Rolls-Royce has reached “in principle” a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) that will see the company paying financial penalties amounting to GBP671m (US$809m). The company has also reached a DPA with the US Department of Justice and a “leniency agreement” with Brazil’s Ministério Público Federal (MPF). The UK agreement, reached in a preliminary court ruling in London, will suspend prosecution action provided the company fulfils certain rulings, notably the payment of a financial penalty. It follows from incidents of bribery and corruption involving intermediaries in several overseas markets, about which the company passed on concerns to the SFO in 2012. The proposed DPA is subject to final judicial approval, which is scheduled to be given Jan 17. <br/>
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Despite efforts to improve emergency contingency procedures, the DoT Inspector General contends the FAA is still not completely prepared to handle events that could cause major outages, such as the fire that was deliberately set in the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Centre in Sept 2014. The DoT IG stated that belief in a study the watchdog conducted at the behest of Congress on whether the FAA can manage air traffic control crises that arise within the National Airspace System. In the new report, the DoT IG found that the “FAA has taken steps to improve the effectiveness of its operational contingency plans; however, significant work remains to mitigate the impact of air traffic control disruptions.” <br/>
Thailand is preparing to install an upgraded aviation system by the end of this year to better manage its bustling air traffic. The system will enable Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (ART) to better direct traffic and serve more flights, which will put the country on track toward its goal of becoming a regional aviation hub in Southeast Asia, Transport minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said Monday. According to ART, the country's airports last year served more than 900,000 flights, which is up 9-10% on average depending on the city. The growth exceeded that of the Asia and Pacific region in the past year, which was between 6% and 7%, and far more than the global growth rate of 4.6% annually. The number of flights being handled at the nation's airports is technically beyond capacity. <br/>
This summer is the busiest ever for New Zealand's skies, says the country's traffic controller. Airways New Zealand says air traffic volumes are up 11% from this time last year and an 18% rise from the year before that. While more domestic traffic was contributing to the rise, inbound planes from Asia were driving international growth, with 87 more flights arriving from the region each week compared to a year ago. Airways says it is also seeing an extra 315 jet movements per week from this time last year, with 57% of these flights coming in and out of Auckland Airport. "Aside from a short spike during the 2011 Rugby World Cup, jet aircraft movements haven't reached these levels since 2008, ahead of the worst impacts of the Global Financial Crisis," said Airways CE Ed Sims. <br/>