AirInsight
• Ernest Arvai
A new Netflix documentary scheduled for release August 19 will examine Boeing’s corporate culture, the 787 Dreamliner program and allegations raised by whistleblowers. The film places the manufacturer’s people, production practices and reported internal concerns at the center of a broad public-facing investigation.
Aviation Safety & Regulation
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A new Netflix documentary scheduled for release August 19 will examine Boeing’s corporate culture, the 787 Dreamliner program and allegations raised by whistleblowers. The film places the manufacturer’s people, production practices and reported internal concerns at the center of a broad public-facing investigation.
Merlin has cleared a certification hurdle in New Zealand for using artificial intelligence in autonomous flight, addressing one of the most persistent regulatory challenges facing safety-critical aviation systems. The development signals progress toward regulatory acceptance of AI in aircraft operations, though the article provides no further details on scope or timing.
The first production MC-21-310 fitted with Russian-made systems flew 5 hours and 50 minutes from Irkutsk to Zhukovsky near Moscow, apparently the longest flight yet for the PD-14-powered variant. The flight follows tests showing about 2,000 nautical miles of range in an operational configuration.
Russian authorities are proposing stricter criteria for approving international services, including closer scrutiny of carriers’ compliance with mandatory requirements and financial condition. Airlines with unresolved regulatory violations or financial weaknesses could be blocked from opening new international routes under the proposed rules.
Evgeny Korolev is leaving his position as chief of Russian leisure carrier Azur Air after almost five years, with the airline’s former deputy chief taking over leadership. The change comes weeks after regulators acted over operational problems, placing management continuity and compliance under scrutiny.
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Air India has temporarily de-rostered two more pilots after preliminary psychoactive-substance screenings returned non-negative results following the Phuket–Delhi A320neo emergency; confirmatory tests are pending. Separately, Malaysia Airlines says all active pilots tested negative after a pilot’s arrest in Indonesia and has begun screening 2,840 cabin crew.
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Vietnam Airlines’ Boeing 787-9 sustained substantial damage after a tail strike and low tire-pressure warnings shortly after departing Munich on August 15. Germany’s BFU has opened an examination into the takeoff, during which the aircraft reportedly overran the runway end before returning safely; no injuries were reported.
The FAA is investigating how two American Airlines 737-800s operated near Phoenix under the same callsign after a delayed inbound aircraft met its replacement outbound flight. The event raises operational and air-traffic-control questions around flight identification when aircraft and schedules change unexpectedly.
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