Boeing has received a license from the US to hold talks with airlines in Iran about buying airliners but it would need additional approval to make sales. "We have applied for and received a license to assess the current commercial passenger airplane needs of US govt-approved Iranian airlines," Boeing said. "The license permits us to engage approved airlines to determine their actual fleet requirements." The company said it received the license Thursday, nearly a month after Airbus said Iran had agreed to buy 118 Airbus jets worth US$27b at list prices, including a dozen A380s. Boeing faces numerous obstacles in making sales to Iran, including finding financial institutions that will handle the transactions, and the need to ensure that the buyers are not linked to arms dealers or other entities that remain off limits. <br/>
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Airline bookings to parts of Latin America and the Caribbean have slipped globally since a US public health agency warned pregnant women against travel to areas where the Zika virus is spreading. Bookings to regions hit by the mosquito-borne virus fell 3.4% from a year ago between Jan 15, when the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel advisory, and February 10, the travel data analysis company ForwardKeys report found. Before the warning, bookings were up 4.9% during December and early January to the same destinations from a year ago, according to the report. A move by the WHO Feb 1 to classify the Zika outbreak an international emergency appeared to accelerate the slide, with bookings dropping 10% between the WHO announcement and Feb 10, the report found. <br/>
The US expects to have "very serious" talks with China after reports Beijing has deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system to a disputed island in the South China Sea. Passenger airlines need to assess the threat posed by the Chinese missiles spotted in the South China Sea and think about diverting around those islands, a leading defence expert has said. Raising the spectre of the MH-17 tragedy, Peter Jennings, head of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the presence of Chinese surface-to-air missiles on the Paracel Islands could pose a similar danger to commercial planes as well as RAAF aircraft. "There would be a lot of discussion similarly with commercial airlines, especially after the Ukrainian experience. Previously there was not a lot of consideration [about surface-to-air missiles],” he said. <br/>
Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, came out publicly against Indian airlines lobbying to keep a rule that bars new carriers from starting international flights unless they have been flying for 5 years and have 20 planes. He said this smacked of protectionism and had no place in an open economy. "In the airline industry in India it is sad to see the incumbent airlines lobbying for protection and preferential treatment for themselves against the new airlines which have been formed in full compliance with prevailing govt policy and providing air transport to Indian citizens in line with the dream of 'New India' promoted by the new govt under Narendra Modi's leadership," Tata said. The Tata group is an investor in two of India's newest carriers — AirAsia India and Vistara. <br/>
IATA has warned that Bangkok's main Suvarnabhumi Airport is a safety risk, with "serious" overcrowding soon to become a critical issue, and urgent expansion needed, according to a local media report. Thailand is under pressure to improve its aviation standards after the US FAA downgraded the country's safety ratings in December last year. "There are also safety concerns on the airport's tarmac, taxiways and apron area because of soft spots." IATA DG Tony Tyler said the airport, which handles 52m passengers each year, had a significant regional and global role but needed urgent expansion of its terminal capacity. Airports of Thailand said it was aware of the problems flagged by IATA and has readied several measures to improve runways using concrete and expand capacity, which are awaiting govt approval. <br/>