Major US airlines relaxed ticket-change policies for several Florida cities as Tropical Storm Elsa approached the state. Tropical storm conditions were expected in the Florida Keys and southwestern Florida on Monday night and Tuesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The storm currently has maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour, NOAA said. American Airlines said it would waive change fees for the most restrictive tickets, basic economy, as well as any fare difference for all travelers booked to or from Fort Meyers, Key West, Sarasota and Tampa through July 7, if customers can travel no later than July 12. A fare difference would apply after that. Delta put a similar waiver for the same cities if travelers can change their tickets to fly no later than July 10. United’s waiver covers those cities as well as Fort Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach and Orlando. Those airlines last year scrapped ticket-change fees for standard economy bookings and up, an effort to spur sales during the pandemic. Competitor Southwest Airlines didn’t charge change fees before the pandemic. But the airlines’ new policy does not cover non-refundable and non-changeable basic economy tickets.<br/>
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NTSB investigators plan to use sonar imaging on Monday to try to locate a Boeing 737-200 cargo jet that ditched off the coast of Hawaii last week. Transair Flight 810 made an emergency landing in the ocean off the coast of Oahu around 1:30 a.m. local time on Friday. The cargo plane’s pilots reported engine trouble shortly after leaving Honolulu. Both of the pilots were rescued. The NTSB said it must first find the exact location of the 46-year-old plane before the cockpit voice and data recorders can be recovered. “Investigators plan to use side scan sonar Monday to survey the debris field, the condition of the airplane and its location, including how far beneath the surface the plane sank,” it said in a statement. “That information will be used to determine how and when the recorders could be recovered and then how and if the airplane will be salvaged.” The NTSB said it is also scheduling interviews with the two pilots, air traffic controllers and maintenance workers at cargo airline Transair. The agency said a small amount of floating debris was recovered and examined by NTSB. The exact cause or causes of the crash can take months to determine. One of the pilots told an air traffic controller that the plane lost an engine and that there was a chance it was going to lose the other, according to audio posted to LiveATC.net. The controller warned them that their altitude was low but another pilot responded that they couldn’t climb.<br/>
Airlines in the world’s biggest carbon market will eventually have to pay for all the pollution from their planes as the EU strengthens its climate policies under the Green Deal. A proposal by the EC includes a gradual phase out of emission allowances for carriers, and will be part of measures to be announced on July 14, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The package will also introduce stricter demands on companies in the transport sector to use cleaner fuel. The EU aims to make its Green Deal and the ambitious environmental overhaul a new growth strategy as its economy recovers from the pandemic. The planned clean push also includes strengthening and expanding the bloc’s carbon market, creating a new emissions-trading program for buildings and road transport and setting new emissions standards for cars. The Commission wants to oblige fuel suppliers to blend an increasingly high level of sustainable aviation fuels into existing jet fuel sold at EU airports, said the person, who asked not to be identified because talks on the the draft laws are private. In addition, the EU executive is planning to encourage the uptake of synthetic low-carbon fuels under the so-called Fit for 55 package. Cleaner fuels will also get preferential treatment under EU’s new energy taxation framework.<br/>
Germany has lifted its travel ban on passengers arriving from the UK, paving the way for summer holidays to the country for those who have been double vaccinated. Britain would be removed from the country's highest risk category of "virus variant area" from Wednesday, Germany's national disease control centre, the Robert Koch Institute, announced on Monday. The travel ban was introduced on May 23 amid concern over the prevalence of the delta variant, preventing non-German nationals travelling to Germany from Britain. The UK will now move into the second-highest category of "high-incidence area", meaning arrivals can avoid quarantine if they can prove that they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19. Those who have not received both vaccinations can cut short a mandatory 10-day quarantine by testing negative after five days.<br/>
Britain's Heathrow Airport said Monday it would reopen a terminal this month as it prepares for a higher numbers of travellers with the government expected to scrap quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated passengers to some countries. Heathrow, Britain's busiest airport, said it would reopen Terminal 3 from July 15 for Virgin Atlantic and Delta flights. The terminal was shut in May 2020 as passenger numbers plunged during the pandemic but after more than a year of restricted travel, the aviation industry in Britain is preparing for growth. "With passenger demand expected to increase when ministers permit fully vaccinated passengers to travel more freely, Heathrow is getting ready to welcome you back," Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said. The reopening of Terminal 3 means that all of Heathrow's four terminals will be operating. The airport said it planned to continue to use Terminal 4 as a dedicated hub for arrivals from high-risk countries on Britain's "red list" where passengers must quarantine in a hotel for 10 days.<br/>
Saudi Arabia will invest over 500b riyals ($133.34b) in airports, sea ports, rail and other infrastructure by the end of the decade in a bid to make the kingdom a global transportation and logistics hub, its transport minister said Monday. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is pushing economic diversification to wean Saudi Arabia off oil revenues and create jobs, announced a transport and logistics drive, of which few details have been released publicly, last Tuesday. Minister of Transport and Logistic Services Saleh bin Nasser al-Jasser said at an event in Saudi Arabia that the strategy included many mega projects, with over 500 billion riyals earmarked for investment. The strategy is the latest economic policy to put Riyadh in competition with the United Arab Emirates, the region's business, trade and tourism hub. Saudi Arabia plans to increase the number of international aviation routes from 99 to over 250 and more than triple total annual passenger traffic from 103m in 2019 to 330m by 2030, Abdulaziz Al-Duauilj, the head of the aviation authority, said at the same event. The kingdom's international network is currently significantly smaller than that of neighbouring smaller states the UAE or Qatar, which are both large air transit hubs. Al-Duauilj said annual capacity at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport and Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport would each expand to 100m passengers, without saying by when. He also said the kingdom was aiming to become a global air freight logistics hub, handling 4.5m tonnes of air cargo a year, up from 900,000 in 2019.<br/>
