Category: FAA

FAA Asks Airports to Help Deal With Increase in Unruly Passengers

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday said it wants airports to deal with unruly passengers after a surge of attacks and threats against flight attendants amid COVID-19 masking mandates on airplanes. The agency previously pledged to take more aggressive action against passengers who go against safety rules. But now, the FAA wants airports to…


FAA Issues New Flight Restrictions Over Afghanistan

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Monday it has imposed new flight restrictions over Afghanistan for U.S. airlines and other U.S. operators in response to the changing security environment. The FAA, in an emergency order effective Sunday, said flights operating below 26,000-feet are prohibited in the Kabul Flight Information Region, which largely covers…


FAA Requiring Emergency Inspections for More Bell Helicopters

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Friday it was requiring emergency inspections for more than 500 additional helicopters worldwide after a fatal Bell helicopter crash in Canada. On Wednesday, the FAA issued an emergency directive requiring main rotor inspections for some Bell model 212, 204 and 205 helicopters covering 140 U.S. helicopters and…


Boeing 777X ‘Realistically’ Will Not Win Certification Approval Before Mid-2023: FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has told Boeing Co that its planned 777X is not yet ready for a significant certification step and warned it “realistically” will not certify the airplane until mid- to late 2023. The FAA in a May 13 letter to Boeing seen by Reuters cited a number of issues in rejecting…


Federal Authorities Propose Heavy Penalties for Airline Passengers Who Refuse to Comply With Mask Mandates

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed civil penalties for four passengers that allegedly transgressed their rules while dealing with flight attendants who gave them the instructions. These sanctions are part of the FAA’s “zero-tolerance policy for unruly and dangerous behavior by passengers.” “Since Jan. 1, 2021, the FAA has received approximately…


FAA Grounds Certain Planes After Engine Failure Over Denver

DENVER—The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday ordered airlines in the United States to ground planes with the type of engine that blew apart after takeoff from Denver this past weekend until they can be inspected for stress cracks. The FAA’s order applies to U.S. operators of airplanes equipped with certain Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines,…


FAA Issues Warning to Boeing After Mid-Air Explosion of United Plane’s Engine

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Sunday it is issuing an emergency directive after the failure of a Boeing 777 engine near Denver, requiring immediate inspections of similar planes. The agency’s director Steve Dickson, in a Sunday night statement, wrote that he directed an “Emergency Airworthiness Directive that would require immediate or stepped-up inspections of…


‘I Thought We Were Done’: Parts Fall From Sky in Plane Scare

BROOMFIELD, Colo.—David Delucia was settling back into his airplane seat and starting to relax on his way to a long-awaited vacation when a huge explosion and flash of light interrupted an in-flight announcement and put him in survival mode. The Boeing 777-200, headed from Denver to Honolulu on Saturday with 231 passengers and 10 crew…


FAA Approves Fully Automated Commercial Drone Flights

WASHINGTON—A Massachusetts company has been granted approval to operate commercial drone flights without a person directing the machine and keeping it in sight. It’s the first time that the Federal Aviation Administration has allowed fully automated commercial drone flights. American Robotics Inc. touted the advantage of its machines as being able to operate continuously without…


US to Allow Small Drones to Fly Over People at Night

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday said it is issuing long-awaited rules to allow for small drones to fly over people and at night, a significant step toward their use for widespread commercial deliveries. The FAA is also requiring remote identification of most drones, which are formally known as unmanned aerial vehicles, to…