A telephone call on coronavirus economic relief between US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and an adviser to President Donald Trump ended on Thursday with no breakthrough, and Pelosi said talks would not resume until the Trump administration agreed to $2.2t in aid. Pelosi and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows spoke by phone for about 25 minutes, the first chance in weeks to resume stalled COVID-19 aid negotiations. But the two sides soon appeared to be as far apart as ever. “This conversation made clear that the White House continues to disregard the needs of the American people as the coronavirus crisis devastates lives and livelihoods,” Pelosi said. US airlines have warned that massive layoffs will be coming without further aid during the pandemic. They are hoping a fresh stimulus bill will extend for six months $25 billion in payroll aid that expires on Sept. 30 under legislation approved earlier this year.<br/>
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Europe's flight safety authority said Thursday it had scheduled the first flight tests for the Boeing 737 Max, which has been grounded worldwide after two deadly crashes revealed design issues with the jet. The European Aviation Safety Agency said that it has been working with the US FAA, which began its own recertification test flights in June, on scheduling its own tests. “While Boeing still has some final actions to close off, EASA judges the overall maturity of the re-design process is now sufficient to proceed to flight tests,” the agency said. “These are a prerequisite for the European agency to approve the aircraft’s new design.” EASA said the hope is to return the plane to service as soon as possible, but only once the agency is convinced it is safe.<br/>
Nigeria will resume international flights from Sept. 5, the head of the aviation regulatory body said on Thursday, marking a week-long delay to the resumption date previously announced by the government. Airports have been closed since March 23 to all but essential international flights as part of the country’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika said four flights would begin landing daily in commercial hub Lagos, and four in the capital Abuja from Aug. 29. But the director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Musa Nuhu, announced the revised time at a news conference in Abuja for the task force on coronavirus. “While airlines and airports were ready, other non-aviation logistics require the one-week extension to be ready,” said Musa, explaining the reasons for the week-long delay. Nigeria resumed domestic flights on July 8.<br/>
The federal government proposed a $1.57m fine on the city of Chicago after officials at O’Hare International Airport failed to follow safety procedures before a regional jet skidded off a snowy runway and damaged its landing gear. The Chicago Department of Aviation didn’t follow its plan for snowy and icy conditions last Nov. 11, the FAA said Thursday. Numerous crews on airliners had reported trouble braking after landing, at which time landings should have been limited and other safety actions taken, the FAA said. An Envoy Air Inc. jet with 41 people aboard went into a skid shortly after the earlier pilots reported difficulties in stopping, according to the FAA and the NTSB. No one was hurt. The FAA had previously warned the city about similar violations at O’Hare in 2015 and 2016, the agency said. The city has 30 days to respond to the charges and can dispute the findings.<br/>
One of the UK’s top airport bosses, has condemned the government’s quarantine strategy as “sluggish, illogical and chaotic”. Charlie Cornish, CE of Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which includes Stansted and East Midlands, made a blistering attack on the government’s failure to bringing a more nuanced policy ahead of government decisions on self-isolation for arriving travellers. At present passengers from most countries arriving in the UK must go straight home and self-isolate for two weeks. With arrivals from Spain, France, Croatia and North African nations required to quarantine, passenger numbers over the August bank holiday weekend are forecast to be down about 70 per cent on a year ago. Airlines and airports are calling for some regions of popular countries to be granted exemption from quarantine if their coronavirus infection rates are low enough. Cornish said: “The impact of Covid-19 – and quarantine restrictions – on the travel industry is clear for all to see. It is evident in the tens of thousands of job losses that have already been announced and the millions of holidays already cancelled.”<br/>
An "air bridge" between London and New York to enable travellers to sidestep quarantine is being discussed in top-level UK-US government talks, The Telegraph understands. Ministers are studying plans for regional air bridges that would enable business and other travellers to come to Britain from "low-risk" areas such as New York city within countries that are "red listed" because of their continued overall high coronavirus rates. New York, which introduced one of the toughest lockdowns, brought its seven-day infection rate down to just 7.2 cases per 100,000 - below England's 11.3 - yet it remains red listed forcing any American visitors to the UK to automatically quarantine for 14 days. "There are discussions going on at a very senior level around opening up London and New York. They are at a very early stage, but it is vital to get business going with a major trading partner, especially as we near Brexit," said a source. Last week Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, confirmed ministers were examining the possibility of "regional travel corridors" that could allow quarantine-free flights from low-risk areas within countries with high coronavirus rates. Asked about the US-UK talks, a Department for Transport spokesman said: "Conversations between governments in other countries on a whole range of issues take place regularly. Public health remains the UK's top priority and we are committed to tackling this virus while enabling a sustainable and responsible return to international travel."<br/>
Indonesia’s largest airport operator is pushing ahead with the construction of a new goods-handling facility in Jakarta, betting the movement of cargo will help an industry laid to waste by the reduction in passenger flights. PT Angkasa Pura II predicts cargo traffic at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport will rise to 1 million tons a year from 600,000 tons currently within the next three years. It’s calling upon third parties that are interested in investing alongside it to submit proposals in the fourth quarter. The total investment is “estimated to be 7.5 trillion to 8 trillion rupiah ($545 million),” President Director Muhammad Awaluddin said in an interview. “We have a lot of interest in the project.”Garuda Indonesia will also help develop the facility, he said. The goods-handling depot is going ahead even though Angkasa Pura is on a mission to conserve cash. The company plans to reduce capital spending by as much as 90% this year to around 712b rupiah.<br/>
Malawi will allow airlines and schools to resume operations from Sept. 1, as it seeks to limit the economic and social damage from its coronavirus lockdown, authorities said on Thursday. Schools and airports have been closed since March, when the government imposed a lockdown to try to contain the epidemic. Malawi has recorded 5474 cases and 173 deaths from the virus so far, although the real figure may be higher as fewer than 50,000 tests have been conducted. The main international airport in the administrative capital Lilongwe will now open to limited flights next week. “The government has carefully considered adverse effects of the suspension of air travel on all sectors of the economy and has therefore decided to lift the suspension with effect from 1 September 2020,” said James Chakwera, Acting Director of the Department of Civil Aviation. He added that initially only a limited number of flights would operate, while all arrivals will be required to produce Covid-19 negative test results based on tests conducted within 10 days prior to arrival.<br/>
The jet engine maker Rolls-Royce gave a stark warning about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the business as it reported a record GBP5.4b loss for the first half of the year. The company does not expect orders to recover to pre-Covid levels until 2025. The pandemic led to a slump in demand for its engines as airlines reduced flights and aircraft manufacturers slowed production. Rolls-Royce originally expected to make 450 engines during 2020 but now plans to deliver just 250. It continues to burn through cash, and expects to have burned through £4bn by the end of the year, and said it may not be able to find enough funding to cover its needs. Announcing its results for the first half of the year, it said: “The inherent uncertainty over the severity, extent and duration of the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and therefore the timing of recovery of commercial aviation to pre-crisis levels and the availability of sufficient funding, represent material uncertainties that may cast significant doubt on the group’s ability to continue as a going concern.” Rolls-Royce is undertaking the largest restructuring in its history and, as a result, will close several production sites, including Barnoldswick, in Lancashire, and Annesley, in Nottinghamshire, as it consolidates its operations.<br/>