The US FAA is implementing recommendations it rejected six years ago that could have prevented pilots from nearly landing last month on a taxiway crowded with jetliners awaiting takeoff in San Francisco. The NTSB in 2011 recommended a software upgrade to ground radar systems that would warn when a plane is landing in the wrong place. But the FAA dismissed the recommendation, declining to even study whether it was feasible, according to government records. In an announcement issued since the San Francisco near-collision, the FAA says it has begun over the past year doing what the safety board recommended and testing could begin in a few months. "We believe recent technological advances may now enable us to modify our ground surveillance systems to detect aircraft that are lined up to land on taxiways," the agency said Friday.<br/>
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The US Air Force reached a deal with Boeing Co. for two 747 jets to serve as Air Force One, taking advantage of an unusual limited-time discount on planes once bound for Russia. “We got a really good deal,” Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said Friday . “I’m pleased with that.” The service said the jets, which will require extensive work to serve as planes for the president, are scheduled to be operational in 2024. The pact sets the stage for a modernized Air Force One program after President Donald Trump criticized its cost, threatened to cancel the order and later boasted of negotiating with Boeing to reduce the expense. The U.S. planemaker has had the two jumbo jets in storage since they rolled off the assembly line in 2015 for Transaero Airlines, a Russian carrier that never signed for them before dissolving later that year. The Air Force didn’t disclose the discount price for the two planes, which Boeing considered sensitive competitive information. “Boeing has said they do not want us to release that because they sell these things commercially,” Wilson said in the interview. “The whole program cost will be known, but the actual price of individual airframes” won’t be, she said. That nondisclosure “was part of the condition for the sale,” and “I can live with that.”<br/>
On a flight from Seattle to San Jose, Calif., on Monday, a woman caught a glimpse of some text messages that alarmed her. A man seated in front of her on the Southwest flight was “texting about sexually molesting young children,” the San Jose Police Department said. The man, identified by police as Michael Kellar, 56, of Tacoma, Wash., was using a large smartphone with enlarged text, making it easier for her to read his messages and take photographs of them. The woman alerted a member of the flight crew, who notified police officers working in the Mineta San Jose International Airport. Kellar was arrested after the plane landed. The woman is a preschool teacher, said Detective Sgt. Brian Spears. “She’s definitely a hero in our eyes,” he said. Kellar was charged with attempted child molestation and solicitation of a sex crime, both felonies. He was arraigned on Thursday and was being held without bail at the Santa Clara County Jail. Police named Gail Burnworth, 50, also a resident of Tacoma, as the person Kellar was suspected of texting. They have also located two children, ages 5 and 7, who may have been victims of sexual abuse.<br/>
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Sunday offered his official plane to national athletes who have had to forfeit competitions abroad because of lack of commercial flights out of their crisis-hit country. "If they can't manage (flights) because of saboteurs, the presidential plane is available for the national teams to take them wherever in the world," Maduro said. The leftist leader regularly accuses the opposition of sabotaging the country's economy in collaboration with the United States. Several major foreign airlines, pressured by currency controls and growing insecurity in Venezuela, have suspended or reduced services, making flights out few and costly. The country's national volleyball, fencing and softball teams have been affected recently, some forfeiting because they were unable to make competitions in other countries. Maduro said he could travel overland, "by motorbike or mule," if necessary, "but our national teams must not miss any international competition."<br/>
British Airways, Easyjet and Ryanair are warning British holidaymakers of delays at EU border controls. BA has sent text alerts asking travellers to arrive early, as it expects longer queues due to "enhanced immigration checks" across Europe. The airline has already sent texts to customers flying back from Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona and Milan. Ryanair is also advising customers to arrive at least three hours before their departure time. Easyjet is urging people to check its website for updates and allow plenty of time to get through the airport. The airline has also warned of strike action due at Barcelona airport every Friday, Sunday and Monday from 4 August throughout the summer. A spokesman for Airlines for Europe (A4E) said: "It seems the governments - especially in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium - underestimated the situation of many passengers going through tighter passport checks and have not provided a sufficient amount of border control officers." He said passengers should expect delays at airports in Majorca, Malaga, Lisbon, Lyon, Brussels, Milan and Paris Orly.<br/>
