Flight Safety Information - February 20, 2025 No. 037 In This Issue : Incident: Canada Rouge A319 at Antigua on Feb 13th 2025, radar altimeter malfunctioning : Incident: Wizz A21N at Brasov on Feb 18th 2025, bird strike : Legal experts weigh in on Delta's $30,000 'no strings attached' payment to passengers after crash-landing incident : Why improving flight safety is a double-edged sword : 2 dead in midair collision of 2 planes at Marana Regional Airport near Tucson : Airlines Sue to Avoid Consequences for Breaking Disabled Travelers’ Wheelchairs : Plane crash frequency down, but recent incidents keep aviation safety in the spotlight : Singapore Airlines reports record quarterly revenue : British firms among companies to have exported aircraft parts that reached Russia : India introduces electronic pilot license, strengthening aviation safety and efficiency : ADS-B Data Being Used ‘Outside Intended Purpose,’ GA Pilot Group Says : Trump says he's considering buying used planes to serve as Air Force One amid Boeing delays : The government is employing fewer people and they're traveling less. United Airlines could lose millions of dollars. : Calendar of Events Incident: Canada Rouge A319 at Antigua on Feb 13th 2025, radar altimeter malfunctioning An Air Canada Rouge Airbus A319-100, registration C-FYJE performing flight RV-1833 from Antigua (Antigua) to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 118 people on board, was in the initial climb out of Antigua's runway 07 when at about 800 feet AGL the crew received numerous successive aural alerts related to the radar altimeter including call outs regarding gear position and throttle position. The crew determined the alerts to be false, stopped the climb at FL110 and entered a hold to troubleshoot. The aircraft subsequently returned to Antigua for a safe landing on runway 07 about 90 minutes after departure. The Canadian TSB reported after consultation with maintenance operations control the crew pulled the RALT2 circuit breaker, that stopped the aural alerts. The aircraft performed an overweight landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=5244e225&opt=0 Incident: Wizz A21N at Brasov on Feb 18th 2025, bird strike A Wizzair Airbus A321-200N, registration G-WUKY performing flight W9-5400 from Brasov (Romania) to London Luton,EN (UK) with 221 passengers and 7 crew, was climbing out of Brasov's runway 03 when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting they had flown through a flock of birds on rotation and had definitely had some impacts believed to be to the fuselage. The crew stopped the climb at FL120 and diverted to Cluj (Romania) for a safe landing on runway 25 about 55 minutes after departure. The airline reported the crew advised of a possible bird strike and diverted to Cluj for a landing under normal conditions. The aircraft is still on the ground in Cluj about 9.5 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=52443e99&opt=0 Legal experts weigh in on Delta's $30,000 'no strings attached' payment to passengers after crash-landing incident Delta is giving $30,000 to every passenger who was on the flight that crash-landed on Monday. Delta could still be on the hook for more damages if passengers sue. All 80 people on board survived the incident. Delta Air Lines said it will be giving $30,000 to every passenger who was on board the flight that flipped upside down when it landed in Toronto on Monday. Morgan Durrant, a spokesperson for Delta, told Business Insider on Wednesday that the "gesture has no strings attached and does not affect rights." It's unclear when and how passengers will be able to claim the money from Delta. Legal experts told BI that while Delta's payout is an act of goodwill, the airline could be on the hook for further damages if passengers choose to sue for more compensation. "The $30,000 advance payment offer by Delta is a good start in the right direction, as long as passengers do not have to give up any of their rights for full and fair compensation in the future," Robert Hedrick, an aviation accident attorney from the Seattle-based Aviation Law Group, told BI. Hedrick is taking passenger cases from the Delta flight. Erin R. Applebaum, an aviation accident attorney based in New York, told BI such payments are "fairly typical in major aviation accidents." Applebaum and Hedrick said passengers should consult with an aviation attorney before accepting the money to ensure it comes with no strings attached. Both attorneys said Delta's payout is not taxable under US law, though Hedrick said there may be some exceptions depending on the circumstance. Delta Flight 4819 — which was operated by Delta's subsidiary, Endeavor Air — crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday. The flight from Minneapolis was carrying 76 passengers and four crew members. All 80 people on board survived. The wreckage of the plane was removed from the airport on Wednesday evening. "Our most pressing priority remains taking care of all customers and Endeavor crew members who were involved," Ed Bastian, the CEO of Delta, said in a statement on Tuesday. Montreal Convention Alan Tan, an aviation law professor at the National University of Singapore, told BI the payment is "appropriate as an advance gesture, particularly for passengers who have minimal or no injuries." He added that passengers can still sue Delta for more compensation if they can prove loss or damage. Tan said the rights of Delta's passengers are protected under the Montreal Convention, an international agreement that holds airlines liable for any physical injuries or deaths that