A4A and ALPA can point to small progress elsewhere recently, with the introduction of a bill in the House of Representatives that would block Customs and Border Protection's planned preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates. The bill, pushed by Reps. Pat Meehan (R-Penn.) and Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), would direct homeland security officials to assess the impact future preclearance facilities have on U.S. passengers, the economy and security and customs staffing at U.S.

The Accident Investigation Board of Norway (AIBN) says Boeing had been unaware that “significant amounts” of deicing fluid can enter the tail cones of Boeing 737 models and that the airframer plans “to modify all B737s to achieve better protection against the risk of the elevator system freezing solid.”

Boeing engineers repairing the Ethiopian Airlines 787-8 stranded at London Heathrow for five months since it was badly damaged by a fire have replaced a large section of the upper fuselage structure and refitted the tail unit as part of efforts to return the aircraft to service early next year.

The Dubai Airshow last month was not only the stage for the much-expected widebody orders and Boeing's 777X program launch. It also proved that almost anything is possible as far as airline business models are concerned. The one airline sector that should be scaring investors away is European regional aviation. Everything seems to work against it—high costs (made worse by small aircraft), increasing low-cost carrier competition, and a weak overall market.

2014 will be critical year for AgustaWestland's tiltrotor program

True to her word, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.) has reintroduced a bill that would require uniform fatigue standards for pilots. Reps. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) and Timothy Bishop (D-N.Y.) have already introduced companion legislation, the Safe Skies Act, on the House side (AW&ST Jan. 21, p. 21). “Her unwavering commitment will end the cargo carve-out and bring Part 117 back in line with Congress's original intent, one level of safety for U.S. aviation,” touts Independent Pilots Association (IPA) President Robert Travis, whose group represents some UPS pilots.

NASA software helps pilots save time and money