South Africa's health minister announced Thursday the discovery of a new coronavirus variant that appears to be spreading rapidly in parts of the country. "Initially it looked like some cluster outbreaks, but from yesterday, the indication came from our scientists from the Network of Genomic Surveillance that they were observing a new variant," Minister of Health Joe Phaahla said, stressing that it is currently unclear where the variant -- currently dubbed B.1.1.529 -- first emerged. It has so far been detected in South Africa, Botswana and in a traveler to Hong Kong from South Africa, Phaahla added. During a news briefing, genomic scientists said the variant has an unusually high number of mutations, with more than 30 in the key spike protein -- the structure the virus uses to get into the cells they attack. Professor Tulio de Oliveira, the director of the Center for Epidemic Response and Innovation, said the variant has "many more mutations than we have expected," adding it is "spreading very fast and we expect to see pressure in the health system in the next few days and weeks." He advised the public to "try to avoid super spreading events." Officials also expressed concern that the mutation could result in immune evasion and enhanced transmissibility of the virus, but added it is too early to tell what kind of impact the mutations will have on vaccine efficacy. More studies also need to be conducted to understand the clinical severity of the variant compared to previous variants, officials said.<br/>
general
Thanksgiving air travel did not reach the record highs of 2019, but it was close. About 2.3 million people passed through TSA checkpoints on Wednesday, more travelers than on any other day during the pandemic. This figure was more than twice as many travelers as the Wednesday before Thanksgiving last year. This year’s total was about 88% of the travelers that flew on that same Wednesday in 2019. Social media was abuzz with nearly equal complaints about the longest airport lines people had experienced in years and surprise that lines were so short, reinforcing the idea pandemic unpredictability persists. Hundreds of airport food service workers picketed on Wednesday at San Francisco International Airport over a dispute involving health care. But contrary to some passengers’ fears — and warnings from the Southwest Airlines pilots union in August — there were no walkouts by flight attendants or pilots on Wednesday. Amid concerns that passengers would get aggressive with flight attendants and pick fights about masks — issues throughout the pandemic — Attorney General Merrick B. Garland urged federal prosecutors to prioritize the prosecution of passengers that commit assault or other crimes on board.<br/>
Nearly two years after launching an inquiry into thousands of complaints from airline passengers claiming they were wrongly denied compensation for delayed flights, the Canadian Transportation Agency has issued a decision. However, affected passengers must still wait for a resolution. That's because instead of attempting to resolve the complaints, the CTA has directed airlines to reconsider the passengers' request for compensation based on new guidance the agency has provided. The disputes stem from the federal Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) launched in 2019. The regulations mandate that passengers receive up to $1,000 in compensation for flights that are delayed or cancelled for reasons within an airline's control, such as routine maintenance issues or overbooking. Soon after the regulations fully took effect on Dec. 15 of that year, the CTA was flooded with more than 3,000 passenger complaints, claiming the reasons the airlines had provided for denying them compensation were either inadequate or unfounded. On Feb. 13, 2020, the CTA launched an inquiry that focused on 567 of the complaints, involving all of Canada's major airlines: Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat, Sunwing and Swoop. As a result of that inquiry, the CTA has now issued airlines guidance on what situations are considered within an airline's control, involving matters such as crew shortages, computer outages and maintenance. The CTA said passengers whose cases remain unresolved despite the new guidance can contact the agency by Feb. 15, 2022, for help in reaching a resolution. <br/>
A surge of coronavirus cases in continental Europe has cast a shadow over the travel industry’s recovery, with Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary forecasting a “fraught period” over the next month. Covid cases and deaths are rising quickly across many countries in the region, and several, including Austria and Slovakia, have imposed short national lockdowns in an attempt to rein in infections. Concerns about a weak winter have hit travel stocks, with shares in easyJet, British Airways’ owner IAG and Europe’s largest hotel group Accor each down about 15% over the past three weeks. O’Leary said it was “inevitable” that rising Covid cases would disrupt travel. “It looks like Europe is going to get very nervous again at the worst time of the year, when people are making their Christmas travel plans,” he said this week. The uncertainty could also weigh on early bookings for next summer, which tend to come in between Christmas and New Year, he added. Airlines have slightly pared back their flight schedules, and the number of scheduled seats in western Europe has fallen over the past three weeks, according to data from OAG. “European travel intentions have been affected by the rise in Covid cases across the continent, and by the lockdowns and announcements in many European countries,” said Axel Hefer, CE of Trivago. Hefer said there had been a 50% decline in searches for domestic and international travel in Austria, and a 35% fall in the Netherlands, where the government has introduced new restrictions on bars, restaurants and non-essential shops. While the disruption is a blow for companies still recovering from the damage inflicted earlier in the pandemic, the situation is still far better than before vaccines allowed the reopening of travel earlier this year.<br/>
