President Donald Trump called Boeing CE Dennis Muilenburg this week to ask about the status of 737 MAX production, 2 people briefed on the matter confirmed. The call Sunday was brief and Muilenburg assured Trump that the planned production halt was temporary and that the company would not be laying off any workers. The production halt, set to begin in January, was announced by Boeing Monday after a board meeting. Separately, S&P Global Ratings Thursday downgraded Boeing's credit rating to "A-" from "A" and lowered the short-term rating to "A-2" from "A-1." The change "reflects the uncertainty over when the 737 MAX will return to service, the risk to the supply chain from the planned production halt, and possible long-term impact to Boeing's competitive position." <br/>
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Heathrow’s timetable for its third runway faces further delay after the UK aviation regulator said it was minded to approve only just over half the amount the airport wants to spend on its project ahead of final approval. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority Thursday rejected Heathrow airport’s proposal to more than quadruple certain early construction-related spending to GBP2.8b because of the risk the costs would be passed on to passengers if the project is eventually cancelled. In a consultation document released Thursday, the regulator instead said its preference was for spending to increase to GBP1.6b. It added that the move would mean a delay of about a year to the 2026 scheduled opening of Heathrow’s third runway, based on Heathrow’s estimates. <br/>
A statement from the new Conservative govt said proposed airline insolvency legislation aims to “protect passengers in the event of an airline going bust by reforming the airline insolvency process”. The planned law would introduce a repatriation ‘toolkit’ of mechanisms for companies and passengers, including making it easier for the Civil Aviation Authority to grant a Temporary Airline Operating Licence so that an airline can continue repatriating passengers following insolvency. The new law would also enhance the CAA’s powers to improve its “oversight of airlines in distress and mitigate the impacts of a future airline failure”. It would extend the CAA’s remit to apply to the repatriation of both Atol and non-Atol protected passengers. <br/>
Mounting concern about carbon emissions may be altering travel habits in Germany as figures from the country's airports show a steady decline in passengers taking domestic flights. The number of people flying between German cities fell 12% in November from a year earlier, according to the ADV industry group, marking a fourth straight monthly drop and mirroring a pattern emerging in Sweden, where teenage activist Greta Thunberg has spearheaded a campaign against air transport. Deutsche Bahn has meanwhile reported record passenger numbers. The data adds to signs that climate change is fostering a sense of so-called flying shame -- flygskam in Swedish . The phenomenon may be more advanced in Germany after the country suffered a series of extreme weather events. <br/>
Starting next year, the number of flights Incheon International handles per hour will increase from 65 to 70, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced, Thursday. In order to expand operation capacity, the govt will offer incentives such as allocating slots and traffic rights preferentially to airlines attracting more inbound tourists especially from regional airports between China and Korea. "The measure is to improve the structure of the aviation industry, which has become vulnerable to various factors from abroad while the overall industry is aggravated by the Boycott Japan movement, the trade dispute between the US and China, and troubled aircraft from Boeing," stated an alliterative ministry official. The ministry expects the number of annual flights will increase to 16,000. <br/>