occur on international flights. Both the US and Canada have signed the agreement. Under the Montreal Convention, the $30,000 is not a recognition of Delta's liability, Tan said. How Singapore Airlines handled its turbulence incident in May In May, a Singapore Airlines flight traveling from London to Singapore was hit with severe turbulence while flying over Myanmar. Dozens of passengers were injured in the incident and one passenger died of a suspected heart attack. Singapore Airlines gave every passenger a refund and offered $10,000 to passengers with minor injuries. Singapore Airlines said it would meet with those who sustained serious injuries and "discuss a compensation offer to meet each of their specific circumstances." The airline said it would also offer them an advance payment of $25,000 to "address their immediate needs." "This will be part of the final compensation that these passengers will receive," Singapore Airlines wrote in a statement in June. https://www.yahoo.com/news/legal-experts-weigh-deltas-30-094645024.html Why improving flight safety is a double-edged sword North America has now experienced four airplane crashes in the last month that have resulted in 84 fatalities. The most recent crash of the Delta regional jet in Toronto could easily have added to this total, as the wing of the airliner caught fire and flipped over on landing. Miraculously, all 80 souls aboard survived, with only 21 injuries among them, none of which were life-threatening Amid this spate of troubling airline crashes, there will undoubtedly be calls to introduce additional measures to improve the safety of flying, but this is no guarantee of saving lives. In fact, it could easily have the opposite effect, and this is the dilemma. The Jan. 29 crash over the Potomac near Reagan National Airport involving a collision between an American Airlines jetliner and an army Blackhawk helicopter grimly illustrates the nature of the problem. Among the fatalities on the American Airlines flight were seven members of a party of 10 that were returning from a hunting trip in Kansas. Three of the hunters opted to drive the 1,300 miles back to Washington D.C. rather than fly. Statistically, they were roughly 100 times more likely to perish in their cross-country drive than their fellow hunters on the ill-fated jetliner. Yet they survived, and their friends did not. Such is the cold nature of probabilities. Despite the far greater risk of driving versus flying, airline crashes attract far more attention, and this fuels a contagion that can border on the irrational. Travelers tend to dramatically underestimate the risk of driving but feel that they have some control and dramatically overestimate the risk of flying wherein they perceive that they have no control. To put this in proper perspective, according to the National Highway Transportation Administration, approximately 40,000 individuals perish each year on the nation’s roadways. In terms of broad averages, the 84 individuals who perished in the recent spate of airplane crashes represent less than one day of fatalities on the nation’s roadways. One plane crash that kills 70 people, because it leads the national news, is far more alarming to the general public than 35 single-vehicle automobile accidents with the same number of fatalities that are often relegated to the back pages of local newspapers. This issue is important because the Federal Aviation Administration must be extremely judicious that any additional safety measures implemented do not cause more lives to be lost on the nation’s highways than are saved in the air. For example, if the safety measures implemented by the FAA raise airfares, there will be some substitution of automobile travel for airplane travel. Given the significantly greater risk of driving, these policies can easily cost more lives on the ground than they save in the air. This is not unfamiliar territory for the FAA. The agency followed similar reasoning when it determined after a lengthy study that it would not mandate child-safety seats on commercial airliners. This mandate could potentially have doubled the cost of flying for a family of four and caused them to abandon safe skies for unsafe roadways. The disparity in injury rates between the two modes of travel may be even more concerning, As Peter Van Doren and I have previously observed, “The risk of injury in driving is almost 24,000 times greater than that of flying on a per-mile basis. The roads are dangerous and deadly — the skies are markedly less so.” This places the FAA and recently confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a difficult position. There is mounting political pressure to implement public policy measures to ease the public’s fear of flying. Concerns over the safety of flying in the aftermath of these recent crashes will prompt some travelers to substitute automobile travel for air travel, which will increase both the number of fatalities and the number of injuries. If the FAA implements safety measures that improve air safety but also increase the price of airfare the same substitution may well occur. The FAA recently reduced the number of daily flights into Washington’s Reagan National Airport in order to reduce congestion, which is believed to be a factor in the recent American Airlines crash. The problem is that reducing the supply of flights in the face of demand that is increasing would be expected to drive up airfares. Hence, any new safety measures ordered by the FAA should not increase the safety-adjusted price of flying. In other words, the increase in the perceived safety of flying