The UK will temporarily ban flights from South Africa and five neighboring countries over worries about a new, dramatically different Covid-19 variant recently identified in the region. The travel restrictions go into effect at noon Friday and are a precautionary measure to keep the spread of the new variant in check, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said. The six African countries will be placed on the UK’s red list as of Sunday, requiring travelers to quarantine in hotels upon arrival. Israel also has banned travel from the six countries, along with Mozambique, another neighbor of South Africa, BNO News said in a tweet, without citing the source of the information.Scientists are still trying to determine whether the new variant, called B.1.1529, is more transmissible or more lethal than previous ones. What’s clear is that it has the most mutations of any strain yet identified. That’s raised concerns inside South Africa and internationally, with authorities fearing a wave of cases that could increase pressure on already strained health-care systems. Scientists are still trying to determine whether the new variant, called B.1.1529, is more transmissible or more lethal than previous ones. What’s clear is that it has the most mutations of any strain yet identified. That’s raised concerns inside South Africa and internationally, with authorities fearing a wave of cases that could increase pressure on already strained health-care systems. <br/>
The Portuguese government said remote working will be mandatory in the week of Jan. 2-9 as it tries to prevent a spike in coronavirus infections after the Christmas and New Year holiday break. Schools will reopen on Jan. 10, a week later than previously planned, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Thursday at a press conference in Lisbon. Until that first week of January, remote working will be recommended when possible. From December, the use of masks will become mandatory in closed spaces, digital certificates will be needed to access restaurants or hotels, and negative tests will be required for nightclubs, bars and sports venues. Masks are currently already required on public transport. Negative Covid-19 tests will be required for all flights arriving in Portugal and the government will increase fines on airlines for passengers without tests. The new measures are being announced almost two months after the government ended most restrictions as the country recorded a high vaccination rate. Portugal is now joining other European nations in taking steps to face the latest surge in coronavirus infections in the region, which has prompted countries like Austria to impose a lockdown.<br/>
Authorities in the Netherlands ordered Maastricht Aachen Airport cleared of passengers following a bomb threat, Dutch news agency ANP said on Thursday. ANP attributed its report to the country's military police, the Koninklijke Marechaussee, which patrols borders and is responsible for airport security.<br/>
Flight paths and holding patterns for aircraft arriving into Luton Airport are to be altered because of its proximity to Stansted. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approved plans to "simplify and modernise" arrival routes into Britain's fifth busiest airport. Luton currently uses airspace over Royston, Hertfordshire, but will move to the St Neots and Huntingdon area. The two airports are just 42km apart by air. An airport spokesman said the new flight paths would "segregate them from Stansted's, to ensure continued safety". Work is under way to train air traffic controllers and ensure pilots are familiar with the new routes, he added. The changes follow a five-month public consultation between London Luton Airport (LLA) and NATS, the air traffic control provider, which garnered more than 2,400 responses. They will come into effect next February.<br/>
Safety regulators are seeking a better understanding of the threat posed by lithium battery-powered personal electronic devices, through a newly-initiated European research project. Lithium batteries have the potential to ignite from thermal runaway, generating fire and toxic smoke, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency is looking to characterise the hazards presented by personal devices. “The provisions for the transport of lithium batteries by passengers in the aircraft cabin do not currently establish limits in terms of number of items that can be brought aboard,” it states. “In addition, the limits on the power of batteries are not based on any scientific data.” Through the research project, tendering for which is underway, EASA aims to collect data to identify risks arising from representative devices – including phones, laptop computers, tablets, tools or drones – carried by passengers or crew. According to the formal project documentation the testing regime should examine “realistic” scenarios which could occur during flight, such as overcharging, charging failure, or seat mechanism damage to the device. Incident data should assist with identifying common threats, and consideration should be given to physical and chemical characteristics of smoke including airflow, volume and composition. “Since it is unknown at the moment whether there is a pattern in the evolution of battery thermal-runaway events caused by different batteries or devices, part of the task will consist of considering similarities and coincidences during the testing that could be taken as a base to establish a certain pattern,” the documentation adds. The testing should look at tolerances for the cabin and cockpit, examining potential limitations of aircraft systems. While a cockpit event poses a threat to flight safety, the documentation says, the consequences in the cabin “may as well be catastrophic” because passengers are not well-trained in using masks.<br/>
