A technical outage shut down US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing at multiple US airports the evening of Jan 2, creating lengthy delays for thousands of passengers returning from the holidays. A CBP spokesperson said an initial investigation into the cause indicates the problem was the result of changes made Dec 28 to the software used to process travellers. Those changes were bypassed to resolve the issue, the spokesperson said. The outage began at 5 pm EST and ended at approximately 9 pm EST, but delays continued afterward. CBP said it used alternative procedures at airports experiencing the disruption resulting in travellers at some ports of entry experiencing longer than usual wait times. <br/>
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Heathrow airport has announced a GBP10 reduction in domestic passenger charges, putting pressure on airlines to pass the saving onto their customers. The reduction – which took effect from Jan 1 – sees the airport’s domestic charge reduced to GBP19.10 per passenger. Heathrow says it is the largest discount the airport has ever made, and that it “fulfils a key pledge Heathrow made in its expansion manifesto to make the UK’s hub airport work harder for families in every corner of Britain”. Airlines will be obliged to take account of the reduced charge when displaying the breakdown of domestic fares from Heathrow, although they do not necessarily have to pass the saving onto customers. The airport says that “Airlines are already responding to Heathrow’s cheaper domestic charges”. <br/>
India may make allocation of airport slots for its airlines an essential part of any bilateral signed in future. This is after hectic lobbying and repeated complaints by airlines that they were being overlooked in terms of peak-time slots. According to sources, the civil aviation and external affairs ministries agree that countries showing interest in increasing seat allocations will be asked to provide slots to Indian airlines of their choice. “We are a big market in terms of passengers. Many foreign airlines want to expand in India. We intend to play to our strength," a civil aviation ministry official said. “There is a consensus in the ministry that we need to be more vocal about our carriers," the official added. Indian airlines complain lack of slots in foreign airports hampers scheduling and curbs the viability of their overseas operations. <br/>
Russian and Turkish aviation authorities have signed an agreement allowing designated airlines to operate up to 7X-weekly Istanbul (Turkey)-Zhukovsky (Russia), Istanbul-Grozny (Russia) and Moscow-Gazipasa (Turkey) services. Russia’s Ikar Airlines (Pegas Fly) has been designated to operate up to 7X-weekly on Zhukovsky-Istanbul routes. Gazipasa, the ninth destination in Turkey from Russia, is a second airport at the well-developed Alanya resort. Russia’s Zhukovsky International is a newly opened airport near Moscow, which is not specified as a Moscow destination in the bilateral agreement that regulates flights between Russia and other countries. This means the restrictions that apply to flights from the Russian capital do not apply to Zhukovsky. <br/>
As authorities anticipate 34m foreign-tourist arrivals and 150m domestic air travellers in 2017, major airports including Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang International, U-tapao Rayong-Pattaya International, Krabi International, Phuket International and Chiang Rai Mae Fah Luang International are undergoing renovation or expansion. Meanwhile, there have been calls for some small airports upcountry such as in Roi-et, Nakhon Ratchasima and Hua Hin to be upgraded to international status in order to attract more foreign airlines and tourists. The Transport Ministry also plans a new airport in Yala province. The private sector in Nakhon Ratchasima is also urging the govt to develop the local airport as the city is growing and has many more attractions. <br/>