must exceed the corresponding increase in nominal airfares. The daunting challenge for the FAA is to thread the policy needle so to speak. It is tasked with finding some way to improve the public’s perception of the safety of flying without eliciting a significant increase in airfares. This is de ja vu for the FAA. It has spent the last several years contemplating what to do about the recurring problems (including multiple airline crashes, safety mishaps and quality-control problems) that have plagued Boeing without a clear policy path forward. https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/5153344-airplane-crashes-safety-conundrum/ 2 dead in midair collision of 2 planes at Marana Regional Airport near Tucson Two people were dead following a midair collision involving two smaller planes on Wednesday morning at the Marana Regional Airport northwest of Tucson, officials said. The regional airport does not have an air traffic control tower, the Federal Aviation Administration said. A crewed tower was supposed to be in place by the end of 2024 to accommodate an increase in traffic and improve safety. The completion of the tower was pushed back to March 2025 due to supply chain and other problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Vic Hathaway, communications manager for the town of Marana. "Two confirmed dead and both planes were smaller fixed wing single engine planes," the Marana Police Department posted on X. Midair collision involved two small planes Vincent Rizzi, a Marana Police Department sergeant, said the collision involved two smaller fixed-wing aircraft. The airport was closed and landing aircraft were being diverted to other airports, Rizzi said at the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a written statement that the agency was investigating a midair collision between a Cessna 172S and Lancair 360 MK II. The collision occurred about 8:28 a.m., the statement said. According to preliminary information, the aircraft collided while upwind of runway 12. The Cessna landed safely. The Lancair crashed near runway 3 and a fire ensued, the NTSB statement said. Rizzi said two people were aboard the plane that landed safely and they were not severely injured. Airport official calls crash 'unprecedented' “On behalf of the Town of Marana and the Marana Regional Airport, our hearts go out to all the individuals and families impacted by this event,” Marana Airport Superintendent Galen Beem said in a written statement. Beem called the collision “an unprecedented event" and said officials were grateful for the "swift response from the Marana Police Department and Northwest Fire District.” Neither plane was based out of the Marana Regional Airport, said Amanda Gomez, a communications specialist at the Marana Town Manager's Office. The Northwest Fire District responded to the scene, Rizzi said. The Marana Regional Airport is in a rural area surrounded by farm fields and desert brush. Witnesses describe plume of smoke coming from crash site Denye Woodard, a waitress at Skyrider coffee shop next to the airport, said she was working when a co-worker told her to look out the window. She saw a large plume of smoke on the other side of the airport. “All we saw was a big cloud of black smoke,” Woodard said. Woodard said she didn't think it was a plane crash. But shortly after, she saw an ambulance and fire trucks arriving at the scene. "Then I was like, 'What is going on?'" Woodard said. She said customers then told her there had been a plane crash. "I was shocked. I was like, 'Oh wow.'" Justine Brent had just come out of a Fry's supermarket when she noticed thick black smoke billowing in the distance. She said she figured it was a plane crash, because controlled burns she has seen do not produce such thick black smoke. Regional airport lacks air-traffic controllers The Marana Regional Airport is an "uncontrolled field," meaning the airport does not have an operating air traffic control tower, the FAA said in a written statement. At uncontrolled airports, pilots use a common traffic advisory frequency to regularly announce their position to other pilots who are in the airport vicinity, according to the FAA. The pilot in command is responsible for maintaining safe separation from other aircraft. Pilots operating in uncontrolled fields are required to comply with all FAA regulations, including minimum visibilities, minimum safe altitudes and right-of-way rules, the FAA said. Hathaway, the Marana communications manager, said the town announced in January 2020 that the airport had entered the FAA's control tower program to build a crewed tower by the end of 2024. However, due to delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project was delayed and now is scheduled to be completed by March 2029, Hathaway said. The airport mostly serves leisure flights, Hathaway said. She said the airport has experienced an increase in activity over the years, Hathaway said. In 2024, the airport logged 85,000 operations, including takeoffs, landings and touch-and-goes, Hathaway said. There are 259 aircraft based at the airport, she said. The airport also is home to two flight schools, she said. Officials from the FAA and the NTSB were expected to arrive later Wednesday to help with the investigation, Rizzi said. The NTSB will lead the investigation, the FAA statement said. Fatal collision follows a string of aircraft incidents The collision in Marana is the latest in a string of incidents involving aircraft, including one on Feb. 10 at the Scottsdale Airport where a smaller Learjet 35A owned by Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil