The eastern United States was in panic mode on Thursday ahead of what forecasters called a "potentially paralyzing" blizzard, sparking the cancellation of hundreds of flights and the looming closure of Washington's public transportation system. The US capital and the surrounding area could see up to 61 centimetres of snow accumulate in a short time from Friday to Saturday, coupled with fierce winds, forecasters said. With authorities warning the storm could bury Washington under more snow than it has seen in nearly a century, officials took the unusual step of shutting down the city's rail and bus system from Friday night until Monday morning. Heavy snow was expected across at least 15 states, with icy rain and coastal flooding in other areas. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a blizzard warning for Washington, and said New York could catch the tail end of the storm as the weekend progresses. Ahead of the first snowflakes, American Airlines said it was cancelling hundreds of flights, including at Washington's two airports on Saturday. All flights on that day will also be scrapped in Baltimore and Philadelphia, a spokeswoman said, adding that service would likely resume Sunday. All American Eagle operations will be halted on Saturday at New York's three airports, according to the airline.<br/>
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Federal officials say a record number of airline passengers were caught last year trying to take guns on planes, and most of the weapons were loaded. The TSA says 2,653 firearms were found in carry-on bags in 2015, a 20% increase over the previous year, which had been a record. More than four out of five were loaded. Airports with the most gun discoveries were Dallas-Fort Worth, 153; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, 144; Houston George Bush, 100; Denver, 90, and Phoenix, 73. TSA screened 708m passengers in 2015, 40m more than in 2014. Weapons of any kind are prohibited in carry-on bags. However, passengers can take guns with them when they fly if they are in checked bags, unloaded, properly packed and declared to the airline.<br/>
The number of domestic and international passengers using Narita International Airport near Tokyo hit a record high in 2015 for the second consecutive year, the airport’s operator said Thursday. The figure increased 5% from the previous year to 37.32m, reflecting a surge in the number of visitors to Japan and an increase in domestic flights operated by low-cost carriers, according to Narita International Airport. The number of international flight passengers rose 3% to 30.6m thanks to an expansion of new routes. In 2014, the international flight passenger figure was down on the previous year, affected by an increase in international flights at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.<br/>
Boeing plans to report a $569m after-tax accounting loss as it cuts production of the iconic 747 jumbo jet in half amid waning demand for four-engine aircraft and a slumping cargo market. The planemaker will reduce output of the humpbacked 747, Boeing’s largest jetliner, to six aircraft a year starting in September. The company previously said it would slow annual production to 12 beginning in March, the latest in a series of reductions made as the order backlog for the jets has shrunk. “The air cargo market recovery that began in late 2013 has stalled in recent months and slowed demand for the 747-8 Freighter,” said Ray Conner, CEO of Boeing’s commercial airplane unit. Nicknamed the “Queen of the Skies” for its graceful lines, the jumbo made long-range travel affordable for a mass consumer market when it was introduced in 1970. Sales have sputtered over the past decade, as more-efficient twin-engine aircraft such as Boeing’s 777 gained popularity. Boeing had just 20 unfilled orders for the 747-8, the latest jumbo model, as of December.<br/>
The US Department of Commerce showed, less than a week after the Iran nuclear agreement was implemented, how it will remain on the beat enforcing existing sanctions compliance obligations. Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, which develops US export-control policy, said that it issued a temporary denial order against three people and two entities for attempting to sell aircraft to Caspian Airlines, which the US placed under sanctions in 2014 for its alleged support for terrorism. “US sanctions imposed on Iran because of its support for terrorism remain in place notwithstanding the implementation of the JCPOA,” said Commerce Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement David W. Mills, referring to the nuclear agreement between Iran and global powers. Under the agreement, the US agreed to lift its nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, but officials have stressed, and did so again on Implementation Day, that non-nuclear sanctions on Iran remain in force.<br/>