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FAA Says It’s Working With Airlines to Ease Florida Flight Disruptions

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Published: Monday, 09 May 2022 15:14

The Federal Aviation Administration said it is working with airlines to ease mounting air-traffic problems in Florida, where bad weather and staffing shortages have snarled flights as demand for air travel in the state surges.

The FAA said it would increase air-traffic-control staffing and tweak flight practices to address the strains, after meeting with about a dozen airlines, small-plane operators and aviation groups.

More-frequent thunderstorms in Florida, which has a large population and popular vacation spots, have disrupted flights in recent months, and some airlines have said they are sharing airspace with more space launches from Kennedy Space Center, located along the Atlantic in central Florida.

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Ukraine War Forces Airlines to Adjust Flight Paths

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Published: Monday, 21 March 2022 18:46

Avoiding the huge Russian airspace is likely to increase costs for passengers and cargo, further snarling global supply chains. Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Katz tells WSJ What’s News host Sandra Kilhof why flying around Russia may be problematic.

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Boeing’s Big Bet on Russian Titanium Includes Ties to Sanctioned Oligarch

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Published: Monday, 14 March 2022 18:45

Plane maker has suspended buying the metal from Russia but must still deal with ties with company linked to sanctioned oligarch and Putin ally

Boeing Co has suspended parts of its business in Russia, but it still has to deal with its relationship to a key titanium supplier led by a sanctioned oligarch who once worked in the KGB with President Vladimir Putin.

The plane maker years ago made a big bet on the country’s titanium, crucial for manufacturing its commercial jets and military aircraft, and Boeing has warned that geopolitical changes could create supply problems in the future.

Boeing said it has halted purchasing Russian titanium since the country’s invasion of Ukraine. It also has closed its engineering offices in Moscow and Kyiv and stopped sending spare plane parts to Russian airlines. But as other Western companies retreat from Russia, Boeing declined to say what it will do about its joint venture with the titanium supplier led by Mr. Putin’s former intelligence colleague, Sergey Chemezov.

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Russia Can’t Fly Without the West—but May Eventually Propel China

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Published: Wednesday, 09 March 2022 23:44

Sanctions will devastate Russian aviation by denying it access to Boeing and Airbus parts. They will also give fresh impetus to efforts with China to develop alternatives to Western technology.

Boeing and Airbus dominate global aviation, but China’s Comac wants to challenge the duopoly with new planes. WSJ’s Jon Sindreu explains how supply chains, technology and geopolitics could help the Western aircraft makers to protect key markets. 

Russia’s increasing isolation from the West will leave it looking towards China for alternative economic partnerships. Aviation is a prime example: Badly hit by sanctions, the Russian industry has little choice but to double down on collaboration with its big peer to the East.

Commercial aviation faces ruin in Russia because the U.S. and its allies have blocked the sale of aircraft, parts and technical support to the country. Since the 1990s, Soviet Union-era aircraft have been replaced by Boeing and Airbus models, with domestically built planes currently making up only 17% of the fleet, Cirium data shows. Without new parts, airlines like Aeroflot and S7 Airlines will eventually need to ground their jets.

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