crashed into a larger Gulfstream aircraft, killing the pilot of the Learjet. On Monday, a Delta Air Lines regional jet flipped upside down while landing at Canada's Toronto Pearson Airport, officials said. Eighteen of the 80 people on board were injured. On Jan. 29, an American Airlines regional jet carrying 64 people and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three people collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. Sixty-seven people were killed. A small medical jet carrying a child patient crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood on Jan. 31, killing seven people, while a small plane carrying 10 people crashed in Alaska on Feb. 6, killing 10. On Nov. 4, a business jet crashed into a vehicle near Falcon Field Airport in Mesa, killing five people, including four people on the plane and the driver of the vehicle. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-breaking/2025/02/19/aircraft-collision-near-marana-regional-airport-kills-at-least-one/79197810007/ Airlines Sue to Avoid Consequences for Breaking Disabled Travelers’ Wheelchairs Major carriers are trying to overturn a Biden-era policy that ended decades of mistreatment. Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters. Five major airlines—American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and United—have joined an airline trade association lawsuit to overturn a Department of Transportation rule that forces airlines to treat wheelchair users and their mobility devices with dignity. The rule, issued last year by then–Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, made mishandling wheelchairs an automatic violation of the federal Air Carrier Access Act. The lawsuit, filed this past week in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, asserts that the rule is “unlawful.” Buttigieg worked on the rule with disability advocates including Samantha Jade Duràn when creating the rule. Duràn’s own wheelchair was damaged by an airline in 2017 when it was placed with luggage in the cargo hold. “My brake was completely broken, to the point where I couldn’t brake at all,” Duràn told me. Duràn couldn’t afford to have the wheelchair repaired, so she used the damaged one for two and a half years—which, she points out, is very dangerous. Airlines damage or lose thousands of wheelchairs every year. People can stay in their own wheelchairs until they are at the gate, after which they will use an aisle chair for the most part. The number of mobility devices damaged or lost was not even counted until 2018, when Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D–Ill.), a wheelchair user herself, pushed for tracking of those damages and losses to be required in Congress’ annual reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Agency. As my colleague Russ Choma reported at the time, airlines had pushed lawmakers to resist the measure. “When the public gets information on how often assistive devices are broken, it will force them to actually handle wheelchairs better,” Duckworth said. In addition to the new rule, the Department of Transportation also fined American Airlines $50 million last October for its mistreatment of disabled passengers, including damage to wheelchairs. At the time, Buttigieg said that the “era of tolerating poor treatment of airline passengers with disabilities is over.” But if the airline industry’s lawsuit succeeds, that era may return sooner than expected. This infuriated Duràn, who called the about-face “beyond aggravating” after seeing how difficult, and slow, the initial progress had been. The rule that the airlines are targeting was only finalized in December—and Duràn believes it made all the difference in her treatment on a flight last week. “I was treated with dignity,” she said. “They treated me like a normal human being.” It is unclear just how the current Department of Transportation will respond to the lawsuit. At a January event with the Century Foundation, Duckworth said that Sean Duffy, the then-incoming Transportation Secretary, had “pledged to support the legislation that was passed that would make air travel more accessible.” https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/02/airline-industry-wheelchair-lawsuit-transportation-department/ Plane crash frequency down, but recent incidents keep aviation safety in the spotlight Despite a significant reduction in plane crashes this year, recent incidents have kept aviation safety in the spotlight, with passengers expressing mixed feelings about flying SAVANNAH, Ga. — According to the National Transportation Safety Board, plane crashes have decreased by around 90% compared to the same time last year. Despite this significant reduction, recent high-profile incidents have kept aviation safety in the headlines. Passengers traveling to Boston shared their thoughts on flying. One passenger admitted, "To be honest, I’m always a little afraid of flying. I think a little more lately," said Stephanie Grossman, an airline passenger at Savannah Hilton Head International Airport on her way to Boston. "I feel perfectly fine that we haven’t had a crash for 15 years, well, since a couple of weeks ago," said another passenger, Craig Stoops. "A lot of people are traveling, and aviation is a very safety-oriented industry," said Chief Instructor at Savannah Aviation, Chandler New. "Just a lot of media and publicity that’s been going on about kind of a couple of more serious accidents. It’s kind of taken over and people are noticing." Recent commercial crashes in Washington D.C., Toronto, and the small airplane crash in