MH370 Report PublishedAn official 495-page report into the
disappearance of Malaysia Airlines’
Boeing 777-200ER, 9M-MRO, was
published on July 30 by the Malaysian
ICAO Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team.
However, it does not shed any light on the
cause. The airliner went missing while
lying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on
March 8, 2014 with 239 passengers and
crew on board. Only a few remnants –
thought to belong to MH370 – have ever
been found.
The report stated: “The aircraft had
a valid Certiicate of Airworthiness and
was airworthy when released for the
light and there was no record or report
of any defect or malfunction in the aircraftthat could have contributed to the event.
The PIC [pilot in command] and FO
[irst officer] held valid airman licences
and medical certiication. There is no
evidence to suggest that the PIC and FO
experienced recent changes or difficulties
in personal relationships or that there
were any conlicts or problems between
them. All the light and cabin crew were
certiied it to ly and were within duty-time
limits at the time of the light and were
adequately rested.
“Evidence shows that Flight MH
diverted from the iled light plan route. The
aircraft’s transponder signal ceased for
reasons that could not be established and
was then no longer visible on the ATC radardisplay. These changes, evidently seen as
turning slightly to the right irst and then
to the left and lying across the Peninsular
Malaysia, followed by a right turn south
of Penang Island to the north-west and
a subsequent (unrecorded) turn towards
the Southern Indian Ocean, are difficult
to attribute to anomalous system issues
alone. It could not be established whether
the aircraft was lown by anyone other
than the pilots. Later light simulator trials
established that the turn back was likely
made while the aircraft was under manual
control and not the autopilot.
“In conclusion, the team is unable
to determine the real cause for the
disappearance of MH370.”Retro Scheme forEl Al DreamlinerEl Al’s new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner,
4X-EDF, has been inished in a smart retro
livery, reminiscent of the Israeli carrier’s irst
Boeing 707 schemes from the 1960s. The
jetliner, which has been named after the
city of Rehovot and is El Al’s sixth example
of the type, is scheduled to be delivered to
the airline in August. The Dreamliners are
expected to be used on the Tel Aviv-London
Heathrow route, starting on September 12.Dreamliner 4X-EDF in its older style livery
at Everett, Washington state, on July 27.
AirTeamImages.com/Dipankar Bhaktahttp://www.aviation-news.co.uk 9
Ethiopian Airlines has taken delivery of
Boeing 737 MAX ET-AVM, the irst of 30
examples of the variant it has on order. The
lag carrier has long operated the 737, but
with the MAX, Boeing says it will be able to
achieve a double-digit improvement in fuel
efficiency and provide passengers with a
more comfortable experience.
“We are glad to include the Boeing 737
MAX 8, the latest in Boeing’s single-aisle
series, in our young and modern leet of
over 100 aircraft with an average age of
less than ive years,” said Ethiopian Airlines
Group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam. “The
737 MAX 8 features the new Boeing Sky
interior, highlighted by modern sculpted
sidewalls and window reveals, LED lightingthat enhances the sense of spaciousness
ultimately boosting our customers’
experience. Since it is more fuel efficient
than the current 737NG, it has less carbon
emissions. In line with the airline’s growth
targets under Vision 2025, we will keep on
investing in further expansion of our leet,
acquiring the latest aircraft the industry has
to offer.”
In Ethiopian’s coniguration, the 737
MAX 8 will seat 160 passengers. With
this delivery, the airline’s leet of Boeing
aircraft grows to 73 jets, including the 787
Dreamliner, 777, 737 MAX, and the 757
and 767.The irst of 30 Boeing 737 MAX jetliners for
Ethiopian Airlines. Boeing737 MAX for EthiopianNew NationalCarrier forNigeriaThe Nigerian government has unveiled plans
for a new national airline before yearend.
Nigeria Air, the proposed carrier, was
launched at the Farnborough International
Airshow on July 18 by the Minister of
State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika. He
commented: “I am very pleased to tell you
that we are inally on track to launching a new
national lag carrier for our country: Nigeria
Air. We are all fully committed to fulilling the
campaign promise made by our President,
Muhammadu Buhari, in 2015.
“We obtained the Certiicate of
Compliance from the Nigerian Infrastructure
Concession Regulatory Commission two
weeks ago and can now go into the investor
search. I’m conident we will have a well-run
national lag carrier, a global player, compliant
to international safety standards, one which
has the customer at its heart. An airline that
communicates the essence of our beautiful
country, an airline we can all be proud of.”
Details of what aircraft types the airline will ly
haven’t been released, and it is still unclear
which routes it will operate.