Serious Incident’ With Delta Air Flight That Made Emergency Landing British aviation accident investigators have piled even more pressure on embattled aircraft manufacturer Boeing after they called on the company to prove that its 767 airplanes comply with certification requirements for large passenger planes following a ‘serious incident’ involving a Delta Air Lines jet. The call was made on Thursday following the publication of a Safety Recommendation bulletin from the British Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) into an emergency landing that occurred on February 10, 2023. The incident involved a 26 year old Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-300 which was due to fly from Edinburgh Airport to New York JFK with 211 passengers and 10 crew members onboard. During takeoff, one of the high-pressure turbine fans in the right-hand engine fractured, and this blade then damaged five further blades. Although the engine was still producing thrust, the damage caused a lot of vibrations, which caused a fuel drain tube to fracture in the right-hand wing. That fracture meant that after landing, fuel was escaping from the wing onto the ground below and very close to the hot brakes. Emergency services rushed to the scene and managed to contain the fuel away from the brakes, but accident investigators fear that a serious fire could have broken out if the fuel had been blown on the brakes. Initially, the pilots didn’t notice anything was wrong with the plane but the flight attendants noticed a ‘continuous loud vibration’ and ‘rattling’ sound during taxi and takeoff. The purser attempted to call the pilots but couldn’t initially get through to them as they were busy completing their takeoff procedures. It was only after takeoff, however, that the pilots started to receive computer alerts that something was wrong with the right-hand engine. After talking to the purser, a spare pilot went into the cabin to check what was happening but didn’t notice anything unusual. Nonetheless, the Captain decided to initiate a diversion, and they headed towards Prestwick Airport in Scotland. Due to it being an overweight landing, the Captain requested airport fire services meet them on arrival, before noticing big vibration from the engine. Around the same time, a passenger filmed yellow flames shooting out of the engine. The plane landed safely at Prestwick but air traffic controllers noticed what appeared to be fuel leaking from the right hand wing. At the time, the wind was blowing the fuel towards the hot brakes. Airstairs were quickly attached to the front of the plane and the passengers were ordered to get off the plane, leaving all their luggage behind. It took around 5 minutes and 20 seconds to get everyone off, as the airport fire brigade put in containment measures to stop the fuel reaching the brakes. “As a result of this serious incident the aircraft manufacturer has taken safety action to launch a project to review the design of the draine tube for potential reliability improvements,” the AAIB said on Thursday. “At the time of publication of this report, the manufacturer had found that there was no increased risk to a catastrophic outcome from a failed drain tube”. The AAIB has asked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to review Boeing’s analysis that a failed drain tube could cause a catastrophic outcome. The engine manufacturer told accident investigators that there had been two similar incidents and in both cases, the drain tube had fractured. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2024/07/18/accident-investigators-call-on-boeing-to-prove-it-767-airplanes-are-safe-following-serious-incident-with-delta-air-flight-that-made-emergency-landing/ Supersonic, Rocket-Powered Aircraft Gets All Clear to Break Sound Barrier New Zealand manufacturer Dawn Aerospace is developing ‘an aircraft with the performance of a rocket’ for suborbital space transportation. ANew Zealand company developing a supersonic, remotely operated, rocket-powered aircraft has been given the all clear to break the sound barrier. Dawn Aerospace, manufacturer of the Mk-II Aurora, announced that New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has granted it approval to fly at “unlimited” speeds at up to 80,000 feet in altitude. The company is permitted to fly beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of a remote pilot and will not be limited to restricted airspace. Dawn describes the Aurora as “an aircraft with the performance of a rocket.” According to the company, the aircraft is designed to be the first vehicle capable of flying to the Kármán line—which at about 100 kilometers in altitude is considered the edge of space—twice in one day. “This unlocks the next major performance milestone for the Mk-II vehicle, namely supersonic flight,” said Stefan Powell, CEO of Dawn. “To the best of our knowledge, this would be the first privately funded [uncrewed aerial vehicle] to break the sound barrier.” The only successful supersonic airliner, Concorde, which was developed by two now-defunct manufacturers, was