Arizona have fueled the public's attention on aviation safety. New, who flew to New Hampshire in similar weather conditions to those of the Toronto crash, described the challenges. "It was just really turbulent that day. There was a lot of low-level wind shear, strong winds that everybody was fighting," said New. "What's the most stressful part of flying?" asked WJCL 22 News' AJ Sisson. "So weather, definitely a big thing you have to pay attention to. Making sure your passengers are safe and comfortable," said New. Savannah's airport is tower-controlled, with runways oriented in all cardinal directions to maximize safety during takeoff and landing in various weather conditions. New highlighted the challenges posed by "afternoon thunderstorms, pop-up showers." Comparing statistics, at this point in 2024, there were 173 plane crashes in the U.S., whereas this year, there have been only 90, according to the NTSB. "Those are small private planes," said Stoops. "You know the most dangerous thing we did was drive to the airport. Driving home from the airport would be the most dangerous two things we do today." "From what I understand, there's fewer folks working on the airlines for traffic control, which makes me a little bit more nervous," said Grossman. "But, happy to hear that the numbers are down." "Still put your trust in us and the ATC guys that are flying, you know, nobody wants these things to happen. We try our best to plan as much as possible and to put in the effort that needs to be done to execute a safe flight," said New. Despite ongoing concerns, commercial airline pilots are highly trained, accumulating over 1,500 flight hours before flying passengers on major airlines like Delta or American Airlines. https://www.wjcl.com/article/flying-fears-despite-fewer-crashes/63845882 Singapore Airlines reports record quarterly revenue Singapore Airlines planes sit on the tarmac at Changi Airport in Singapore · Reuters (Reuters) - Singapore Airlines on Thursday reported a record quarterly revenue stemming from robust demand for air travel at the end of last year, but said its capacity expansion outstripped passenger growth, putting downward pressure on air fares. Despite tough competition in the region as Asian airlines continue to add back capacity after the pandemic, the carrier expects demand to stay healthy in the January-March quarter. Yields, a proxy measure for air fares, fell 4.5% in the third quarter as the number of extra seats added to its network grew more than passenger numbers. Group revenue grew 2.7% to a record S$5.2 billion from a year earlier, the airline said. Its 9.7% year-on-year growth in cargo revenue was stronger than a 1.7% growth in passenger revenue for the quarter, bolstered by strong e-commerce activity, more freighter charters, and a boost in perishable goods transportation, it said. Singapore Airlines, a major Asian air freight carrier, has benefited from rising volumes of e-commerce out of China and the region. The airline's net profit more than doubled to a record in the quarter ended December 31, helped by a one-time gain from the merger of Air India and Vistara. The city-state's flag carrier posted a net profit of S$1.63 billion ($1.22 billion) for the quarter, compared to S$659 million a year earlier. About S$1.10 billion of that amount was due to a one-off gain from the Air India-Vistara merger. Singapore Airlines, which owned about 49% of Indian carrier Vistara, completed a merger of Air India and Vistara last November, in a bid to create a dominant full-service airline for India's domestic and international markets. The deal granted Singapore Airlines a 25.1% stake in the Air India group, while autos-to-steel conglomerate Tata holds 74.9% of the combined entity. Singapore Airlines Group includes Singapore Airlines and budget carrier Scoot. ($1 = 1.3386 Singapore dollars) https://finance.yahoo.com/news/singapore-airlines-third-quarter-profit-092632106.html British firms among companies to have exported aircraft parts that reached Russia Data shows aircraft parts from more than 100 western companies reached Russian aviation industry via India British firms are among more than 100 western companies, including the aerospace giant Boeing, which have exported aircraft parts to India that reached Russia, according to customs data. Analysis suggests products worth more than $50m have passed through intermediaries in India to Russian airlines and other entities over a 21-month period up to September 2024. The parts appear to have been transported in 700 individual cargoes containing items ranging from critical generators, sensors, propeller blades and cockpit displays to small screws, bolts and filters. Most of the Russian importers appear to be civilian airlines, including Utair, which the EU has said also acts as a defence contractor. It received about a quarter of the cargoes. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by western companies, nor that they were aware that their products were being moved on to Russia by the Indian firms. The direct sale of aircraft parts to Russian airlines and firms has been banned by the UK and the EU and is heavily restricted by US authorities. Western allies have struggled, however, to deal with the scores of intermediary firms that have moved in to prop up Russia with western-made goods and technology. The UK government highlighted its concerns in January when issuing new guidance for exporting businesses on “countering Russian sanctions evasion”. Firms were told to “undertake due diligence to ensure that the end destination of these products is not Russia”. The analysis of Indian customs data by Investigate Europe suggests that as of last September goods were still reaching Russia via India, often within days of their original dispatch. A dozen Indian intermediaries appeared to have acquired parts from western firms that later went to Russian buyers between January 2023 and September 2024. Two UK companies accounted for about 120 of the shipments identified in the customs data. Step Aviation is registered to a Latvian national. Of the more than 60 cargoes worth over $3m that Step appears to have sent to Indian firm Shaurya Aeronautics, almost all were passed on to three buyers in Russia. In October, the US applied economic sanctions on Shaurya for sending sensitive dual-use parts to Russia, part of a wave of action “to diminish and degrade Russia’s ability to equip its war machine”. Shaurya has not been targeted with sanctions from the UK or EU. There is no record of Step sending items to Shaurya after October. Step did not respond to a request for comment. A second firm, ASL Aerospace, based in Devon, appears to have sent about 60 shipments from the UK and US to four Indian firms that were then re-exported to Russia. ASL Aerospace sent cargo from the UK to the Indian firm, Agrim Aviation Private Ltd, which arrived in September, according to the customs data. Agrim was named and placed under sanctions by the US authorities on 1 November for “likely” diverting US-made products to the Russian aviation industry. It has not been targeted by the UK or the EU. There is no suggestion that ASL Aerospace traded with Agrim after the Indian firm was added to the US “entity list”, placing it under stricter export controls. Bryan Poulier, chief executive of ASL Aerospace, said his company would not be “complicit in the trade of aircraft parts to Russia through any sanctioned company” and that they made strenuous efforts to track their products. He said: “ASL Aerospace takes stringent measures in its supply chain to prevent such trade to sanctioned parties including, but not limited to: subscription and monitoring through Creditsafe’s [Politically Exposed Persons] and Sanctions Screening tools, which provide real-time checks with its obligations; and the requirement, for every sale by ASL Aerospace, of an end user statement. The EUS verifies end use, ensures compliance with export regulations, prevents misuse and limits the supplier’s liability.” David Tannenbaum, a sanctions compliance expert and partner Pole Star Global, said western governments had targeted intermediaries in Turkey and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan but that India had not been a major focus. Tannenbaum said: “It’s been a game of whack-a-mole for [the authorities]. They seem to be using sanctions primarily to try and sort of target the intermediaries but those entities are replaceable, right? It’s not even that the companies are [always] newly created.” Customs data suggest that since 2023 the US aerospace giant Boeing sent at least 80 cargoes to India that were later re-exported in part or in whole to Russia. Most of these trades, including fasteners, valves, fuel sealants and a battery, went via an Indian buyer, Ascend Aviation. The US applied economic sanctions on the company and its two directors on 30 October 2024 for being part of “sanctions evasion networks”. The EU and the UK have not followed suit. There is no data to suggest that Boeing traded with the company after September 2024. A Boeing spokesperson said: “In March 2022, we suspended major operations in Russia, including providing parts, maintenance and technical support for customers.” The customs data also suggest that Airbus subsidiary Satair sent 12 cargoes to the same Indian firm between September 2023 and May 2024. All later went to Russian buyers, including the country’s biggest airline, state-owned Aeroflot, the records show. An Airbus spokesperson said: “Airbus and Satair are acting in compliance with the laws and regulations and are actively committed to prevent sanctions circumvention and diversion”. India has refrained from condemning Vladimir Putin over Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine, and has sought a friendly relationship with Moscow. None of the Indian companies responded to a request for comment. An Indian government spokesperson has said they do not believe the firms were in violation of local legislation but that the companies would be advised about the latest international export controls. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/20/british-firms-among-those-that-exported-aircraft-parts-which-reached-russia India introduces electronic pilot license, strengthening aviation safety and efficiency New Delhi, Feb 20: In a groundbreaking move for India’s aviation sector, union minister for Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu on Thursday launched the Electronic Personnel License (EPL) for pilots, making India the second country in the world to introduce this advanced digital system. The EPL is a secure, digital version of a pilot’s license that replaces traditional physical cards. It will be accessible through the eGCA mobile application, ensuring a seamless, transparent, and efficient licensing process in alignment with the government’s "Ease of Doing Business" and "Digital India" initiatives. With India’s aviation industry experiencing unprecedented growth, the country is expected to require nearly 20,000 new pilots in the coming years. Recognizing this demand, Naidu emphasized that the EPL would not only enhance pilots' ease of access to their credentials but also boost their employability