Jet-fuel prices have surged more than 50% over the past year, pushing carriers to raise fares. Fuel is again the single-largest expense for most airlines, accounting for about a quarter of operating costs. The recent run-up in prices echoes the jump seen from 2009 to 2011, which first spawned stand-alone surcharges on many international flights. Average domestic airline fares have fallen in each of the past four years, according to A4A, as carriers handed most of the fall in fuel prices back to passengers. Now, higher fuel costs have forced carriers to decide how much can be passed on directly to domestic fliers through higher fares or via surcharges on international flights, without deterring too many travellers. And, investors are edgy about the impact of fuel prices on airline profits. <br/>
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A growing shortage of airline pilots is putting the industry's recent growth at risk as planes sit idle, higher salaries cut into profits and unions across the globe push for more benefits. Carriers such as Emirates and Qantas Airways have poured resources into hiring, but struggled in recent months to use their jets as often as their business plans dictate because of training bottlenecks. In the US, pilots who took pay cuts when carriers went bankrupt a decade ago are receiving big raises under new contracts now that airlines are posting strong profits. The surge in employee costs, which rival fuel as the biggest strain on an airline's finances, comes as higher oil prices are already squeezing margins. Airlines say ticket prices have not kept pace with costs. <br/>
Mass transit system Virgin Hyperloop One is likely to operate 10- to 14-person pods, acting as an integrated transport system alongside airlines. The Hyperloop concept was originally introduced by US-based entrepreneur Elon Musk and SpaceX’s white paper in Aug 2013. It uses electric propulsion and magnetic levitation to move pods, carrying passengers and cargo, through a low-pressure tube. The pod lifts above the track, enabling it to glide at airline-type speeds of 671mph, quicker than any mass ground transport available today. Virgin Hyperloop One head of marketing and communications Ryan Kelly said: “We not here to talk about how we are looking to get rid of airports or airlines. We feel very strongly we can complement and enhance the airport experience. Our vision is about collaboration." <br/>
Global airlines, coming off a record-low accident rate in 2017, need to guard against complacency over safety as heavy growth in travel demand stretches the air transport system, industry leaders warned at a conference this week. There were no jet crashes in 2017 and 19 fatalities across the sector, while some 301 passengers have died in 5 crashes over just the first 5 months of 2018, including the first fatality on a US airline since 2009. The other fatal accidents occurred in Cuba, Russia, Iran and Nepal. Air transportation advocates say it is still by far the safest form of travel. But the industry also needs to modernise a fragmented infrastructure and adopt new technology to keep it safe even as demand balloons. <br/>
Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni said Wednesday the East African country would revive its defunct national carrier to share in the region’s growing aviation business and invigorate its services sector. Founded by Uganda’s former dictator Idi Amin in 1976, Uganda Airlines was liquidated in the 1990s by Museveni’s govt under a broader program to privatise troubled state firms and open up the economy to private enterprise. In a speech to parliament, Museveni said he was now reviving the airline “to invigorate our services sector.” He did not say from which manufacturer the planes had been ordered but transport and works minister has previously told local media they had ordered the planes from Bombardier. <br/>