Vietnam is suspending various domestic routes to and from Ho Chi Minh City to stem a recent Covid-19 spike in its capital. Flights between Ho Chi Minh City and the northern coastal city of Vinh have been suspended from 2 July until further notice following a request from Nghe An Province authorities, according to a 2 July circular by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV). In a 3 July circular, the CAAV says it is proposing to suspend domestic connections between Ho Chi Minh City and central Vietnam’s Chu Lai and Phu Bai, starting 4 and 5 July, respectively. Furthermore, it proposes to suspend all flights to and from Tho Xuan in northern Vietnam from 4 July. For all flight suspensions, flights transporting medical staff and supplies will be considered by the CAAV upon the airlines’ request.<br/>
Abu Dhabi's state-owned airport operator has cancelled a contract with a consortium which was building a 10.8b dirham ($2.94b) terminal at the emirate's main airport, four sources familiar with the matter said. The group, which comprises United Arab Emirates-based Arabtec, Turkey's TAV Insaat and Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), were awarded the contract in 2012 to build the Midfield Terminal Building at Abu Dhabi International Airport. One of the sources said state-owned Abu Dhabi Airports cancelled the contract after the group over ran project costs. Abu Dhabi Airports and TAV Insaat declined comment. Arabtec, which filed for liquidation in January, and CCC representatives could not be reached for comment. The terminal, which is still under construction and was once scheduled to open in 2017, has been plagued by years of delays. Abu Dhabi Airports in 2019 said that construction of the new terminal was 97.6% complete. Two sources said Abu Dhabi-headquartered Trojan had been awarded the contract to finish the terminal's construction. The new 700,000 square metre terminal was supposed to support the growth of Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways. <br/>
Singapore’s Changi Airport Group swung to the red in its annual financial results, as it felt the “enormous turbulence” wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. Changi Airport, a global air hub in pre-pandemic times, saw passenger traffic plunge 98%, as air travel ground to a halt. Passenger movement for the 2020 calendar year shows only 11.8m passengers, nearly 83% lower year on year. For the year ended 31 March, CAG reported an operating loss of S$736m ($547m), reversing the S$866m profit it reported the previous financial year. Group revenue tumbled 78% to S$697m, as a result of the steep decline in passenger numbers. However, CAG notes that any further revenue decline was mitigated by an uptick in cargo takings, as well as efforts to diversify its alternative revenue sources. Total expenses fell 36% year on year, to S$1.43b, as the group aggressively embarked on cost-cutting measures. Two of Changi’s four terminals have been closed amid the pandemic, while the development of the airport’s fifth terminal has been put on an indefinite hiatus. CAG also “extensively renegotiated” service contracts amid a drop in passenger traffic, and cut salaries across the grou<br/>
The government has extended the ongoing flight suspension of all domestic flights for another week till July 14 following the decision to extend the ongoing strict lockdown in the country. All types of domestic flight operation will remain suspended till July 14 midnight in accordance with the government guidance and instruction, a circular issued by Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) said Monday. Medevac, humanitarian and relief flights, and cargo flights will remain out of the purview of the restriction, it added. Passengers, crew, equipment, and aircraft will have to follow the standard disinfection, sanitization, and social distancing procedures. International flights to and from Dhaka will operate as usual. However, air bubble flights will remain suspended until further notice, according to another circular by CAAB.<br/>
The Samui Plus programme for inoculated tourists should open for Certificate of Entry (COE) applications this week as Surat Thani is slated to open three islands on July 15. Meanwhile, the Phuket sandbox scheme has to ensure a clean sheet, meaning there should be no infections among inbound travellers for 14 days in order to start the process of considering reducing mandatory stays on the island below 14 days. Yuthasak Supasorn, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor, said the approval process would not be delayed like the Phuket scheme as the Royal Gazette had already granted permission to other areas last week according to reopening plans. The programme just needs approval from the sub-committee of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) by this week for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to start the COE registration process for the Samui Plus scheme. Yuthasak said the number of tourists expected to arrive is estimated at 1,000 in the first 30 days, generating at least 100m baht for the provincial economy. It has predicted fewer numbers than Phuket because this model comes with more restrictive regulations. Upon arrival, tourists are required to spend their first three days in an alternative local quarantine facility in any of the island's nine certified properties, totalling 254 rooms. Tourists can step outside their hotel on days four to seven but must remain on Koh Samui under the escort of tour operators. From days eight to 14, they can opt to go to Koh Tao and Koh Phangan for tours.<br/>
Airbus delivered more than 70 jets in June, one of its best months for handovers since the start of the pandemic, according to people familiar with the matter. The tally would take the company’s total handovers for the first six months of the year above 290 aircraft, for an increase of about 50% versus last year. Airbus is set to publish the audited figures on Thursday. Airbus should also see an improved orders for June after securing part of a bumper purchase from United. The airline said it would buy 70 of the larger A321neo single-aisle model, while rival Boeing nabbed the lion’s share of the deal with 200 737 Max jets. Airbus has focused on maintaining deliveries to keep cash flows going and factories running during the pandemic. The Toulouse, France-based planemaker handed over 36 commercial aircraft in June 2020.<br/>