The FAA is calling for “independent inspections” after certain maintenance actions on a large number of CFM56-3 and -7B turbofans in the U.S. fleet, engines that power the Boeing 737 Classic and Next-Generation fleet. A proposed airworthiness directive (AD), to be published today, is designed to prevent total loss of engine oil from the turbofans in situations where mechanics forget to reinstall the “handcranking pad covers” on accessory gearboxes.

Aircraft replacements hold big implications for airline, parts and maintenance businesses.

British safety investigators are recommending that Airbus “formally notify” all operators of A320-family aircraft about a May 24 incident in which the two fan cowl doors on both engines detached from a British Airways A319 departing London Heathrow for Oslo with 75 passengers and five crewmembers. An interim report reveals that two safety nets designed to verify cowls are latched—mechanics’ procedures and pilots’ procedures—did not work as designed, as the aircraft left the gate with its cowls unlatched.

Regional airlines are undergoing a period of change in everything from ownership and partner relationships to route systems and aircraft fleets, and this is helping trigger a shake-up of maintenance models.

Uncertainty hits defense contractors, but civil airframers take up the slack

Qatar Executive has secured regulatory approvals to provide base maintenance services for Bombardier Challenger 604 and 605s jets and for Bombardier Global aircraft at its 6,400-sq.-meter hangar facility at Doha International Airport.

As Boeing 787s re-enter service on routes around the world following the aircraft’s prolonged grounding for battery problems, the company is already busy resolving other issues that were emerging before they ceased flying in mid-January. Most of these problems, such as a string of failures concerning power panels in the electrical system unrelated to the later lithium-ion battery problem, fell into the ‘teething trouble’ category which Boeing uses to describe the steep learning curve of early service life.

Clamps improperly installed during maintenance visits have been tied to at least three serious in-service fire and smoke incidents on Boeing 737 Classics, prompting the FAA to warn operators and encourage compliance with a Boeing-suggested fix. The FAA’s Safety Alert for Operators, approved earlier this month and released this week, says that 279 737 Classics inspected in 2010-2012 turned up 71 incidents of improperly oriented flight deck ceiling/side panel gasper air duct hose thumb clamps.