AvTalk Episode 90: Long live the Queen

What this episode covers

On this episode of AvTalk we say goodbye to a big chunk of the passenger 747 fleet, one airline is bringing a 747 back from the desert, one airplane caught fire in Shanghai, and our resident numbers expert Gavin Werbeloff joins us to help break down some of the dismal numbers from the across the industry. The shrinking 747 fleet We discuss the recent 747 retirements including British Airways’ announcement and the final Qantas 747 flight. And one operator is pulling a 747 out of the desert. PS752 Black Boxes finally analyzed The PS752 Flight data recorder and Cockpit voice recorder have been downloaded and analyzed by the French BEA after months of negotiations over whether and where to send them between Iran and other countries like Ukraine and Canada. Clarifying Qatar In our previous episode, we misstated the effects of the ICJ’s ruling. While still a positive step for Qatar, there’s still a long way to go before any resolution to the situation. Check your valves The FAA issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive instructing operators of 737s that have recently returned to service after storage to inspect a bleed air valve for corrosion. A stuck valve could lead to an engine shut down in flight. The numbers, they are bad Our resident numbers expert Gavin Werbeloff joins us once again to tell us just how bad airlines are doing right now and some of the things he’s watching in the coming months that could point toward recovery or deeper trouble. Icelandair’s wild week In the course of three days, Icelandair fired all of its flight attendants and planned to have pilots perform their duties. The flight attendant union threatened to strike immediately. And then Icelandair and the union reached a new contract averting all of the above. Not-so-Smartwings A report on the Smartwings 737 that flew from Greece to Prague on a single engine is highly critical of the captain’s actions.