retired more than two decades ago. But a new crop of companies, including Dawn and Boom Supersonic, are trying to break the sound barrier again. Unlike Boom’s Overture, which is being developed as a passenger airline, Dawn’s Aurora is intended for space transportation. The Mk-II first flew in 2021 and has since completed more than 50 test flights, operating under both jet and rocket power. It last flew in 2023, reaching 200 knots at an altitude of 9,000 feet. But those flights were under a more restrictive license than the one obtained by the company last week. The goal of the firm’s upcoming campaign, which will comprise about a dozen flights between July and September, is to reach Mach 1.1—the boundary of supersonic speed—at an altitude of 70,000 feet. It hopes to fly to space twice in one day and spend about 180 seconds in microgravity. If it achieves all objectives, the company believes it would set records for speed, altitude, and climb rate for a self-powered aircraft. Dawn’s primary business is manufacturing propulsion systems for satellites, and it has 76 thrusters in space. But the company is now looking to enter the suborbital space. The Aurora is a first-stage demonstrator for the company’s more robust Mk-III—a two-stage-to-orbit model that will take off from the runway and deploy a 250 kilogram satellite at the apex of its flight path. According to Dawn, it is remotely piloted, low cost, and “rapidly reusable,” designed to fly multiple times per day and between 100 and 1,000 times over its lifespan. Its engine uses storable, “aircraft friendly” propellants that allow the vehicle to take off without having to wait to be fueled. The engine is also carbon neutral, producing no hydrocarbons during operation. “Room temperature storable propellants will not boil off, and carbon fiber will not suffer from microcracking, as is common in cryogenic composite tanks,” the company says on its website. Dawn chose a winged design in order to reduce the risk of an engine malfunction, which could jeopardize the landing—and therefore reusability—of the Mk-II. It will be certified as an aircraft in New Zealand. The model takes off like a conventional aircraft, accelerating to Mach 3 speeds and bending upward into a near-vertical route. On the way down, it descends and glides horizontally back to the runway. Dawn’s first phase of aircraft testing, conducted with the company’s jet-powered Mk-I, comprised eight hours of flight time across 47 flights. After receiving CAA approval for rocket-powered flight in March 2023, it began flying in just a few weeks. So far, the Mk-II has made three rocket-powered flights, completed within a three-day span a little over one year ago, as part of the second phase of aircraft development, with the goal of reaching the Kármán line under certification. According to a blog post from Powell, the current version of the vehicle has a maximum altitude of about 60,000 feet, which will require the company to develop a more powerful variant called the Mk-IIB. “At full performance, the Mk-II will fly faster and 2.5 times higher than any prior aircraft that takes off from a runway, including the current record holder, the SR-71 Blackbird,” said Powell. “That is the power of bringing rocket performance to an aircraft platform.” Despite being a demonstrator, Dawn plans to one day use the aircraft for Earth observation, high-speed flight research, in-space science including microgravity research, and even civil and defense applications. According to Powell, the company is already fielding interest in a commercial version of the Mk-II and will be in a “prime position” to roll one out once it reaches the Kármán Line. https://www.flyingmag.com/modern/supersonic-rocket-powered-aircraft-gets-all-clear-to-break-sound-barrier/ Study: Aircraft Delivery Projections Inconsistent With Net-Zero 2050 ICCT recommends developing zero-emission aircraft, especially hydrogen-powered, by 2035. Credit: Airbus All commercial aircraft delivered after 2035 will need to have net-zero carbon emissions throughout their lifetime if the aviation industry is to meet its target of being net-zero by 2050, says a new report by the nonprofit International Council for Clean Transportation (ICCT). That will entail using 100% sustainable aviation fuel with very low lifecycle CO2 emissions, electric or hydrogen propulsion, reducing aircraft deliveries, or actively removing carbon from the atmosphere to offset aviation’s emissions. The report by the ICCT, a Washington-based independent research organization, concludes that current manufacturer delivery projections are not consistent with the net-zero target set by the aviation industry in 2022. Using an average from four industry decarbonization road maps, the think tank calculated that the industry has a budget of 18.4 billion metric tons of cumulative CO2 emissions by 2050 to work within if it is to be net-zero by the middle of the decade. The fleet of aircraft already in service in 2023 is expected to emit 9 billion tons of CO2 over the remainder of their useful lives, ICCT calculates, consuming