Guatemalan authorities closed the capital’s international airport on Tuesday as ash and rocks sprayed from the Pacaya volcano, grounding nine planes and diverting an incoming flight to neighboring El Salvador. Pacaya, about 40 km south of La Aurora International Airport, has been active over the past two months. Its latest eruption on Tuesday coated sidewalks and cars in parts of Guatemala City with dark ash, according to photos from the national disaster relief agency. The civil aviation authority DGAC suspended airport operations on the recommendation of the national volcanic monitoring institute, and diverted a flight from the US city of Los Angeles to El Salvador, DGAC said. “This due to the increase of Pacaya’s volcanic activity, as well as the change of wind direction from the south to the north that has caused us to receive volcanic ash in Guatemala City,” DGAC Director Francis Argueta said in an online video.<br/>
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Rapid antigen tests on arrival after travel can be just as effective as quarantining to stop imported cases of COVID-19, according to new research which the travel industry hopes will convince Britain to open up its borders this summer. Britain currently bans all foreign travel, except for work, education or health reasons. However, the government is to review that next month and possibly allow it from May 17. But rising levels of COVID-19 infections in some European countries and warnings from UK government ministers not to book trips has led to worries that the holiday ban could be extended. Research commissioned by airlines British Airways-owner IAG, Virgin Atlantic and others found that a single on-arrival antigen test is as effective as a ten-day self-isolation period in reducing imported cases of COVID-19.<br/>
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is considering expanding efforts to monitor possible domestic terrorism threats through surveillance of travel patterns of individuals, it said on Wednesday. “Domestic violent extremism poses the most lethal, persistent terrorism-related threat to our homeland today. DHS is committed to improving security and is reviewing options for enhancing screening and vetting protocols and travel pattern analyses, consistent with privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties,” a DHS spokesperson said. Precise details were unclear for how the DHS is going to step up screening of domestic travelers for possible extremist ties or intentions. The Biden administration has emphasized in recent weeks the threat that homegrown, violent individuals, including white supremacists, present to the country.<br/>
US pilot union Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) is calling on the industry to revisit numerous labour, safety, subsidy and collective bargaining issues that for the past year have taken a back seat to the coronavirus pandemic. In a white paper called “Battling the Pandemic, Rebuilding our Economy and Connecting the World”, published on 24 March, the organization sets forth a series of policy priorities which it says will be integral to rebuilding the air transport industry following the global health crisis. “The aviation sector has been essential in battling the pandemic and will be critical in restoring our economy,” says ALPA president Joe DePete. “As we build back, we must work toward a stronger and more sustainable airline industry.” The white paper includes recommendations on protecting cockpit crew from coronavirus risks, violent passengers and terrorists, as well as hazardous materials which they may be transporting. It also outlines calls for specific rules on integrating remote piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into the national airspace system safely, as the small craft rapidly rise in popularity among hobbyists and professionals in real estate and surveying work.<br/>
Canada’s largest airport lost $383m last year as the number of passengers plunged nearly 74% from 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority says its net loss compared with a $139.8m profit in 2019 as revenues decreased nearly by half to $823.5m, from $1.5b a year earlier. More than 13m passengers passed through the airport in 2020, including 5.5m on domestic flights and 7.8m for international service. That was down from 50.5m, including 18.1m within Canada and 32.4m between Canada and the US and other global destinations. The airport responded to the pandemic by cutting capital spending by $265m and temporarily closing more than 40% of its terminal facilities. It also eliminated about 500 positions last summer, representing a 27 % cut to its workforce.<br/>