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Europe's airlines on Wednesday urged the US authorities to provide a date for the reopening of its borders to vaccinated passengers and for an agreed list of recognised vaccines. US President Joe Biden announced last month that the US would reopen its borders to passengers vaccinated against Covid from November, in particular from the Europen Union. But Airlines for Europe (A4E) said in a statement they were still waiting for a date, in a statement issued following a meeting of industry leaders in Brussels. "A clear date for the reopening is urgently needed, together with an alignment of transatlantic travel rules," said the statement. Washington also needed to recognise the Digital COVID Certificate (DCC) developed by the European Union, a system that had become the "de factor global standard", the statement added. "A common approach between the EU and the US is paramount to provide clarity and ensure passenger confidence," said Thomas Reynaert, A4E's managing director. The group called on US officials to agree a list of approved vaccines, urging them to take the WHO-approved vaccine list as the working basis for future talks. One sticking point is that the US authorities have not yet cleared the AstraZeneca vaccine, widely used in European countries.<br/>

Airline and travel bosses have attacked the continuing UK travel restrictions and Covid-19 testing requirements, with research showing inbound tourism to the UK declined sharply in 2021 while other markets recovered. Willie Walsh, the DG of IATA, described coronavirus travel tests as a “state-sponsored rip-off” and “profiteering”, and questioned why travel remained singled out when most restrictions to other sectors of the economy had been dropped. The government has pledged to drop PCR tests in favour of cheaper lateral flow tests (LFT) for incoming passengers, possibly in time for the half-term holiday, but ministers have given no firm date. Walsh said “alarm bells ring” when prices for LFTs started at GBP35 in the UK: “In Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands you can buy an antigen kit from the supermarket for less than E5.” He said the UK “got lost” after vaccinating its population, contrasting it with the EU, which he said was “moving in the right direction and much faster”. Walsh questioned why the UK still had mandatory testing for vaccinated arrivals, adding: “You have to ask why so much effort is put into controlling travellers when most restrictions have been dropped in the general population? In terms of day-to-day life, the UK is far more pragmatic in managing Covid-19 than many other states. But its approach to travel continues to focus on restrictions which cannot be justified based on risk.”<br/>

Airlines have plunged into a bitter new row with Heathrow as the airport wants to double landing fees to help it recover losses built up during the pandemic. The UK’s busiest airport wants to raise charges for airlines by more than 90 per cent over the next five years, sparking a furious backlash from airlines struggling from Covid-19 losses. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which regulates Heathrow’s charges, is expected to publish its views next week. Heathrow says it is in discussions with airlines over raising fees from GBP19.36 per passenger to GBP37.63, which it argues is the only way it can make up for pandemic-related losses, while the airlines can directly pass on extra costs to passengers through ticket prices. The airport said its proposal would add only 4% to the overall cost of an average passenger ticket, and said it had been lowering its charges before the crisis struck. “As we emerge from the pandemic, the vast majority of airports right across the UK and the world are having to increase their prices — it’s not a uniquely Heathrow phenomenon, but a legitimate response to keep airports operating and supporting their national and local economies,” Heathrow said. However, the backlash from the airlines has been fierce. “Heathrow’s plan will thwart our industry’s ability to support the recovery of UK businesses,” said Luis Gallego, CE of International Airlines Group (IAG). Virgin Atlantic said Heathrow should turn to its shareholders before “loading the burden on to paying customers and an industry already severely hampered by Covid-19”. Willie Walsh, the former BA and IAG boss, who heads the global airlines lobby group Iata, said: “Placing the financial burden of a crisis of apocalyptic proportions on the backs of your customers, just because you can, is a commercial strategy only a monopoly supplier could dream up. Heathrow must understand that gouging its customers is not the road to recovery for itself, the airlines, travel and tourism jobs, or travellers.”<br/>

Asia-Pacific airlines have lost billions of dollars this year, with jets grounded in COVID-19 transportation freezes. Now, as some of the world's strictest pandemic-related travel rules begin to ease, they're ramping up flights and ticket offers. Asian travel agencies and carriers said they're seeing a surge in bookings and travel enquiries as countries like Malaysia and Vietnam allow domestic flights to resume from this week after months of strict lockdowns. India is lifting a domestic capacity cap, while Singapore, Thailand and Fiji are opening without quarantine to vaccinated international travellers from select countries. While airline industry group IATA does not expect a significant improvement in Asia-Pacific international travel until "later in 2022" - predicting cumulative losses of $11.2b this year, narrowing to $2.4b next year - carriers from AirAsia Group to VietJet Aviation, Singapore Airlines, Fiji Airways and Qantas are already increasing capacity. "The most important thing is practically all governments in the Asia-Pacific region with maybe one or two exceptions are abandoning their COVID-zero strategies and moving to a sort of COVID-normal framework," said Association of Asia Pacific Airlines Director General Subhas Menon. "Vaccination rates are also beginning to ramp up." While curbs are easing, a full return to normal operations is a long way off.<br/>

