Gregory Polek
Senior Editor
Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with New Jersey Monthly magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for Aviation International News in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.
Latest from Gregory Polek
Regulations and Government
Boeing To Pay $6.61 million in FAA Penalties
The FAA and Boeing reach a settlement on penalties related to a 2015 case and two pending enforcement actions involving the company’s ODA unit.
Aircraft
Transportation IG Sees Continuing Oversight Weakness at FAA
The FAA must develop a “risk-based approach” to ODA oversight, according to a DOT IG report on the agency’s response to 737 Max recommendations.
Airlines
IATA Downgrades Prognosis for Airline Industry Covid Recovery
A new IATA analysis shows that airlines will burn through between $75 billion and $95 billion by the end of the year.
Aircraft
FAA Issues Emergency AD To Inspect PW4000-112 Fan Blades
The interim order by U.S. authorities to inspect all Pratt & Whitney PW4000-112s applies to some 125 Boeing 777s.
Aircraft
KLM Takes Delivery of Its First Embraer E2
Embraer’s delivery of KLM Cityhopper’s first E195-E2 brings the Dutch airline’s fleet of E-Jets to 50 airplanes.
Aircraft
Investigators Find Metal Fatigue in UAL 777’s Failed Engine
NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt said that a fan blade from the PW4000 that failed in-flight on February 20 showed so-called "beach" marks.
Aircraft
Dutch Authorities Probing Inflight Failure of Another PW4000
An inflight engine failure suffered by a cargo 747-400 involved a smaller version of the PW4000 that failed over Colorado on February 20.
Aircraft
Boeing 777s Powered by PW4000s Grounded Worldwide
Following the grounding of all 32 of the suspect 777s in operation in Japan, the FAA ordered immediate or “stepped up” inspection of 24 airplanes at UAL.
Airlines
NTSB Prepares To Analyze Debris from United 777 Engine Failure
The uncontained failure of a Pratt & Whitney PW4077 forces a United Airlines 777-200 to return to Denver.
Airlines
U.S. Major Airlines Agree on Voluntary Contact Tracing
Airlines for America members agree to ask inbound international passengers to provide five data points.
Aircraft
Brazil Withdraws WTO Subsidy Complaint Against Canada
Embraer welcomed a Brazilian decision to turn its attention away from a WTO process in favor of a broader effort to address aircraft subsidies.
Aircraft
De Havilland To Pause Dash 8 Line, Seeks New Production Site
Market conditions force De Havilland Aircraft of Canada to suspend production of the Dash 8-400.
Aircraft
UAE Clears 737 Max for Return to Service
FlyDubai stands poised to return the Max to operation following the UAE’s clearance.
Aircraft
New-gen Airliner Values Steady as Older Models Continue To Fall
IBA appraisers sees values of older airliners continuing to decline amid Covid pressure.
Aircraft
Covid-related Travel Restrictions Delay C919’s Icing Trials
Canada’s International Test Pilots School will have to wait until autumn to conduct natural icing tests on the Comac C919.
Aircraft
Group Seeks Creation of Hydrogen ‘Ecosystem’ at Paris Airports
Airbus, Air France-KLM, Groupe ADP, and the Paris Region have begun accepting expressions of interest to build hydrogen “hubs” at Paris airports.
Accidents
Sriwijaya Crash Report Points to Engine Thrust Imbalance
The left engine of the doomed Sriwijaya Air 737-500 lost thrust while the right thrust levers remained static before a 45 degree roll to the left.
Aircraft
Boeing Gets January Boost from 737 Max Deliveries
Shipment of 26 Boeing commercial jets in January included twenty-one 737 Maxes.
Aircraft
SIA's Order Realignment Allows It To Defer S$4 billion in Capex
Singapore Airlines will take 14 fewer 787-10s and 11 more 777-9s while delaying deliveries from both Boeing and Airbus.
Aircraft
UPS ‘Futureproofs’ Airbus A300s with Primus Epic
Airbus, Honeywell, and UPS collaborate on upgrades to the avionics in the delivery company’s A300s.
Aircraft
Airbus’s January Deliveries Down by a Third
Delivery of 21 airplanes meant Airbus shipped 10 fewer jets than in January 2020, in line with the company’s “adaptation plan.”
Airlines
Singapore Air To Fly First Ex-SilkAir Boeing 737 on March 4
SIA’s three-year “transformation plan” gets a boost from the integration of its SilkAir regional unit.
Airlines
Air Cargo Saw Record Decline in Demand in 2020
A 10.6 percent drop in demand for air cargo accompanied a 23.3 percent fall in capacity, generating higher yields for airlines.
Aircraft
Airbus ‘Decouples’ Hamburg’s A321XLR Production Tasks
Establishing a “pilot line” for the A321XLR’s rear fuselage section will allow Airbus to avoid interrupting current single-aisle production.
Aircraft
Qantas Sees Dawn of Project Sunrise Breaking in 2024
Covid-19 forced the Australian flag carrier to delay plans for ultra-long-haul flights between the east coast of Australia and cities such as London.
Airlines
Study Pinpoints Green Benefits of SatNav Over North Atlantic
Plotting transoceanic routes based on most efficient air distances will result in fuel savings and a reduction in CO2 emissions.
Aircraft
PSA Airlines Grounds Most of CRJ Fleet
A “standard” inspection of nose-gear doors ordered by the FAA forced PSA to remove most of its CRJs from service, disrupting American Airlines' network.
Aircraft
Oliver Wyman Gauges Covid’s Damage to Future Airliner Fleets
A 10-year fleet forecast by Oliver Wyman projects a 40 percent shortfall in widebody production compared with previous projections.
Aircraft
Boeing Moves 777X EIS Target to Late 2023
Along with a delay to the 777X, Boeing’s 787 delivery pause will last into late in the first quarter.
Accidents
EASA Clears Boeing 737 Max for Return to Service
Approval of the 737 Max by EASA follows clearance by U.S., Canadian, and Brazilian aviation authorities.
