ICAO has formally adopted a new global standard for aircraft CO2 emissions, building on an agreement reached in Feb 2016. The new standard, which has been added to an annex of the Chicago Convention and adopted by the 36-state ICAO Council, is aimed at capping aircraft CO2 emissions and will be gradually introduced from 2020. “International civil aviation has once again taken pioneering action to address the impact of aviation CO2 emissions on the global climate, making air transport the first industry sector globally to adopt a CO2 emissions design certification standard,” ICAO Council president Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu said. Initially, it will apply to new aircraft types, before being rolled out to in-production aircraft from 2028. After 2028, any aircraft not meeting the criteria cannot be produced, unless their designs are modified. <br/>
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Airline passengers may be satisfied with their overall travel experience, but they still have a few bones to pick. Nearly all air travellers (97%) have at least one frustration with the process, according to a poll released Monday by HNTB Corp, which designs airports and other transportation projects. Waiting in lines is the chief complaint of more than one-third (34%) of air travellers who use one airport most frequently. Other frustrations included getting from one terminal to another (14%), parking and transportation near terminals (12%) and waiting on the tarmac for a plane to take off (11%), according to the survey. The results came a week after an airline survey found 85% of travellers "very" or "somewhat" satisfied with their overall experience, according to a survey for A4A. <br/>
To better understand how diseases travel with international airline passengers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seeking advanced global aviation intelligence data and analytical tools to enhance the agency’s ability to analyse global aviation patterns. The CDC said it needs more advanced data and tools because air travel has become an increasingly common conduit for the spread of disease. The CDC wants to be able to do online queries on a database that includes airline schedules dating back 5 years and 1 year into the future; historical passenger data dating back 5 years; and DoT data on the flight as well as on the origin and destination and itinerary of passengers. The data and tools will be used to provide reports to US and international public health partners. <br/>
US president Donald Trump has issued a revised, narrower travel ban than his previous executive order that was blocked by US federal courts, this time temporarily excluding citizens without already-issued visas from 6 countries from entering the US for 90 days starting March 16. Iraq has been dropped from the list of countries included in the ban, which now includes Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The ban will not take effect until March 16. Legal permanent residents, or “green card” holders, from the 6 countries will not be included in the ban. Travellers holding already-issued valid visas will also not be included. The previous executive order, issued Jan. 27, went into immediate effect, was a surprise to airlines and led to dozens of travellers—including green card holders—being detained at US airports. <br/>
The US DoT has indefinitely suspended comment periods on two late-term Obama administration regulatory actions related to how airlines display airfares and ancillary fees, essentially freezing the regulatory process on the actions. DoT said the suspension would “allow [Trump’s] appointees the opportunity to review and consider [these] action[s].” The suspensions are in reference to a Request for Information on “Exploring Industry Practices on Distribution and Display of Airline Fare, Schedule and Availability Information”, and a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking on “Transparency of Airline Ancillary Service Fees”. Both proposed regulatory actions garnered considerable industry pushback, described in various quarters as being both govt regulatory overreach and potentially harmful to the US airline industry. <br/>
European airlines are bracing for further disruption from a 5-day French air traffic control strike, while Finnair is recovering from the tail end of a ground handling walkout. A4E has warned that French ATC action could result in more than 1,000 flight cancellations and severe delays. A4E said airlines will have to reduce capacity by 25% this week because of the action. “Not only flights serving Paris are affected, but also services overflying France, including links from the UK and Italy, Switzerland and Spain,” A4E said. The March 6-10 walkout involves workers at the Brest and Bordeaux control centres. Colleagues from the south of France will join in from March 7. <br/>
Engelbert Luetke Daldrup has been named CE of Berlin's much delayed new airport after the supervisory board decided to replace Karsten Muehlenfeld following a row over the firing of the project's construction head. Berlin mayor Michael Mueller said Monday that Daldrup, who was deputy minister for strategies for Berlin and airport policy in Berlin's regional govt, would succeed Muehlenfeld. The new international airport has been beset by delays caused by red tape and technical problems such as with smoke ventilation systems, cabling and the doors. In January, Muehlenfeld scrapped plans to open the airport at the end of 2017 and has yet to set a new date. Daldrup will be the third new CE for the troubled project since the departure of long-term head Rainer Schwarz in 2013. <br/>
The govt approved Monday an aviation reform plan that aims to enhance Thailand's status as the region's aviation hub and establish a centre for aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul. The plan calls for investment in airports over the next 10 years to the tune of THB406b (US$11.57b) to raise annual passenger capacity to 277m from 130m now. Industry minister Uttama Savanayana said that under the reform plan the private sector will be allowed to join investment in the airports via the public-private partnership (PPP) programme, while foreign companies will be eligible to handle airport management and hold a share of more than 51% in the MRO centre. The 10-year airport development will cover not only the upgrade of the 3 main international airports, but also 36 provincial airports. <br/>
Chinese carriers may adjust capacity on routes to South Korea following a warning by the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) cautioning Chinese citizens to be careful when traveling to South Korea. According to CNTA, an increasing number of Chinese tourists are being denied entry into South Korea and face long wait times before being deported back to China. Industry sources said travel agencies began to drop tourism packages to South Korea in the second half of last year as security tensions between the two countries increased. Many Chinese carriers are watching the situation closely and may adjust capacity, or cancel the routes altogether, which could harm the South Korean travel industry. Currently, 22 carriers (Chinese and Korean) operate Sino-South Korea routes and industry analysts predict some big changes may be coming. <br/>
Control of growing air traffic over New Zealand will be revamped with a NZ$58m project that Airways says will be more efficient and robust but could lead to job losses. Airways has announced it will replace its current ATM platforms over the next 4 years. Leidos will provide the new system and Airways will build 2 new control systems in Auckland and Christchurch. The Leidos Skyline X system will replace Airways' 2 existing ATM platforms which are nearing the end of their useful lives. The system is expected to become operational in New Zealand's domestic airspace in 2020 and in oceanic airspace in 2021. Airways said the new system will allow Airways to implement a new operating model as well as take advantage of advances in tools to optimise the air traffic system and staff deployment. <br/>