Non-EU carriers could see their rights to fly in the bloc revoked if they or their home countries engage in “unfair” competitive practices under rules voted on by a European Parliament committee on Tuesday. Some EU airlines, notably Air France-KLM and Lufthansa, have long complained about what they see as unfair competition from carriers such as those in the Gulf region - Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways - whom they accuse of receiving illegal state subsidies. The three airlines have vehemently denied such claims. While the rules passed by members of the European Parliament’s transport committee on Tuesday are not the final version of the law, they represent a hardening of the original EC proposal. “The pressure from highly subsidized third country carriers is increasingly noticeable. It potentially undermines a level playing field in the market, at the expense of European airlines,” said Markus Pieper, the EU lawmaker who is steering the legislation through the European parliament. The proposal would allow EU governments and airlines to submit complaints to the European Commission about alleged discriminatory practices they face in non-EU countries or illegal subsidies benefiting non-EU airlines.<br/>
general
Hundreds of flights to, from or via France face cancellation as the air-traffic control strike season begins. At 6pm British time on Wednesday 21 March, some French air-traffic controllers will stop work in protest against labour reforms. The action will continue until 5am on Friday 23 March. All airlines have been told to reduce their operations, typically by 30%t. The greatest impact is expected to be in the south and west of France, affecting flights linking the UK with Spain, Italy and Switzerland. The UK air-traffic provider, Nats, is bringing in more staff to cope with an increased workload as flights divert around France. Air France said it intends to operate all its long-haul schedule, and will make cuts to shorter flights. In addition, the airline warns that “last-minute delays and cancellations can be expected”. British Airways has already cancelled seven outbound flights on Wednesday afternoon and evening. As well as French services to Marseille, Nice, Paris and Toulouse, flights to Barcelona, Basel and Geneva have been grounded. On Friday, before the air-traffic strike ends, Air France workers will begin a strike. Several unions representing the airline’s staff have called a stoppage for the day in protest against rationalisation plans. <br/>
Yet another powerful storm bore down on the Northeast Tuesday, with wind-whipped snow falling in parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey as people grumbled and complained about a first day of spring that looked an awful lot like the last weeks of winter. Airlines canceled flights and schools canceled classes in what has become a dreary March routine. The bulk of the snow and sleet was expected to wallop New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and parts of eastern Pennsylvania Wednesday before heading toward Cape Cod early Thursday, the fourth nor’easter to slam the region in three weeks. Cancellations mounted at airports from Washington to Boston — more than 500 Tuesday and more than 1,600 Wednesday. <br/>
A Russian aviation agency has ordered the operator of a plane that crashed near Moscow last month to ground four other such aircraft in its fleet. The agency, Rosaviatsiya, said Tuesday it told Saratov Airlines to ground its An-148 planes, one of which crashed Feb. 11 and killed 71 people. The twin-engine plane crashed minutes after taking off from a Moscow airport. Rosaviatsiya also said its check of the airline has found unspecified violations. After studying the An-148's flight data recorder, the Interstate Aviation Committee said last month the crash occurred after the pilots saw conflicting data on the plane's two air speed indicators. The committee said that flawed readings came because the pilots failed to turn on the heating unit for the plane's pressure measurement equipment prior to takeoff.<br/>
Regional airline lobby group European Regions Airline Association (ERA) wants to increase the pilot retirement age cap beyond 65, using case study work that is being performed by member carrier ASL Airlines Hungary. ASL Airlines Hungary is working with the Hungarian CAA and aircraft Hungarian aeromedical specialist Pharma Flight to collect data and benchmark the performance of older pilots. Once this data has been gathered, ASL Airlines Hungary and the Hungarian CAA plan to seek an exemption to employ active pilots over the age of 65 from European regulator EASA. ERA director general Montserrat Barriga said an exemption could potentially be secured within two years, compared with the lengthy five-year process needed for formal EASA rulemaking, setting a precedent for other airlines to follow.<br/>
Rice fields and a large population of sheep used to be the main features of Majalengka, a remote region of West Java, about 180km east of central Jakarta. Now, a large international airport is seeking to turn it into an economic hub by luring businesses from industrial areas near the capital. The Kertajati International Airport is racing to open its doors before the Idul Fitri holiday in June, when millions of Indonesians return to their hometowns to mark the end of Ramadan. The deadline appears extremely tight — when the Nikkei Asian Review visited the site on February 28, the exteriors of the terminal, with designs resembling feathers of a peacock, and a nearby access road were still being built. “It is 90% done . . . I am optimistic” of hitting the June target, said Virda Dimas Ekaputra, president of the airport operator, Bandaraudara Internasional Jawa Barat. The project is more than just another airport. A majority of BIJB is owned by the West Java provincial administration, making this the first time that a local government has taken the lead in an airport project. Investors are watching closely to see if this is a baby step towards a broader deregulation of the airport sector, currently under a near monopoly of the central government. If so, it should unlock opportunities in the country’s fast-growing aviation industry, where $22.9b in airport infrastructure investment is needed until 2036, according to Nomura. Story has more details.<br/>
Airbus is considering building a freighter version of its slow-selling A330neo wide-body, spurred by requests from potential customers Amazon.com and United Parcel Service, according to people familiar with the matter. The interest from Amazon and UPS could rekindle a competition between Airbus and Boeing as the global air-cargo market rebounds from a decade-long slump. Production of the popular Boeing 767 freighter has been restricted as the US manufacturer focuses on a military tanker variant that is more than a year behind schedule, the people said. If Airbus goes ahead, the cargo model could help lift sales of the A330neo, a re-engined version of the European planemaker’s smallest wide-body, which has struggled in the marketplace. The aircraft has garnered 214 orders and lost a sale this month after Hawaiian Airlines switched to Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. Airbus declined to comment, as did Amazon. UPS studies options for acquiring new and used aircraft as a matter of routine, spokesman Glenn Zaccara said in an email, adding: “Anything you may be hearing is speculation.’’<br/>