Airlines are stepping up their fight against airport charges, with a new Australasian group flexing its muscle. Airlines for Australia and New Zealand (A4ANZ) chiefs are scheduled to meet airport representatives, government departments and ministers later this month to press its case. The group represents airlines operating on either side of the Tasman. It includes Air New Zealand, Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Tigerair. Its chairman, Prof Graeme Samuel, said airports were using their monopoly positions to effectively charge what they like. "Aeronautical charges are simply imposed and its very difficult to negotiate otherwise. It is essentially because airports are monopolies.'' Samuel previously served as the chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for eight years until 2011. ''My take is that New Zealand has an even lighter regulatory regime than we do in Australia. Airlines are very conscious of every aspect of the consumer experience, from the moment they leave home to the airport, through check-in and through the retail area and to land at the other end, is affected by airport charges.''<br/>
Flight operations at Islamabad's Benazir Bhutto International Airport were restored on Sunday after a 38-hour-long disruption caused by a fault in international submarine internet cable systems, which has since been repaired. Internet services have been restored across the country after a 38-hour-long disruption caused by a fault in the India-Middle East-Western Europe submarine cable that caused consumers and businesses across Pakistan to experience major internet disruptions, with many customers complaining of slow browsing speeds, a Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited representative said. The disruption prevented airport officials confirming flight schedules and ticket bookings, as a result of which at least eight flights domestic and international flights were cancelled earlier today, Dawn news quoted airport officials as saying. Many domestic and international flights were cancelled. <br/>
The construction development consisting of a runway extension and new terminal at Silangit Airport in North Sumatra is scheduled to be finalized by September 15 this year. The development aims to elevate the airport status into an international airport. “I’ve seen the development of Silangit Airport. It can be confirmed that the runway extension and new international terminal will be finished by September 15, 2017. The runway that was previously 2,200 meters and 30 meters in width will be 2,650 meters and 45 meters in width. This will allow large planes such as [Boeing] 737-800 or Airbus 320 to land. Later on, flights from Singapore will arrive there,” explained state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II president director Muhammad Awaluddin. The airport will try to lure visitors from three international airports: Singapore Changi Airport, Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Suvarnabhumi Airport.<br/>
Airbus delivered 47 aircraft in July to reach the half-way point in its target for the year, but its narrowbody A320neo family continues to feel the disruption from delays in getting the latest generation of engines from their manufacturers. The planemaker said Friday it had delivered 9 of the upgraded medium-haul jetliners in July, bringing total A320neo-family deliveries so far this year to 68, just a third of the full-year target of 200 for that model. Airbus said last week its earnings had been hit by delays in receiving engines for the aircraft type and increased pressure on engine supplier Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies that has been hampered by a series of glitches. Total Airbus airplane deliveries between January and July reached 353 aircraft, propelled by brisk deliveries of the earlier A320 model, Airbus said in a monthly data release. That compares with a full-year target of around 700.<br/>
For many air travellers, shopping for duty-free products from perfume and whisky to luxury goods is a part of their trip overseas, while others may feel bombarded by the retail offering. In fact, says Julián Diaz, chief executive of Switzerland’s Dufry, the world’s largest travel retailer by sales, “only 16% of the passengers going through an airport buy something”. The challenge facing Dufry, which in 2015 acquired World Duty Free for SFr3.8bn, and its main rivals is to increase sales generated from passengers in the time before they embark on flights, as well to profit from shifting traffic flows. Dufry this week reported annual, like-for-like sales growth of 8.9% in the three months to June, its fastest rate since late 2011, to US$3.9b. That was partly the result of strong growth at UK airports, where a weak pound has meant bargain prices for overseas visitors. Another powerful force was the increase in global air travel. There has been a “complete turnaround” during the past six months in the number of travellers from China, Russia and Brazil, says Diaz. The previous 18 months have been “the toughest period of time”, he adds. “Now the situation has normalised tremendously.” he global duty-free industry is expected to grow to about $67b by 2020, from an estimated $45.7b in 2016, according to Dufry. It forecasts that Asia-Pacific will be the fastest-growing market in airport retail sales during the next five years, with sales in 2020 at levels almost double those of 2014. Story goes into more details. <br/>