Ryanair, Easyjet and other low-cost airlines have written to the EU asking that its plan to force carriers to use a certain share of sustainable fuels apply to all flights, not just short-haul ones. The EC is drawing up targets for airlines to use a minimum share of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), to curb the sector’s planet-warming CO2 emissions. In December Brussels shelved a draft 5% target for 2030 for being too low. A group of budget airlines, which do not compete in long-haul markets, and environmental groups wrote to the Commission on Wednesday, asking that any SAF quotas apply not only to flights inside Europe, but also long-haul trips to and from the continent. “Excluding long-haul flights from the SAFs mandate would mean the very area of our sector that most needs to decarbonise would not be covered at all by this legislation,” said the letter to the EU’s climate and transport policy chiefs.<br/>
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The pandemic relief bill that President Biden signed Thursday afternoon will protect tens of thousands of aviation jobs, providing a lifeline to an industry that is likely to struggle for some time even as vaccinations accelerate. After Congress this week approved the legislation, which includes $14b for airlines and an additional $9b for airports and other businesses, American Airlines and United Airlines told 27,000 employees that they could ignore the furlough notices they had received in recent weeks. The airlines had issued the warnings, which are legally required in advance of sweeping cuts, as they prepared to carry out the furloughs at the end of this month when an earlier round of federal aid expired. The new bill extends that assistance through September. “If you have one of those WARN Act notices we sent out in February, tear it up,” Doug Parker, American’s chief executive, said in an Instagram video. “There aren’t going to be any furloughs at American Airlines in April and, with vaccinations on the rise, hopefully never again.” <br/>
A drone disrupted flights at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, for about two hours on Tuesday night as police unsuccessfully searched for the operator. The FBI is seeking help from the public to identify the people responsible for what it called an illegal intrusion, it said Thursday. The FAA is also investigating, it said. The drone was spotted about 9:15 p.m. by controllers in the airport’s tower, prompting them to switch runways, hold flights on the ground, and to divert one flight to another airport, the agencies said. Multiple law enforcement agencies and firefighters attempted unsuccessfully to locate the operator of the device.<br/>
The chairman of the US House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday urged the FAA to extend a “zero tolerance” policy for passengers not wearing masks or causing disturbances on flights. In January, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson signed an order directing the policy after supporters of US President Donald Trump were disruptive on some flights. Dickson warned that disruptive passengers could face up to $35,000 in fines and possible jail time and said the policy would last through March 30. <br/>
On Thursday, airlines announced a new round of travel waivers for Colorado airports ahead of a "significant winter storm" that is expected to impact the Central Rockies and High Plains states beginning Friday evening and continuing through the rest of the weekend. "Light snow is forecast to develop Friday evening across the region; however, much of the winter weather impacts are forecast to occur later in the day on Saturday and throughout much of Sunday," the NWS said Thursday. "Widespread travel impacts are likely. Winter Storm Watches have been issued and include southeast Wyoming, northeast and north-central Colorado, as well as western Nebraska."<br/>
Israel and the UAE, which have the world’s fastest inoculation programs, have started talks to establish a quarantine-free travel corridor for people who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Middle Eastern nations aim to implement the agreement in April, according to the UAE’s state-run news agency. The corridor will facilitate travel for commercial, tourism and official purposes. The talks come as Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to travel to the UAE on Thursday, his first known visit to the Gulf country after they normalized their relations last year. Israel and the UAE last year agreed on 28 direct weekly flights connecting Tel Aviv with Abu Dhabi and Dubai before Israel barred foreign flights to limit exposure to new virus strains.<br/>
Rolls-Royce has enough funding to weather the crisis in the aviation industry caused by the pandemic, its CE said Thursday, after the engine maker plunged to a record GBP4b ($5.6b) underlying loss for 2020. The British company said its cash burn should halve this year, and turn positive in the second half as vaccinations kick in and travellers return to the skies. “The worst is now well behind us,” CEO Warren East said. But even if that proves optimistic, Rolls is well placed to cope with more turmoil after a drive to cut costs and raise funds, he added. “We have our cash burn under control ... We have ample liquidity to get through this crisis as long as it lasts,” East said. Rolls’ model of charging airlines for the number of hours its engines fly meant much of its income dried up last year when travel stopped, forcing it to ask shareholders for cash and take on GBP5.3b of new debt.<br/>
The coronavirus crisis has clipped the wings of airline pilots but those who have kept their jobs are doing what they can to stay sharp -- using flight simulators when they're not in the few planes in the air. Pilots can't afford to stay grounded for too long. To maintain their license to fly, they must meet a minimum requirement set down by the ICAO to carry out three take-off and landings in the last three months. "It's not normally an issue," says Tanja Harter, an Airbus A320 pilot based in Munich who is also head of technical issues for the European Cockpit Association (ECA), which represents some 40,000 flyers. The problem, with air traffic decimated and up to 80% of some operators' aircraft mothballed, is getting that flight time. To bridge the gap, the latest high-tech flight simulators allow pilots to hone their skills in a super realistic environment. "The full flight simulator with visuals and movement resembles a regular flight 98 or 99%," says Otjan de Bruijn, a long-haul pilot with KLM and head of the ECA. A year since France was plunged into its first lockdown, national carrier Air France has its simulators working up to 22 hours a day, says Philippe Lacroute, pilot and spokesman for flight operations at the company. In addition to the ICAO recommendations, pilots must also pass theoretical and practical exams twice a year which test their ability, among other things, to cope with emergencies or equipment breakdowns. The bottom line is that there are guidelines to ensure that flying is safe, says expert Xavier Tytelman.<br/>