almost 50% of the net-zero budget. New deliveries of aircraft would then fully deplete the net-zero carbon budget by 2032 or 2037 in baseline and optimistic scenarios studied by the organization. “After that time, any emissions from new conventional aircraft that are not removed by CDR [carbon dioxide removal] would exceed the available carbon budget and, therefore, be incompatible with a net-zero goal,” ICCT says. The amount of direct air capture of CO2 required to stay within the net-zero budget ranges from 22 billion tons in the baseline scenario to 5 billion tons in the optimistic scenario, the organization calculates. “In other words, manufacturers must go net-zero about 15 years before airlines. After that time, all newly delivered aircraft must be fueled by 100% SAFs, hydrogen or electricity, all with very low lifecycle emissions, or have their emissions fully removed using widescale CDR, for airlines to meet their climate goals,” ICCT says. In the conservative baseline scenario, aircraft continue to burn fossil jet fuel and emissions increase linearly, doubling by 2035 due to fleet growth. The alternative optimistic scenario assumes substantial uptake of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and aggressive fuel-efficiency improvements reduce the lifetime CO2 emissions of new-delivery aircraft by more than 50%. “We model that an aircraft is delivered in 2030, say, and it’s used for 25 years. We assume it’s using a certain blend of SAF in every year of its operation. In 2035, it’s using 20% SAF. By 2050, it would be using 70%. That’s based on the ReFuelEU mandate,” says Dan Rutherford, ICCT’s senior director of research. “What this is showing is that SAF blends and fuel efficiency alone are insufficient. We need to go above and beyond. Any new aircraft delivered in 2035 or after would need to be net-zero through its entire lifetime. That’s above and beyond fuel efficiency and SAF blends.” “Given that hydrogen and electric are going to be a very small part of the equation, even by 2050, it has to be carbon dioxide removal,” says Rutherford, noting that only United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has talked publicly about the need for CO2 removal. “Or the alternative is manufacturers sell fewer planes,” Rutherford says. Under a net-zero budget, ICCT estimates manufacturers could only deliver about 24,000 conventional aircraft by 2042, or about 62% of projected deliveries, under the baseline scenario. The remaining 14,500 aircraft would need to be net-zero throughout their lifetimes. Under the optimistic scenario, an additional 4,500 conventional aircraft could be delivered. “Even then, manufacturers will need to deliver at least 10,000 net-zero aircraft powered by hydrogen, electricity or 100% SAF by 2042,” ICCT calculates. “The other way to interpret that figure is if manufacturers don’t develop a zero-emission airplane, that’s the number of airplanes that they have to not deliver,” Rutherford says. “Basically, the delivery projections that manufacturers are putting out are not consistent with developing new types and a net-zero carbon budget.” The ICCT report recommends that manufacturers ensure all new aircraft can burn 100% SAF, not just blends, starting in 2030; accelerate efforts to develop zero-emission aircraft by 2035, especially those powered by hydrogen; and establish stringent targets requiring that aircraft they deliver emit fewer greenhouse gases throughout their lifetimes. https://aviationweek.com/special-topics/sustainability/study-aircraft-delivery-projections-inconsistent-net-zero-2050 China Southern Airlines' First Group of C919 Pilots Complete Training SUMMARY • Eight China Southern Airlines pilots completed C919 training with a 100% pass rate. • China Southern ordered 100 C919 aircraft, becoming the last major Chinese airline to do so. • The first C919 delivery to China Southern Airlines may be in August 2024. According to the official WeChat account of the China Southern Airlines pilot team, on July 10, the first batch of eight captains from China Southern Airlines successfully completed the C919 type rating training at Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). These pilots have become the first China Southern Airlines crew to obtain the C919 type rating. According to reports, during the 38-day C919 type training, these eight pilots from China Southern Airlines achieved a 100% pass rate in the flight performance assessment, system theory assessment, and simulator training equipment assessment. The C919 type training for the first batch of eight China Southern Airlines pilots began on May 14, 2024, and was completed on July 10. At the graduation ceremony, Yang Yuanyuan, former administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), delivered a speech expressing hope that China Southern Airlines C919 pilots would... "...set lofty goals as engineer pilots, make every effort to advance the domestic civil aircraft industry, and become industry benchmarks promoting the development of domestic civil aircraft." Gao Fei, Deputy General Manager of China