Luton airport plans to park its much-maligned bus transfer service once and for all and build a GBP200m light rail link to the nearest railway station. The fast-track service would make journey times between the capital and Luton airport faster than for those flying via Gatwick, the airport claimed. The 24-hour, automated light-rail link would replace the buses currently used to transfer travellers between the station and the terminal, making the fastest complete journey from Luton airport to London St Pancras less than 30 minutes. The 1.3-mile link will be funded by Luton borough council, which owns the airport freehold. Luton airport is spending a further GBP110m on redeveloping its terminals and layout to expand capacity to 18m passengers a year by 2020. <br/>
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Belgium's transport minister resigned Friday following opposition accusations she lied about an EU report critical of security at Brussels Airport a year ago. Jacqueline Galant had previously maintained before parliament that her office had not been aware of a critical report sent in March 2015 by EU officials. Opposition parties said they had emails proving the contrary. EC officials declined comment on the report but noted they carry out regular checks on security at European airports and raise any concerns with national authorities. Prime minister Charles Michel said he would appoint a replacement as soon as possible. Galant is a member of Michel's centrist party, which rules in coalition with 3 others. Galant complained of a "crusade" against her by a senior official in the state transport administration. <br/>
German police and airport officials Sunday called for a review of how security checks are handled at airports amid concerns existing procedures weren’t adequate to detect weapons that could potentially be used to target flights. German public television WDR said inspectors from the EU, which is in charge of assuring member states comply with airport security regulations, in a test in February were able to repeatedly smuggle weapons and bomb components through checks at Cologne-Bonn Airport. More than 10m people last year passed through the facility, which has become a hub for budget airlines. German police unions Sunday called for a review of the current setup for passenger screening at the country’s airports, which in recent years has led to a high degree of outsourcing to private security firms. <br/>
A group of 7 Malaysian carriers have formed a group—the Association of Malaysian Air Carriers (AMAC)—to “provide a common platform to discuss issues affecting the industry,” following the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) announcement that it plans to revise the fees of several services. Included in the proposed new charges is a tenfold hike in air navigation flight charges—including Malaysian airspace usage, pilot flight licensing and air traffic management facilities. The DCA said the proposed carrier fee increase is partly driven by a need to comply with ICAO’s Aviation System Block Upgrades global air traffic management system. AMAC said it was formed to “represent common industry interests amongst institutions such as the Ministry of Transport, Department of Civil Aviation and the Malaysian Aviation Commission.” <br/>
Senegal has created Air Senegal, a new national airline intended to replace the West African nation's now defunct, heavily indebted carrier Senegal Airlines. Maimouna Ndoye Seck, the minister of tourism and air transport, said the new company was formed with capital of US$69m aimed at making the new airline operational as quickly as possible as it seeks "a strong strategic partner". Senegal state-owned television said Friday that Turkish Airlines was the front-runner to take a stake in Air Senegal. A ministry official confirmed the state had contributed the initial capital. Airlines have long been a fraught business in West Africa though there have been some success stories, including Ivory Coast's flag carrier Air Cote d'Ivoire. <br/>