Federal investigators on Saturday began searching for what caused a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/boeing-737-slides-into-florida-river-with-136-on-board-no-fatalities-215789">Boeing jetliner with 143 people on board to slide off a runway</a> into a shallow river while landing at a Jacksonville, Florida, military base during a thunderstorm, injuring 22 people.

The Boeing 737-800 chartered by the US military was arriving from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba with 136 passengers and seven crew members when it slid into the St. Johns River at the end of the 9,000-foot runway at Naval Air Station Jacksonville on Friday night, authorities said.

Officials raised the count of people injured to 22, from 21, after a three-month-old child was admitted to a local hospital for observation, Capt. Michael Connor, commanding officer at the Jacksonville station, told a news conference.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators have recovered an undamaged flight data recorder and it has been sent to Washington for analysis, NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said at the news conference.

"We expect to get a very full report on that shortly," he said.

Investigators said they are hoping to interview the crew on Sunday.

The cockpit voice recorder is in the tail of the plane and submerged underwater. Investigators will not be able to recover it until the aircraft is lifted out of the water, Landsberg said.

"We are going to be very careful in preserving the perishable evidence," he said.

Officials were determining the best way to remove the plane from the water, NTSB investigator in charge John Lovell said.

"There are some ideas being floated in terms of putting some sort of cushioning below it ... and moving it on those cushions," he said.

The US Coast Guard placed floating booms around the jetliner to contain leaking jet fuel in the water, Landsberg said.

The plane, chartered from Miami Air International, was attempting to land at about 9:40 pm local time amid thunder and lightning when it slid off the runway and came to rest in the shallow water of the river, authorities and passengers said.

Landsberg said investigators will look closely at whether the weather played a role in the incident.

"It is a miracle. We could be talking about a different story," Connor said early on Saturday.

Active duty military members, civilian government employees and their dependents were on the jetliner, Connor told CNN.

The military base is on the western bank of the St. Johns River about 8 miles (12.87 km) south of central Jacksonville, about 350 miles (563.27 km) north of Miami.

Miami Air International is a charter airline operating a fleet of the Boeing 737-800, different from the 737 MAX 8 aircraft that has been grounded following two fatal crashes involving that plane.

Representatives of the airline did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

A spokesman for Boeing Co said that the company was aware of the incident and gathering information.

The charter company is contracted by the military for its twice-weekly "rotator" round-trip service between the U.S. mainland and Guantanamo Bay, said Bill Dougherty, a spokesman for the Jacksonville base.

Federal investigators on Saturday began searching for what caused a Boeing jetliner with 143 people on board to slide off a runway into a shallow river while landing at a Jacksonville, Florida, military base during a thunderstorm, injuring 22 people.

Federal investigators on Saturday began searching for what caused a Boeing jetliner with 143 people on board to slide off a runway into a shallow river while landing at a Jacksonville, Florida, military base during a thunderstorm, injuring 22 people. The Boeing 737-800 chartered by the US military was arriving from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba with 136 passengers and seven crew members when it slid into the St. Johns River at the end of the 9,000-foot runway at Naval Air Station Jacksonville on Friday night, authorities said. Officials raised the count of people injured to 22, from 21, after a three-month-old child was admitted to a local hospital for observation, Capt. Michael Connor, commanding officer at the Jacksonville station, told a news conference. National Transportation Safety Board investigators have recovered an undamaged flight data recorder and it has been sent to Washington for analysis, NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said at the news conference. "We expect to get a very full report on that shortly," he said. Investigators said they are hoping to interview the crew on Sunday. The cockpit voice recorder is in the tail of the plane and submerged underwater. Investigators will not be able to recover it until the aircraft is lifted out of the water, Landsberg said. "We are going to be very careful in preserving the perishable evidence," he said. Officials were determining the best way to remove the plane from the water, NTSB investigator in charge John Lovell said. "There are some ideas being floated in terms of putting some sort of cushioning below it ... and moving it on those cushions," he said. The US Coast Guard placed floating booms around the jetliner to contain leaking jet fuel in the water, Landsberg said. The plane, chartered from Miami Air International, was attempting to land at about 9:40 pm local time amid thunder and lightning when it slid off the runway and came to rest in the shallow water of the river, authorities and passengers said. Landsberg said investigators will look closely at whether the weather played a role in the incident. "It is a miracle. We could be talking about a different story," Connor said early on Saturday. Active duty military members, civilian government employees and their dependents were on the jetliner, Connor told CNN. The military base is on the western bank of the St. Johns River about 8 miles (12.87 km) south of central Jacksonville, about 350 miles (563.27 km) north of Miami. Miami Air International is a charter airline operating a fleet of the Boeing 737-800, different from the 737 MAX 8 aircraft that has been grounded following two fatal crashes involving that plane. Representatives of the airline did not immediately reply to requests for comment. A spokesman for Boeing Co said that the company was aware of the incident and gathering information. The charter company is contracted by the military for its twice-weekly "rotator" round-trip service between the U.S. mainland and Guantanamo Bay, said Bill Dougherty, a spokesman for the Jacksonville base.

Probe begins after Boeing 737 slides off runway into Florida river

Billionaire Warren Buffett, one of the world's most influential businessmen, said Saturday that he would not hesitate to fly in a Boeing 737 Max airplane, despite the grounding of the planes after two fatal crashes.

"I will never hesitate even for a second to fly on a 737 MAX," he said in response to a question from AFP on the sidelines of the annual shareholder meeting of his Berkshire Hathaway empire in Omaha.

While Buffett, the world's third-richest man, owns stakes in several of the most prestigious American companies -- from Coca-Cola to JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs to Apple and, recently, Amazon -- he holds no shares in Boeing, though he has invested in airlines.&nbsp;

Buffett was responding to a question about the damage to Boeing's reputation after 737 MAX planes were involved in two fatal crashes that left a total of nearly 350 people dead in a span of less than five months.

Boeing's entire 737 MAX fleet has been grounded since shortly after the latest crash in March, while investigators study the incidents and engineers work on solutions. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Another Boeing plane -- a 737 model that preceded the MAX line -- was involved in a rough landing late Friday in Jacksonville, Florida, when it skidded off a runway and into a river, but without causing any serious injuries.

"Planes have never been so safe," Buffett said, even as he encouraged Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg to always make safety a priority.

Billionaire Warren Buffett, one of the world's most influential businessmen, said Saturday that he would not hesitate to fly in a Boeing 737 Max airplane, despite the grounding of the planes after two fatal crashes.

Billionaire Warren Buffett, one of the world's most influential businessmen, said Saturday that he would not hesitate to fly in a Boeing 737 Max airplane, despite the grounding of the planes after two fatal crashes. "I will never hesitate even for a second to fly on a 737 MAX," he said in response to a question from AFP on the sidelines of the annual shareholder meeting of his Berkshire Hathaway empire in Omaha. While Buffett, the world's third-richest man, owns stakes in several of the most prestigious American companies -- from Coca-Cola to JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs to Apple and, recently, Amazon -- he holds no shares in Boeing, though he has invested in airlines. Buffett was responding to a question about the damage to Boeing's reputation after 737 MAX planes were involved in two fatal crashes that left a total of nearly 350 people dead in a span of less than five months. Boeing's entire 737 MAX fleet has been grounded since shortly after the latest crash in March, while investigators study the incidents and engineers work on solutions. Another Boeing plane -- a 737 model that preceded the MAX line -- was involved in a rough landing late Friday in Jacksonville, Florida, when it skidded off a runway and into a river, but without causing any serious injuries. "Planes have never been so safe," Buffett said, even as he encouraged Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg to always make safety a priority.

I will never hesitate to fly in Boeing 737 MAX: Warren Buffett

A Boeing 737 commercial jet with 136 people on board slid into the St. Johns River near Jacksonville, Florida after landing on Friday.

Breaking: Boeing 737 slides into Florida river with 136 on board, no fatalities

A chartered Boeing 737 jetliner with 143 people on board slid off a runway and into the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida, on Friday while attempting to land at a military base in a thunderstorm, injuring 21 people.

There were no reports of fatalities or critical injuries. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said on Twitter that all 21 people who had been taken to a hospital for treatment were listed in good condition.

The plane, a 737-800 arriving from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba with 136 passengers and seven crew members, crashed into the river at the end of the runway at Naval Air Station Jacksonville about 9:40 pm local time, a spokesman for the Florida air base said.

"The plane was not submerged. Every person is alive and accounted for," the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said on Twitter.

The sheriff's tweet was accompanied by two photographs showing the plane, which bears the logo of Miami Air International, resting in shallow water and fully intact.

The mayor of Jacksonville, Lenny Curry, said on Twitter that US President Donald Trump had called him to offer help.

"No fatalities reported. We are all in this together. Absorb that," Curry said in a separate tweet.

A passenger on board the plane, attorney Cheryl Bormann, told CNN in an interview that the flight, which had been four hours late in departing, made a "really hard landing" in Jacksonville amid thunder and lightning.

"We came down, the plane literally hit the ground and bounced, it was clear the pilot did not have total control of the plane, it bounced again," she said, adding that the experience was "terrifying.

Bormann said she hit her head on a plastic tray on the seat in front of her as the plane veered sideways and off the runway. "We were in the water, we couldn't tell where we were, whether it was a river or an ocean."

Bormann described emerging from the plane onto the wing as oxygen masks deployed and smelling the jet fuel that she said was leaking into the water.

Bormann, from Chicago, said that most of the passengers were connected to the military and helped each other out of their seats and onto a wing, where they were assisted after some time into a raft.

Miami Air International is a charter airline operating a fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Representatives for the airline could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters on Friday evening.

A Boeing spokesman said that the company was aware of the incident and was gathering information.

A chartered Boeing 737 jetliner with 143 people on board slid off a runway and into the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida, on Friday while attempting to land at a military base in a thunderstorm, injuring 21 people.

A chartered Boeing 737 jetliner with 143 people on board slid off a runway and into the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida, on Friday while attempting to land at a military base in a thunderstorm, injuring 21 people. There were no reports of fatalities or critical injuries. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said on Twitter that all 21 people who had been taken to a hospital for treatment were listed in good condition. The plane, a 737-800 arriving from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba with 136 passengers and seven crew members, crashed into the river at the end of the runway at Naval Air Station Jacksonville about 9:40 pm local time, a spokesman for the Florida air base said. "The plane was not submerged. Every person is alive and accounted for," the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said on Twitter. The sheriff's tweet was accompanied by two photographs showing the plane, which bears the logo of Miami Air International, resting in shallow water and fully intact. The mayor of Jacksonville, Lenny Curry, said on Twitter that US President Donald Trump had called him to offer help. "No fatalities reported. We are all in this together. Absorb that," Curry said in a separate tweet. A passenger on board the plane, attorney Cheryl Bormann, told CNN in an interview that the flight, which had been four hours late in departing, made a "really hard landing" in Jacksonville amid thunder and lightning. "We came down, the plane literally hit the ground and bounced, it was clear the pilot did not have total control of the plane, it bounced again," she said, adding that the experience was "terrifying. Bormann said she hit her head on a plastic tray on the seat in front of her as the plane veered sideways and off the runway. "We were in the water, we couldn't tell where we were, whether it was a river or an ocean." Bormann described emerging from the plane onto the wing as oxygen masks deployed and smelling the jet fuel that she said was leaking into the water. Bormann, from Chicago, said that most of the passengers were connected to the military and helped each other out of their seats and onto a wing, where they were assisted after some time into a raft. Miami Air International is a charter airline operating a fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Representatives for the airline could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters on Friday evening. A Boeing spokesman said that the company was aware of the incident and was gathering information.