Southern Airlines Group, stated: "China Southern Airlines will continue to increase investment in safety, operations, and flight training, deepen cooperation with COMAC, and strive to build a platform for joint construction, governance, and sharing, jointly opening a new chapter in the development of the domestic large aircraft industry and making the large aircraft industry better and better." The representative of the eight pilots, Cui Wei, said at the ceremony: "We will strive to enhance our professional capabilities, inherit the pioneering, pragmatic, and truth-seeking spirit of the older generation of pilots, and through our efforts, continue to extend and flourish the spirit of the older generation of civil aviation personnel on domestic civil aircraft, contributing to the development of the domestic civil aircraft industry with the strength of China Southern Airlines." China Southern Airlines nears delivery of its first C919 On April 29 this year, China Southern Airlines announced to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it had signed an order for 100 C919 large passenger aircraft with the COMAC, with a catalog price of USD 9.9 billion. With this order, China Southern became the last of China's three major state-owned airlines to sign an order for the C919. The Last Puzzle Piece In Place: COMAC’s C919 Now Has Orders From All Of China’s Big 3 Airlines China Southern, like China Eastern, ordered the C919 basic version, while Air China ordered the C919 extended-range version. Unlike China Eastern Airlines, the launch customer for the C919, Air China and China Southern Airlines only formally signed their orders for 100 C919 aircraft this April. Before this, China Eastern Airlines had placed two orders for the C919: five aircraft in 2021 and 100 aircraft in September 2023. Additionally, it has already received four C919 aircraft before the end of April 2024, with the first delivered in 2022 and three more in 2023. During the China Southern Airlines' Q1 2024 earnings briefing on April 30, China Southern Group's General Manager Han Wensheng revealed that the airline had been in communication with COMAC and expected to introduce its first C919 aircraft in August this year. Now, in the blink of an eye, it is already July, and the first batch of pilots has completed their C919 type rating training as scheduled. https://simpleflying.com/china-southern-airlines-pilots-complete-training/ Germany to impose tougher penalties on people who break through airport perimeters Germany’s Cabinet has approved legislation that would impose tougher penalties on people who break through airport perimeters BERLIN -- Germany's Cabinet on Wednesday approved legislation that would impose tougher penalties on people who break through airport perimeters, a response to incidents such as disruptive protests by climate activists. The bill, which must still be passed by lawmakers, foresees punishment ranging up to a two-year prison sentence for people who intentionally intrude on “airside” areas of airports such as taxiways or runways and endanger civil aviation, or enable someone else to. So far, such intrusions can only draw a fine. A sentence of up to five years would be possible in cases where someone forces their way into an airport with banned objects such as a weapon, some knives or poisonous substances, or if the intrusion is intended to enable or cover up another offense. The move follows airport protests in recent years by climate activists that caused disruption to flights. “Anyone who intrudes on airport premises, glues themself to runways and massively obstructs air traffic by doing so isn't just risking their own life,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement. “Such incidents are also dangerous for many people who aren't involved, for instance when there are medical emergencies.” She also pointed to disruption to tens of thousands of travelers and the resulting economic fallout. Faeser said repeated incidents in recent times made it necessary to impose tougher punishment, and added that airport operators also must do more to protect their premises. https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/germany-impose-tougher-penalties-people-break-airport-perimeters-112047933 Summer heat is causing soda cans to burst on Southwest Airlines flights, injuring flight attendants The intense summer heat is causing soda cans to burst after being loaded on some Southwest Airlines flights, the airline confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday. Airline officials say they are aware of a series of incidents where cans of carbonated drinks have ruptured, often while being opened, resulting in an onboard mess and reports of about 20 injuries to employees so far this summer. There have been a few hand injuries reported by flight attendants because of the issue, including one that resulted in stitches. Southwest says the injury reports are similar to last year. The issue is generating more focus this year because it appears, at least anecdotally, to be occurring more frequently this summer. Southwest Airlines