Research released by Inmarsat shows growing demand for inflight Wi-Fi, with 60% of passengers regarding the service as “a necessity, not a luxury.” “The availability of inflight broadband has become a major factor when choosing an airline,” Inmarsat Aviation president Leo Mondale said. Detailing the findings, Inmarsat said passenger expectations are growing, with connectivity playing a greater role in their airline choices. “Nearly half of respondents (44%) said they would stop using their preferred airline within the next year, if it did not offer connectivity enabling them to stream or browse online without interruption,” Inmarsat said. The survey also found that “77% of passengers would pay for inflight connectivity on short-haul leisure flights, an increase from 64% in 2016”. <br/>
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US airline passengers will have to take tablet computers and other large electronic devices out of carry-on bags for inspection as the govt phases in tighter screening prompted by fears terror groups can hide bombs in them. Most passengers already had to remove laptops from their bags when going through security, and now will need to remove e-readers, tablet computers and other devices so they can be X-rayed separately, the TSA announced Wednesday. TSA said the new measures will be imposed in the “weeks and months ahead.” The move, which comes at the peak summer travel season, is part of a sweeping overhaul of how airport security agencies screen electronics following intelligence that terror groups have refined their ability to sneak bombs in laptops and other devices. <br/>
Europe’s highest court has struck down an EU-Canada security pact on the transfer of sensitive airline passenger data, saying there was no legal justification for several parts of the agreement. In an ruling Wednesday that declared the agreement struck in 2014 cannot be concluded in its current form, the European Court of Justice said many parts of the pact were not limited “to what is strictly necessary and do not lay down clear and precise rules.” In binding findings that mean the agreement will have to be revised, the court said the pact was “incompatible with the fundamental rights recognised by the EU.” The agreement was supposed to allow the systematic transfer of passenger name record data to the Canadian authorities to combat terror groups and international criminals. <br/>
Lima Airport Partners (LAP)—a Fraport majority-owned company—and the govt of Peru will move ahead with a major expansion program of Lima Jorge Chavez International (LIM) after signing an amendment to the 2001 Lima Airport Concession. Construction of the US$1.5b project is scheduled to begin in 2018. Development plans call for a second runway—to be built first—as well as a new passenger terminal and other infrastructures to meet increasing traffic demands and upgrade passenger experience. Peru’s capital city airport handled 18.8m passengers in 2016 and recorded double-digit growth of 10.1% year-over-year. During the first half of 2017, LIM served 9.7m passengers, up 8.4% YOY. LAP took over operations in 2001. <br/>
Passenger traffic at Dubai International topped 43m in the first half of 2017, according to a traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports. The figure for the first half of this year marks a 6.3% increase over the same period in 2016 when 40.5m passengers used the airport. In June alone, over 6m passengers passed through Dubai International, up 3.9% over the 5.86m in June 2016. Dubai Airports said the modest growth in June was due to the month coinciding with Ramadan when passenger traffic is traditionally slow. In the first 6 months of this year, the top country destinations in terms of total passenger volumes were India (with 5.94m passengers), Saudi Arabia (3.1m passengers), the UK (3m), Pakistan (2.2m), and the US (1.56m). <br/>
For decades, Singapore and Hong Kong have reigned supreme: as key transit points connecting travellers in Asia to and from the rest of the world. But now, a US$1t global airport spree is threatening the status quo. About half that money is due to be spent on upgrading or building new airports in Asia. In Beijing, a new $12.9b airport due to open in 2019 will turn China’s capital into one of the world’s biggest aviation hubs. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi is set for $3.5b of upgrades through 2021. South Korea Incheon International is spending $4.5b on a second terminal as it aims to become “the world’s leading mega-hub airport.” To keep up, Singapore Changi this month unveiled a $950m fourth terminal. Hong Kong, meanwhile, is planning a third runway — at a cost of $18b. <br/>
When a new terminal opens at Singapore's Changi Airport later this year passengers will be able to, in theory, go through check-in to boarding without speaking to another person. Automation is important for the city-state as it faces a labour crunch across many of its industries. It is also key for Changi given it is the world's sixth busiest for international traffic and is already operating close to total capacity, having last added a terminal almost a decade ago. Changi will be using facial recognition technology to offer self-service options at check-in, bag drop, immigration and boarding at the new terminal T4. Changi expects the automated process at the new terminal to yield manpower savings of about 20% in the longer term. T4 will increase the airport's overall annual capacity by 16m passengers to 82m. <br/>