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Boeing Works to Restore Confidence in Its 737 MAX Aircraft; E.U. Wants Vehicle Speed Limiters to be Mandatory; India Acquires New Space Technology
Aired March 28, 2019 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Air, land and space are three of the places we`re going today. I`m Carl Azuz. Welcome to CNN 10.
The Boeing Aerospace Company is working to restore confidence in its passenger planes. It hosted more than 200 pilots, technicians and rule
makers at its facility yesterday in Seattle, Washington.
Boeing 737 MAX series planes, its most popular airliner, have been grounded around the world following two catastrophic accidents within five months.
Investigators believe sensors and software were factors in both of the crashes. And on Wednesday, Boeing detailed how it would overhaul its
software system on 737 MAX planes and change the way pilots are trained on them.
Some pilots have said they weren`t thought how to disable a computer system that might have played a part in the accidents. So, the company plans to
add more pilot training. Some airlines say they`re optimistic about these changes.
But concerns about the 737 MAXes persists, one that was being flown from Florida to California for temporary storage made an emergency landing on
Tuesday. It didn`t have passengers because the models have been grounded. But Boeing said the pilots reported a performance issue with one of the
plane`s engines.
One question being asked worldwide is how all this is going to impact such a major manufacturer of planes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If it ain`t a Boeing, I ain`t going.
It`s a mantra amongst pilots that dates back to the company`s earliest days. And in 2018, it drove Boeing to a record setting 806 aircraft
deliveries, six more planes than its rival Airbus, an enviable reputation for safety is now scarred by the twin disasters of Lion Air 610 and
Ethiopian 302. The ensuing crisis is sure to leave a mark on the company`s profitability.
JOHN STRICKLAND, AVIATION EXPERT: Boeing certainly is going to take some financial hit as a result of the accidents. The question is how much.
QUEST: The Indian Airlines SpiceJet has been forced to ground its 13 737 MAX 8 jets as part of the worldwide grounding of the aircraft.
AJAY SINGH, CEO, SPICEJET: We`re also flying our existing aircraft a little harder. And we`ve gone to few planes. So, we`re trying to make do
the best that we can.
QUEST: Now, the chief executive wants compensation for Boeing for the lost revenue.
But getting rid of Boeing planes altogether, Singh says, not anytime soon.
SINGH: Boeing is a world class company. They`re one of the finest companies in the world, and we are confident that Boeing could fine a
solution.
QUEST: In the age of this aviation duopoly, its Airbus or Boeing. And both are running backlogs on orders. Airlines wanting to switch from one
to the other would find that very difficult.
STRICKLAND: Airlines tend to have fleet philosophies based on commonality of training for pilots, spares, holdings, engineering support, and that
means that having made a decision to get it from one manufacturer or another, an airline would stick for it.
QUEST: Even Indonesia`s Garuda, which this week said it would cancel an order of nearly 50 MAX 8s has no plans to replace them with Airbus.
If it ain`t a Boeing, I ain`t going. That mantra maybe at risk, Boeing`s firm hold on the market is not.
Richard Quest, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ (voice-over): Ten-second trivia:
Which of these international organizations has exactly 28 member countries?
NATO, World Trade Organization, European Union or World Health Organization?
Until the Brexit takes place, there are 28 members of the European Union.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: And in three years, all new cars in E.U. member countries could be electronically prevented from speeding. The E.U. calls this intelligent
speed assistance, and it wants it to be standard, along with other measures like vehicle data recorders.
Speed limiters reduce a car`s engine power to keep it from going over the speed limit. The E.U. says this could reduce accident deaths by 20
percent. And if drivers needed to temporarily go over the speed limit to pass somebody for instance, they could do it by pressing hard on the gas
pedal.
The rules still have to be approved by E.U. member countries and there could be some problems ahead. Different nations in Europe have different
road signs and digital information isn`t always current. So, the cars could have trouble detecting what the speed limits are.
Some critics are also concerned about privacy and drivers depending more on the car`s computer systems than actual road conditions. But speed limiting
technology is just another example of how cars are becoming more robotic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Cetran testing ground in Singapore is almost like a mini town, with streets, cross
walks, traffic signals and even this.
