Long security lines at airports will get a little more relief. Congress approved the latest US$28m shift in funding for the TSA, as security officials said long checkpoint lines of spring have largely disappeared. The money will be used to convert 2,784 TSA officers from part-time to full-time, which will open an additional 53 security lines nationwide. The money will also speed the hiring of 600 more officers before the end of Sept. The steps came after lines stretched to two or three hours at the busiest times at the business airports. American said more than 70,000 travelers missed flights during the first five months of the year because of security lines. <br/>
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Norway gradually reopened its airspace and resumed flights Tuesday following radar problems earlier in the day that had triggered a shutdown in western parts of the country. Airports operator Avinor said helicopter flights to offshore oil installations have yet to resume. The airspace over Oslo had remained opened, a spokesman said earlier. <br/>
Greek civil aviation workers plan a five-day strike next week in protest at the long-term lease of 14 regional airports. Authorities agreed to lease the airports to German operator Fraport last year and are now considering offering concessions for 23 others. The walkout, called by civil aviation workers union OSYPA from June 20 to June 25, is expected to disrupt domestic and international flights as airports will operate with emergency staff only. The deal with Fraport and its Greek partner Copelouzos covers the operation of 14 provincial airports in popular tourist islands including Corfu and Santorini. <br/>
Iran said it has reached an agreement with Boeing for the supply of airliners, reopening the country's skies to new US aircraft for the first time in decades. Details of the agreement were left vague, but could involve flag carrier Iran Air acquiring more than 100 Boeing jets, both directly and from leasing companies. The agreement is so far only a broad outline of what a formal deal would look like once Boeing has the necessary US govt approvals to sell planes to Iran. So far, Boeing has only been granted permission to present its products to Iran Air and a handful of other airlines as it tries to catch up with Airbus, which has won a provisional deal for 118 aircraft worth US$27b. <br/>
Passenger traffic through Dubai International in April climbed 7.2% from a year earlier to 6.98m people. Double-digit growth in traffic to and from Eastern Europe and Asia underpinned the rise. Traffic increased 6.9% to 27.93m people in the first four months of this year. <br/>