Boeing 737 slides off runway into Florida river, 21 hurt

Virgin Australia said on Tuesday it had delayed delivery of its order of 48 <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/boeing-737-max-software-upgrade-operationally-suitable-faa-panel-211034&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiHkbLmi_fhAhXz8HMBHZ8kCKcQFjAJegQIABAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw27GtgdDxnkRoIQyOo2MO_k">Boeing 737 MAX</a> aircraft over safety concerns, following two deadly crashes.

The 737 MAX has been grounded worldwide since mid-March following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight and an earlier Lion Air crash in Indonesia, which killed a total of 346 passengers and crew.

Virgin Australia said in a statement that it was deferring delivery of its first batch of planes from November 2019 to July 2021.&nbsp;

"Safety is always the number one priority for Virgin Australia. As we have previously stated, we will not introduce any new aircraft to the fleet unless we are completely satisfied with its safety," Virgin Chief Executive Paul Scurrah said.

"We are confident in Boeing's commitment to returning the 737 MAX to service safely and as a long-term partner of Boeing, we will be working with them through this process", Scurrah said.

Virgin also said it was shifting some of its orders of 737 MAX 8s to Max 10s while keeping the total at 48 planes.

The Virgin announcement comes as Boeing executives faced several shareholder challenges Monday at its annual general meeting, with the crisis raising questions about whether the aerospace giant put profits ahead of safety to market a new narrow-body plane.

The US firm has said both crashes involved erroneous information generated by the anti-stall system.

But it has defended the design of the MAX saying multiple factors can contribute to catastrophic accidents.

Boeing expects the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a test flight of a software fix for the anti-stall system soon.

Virgin Australia said on Tuesday it had delayed delivery of its order of 48 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft over safety concerns, following two deadly crashes. The 737 MAX has been grounded worldwide since mid-March following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight and an earlier Lion Air crash in Indonesia, which killed a total of 346 passengers and crew.

Virgin Australia said on Tuesday it had delayed delivery of its order of 48 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft over safety concerns, following two deadly crashes. The 737 MAX has been grounded worldwide since mid-March following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight and an earlier Lion Air crash in Indonesia, which killed a total of 346 passengers and crew. Virgin Australia said in a statement that it was deferring delivery of its first batch of planes from November 2019 to July 2021. "Safety is always the number one priority for Virgin Australia. As we have previously stated, we will not introduce any new aircraft to the fleet unless we are completely satisfied with its safety," Virgin Chief Executive Paul Scurrah said. "We are confident in Boeing's commitment to returning the 737 MAX to service safely and as a long-term partner of Boeing, we will be working with them through this process", Scurrah said. Virgin also said it was shifting some of its orders of 737 MAX 8s to Max 10s while keeping the total at 48 planes. The Virgin announcement comes as Boeing executives faced several shareholder challenges Monday at its annual general meeting, with the crisis raising questions about whether the aerospace giant put profits ahead of safety to market a new narrow-body plane. The US firm has said both crashes involved erroneous information generated by the anti-stall system. But it has defended the design of the MAX saying multiple factors can contribute to catastrophic accidents. Boeing expects the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a test flight of a software fix for the anti-stall system soon.

Virgin Australia delays Boeing 737 MAX order over safety concerns

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/boeing-making-steady-progress-on-certifying-737-max-software-update-ceo-211569">Boeing </a>executives successfully beat back shareholder challenges to their authority on Monday as the company signaled it expects regulators to take a key step next week in the effort to get the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/boeing-faces-fresh-lawsuits-from-families-of-boeing-737-max-crash-victims-214726">737 MAX</a> back in the air following two deadly crashes.

The aerospace giant, under scrutiny following the crashes that killed 346 passengers and crew and grounded the MAX worldwide, won a vote of confidence from its investors, even as company management faced tough questions over plane design and the possible missteps in getting the aircraft to market.

Boeing expects the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a test flight by the end of next week of the software fix the company developed for the flight system on the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/boeing-737-max-software-upgrade-operationally-suitable-faa-panel-211034">737 MAX</a>, a company spokesman said Monday. That would be a critical step in certifying the aircraft as flight-worthy.

However, an FAA spokesman said the agency had not released a date or time for the flight yet.

Amid reports of missteps in developing the newest version of its most popular aircraft, concerned shareholders used the annual meeting to seek greater transparency by proposing to make the chairman an independent director and to disclose lobbying activities and trade association memberships.

But those proposals garnered just 34 and 32 per cent of the votes, respectively, somewhat better than similar measures last year, but still well below 50 per cent.

The defeat of those motions no doubt was relief for Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg and other company brass but there was little sense of triumph at an annual meeting that included a moment of silence for the lives lost.

The company faces an uncertain timetable for bringing the grounded fleet back into service and tough questions over a new plane design that crashed twice, as well as potential costs from the crisis.

Muilenburg was asked during a press conference if he considered resigning.&nbsp;

"We're focused on safety and I can tell you these accidents weigh heavily on us as a company," he responded. "My clear intent is to continue to lead on the front of safety and quality and integrity."

The company reported last week that the crisis had added $1 billion to costs in the year's first quarter.

The 737 MAX has been grounded since mid-March following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight and an earlier Lion Air crash, a crisis that has raised questions about whether the US giant sacrificed safety in its zeal to market a new narrow-body plane and compete with Airbus.

At the shareholders meeting, Muilenburg faced some pointed questions from shareholders but defended the design of the 737 MAX as "thorough" and "disciplined."

Boeing has said both crashes involved erroneous information that came to the airplane through its anti-stall system, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, which the software update is meant to address.

"We know that in both accidents there was a chain of events that occurred. One of the links was the activation of the MCAS system because of the data," Muilenburg said at the media briefing. "We know we can break that link in the chain. The software update does that."

'Chain of Events'

But Muilenburg repeatedly declined to characterize the MCAS system as a design flaw, saying there is more than one factor in such catastrophic accidents and that an investigation is continuing.

"It's a chain of events. There is no singular item," he said. "I think it's really important that we all focus on letting the investigation process run its due course."

US carriers such as American Airlines and Southwest Airlines are targeting August to resume flights on the 737 MAX in the expectation that Boeing will receive approval for its fix by that time.

Boeing has submitted some of the documentation to the FAA for the fix to the MCAS system, said a person familiar with the matter, adding that the application will be considered complete following a test flight in the coming days.

Boeing expects certification of the software fix some time after an FAA meeting with international regulators on May 23, the company spokesman said.

Fresh questions were raised over the weekend following revelations that prior to the Lion Air crash in October, Boeing deactivated a malfunction signal on 737 MAX planes owned by Southwest without telling the carrier, a feature that would detect a sensor error of the kind thought to have been a factor in both crashes.

The FAA considered recommending grounding the planes at the time as they explored whether pilots flying the aircraft needed additional training about the alerts, according to a source familiar with the matter.

They decided against that -- but never passed details of the discussions to higher-ranking officials in the FAA, the source said.

Shares of Boeing finished down 0.5 per cent at $379.05.

Boeing executives successfully beat back shareholder challenges to their authority on Monday as the company signaled it expects regulators to take a key step next week in the effort to get the 737 MAX back in the air following two deadly crashes.

Boeing executives successfully beat back shareholder challenges to their authority on Monday as the company signaled it expects regulators to take a key step next week in the effort to get the 737 MAX back in the air following two deadly crashes. The aerospace giant, under scrutiny following the crashes that killed 346 passengers and crew and grounded the MAX worldwide, won a vote of confidence from its investors, even as company management faced tough questions over plane design and the possible missteps in getting the aircraft to market. Boeing expects the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a test flight by the end of next week of the software fix the company developed for the flight system on the 737 MAX, a company spokesman said Monday. That would be a critical step in certifying the aircraft as flight-worthy. However, an FAA spokesman said the agency had not released a date or time for the flight yet. Amid reports of missteps in developing the newest version of its most popular aircraft, concerned shareholders used the annual meeting to seek greater transparency by proposing to make the chairman an independent director and to disclose lobbying activities and trade association memberships. But those proposals garnered just 34 and 32 per cent of the votes, respectively, somewhat better than similar measures last year, but still well below 50 per cent. The defeat of those motions no doubt was relief for Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg and other company brass but there was little sense of triumph at an annual meeting that included a moment of silence for the lives lost. The company faces an uncertain timetable for bringing the grounded fleet back into service and tough questions over a new plane design that crashed twice, as well as potential costs from the crisis. Muilenburg was asked during a press conference if he considered resigning. "We're focused on safety and I can tell you these accidents weigh heavily on us as a company," he responded. "My clear intent is to continue to lead on the front of safety and quality and integrity." The company reported last week that the crisis had added $1 billion to costs in the year's first quarter. The 737 MAX has been grounded since mid-March following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight and an earlier Lion Air crash, a crisis that has raised questions about whether the US giant sacrificed safety in its zeal to market a new narrow-body plane and compete with Airbus. At the shareholders meeting, Muilenburg faced some pointed questions from shareholders but defended the design of the 737 MAX as "thorough" and "disciplined." Boeing has said both crashes involved erroneous information that came to the airplane through its anti-stall system, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, which the software update is meant to address. "We know that in both accidents there was a chain of events that occurred. One of the links was the activation of the MCAS system because of the data," Muilenburg said at the media briefing. "We know we can break that link in the chain. The software update does that." 'Chain of Events' But Muilenburg repeatedly declined to characterize the MCAS system as a design flaw, saying there is more than one factor in such catastrophic accidents and that an investigation is continuing. "It's a chain of events. There is no singular item," he said. "I think it's really important that we all focus on letting the investigation process run its due course." US carriers such as American Airlines and Southwest Airlines are targeting August to resume flights on the 737 MAX in the expectation that Boeing will receive approval for its fix by that time. Boeing has submitted some of the documentation to the FAA for the fix to the MCAS system, said a person familiar with the matter, adding that the application will be considered complete following a test flight in the coming days. Boeing expects certification of the software fix some time after an FAA meeting with international regulators on May 23, the company spokesman said. Fresh questions were raised over the weekend following revelations that prior to the Lion Air crash in October, Boeing deactivated a malfunction signal on 737 MAX planes owned by Southwest without telling the carrier, a feature that would detect a sensor error of the kind thought to have been a factor in both crashes. The FAA considered recommending grounding the planes at the time as they explored whether pilots flying the aircraft needed additional training about the alerts, according to a source familiar with the matter. They decided against that -- but never passed details of the discussions to higher-ranking officials in the FAA, the source said. Shares of Boeing finished down 0.5 per cent at $379.05.

Boeing wins confidence of shareholders, prepares for key 737 MAX test flight

A review by a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/if-i-were-boeing-i-would-fix-737-max-and-rebrand-the-plane-with-a-new-name-trump-210614">US</a> Federal Aviation Administration panel into Boeing Co's grounded 737 MAX aircraft found a planned software update and training revisions to be "operationally suitable," the agency said Tuesday, an important milestone in getting the planes back in the air.