in the global market while ensuring real-time verification for security purposes. The implementation of EPL follows an amendment by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which encourages member states to adopt electronic licenses for enhanced security and operational efficiency. While major global aviation authorities are still transitioning to similar systems, India has positioned itself as a leader in digital aviation solutions. Previously, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued pilot licenses in smart card format, with 62,000 such licenses distributed so far. In 2024 alone, approximately 20,000 new licenses were expected to be printed, averaging 1,667 cards per month. The introduction of EPL will gradually phase out physical cards, significantly streamlining the licensing process and reducing environmental impact by cutting down paper and plastic usage. Beyond EPL, Naidu highlighted several digital advancements transforming India’s aviation landscape, including: • The eGCA platform, which streamlines aviation licensing. • The Digital Sky Platform, designed for drone operations. • The Electronic Flight Folder (EFF), optimizing airline operations. The launch of EPL marks a major milestone in India’s commitment to global aviation standards, reinforcing the nation’s position as a pioneer in digital aviation governance while ensuring a tamper-proof and globally recognized regulatory framework for pilots. https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=127324 ADS-B Data Being Used ‘Outside Intended Purpose,’ GA Pilot Group Says Pilots are facing ‘frivolous lawsuits,’ airport fees, and agency investigations based on data, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. When the FAA announced the requirement for the use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) for GA aircraft, pilots were told this technology would increase aviation safety, as it would replace radar as the primary means for ATC to manage traffic separation. Instead of having a person watch a radar scope for targets, the GPS on board and ADS-B equipment self-report the aircraft's position and lets the pilot know the whereabouts of traffic around them. And it has been doing that since its implementation in 2020. Some pilots, however, are complaining that the FAA's use of ADS-B information is a violation of privacy. On Tuesday Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) president and CEO Darren Pleasance sent a letter to acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau "urging the agency to halt the use of ADS-B data in ways that go beyond its original intent." Pleasance said that AOPA initially supported the FAA’s ADS-B mandate in 2020, “as we were assured ADS-B would only be used to improve air traffic safety and airspace efficiencies." Since then, however, AOPA has heard from its members who have been subject to what it called "frivolous lawsuits" for trespassing and FAA investigations based on information gleaned from ADS-B data. "We are now seeing FAA enforcement actions based on ADS-B data to prevent legal water landings or frivolous lawsuits where complainants are suing for nuisance, trespass, and intentional infliction of emotional distress for aircraft flying at 4,000 feet agl in full compliance with FAA requirements," Pleasance said. "Pilots are now being forced to pay expensive legal fees to defend themselves against these questionable enforcement actions and frivolous lawsuits. Moreover, a cottage industry of companies contracting with public-use airports are now using ADS-B data to collect airport fees from general aviation pilots. As you can understand, these actions carry potential safety and individual privacy concerns that must be addressed." Pleasance acknowledged past efforts on the part of the FAA to address ADS-B privacy, specifically the Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed (LADD) program and the Privacy ICAO Address (PIA) program. "Congress also recently took a positive step to further limit the uses of ADS-B data for certain enforcement actions in last year’s FAA Reauthorization [Act]," he said. An FAA spokesperson did not respond to FLYING's inquiries about the use of ADS-B for enforcement purposes but addressed airport fees. “Airport operators, such as municipalities, commonly develop landing fee schedules,” the spokesperson said. “Landing fees are often a primary source of revenues for airports. There is no FAA restriction on collecting landing fees, but the FAA requires the fees to be reasonable and equitably applied across similar users.” https://www.flyingmag.com/faa-using-ads-b-data-outside-intended-purpose-ga-pilot-group-says/ Trump says he's considering buying used planes to serve as Air Force One amid Boeing delays WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is considering buying used Boeing aircraft — perhaps from an overseas seller — to use as Air Force One when he's aboard, as he fumes over the U.S. plane-maker's delays in producing two specially modified ones for presidential use. Speaking to reporters aboard one of the two nearly 35-year-old Boeing 747-200 aircraft in current use, Trump said, “We’re looking at alternatives, because it’s taking Boeing too long.” “We may go and buy a plane,” Trump said, adding that he could then “convert it.” He later clarified that he was ruling out purchasing aircraft of Airbus, the European company that is the only other global supplier on large wide-body aircraft, but would consider a second-hand Boeing plane. “I would not consider Airbus. I could buy one from another country perhaps or get one