Washington Contractor Conundrum Everything old is new again, though sometimes going back to the future requires a mandate. The FAA is hard at work on a rule aimed at making contract maintenance easier to perform and oversee. At the draft rule's core are two requirements—that airlines keep lists of all their third-party maintenance providers, and that the providers follow instructions provided to them by the carrier—including everything that has been on the books for four-plus decades.

How BA Engineering quickly integrated BMI's 25 narrowbodies.

Deferring maintenance happens, but it adds up over time

FAA issued an airworthiness directive requiring modifications

Carrier wants to determine requirements to retrofit A320s

Those who understand aircraft operations know there is at least one more: maintenance downtime.

Forty-three years after entering revenue service, the Pratt & Whitney JT9D series continues to power a cross section of operators sprinkled around the globe. While still diverse, the cross section is much thinner than in years past, however, with many operators flying just a handful of engines. It's a sign of the steady and inevitable decline facing the venerable series.

Every day, in maintenance hangars all over the world, technicians are interrupted or distracted during safety-critical maintenance tasks.