More than 300 <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/boeings-737-max-aircraft-what-comes-next-203786">Boeing 737 MAX jets</a> have been<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/american-airlines-cancels-115-flights-daily-over-boeing-737-max-until-august-210442"> grounded </a>worldwide after nearly 350 people died in two crashes, one in Indonesia in October and another in Ethiopia last month.

Boeing has been announced a planned software update on the 737 MAX to prevent erroneous data from triggering an anti-stall system known as MCAS that is under scrutiny following the two disastrous nose-down crashes.

The draft report from the Flight Standardization Board (FSB) appointed by the FAA, which includes pilots, engineers and other experts, said additional training was needed for MCAS, but not required to be done in a simulator. The board said ground training "must address system description, functionality, associated failure conditions, and flight crew alerting." The public has until April 30 to make comments.

The panel evaluated the software update to MCAS for "training and checking differences determination," the report said. "The MCAS system was found to be operationally suitable."

Boeing shares closed up 1.7 per cent after the news.

Boeing is under pressure to upgrade the software and convince global regulators that the plane is safe to fly again, a process expected to take at least 90 days.

Despite the stock rebound, investors were advised on Tuesday by the proxy firms Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis to press the company to vote for a shareholder proposal to split the role of chairman and chief executive.

ISS said uncertainty about the long-term impact on Boeing related to safety problems with the 737 MAX was serious enough to merit having an independent board chair.

"Shareholders would benefit from the most robust form of independent oversight to ensure that the company's management is able to regain the confidence of regulators, customers and other key stakeholders, ISS said in a report ahead of Boeing's annual shareholders meeting April 29.

Glass Lewis also recommended investors vote to remove from the board the head of Boeing's audit committee, Lawrence Kellner. Kellner is the former chair and chief executive of Continental Airlines.

Glass Lewis said the two crashes "indicate a potential lapse in the board's oversight of risk management. We believe the audit committee should have taken a more proactive role in identifying the risks associated with the 737 Max 8 aircraft."

Boeing said in a statement it "has a strong, actively engaged board, which brings a high level of expertise, dedication and commitment to its oversight function, including with respect to the safety of the 737 MAX and our other airplane programs."

The FAA still must approve the software package and training once Boeing formally submits them to the agency, an FAA spokesman said.

Boeing said earlier this month it planned to submit a software upgrade and additional training for the anti-stall system known as Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) on the planes to the FAA in the coming weeks for approval.

A review by a US Federal Aviation Administration panel into Boeing Co's grounded 737 MAX aircraft found a planned software update and training revisions to be "operationally suitable," the agency said Tuesday, an important milestone in getting the planes back in the air.

A review by a US Federal Aviation Administration panel into Boeing Co's grounded 737 MAX aircraft found a planned software update and training revisions to be "operationally suitable," the agency said Tuesday, an important milestone in getting the planes back in the air. More than 300 Boeing 737 MAX jets have been grounded worldwide after nearly 350 people died in two crashes, one in Indonesia in October and another in Ethiopia last month. Boeing has been announced a planned software update on the 737 MAX to prevent erroneous data from triggering an anti-stall system known as MCAS that is under scrutiny following the two disastrous nose-down crashes. The draft report from the Flight Standardization Board (FSB) appointed by the FAA, which includes pilots, engineers and other experts, said additional training was needed for MCAS, but not required to be done in a simulator. The board said ground training "must address system description, functionality, associated failure conditions, and flight crew alerting." The public has until April 30 to make comments. The panel evaluated the software update to MCAS for "training and checking differences determination," the report said. "The MCAS system was found to be operationally suitable." Boeing shares closed up 1.7 per cent after the news. Boeing is under pressure to upgrade the software and convince global regulators that the plane is safe to fly again, a process expected to take at least 90 days. Despite the stock rebound, investors were advised on Tuesday by the proxy firms Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis to press the company to vote for a shareholder proposal to split the role of chairman and chief executive. ISS said uncertainty about the long-term impact on Boeing related to safety problems with the 737 MAX was serious enough to merit having an independent board chair. "Shareholders would benefit from the most robust form of independent oversight to ensure that the company's management is able to regain the confidence of regulators, customers and other key stakeholders, ISS said in a report ahead of Boeing's annual shareholders meeting April 29. Glass Lewis also recommended investors vote to remove from the board the head of Boeing's audit committee, Lawrence Kellner. Kellner is the former chair and chief executive of Continental Airlines. Glass Lewis said the two crashes "indicate a potential lapse in the board's oversight of risk management. We believe the audit committee should have taken a more proactive role in identifying the risks associated with the 737 Max 8 aircraft." Boeing said in a statement it "has a strong, actively engaged board, which brings a high level of expertise, dedication and commitment to its oversight function, including with respect to the safety of the 737 MAX and our other airplane programs." The FAA still must approve the software package and training once Boeing formally submits them to the agency, an FAA spokesman said. Boeing said earlier this month it planned to submit a software upgrade and additional training for the anti-stall system known as Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) on the planes to the FAA in the coming weeks for approval.

Boeing 737 MAX software upgrade 'operationally suitable': FAA panel

Lawsuit filed against Boeing over Ethiopian plane crash

Indonesia's national carrier Garuda will call off a multi-billion-dollar order for 49 <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-crashes-boeing-rolls-out-safety-feature-previously-sold-as-an-option-204750">Boeing 737 Max 8</a> jets after two fatal crashes involving the plane, the company said Friday, in what is thought to be the first formal cancellation for the model.

"We have sent a letter to Boeing requesting that the order be cancelled," said Garuda spokesman Ikhsan Rosan.

"The reason is that Garuda passengers in Indonesia have lost trust and no longer have the confidence" in the plane, he said, adding that the airline was awaiting a response from Boeing.

Garuda had already received one of the 737 MAX 8 planes, he said, part of a 50-plane order worth $4.9 billion at list prices when it was announced in 2014.

Garuda is also talking to Boeing about whether or not to return the plane it has received, the spokesman told AFP.

The carrier had so far paid Boeing about $26 million, while Garuda's chief told Indonesian media outlet Detik that it would consider switching to a new version of the single-aisle jet.

"In principle, it's not that we want to replace Boeing, but maybe we will replace (these planes) with another model," Garuda Indonesia director I Gusti Ngurah Askhara Danadiputra told Detik.

This month, Indonesia's Lion Air said was postponing taking delivery of four new Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets after an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into a flight to Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board.&nbsp;

That came after a Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia in October, killing all 189 people on board.

Indonesia's national carrier Garuda will call off a multi-billion-dollar order for 49 Boeing 737 Max 8 jets after two fatal crashes involving the plane, the company said Friday, in what is thought to be the first formal cancellation for the model.

Indonesia's national carrier Garuda will call off a multi-billion-dollar order for 49 Boeing 737 Max 8 jets after two fatal crashes involving the plane, the company said Friday, in what is thought to be the first formal cancellation for the model. "We have sent a letter to Boeing requesting that the order be cancelled," said Garuda spokesman Ikhsan Rosan. "The reason is that Garuda passengers in Indonesia have lost trust and no longer have the confidence" in the plane, he said, adding that the airline was awaiting a response from Boeing. Garuda had already received one of the 737 MAX 8 planes, he said, part of a 50-plane order worth $4.9 billion at list prices when it was announced in 2014. Garuda is also talking to Boeing about whether or not to return the plane it has received, the spokesman told AFP. The carrier had so far paid Boeing about $26 million, while Garuda's chief told Indonesian media outlet Detik that it would consider switching to a new version of the single-aisle jet. "In principle, it's not that we want to replace Boeing, but maybe we will replace (these planes) with another model," Garuda Indonesia director I Gusti Ngurah Askhara Danadiputra told Detik. This month, Indonesia's Lion Air said was postponing taking delivery of four new Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets after an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into a flight to Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board. That came after a Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia in October, killing all 189 people on board.

Indonesia's Garuda cancels 49-plane Boeing 737 order after crashes

The United States Transport Department has directed its internal watchdog to conduct an inquiry into the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) approval of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ethiopian-airline-crash-boeing-finalising-737-max-software-update-203974">Boeing 737 MAX 8</a>.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/boeings-737-max-aircraft-what-comes-next-203786">Boeing aircraft</a>, which has been involved in two major crashes in the last five months, has been grounded by scores of governments and airlines citing safety concerns following the recent Ethiopian Airlines crash which claimed the lives of all 157 people on board.

The audit has been ordered by Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao on Tuesday (local time), who stated, "Safety is the top priority of the department, and all of us are saddened by the fatalities resulting from the recent accidents involving two Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in Indonesia and Ethiopia."

She further wrote that the inquiry will "help inform the department's&nbsp;decision-making and the public's understanding and to assist the FAA in ensuring that its safety procedures are implemented effectively," according to The New York Times.

The FAA finds itself mired in controversy over its certification and approval of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet."We are currently developing the scope and objectives of our review and expect to formally announce and begin our audit work as soon as possible," the Transportation Department`s Office of Inspector General said.

Boeing has since agreed to cooperate with the review.&nbsp;

The United States Transport Department has directed its internal watchdog to conduct an inquiry into the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) approval of the Boeing 737 MAX 8.

The United States Transport Department has directed its internal watchdog to conduct an inquiry into the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) approval of the Boeing 737 MAX 8. The Boeing aircraft, which has been involved in two major crashes in the last five months, has been grounded by scores of governments and airlines citing safety concerns following the recent Ethiopian Airlines crash which claimed the lives of all 157 people on board. The audit has been ordered by Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao on Tuesday (local time), who stated, "Safety is the top priority of the department, and all of us are saddened by the fatalities resulting from the recent accidents involving two Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in Indonesia and Ethiopia." She further wrote that the inquiry will "help inform the department's decision-making and the public's understanding and to assist the FAA in ensuring that its safety procedures are implemented effectively," according to The New York Times. The FAA finds itself mired in controversy over its certification and approval of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet."We are currently developing the scope and objectives of our review and expect to formally announce and begin our audit work as soon as possible," the Transportation Department`s Office of Inspector General said. Boeing has since agreed to cooperate with the review.

