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Ethiopian Airlines considering order for 20 regional jets, CEO says
"We are evaluating three aircraft models, the E-2 from Embraer, the A220 from Airbus, and the 737 MAX 7 from Boeing," CEO Mesfin Tasew Bekele said in an interview.
The final order quantity will depend on the type chosen, he added. Boeing's 737 MAX 7, which has a larger seating capacity and sits at the bottom of a larger category than the Airbus A220 and Embraer E-2, is yet to be certified.
Africa's largest carrier is experiencing strong travel demand but has been constrained by jet delivery delays and the grounding of some aircraft due to engine shortages stemming from supply chain disruptions.
"We are receiving airplanes from both Boeing and Airbus, but deliveries have been delayed, some by three months, some six months, some more," Bekele said on the sidelines of an annual IATA meeting of global airline leaders.
The company is also in talks with lessors to bring onboard some jets to ease capacity constraints.
The airline is among several facing grounded aircraft due to bottlenecks in engine maintenance plants. Ethiopian has three Boeing 787 widebody jets grounded due to a shortage of Rolls-Royce engines, with five turboprop aircraft grounded due to a shortage of RTX's Pratt & Whitney engines.
"Normally engines were supposed to be repaired and returned in three months typically, but now it takes six months or even more to get them repaired and returned," Bekele said.
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Mint
20 minutes ago
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'No issues found': Air India says completed inspection of fuel control switches on Boeing 787 planes
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Business Standard
20 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Air India finds 'no issues' with Boeing 787 fuel control switch locks
Air India on Wednesday night informed its pilots that precautionary inspections of the fuel control switch locking system on all its Boeing 787 aircraft had been completed with no issues found, adding that the throttle control modules on all these planes had already been replaced earlier as per Boeing's maintenance schedule. Two days after the release of a preliminary probe into the AI171 crash, India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on July 14 directed all airlines operating Boeing 737 and 787 aircraft to inspect the locking mechanism of fuel control switches and submit their findings by July 21. The preliminary report of India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) found that on the night of the June 12 crash, both fuel control switches on Air India flight AI171 transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF just seconds after take-off, leading to a dual engine failure and subsequent tragedy. The report did not explain the reasons for this switch movement. In its internal message, Air India said: 'Over the weekend, our Engineering team initiated precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of Fuel Control Switch (FCS) on all our Boeing 787 aircraft. The inspections have been completed and no issues were found.' It added: 'All our Boeing 787-8 aircraft have also undergone Throttle Control Module (TCM) replacement as per the Boeing maintenance schedule. The FCS is part of this module.' The fuel control switch, located on the aircraft's centre console, controls the fuel supply to the engines. Its locking mechanism is meant to prevent accidental movement from the 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' position. A disengagement of this lock could result in inadvertent engine shutdown. The airline also advised pilots to remain vigilant: 'Please continue to remain vigilant and report any defect in the Technical Log, as per the existing reporting process. The Coruson tool is also available, should there be any concerns identified during operations.' Business Standard had earlier reported that several Indian airlines had started inspecting this component after international attention turned to its design. Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways began voluntary checks on their Boeing 787 fleets earlier this week, while South Korea's transport ministry said it would soon mandate similar inspections across Boeing aircraft in the country. According to the Indian carriers impacted by the fuel switch advisory include Air India (which has 57 Boeing jets), Air India Express (75), SpiceJet (29), IndiGo (10 leased Boeing aircraft), and Akasa Air (30). Of these, only Air India and IndiGo operate the Boeing 777, which uses a different fuel control switch and is not subject to inspection. The locking feature on the switch was the subject of a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory in 2018 (SAIB NM-18-33), which warned that the switch could be installed in ways that disable the lock. Although not declared an 'unsafe condition' warranting a mandatory airworthiness directive, the FAA had recommended that airlines inspect the switches and replace any with disabled locking mechanisms. Honeywell is the manufacturer of these switches. In recent days, regulators and airlines have taken fresh interest in the switch's design and reliability, prompting precautionary inspections worldwide. The FAA advisory had highlighted the potential for 'unintentional fuel shutoff' if the locking mechanism was not engaged.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Air India Completes Fuel Control Switch Inspections On Boeing 787 Planes, Finds No Issues
The move came after the DGCA on Monday directed airlines to inspect the fuel switch locking systems on their Boeing 787 and 737 planes Air India on Wednesday completed inspections of the locking mechanism of fuel control switches (FCS) on its Boeing 787 aircraft and found no issues, an airline official said. The move came after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday directed airlines to inspect the fuel switch locking systems on their Boeing 787 and 737 planes. This followed a preliminary report from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) which indicated that the fuel switches were cut off before the Air India plane crash last month that claimed 260 lives. 'Over the weekend, our Engineering team initiated precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of Fuel Control Switch (FCS) on all our Boeing 787 aircraft. The inspections have been completed and no issues were found," the official said, citing an internal message sent to Air India pilots. The official also confirmed that all Boeing 787-8 aircraft in the fleet have had the Throttle Control Module (TCM) replaced as per Boeing's maintenance schedule. The FCS is a part of this module. Fuel control switches regulate the flow of fuel to the aircraft engines. According to the AAIB's preliminary investigation report released on Saturday, fuel supply to both engines was cut off within one second of each other, causing confusion in the cockpit shortly after takeoff. The 15-page report revealed that the fuel control switches for both engines moved from the 'run" to the 'cutoff" position within a second, leading to an immediate loss of altitude. 'In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off? The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report said. While the AAIB referenced a Safety Alert for Operators (SAIB) issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), it did not recommend any specific actions. The airline has also urged pilots to stay alert and report any technical issues in the existing defect reporting system, the official added. (With inputs from PTI) view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
