Three Points: JetBlue’s economic allegory, 737 & 787 DOT audit, Europe’s new eVTOL rules

• Within the fabric of the fight for Spirit Airlines by JetBlue Airways and Frontier Airlines is an allegory for the American experience in 2022. The economic landscape is far less hospitable for the JetBlues of the world than it is for the Frontiers. JetBlue’s struggle is a symptom of a larger shift in American life.
• The Department of Transportation’s Inspector General is launching an audit of the FAA’s oversight of Boeing’s 737 and 787 production systems. The bipartisan Congressional request of the IG puts the FAA and Boeing, once again, under scrutiny over allegations of “ongoing production deficiencies and undue pressure” inside the plane maker’s two most important programs.
• European aviation regulators unveiled “the world’s first” proposed rules for defining a framework for the operation of air taxis in urban environments. EASA’s methodical advancement comes as questions still persist over its U.S. counterpart’s increasingly confusing approach to eVTOL certification.

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