general

Brussels airport scheduled nearly 40 flights Monday, officials said, as Belgium struggles to get back to normal after two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the departure hall nearly two weeks ago. The number was a sharp rise over the three flights at Belgium's main air hub on Sunday, but a far cry from the 600 the airport usually handles per day, officials said. "Some 39 passenger flights, most of them arriving from or departing to European cities, are planned," Brussels Airlines spokesman Kim Daenen said, adding her company was the only operator Monday. On Tuesday, the airline will run 89 flights, with 48 heading to European destinations, five to Africa and one to New York. Some 40 return flights are planned. Brussels airport spokeswoman Florence Mulls said other companies such as Dutch carrier KLM will operate from Wednesday. Two big white tents now serve as temporary check-in facilities and passengers were asked to come three hours before departure to allow time for tight new security checks. There was also a strong security presence inside the tents where passengers walked through metal detectors and had their bags screened before checking in and being allowed to enter the main building. Under the new system, only passengers with travel and ID documents are allowed into the makeshift departure hall, and all bags will be checked before entering. Once inside, travellers will still have to go through the usual security barriers. The airport will initially only be accessible by car, with no access for buses and trains. Vehicles will be screened and subject to spot checks. It will take months to repair the departure hall, according to airport CE Arnaud Feist.<br/>

Two planes collided on a runway at a city airport in the Indonesian capital Jakarta late on Monday, forcing passengers to evacuate. No casualties were reported, according to a statement from the transport ministry. A Boeing 737-800 operated by Batik Air, the full-service arm of Lion Air Group, was attempting to take off from Halim Perdanakusuma airport when its wing clipped the tail of a smaller plane being towed off the runway. "All passengers and crew were safely evacuated,” the transport ministry said, adding the airport, which services mainly domestic flights, would be closed until further notice. TV images showed the wing of the Batik Air aircraft in flames as fire trucks and ambulances gathered on the runway.<br/>

A terminal at Newark Liberty Airport was evacuated twice early Monday when a fire broke out in a ceiling and then later reignited. A spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed that fire began just after 1 a.m. in a boiler room in Terminal B. Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman said about 200 people evacuated, including passengers on a Cathay Pacific flight as well as service and airport workers. There were no injuries, but there was significant smoke in the terminal, which had to be ventilated, he said. The first fire was extinguished about 2 a.m. and the terminal reopened, Coleman said, but it rekindled about 3 a.m. and had to be evacuated again. The terminal was reopened about 5:30 a.m. As a result of the fires nine of the terminal's 25 gates are closed and some flights that regularly use Terminal B — primarily Delta — had to be moved to other gates, Coleman said. Travelers should check with their airline for further information, he added. Coleman said the cause was believed to be electrical.<br/>

The threat in recent years of pilots blinded by high-powered lasers may soon be superseded by this potentially more fearsome prospect: drones finding their way into restricted airspace around airports. Each month, pilots and air traffic controllers report more than 100 drone “sightings” to the Federal Aviation Administration, which has begun compiling and releasing periodic reports on these encounters. The FAA says such reports have surged since 2014, with more than 1,200 incidents nationwide last year. Over the latest reporting period, from August 2015 through January, the New York metro area led the nation in drone sightings by airline pilots with 43. The Los Angeles area was next, with 25, according to an analysis of FAA data released March 25. The Dallas area was third, with 18.Pilots consider drones a safety risk that must not be underestimated. “We’re not kidding when we say it has to be mitigated as a threat,” said Tim Canoll, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, and a drone hobbyist himself. “Your imagination can run wild with the problems of hitting hard metal objects at 200 mph.” In a statement accompanying its data, the FAA said it wanted “to send a clear message that operating drones around airplanes and helicopters is dangerous and illegal.” Current FAA rules restrict drone operators from flying within five miles of an airport and above 400 feet (drone flights are allowed ​inside that perimeter if the operator contacts the airport and the control tower before flying, according to the agency). About 92 percent of the most recent pilot sightings occurred above 400 feet; 60 percent were closer than the five-mile limit. So, apparently, a lot of people aren't listening.<br/>

Airbus Group temporarily lost export-credit funding after the aircraft-maker informed UK regulatory authorities of “inaccuracies” in a number of applications, putting financial strain on some would-be purchasers. UK Export Finance will halt support for Airbus until the aircraft-maker provides “satisfactory” assurances over its dealings with “overseas agents,” the agency said in an emailed statement on Monday. Airbus is cooperating with relevant export-credit agencies to re-establish the financing, which is used on less than 10 per cent of its plane sales. The company didn’t say whether any deliveries would be affected as it works to reserve the issue as soon as possible. “The group believes that although some export-credit financing will be temporarily unavailable, the affected customers will be able to resume obtaining such financing or refinancing in the near future,” Airbus said late Friday. The financing halt comes amid increased scrutiny about the role played by cross-border intermediaries in multinational deals.<br/>

Boeing said Monday it had picked a new aircraft seat supplier for its most popular jet, the 737, a move that industry experts said adds competition to leading seat makers Zodiac Aerospace and B/E Aerospace . In response to questions from Reuters, Boeing said it will buy seats directly from the new supplier, LIFT by EnCore of Huntington Beach, California - a break from the past practice of allowing airlines to purchase seats that led to some costly delays in finishing aircraft because seats did not always arrive on time. Boeing and LIFT planned to announce their agreement on Tuesday at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany. Boeing said it already has 11 approved economy seat suppliers, but LIFT will be the first and only supplier selling directly to Boeing for the current 737NG and successor 737 MAX aircraft. The other suppliers sell to airlines, a process that has for decades allowed carriers to customize their respective cabins. As plane production soared in recent years, suppliers had increasing problems delivering seats on time. The delays fouled production at Boeing and Airbus.<br/>