says it is aware of a series of incidents where cans of carbonated drinks have ruptured, often while being opened, resulting in an onboard mess and reports of about 20 injuries to employees so far this summer. Southwest Airlines officials say they are implementing measures to address the issue, including at several of its hotter provisioning locations such as Austin, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Sacramento. Chris Perry, a Southwest spokesperson, said the airline has been "communicating to our employees about it throughout the spring and summer." "We've developed a mitigation plan to address it," Perry said. The issue may have to do with how Southwest stores and loads drinks on planes in extreme heat. Unlike other airlines, Southwest does not stock perishables on board, so it is not required to use air-conditioned catering trucks to deliver meals and drinks to the aircraft. Instead, drinks on Southwest provisioning trucks are more frequently exposed to outside temperatures. In an internal email obtained by CBS News from July 12 sent to flight attendants titled "Hot & Bursting Cans: Provisioning Procedural Changes," company leaders said finding "viable solutions to bursting hot cans is our top priority." The message, from Rachel Loudermilk, managing director of base operations, and Matt Sampson, provisioning director, tells the airlines' 21,000-plus flight attendants that "none of us are satisfied that we are still seeing reported events." The email lays out a series of changes Southwest has undertaken, especially in cities with hot temperatures, to address the problem since the beginning of the summer, including stocking fewer cans on provisioning trucks to limit the amount of time the cans spend on the flight line (and in the heat), placing carbonated drinks in coolers on trucks in hot weather locations, monitoring truck and can temperature with thermometers during shifts, and "not boarding product when the outside temperature reaches levels known to elevate the risk of bursting cans." The airline confirmed it has also told employees not to open cans that are noticeably hot to the touch or appear deformed due to heat exposure. But the email adds that the airline has come to "recognize that additional immediate solutions are necessary." The airline is now halting the onboarding of cans with a temperature of 98 degrees or more. Beverages at 98 degrees or over will be returned to the warehouse to cool down. The airline is also considering positioning refrigerated trailers at its warehouses to keep cans cool before they are loaded onto provisioning trucks to be brought to the flight line. The email says Southwest began testing air-conditioned provisioning trucks this month and is having conversations with Coca-Cola to analyze the viability of the current cans and to consider alternatives, including a 7.5-ounce option. The airline currently stocks traditional 12-ounce soda cans. As part of the testing in Arizona and Nevada, cans are being marked so they can be identified if they originated from refrigerated or non-refrigerated trucks. Perry, the Southwest spokesperson, stressed that the airline is taking the issue seriously. "We are investigating the issue and looking at changes to ensure safety for our employees and customers in the midst of extreme temperatures and climate change," he said. TWU Local 556, the union that represents Southwest Airlines flight attendants, did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but pictures of the burst cans are circulating online in postings to Facebook groups dedicated to Southwest employees. Many posts express frustration and concerns over safety. Some noted the cans that burst did not appear to be hot at the moment. Southwest operates about 4,200 flights a day. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/summer-heat-causing-soda-cans-to-burst-on-southwest-airlines-flights/ CALENDAR OF EVENTS • Airborne Public Safety Association, Inc. (APSCON 2024) - July 29 - August 3; Houston TX • 2024 FAA Drone and AAM Symposium, July 30-August 1 | Baltimore, MD • Asia Pacific Summit for Aviation Safety (AP-SAS 2024), Aug. 13-15, Beijing, China. • Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium - APATS 2024, 0-11 September, 2024, Singapore • Aircraft Cabin Air International Conference - 17 & 18 September - London • 2024 Ground Handling Safety Symposium (GHSS) - September 17-18, 2024 - Fort Worth, TX • 2024 ISASI - Lisbon, Portugal - September 30 to October 4, 2024 • DEFENCE AVIATION SAFETY 2024 - 2 OCTOBER - 3 OCTOBER 2024 - LONDON • International Congress of Aerospace Medicine ICAM 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal, 3 - 5 October 2024 • Aviation Health Conference back on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th October 2024 • Safeskies Australia Conference, Canberra Australia - 16th and 17th of October 2024 - www.safeskiesaustralia.org • 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition - Oct. 22-24 (Vegas) • Sixth Edition of International Accident Investigation Forum, 21 to 23 May 2025, Singapore Curt Lewis