British airlines will lose all flying rights to the EU if there is no transition agreement after Brexit, the EU executive said Tuesday, a stark reminder of the risks facing the aviation sector if there is no deal. In a notice to all airlines, the EC said UK air carriers would no longer enjoy traffic rights under any air transport agreement to which the EU is a party, meaning they would no longer have the right to fly to the EU and between its member states. They would also lose flying rights under agreements between the EU and third countries, such as the US-EU Open Skies agreement. Airlines based in the EU have the right to fly to, from and within any country in the bloc thanks to the single aviation market created in the 1990s, but Britain now has less than two years to renegotiate access or come up with an alternative system. British carriers include easyJet, British Airways, Flybe, Jet2 and Virgin Atlantic. EasyJet has already moved to establish a new airline in Austria to protect its flying rights within the EU once Britain leaves the bloc. Airlines have been vocal about the risks posed by the no-deal scenario and have urged London and Brussels to quickly provide certainty for the industry. Without a deal airlines would have to rely on a decades-old traffic rights accord between the UK and EU states. These are typically more restrictive and do not allow airlines to fly within member states.<br/>
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A wave of consolidation among European airlines is creating pressure on the region's airports because it gives carriers more negotiating power over their hubs, the head of airports association ACI Europe said. European airlines have had a turbulent year. Monarch, Air Berlin and Alitalia have entered administration after struggling to compete as air fares fell. Lufthansa and easyJet are scooping up Air Berlin's assets and have also both made bids for some Alitalia operations. Meanwhile British Airways has acquired collapsed Monarch's valuable Gatwick slots. "Consolidation means less airlines in the market to chase, to serve your airport and open destinations. It also gives airlines more purchasing power, more power to dictate the conditions under which they serve an airport," ACI Europe head Olivier Jankovec said. While budget airlines such as Ryanair were already more flexible in shifting business to and from airports, the creation of big airline groups with multi-hub operations - IAG, Air France-KLM and Lufthansa Group - means traditional airlines can now also go elsewhere, he said. For example, Lufthansa this year upped pressure on Fraport, the operator of its main base in Frankfurt, by moving some of its A380 superjumbos to Munich. CEO Carsten Spohr said at Q3 results that he expected Lufthansa's negotiating position to improve at Duesseldorf, Stuttgart and Berlin airports, as a result of its planned takeover of parts of Air Berlin. "An airport cannot move, an airline can move to another location. With those three groups emerging in Europe, they all have multi-hub operations so they can play that game," Jankovec said. Airlines association A4E said in response that re-allocation of flights occurs as a response to passenger demand.<br/>
The US State Department is planning talks with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to discuss allegations that the Persian Gulf nations have spent billions of dollars subsidizing their state-sponsored airlines, people familiar with the matter said. The Trump administration will seek commitments to financial transparency, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. They said the meetings will start as early as this week. US airlines have been pushing for a crackdown on what they describe as more than $50b in unfair subsidies for Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Airways. The State Department will also inquire about the Persian Gulf airlines’ plans for “fifth freedom” flights, which start in an airline’s home country and touch down in a different nation before continuing on to the US, the people said, citing a meeting Tuesday between US aviation-related executives and the State Department. US officials will also push the Persian Gulf countries to keep an arm’s-length approach toward their carriers, the people said. Government-to-government talks would mark a renewed US focus on the airline trade spat, which has been raging for years. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump said the Persian Gulf carriers received major government subsidies, without specifying what action he might consider. The Obama administration conducted “informal, technical” discussions with representatives of Qatar and the UAE late last year without taking action.<br/>
President Vladimir Putin said during a visit to Egypt that Russia will restore flights to Cairo, two years after it suspended air links when terrorists blew up a passenger jet. “Egypt has done a lot to improve airport security” and Russia wants to sign an agreement soon on resuming flights, Putin said Monday after meeting Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo. While Russia will continue to forbid charter flights to the Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, the decision marks the first easing of the ban since it was imposed after 224 people on board the Russian jet died in the October 2015 explosion over the Sinai Peninsula. Cairo services may resume in February, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov told reporters, adding that more work is needed to ensure security for charter flights to the Egyptian resorts.<br/>
Britain's coldest night of the year so far has led to fresh disruption as flights were cancelled, schools remained closed and drivers faced lengthy delays and treacherous journeys. Vast swathes of the country fell below freezing on Tuesday night - with -13C (8.6F) recorded near Shrewsbury, in Shropshire - and forecasters warned of another "chilly" night to come. At least 16 flights from Heathrow were cancelled on Tuesday as airlines continued to recover from disruption caused by heavy snow. A yellow weather warning for ice was on Tuesday afternoon extended to until 11am on Wednesday, covering large parts of Scotland, Wales, northern England, the Midlands, and the eastern coast.<br/>
Visitors to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics can expect to arrive at an airport with robots “scattered” about to help them, an official said Tuesday as he unveiled seven new machines to perform tasks from helping with luggage to language assistance. Among the seven robots on show was a fluffy cat mascot that can carry out simultaneous interpretation in four different languages. Visitors speak into a furry microphone, and translations appear instantly on a smart screen. Travelers may also be approached by a small white humanoid robot, Cinnamon, asking if they need its help. The sleek white robot can converse with visitors through its AI system and give directions. Another robot on display can carry luggage through the airport alongside the traveler. Yutaka Kuratomi, a representative from the Japan Airport Terminal, hopes that by 2020, the terminals will be “scattered with robots” and it will be “normal” to see visitors communicating with machines. They are also aimed especially at foreign visitors, who already have high expectations that Japan will show off its world-beating technology in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.<br/>