Australia's Jetstar will cancel nine of 15 planned flights out of the Indonesian holiday island of Bali, the budget airline said on Friday, following a forecast that volcanic ash could hit airport operations in the evening. An erupting volcano at Mount Agung forced the airport to close from Monday through part of Wednesday, stranding thousands of travellers from Australia, China and other countries before the winds changed and flights resumed. Jetstar and its parent, Qantas, had planned up to 18 flights on Friday to ferry 4,300 passengers home to Australia, including one by a Qantas 747 jet. But nine Jetstar flights will be cancelled after "a sudden change in today's forecast for this evening in Bali," Jetstar said in an update on its website. Other airlines with regular Bali flights, including Singapore Airlines, Malaysia's AirAsia and Garuda Indonesia, have not posted updates on flight plans for Friday evening on their websites. Ash was visible to the southeast of Mount Agung, the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre said, with reports indicating emissions of steam and ash. "Volcanological sources indicate a larger eruption is still possible," it said on its website.<br/>
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US airlines have spent three years pleading for federal action to curb fast-growing Persian Gulf carriers, claiming their rivals benefit from billions of dollars in unfair government aid. But now, a group of lawmakers is offering a more modest solution: vetting those claims through a decades-old DoT process created to prevent foreign governments from meddling in airline competition. Sending the dispute to DOT would be a way to defuse the longstanding dispute and preserve ties with the growing tourist and commercial hubs, they say. Under the 1974 law, US transportation officials have six months to decide whether a claim merits federal action. That is the proper channel to evaluate claims against Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, the lawmakers say in a letter they are circulating that will be sent to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. It’s the latest development in a more than two-year quest by Delta, American Airlines and United Continental, the three largest US-based carriers, to combat what they say is tens of billions of dollars in subsidies that have flowed to the Gulf carriers from the governments of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. A decision reached under the law would allow Congress and the White House "to develop a fact-based response" to the allegations, "rather than responding to the politically-charged rhetoric," said the letter, drafted by Tennessee Republican David Kustoff and so far signed by 13 other GOP lawmakers and two Democrats. An advocacy group for biggest US carriers sees it differently. Story has more details.<br/>
Drone owners in Europe will have to register their devices if “dangerous” and aircraft makers ensure that black box recordings can be downloaded in real-time if a plane is in distress under a sweeping reform of Europe’s aviation safety agency. EU lawmakers and member states reached a tentative deal Thursday on a long-awaited reform of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which includes Europe’s first ever rules on drones. Under the agreement, drones which can cause significant harm to people either by crashing into them or presenting risks to privacy, security or the environment, will have to be registered. “Dangerous” drones will be defined as having a kinetic energy of over 80 joules based on their mass and maximum speed. The European Parliament had pushed for a registration threshold of 250 grammes but EU governments resisted. The rules will apply to all drones, including ones sold in shops for private use. “The drone industry is soaring and has potential uses in agriculture, delivery, mapping, building maintenance. To ensure these activities develop in full security, a European regulatory framework will prevail,” said Karima Delli, chair of the European Parliament’s Transport Committee.<br/>
First it was the Boeing 747 now it’s the Airbus A380. The world’s largest airplanes are falling out of favour with passenger airlines. In 2017, as the slow death march of the 747 continued, the number of A380 flights was stalling. Departure growth of the A380—the rate airlines are flying new flights with the plane—is at its lowest ever. 2018 could be the plane’s turning point. Emirates, the largest operator of the A380 with 100 planes, is in negotiations to order more but is dragging its feet. Amedeo, one of the worlds largest leasers of A380s, recently announced plans to start an A380-only airline rather than continue to face the difficulty of leasing the planes to reticent operators.<br/>Additionally, competition from budget airlines has caused carriers to reassess every expense. With four engines each, both the A380 and Boeing 747 are gas guzzlers. As such, over the last decade, airlines looking to carry high volumes of passengers have turned to two-engine models, like the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330. Jumbo jets also have higher operational costs. That’s not an issue for companies that can fill larger planes and spread the cost over hundreds of passengers, but larger planes are harder to fill. The same passengers that fill an A380 can be distributed to a number of smaller planes, and that allows airlines to control more runway slots at airports. From a competitive standpoint, more takeoffs and landings means less room for the competition, even if those competitors have the biggest plane in the market.<br/>
Airbus expects strong traffic growth in the South Pacific market will continue over the next 20 years, increasing the number of Australasian hubs ranked in the largest global categories. There are currently three cities in the region which Airbus classifies as aviation “mega-cities” with more than 10,000 long-haul passenger movements per day, said Iain Grant, the company’s VP for Pacific sales. These three are Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, and Auckland in New Zealand. Melbourne and Sydney are actually in the 20,000-plus category. By 2036, Airbus estimates that Melbourne and Sydney will both have more than 50,000 daily passenger movements, and Auckland will move into the 20,000-plus category. In addition, Australian cities Brisbane and Perth will also have more than 20,000 daily movements by then. The annual passenger total at the five largest Australian cities is set to double to 180m by 2036, Airbus forecasts. The total for the three largest New Zealand cities is expected to rise to 38m over the next 20 years, an increase of 15m.<br/>
The ATR 72-500 turboprop has gained certification from Transport Canada. The regulatory clearance gives ATR access to the Canadian market in the 68-78-seat turboprop sector, which is currently dominated by Montreal-based Bombardier’s Q400. Kanata, Ontario-based First Air, which primarily serves Canada’s Arctic region, operates the smaller ATR 42-500, which the airline configures with 42 seats. “Obtaining this certification will allow us to expand the operational scope of our family of aircraft,” ATR SVP-engineering Alessandro Amendola said in a statement, noting that ATR turboprops “have proven that they are the perfect match for challenging markets, such as Canada, where their ability to fly in extreme cold, icy weather conditions, take off and land on unpaved and short runways, and their unrivalled performance are invaluable.”<br/>