from another country." Boeing has the contract to produce updated versions, based on the more modern Boeing 747-8, but delivery has been delayed while the aircraft maker has lost billions of dollars on the deal, which was negotiated by Trump during his first term in office. It's not the planes, rather the heavy modification to make them suitable for the requirements of presidential travel and the top-level security clearances required for those involved, that has added to the cost and delays. Trump already dropped a requirement for the new generation of planes, which will be known as the VC-25B, to be capable of air-to-air refueling, like the pair of existing VC-25As, which were designed during the Cold War. Other modifications include highly classified communications equipment suitable for the country's commander-in-chief, survivability enhancements for a range of contingencies, and self-contained air-stairs, allowing for their use in austere landing environments. Delivery initially was set for 2024, but has been pushed to some time in 2027 for the first plane and in 2028 — Trump’s final year in office — for the second, according to the U.S. Air Force. Trump on Saturday toured a newer Boeing 747-800 airplane to check out new hardware and technology features and highlight the aircraft maker’s delay in delivering updated versions of the Air Force One presidential aircraft, the White House said Saturday. Trump visited the 13-year-old private aircraft that had been owned by the Qatari royal family while it was parked at Palm Beach International Airport. The New York Times was first to report that Trump was considering purchasing and modifying used aircraft to serve as new presidential aircraft. https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-says-hes-considering-buying-033041086.html The government is employing fewer people and they're traveling less. United Airlines could lose millions of dollars. United Airlines reported a drop in government employee travel post-Trump inauguration. Layoffs and buyouts led by DOGE are hitting federal travel. Government employee travel makes up 2% of the company's business, United's chief financial officer said. The chief financial officer of United Airlines said that government employee travel "has fallen off" since President Donald Trump's inauguration. Government travel makes up 2% of United's business, said Mike Leskinen at a Barclays conference on Wednesday. United made almost $52 billion in total passenger revenue in 2024, so even a minor decline in government passengers could set it back by millions of dollars. "I don't know how long that's going to be persistent, but it quickly gets filled up with other demand for our business," the CFO said. "But we have seen some slowing in government sales." United's stock has risen 142% in the last year on post-pandemic travel rebounding and a strong international flight slate. Under a law in place since 1974, federal government employees can only travel on airlines owned by an American company, regardless of cost and convenience. American-owned carriers include United, Delta Air Lines, Southwest, and Alaska Airlines. Government employee travel has likely fallen because of the Department of Government Efficiency-led mass layoffs and employee buyouts across US government agencies. Trump and Elon Musk, who heads DOGE, have said the moves are meant to improve productivity and slash federal spending. About 75,000 federal employees accepted the buyout offer, the Office of Management and Budget said last week. That made up 3.75% of the federal government's 2 million people workforce, under the White House's goal of 5% to 10%. Over 9,000 employees from the US Agency for International Development were put on administrative leave earlier this month. The United CFO's comments come as other companies with federal government customers are trying to reassure investors that their bottom line isn't at risk. Earlier this month, Craig Safian, the chief financial officer of Gartner, told investors that US federal government contracts accounted for about $270 million in contract value last year — 5% of the total business. Safian said government changes may affect business in the short term. Gartner has four contracts, worth around $1 million in total, listed on a DOGE webpage that details cuts made to various federal agencies. United Airlines and Gartner did not immediately respond to requests for comment. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/government-employing-fewer-people-theyre-071244593.html CALENDAR OF EVENTS · · Sponsor the 2025 Fuzion Safety Conference! March 4 & 5, 2025 (Orlando) · · "Automation in Transportation: Lessons for Safe Implementation," on March 11-12, 2025, in Washington, DC. · · Annual Women in Aviation International Conference, Gaylord Rockies Resort & Conference Center | Denver Colorado, March 27-29, 2025 · · 59th Annual SMU Air Law Symposium is scheduled March 31 - April 2, 2025 · · Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) Safety Symposium April 7-9, 2025 · · AIA Conference: The Aviation Insurance Association's annual conference in Orlando, Florida from April 25–28, 2025 · · Sixth Edition of International Accident Investigation Forum, 21 to 23 May 2025, Singapore · . Flight Safety Foundation - Aviation Safety Forum June 5-6, 2025 - Brussels · · The 9th Shanghai International Aerospace Technology and Equipment Exposition 2025; June 11 to 13, 2025 · . ISASI ANNUAL SEMINAR 2025'September 29, 2025 – October 3, 2025, DENVER, COLORADO · . CHC Safety & Quality Summit, 11th – 13th November 2025, Vancouver, BC Canada Curt Lewis