AvTalk Epiosde 176: The 787 returns
On this episode of AvTalk, Boeing resumes deliveries of the 787 after more than a year, Russia begins stripping planes for parts, and a Southwest flight makes a landing hard enough to fracture a flight attendant’s vertebra. Boeing resumes 787 deliveries Boeing delivered its first 787 in more than a year this week, sending a 787-8 home with American Airlines. The FAA approved of Boeing’s plan for rework and quality control, but will still issue the airworthiness certificate for individual 787s itself. Russian airlines begin stripping aircraft for parts Russian airlines have begun stripping some of their aircraft for parts as they attempt to keep flying in the absence of legitimate spare parts from Boeing and Airbus. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi to resume flights to Russia Wizz Air Abu Dhabi says it will resume flights to Russia this October. While branded as Wizz Air, it is majority-owned by the Abu Dhabi state investment organization ADQ. The carrier will join other Mideast airlines still flying to Russia, but the airline is facing push back. Lack of A220 engines keeping aircraft on the ground Air Baltic CEO Martin Gauss said this week that the lack of refurbished Pratt and Whitney engines for its A220 fleet are keeping 6 of its aircraft grounded. Air Baltic isn’t the only airline facing challenges with its A220 fleet. United pays $10M pre-delivery installment to Archer Archer collected $10 million from United Airlines this week as part of a pre-delivery payment for the 100 eVTOLs the airline has on order. This is one of the first monetary commitments from an airline for an eVTOL order. The aviation industry’s new efficiency problem After touting the beneficial effects of more junior employees and new hires, airlines are finding that their operations have become less efficient, needing more staff to operate fewer flights. We dig into Seth Miller’s analysis of the data. Southwest flight’s hard landing fractures flight attendant’s spine According to a new NTSB report, a Southwest Airlines 737 landed so hard in Santa Ana at the beginning of July it fractured a flight attendant’s vertebra. Let us know what you think (and let your friends know too!) Thank you so much for listening! Like the podcast? Have suggestions for future shows? Let us know by leaving a review on iTunes. Reviews on iTunes not only help us make a better show, they help more people find the podcast! Want to send us additional feedback, just email us. And tell that friend who asked you for a podcast recommendation that AvTalk is the one they want to listen to next. Please click here for a transcript of this episode.