For the second year running, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) will be holding annual meeting of presidents virtually, amid ongoing travel restrictions in the region that have prevented an in-person meeting from taking place. The meeting, which will see airline heads from major Asia-Pacific carriers gather, is scheduled to take place in November, though AAPA did not state a specific date. As with previous years, the meeting of presidents will be restricted to member airline delegates, with a separate media briefing to follow after. Director-general of AAPA Subhas Menon says: “We had very much hoped that we could hold a physical meeting this year, but with international borders still remaining closed across most of Asia, this is regrettably not possible.” He also reiterated the association’s call to restore international air travel. <br/>

Indonesia’s holiday island of Bali reopened to foreign tourists after 18 months of pandemic hiatus on Thursday, but the island is lacking one crucial ingredient: international flights. Tourism-reliant Bali is scheduled to reopen on Thursday and though its Ngurah Rai international airport has carried out simulations preparing for tourists to return, it is not expecting much to happen soon. “So far there is no schedule,” said Taufan Yudhistira, a spokesman for the airport. Indonesia’s tight immigration measures during the pandemic have devastated the island, with widespread closures of hotels, shops and businesses. The government is eager to revive Bali’s beleaguered tourism industry in response to a sharp fall in new coronavirus cases since July, when Indonesia was Asia’s COVID-19 epicentre. But details about the reopening, such as visa requirements and which countries they apply to, have so far been patchy. Indonesia only confirmed the 19 eligible countries in a statement late on Wednesday, which include China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, and several countries from Western Europe and the Arabian Gulf.<br/>

Australians hoping to fly overseas in the coming months are facing exorbitant costs due to high demand and a scarce supply of seats on services flying into the country, as experts warn high prices will last another year. The complicated logistical planning required for airlines to ramp up from skeleton operations has meant those seeking to take advantage of the reopened border will face financial hurdles, while aircraft are recalled from desert parking lots and furloughed staff and ground handling contracts are brought back online. A backlog of more than 45,000 Australians are also still stranded overseas, adding another layer of complexity, demand and frustration to the picture. An analysis of flight costs by booking site KAYAK shows the average cost of a one way economy ticket from Sydney to New Delhi – the most sought after route on the site over the past month – is $1,051, while the return leg on average adds $2,668 to the ticket cost for travel between November and December. The average outbound leg from Sydney to London – the next most searched route over the same travel period – is priced at $1,012 for economy, with the return part of the trip costing $2,109. While those prices are averages, some searches for individual services are significantly higher. A search for a three-week return trip from Sydney to New York from early to late December brings up options that consistently cost $5,000 for an economy ticket on Qantas. In addition to India and the UK, countries with large diaspora communities in Australia, as well as locations with high concentrations of stranded Australians are dominating flight searches. Services to the United States, Nepal, Fiji, Lebanon, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Pakistan are rounding out the top 10 most sought after routes.<br/>

US aviation regulators are reviewing a request by Boeing to redesign engine covers on the 777 and 737 jet models that have led to multiple dramatic failures, including a passenger death in 2018. The FAA is considering Boeing’s petitions to make “safety improvements” on the front of jet engines on the two models, the agency said in the Federal Register Wednesday. Federal regulations require that engines are encased in a shield to prevent damage to a plane when a fan blade fails, but in multiple incidents on certain 737s and 777s blade fragments bounced forward and damaged less protected areas. The proposal is the first step in getting government approval for strengthening the engine covers. Because current regulations on the so-called cowling at the front of the engines don’t require the fixes, the company is requesting an exemption to the rules to proceed with its redesign. The aviation industry and the public will have 20 days to comment on the FAA’s proposal to grant Boeing the exemptions. <br/>

Fed up with traffic jams? Imagine a world where your taxi takes to the skies and lands on top of your office building, recharges and sets off afresh. That’s the vision of Stephen Fitzpatrick, founder and CEO of Britain’s Vertical Aerospace, which is set to raise $394m in a merger with a blank-cheque New York-listed company, and who says his aircraft will be flying by the mid-2020s. And he’s not alone. Some of the world’s most high-profile engineers and airlines believe Vertical is onto something with its plan for zero-emission mini-aircraft to almost silently take four passengers through the skies for up to 193 kms. American Airlines, aircraft lessor Avolon, engineers Honeywell and Rolls-Royce, as well as Microsoft’s M12 unit are investing in the merger, which is expected to complete by the end of the year. Fitzpatrick, who also set up OVO Energy, Britain’s no.3 energy retailer, said Vertical flights between London’s Heathrow airport and its Canary Wharf financial district will take 15 minutes and cost GBP50 per passenger. That potential is attracting airlines’ attention. More than 1,000 VA-X4 aircraft have been pre-ordered by customers. Interest in the zero-emission aircraft comes at a time when aviation companies are under mounting pressure from investors to help decarbonize the sector and boost their environmental, social and governance scores. “We are going to sign deals. We’re finding the appetite and the demand from airlines to be really strong,” Fitzpatrick told Reuters. The biggest challenge for Vertical is certifying its aircraft, which Fitzpatrick said it is on track to do by the end of 2024, funded by new money from the merger.<br/>