Airlines were gutted in 2020. More than 60% of the world's commercial aircraft were grounded. Whole fleets headed off to spend months in the warm, dry, desert sunshine of aircraft storage facilities. In April 2020, the IATA warned that 25m jobs were at risk due to plummeting demand for air travel caused by COVID-19. According to an ICAO report, 'Effects of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Civil Aviation', released on July 6, 2021, the world's airline industry lost US$371b in gross passenger revenue in 2020, with another loss of US$286-317b expected in 2021. Given the carnage in the airline industry, you might expect some big names to disappear from the skies but that didn't happen. CAPA, The Centre for Aviation, lists just 34 airlines that did not survive 2020. Yet according to travel data company Cirium, 46 commercial airlines failed in 2019, and 56 the year before. Most of 2020's casualties were smaller airlines operating only a few routes, but a few budget carriers also failed to see the year's end, including Tigerair Australia. CAPA also counted nine new regional and low-cost carriers that entered the market in 2020, along with four full-service operators.<br/>
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Investigators have located a Boeing 737-200 cargo jet that made an emergency water landing off the Hawaiian island of Oahu in the Pacific Ocean on July 2, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday. Transair Flight 810 was found approximately 2 miles offshore from Ewa Beach. The major components of the airplane -- the aft fuselage including both wings and tail along with both engines, and forward fuselage -- were located on the sea floor at depths between 360 and 420 feet, the NTSB said. The plane components were located with a Side Scan Sonar and Remotely Operated Vehicle, the NTSB said. The NTSB said the wreckage is too deep to deploy divers for recovery of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders. The investigative team is developing plans to recover the aircraft.<br/>
The US DoT Friday released proposed new rules to require passenger airlines to refund fees for bags that are significantly delayed and refunds for services like onboard Wi-Fi that do not work. The proposal, which will open for public comment for 60 days, came shortly after President Joe Biden signed an executive order to boost competition throughout the economy. That order also directs US regulators to review airport slots and aviation market structure issues. White House economic adviser Bharat Ramamurti said "it is our goal to have more competition in the airline industry." Rules on the allocation of airport slots have big ramifications for airline competition and market access for low-cost carriers. Under existing US rules, passengers are entitled to a fee refund if bags are lost, but not when delayed. Under the proposed rule, a “significantly delayed checked bag” is one not delivered to the passenger within 12 hours for domestic itineraries and within 25 hours for international itineraries. The department estimates consumers could see $10.7m to $11.4m annually in refunded baggage fees and estimates carriers costs at around $4m.<br/>
The Hungarian government has made a non-binding offer to buy Budapest Airport Zrt., according to people familiar with the matter, as PM Viktor Orban seeks to gain control of what had been one of the fastest growing hubs in the region before the coronavirus pandemic. The offer, which was received by the owners of the airport this week, was deemed to be below market value when compared with similar recent deals, including a recent valuation of the Sydney airport, one of the people said. While the Budapest hub’s owners have until recently ruled out selling their stake, they’ve also expressed concerns about the Hungarian government’s use of hardball tactics to try and force their hand. These included blocking pandemic funds and permits to develop the facility, as well as harsh criticism of how the airport is run, which the operator considers unfounded, Bloomberg reported in April. The government would make a “fair offer,” but added that if rejected, the state would seek another method to restore its control, according to an interview with Innovation and Technology Minister Laszlo Palkovics, the cabinet’s point-person to retake Budapest Airport, published on the Vasarnap.hu news website a month ago.<br/>
A group of airports and airlines launched legal action against the British government over its travel curbs on Friday, challenging ministers to be more transparent over decisions on rating COVID-19 risks in destination countries. The litigation, led by Manchester Airports Group, with backing from Ryanair, easyJet, IAG and TUI UK, is going ahead despite plans announced by the government on Thursday to allow more travel. "British consumers need to understand how decisions are made so they can confidently plan their travel, which is why we are asking the government to provide the data and advice that is underpinning its decision making," the CEs of the five companies involved said. Britain said fully-vaccinated British residents returning from medium-risk countries will no longer have to quarantine on arrival home from July 19, opening up travel for the 65% of adults who have had two jabs and those aged under 18. But travel companies say it is still not clear how the government makes decisions about rating destinations under its traffic light system where low risk is green, medium risk is amber and high risk is red. Despite the coming rule change, the complainants want the legal action to force a wider re-opening of travel.<br/>
