Proponents of moving US air traffic control (ATC) out of FAA and into a nongovernment, nonprofit entity are looking for a significant victory in October following Congress extending the agency's authorization through March 2018, averting a partial shutdown.
According to the ICAO-sponsored Industry High Level Group (IHLG), by 2034, the aviation industry will provide 99 million jobs and generate $5.9 trillion in GDP, a 122% increase over 2014. But if traffic growth were to slow by only 1% annually, the total number of jobs supported by the air transport sector would fall over 10%, more than 10 million jobs, and the air transport sector’s contribution to world GDP would decrease approximately 12%, or $690 billion.
US lawmakers are bumping up to the deadline for extending the FAA’s authorization, after a controversial bill passed the House of Representatives Sept. 28, but still faced an almost equally uncertain chance of becoming law.
The US will impose a duty of almost 220% on Bombardier CSeries imports if a parallel price-dumping investigation finds subsidies on the narrowbody jet ordered by Delta Air Lines in April 2016 threaten to materially damage Boeing. The duty is expected to be in place before deliveries to Delta begin in April.
The US regional airline industry is “shrinking” because of a pilot shortage that is reducing air service to smaller markets throughout the US, Republic Airways Holdings president and CEO Bryan Bedford said.
Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo Worldwide filed suit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia Sept. 25, seeking a preliminary injunction against Teamsters (IBT) Local 1224 to stop what the two carriers are calling “an illegal and intentional work slowdown and service interruptions … to gain advantage in pilot contract negotiations [now] underway.”
Following the Trump administration’s Sept. 24 issuance of the third iteration of its foreign travel ban to the US, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is advising US carriers that CBP is not anticipating any operational impact as a result of the directive, an Airlines for America (A4A) spokesperson told ATW.
As a strike by more than half its 1,300 pilots moved into the second week, Colombian flag carrier Avianca has activated what the airline calls an operational mitigation plan.
LCC Norwegian has received full approval from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for its UK subsidiary, Norwegian UK (NUK), to start transatlantic operations.
The FAA could be reauthorized through an extension of its current authority through March 31, according to language in a potential bill brewing in the US House of Representatives.
Members of the US Congress from Connecticut have cautioned senior Trump administration officials that any action against Canada or Bombardier regarding alleged CSeries subsidies could have negative consequences on US aerospace workers, particularly at Pratt & Whitney.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is loosening control over inflight smartphone use, setting up a process in which Chinese airlines can apply to CAAC to allow passengers the option of using mobile phones during flights to access Wi-Fi services.
Virgin Australia has begun using a “pop-up” baggage check-in service developed jointly by Australian aviation tech company OACIS (Off Airport Check-in Solutions) and Madrid-based travel industry IT developer Amadeus.
The test of SITA’s biometric boarding gate technology on JetBlue Airways flights at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) had “a close to 100% match-rate,” the Geneva-based air transport IT company said Sept. 19.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will launch a new website in October to incorporate a branding transition from Global Online Enrollment System (GOES) to the Trusted Traveler Programs System, the agency said Sept. 18.
Switzerland’s Geneva Airport is planning to introduce renewable jet fuel for aircraft operations, targeting at least 1% of annual jet fuel consumption from late 2018.
The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), which represents the interests of US aerospace manufacturers in Washington DC, has named Eric Fanning its new president and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2018.
UK carrier British Airways has partnered with renewable fuels company Velocys, after an earlier waste-to-fuel initiative—named GreenSky—with Washington-based Solena Fuels fell through.
Dutch national carrier KLM said potential flight delays and passenger inconvenience “have been minimized” after only a “few dozen” cabin crew joined a Sept. 15 strike called by the VNC union in a dispute over salary increases.
