Tag: Repairs

Airlines Begin Repairs on 737 MAX Fleets

Reuters reports that United Airlines, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines “said on Thursday they will quickly repair more than 60 Boeing 737 MAX planes grounded early last month over an electrical problem that could have interfered with some critical systems.” The Boeing Company “sent all affected carriers service bulletins late on Wednesday on how to address the production issue, which had affected 109 planes worldwide.” The FAA “had signed off on the service bulletins, Reuters first reported late on Wednesday.” United and American said that it expects that their 737 MAX aircraft will return to service in the coming days. Southwest, “which has 32 affected planes, said it estimates the work will take two to three days per aircraft. The airline said it hoped to begin work within the next several days, and estimates it will take about three weeks to complete the work.”
Full Story (Reuters)

DND: Cracking Issue Prompts Repairs to at Least 19 of 23 RCAF CH-148 Cyclones

Aviation Week reports that Canada’s Department of National Defense (DND) said that a “cracking issue has required repairs to at least 19 of the 23 Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone helicopters in the Royal Canadian Air Force fleet.” Vertical Magazine reports that on November 26, “cracks were found on the tail of one of the helicopters undergoing a routine maintenance inspection. After the initial cracks were found, other aircraft at that squadron were inspected for the same problem and cracks were found on three other Cyclones.” According to the Canadian Armed Forces, the “same cracking issue was eventually found on 19 of 23 CH-148s.” The remaining two CH-148 Cyclones “are in longer-term maintenance and will be inspected at a later date.”
Full Story (Aviation Week) More Info (Vertical Magazine)

IATA Forecasts Industry-Wide Return to Profitability in 2023

Aviation International News reports that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has “lowered its projection for industry losses for 2022 by $1.9 billion,” and upgraded its forecast for 2023 noting that “industry-wide profitability next year ‘appears within reach,’ with North America already expected to deliver an $8.8 billion profit in 2022.”   IATA Director General Willie Walsh made the comments Monday in his opening remarks at the IATA annual general meeting in Doha, Qatar. Reasons cited for the resurgence include “strong pent-up demand, the lifting of travel restrictions in most markets, low unemployment in most countries, and expanded personal savings.”  Additionally, passenger numbers are expected to “reach 83 percent of pre-pandemic levels in 2022.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)