Aircraft hull values have dropped to a point where a US$500k+ cabin system replacement is not an economically sound decision, while extensive market analysis says that few aircraft owners of midsize to ultra-long-range-class aircraft built between 1995 and 2010 will spend more than $250k, or 10% of the aircraft’s value, on a new cabin management system. And then there are smaller companies and private individuals able to afford a $1.5m business jet but not a new cabin. “The business aviation industry must drive cost out of the aircraft system evolution to enable the older aircraft to continue to fly and have economic value to the owners,” says Scott Taylor, Business Development Leader at Innov8, which aims to do just that with specific, low-cost products based on latest and Wi-Fi technologies. <br/>
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US Customs and Border Protection initiated a 30-day test of facial recognition biometric technology at a TSA international checkpoint at New York-JFK Terminal 7. In the demonstration, which expands on biometric exit system technology CBP is already deploying at several US international airports, the agency is entering TSA processes into the capabilities of biometric facial recognition technology, part of the CBP’s stated goal “of transforming and improving air travel, making it smoother, seamless and more efficient…while also enhancing the security of the process.” Similar to procedures in place at certain gates at other US airports, CBP will use flight manifests to create a photo gallery of travellers boarding international flights collected from travellers’ images from passports, visas and other travel documents. <br/>
Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond poured cold water on the idea that planes would be unable to fly from the UK to the EU if there’s no deal on Brexit, a favourite theme of opponents of an abrupt departure from the bloc. Britain’s air-traffic controllers currently work under agreements that are part of Britain’s EU membership. When lawmakers in Theresa May’s Conservative Party urge the prime minister to walk away from negotiations immediately, the question of how airlines will continue to operate in those circumstances is thrown back at them. Hammond acknowledged that it’s “theoretically conceivable” that all planes would be grounded, but went on: “I don’t think anybody seriously believes that that is where we will get to.” Such a scenario, he pointed out, isn’t in the interests of the EU either. <br/>
The tumult that has faced the European airline industry in recent months-- Bankruptcies, staffing problems and technical failures--have affected tens of thousands of passengers. The problems fall into 2 categories: bad luck, and the result of the crowded nature of the European market. With flights sometimes as cheap as US$15, an array of LCCs have transformed travel in Europe. Travellers’ expectations of low prices have pushed the more traditional carriers to offer budget options, under which passengers pay for extras like food and checked luggage that previously would have been included. “Passengers have had a really good run for a long time with incredibly cheap tickets,” said Andrew Charlton, managing director of Aviation Advocacy, a consultancy. But, he added, “Europe’s got too many airlines.” <br/>