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US President Joe Biden said Thursday he had instructed the Justice Department to "deal" with the rising number of violent incidents onboard airplanes, many involving the requirement to wear face coverings. "I've instructed the Justice Department to make sure that we deal with the violence on aircraft," Biden said at a speech in Illinois. "We're going to deal with that." To date this year, there have been 4,626 reports of unruly passenger incidents, including 3,366 that were mask-related. The FAA has initiated enforcement actions in 177 cases, issuing more than $1m in proposed fines. The Justice Department did not immediately comment.<br/>

Two senior US lawmakers Thursday accused the White House of pressuring US airlines to require their employees be vaccinated for COVID-19 by a Dec. 8 deadline for federal contractors or face firing. Representative Sam Graves, top Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Garrett Graves, senior Republican on the aviation subcommittee, wrote President Joe Biden on Thursday, saying it "is unacceptable that your administration is using the threat of contractual measures as a coercion to single out American workers in a vital national industry." The lawmakers, who are not related, cited a Reuters story reporting that White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients had called the chief executives of American Airlines, Delta and Southwest on Sept. 30, urging them to follow United's lead in mandating employee vaccines. Zients on Wednesday praised airlinesfor mandating vaccines. "Vaccination requirements work. New data reinforces that fact each day," he said. Three of the airlines and the White House declined comment. <br/>

Major US airlines are increasingly mandating Covid-19 vaccines for employees. Some of the regional carriers that fly under their names have not — at least not yet. Large airlines like United, American and Delta contract smaller carriers to operate some shorter routes in their networks, tickets for which are sold on the bigger carrier’s website and other platforms as its own. Some of these smaller airlines are wholly owned subsidiaries such as American’s Envoy and Delta’s Endeavor Air while others, like SkyWest and Mesa Air Group, are independent. Representatives for Mesa, Envoy, SkyWest and United contractor CommutAir said they haven’t issued requirements for employees yet but are evaluating whether federal requirements will compel them to mandate vaccines for staff. The Biden administration last month said federal contractors must ensure that their staff is vaccinated against Covid by Dec. 8. President Joe Biden also said that companies with more than 100 employees will have to enforce a vaccine mandate for all staff, or regularly test those who aren’t. Regional carriers would at the very least fit into the second category. “It’s somewhat murky,” Jonathan Ornstein, CEO of Mesa Air Group, which flies for American and United, said of what will be required of regional airlines. The Phoenix-based carrier’s executives are awaiting more clarity on the rules from federal officials, lawyers and airline customers, but the carrier will comply with federal mandates, he said.<br/>

Los Angeles International Airport’s board has approved a multi-billion expansion plan that would allow the US’s second-busiest airport to catch up with passenger growth and prepare it for 2028 Olympic Games. The Airfield and Terminal Modernization Project at LAX includes multiple aspects that will increase airport capacity and efficiency ahead of the Olympics. The highlights include a new Terminal 9 to the east of the existing terminal horseshoe, and a new Concourse 0 attached to Terminal 1. The two projects together will add gate space where it’s needed and improve the traveler experience by replacing 15 of the 18 remote gates that are only served by buses today. The project is “really high impact in terms of how it’s going to be able to carry our airport forward to provide the customer service experience that you expect of LAX,” Los Angeles World Airports Board of Airport Commissioners President Beatrice Hsu said at a hearing on Thursday. The board subsequently approved the environmental impact report for the entire program that removes the last major barrier to construction, which could begin next year.<br/>

Singapore is in talks with the USA to establish quarantine-free travel for fully-vaccinated travellers, following trials with Brunei and Germany. “We have had successful pilots of Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTL) with Germany and Brunei to facilitate the entry of fully vaccinated individuals into Singapore for business and leisure,” says Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong. “We are now working on a VTL with the US as soon as possible, and certainly before the end of the year.” Gan was speaking to the US Chamber of Commerce while on a visit to Washington DC. Gan notes that the USA is the biggest foreign investor in Singapore, while the city-state is Asia’s second largest investor in the USA. Major US companies have a large presence in Singapore. According to IATA’s coronavirus travel regulations map, travellers from Singapore can fly freely to the USA. Despite its high vaccination rate, Singapore largely restricts arrivals from the USA, apart from Singapore citizens and permanent residents. These arrivals must undergo several PCR tests for Covid-19, and are subject to 10 days of quarantine.<br/>

A buildup of ash and dust from the erupting Cumbre Vieja volcano on the runway forced authorities in Spain’s La Palma to close the island’s airport on Thursday, air traffic operator AENA said. Other airports in the Canary Islands’ archipelago off North Africa remained open, however, and an AENA spokesperson said the ash cloud was unlikely to pose any wider risks to air travel for now. It is the second time that La Palma’s airport has been shut due to ash buildup since the eruption began on Sept. 19. “The La Palma Airport is inoperative due to ash accumulation. The established protocols are being applied. Safety is the priority,” the operator said in a post on Twitter.<br/>

Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban has launched a new effort to wrest control of Budapest airport from its international investor owners. The government has submitted a second offer to buy the airport after the first was rejected as too low this summer, according to two people familiar with the matter. The offer price for the airport could not be determined. The airport, which was fully privatised in 2011, is majority owned by Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board, which holds a 55% stake through its German-based airport investor AviAlliance. GIC, the Singaporean sovereign wealth fund, owns 23 per cent, while a second Canadian pension fund manager, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), owns the remaining 21% stake. AviAlliance and CDPQ declined to comment, while Singapore’s GIC did not respond to a request for comment. The Hungarian government declined to comment, but in May announced it would make a co-ordinated effort to buy back a majority stake in the airport. The persistent interest from the government comes despite the consortium of foreign investors repeatedly declaring their desire to keep hold of the asset, which is thought to have big growth potential.<br/>

The UK eased entry rules for 47 countries and territories that were subject to the tightest Covid-19 restrictions, in the latest step to shed travel curbs and revive tourism-dependent businesses. South Africa, Mexico and Brazil are among the places from which visitors no longer require a 10-day hotel quarantine, the Department for Transport said Thursday. Only seven nations -- all in Latin America -- will remain on the so-called red list after changes take effect on Monday. The UK is lightening border restrictions after frustrating airlines with constantly changing rules throughout most of the pandemic. A new system that does away with a complicated “traffic-light” approach took effect this week, and destinations including Turkey, Pakistan and the Maldives have already been moved to the “rest of world” category. “It finally feels like we are seeing light at the end of a very long tunnel,” Sean Doyle, chief executive officer of British Airways, said in a separate statement. The airline will start ramping up flights to South Africa and Mexico, with daily services to Johannesburg and twice-daily flights to Cape Town by year-end. Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela will remain on the red-list, the DfT said. <br/>

Commercial aviation's key players are backing a target of net zero emissions by 2050, but high costs and opposition from China remain obstacles toward reaching a global climate goal at a United Nations aviation meeting next fall. Major plane and engine makers joined airlines gathering in Boston earlier this week to commit to the goal, as aviation faces mounting pressure to reduce emissions from flights. But state-controlled Chinese airlines objected at the IATA meeting, saying developing countries should not be held to the same standards as developed nations, reflecting longstanding divisions that some see as a dress rehearsal for the 2022 gathering in Montreal. The same divide seen at IATA could make it difficult for countries to come together behind a common goal for aviation. Airlines want members of the ICAO to support a global long-term goal that would influence governments to take action to achieve the target, like funding the production of sustainable aviation fuel. The ICAO "faces an enormous challenge and its credibility is really on the line," said Annie Petsonk, the U.S. Transportation Department's principal deputy assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs. IATA's 2050 plan requires large amounts of sustainable aviation fuel, but supply is not widely available and it is more expensive to produce than conventional jet fuel. "If ICAO is able to identify and agree on a clear long-term aspirational goal, that will make an enormous difference in pointing the direction ... toward meeting that goal," Petsonk told a recent forum. <br/>

The Government Office has instructed the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Transport and the State Bank of Vietnam to study a proposal by the Vietnam Aviation Business Association (VABA), in which the airline industry is to gain access to VND25t (over US$1.1b) of zero-interest loans. The loans, according to VABA, are intended to help the airlines to cover recurring expenses, acquire supply and new machinery and to perform maintenance duties during the pandemic. The loan amount will be subject to the size of each airline, its share of the market and the amount it contributed to the State budget. The association cited a VNĐ4t, zero-interest, three-year-term loan granted to Vietnam Airlines as a basis for their proposal, saying the Government must ensure a level playing field. In addition, it has also demanded a 70% cut in environmental tax for all the airlines. <br/>

Bicol International Airport in Daraga town in the Albay province of the Philippines, has officially opened after 11 years of delay. BIA is the first international airport in the south Manila region. The airport, which is presented as the country’s ‘most scenic getaway’ with the iconic Mayon Volcano in the backdrop, has been inaugurated by the Philippines President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. The airport had gone through three groundbreaking ceremonies before June 2016. Under the Duterte administration’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ programme, nonstop airport construction works were undertaken. The BIA project saw an investment of $79.1m (PHP4bn). Spread over 148ha of land area, BIA features an air traffic control (ATC) tower, 2,500m runway strip with night landing and take-off facilities. It has passenger and cargo terminals, fire stations, a car park and other facilities.<br/>

Australians stuck overseas say they are no closer to getting home despite the federal government announcing international travel would resume at 80% double-dose vaccination targets. They cite soaring flight costs and continued booking cancellations as near-impossible barriers to returning to shore. On Friday, 1 October, prime minister Scott Morrison said Australian states would be able to reopen to international travellers from mid-November after hitting vaccination targets. Seven-day home quarantine would be available for fully vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents, provided their jab was approved for use or “recognised” by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The same day, Qantas announced it would bring forward the resumption of international flights by a month, to 14 November, beginning with three return flights a week from Sydney to London and Sydney to Los Angeles. LJ Ferrara started the Facebook page Expats Coming Home in 2018, as a public forum for Australians looking to repatriate. Since the pandemic, the group had amassed more than 20,000 followers, and became a platform to share the struggles of being trapped overseas. Ferrara said it was “harder now” to get home than “at any point since the pandemic started”, in part due to harsh travel caps hitting airlines. <br/>