Airlines in the Asia-Pacific had another tough month in October, with the recent easing of border restrictions in the region yet to be felt, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA). The trade body notes that the 40 Asia-Pacific carriers its statistic cover carried1.2 million international passengers in October, just 3.9% of the number carried in October 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic. October’s RPKs came in at just 5.6% of pre-pandemic levels, while seat capacity was just 14.4%. International load factors remained week, at just 30.9% for the month. Cargo, however, provided a bright spot. October’s FTKs were 22.3% higher than a year ago, with freight capacity up 20% year on year. This helped push cargo load factors to 74.2%, up 1.4 percentage points. “Whilst October continued to be an extremely challenging month for international travel markets, solid orders for consumer goods and industrial components buoyed air cargo demand, especially as retailers sought to increase stock levels ahead of the year-end holiday season and major shopping events,” says AAPA director general Subhas Menon. “In addition, supply chain congestion at some shipping hubs boosted demand for air shipments.” Menon welcomes the opening borders, but says travel policies and health protocols need to be harmonised across the region, in areas such as testing, vaccination recognition, and digital verification.<br/>
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has proposed allowing its airlines to ramp up capacity on domestic flights, with the aim of reaching “normal operations” by 2022. The authority has written in to the country’s transport ministry with its proposal, citing a number of “problems and shortcomings” in the current regulations around domestic flying. Vietnam has resumed domestic flying in mid-October after battling a particularly lethal wave of coronavirus infections. The country’s carriers are presently allowed one flight a day on key trunk routes, a move which the CAAV says has led to a “focus” on higher ticket prices, “limiting the opportunities for promotional prices, causing frustration among passengers”. It adds that the limited frequencies “make it difficult” for travellers to plan day trips. To this end, the CAAV proposes that airlines be allowed up to 16 flights per day for flights to and from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang, between 1 and 14 December. Under the CAAV’s plan, flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air will each be allocated five daily flights, while Bamboo Airways will be allowed three flights a day. Low-cost carrier Pacific Airlines will be allocated two flights a day and start-up Vietravel Airlines will allowed one daily flight. The frequency expansion will allow smaller airlines, like Vietravel Airlines “to participate” in domestic flying, says the CAAV. From 15 to 31 December, the daily frequencies will rise to 20 flights a day for the trunk routes. In the new year, the CAAV suggests doing away with the frequency limits, allowing airlines to “resume normal operations”.<br/>
Zero emission short-haul air travel is a realistic prospect by the mid to late 2030s, a panel of sustainable travel experts have agreed. easyJet’s sustainability director Jane Ashton said hydrogen and electric powered aircraft were both feasible within decades. “From a short-haul perspective, we have quite a degree of confidence that we will be able to start integrating hydrogen-powered aircraft from the mid to late 2030s onwards,” Ashton said. However, she stressed “lots needs to happen for that to take place” and that moving to hydrogen aircraft would be a “gradual transition, over 20 to 30 years”. “Not just manufacturing” of hydrogen aircraft was needed, she pointed out, but “production at scale of green hydrogen”. She said: “It’s something we’ve been working on for a long time and have a degree of confidence in.” But she made clear: “It’s definitely not the medium-term option for long-haul. Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) will remain the realistic option for decades to come.” While cleaner than current jet fuel, SAFs are not emission free. The UK government is mandating their use as a proportion of aircraft fuel from 2025. On electric aircraft, Ashton said easyJet was “quite confident” it would be able to retrofit 100-seater aircraft “in the next couple of years” to begin testing. However, she pointed out these are “smaller than the aircraft we are flying now” but said “it’s still exciting”. Alistair Pritchard, Deloitte’s lead partner for transportation, said that research suggests these electric aircraft had a range of about 300 miles – about the distance between London and Dublin. “We do see electric as an option from a short-haul perspective,” he said. “But not for medium or long-haul.”<br/>