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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
The European Safedrone project will mount flight demonstrations of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and aircraft sharing low-altitude airspace in Spain.
British Airways will resume nonstop flights to Islamabad, Pakistan next year, more than a decade after withdrawing the route because of security concerns.
UK-based long-haul specialist Virgin Atlantic plans to seek a legal injunction against members of its pilot workforce taking strike action over Christmas.
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.
UK and Swiss authorities have signed a new bilateral air services agreement to ensure the continuation of flights between the two countries post-Brexit.
FAA acting administrator Dan Elwell has appointed former FAA official D. Kirk Shaffer to serve as FAA associate administrator-airports, effective Dec. 17.
The decoupling of air traffic growth from rising carbon dioxide emissions is not happening fast enough and no airline has achieved the highest category for efficiency, according to a new report from a German environmental NGO.