(on camera): This is the bus stop?
DR. DILLIP LIMBU, CEO, MOOVITA: This is the bus stop.
RIPLEY: Why do you call it a bus stop?
LIMBU: Because we are waiting for the bus (INAUDIBLE)
RIPLEY (voice-over): I am here for my very first ride in a self driving shuttle bus.
(on camera): So, you feel like within five years, this will be a regular part of our lives?
LIMBU: Yes, in three to five years, this kind of service is actually rolling around the world (ph).
RIPLEY: How long before I get in my car, I tell my car "take me to work", and it just goes?
LIMBU: For that to come, probably another decade.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Dr. Dilip Limbu`s company, Moovita, or Move It Autonomously, is one of around a dozen firms testing vehicles here.
Singapore`s government wants to use the findings for driverless transport. The goal is to reduce air pollution and chronic heavy traffic.
The nerve center, all this innovation is Singapore`s Nanyang Technological University, home to the Energy Research Institute and lead by Professor
Subodh Mhaisalkar.
(on camera): How long did it take for you to get used to being driven around without a driver?
SUBODH MHAISALKAR, PROFESSOR, NANYANG UNIVERSITY: No, I don`t think, I`m still very (INAUDIBLE).
RIPLEY: That`s an honest statement, sir.
MHAISALKAR: Yes, it is.
RIPLEY (voice-over): He says this technology might not be ready just yet. But it`s coming much sooner than you think.
(on camera): So in just over a decade, what will our streets look like?
MHAISALKAR: We will have a mixed level of traffic between cars that are autonomous able as well as drivers.
RIPLEY (voice-over): He says self driving buses will solve Singapore`s bus driver shortage, robotic street sweepers will work the undesirable
graveyard shift, and fully autonomous cars like this BMW equipped with cameras and sensors will give new independence for those who can`t drive.
MHAISALKAR: Cities which have extremely high sophistication of the infrastructure would be the first places that autonomous vehicles would be
deployed.
RIPLEY (on camera): Like Singapore?
MHAISALKAR: Like Singapore.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Self-driving technology still has its limits. A safety driver is necessary on our ride.
(on camera): What was that? Oh, the emergency brake.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Though this fender bender is a human error.
(on camera): We hit a curve there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
RIPLEY: This is like me when I was learning how to drive.
(voice-over): Developers say that software learns much faster than your average teenage driver, which means in just a few years, you could be
sharing the road with a robot.
Will Ripley, CNN, Singapore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: The leader of India says his country is now a space superpower. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that a missile fired from the ground
had successfully destroyed one of India`s own satellites in low orbit. He made that announcement yesterday.
This is significant because until now, only three other countries have done this -- the United States, Russia and China.
Prime Minister Modi called the exercise a historic feat and said having that capability to shoot down satellites would make India stronger. But
his political opponents criticized as a publicity stunt with India`s elections scheduled to begin on April 11th. Prime Minister Modi also said
the missile operation was carried out only for India`s defense and security.
But Pakistan, which is a both a neighbor and a rival of India, said that every country should avoid actions that could lead to the militarization of
space.
India`s space program has been steadily growing in recent years. It put a satellite into orbit around Mars in 2014 and India hopes to have a manned
mission to space within the next three years.
(MUSIC0
AZUZ: After her last competitive dog show event, Gale, an American Staffordshire terrier, was supposed to be flying home to enjoy her
retirement in Amsterdam, Netherlands. But she broke out of her crate as workers were loading it onto the plane. And the 22-month-old dog went
missing at the world`s busiest airport in Atlanta, Georgia.
Four days later, as her handler was calling for her at airport property, Gale appeared and jumped into his arms.
You think her owner would have been mad as a pit bull, but he didn`t want to bite the hand that helped him. He said it was heartwarming, not
heartworming, that so many people would assist in bringing her bark. Of course, he might have a bone to pick with the airline, but we`ll bury that
for now and just say that when it comes to digging up news stories, dog rescues are always best in show.
I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10.
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