FAA publishes new ETOPS rules

Today the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published new ETOPS rules for aircraft operating under 14 CFR Parts 121 and 135. A press release issued by the FAA today says:

Since airplanes occasionally divert for reasons unrelated to the engines, such as mechanical problems or passenger medical emergencies, the rule requires that airplane systems be able to support lengthy diversions in remote and sometimes harsh environments. The rule also requires pro-active flight planning, crew training and plans to have facilities at or close to each diversion airport that will protect passengers and crew from the elements and make them comfortable.

The rule published today formalizes existing policy, industry best practices and international standards to ensure long-range flights operate safely in the Polar regions, the South Atlantic Ocean between South America and Africa, and the southeastern South Pacific Ocean. Few U.S. carriers currently operate in these areas, but these operations will likely increase in the future.

In formulating the new regulations, the FAA sought advice from a broad range of domestic and international aviation experts. In 2000, the FAA chartered an Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) to review existing policy and requirements and develop standardized requirements for extended operations in the 21st century. The new rule is based largely on the ARAC’s report, which reflects a consensus among those aviation experts on what needed to be done.

The published summary of the rule says:

This final rule applies to air carrier (part 121), commuter, and on-demand (part 135) turbine powered multi-engine airplanes used in extended-range operations. However all-cargo operations in airplanes with more than two engines of both part 121 and part 135 are exempted from the majority of this rule. Today's rule establishes regulations governing the design, operation and maintenance of certain airplanes operated on flights that fly long distances from an adequate airport. The final rule codifies current FAA policy, industry best practices and recommendations, as well as international standards designed to ensure long-range flights will continue to operate safely. To ease the transition for current operators, this rule includes delayed compliance dates for certain ETOPS requirements.

You can download the complete FAA document here: Extended Operations (ETOPS) of Multi-Engine Airplanes. (296 page 'PDF' file)

Lufthansa to hire 1200 cabin crew in 2007

German airline Lufthansa is planning to expand its workforce this year. The airline is set to recruit 3,000 new workers in 2007, including 1,200 flight attendants.

According to the Lufthansa website, flight attendant candidates currently are being sought for the airline's Frankfurt/Munich service area, to fly continental and intercontinental routes. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, and fluent in both German and English.

For more information, and to apply online, visit the Lufthansa Careers web page.

Democrats: Implement 9/11 Commission recommendations

Now that the Democrats have taken control of the U.S. Congress, they plan to introduce legislation that would beef up homeland security. Specifically, they want to implement "unfinished 9/11 Commission recommendations that fall under the Homeland Security Committee's jurisdiction."

Here is what an Associated Press article, published on the Airport Business website, had to say about the proposed legislation:

The bill would require private companies to prepare for terrorism and the government would have to inspect cargo on passenger planes and shipping containers leaving the largest ports. Airport screeners would be given whistle-blower protection, money would be set aside to develop technology for detecting explosives at checkpoints and an appeals process would be established for airline passengers mistaken for terrorists on watch lists.

Democrats have said the Republican-controlled Congress didn't implement the commission's 41 recommendations aimed at improving safety after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The commission itself met a year ago to hand out failing grades to the government, giving an "F," for example, to improving airline passenger screening and homeland security spending for cities considered most at risk of attack.

The bill will be debated and voted on Tuesday - without going through the committee process - as part of the Democrats' "100 hours" plan to quickly accomplish their priorities.

Read the rest of the article here: Democrats Seek Full 9/11 Implementation for Airports - Airport Business

Technorati Tags: airport security, aviation security, security legislation

Worldwide airline traffic grew 5% in 2006

Shortly before the end of the year, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) issued its annual report on airline travel statistics. Airline traffic worldwide grew by about 5 percent in 2006, with the Middle East and Asia showing the most growth while North America, Europe and Latin America were below the world average.

An article about the report, in the International Herald Tribune, says:

The Middle East was expected to keep leading the pack due to strong regional economies and sustained growth, while the Asia-Pacific region saw domestic routes showing strong growth in both capacity and traffic figures.

North American airlines, meanwhile, have had to adjust their strategies on international routes, focusing on longer routes, while dealing with stiff competition domestically "to respond to low-cost competition."

"Growth for airlines in North America, Europe and Latin America were below the world average, mainly due to a more measured deployment of capacity, some route rationalization and changes in the route mix introduced by carriers of the North American and European regions," the ICAO said in a news release.

The average passenger load was up to almost 76 percent from around 75 percent last year on both international and domestic routes.

Freight traffic was also up 3 percent over last year, with freight tons carried on scheduled services worldwide growing to around 39 million tons (35.5 million metric tons).

Overall traffic figures have been steadily rising for the last several years, after a dismal patch following the downturn immediately following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. For crews, this means more employment stability and more aviation jobs being created around the globe. That's always welcome news.


Source: UN aviation agency reports world airline traffic up by 5 percent in 2006 - International Herald Tribune

Technorati Tags: air travel, airlines, airline business, aviation statistics, ICAO, International Civil Aviation Authority

Happy Holidays

This will be the final post in this blog for 2006 as we take off for a week or so to enjoy the holidays with family and friends. We'll be back to posting news for and about people who work in aviation in the first week of January. 2007.

We wish all the best to our readers and we hope that crews all over the world have a healthy, safe, and Happy 2007.

