The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) has elected Joe DePete, a FedEx Express pilot and the union’s first VP and national safety coordinator, to serve as its 11th president.

Singapore has signed an Open Skies agreement with Peru, allowing their airlines to fly any number of passenger and cargo services between both countries as well as beyond to any third country, with no restrictions on capacity, frequency, aircraft type or routing.

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has released an eight-year plan to incorporate biometric technology, including facial recognition and fingerprints at airports across the country.

The Polish government has established a Polish Aviation Group (PGL) to strengthen its position in the regional aviation sector.

A little-noticed provision in the 1,200-page bill to reauthorize the FAA will create an aviation consumer advocate within the Aviation Consumer Protection Division (ACPD) of the US Department of Transportation (DOT).

Italian unions have welcomed progress on the future of Alitalia and called for attention to be focused on developing the carrier’s long-haul network, particularly flights to the US.

European pilots are calling for Irish LCC Ryanair to reverse its decision to close bases in Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Bremen in Germany, as well as to reduce the number of aircraft based at Niederrhein in Germany in order to ensure progress in talks with unions.

Finnair will wet-lease an Airbus A330 from Air Italy to operate its Helsinki-Chicago O’Hare and Helsinki-Miami routes Oct. 12-31.