Flight cancellations that disrupted holiday travel, stretched into Monday as airlines called off more than 1,000 US flights because crews were sick with COVID-19 during one of the year’s busiest travel periods, and storm fronts added to the havoc. Flight delays and cancellations tied to staffing shortages have been common this year. Airlines encouraged workers to quit in 2020, when air travel collapsed, and carriers have struggled to make up ground this year, when air travel rebounded faster than almost anyone had expected. The arrival of the omicron variant only exacerbated the problem.“During the pandemic, we have seen experienced airline personnel leave the industry and not return across the globe,” said John Grant, senior analyst at travel industry research firm OAG. “Filling those skill gaps was already a challenge in the recovery before the latest variant.” But airlines’ staffing levels are “irrelevant” when omicron is thrown into the mix, said Atmosphere Research Group travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt. “We can’t blame the issues we’re seeing now on airlines not having enough employees to work. What we’re seeing happen is the employees who were available to work have come down with COVID.” Since Friday, airlines have canceled more than 4,000 flights to, from or inside the US, according to FlightAware, which tracks flight cancellations.<br/>
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Shares of US airlines and other travel-related companies fell on Monday as rising Omicron cases and weather-related problems forced the cancellation of hundreds more flights, leaving travelers stranded across the country during the holidays. Over 1,000 flights were canceled within, into, or out of the United States on Monday, data from flight-tracking website FlightAware.com showed. Globally, more than 2,600 flights were scrapped. That was on top of over 3,000 US flight cancellations during the Christmas holiday weekend, typically a peak time for travel for Americans. Shares of American Airlines Group, United Airlines Holdings and Delta were down about 1% in afternoon trade. Southwest Airlines' shares recovered losses to trade about flat. Most airline stocks have rallied this year on hopes of a travel boom as travelers start visiting friends and family after dealing with pandemic-related restrictions last year. However, staff shortages at airlines, weather-related disruptions and now the fast-spreading Omicron variant have disrupted flights frequently this year. read more As long as the Omicron variant continues to infect people who are vaccinated and quarantine restrictions remain in place, air travel is expected to be hit by staffing shortages, research firm Third Bridge Group's Peter McNally said.<br/>
The federal government should consider requiring Covid-19 vaccines for domestic flights, the nation’s top infectious disease expert said Monday. “When you make vaccinations a requirement, that’s another incentive to get more people vaccinated,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “If you want to do that with domestic flights, I think that’s something that seriously should be considered.” There is no indication at this point that a vaccine mandate is on its way for U.S. flights. When asked on MSNBC, Fauci, White House chief medical advisor, declined to say whether he has made the recommendation to President Joe Biden. The White House, when asked for comment, referred CNBC to Biden’s statement to ABC News last week, “It’s been considered,” Biden said, “but the recommendation I’ve gotten, it’s not necessary.” The travel industry, meanwhile, expressed opposition to a vaccine mandate for domestic travel when Fauci made a similar suggestion in September. Already, US passengers must wear masks to board planes and keep them on for the duration of the flight except when eating or drinking. International travelers must also show proof of vaccination and a negative Covid test in order to board a US-bound flight, and also wear a mask. <br/>
Jakarta has lifted the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max, becoming the latest major Asia-Pacific jurisdiction to clear the type for a return to service. In a 27 December letter to Garuda Indonesia and Lion Airlines, director general of civil aviation Novie Riyanto said the grounding was lifted, pending modifications to flight controls and indication/recording systems. The letter was revealed in a tweet by Indonesian aviation analyst Gerry Soejatman. FlightGlobal has reached out to Boeing and the Indonesian transport ministry for comment. Indonesia joined global regulators in grounding the aircraft on 14 March 2019 following the crash of a 737 Max 8 operating Ethiopian flight 302 on 10 March 2019, which killed 157. This followed the crash of a Lion Air 737 Max 8 operating flight 610 on 29 October 2018, which killed 189 passengers and crew. The flight was operating the Jakarta Pangkal Pinang route. Both crashes occurred shortly after take-off, with the Max’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System playing a contributory role in both disasters. The two crashes resulted in the global grounding of the type, which is ultimately derived from the 737-100/200 series from the 1960s. The Indonesian decision follows a 27 December announcement by Ethiopian Airlines that it intends to resume operations with the 737 Max 8 in February 2022. Indonesia is a key market for the 737 Max. Cirium fleets data show that Indonesian carriers have ten 737 Max jets in storage, with 286 on order. Lion Air has nine stored 737 Max 8s, with orders for 233 additional 737 Max Jets. Its Batik Air unit is listed as having three Max 8s on order. Garuda Indonesia has one 737 Max 8 in storage, with 49 on order. In addition, Sriwijaya Air has a single 737 Max 9 on order.<br/>
GMR Airports Limited has signed two agreements with Angkasa Pura II to develop and run Indonesia’s Kualanamu International Airport. The agreements, which includes the Shareholders’ Agreement (SHA) and Share Subscription Agreement (SSA), has been signed by GAL step-down subsidiary GMR Airports Netherlands. As agreed, GMR has formed a 49:51 partnership with APII, the state-owned enterprise and the bidding authority for the Kualanamu International Airport. The scope of the project covers operation, development, and extension of the airport over a period of 25 years. Kualanamu International Airport, an operating aviation gateway with healthy cash flows, managed over ten million passengers in 2018. Last month, GAL emerged as the winning bidder to develop and run Kualanamu International Airport. This came after APII concluded the final evaluation process for selection of strategic partnership for the airport.<br/>