EU: Bulgarian aviation safety 'insufficient'

The European Union (EU) says that Bulgaria has significant shortcomings in aviation safety. Bulgaria is set to join the EU in January, but its airline sector will not be integrated into the EU until it guarantees an improvement in standards.

From an article in the International Herald Tribune:

EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot stopped short of banning Bulgarian airlines from EU skies, but said their planes might be grounded by member states on safety grounds.

"As things stand, we are not satisfied that Bulgaria meets the required standard" of airline safety, Barrot said in a statement.

The commission said Bulgaria showed important shortcomings "in the field of safety oversight in general, and for the certification of airworthiness and maintenance of aircraft."

It said staff numbers in civil aviation in Bulgaria were insufficient and their level of training "generally inadequate to perform their duties at the required level."

The Bulgarian transport minister reportedly has told Barrot that the situation would be improved "as soon as possible."

Source: EU says aviation safety in Bulgaria is insufficient - International Herald Tribune

Technorati Tags: aviation safety, Bulgaria, EU, European Union

Lawmakers want all airport workers screened by TSA

Some U.S. lawmakers are calling for closer scrutiny of airport workers. They want more background checks, and they want all airport employees to be screened for weapons when they arrive for work each day.

An article in the Federal Times says that the lawmakers' concerns arise not from a specific plot "but rather recent arrests that point to potential holes in security."

"This is the weakest link" in aviation, said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., a senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee who has proposed a bill that would require airport employees to be screened.

That bill would require:

• The Transportation Security Administration to issue rules within a year to screen all airport employees.
• Airports to comply with the TSA order within three years.
• TSA to start a pilot within four months at five airports that would test employee screening.

One airport operations director quoted in the article calls the provisions of the bill "an unworkable idea that could create gridlock." Nevertheless, the article goes on to note:

TSA has already moved ahead with extra security. The agency this fall adopted policies requiring that everyone working at airports — from taxi drivers to gift shop clerks — be checked for criminal history, terrorist ties and immigration violations. Previously, only employees with access to secure areas faced the checks.

TSA also has started assigning teams of screeners to roam secured areas, doing random searches of airport employees, said Earl Morris, TSA general manager for field operations.

But TSA does not screen airport workers who already have passed background checks. Rep. Lowey feels this is a loophole through which airport workers "could become unwilling accomplices if a terrorist uses them to sneak dangerous materials into an airport."

Source: Lawmakers: Screen airport workers - Federal Times

Technorati Tags: airport security, airport workers, aviation security, legislation, Transportation Security Administration, TSA

British pilots opposed to FAMs

From the Washington Times:

British pilots oppose a proposed change in the United States' visa-waiver program that would require participating countries to provide armed security on U.S.-bound foreign airlines or allow U.S. air marshals to protect such flights.

"Any need to carry weapons on aircraft should be recognized as a failure of the airport security systems," the British Air Line Pilots Association (BALPA) said.

British pilots favor "proper passenger profiling" through a "database of potential terrorists, their known aliases and all their known associates as well as known disruptive passengers," the association said in a statement provided to The Washington Times.

One prevailing point of view on this issue favors a strategy of having Federal Air Marshals (FAMs) on as many flights as possible. Another approach is to arm pilots through the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program.

David Mackett, a commercial airline pilot and president of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance, said there is no alternative to defending aircraft with armed weapons, but that protection by marshals is too costly.

"With 30,000 flights a day, using air marshals, it would cost $14 billion per year and take a force the size of the U.S. Coast Guard -- it simply can't be done," Mr. Mackett said.

Instead, he said Congress should revamp the Federal Flight Deck Officer program to encourage more pilots to seek weapons training.

"Using armed pilots, we could protect every flight in the sky for about $30 million a year because the pilots ask no compensation," Mr. Mackett said.

The Airline Pilots Security Alliance may be right about the prohibitive costs of putting FAMs on every plane, but I'm not sure that the FFDO program is the answer either.

I tend to agree with the British pilots that any need to carry firearms aboard passenger aircraft indicates a failure of airport security systems. But matching passengers against lists of known or suspected terrorists will never be sufficient, since there is no way to compile a comprehensive list of every possible alias and every possible variant spelling of the names of every possible bad guy in the world.

Measures such as prohibiting passengers from bringing all but the smallest amounts of liquids into an aircraft cabin also seem futile -- perhaps even ridiculous. (And let's not forget that 'Scissors - metal with pointed tips and blades shorter than four inches' are still permitted, according to the TSA list of Permitted and Prohibited Items.) Motivated individuals will always be able to figure out ways to fool poorly trained screeners, and will discover or invent new kinds of 'weapons.'

Behavioral profiling may be one of the better methods available for preventing future hijackings and terrorism in the skies. Law enforcement agencies around the country have been using behavioral profiling with some success, but in order to be effective the method requires a considerable amount of training. Behavior recognition training can be both time-consuming and expensive. And who should be trained? -- security screeners? Check-in and gate agents? Cabin crew? All of the above?

Clearly there is no obvious or easy answer to any of these issues.

Source: British pilots say no to armed marshals - Washington Times

Technorati Tags: Airline Pilots Security Alliance, aviation security, BALPA, British Air Line Pilots Association, Federal Air Marshals, Federal Flight Deck Officers