US calls for enquiry into FAA's approval of Boeing 737 MAX 8

Ethiopian Airline crash: Boeing 'finalising' 737 Max software update

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/were-disappointed-says-india-after-china-blocks-move-to-designate-masood-azhar-as-a-global-terrorist-203180">We're disappointed, says India after China blocks move to designate Masood Azhar as a global terrorist</a>

India on Wednesday night expressed "disappointment" after&nbsp;China blocked&nbsp;yet another move at the United Nations to designate Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's&nbsp;chief Masood Azhar&nbsp;as a "global terrorist".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-joins-other-nations-in-grounding-737-max-jets-after-second-crash-203179">US joins other nations in grounding 737 MAX jets after Ethiopian Airlines plane</a>

The United States on Wednesday joined Europe, China and other countries in grounding&nbsp;Boeing Co's 737 MAX jets, because of safety concerns after an Ethiopian Airlines plane crash that killed 157 people, the second disaster involving the 737 in less than five months.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-prosecutors-probing-facebooks-data-deals-report-203195">US prosecutors probing Facebook's data deals: Report</a>

US federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into data deals Facebook Inc&nbsp;struck with some of the world's largest technology companies, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/defying-trump-senate-votes-to-end-us-support-for-yemen-war-203188">Defying Trump, Senate votes to end US support for Yemen war</a>

The US Senate on Wednesday dealt a stinging bipartisan rebuke to Donald Trump's foreign policy and his alliance with Riyadh, voting to end support for the bloody Saudi-led&nbsp;war effort in Yemen.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-united-states-agree-to-develop-six-nuclear-power-plants-in-india-203196">India, </a><a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-united-states-agree-to-develop-six-nuclear-power-plants-in-india-203196">United</a><a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-united-states-agree-to-develop-six-nuclear-power-plants-in-india-203196"> States agree to develop six nuclear power plants in India</a>

The United States and India on Wednesday agreed to strengthen security and civil nuclear cooperation, including building six US&nbsp;nuclear power plants in India,&nbsp;the two countries said in a joint statement.

We're disappointed, says India after China blocks move to designate Masood Azhar as a global terrorist India on Wednesday night expressed "disappointment" after China blocked yet another move at the United Nations to designate Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief Masood Azhar as a "global terrorist".

We're disappointed, says India after China blocks move to designate Masood Azhar as a global terrorist India on Wednesday night expressed "disappointment" after China blocked yet another move at the United Nations to designate Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief Masood Azhar as a "global terrorist". US joins other nations in grounding 737 MAX jets after Ethiopian Airlines plane The United States on Wednesday joined Europe, China and other countries in grounding Boeing Co's 737 MAX jets, because of safety concerns after an Ethiopian Airlines plane crash that killed 157 people, the second disaster involving the 737 in less than five months. US prosecutors probing Facebook's data deals: Report US federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into data deals Facebook Inc struck with some of the world's largest technology companies, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. Defying Trump, Senate votes to end US support for Yemen war The US Senate on Wednesday dealt a stinging bipartisan rebuke to Donald Trump's foreign policy and his alliance with Riyadh, voting to end support for the bloody Saudi-led war effort in Yemen. India, United States agree to develop six nuclear power plants in India The United States and India on Wednesday agreed to strengthen security and civil nuclear cooperation, including building six US nuclear power plants in India, the two countries said in a joint statement.

News brief: Big stories of the day

Boeing's 737 Max crisis: When the warning comes mid-air

Pilots with 1,000 flying hours can only fly Boeing 737: India issues new rules

Singapore's aviation regulator Tuesday banned the use of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/boeing-to-upgrade-software-in-737-max-8-fleet-in-weeks-202738">Boeing 737 MAX aircraft </a>in the country's airspace following a deadly Ethiopia plane crash at the weekend.

The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into a flight to Nairobi Sunday, killing all 157 people on board, months after a Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia killing 189.&nbsp;

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement it was "temporarily suspending operation of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore in light of two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in less than five months."

It comes as airlines around the world remove the model from their schedules, while US regulators have ordered Boeing to make urgent improvements to the jet. 
Singapore's suspension will take effect from 2:00 pm (0600 GMT) Tuesday, the authority said.

It said that SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, operates six Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Other airlines operating the planes to Singapore are China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air.&nbsp;

The regulator said it was working with the city-state's Changi Airport -- a major global hub -- and affected airlines to minimise any impact on passengers.

"During the temporary suspension, CAAS will gather more information and review the safety risk associated with the continued operation of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore," it said.

"The suspension will be reviewed as relevant safety information becomes available."

Singapore's aviation regulator Tuesday banned the use of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the country's airspace following a deadly Ethiopia plane crash at the weekend.

Singapore's aviation regulator Tuesday banned the use of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the country's airspace following a deadly Ethiopia plane crash at the weekend. The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into a flight to Nairobi Sunday, killing all 157 people on board, months after a Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia killing 189. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement it was "temporarily suspending operation of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore in light of two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in less than five months." It comes as airlines around the world remove the model from their schedules, while US regulators have ordered Boeing to make urgent improvements to the jet. Singapore's suspension will take effect from 2:00 pm (0600 GMT) Tuesday, the authority said. It said that SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, operates six Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Other airlines operating the planes to Singapore are China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air. The regulator said it was working with the city-state's Changi Airport -- a major global hub -- and affected airlines to minimise any impact on passengers. "During the temporary suspension, CAAS will gather more information and review the safety risk associated with the continued operation of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore," it said. "The suspension will be reviewed as relevant safety information becomes available."

Singapore bans use of Boeing 737 MAX in its airspace

Boeing&nbsp;Co confirmed late on Monday it will deploy a software upgrade to the 737 MAX 8, a few hours after the Federal Aviation Administration said it would mandate "<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/boeing-737-max-8-airworthy-but-it-will-make-design-changes-us-202724">design changes</a>" in the aircraft by April.

Boeing&nbsp;did not give any reference of Sunday's Ethiopian Airlines crash in connection to the software upgrade. The statement did express the company's condolences to the relatives of the 157 people who died, however.

The company said in the aftermath of October's Lion Air Flight crash it has for several months "been developing a flight control software enhancement for the 737 MAX, designed to make an already safe aircraft even safer".

"The software upgrade "will be deployed across the 737 MAX fleet in the coming weeks," it said.

An&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/ethiopian-plane-crash-investigators-recover-black-boxes-from-boeing-737-max-8-202673">Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 bound for Nairobi crashed</a>&nbsp;minutes after take-off on Sunday, killing all 157 aboard and raising questions about the safety of the new variant of the industry workhorse, one of which also&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/indonesia-lion-air-plane-with-189-on-board-crashes-into-sea-authorities-search-for-remains-174139">crashed in Indonesia in October</a>, killing 189 people.

Boeing's shares fell as much as 10 per cent on the prospect that two such crashes in such a short time could reveal flaws in its new plane. Boeing, whose shares closed down 5.3 per cent at $400.01 in the heaviest trading trade since July 2013, did not immediately comment.

China ordered its airlines to ground the jet, a move followed by Indonesia and Ethiopia. Other airlines, from North America to the Middle East, kept flying the 737 MAX 8 on Monday after Boeing said it was safe.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Boeing Co confirmed late on Monday it will deploy a software upgrade to the 737 MAX 8, a few hours after the Federal Aviation Administration said it would mandate "design changes" in the aircraft by April.

Boeing Co confirmed late on Monday it will deploy a software upgrade to the 737 MAX 8, a few hours after the Federal Aviation Administration said it would mandate "design changes" in the aircraft by April. Boeing did not give any reference of Sunday's Ethiopian Airlines crash in connection to the software upgrade. The statement did express the company's condolences to the relatives of the 157 people who died, however. The company said in the aftermath of October's Lion Air Flight crash it has for several months "been developing a flight control software enhancement for the 737 MAX, designed to make an already safe aircraft even safer". "The software upgrade "will be deployed across the 737 MAX fleet in the coming weeks," it said. An Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 bound for Nairobi crashed minutes after take-off on Sunday, killing all 157 aboard and raising questions about the safety of the new variant of the industry workhorse, one of which also crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189 people. Boeing's shares fell as much as 10 per cent on the prospect that two such crashes in such a short time could reveal flaws in its new plane. Boeing, whose shares closed down 5.3 per cent at $400.01 in the heaviest trading trade since July 2013, did not immediately comment. China ordered its airlines to ground the jet, a move followed by Indonesia and Ethiopia. Other airlines, from North America to the Middle East, kept flying the 737 MAX 8 on Monday after Boeing said it was safe.

Will upgrade software in 737 MAX 8 fleet in coming weeks: Boeing

Rescuers are racing against time to search for the black box of a plane that <a href="http://cms.wionews.com/world/ethiopian-airlines-crash-at-least-19-un-affiliated-personnel-among-157-dead-202450">crashed near the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa</a> minutes after take-off on Sunday morning.

The Ethiopian Airlines (ET) aircraft ET 302, a Boeing 737-800 MAX, took off at 08:38 local time from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport and was scheduled to arrive in Nairobi, Kenya at 10:25. It lost contact at 08:44, and crashed around Bishoftu town, some 45 kilometres from Addis Ababa.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/ethiopian-airlines-boeing-737-plane-crashes-on-way-to-kenya-with-149-passengers-on-board-202327">All 149 passengers and eight crew members aboard</a> ET 302 are confirmed dead.

The massive impact of the crash has created a 10-metre deep pit with 50 meters in diameter, an aerial shot of the accident site shows.

Ethiopian Airlines has asked China Railway Seventh Group Co&nbsp;Ltd, which was undertaking a China-invested project nearby, to pitch in the searching work as the area is difficult to access due to poor transportation condition.

By 15:30 local time, two excavators and a loaded truck have rallied at the site and the Ethiopian Federal Police (EPF) was there to maintain order.

Rescuers have been able to retrieve some remains of the aircraft's engine and wings by 20:00.&nbsp;

The wreckage pieces were scattered in an area as large as 10,000 square meters because of the huge impact force, they said, adding that the excavation would go on overnight.

Rescuers are racing against time to search for the black box of a plane that crashed near the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa minutes after take-off on Sunday morning.

Rescuers are racing against time to search for the black box of a plane that crashed near the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa minutes after take-off on Sunday morning. The Ethiopian Airlines (ET) aircraft ET 302, a Boeing 737-800 MAX, took off at 08:38 local time from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport and was scheduled to arrive in Nairobi, Kenya at 10:25. It lost contact at 08:44, and crashed around Bishoftu town, some 45 kilometres from Addis Ababa. All 149 passengers and eight crew members aboard ET 302 are confirmed dead. The massive impact of the crash has created a 10-metre deep pit with 50 meters in diameter, an aerial shot of the accident site shows. Ethiopian Airlines has asked China Railway Seventh Group Co Ltd, which was undertaking a China-invested project nearby, to pitch in the searching work as the area is difficult to access due to poor transportation condition. By 15:30 local time, two excavators and a loaded truck have rallied at the site and the Ethiopian Federal Police (EPF) was there to maintain order. Rescuers have been able to retrieve some remains of the aircraft's engine and wings by 20:00. The wreckage pieces were scattered in an area as large as 10,000 square meters because of the huge impact force, they said, adding that the excavation would go on overnight.

Search for black box of crashed Ethiopian airliner continues

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/sbi-set-to-own-15-of-jet-airways-after-debt-for-equity-swap-reports-193650">Crisis-ridden Jet Airways</a> has decided to cancel 15 flights on Wednesday following the grounding of six Boeing 737 planes due to non-payment of lease rentals, according to sources.

The airline, which is grappling with acute financial woes, cancelled around 20 flights on Tuesday as three more Boeing 737 aircraft were grounded, they added.

In two days, the carrier has grounded six such planes following non-payment of lease rentals.

The sources said the airline would be cancelling 15 flights on Wednesday, including a few flights from the national capital to various destinations.

"<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/india-news/jet-airways-shares-bounce-back-settle-with-over-5-pc-gain-191048&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwj9l_DnmZXgAhXFRY8KHQ1LB34QFggXMAY&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw3O0l0lm1REqKvZEkeZRpJw">Jet Airways</a> has defaulted on aircraft lease rentals and it has been forced to ground three more narrow-body Boeing 737 planes," a source told PTI earlier in the day.

