It took Robert Hickey and his team of researchers just two days to do what the aerospace industry had insisted was nigh impossible. On September 21 2016, the US Department of Homeland Security official hacked into the systems of a Boeing 757 passenger aircraft parked in the airport in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It was, he said last year, “a remote, non-co-operative penetration” without insider help or being onboard, using “typical stuff that could get through security”. Hickey waited more than a year to drop his bombshell at a cyber security conference in Virginia and even then he gave scant detail about what had been accessed and how — for obvious security reasons. But his revelation has raised serious questions about aviation’s exposure to cyber attack as aircraft, airports and air traffic control systems become increasingly reliant on digital systems. Passengers can now FaceTime friends on their own devices while flying across the ocean. Pilots are ditching their heavy manuals and maps for WiFi-enabled tablets. Airlines are also harvesting the data generated by the aircraft — on everything from the engine to air conditioning — in order to monitor performance and operate more efficiently. “We have to admit that the threats and vulnerabilities have changed,” says Matthieu Gualino, who provides security training for consultants LA Conseils and ICAO. “We have had technology in the air for many years . . .[but] the rise of connected technologies leads to greater vulnerability.” The US Government Accountability Office has warned at least twice in the last three years that the industry and regulators need to step up their efforts to guard against cyber attacks as technology evolves at an ever faster pace. Story has more background and details.<br/>
general
Increasing competitive pressures inside and outside Europe could lead to additional airline restructurings and bankruptcies, the German government said in a response to a parliamentary query that was published on Thursday by the Handelsblatt newspaper. The government did not comment on whether it would offer other airlines help such as the E150m bridging credit it provided to Air Berlin when it ran into trouble last year. “Increased competitive pressure could result in further business restructurings, such as bankruptcies,” the government said in response to the query from the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP). Nordic budget airline Primera Air, which began in 2003, this month became the latest European carrier to go bust, telling staff that all flights were being halted and leaving thousands of passengers stranded. The collapse came exactly a year after Britain’s Monarch Airlines went under. Reinhard Houben, economic spokesman for the FDP, told the newspaper that a solution was needed to ensure that passengers did not get stranded but taxpayers did not get stuck with the bill. Houben said his party backed requiring airlines to buy insurance that would cover the cost of bringing back passengers, with the costs to be covered in the ticket prices. “The insolvency of an airline must not become another risk for the German budget,” he said.<br/>
Germany’s Munich Airport will likely see a significant delay — if not an outright stop — of plans to build a third runway following regional elections in Bavaria Oct. 14. Following state elections, ruling conservative party CSU lost its absolute majority in parliament and now must form a coalition. CSU expressed a strong preference to partner with a group called Freie Waehler (FW, free voters), initially a lose conglomerate of independent local politicians. FW became the third largest force in Bavaria’s parliament Landtag. While conservative, it is also strongly opposed to planned expansion of Munich Airport, a favorite project of PP Markus Soeder (CSU). Observers believe Soeder will be prepared to delay a decision until after the next five-year electoral term to get FW on board. <br/>
Austria’s Constitutional Court has dismissed citizen complaints against Vienna Airport’s third runway and has referred further action to the Administrative Court. In March 2018, the Federal Administrative Court gave the go-ahead for runway construction. For Vienna airport, the complaint rejection is a partial success in the 11-year ongoing approval process. The airport has been considering a third runway since early 1999. Vienna airport is Austrian Airlines’ main hub, a Star Alliance member and part of Lufthansa Group’s multi-hub strategy, which includes Zurich Airport, as well as Frankfurt and Munich. <br/>
Singapore has signed an Open Skies agreement with Peru, allowing their airlines to fly any number of passenger and cargo services between both countries as well as beyond to any third country, with no restrictions on capacity, frequency, aircraft type, or routing. The agreement was signed by Singapore’s Ministry of Transport senior director--international relations and security Bernard Lim, and Peru’s vice-minister of transport Carlos César Arturo Estremadoyro Mory. “The agreement will open up new opportunities for our carriers and enable greater connectivity for people and goods. It will also bring benefit and promote business, tourism and economic exchanges between our two countries,” Lim said. Currently there are no direct air links between the two countries--although the LATAM group has a codeshare agreement on Qantas’ Sydney-Singapore flights--and passengers arriving from Singapore have to transit via Chile’s Santiago to reach Lima. <br/>
Boeing signed a two-year maintenance deal with Israel's El Al Airlines on Wednesday, as it looks to boost its high-margin after-sales business that services planes bought by airlines and military customers. In addition, the world's biggest planemaker supplemented an existing contract with Germany's Lufthansa for the overhaul and exchange of landing gears for two 777-200F aircraft. Boeing did not disclose the value of the new contracts. The jet maker has been looking to boost revenue in its services business which involves jet maintenance, repair and overhaul, data analytics and pilot training.<br/>