People returning to England from abroad could face peak-time airport queues of up to six hours when travel measures are eased, a union has warned. Fully jabbed UK citizens coming back from amber list countries will no longer need to quarantine from 19 July. The Immigration Service Union said the "sheer number" of passengers arriving and a shortage of Border Force officers would slow down checks. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps also admitted travel could be "disrupted". But he added that airports, airlines and train and ferry companies were developing apps to cut queues. On Thursday, the government announced that fully vaccinated UK residents returning to England from amber list travel destinations - including popular holiday countries such as Spain, France, Italy and the US - would no longer have to quarantine from Monday 19 July. Lucy Moreton, the Immigration Service Union's professional officer, said the government needed to recruit more Border Force workers to cope with the increased demand. Ordinary passport checks took two to four minutes per person, she said, adding that those involving the Covid-related documents increased this to eight to 12 minutes.<br/>
Thailand has extended financial measures to help its carriers to weather the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) says in a 10 July announcement that it will be extending relief measures for the airline industry until the end of September. Airports of Thailand, which operates a large number of major Thai gateways, including Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, will halve its landing and parking fees for operators. Airlines that have suspended all flights during the period will also receive waivers on these fees. The CAAT will also extend credit terms and waive penalties or surcharges for airlines that had previously failed to pay fees. The move comes amid tightened restrictions in several parts of the country following a record surge in infections, which has prompted carriers to suspend all or a large number of domestic flights. Thailand reported a record 9,539 new coronavirus infections on 11 July, the highest figure in nearly two months. Bangkok and its surrounding provinces, as well as some of the country’s southern cities, have entered a lockdown, which will see a night curfew imposed and inter-provincial travel restricted. Consequently, Thai carriers have scrambled to adjust domestic flight schedules. Low-cost carrier Thai AirAsia announced it had cancelled all flights from 10 to 31 July, “in support of the [pandemic] containment efforts by the government”. <br/>
Hong Kong International airport saw passenger volume drop 98.6% to just 800,000 passengers in its 2020/21 fiscal year to 31 March, but remains on track to complete its third runway as it works on closer collaboration with nearby Zhuhai airport. Flight movements dropped 66.2% to 127,760 amid the coronavirus pandemic, but cargo throughput remained “resilient,” dropping just 2% to 4.6m tonnes, says the airport in its annual report. Owing to the disappearance of bellyhold capacity amid the collapse in passenger traffic, freighter movements rose 24%. Revenue dived 65.3% for the year to HK$5.9b ($759m), as HKIA swung to a net loss of HK$4.4b, from a net profit of HK$5.9b a year earlier. A key element in HKIA’s planning is its three runway system. HKIA reports that land reclamation work has progressed well, and that the third runway will enter service in 2022. HKIA is also looking at ways to further integrate into China’s Pearl River Delta. This includes closer collaboration with Zhuhai airport, which lies 65km away by ferry. “To stimulate traffic growth, Zhuhai airport is working with HKIA to develop a cross-boundary transit service,” says HKIA. “This would provide Zhuhai airport with access to international destinations and let HKIA tap Zhuhai airport’s extensive domestic network. A similar arrangement is under discussion for cargo.”<br/>
British billionaire Richard Branson on Sunday soared more than 50 miles above the New Mexico desert aboard his Virgin Galactic rocket plane and safely returned in the vehicle's first fully crewed test flight to space, a symbolic milestone for a venture he started 17 years ago. Branson, one of six Virgin Galactic Holdingemployees strapped in for the ride, touted the mission as a precursor to a new era of space tourism, with the company he founded in 2004 poised to begin commercial operations next year. "We’re here to make space more accessible to all," an exuberant Branson, 70, said shortly after embracing his grandchildren following the flight. "Welcome to the dawn of a new space age." The success of the flight also gave the flamboyant entrepreneur bragging rights in a highly publicized rivalry with fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos, the Amazon online retail mogul who had hoped to fly into space first aboard his own space company's rocket. "Congratulations on the flight," Bezos said on Instagram. "Can’t wait to join the club!" Space industry executives, future customers and other well-wishers were on hand for a festive gathering to witness the launch, which was livestreamed in a presentation hosted by late-night television comedian Stephen Colbert. <br/>