Aviation

flydubai showcases its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 at the Dubai Airshow

Sunday, November 12, 2017 — Dubai-based fly Dubai marks its fifth Dubai Airshow by unveiling its brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8. This is the first aircraft to be delivered from the largest single-aisle Boeing aircraft order placed in the Middle East in the 2013 edition of the show.

The new aircraft, bearing the UAE registration mark A6-MAX, is the first of 76 aircraft on order from Boeing; all of which will be delivered by 2023. Six of these aircraft will join the flydubai fleet by the end of the last quarter of 2017.

flydubai’s new Boeing 737 MAX 8s will initially be deployed on the furthest points on the carrier’s network. Destinations including Bangkok, Prague, Yekaterinburg and Zanzibar will be among the first to be served by the MAX 8. The additional aircraft being delivered over the next few years will be rolled out across the fleet and will become available on most of the routes on the network.

The 737 MAX family is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history with about 3,950 orders from 93 customers worldwide,” said Marty Bentrott, Vice President, Sales for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Middle East, Turkey, Russia, Central Asia and Africa. “It is tremendous to see flydubai’s MAX at the Dubai Airshow bearing the A6-MAX registration which is a very special accolade to our valued partnership with flydubai and to the MAX airplane.”

Watch video here

Since the beginning of 2017, flydubai has launched six new destinations and grown its network to more than 95 destinations, increased the schedule to more than 1,700 flights per week as well as rolled out its new uniform worn by more than 2,500 uniformed staff.

Aviation

Lost Tool Found in Qantas A380 After 34 Flights

An Australian Transportation Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation recently revealed that a Qantas A380 operated 34 flights with a 1.25-meter nylon tool lodged in one of its engines.

This turning tool, used during borescope inspections to rotate the intermediate-pressure compressor, was left behind during scheduled maintenance at Los Angeles on December 6, 2023. It remained inside the engine until it was discovered by maintenance staff during a subsequent check at Los Angeles on January 1, 2024.

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The ATSB report highlights two critical lapses. First, maintenance engineers failed to notice the tool during final checks for foreign objects after the borescope inspection. Second, the lost tool procedure was not activated when the tool was identified as missing.

The certifying engineer ultimately cleared the aircraft for service without accounting for the misplaced tool. During the time qantas films the tool was inside, the A380 completed 34 flight cycles, accumulating nearly 294 hours without any noticeable effect on engine performance.

Although the tool was deformed by high-energy airflow within the engine, there was no reported damage to the engine itself. ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell commented.

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“This incident underscores the importance of following established maintenance protocols. Engineers missed the tool during foreign object checks, and the required lost tool procedure wasn’t started after realizing the tool was missing.”

Following the investigation, the airline issued a safety directive, urging all engineering and tool storage teams to adhere strictly to these protocols to prevent similar incidents in the future.

A qantas spokesperson stated, “While the tool didn’t impact engine performance, we take this incident very seriously. It is critical to follow the correct lost tool procedures.”