President Donald Trump will discuss airport security, airline fees, regulation and an overhaul of the nation’s air-traffic-control system when he meets with the leaders of the nation’s biggest carriers Thursday, a White House official said. The president’s Jan. 27 order barring US entry for refugees and visitors from seven predominantly Muslim countries isn’t on the agenda, the official said. A federal appeals court is considering whether to reinstate the ban, after it was temporarily blocked by a federal judge Feb. 3. Airlines are the latest US industry to have its bosses called to the White House following meetings with car companies, drugmakers and banks. Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said last month he was “hopeful” the new administration would take up tax and regulatory changes as well as infrastructure investment, particularly in modernizing air traffic control. “The airline industry listening session breakfast is an opportunity for the president and his team to hear directly from the individuals who work day in and day out to improve consumer experience in air travel,” said Lindsay Walters, a White House spokeswoman. Executives from Delta, United Continental and Southwest are set to attend, along with counterparts from smaller airlines such as JetBlue and Alaska Air. Freight giants United Parcel Service and FedEx will be there, as will officials from airports in New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles and smaller cities such as Nashville, Tennessee, and Buffalo, New York. Trade groups Airlines for America and Airports Council International will go as well.<br/>
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Airline executives were preparing to meet with President Trump on Thursday to discuss issues including jobs and international competition, a meeting that comes as the on-again, off-again enactment of his travel ban has had them scrambling. But even beyond the ban, executives and government officials expect Trump to be a disruptive influence on air travel. Some are concerned about an executive order seeking the elimination of two regulations for every new one enacted, which they say could have a negative effect on safety rules. They also await Mr. Trump’s thoughts on a proposal to privatize the air traffic control system, which has been run by the federal government since 1936. President Trump has not taken a position on a House Transportation Committee proposal to turn over more than 300 air traffic control facilities and 30,000 employees to a private nonprofit corporation run by executives nominated by aviation industry participants. Privatization would be the biggest change in the system since President Ronald Reagan fired 11,345 striking air traffic controllers in 1981, effectively killing their union. The FAA had to spend three years restaffing after the striking workers were fired, and the system was hit with a personnel shortage 25 years later when those replacement workers became eligible for retirement. Overtime and six-day work weeks have been the norm since that time in busy areas, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Controllers complained that had affected safety and morale.<br/>
A densely populated swath of the Northeast was preparing for winter's harshest thump yet, a fast-moving storm that could bring more than a foot of snow, strong winds and coastal flooding. Some places were poised to experience an atmospheric yo-yo: Philadelphia and New York hit 60 degrees on Wednesday, were expecting at least a half-foot of snow on Thursday and were bracing for bitter cold temperatures Thursday night. "This is going to be a big punch," said Benjamin Sipprell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Massachusetts. "It's originating in the Ohio River Valley and starts cranking as it comes across Appalachia." The storm was expected to hit eastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey with rain early Thursday morning, before changing over to snow in time for the morning commute. Airlines were bracing for a troublesome day: The flight-tracking site FlightAware.com said more than 2,000 Thursday flights had been cancelled as of Wednesday afternoon.<br/>
Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport is set to begin a $60m expansion of its international terminal this spring. The state Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved issuing the $60m contract to Baltimore-based Whiting Turner Contracting Company. The construction, to be completed next year, will add six new airline gates: two full-service gates with airline hold rooms and four arrival-only gates. Maryland and airport officials say a three-level, 70,000 square foot extension to Concourse E will support growing international traffic at BWI, which in the past couple of years has grown by 40%. Officials say this next phase of development at the terminal will ensure the airport remains a choice for travelers in the Washington region while it continues to see steady growth in international traffic. Last year 25.1 million passengers flew through BWI, the busiest airport in the region. BWI’s international traffic has been a key factor in the airport’s record-setting growth. More than 1.2 million airport passengers flew nonstop to and from international destinations in 2016, according to the airport.<br/>