Queries sent to the airline remained unanswered.

Due to the fresh grounding of the planes, the airline, which is negotiating with its partner Etihad for an additional cash infusion, has cancelled as many as 19 flights to/ from Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Port Blair and Bengaluru, the source said.

The full-service carrier would be holding a meeting of the shareholders on February 21.

The airline will seek shareholders' approval for conversion loan into shares or convertible instruments or other securities, according to a regulatory filing made on Monday.

The carrier would seek shareholders' nod to "convert the whole or part of the outstanding under loans, extended / to be extended by the lenders, into shares, or convertible instruments or other securities, of the company...", according to the notice of the meeting submitted to the stock exchanges.

The conversion will be done as per the terms contained in the respective loan documents between the company and its lenders. It would also be subject to all requisite regulatory approvals.

Besides, Jet Airways will seek shareholders' approval to negotiate and finalise the terms and conditions with the lenders for raising further loans from time to time as well as provide the lenders with a right to convert such loans into shares, or convertible instruments or other securities.&nbsp;

Crisis-ridden Jet Airways has decided to cancel 15 flights on Wednesday following the grounding of six Boeing 737 planes due to non-payment of lease rentals, according to sources.

Crisis-ridden Jet Airways has decided to cancel 15 flights on Wednesday following the grounding of six Boeing 737 planes due to non-payment of lease rentals, according to sources. The airline, which is grappling with acute financial woes, cancelled around 20 flights on Tuesday as three more Boeing 737 aircraft were grounded, they added. In two days, the carrier has grounded six such planes following non-payment of lease rentals. The sources said the airline would be cancelling 15 flights on Wednesday, including a few flights from the national capital to various destinations. "Jet Airways has defaulted on aircraft lease rentals and it has been forced to ground three more narrow-body Boeing 737 planes," a source told PTI earlier in the day. Queries sent to the airline remained unanswered. Due to the fresh grounding of the planes, the airline, which is negotiating with its partner Etihad for an additional cash infusion, has cancelled as many as 19 flights to/ from Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Port Blair and Bengaluru, the source said. The full-service carrier would be holding a meeting of the shareholders on February 21. The airline will seek shareholders' approval for conversion loan into shares or convertible instruments or other securities, according to a regulatory filing made on Monday. The carrier would seek shareholders' nod to "convert the whole or part of the outstanding under loans, extended / to be extended by the lenders, into shares, or convertible instruments or other securities, of the company...", according to the notice of the meeting submitted to the stock exchanges. The conversion will be done as per the terms contained in the respective loan documents between the company and its lenders. It would also be subject to all requisite regulatory approvals. Besides, Jet Airways will seek shareholders' approval to negotiate and finalise the terms and conditions with the lenders for raising further loans from time to time as well as provide the lenders with a right to convert such loans into shares, or convertible instruments or other securities.

Jet Airways cancels 15 flights, grounds six Boeing's due to financial woes

Indonesian investigators will deliver their first report into the Lion Air crash on Wednesday, a month after the brand-new Boeing 737 crashed into the sea, killing all 189 on board in the country's second-worst air disaster.

The report, which comes as the search continues in the Java Sea for the jet's cockpit voice recorder, is not expected to draw firm conclusions from the ongoing investigation into the Oct. 29 crash.

However, investigators have said they are focusing their attention on the Boeing 737's anti-stall system.

The doomed jet's systems had detected it was in a stall due to a faulty indicator and gave the captain a warning through a "stick shaker" that vibrated the controls, Nurcahyo Utomo, an investigator at Indonesia's transport safety committee (KNKT), told parliament last week.

The Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) - an automated modification new to the model that crashed - activated and directed the jet's nose down to prevent a stall, Utomo said.

The pilots counteracted that successfully for some time before the plane entered a final dive, he added.

The same anti-stall system had activated on the jet during a flight the previous evening, but the pilots, in that case, managed to shut off the system, Utomo said.

The crash was the first involving the latest model of Boeing's best-selling 737 series, the 737 MAX, which entered service a year ago.

MCAS was not described in the Lion Air flight manual before the crash, KNKT has said, nor in those used by American airlines according to US&nbsp;pilot unions.

However, the cockpit procedure for dealing with a runaway stabiliser remains unchanged from earlier 737 models.

Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg said earlier this month that Boeing provides "all of the information that's needed to safely fly our aeroplanes" but the jet's manual and training methods have come under scrutiny after the crash.

In response to initial findings from the jet's flight data recorder, Boeing issued a bulletin to airlines reiterating procedures and advising them to add information on MCAS to flight manuals, which was followed by a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration directive making that mandatory.&nbsp;

A Boeing spokeswoman on Tuesday declined to comment on the investigation but said Boeing had discussed MCAS functions with more than 60 airline operators globally since 2016.

Lion Air's maintenance practices and pilot training also face scrutiny after investigators said the doomed jet had problems with airspeed indicators on its final four flights.&nbsp;

Lion Air, one of Asia's largest budget carriers, says it tackled safety concerns highlighted by previous incidents.

Most air accidents are caused by a cocktail of factors and investigations typically take around a year to complete.

Investigators are expected to restrict their report to factual details from the jet's flight data recorder, which contains 69 hours of information from its last 19 flights.

But they can include immediate recommendations if they have pressing safety concerns.

The search for the cockpit voice recorder is proving difficult after investigators said last week its "ping" signal was no longer being detected.&nbsp;

"We're still making efforts to find the CVR and it is very important. The CVR is related to the credibility of the country so that we can avoid the same incident," KNKT head Soearjanto Tjahjono told parliament.

Indonesian investigators will deliver their first report into the Lion Air crash on Wednesday, a month after the brand-new Boeing 737 crashed into the sea, killing all 189 on board in the country's second-worst air disaster.

Indonesian investigators will deliver their first report into the Lion Air crash on Wednesday, a month after the brand-new Boeing 737 crashed into the sea, killing all 189 on board in the country's second-worst air disaster. The report, which comes as the search continues in the Java Sea for the jet's cockpit voice recorder, is not expected to draw firm conclusions from the ongoing investigation into the Oct. 29 crash. However, investigators have said they are focusing their attention on the Boeing 737's anti-stall system. The doomed jet's systems had detected it was in a stall due to a faulty indicator and gave the captain a warning through a "stick shaker" that vibrated the controls, Nurcahyo Utomo, an investigator at Indonesia's transport safety committee (KNKT), told parliament last week. The Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) - an automated modification new to the model that crashed - activated and directed the jet's nose down to prevent a stall, Utomo said. The pilots counteracted that successfully for some time before the plane entered a final dive, he added. The same anti-stall system had activated on the jet during a flight the previous evening, but the pilots, in that case, managed to shut off the system, Utomo said. The crash was the first involving the latest model of Boeing's best-selling 737 series, the 737 MAX, which entered service a year ago. MCAS was not described in the Lion Air flight manual before the crash, KNKT has said, nor in those used by American airlines according to US pilot unions. However, the cockpit procedure for dealing with a runaway stabiliser remains unchanged from earlier 737 models. Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg said earlier this month that Boeing provides "all of the information that's needed to safely fly our aeroplanes" but the jet's manual and training methods have come under scrutiny after the crash. In response to initial findings from the jet's flight data recorder, Boeing issued a bulletin to airlines reiterating procedures and advising them to add information on MCAS to flight manuals, which was followed by a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration directive making that mandatory. A Boeing spokeswoman on Tuesday declined to comment on the investigation but said Boeing had discussed MCAS functions with more than 60 airline operators globally since 2016. Lion Air's maintenance practices and pilot training also face scrutiny after investigators said the doomed jet had problems with airspeed indicators on its final four flights. Lion Air, one of Asia's largest budget carriers, says it tackled safety concerns highlighted by previous incidents. Most air accidents are caused by a cocktail of factors and investigations typically take around a year to complete. Investigators are expected to restrict their report to factual details from the jet's flight data recorder, which contains 69 hours of information from its last 19 flights. But they can include immediate recommendations if they have pressing safety concerns. The search for the cockpit voice recorder is proving difficult after investigators said last week its "ping" signal was no longer being detected. "We're still making efforts to find the CVR and it is very important. The CVR is related to the credibility of the country so that we can avoid the same incident," KNKT head Soearjanto Tjahjono told parliament.

Indonesia to give first report on deadly Lion Air crash on Wednesday

Aviation regulator DGCA has asked Jet Airways and SpiceJet to take corrective action to address possible issues with their Boeing 737 MAX planes that could lead to "significant altitude loss" of the aircraft, a senior official said Thursday.

The latest directive follows advisories issued by the US watchdog Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing after the crash of a Boeing 737 MAX plane operated by Indonesia's Lion Air last month.

Currently, Jet Airways and SpiceJet fly Boeing 737 MAX planes in India. Together, there are at least six such aircraft with the two carriers.

"Both the documents address erroneous high 'angle of attack' (AOA) sensor input and corrective action for the same as it has potential for repeated nose-down trim commands of horizontal stabiliser," a senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official told PTI.

The official said if the condition is not addressed, it could cause the flight crew to have difficulty in controlling the airplane.

The condition can even lead to "excessive nose-down attitude, significant altitude loss, and possible impact with terrain," the official noted.

Based on the initial investigation of Lion Air aircraft accident, the FAA issued emergency airworthiness directive (AD) on November 7. Boeing released a bulletin about the issue on November 6.

The DGCA official said that within three days after receipt of FAA AD, changes to airplane flight manual have to be done, for procedures which have to be followed by flight crew.

"The DGCA has ensured that all Indian operators are aware of the FAA AD and have taken appropriate corrective action," he added.

Jet Airways, which has at least five MAX planes in its fleet, said these planes continue to fly in compliance with the AD issued by the manufacturer and the regulatory authorities.

"The airline is in contact with them and committed to implement all directives or advisories that may be published by either the manufacturer or DGCA as the safety of guests and crew is of paramount importance at Jet Airways," an airline spokesperson said.

Comments from SpiceJet was awaited. Together, the two airlines have placed orders for more than 400 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

On November 6, Boeing said it had issued an Operations Manual Bulletin (OMB) directing operators to existing flight crew procedures to address circumstances where there is erroneous input from an AOA sensor.

On October 30, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said the DGCA had been asked to look at engines and other issues related to airlines following the plane crash in Indonesia.

The DGCA had reviewed the performance of Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes operated by Jet Airways and SpiceJet. The review came a day after a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by Lion Air crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta. There were more than 180 people on board.

The watchdog had also sought details about the plane crash from Boeing and FAA.

In September, the minister directed officials concerned to prepare a comprehensive safety audit plan, which involves assessment of safety parameters of all scheduled airlines, aerodromes, flying training schools and maintenance, repair and overhaul organisations (MROs).

Aviation regulator DGCA has asked Jet Airways and SpiceJet to take corrective action to address possible issues with their Boeing 737 MAX planes that could lead to "significant altitude loss" of the aircraft, a senior official said Thursday.

