FAA and Regs

Southwest Airlines made an agreement with the FAA to reimburse the agency for recalling one of its furloughed examiners during the partial government shutdown, according to The Wall Street Journal. The arrangement allowed the examiner to perform the final safety inspection signoffs needed for three new Southwest Boeing 737 MAX jets to enter service. The […]

The rebuilt prototype XP-82 celebrated its first official flight on Monday and by all accounts it went well. The Tom Reilly XP-82 Twin Mustang Restoration Project confirmed the flight, which was a lot longer than its first hop three weeks ago. As we reported in early January, the aircraft, which is actually based on the […]

The leadership of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association has distanced itself from any notion that a staff shortage that caused delays at some East Coast airports on Friday was orchestrated to pressure the government to end the shutdown. The union issued a statement shortly after an uptick in sick calls at Washington Center reduced […]

A Hawaiian Airlines flight from Honolulu to New York diverted to San Francisco after a flight attendant fell ill and died over the Pacific on Thursday. The 50-year-old flight attendant suffered an apparent heart attack on the flight. There were reportedly several doctors on board who administered aid but could not revive the crew member. […]

Air traffic controller staffing shortages at Washington Center in Leesburg, Virginia, led to ground stops for flights to Newark and LaGuardia Friday morning and there are also reports of staffing issues at Jacksonville Center. It’s believed facility managers have ordered increased separation between aircraft to maintain safety because of unscheduled controller absences. Delays of up […]

In between your news reporting of the U.S. government shutdown and what adverts might be played during the Super Bowl, you might have heard talk mentioned of the U.K.’s Brexit negotiations. I hesitate to use the word negotiations, as that would indicate all the parties involved are working together to bring together divergent positions into […]

Some of the largest unions whose members are directly affected by the government shutdown are warning that aviation safety is being compromised and they’re not sure when it might collapse. In a joint statement, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the Air Line Pilots Association and the Association of Flight Attendants are urging an end […]

Flights were disrupted at Newark Liberty Airport on Tuesday evening after two drones were spotted over Teterboro Airport, 17 miles away. The FAA said the drones were flying at about 3,500 feet. The FAA issued a ground stop at Newark and inbound flights were put in holds. The holding aircraft were allowed to land starting […]

Air traffic control personnel are resigning to seek other work after a month without pay and a union representative told CNN on Monday he expects more to come. “They will resign. They will go get outside jobs,” a National Air Traffic Controllers Association Atlanta rep said in an interview with Don Lemon on Monday. NATCA […]

Italian authorities are looking into the operations at Brindisi Airport after an Italian politician shot video of ground crews de-icing a Ryan Air aircraft with buckets of hot water. The video shows a green-vested worker trudging across the ramp with a five-gallon bucket before climbing a set of stairs set up by the left wing […]