German ground staff went on strike at Berlin's two airports on Wednesday, forcing the cancellation of 137 flights and delaying many more. Ground crew, represented by union Verdi, went on strike at Tegel and Schoenefeld airports at 0400 GMT and were due to resume work at 1000 GMT. They want a pay rise of roughly 10% to E12 an hour. Verdi says ground staff, whose roles include loading and unloading planes and directing them on the tarmac, are paid too little considering safety is paramount in the industry and the workload is increasing due to rising passenger numbers. Passenger numbers to Tegel and Schoenefeld rose a combined 11% in 2016. About 500 take-offs and landings were planned for Wednesday at Berlin's airports, an airports spokesman said. He said no more specific figures were immediately available. Ground crew were also on strike at smaller airports in Hamburg and Stuttgart. "It's a pay level that for the amount of work we do simply isn't enough," said Verdi negotiator, Enrico Ruemker. "We're due to negotiate for the fourth time on February 10 and if no offer is put forward then further strikes are very likely."<br/>
Brazil has formally taken its case against government financial investment in the Bombardier CSeries to the WTO. Brazil’s foreign ministry said in a Feb. 8 statement that it has requested consultations with Canada under the WTO dispute settlement system “on subsidies granted by the Canadian government to the aircraft industry, at the federal, provincial and local levels, in particular the Bombardier CSeries program.” The Québec provincial government last year invested $1b to take a 49% stake in the CSeries program. Bombardier is based in Québec. That investment angered Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer, Bombardier’s prime competitor, and the company urged the Brazilian government to challenge Canada at the WTO. Embraer CEO Paulo Cesar Silva believes the government investment played a role in Delta Air Lines choosing the CSeries over an Embraer aircraft when placing a firm order for 75 CS100s last year. Brazil’s complaint appears not to be limited to the Québec investment. Though it did not elaborate, the foreign ministry said that “in 2016 only, Bombardier received at least $2.5b in government support.” This assistance, plus potential future government aid, “deepen distortions in the aircraft sector to the detriment of Brazilian interests,” the foreign ministry said.<br/>
India's aviation industry risks a capacity crunch as an expansion in landing slots and terminals fails to keep pace with the number of jets entering the market and rapid growth in demand from travellers, executives warned on Wednesday. Airlines including Interglobe Aviation's IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir have 880 aircraft on order as they tap into a market growing 20%-plus per annum thanks to rising incomes and low-cost fares. Domestic passenger numbers topped 100m last year, with most of the growth involving flights into and out of the biggest cities. "The airport infrastructure at many airports is breaking at the seams because there is no more capacity," said Sanjiv Kapoor, chief strategy and commercial officer at Vistara, an Indian airline jointly owned by Singapore Airlines and Tata Sons. "Everyone is scrambling to grab whatever little is left but what happens after that?" Kapoor told Reuters at an aviation conference in Mumbai. Most of India's 40 largest airports will exceed their design capacity within a decade based on projected growth rates, consultancy CAPA estimates, with Mumbai and Chennai fast approaching saturation. Kapil Kaul, CEO for South Asia at CAPA, said India could run out of capacity within three to five years. "We are not ready beyond 2020-2021," he said. India's government plans to open 50 disused airports by 2020, and has given approval for 18 greenfield airports.<br/>
The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) has been accused of a safety cover-up concerning its controversial air traffic management system (ATMS). In a statement on Wednesday, the aviation regulator confirmed that the much-criticised system was involved in six separate safety incidents last month which were not previously disclosed to the public, following a report by news agency FactWire. Civic Party lawmaker Jeremy Tam Man-ho, who is also a pilot, hit out at the department for not being honest with the public. Tam previously helped whistle-blowers reveal a number of problems stemming from the HK$1.56b system. The incidents, known as “loss of separation” – a minimum distance for aircraft to reduce the risk of mid-air collisions – were reported to have occurred between January 13 and 30. The department classified them as “minor incidents” and “minor technical incidents”. The days spanned the Lunar New Year holiday, one of the busiest travel periods.<br/>
Canadian plane maker Bombardier plans to double its fleet size in India to more than 40 aircraft over the next few years, an executive told Reuters on Wednesday on the sidelines of an aviation conference in Mumbai. "Bombardier expects the introduction of short haul flights and efforts to improve the business environment to lead to higher growth than originally planned," Francois Cognard, vice-president sales, Southeast Asia and Australasia at Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, said. Apart from building more infrastructure, training, and maintenance facilities, the government has tweaked rules for repossession of aircraft, which is making plane lessors more comfortable and could bring in more investors to India, Cognard said. SpiceJet, which has about 20 Q400 78-seater aircraft, is Bombardier's biggest client in the country, and is assisting the airline in reducing costs. "One of the ways it could help is by reconfiguring the aircraft to increase the number of seats to about 86," Cognard said, adding that this would make the airline more competitive. Bombardier has reconfigured planes for other airlines.<br/>