Airports are stepping up efforts to reduce populations of mosquitoes that transmit the Zika virus in order to prevent its spread, the UN aviation agency said on Thursday. "The management of the outbreak is currently focused on reducing the populations of the Aedes mosquito that transmit the virus at airports (vector control)," the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) said. Vector control refers to the spraying of insecticides or other pest control measures. The Montreal-based agency urged airlines and airport authorities to follow World Health Organisation guidelines on the testing and use of insecticides for aircraft, including new guidance specifically related to the Zika virus. Meanwhile, "aviation stakeholders will continue to share information and resources in order to assist with controlling the outbreak," it added, saying it was working closely with the WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<br/>
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A House panel rejected a proposal Thursday to allow the transportation secretary to regulate shipments of lithium batteries on aircraft, despite the threat of catastrophic fire, in order to wait for international regulations. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted 25-33 against adding the amendment to legislation governing the FAA. The current policy, which Congress approved in 2012 and would extend in the latest bill, prevents the FAA from adopting tougher standards than the International Civil Aviation Organization, a branch of the United Nations that sets policy. The goal was to have all countries agree on rules for international cargo shipments. ICAO could take action within months, but it’s uncertain whether the international body will adopt stricter battery regulations. In the meantime, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., proposed to eliminate the 2012 restriction against U.S. regulations and allow the transportation secretary to determine if tougher standards are needed. “Lithium batteries are a disaster waiting to happen," DeFazio said. “We’re just repealing a statute that says they can’t act until people die."<br/>
A congressional soldier fighting a war against shrinking airline seats lost a battle in the US House Thursday. In a 26-33 vote, a House committee defeated legislation that would have mandated size standards for airline passenger seats. "I am disappointed," said Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee. "This was a vote against the safety and health of airline passengers." Cohen says that seat width on US airliners "has shrunk from 18 inches in the 1970s to about 16.5 inches today." The issue, he says, is more about safety than comfort. He says the FAA is putting passengers at risk because there hasn't been adequate emergency evacuation testing of airline seating with rows set with pitch under 29 inches. "Pitch" is the distance between any point on one seat to the same point on the seat in front. The vote came as the House transportation committee was voting on amendments to a bill to fund the FAA.<br/>
The House Transportation Committee, voting along party lines, Thursday approved a far-reaching proposal backed by GOP leaders to shift the entire US air-traffic control system under the purview of a stand-alone, nonprofit corporation. Part of a broad, three-year FAA reauthorization bill that includes other controversial provisions and faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, the move caps decades of on-and-off deliberations aimed at enhancing traffic control efficiency and modernization by stripping those responsibilities out of the agency. The FAA, however, would retain the final say over all safety matters. By a 34-25 vote, the panel endorsed creation of a stand-alone corporation—with a proposed governing board dominated by mainline carriers and labor representatives—intended to oversee the network’s day-to-day operations. The same board, independent of Congress, also would implement tens of billions of dollars in eventual satellite-based navigation upgrades and levy a new user fee primarily on mainline passenger and cargo carriers to fund those efforts.<br/>
Indonesia is upgrading security at its 192 airports to guard against possible terrorist attacks, weeks after a deadly bombing and shooting assault by Islamic State militants in downtown Jakarta. Measures will include fences at all the country’s airports that comply with International Civilian Aviation Organization standards, “first-class” baggage x-ray machines and retraining for security officers, Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan said. “We shouldn’t wait for indications and then act,” Jonan said. “We have to prepare better. We will increase the standards of airport security all over the country.” Jonan also defended the slew of safety regulations he has issued or enforced since taking office in October 2014. The rules include immediate route suspension for airlines involved in safety incidents, as well as a floor on ticket prices. “I know the airlines might not be happy with this, but I’m not happy with them either,” he said. “I come here not to serve the airlines but the safety of the public. The challenge here is how to discipline operators.”<br/>
Quebec said it will consider contributing further to Bombardier's CSeries jet, after investing in the troubled aircraft last year, Canadian media reported. Quebec's Transport Minister Jacques Daoust said in the province's parliament that he would be willing to help Bombardier once again if the Canadian government failed to invest in the Canadian plane and train manufacturer by March 31. "If by March 31 the federal government isn't there, the Quebec government will have a decision to make. But we have always supported Bombardier. It is a jewel of our economy and we will make sure it continues that way," said Daoust who was quoted by the French-language Journal de Montréal.<br/>
The US SEC is investigating whether Boeing properly accounted for the costs and expected sales of two of its best known jetliners, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The probe, which involves a whistleblower’s complaint, centers on projections Boeing made about the long-term profitability for the 787 Dreamliner and the 747 jumbo aircraft, said one of the people, who asked not to be named because the investigation isn’t public. Both planes are among Boeing’s most iconic, renowned for the technological advancements they introduced, as well as the development headaches they brought the company. Underlying the SEC review is a financial reporting method known as program accounting that allows Boeing to spread the enormous upfront costs of manufacturing planes over many years. While the SEC has broadly blessed its use in the aerospace industry, critics have said the system can give too much leeway to smooth earnings and obscure potential losses. <br/>