general

The airline industry set a record for passenger traffic in 2015, according to data released Thursday by the US DoT. System wide, domestic carriers and foreign airlines serving the US flew a record 895.5m passengers — both domestic and international — in 2015. That's up 5% from 2014, which was the previous record, said the department's statistics bureau. American Airlines carried more passengers last year than any other US airline. American and US Airways began reporting joint data in July, reflecting their merger. United ranked fourth, down one notch from the previous year, though its passenger count still rose by 5.5%. More passengers boarded planes in 2015 at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International than at any other US airport, followed by Los Angeles and Chicago O'Hare. <br/>

EU aviation security experts will next week discuss ways of strengthening airport security after the attacks in Brussels Tuesday that killed at least 31 people. The EC will host a meeting of aviation security experts from the 28 EU states March 31, an EU Commission official said. A meeting of land transport security experts would be held April 11. There is no defined agenda for the meetings at the moment, but the Commission official ruled out stricter measures being imposed at EU level. "Security is a national prerogative," the official said. "The Commission will not impose on a small airport in Finland the same security measures that may be required for major hubs such as Brussels or Paris." Asked whether security scanners may be installed at airport entrances, the official said that would be a decision to be taken by national authorities. <br/>