A range of companies, from such aerospace giants as Boeing and Airbus to tiny startups, are working on various aspects of a difficult puzzle: how to create the next generation of air travel—one whose pilots are far less ubiquitous and new flying vehicles communicate with each other. More important, how is that world to be as safe as the one we’re in now? “It is not as complicated as it sounds,” said a VP of M2C Aerospace, a startup working to build a flight system for single-pilot commercial aircraft operations. The startup hopes to meet airlines’ desire to cut costs while addressing pilot shortages. <br/>
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Ukraine should have its first low-cost airlines flying domestic routes by the end of the year and is also putting a handful of contracts to run airports up for sale, the country's infrastructure minister said Wednesday. Ryanair launched its first routes to Ukraine this year and Volodymyr Omelyan, the minister who helped revive the deal after vested interests had threatened to torpedo it, is now working on the domestic market. "We have a new operation SkyUp starting its operations and…I hope also by the end of this year, we will have another domestic company established in Kherson in south Ukraine." <br/>
The Indian govt has reduced ATF taxes by 3 percentage points to 11%, effective Oct 11. The announcement was made Wednesday in a notification by the ministry of finance's revenue department. New Delhi explains the reduction in taxes "is necessary in the public interest to do so". High fuel prices have been the bane of Indian airlines, with the recent quarterly results by 3 carriers (Indigo, SpicejJet, and Jet Airways) showing large declines in its earnings. The move will be is expected to be welcomed by the industry, which has long lobbied for reduced taxes on ATF. <br/>
Air transport officials of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand said Tuesday they will have an official air safety master plan, but not before 2022. The 2022 deadline for the air safety plan was revealed Tuesday. The ICAO has been monitoring the Thai authority closely to ensure it comes up with measures to reduce risk. CAAT director-general Chula Sukmanop announced the deadline for the safety plan after the aviation authority's fifth meeting of the year Tuesday. He said the authority had floated the idea among govt officials and airlines in preparation for mandatory safety policies to be enforced. <br/>