Aviation regulator DGCA has asked Jet Airways and SpiceJet to take corrective action to address possible issues with their Boeing 737 MAX planes that could lead to "significant altitude loss" of the aircraft, a senior official said Thursday. The latest directive follows advisories issued by the US watchdog Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing after the crash of a Boeing 737 MAX plane operated by Indonesia's Lion Air last month. Currently, Jet Airways and SpiceJet fly Boeing 737 MAX planes in India. Together, there are at least six such aircraft with the two carriers. "Both the documents address erroneous high 'angle of attack' (AOA) sensor input and corrective action for the same as it has potential for repeated nose-down trim commands of horizontal stabiliser," a senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official told PTI. The official said if the condition is not addressed, it could cause the flight crew to have difficulty in controlling the airplane. The condition can even lead to "excessive nose-down attitude, significant altitude loss, and possible impact with terrain," the official noted. Based on the initial investigation of Lion Air aircraft accident, the FAA issued emergency airworthiness directive (AD) on November 7. Boeing released a bulletin about the issue on November 6. The DGCA official said that within three days after receipt of FAA AD, changes to airplane flight manual have to be done, for procedures which have to be followed by flight crew. "The DGCA has ensured that all Indian operators are aware of the FAA AD and have taken appropriate corrective action," he added. Jet Airways, which has at least five MAX planes in its fleet, said these planes continue to fly in compliance with the AD issued by the manufacturer and the regulatory authorities. "The airline is in contact with them and committed to implement all directives or advisories that may be published by either the manufacturer or DGCA as the safety of guests and crew is of paramount importance at Jet Airways," an airline spokesperson said. Comments from SpiceJet was awaited. Together, the two airlines have placed orders for more than 400 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. On November 6, Boeing said it had issued an Operations Manual Bulletin (OMB) directing operators to existing flight crew procedures to address circumstances where there is erroneous input from an AOA sensor. On October 30, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said the DGCA had been asked to look at engines and other issues related to airlines following the plane crash in Indonesia. The DGCA had reviewed the performance of Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes operated by Jet Airways and SpiceJet. The review came a day after a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by Lion Air crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta. There were more than 180 people on board. The watchdog had also sought details about the plane crash from Boeing and FAA. In September, the minister directed officials concerned to prepare a comprehensive safety audit plan, which involves assessment of safety parameters of all scheduled airlines, aerodromes, flying training schools and maintenance, repair and overhaul organisations (MROs).

DGCA asks Jet Airways, SpiceJet to take action on sensor-related issues with Boeing 737 MAX planes 

Specialists from Cuba, the United States and Mexico located the second black box Thursday from a plane crash last week that left 111 people dead.

Armando Daniel Lopez, president of Cuba's civil aeronautics institute, told local media the Boeing 737's box was identified by its numbering, and discovered following a search aided by video footage and sworn statements from locals.

The first black box from the flight, which crashed shortly after taking off from Havana's Jose Marti airport with 113 people on board on May 18, was found last weekend.

The accident killed 100 Cubans, the six Mexican crew members, and five foreign passengers: two Argentines, one Mexican and two passengers from Western Sahara. The only two survivors remain in a critical condition in a Havana hospital.

According to Daniel, investigations into the cause of the crash will take months due to the strict international protocols that must be followed.

The 39-year-old plane, leased from Global Air, a Mexican company, was on a domestic flight to the eastern city of Holguin, where most of the passengers were from.

Built in 1979, according to the Mexican government, it last passed inspection in November 2017.

After it crashed into a potato field, most of the plane was reduced to a mangled carcass of burned metal.

Witnesses and airport officials told AFP that the aircraft plunged as it was making its first turn after take-off -- coming down just 200 meters (yards) from houses between the Boyeros and Santiago de Las Vegas districts south of Havana.

The first black box from the flight, which crashed shortly after taking off from Havana's Jose Marti airport with 113 people on board on May 18, was found last weekend

Specialists from Cuba, the United States and Mexico located the second black box Thursday from a plane crash last week that left 111 people dead. Armando Daniel Lopez, president of Cuba's civil aeronautics institute, told local media the Boeing 737's box was identified by its numbering, and discovered following a search aided by video footage and sworn statements from locals. The first black box from the flight, which crashed shortly after taking off from Havana's Jose Marti airport with 113 people on board on May 18, was found last weekend. The accident killed 100 Cubans, the six Mexican crew members, and five foreign passengers: two Argentines, one Mexican and two passengers from Western Sahara. The only two survivors remain in a critical condition in a Havana hospital. According to Daniel, investigations into the cause of the crash will take months due to the strict international protocols that must be followed. The 39-year-old plane, leased from Global Air, a Mexican company, was on a domestic flight to the eastern city of Holguin, where most of the passengers were from. Built in 1979, according to the Mexican government, it last passed inspection in November 2017. After it crashed into a potato field, most of the plane was reduced to a mangled carcass of burned metal. Witnesses and airport officials told AFP that the aircraft plunged as it was making its first turn after take-off -- coming down just 200 meters (yards) from houses between the Boyeros and Santiago de Las Vegas districts south of Havana.

Cuba plane crash: Second black box retrieved

More than 100 people were killed in a fiery crash of a Boeing 737 passenger plane in Cuba on Friday, with just three seriously injured survivors in hospital after being pulled from the wreckage, officials and state media said.

The aircraft, on a domestic flight to Holguin in eastern Cuba, crashed shortly after taking off from Havana at 11 a.m. (1500 GMT). There were either 104 or 105 passengers, including five children, plus nine crew members, various state media said.

Five of the passengers plus the crew were foreign, media reports said. The Mexican government said Mexicans citizens were among the dead, without providing further details.

"We should expect that the news will not be good, as there are a high number of people who appear to have been killed," President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in broadcast comments.

The fire from the crash had been put out and authorities were identifying bodies, the president said. The cause of the crash was not immediately known and Diaz-Canel said authorities were investigating.

"We heard an explosion and then saw a big cloud of smoke go up," said Gilberto Menendez, who runs a restaurant near the crash site in the agricultural area of Boyeros.

The Boeing 737-201 aircraft was built in 1979 and leased by Cuban airline Cubana from a small Mexican firm called Damojh, according to the Mexican government. That would make it significantly older than most planes in service.

Damojh in Mexico said it did not immediately have any more information. Cubana declined to comment.

Cubana has been the subject of complaints over service and delays in recent months.

Blackened wreckage of Flight CU972 was strewn over the crash site area 20 km (12 miles) south of Havana, a Reuters witness said. Its destination Holguin is the capital of a province that is popular with tourists for its pristine beaches.

Carlos Alberto Martinez, the director of Havana`s Calixto Garcia hospital, told Reuters that four victims of the accident had been brought there. One had died and three others, all women, were in a serious condition, he said.

"She is alive but very burnt and swollen," said a distressed relative of one of the survivors at the hospital.

The reason for the plane going down was unclear. "During take-off (the plane) apparently suffered a problem and dived to the ground," the Mexican transport department said on its website.

Most aircraft accidents take months of investigation to explain and are typically caused by a cocktail of different factors, according to aviation experts.

Cubana complaints

Boeing Co said in a statement its technical team stood "ready to assist as permitted under US law and at the direction of the US National Transportation Safety Board and Cuban authorities". The United States has a decades-old trade embargo on the island.

Boeing 737 aircraft use engines made by CFM International, the supplier of the world`s most-used engines, built by a joint venture of GE and France`s Safran.

On Thursday, Cuba`s First Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa had met with Cubana bosses to discuss public complaints about its service, according to state-run media. Problems included the cancellation of numerous domestic flights this year, and long delays which the company said were caused by technical problems with its aircraft.

Earlier this month, the company was ordered to suspend flights by its six Russian built AN-158 aircraft, of which most had reportedly already been grounded.

The last fatal crash in Cuba was in 2017, the Aviation Safety Network said. It was a military flight that killed all eight on board. In 2010, a commercial Aero Caribbean plane crashed in central Cuba. All 68 people on board were killed.

The latest available information on Cuba from UN safety aviation agency ICAO, dating back to 2008, ranks it above the global average, though that preceded the latest three crashes.

The aircraft, on a domestic flight to Holguin in eastern Cuba, crashed shortly after taking off from Havana at 11 a.m. (1500 GMT). There were either 104 or 105 passengers, including five children, plus nine crew members, various state media said

More than 100 people were killed in a fiery crash of a Boeing 737 passenger plane in Cuba on Friday, with just three seriously injured survivors in hospital after being pulled from the wreckage, officials and state media said. The aircraft, on a domestic flight to Holguin in eastern Cuba, crashed shortly after taking off from Havana at 11 a.m. (1500 GMT). There were either 104 or 105 passengers, including five children, plus nine crew members, various state media said. Five of the passengers plus the crew were foreign, media reports said. The Mexican government said Mexicans citizens were among the dead, without providing further details. "We should expect that the news will not be good, as there are a high number of people who appear to have been killed," President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in broadcast comments. The fire from the crash had been put out and authorities were identifying bodies, the president said. The cause of the crash was not immediately known and Diaz-Canel said authorities were investigating. "We heard an explosion and then saw a big cloud of smoke go up," said Gilberto Menendez, who runs a restaurant near the crash site in the agricultural area of Boyeros. The Boeing 737-201 aircraft was built in 1979 and leased by Cuban airline Cubana from a small Mexican firm called Damojh, according to the Mexican government. That would make it significantly older than most planes in service. Damojh in Mexico said it did not immediately have any more information. Cubana declined to comment. Cubana has been the subject of complaints over service and delays in recent months. Blackened wreckage of Flight CU972 was strewn over the crash site area 20 km (12 miles) south of Havana, a Reuters witness said. Its destination Holguin is the capital of a province that is popular with tourists for its pristine beaches. Carlos Alberto Martinez, the director of Havana`s Calixto Garcia hospital, told Reuters that four victims of the accident had been brought there. One had died and three others, all women, were in a serious condition, he said. "She is alive but very burnt and swollen," said a distressed relative of one of the survivors at the hospital. The reason for the plane going down was unclear. "During take-off (the plane) apparently suffered a problem and dived to the ground," the Mexican transport department said on its website. Most aircraft accidents take months of investigation to explain and are typically caused by a cocktail of different factors, according to aviation experts. Cubana complaints Boeing Co said in a statement its technical team stood "ready to assist as permitted under US law and at the direction of the US National Transportation Safety Board and Cuban authorities". The United States has a decades-old trade embargo on the island. Boeing 737 aircraft use engines made by CFM International, the supplier of the world`s most-used engines, built by a joint venture of GE and France`s Safran. On Thursday, Cuba`s First Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa had met with Cubana bosses to discuss public complaints about its service, according to state-run media. Problems included the cancellation of numerous domestic flights this year, and long delays which the company said were caused by technical problems with its aircraft. Earlier this month, the company was ordered to suspend flights by its six Russian built AN-158 aircraft, of which most had reportedly already been grounded. The last fatal crash in Cuba was in 2017, the Aviation Safety Network said. It was a military flight that killed all eight on board. In 2010, a commercial Aero Caribbean plane crashed in central Cuba. All 68 people on board were killed. The latest available information on Cuba from UN safety aviation agency ICAO, dating back to 2008, ranks it above the global average, though that preceded the latest three crashes.

