The U.S. Transportation Security Administration often finds itself in the news for all the wrong reasons. Congressional Republicans in particular have routinely subjected the agency to hearing after hearing that have put TSA officials on the defensive. And airline passengers cannot help but object to screening measures often decried as invasive. What goes unreported is the significant progress the TSA is making in assessing risks to more efficiently distribute resources.

As installed bases age, and the pressures to cut fuel burn mount, engine makers are mining ever deeper into their technology stockpiles to develop new upgrades and keep existing customers on their side. For Rolls-Royce, the process of developing one-off enhancement performance (EP) packages has gradually morphed into a broader initiative of continuous improvements across the family lineup, ranging from out-of-production RB211-524s to the latest Trent 900/1000 and yet-to-be-fielded Trent XWB.

A lightweight, high-performance composite fan could be crucial to Rolls-Royce's chances of meeting the thrust-to-weight ratio targets set by Boeing for its proposed 777X derivative development.

Aviation Week & Space Technology spotlights 40 rising stars under the age of 40, including several involved in the aftermarket.

It was certainly no coincidence that Etihad Airways announced its tie-up with Air France-KLM on the same day that Qatar Airways confirmed it will join the Oneworld alliance. But the two deals are about much more than just well-known rivalries.

This past decade has brought big news in the evolution of designs and materials used for airframes and engines as manufacturer try to counteract rising fuel prices and reduce life-cycle costs. But many components have changed little for decades, largely because the industry is comfortable with what it has and will only consider a switch to a new product that saves money, cuts aircraft weight or extends maintenance cycles—and preferably all three.

MROs see great potential to grow through low costs and quality service

Lucerne, Switzerland EASA Compliance Too High? The European engineering and maintenance community seems to be particularly concerned about the increasing amount of regulatory requirements with which an organization has to comply regardless of its size. This is especially true for small MRO organizations; as evidence, some are closing because they are spending half of their time documenting compliance.