Airlines reacted angrily Monday to an abrupt change in US immigration policy, saying they were struggling to enforce unclear rules, faced unexpected additional costs and were worried they could be fined if they get it wrong. President Trump announced over the weekend a 4-month hold on allowing refugees into the US and temporarily barred travellers from Syria and 6 other Muslim-majority countries, provoking a worldwide backlash and protests at US airports. IATA said Monday the order was issued without prior coordination or warning, causing confusion among travellers and its own members, who are now at the forefront of implementing the rules. "It also placed additional burdens on airlines to comply with unclear requirements, to bear implementation costs and to face potential penalties for non-compliance," it said. <br/>
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The US govt said it was taking steps to restore order to the global air transport industry after a weekend of chaos following president Donald Trump’s travel ban on 7 predominantly Muslim countries. Permanent US residents from nations covered by Trump’s order should no longer be detained at American airports and no one covered by the ban should be getting on planes overseas, the Department of Homeland Security said. The agency’s statements late Sunday were attempts to rectify a weekend of confusion in which everyone from travellers to airline gate crews to immigration officers were left to contend with conflicting edicts. In the hours after the presidential edict, many airports imposed blanket bans on US travel for citizens from the affected countries. <br/>
President Michel Temer will propose legislation to lift restrictions on foreign ownership of airlines and agricultural land in Brazil as he strives to pull the economy out of a 2-year recession, govt sources said Monday. Temer's centre-right govt plans to send Congress a bill allowing 100% foreign ownership of airlines, though investors will be obliged to help expand regional flight services, sources said. Temer last year vetoed an aviation bill that would have allowed full foreign ownership of local airlines in an agreement with senators who wanted inclusion of measures to boost regional aviation. The new draft will do just that. "The initial idea is to reopen regional routes that were abandoned so that they get regular flights again," a source with knowledge of transport policy said. <br/>
For the first time in nearly half a century, a scheduled flight took off from an airport on the British mainland without the usual security checks for passengers or their possessions. Loganair flight 6844 departed from Campbeltown, destination Glasgow, with 15 passengers aboard — none of whom had been frisked or had their baggage rummaged through. The rules banning sharp objects, firearms and liquids in containers over 100ml still apply, but travellers simply make an oral declaration that they are not carrying any of the banned items. Loganair’s managing director, Jonathan Hinkles, rejects the concept of what he called a “one-size fits all approach to airline security”. On short, regional flights in Scotland, he said, “Everyone knows each other very well. And the vast majority of customers are using it as purely a local ‘bus service’.” <br/>
Asia-Pacific airlines carried 293m passengers in 2016, up 6% over 2015, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA). Low oil prices earlier in the year, coupled with a highly competitive market and expanded travel networks, prompted Asia-Pacific carriers to slash airfares, boosting international passenger demand 6.6% year-over-year to 1.1t RPKs in 2016. International capacity was up 6.3% YOY to 1.4t ASKs, creating an international passenger load factor of 78.7%, up 0.3 point from 2015. AAPA DG Andrew Herdman said: “Asian regional travel markets were relatively strong, as was demand on routes to and from North America, although routes from Asia to Europe saw some weakness following terrorist-related incidents.” Herman added that “the outlook for [Asia-Pacific] air travel markets in 2017 remains broadly positive.” <br/>