Passenger plane crashes in Cuba, killing more than 100 people

A Boeing 737 plane crashed on Friday shortly after taking off from Havana's main airport, Cuban state-run media reported, adding that it was not yet known if there were any casualties. However, CNN reports unknown number of casualties.

The plane was a domestic flight going to Holguin, carrying 104 passengers, state-run TV said.

"It crashed between the locality of Boyeros and the village of Santiago de La Vegas", state-run TV said in its midday news broadcast, referring to an area some 20 km south of Havana.

Images on TV and social media showed a large plume of black smoke above the airport. Ambulances and firefighters were rushing to the scene.

It was not immediately clear which carrier was operating the aircraft.

Cuban state-run website Cubadebate reported that it was not yet known if there were any casualties

A Boeing 737 plane crashed on Friday shortly after taking off from Havana's main airport, Cuban state-run media reported, adding that it was not yet known if there were any casualties. However, CNN reports unknown number of casualties. The plane was a domestic flight going to Holguin, carrying 104 passengers, state-run TV said. "It crashed between the locality of Boyeros and the village of Santiago de La Vegas", state-run TV said in its midday news broadcast, referring to an area some 20 km south of Havana. Images on TV and social media showed a large plume of black smoke above the airport. Ambulances and firefighters were rushing to the scene. It was not immediately clear which carrier was operating the aircraft.

Cuba: Boeing 737 crashes with 104 people on board, casualties feared

&ldquo;There is a realisation that the views we see from the cockpit with the large, clean windows, are reserved for only a very few people in the world. The happy few who manage to become an airline pilot.&nbsp;If I can share that experience of flying a 747 underneath the Northern Lights or over a moonlit ocean, I have brought that experience of being a pilot a little closer to the rest of the world that will never be able to sit in that seat.&rdquo;

This is how Christiaan van Heijst, a 34-year-old pilot describes his dual passion for flying and photographing the world from a bird&rsquo;s eye view.&nbsp;

With more than 7000 hours in his logbook, he is one of the few who has mastered the art of capturing the world&rsquo;s best wonders, several thousand kilometres above the sea level. In an exclusive conversation with WION, Christiaan opens up about his journey, his unique style of aerial photography as a cargo pilot and all there is to know about being the man with the best window seat.

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&quot;I realise more and more that my images can make people see the beauty in the world and appreciate the little things a bit more&quot; says Christiaan (Source:www.jpcvanheijst.com) (Others)
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Kickstarting an adrenaline rush

Born and raised in The Netherlands, Christiaan was drawn to the sky at an early age.&nbsp;

&ldquo;I started with glider flying at the age of 14 and achieved my PPL (private pilot license) at the age of 18, even before my driver&#39;s license&rdquo;, he says.&nbsp;

Driven with a fondness for the art of flying, he began as an aerobatics pilot and competed with the Dutch National Aerobatics Championship. With first place in the beginners class at the age of 20, he was hired as a First Officer on the Fokker 50 Turboprop. He remembers, &ldquo;I flew it for almost 2.5 years with operations ranging from European contracts to local African airlines and military operations in Afghanistan that have left a deep impression on me.&rdquo;

Breaking away from geographical boundaries and learning everything anew&nbsp;in the sky, his predilection for flying grew stronger. In 2006, he joined Transavia on the Boeing 737. He was then hired on the Boeing 747-400 at the age of 27, becoming one of the youngest pilots to be introduced on the very first 747-8 that entered service that same year.

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Considering himself &ldquo;privileged to fly for a living and to enjoy&nbsp;a life in the sky&rdquo;, Christiaan currently flies as a Senior First Officer on the Boeing 747-8 and -400 Freighter for Cargolux; one of Europe&rsquo;s major all-cargo airline.&nbsp;

But wait,&nbsp;where did the photographer and pilot in you meet?

Christiaan explains how photography was not a new found love interest rather he &ldquo;was always interested in it since around the age of 10 but it became much more of an interest&rdquo; after he got his first job as an airline pilot. He says, &ldquo;I immediately felt and understood that the views and landscapes that unfolded from so high up in the air are unique that I just had to capture them with a camera.&rdquo;

Following his appetite for taking good photos, he became an instant hit on social media when his photos became viral. Those are his &ldquo;most widely known photos of an unexplained group of red lights in the Pacific Ocean, spotted on August 24th, 2014&rdquo;.&nbsp;

Christiaan adds, &ldquo;Those photos unexpectedly went viral after I posted them on social media, being picked up by the Dutch blog Geenstijl and consequently generated a lot of attention worldwide.&rdquo;&nbsp;

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The experience of taking pictures of the starry night is quite different from those taken on land than while airborne (Source: www.jpcvanheijst.com) (Others)
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From thunderstorms to cloud formations, the pilot witnesses a bounty of natural wonder from his cockpit (Source:www.jpcvanheijst.com) (Others)
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The art of clicking airborne

Photographs are one of the best ways to communicate with an audience.

Christiaan explains what he explores within this art form: &ldquo;Photography for me, is more than just capturing some scenes, cockpits or clouds, it&#39;s my way to show the world how incredibly beautiful so many things are if you just take a moment to appreciate it. I&rsquo;m lucky that I&#39;m taking pictures from a unique vantage point so high up in the sky being a pilot, that allows me to see the entire world from a different perspective. The strong urge to capture the delicate plays of light had been present ever since, and I feel that I have to share as many of those views as possible while I&#39;m able to.&rdquo;

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For someone so mesmerised with natural lights and colours, I enquire him about storytelling via pictures. It is commonly learnt that every photograph speaks 1000 words, what story do your photos tell, I ask?

Christiaan simply answers, &ldquo;Actually, I do not try to tell a story with my photos, nor do I connect them with moral statements or messages. Nearly every shot speaks for itself, and as a whole, they convey the pure beauty of the world from above and through my eyes. I prefer the use of natural light in all its forms, and the only story I can actually think of is; just appreciate the world as it is. If I connect them with moral statements about religion or human pollution, they would lose their strength and essence. If my images make people realise or think a bit and see the bigger picture of the world and its beauty, that&#39;s a nice extra.

&ldquo;Every city looks different, but at night it&rsquo;s often a huge cluster of millions of lights that are sometimes chaotic, sometimes drawn in straight lines where the roads are. During daylight, most cities look like a mass of grey spots and lines but are most distinctively different because of the geographical location. For example, some cities are defined by mountains or islands (like Hong Kong) or large rivers that were the main reason for the city to be founded (like Kinshasa or Novosibirsk). Major cities like Hong Kong or New York are also easily visible because of the skyscrapers and the high buildings in comparison with smaller cities that are often much less developed. Every city has its own characteristics and features that are often beautifully visible from above&rdquo;, he adds.&nbsp;

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While he is busy capturing the nuances of nature with an upside-down view of the world, a few like Christiaan have given a boost to aviation photography as a lucrative career option.&nbsp;

Christiaan says, &ldquo;Aviation photography is quite big but consists mostly of spotters and people who take pictures from other planes from the ground. There are only a few photographers out there who actually take pictures from the cockpit, the weather and clouds, and the landscapes that we see from above. It is a little bit of a niche-market and I&#39;m one of the few who uses this vantage point to capture the spirit of flight.&rdquo;

He adds, &ldquo;There are also some like photographers of National Geographic and other big companies who use (this form) for example, to show how fast glaciers are melting, or how certain parts are polluting. I think the view from above certainly helped us understand how precious certain parts and systems are and help with mapping the world. But personally I do not want to do that, I just want to capture the beauty of the world. Every picture just shows the simple views, but if people want to draw conclusions after seeing them, that is up to them.&rdquo;&nbsp;

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Learning on the move while flying

Christiaan has flown all over the world except Antarctica with his camera, capturing landscapes and natural phenomena that occur once in a lifetime. Has it changed him?

He answers, &ldquo;The more I&#39;ve been taking pictures, the more I&#39;ve become aware of how delicate and beautiful light can be sometimes. It has not changed me very much, but I find it amazing that so few people (including pilots) are not even seeing the beauty that is visible to us every day and they only &#39;see&#39; the beauty after they see my photos. I realise more and more that my images can make people see the beauty in the world and appreciate the little things a bit more.&rdquo;&nbsp;

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Offering an alternate view of the already filmed objects, Christiaan narrates an incident he feels he was lucky to capture owing to a perfect medley of timeliness, scope and leverage: &ldquo;Just recently, I was extremely lucky to witness and photograph the re-entry of an old Chinese rocket booster that happened to fall into the atmosphere exactly at the place where we were flying. It was pure luck because nobody could predict the place where it would fall, nor was I prepared for it. The fireball appeared just next to us and &#39;flew&#39; all across the sky while I could take a few pictures of it. Being at the right place, right time and with a good camera.&rdquo;&nbsp;

At this point, I am tempted to ask him about his best memory while flying and photographing. He says, &ldquo;One of the most beautiful things I&#39;ve seen was a large storm of Northern Lights over the Arctic Ocean, North of Alaska. The green and purple glow were moving very fast, for as far as the eye could see and was reflected in the ice below. That was something I will never forget. In another incident, in the beginning of my career I flew contract work in Afghanistan; based in Kabul we flew domestic flights with a small turboprop airplane to all sorts of local airports. Flying that low over Afghanistan has left a very deep impression on me, the beautiful Hindu Kush mountains and the breathtaking sceneries that are so remote and barely seen by people from the air.&rdquo;

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What about challenges while conducting a dual job mid-air?

Christiaan emphasises that his &ldquo;airline allows him to take photographs&rdquo; and that he &ldquo;takes photos from the cockpit only if the workload and flight allow him to, as flying the airplane is always his number one priority&rdquo;. He flies long-range where the pilots are in &lsquo;cruise&rsquo; at high altitudes and don&rsquo;t have much to do. Also, they are flying often with 3 or 4 pilots at a time, where every pilot gets a few hour-breaks during the flight. &ldquo;During such a break I can take pictures without disturbing the other two pilots, or I can take pictures from the jumpseat in the cockpit while my colleagues are busy with landing the airplane&rdquo;, he adds. &nbsp;

As a pilot-photographer, Christiaan ensures that basics are taken care of. He says, &ldquo;During daytime, the main problem is to get rid of the reflections in the windows. All papers in the cockpit and uniforms we wear are white and tend to reflect in the windows during flight. Another problem is the thick, layered windows of the cockpit. When I zoom in through the windows, the thick glass makes the images blurry so I have to limit my zoom to get sharp images. During the night, challenges are different. I have to use long shutter times and that requires a very stable flight in smooth air. Very often the airplane is very stable and I can use shutter times of up to 20, sometimes 30 seconds without getting a blurry shot. Also, I use extreme fisheye lenses for the photos from the Northern Lights and Milky Way. Since they capture such a large area, a tiny bit of movement hardly shows in the end result, making it possible to use long shutter times without getting blurry photos. I still have to take about 20-25 photos to get at least one that is sharp enough.&rdquo;&nbsp;

He adds, &ldquo;Some people ask me why the stars are still sharp while the airplane is moving so fast (950 km/h). The answer is that the stars and the moon are so extremely far away, that the movement of the airplane is negligible. During long exposures, the airplane might move fast but relative to the stars the movement is nothing. Of course, lights on the ground do move with those long shutter times, but the stars remain steady and sharp.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Towards the end, I ask him what remains to be his favourite photograph till date and he answers, &ldquo;The best photo still has to be made. I don&#39;t have any single photo that is my absolute favorite, but mostly I prefer the photos of the Northern Lights and the cockpit, that show how unique the view is we have as pilots and also shows how amazing the Northern Lights are, and how very small we are, even in a big plane high up in the sky.&rdquo;&nbsp;

After a successful stint at authoring a photo book &lsquo;Cargopilot&rsquo; in 2016, Christiaan intends to remain a part-time photographer and a part-time pilot. He also enjoys writing and is considering exploring that too in the coming future.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

(WION)

"Flying that low over Afghanistan has left a very deep impression on me, the beautiful Hindu Kush mountains that are so remote and barely seen by people from the air", says Pilot Heijst.

