The trade war between the US and China could have a “significant impact” on the aviation sector if it continues to escalate, the head of IATA has warned. Alexandre de Juniac said that the first round of tariffs between the two countries had been aimed at goods not transported by aircraft such as steel and aluminium. However, “if it goes to smartphones or semiconductors or pharmaceuticals, that could have a strong impact on cargo,” he said. The remarks of de Juniac come against a backdrop of escalating tensions between China and the US. De Juniac warned that an all-out multilateral trade war could put executives off travelling. “If it has a macroeconomic impact on the business climate, it will have an impact on the passenger flows, especially on the business class.” <br/>
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There’s a lot of things to consider when you first step onto an airplane and survey your own personal little domain for the foreseeable future. As it turns out, soon your seat may be similarly scanning your reactions as well to get information on your habits. New seats developed by Airbus and Recaro and still in development phase, will measure much of that information automatically. “The seats work to display some incredibly detailed information about how passengers spend time in their seats. The connected cabin tablet, using the iSeat program, displays who’s in each seat, if it’s occupied, whether the armrests are up or down, if the seatback table is in use and if passengers are reclined or not,” says one aviation profiler. This technology may be a blessing for some travellers, and a privacy issue for others. <br/>
The US DoT secretary Elaine Chao announced the FAA has awarded US$205m in supplemental funding for infrastructure grants to 34 airports. More than half of the airports awarded serve rural communities and mostly general aviation. The funding comes on top of the $3.31b already awarded during fiscal year 2018 as part of the regular Airport Improvement Program. “This additional funding will help revitalise and strengthen critical infrastructure projects at smaller and more rural airports,” Chao said. The new tranche of supplemental funding provides grants to infrastructure projects which will include runway reconstruction and rehabilitation, as well as the maintenance of taxiways, aprons and terminals. The additional funding will support equipment and construction to expand the airports’ capacity and safety. <br/>
Austria’s Salzburg Airport will close operations for air traffic for 5 weeks in 2019 to renovate its 59-year-old runway. The closure will be effective April 24-May 28, 2019. To make the construction work as simple as possible, the airport decided to stop all operations. The construction site is on the land side. "The whole project, which began in 2015 with the planning phase, will last through 2021/2022,” a spokesperson said. The total investment will be around US$72m including water drainage. The financial volume for the runway renovation itself is between E30m-E40m,” the spokesperson said. Most carriers have postponed services to Salzburg during the construction period. Turkish Airlines will move its Istanbul flights to Linz Airport, located 100 km east of Salzburg. <br/>