Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Alan Dron
London’s two largest airports say they have acquired, or plan to acquire, anti-drone technology in the wake of the pre-Christmas disruption at London Gatwick.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) president Joe DePete has called on US congressional leaders and President Donald Trump to end the partial shutdown of the federal government, saying the standoff “is adversely affecting the safety, security and efficiency of our national airspace system.”
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Lufthansa Group plans to add about 5,500 employees in 2019 to stabilize operations after what the company called “a turbulent summer” in 2018.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Lion Air has ended the search for the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from flight JT610, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 that crashed into the Java Sea on Oct. 29, 2018, but Indonesian officials said the search could resume next week.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Bill Carey, Kerry Reals
With more than 500 fatalities, 2018 was a setback for commercial aviation safety following the record safe performance of 2017.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Bill Carey
The partial shutdown of the US government has caused FAA to close its air traffic controller academy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma—delaying controller training during a staffing shortage.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Kerry Reals
Two European low-cost carriers face mixed fortunes when it comes to labor relations in 2019.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Nigel Mayes
From shifting global airline alliances to a still-evolving LCC sector and the impact of Brexit, here are nine things to keep an eye on in the airline world through 2019.
Airlines & Lessors

By Karen Walker
Lawyers for the family of the co-pilot killed in the crash of the Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX 8 have filed a lawsuit against Boeing alleging the aircraft was “unreasonably dangerous” and that the manufacturer failed to provide proper instruction on how to handle the new narrowbody’s anti-stall system.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Roughly 18,000 FAA employees have been furloughed as part of the partial US federal government shutdown that began Dec. 22, affecting non-essential personnel in posts ranging from airman certificate issuance to aviation rulemaking.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

As part of the steps to implement the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), Gambia has signed its Memorandum of Implementation (MoI) – the framework adopted by SAATM member States during the 4th Ministerial Working Group Meeting in Lomé, Togo in May 2018.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

London’s Gatwick Airport shut down flight operations again Dec. 21 after yet another drone sighting, then reopened 1 1/2 hr. later.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Tony Osborne
Flight operations at London Gatwick Airport have been restarted after drone flights forced the closure of its runway for more than 30 hrs.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Alan Dron
A no-deal Brexit draws closer, and that’s not good for aviation.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Alan Dron
UK long-haul specialist Virgin Atlantic (VA), facing a strike by one of its pilots’ unions in the run-up to Christmas, won a court injunction halting the industrial action Dec. 20.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Tony Osborne
Flights to and from London Gatwick Airport in the UK are being deliberately disrupted by unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), more commonly known as drones, operating in the vicinity.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Kerry Reals
Contingency proposals put forward by the European Commission would only guarantee the temporary continuation of “basic” point-to-point air transport services between the UK and the European Union (EU), in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Kerry Reals
Swedish airports operator Swedavia is calling for the country’s new environmental aviation tax to be replaced with a mandatory requirement for fuel suppliers to provide a certain amount of biofuel to airlines.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

New York-based JetBlue Airways has renewed its call for the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to review concerns that a proposed combination of transatlantic joint ventures (JV) between Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic and Air France-KLM could negatively affect competition and slot allocation at London Heathrow Airport (LHR).
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Alan Dron
The European Safedrone project will mount flight demonstrations of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and aircraft sharing low-altitude airspace in Spain.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Kerry Reals
British Airways will resume nonstop flights to Islamabad, Pakistan next year, more than a decade after withdrawing the route because of security concerns.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Alan Dron
Pilots in northern Canada frequently take off with ice-contaminated wings, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has found.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Alan Dron
UK-based long-haul specialist Virgin Atlantic plans to seek a legal injunction against members of its pilot workforce taking strike action over Christmas.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Tony Osborne
The British government is looking to pursue greater liberalization of air traffic rights and modernize what it calls “obsolete restrictions on airline ownership” in a bid to open competition for UK and international air routes.
Airports & Networks

By Kerry Reals
UK and Swiss authorities have signed a new bilateral air services agreement to ensure the continuation of flights between the two countries post-Brexit.
Airports & Networks