“There is a realisation that the views we see from the cockpit with the large, clean windows, are reserved for only a very few people in the world. The happy few who manage to become an airline pilot. If I can share that experience of flying a 747 underneath the Northern Lights or over a moonlit ocean, I have brought that experience of being a pilot a little closer to the rest of the world that will never be able to sit in that seat.” This is how Christiaan van Heijst, a 34-year-old pilot describes his dual passion for flying and photographing the world from a bird’s eye view. With more than 7000 hours in his logbook, he is one of the few who has mastered the art of capturing the world’s best wonders, several thousand kilometres above the sea level. In an exclusive conversation with WION, Christiaan opens up about his journey, his unique style of aerial photography as a cargo pilot and all there is to know about being the man with the best window seat. "I realise more and more that my images can make people see the beauty in the world and appreciate the little things a bit more" says Christiaan (Source:www.jpcvanheijst.com) (Others) × Kickstarting an adrenaline rush Born and raised in The Netherlands, Christiaan was drawn to the sky at an early age. “I started with glider flying at the age of 14 and achieved my PPL (private pilot license) at the age of 18, even before my driver's license”, he says. Driven with a fondness for the art of flying, he began as an aerobatics pilot and competed with the Dutch National Aerobatics Championship. With first place in the beginners class at the age of 20, he was hired as a First Officer on the Fokker 50 Turboprop. He remembers, “I flew it for almost 2.5 years with operations ranging from European contracts to local African airlines and military operations in Afghanistan that have left a deep impression on me.” Breaking away from geographical boundaries and learning everything anew in the sky, his predilection for flying grew stronger. In 2006, he joined Transavia on the Boeing 737. He was then hired on the Boeing 747-400 at the age of 27, becoming one of the youngest pilots to be introduced on the very first 747-8 that entered service that same year. I am privileged to fly for a living and enjoy a life in the sky. × Considering himself “privileged to fly for a living and to enjoy a life in the sky”, Christiaan currently flies as a Senior First Officer on the Boeing 747-8 and -400 Freighter for Cargolux; one of Europe’s major all-cargo airline. But wait, where did the photographer and pilot in you meet? Christiaan explains how photography was not a new found love interest rather he “was always interested in it since around the age of 10 but it became much more of an interest” after he got his first job as an airline pilot. He says, “I immediately felt and understood that the views and landscapes that unfolded from so high up in the air are unique that I just had to capture them with a camera.” Following his appetite for taking good photos, he became an instant hit on social media when his photos became viral. Those are his “most widely known photos of an unexplained group of red lights in the Pacific Ocean, spotted on August 24th, 2014”. Christiaan adds, “Those photos unexpectedly went viral after I posted them on social media, being picked up by the Dutch blog Geenstijl and consequently generated a lot of attention worldwide.” The experience of taking pictures of the starry night is quite different from those taken on land than while airborne (Source: www.jpcvanheijst.com) (Others) × From thunderstorms to cloud formations, the pilot witnesses a bounty of natural wonder from his cockpit (Source:www.jpcvanheijst.com) (Others) × The art of clicking airborne Photographs are one of the best ways to communicate with an audience. Christiaan explains what he explores within this art form: “Photography for me, is more than just capturing some scenes, cockpits or clouds, it's my way to show the world how incredibly beautiful so many things are if you just take a moment to appreciate it. I’m lucky that I'm taking pictures from a unique vantage point so high up in the sky being a pilot, that allows me to see the entire world from a different perspective. The strong urge to capture the delicate plays of light had been present ever since, and I feel that I have to share as many of those views as possible while I'm able to.” I’m lucky that I'm taking pictures from a unique vantage point so high up in the sky being a pilot, that allows me to see the entire world from a different perspective. I feel I have to share as many of those views as possible while I'm able to. × For someone so mesmerised with natural lights and colours, I enquire him about storytelling via pictures. It is commonly learnt that every photograph speaks 1000 words, what story do your photos tell, I ask? Christiaan simply answers, “Actually, I do not try to tell a story with my photos, nor do I connect them with moral statements or messages. Nearly every shot speaks for itself, and as a whole, they convey the pure beauty of the world from above and through my eyes. I prefer the use of natural light in all its forms, and the only story I can actually think of is; just appreciate the world as it is. If I connect them with moral statements about religion or human pollution, they would lose their strength and essence. If my images make people realise or think a bit and see the bigger picture of the world and its beauty, that's a nice extra. “Every city looks different, but at night it’s often a huge cluster of millions of lights that are sometimes chaotic, sometimes drawn in straight lines where the roads are. During daylight, most cities look like a mass of grey spots and lines but are most distinctively different because of the geographical location. For example, some cities are defined by mountains or islands (like Hong Kong) or large rivers that were the main reason for the city to be founded (like Kinshasa or Novosibirsk). Major cities like Hong Kong or New York are also easily visible because of the skyscrapers and the high buildings in comparison with smaller cities that are often much less developed. Every city has its own characteristics and features that are often beautifully visible from above”, he adds. I do not try to tell a story with my photos, nor do I connect them with moral statements or messages. Nearly every shot speaks for itself × While he is busy capturing the nuances of nature with an upside-down view of the world, a few like Christiaan have given a boost to aviation photography as a lucrative career option. Christiaan says, “Aviation photography is quite big but consists mostly of spotters and people who take pictures from other planes from the ground. There are only a few photographers out there who actually take pictures from the cockpit, the weather and clouds, and the landscapes that we see from above. It is a little bit of a niche-market and I'm one of the few who uses this vantage point to capture the spirit of flight.” He adds, “There are also some like photographers of National Geographic and other big companies who use (this form) for example, to show how fast glaciers are melting, or how certain parts are polluting. I think the view from above certainly helped us understand how precious certain parts and systems are and help with mapping the world. But personally I do not want to do that, I just want to capture the beauty of the world. Every picture just shows the simple views, but if people want to draw conclusions after seeing them, that is up to them.” Flying over the mountains of Afghanistan changed the pilot-photographer. (Source: www.jpcvanheijst.com) (Others) × In the picture, Chicago by night (Source: www.jpcvanheijst.com) (Others) × Learning on the move while flying Christiaan has flown all over the world except Antarctica with his camera, capturing landscapes and natural phenomena that occur once in a lifetime. Has it changed him? He answers, “The more I've been taking pictures, the more I've become aware of how delicate and beautiful light can be sometimes. It has not changed me very much, but I find it amazing that so few people (including pilots) are not even seeing the beauty that is visible to us every day and they only 'see' the beauty after they see my photos. I realise more and more that my images can make people see the beauty in the world and appreciate the little things a bit more.” Recently, I was extremely lucky to witness and photograph the re-entry of an old Chinese rocket booster that happened to fall into the atmosphere exactly at the place where we were flying...The fireball appeared just next to us and 'flew' all across the sky while I could take a few pictures of it. × Offering an alternate view of the already filmed objects, Christiaan narrates an incident he feels he was lucky to capture owing to a perfect medley of timeliness, scope and leverage: “Just recently, I was extremely lucky to witness and photograph the re-entry of an old Chinese rocket booster that happened to fall into the atmosphere exactly at the place where we were flying. It was pure luck because nobody could predict the place where it would fall, nor was I prepared for it. The fireball appeared just next to us and 'flew' all across the sky while I could take a few pictures of it. Being at the right place, right time and with a good camera.” At this point, I am tempted to ask him about his best memory while flying and photographing. He says, “One of the most beautiful things I've seen was a large storm of Northern Lights over the Arctic Ocean, North of Alaska. The green and purple glow were moving very fast, for as far as the eye could see and was reflected in the ice below. That was something I will never forget. In another incident, in the beginning of my career I flew contract work in Afghanistan; based in Kabul we flew domestic flights with a small turboprop airplane to all sorts of local airports. Flying that low over Afghanistan has left a very deep impression on me, the beautiful Hindu Kush mountains and the breathtaking sceneries that are so remote and barely seen by people from the air.” In the beginning of my career I flew contract work in Afghanistan. Flying that low over Afghanistan has left a very deep impression on me, the beautiful Hindu Kush mountains and the breathtaking sceneries that are so remote and barely seen by people from the air. × What about challenges while conducting a dual job mid-air? Christiaan emphasises that his “airline allows him to take photographs” and that he “takes photos from the cockpit only if the workload and flight allow him to, as flying the airplane is always his number one priority”. He flies long-range where the pilots are in ‘cruise’ at high altitudes and don’t have much to do. Also, they are flying often with 3 or 4 pilots at a time, where every pilot gets a few hour-breaks during the flight. “During such a break I can take pictures without disturbing the other two pilots, or I can take pictures from the jumpseat in the cockpit while my colleagues are busy with landing the airplane”, he adds. As a pilot-photographer, Christiaan ensures that basics are taken care of. He says, “During daytime, the main problem is to get rid of the reflections in the windows. All papers in the cockpit and uniforms we wear are white and tend to reflect in the windows during flight. Another problem is the thick, layered windows of the cockpit. When I zoom in through the windows, the thick glass makes the images blurry so I have to limit my zoom to get sharp images. During the night, challenges are different. I have to use long shutter times and that requires a very stable flight in smooth air. Very often the airplane is very stable and I can use shutter times of up to 20, sometimes 30 seconds without getting a blurry shot. Also, I use extreme fisheye lenses for the photos from the Northern Lights and Milky Way. Since they capture such a large area, a tiny bit of movement hardly shows in the end result, making it possible to use long shutter times without getting blurry photos. I still have to take about 20-25 photos to get at least one that is sharp enough.” He adds, “Some people ask me why the stars are still sharp while the airplane is moving so fast (950 km/h). The answer is that the stars and the moon are so extremely far away, that the movement of the airplane is negligible. During long exposures, the airplane might move fast but relative to the stars the movement is nothing. Of course, lights on the ground do move with those long shutter times, but the stars remain steady and sharp.” Towards the end, I ask him what remains to be his favourite photograph till date and he answers, “The best photo still has to be made. I don't have any single photo that is my absolute favorite, but mostly I prefer the photos of the Northern Lights and the cockpit, that show how unique the view is we have as pilots and also shows how amazing the Northern Lights are, and how very small we are, even in a big plane high up in the sky.” After a successful stint at authoring a photo book ‘Cargopilot’ in 2016, Christiaan intends to remain a part-time photographer and a part-time pilot. He also enjoys writing and is considering exploring that too in the coming future. (WION)

The unique vantage point: Pilot Heijst captures world's wonders from his window seat

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