Airlines canceled thousands more flights in recent days as the industry tried to move past its holiday hangover. Bad weather and coronavirus outbreaks among workers continued to disrupt schedules across the United States, but airlines have also called off many recent flights, in advance, so they can correct course at a traditionally slow time for travel without surprising customers with last-minute cancellations. About 5,000 flights were canceled from Friday through Sunday, according to FlightAware, a data tracking service, with the daily number of cuts declining steadily over that period. Southwest suspended over 1,000 flights, more than any other carrier. SkyWest, which operates flights for several major carriers, and United each canceled more than 500 flights. The turmoil began before Christmas, caused by bad weather in the West and staff shortages because of virus outbreaks among employees. Snowfall in the Northeast continued to wreak havoc at major airport hubs across the country into the first weekend of this month. “Given the ongoing surge in Covid cases and related sick calls, we’ve been working with each of our major partners to proactively reduce our January schedules,” SkyWest said. The airline operates flights for United, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines and said the pullback is intended to “ensure we’re able to adequately staff our remaining flying as we work to recover in the coming weeks.” After canceling flights at high rates over the holidays, JetBlue Airways said it would preemptively cut about 1,300 flights in the first half of January. Alaska said in a statement last week that it would slash about one in 10 flights planned for the month to gain “the flexibility and capacity needed to reset.” As in many other industries, airlines are also contending with workers calling in sick at high rates as the Omicron virus variant spreads at astonishing speed. “It has been one of the most difficult operational environments we’ve ever faced,” Allison Ausband, Delta’s chief customer experience officer, said in a statement last week apologizing to customers for the disorder.<br/>
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The FAA Friday disclosed a list of 50 US airports that will have buffer zones when wireless carriers turn on new 5G C-band service on Jan. 19. AT&T and Verizon Communications Monday agreed to buffer zones around 50 airports to reduce the risk of disruption from potential interference to sensitive airplane instruments like altimeters. They also agreed to delay deployment for two weeks, averting an aviation safety standoff. The list includes airports in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Detroit, Dallas, Philadelphia, Seattle and Miami. The FAA said it does not "not necessarily" mean that low-visibility flights cannot occur at airports that are not among the 50. AT&T and Verizon, which won nearly all of the C-Band spectrum in an $80b auction last year, declined comment. On Thursday, the FAA renewed warnings that despite the agreement 5G wireless service could still disrupt flights, saying "even with the temporary buffer around 50 airports, 5G deployment will increase the risk of disruption during low visibility" including "flight cancellations, diverted flights, and delays during periods of low visibility." Some major airports such as Denver, Atlanta and Ronald Reagan Washington National are not on the list because 5G is not yet being deployed, while others are not on the list because "5G towers are far enough away that a natural buffer exists." Other airports not listed do not currently have the ability to allow low-visibility landings, the FAA said. It said the delay would allow it to evaluate ways to minimize disruptions, and also gives companies more time to prepare.<br/>
Travelers at Mexico City’s airport on Friday had to withstand lines that stretched far outside the hub’s doors and onto the sidewalk just to drop off their bags as airlines were hit with staffing shortages due to Covid-19. At least 65 Mexico City flights were canceled over the past 24 hours, according to tracking site FlightAware. Over the past week, 71 Aeromexico pilots have tested positive for Covid, as have four Aeromar pilots, according to Captain Jose Suarez, spokesperson at pilot union ASPA, which represents 1,900 pilots at Grupo Aeromexico SAB and Grupo Aeromar. Around 4% of VivaAerobus SA’s crew is currently in isolation because of a suspected or confirmed infection, the company said in response to questions. Mexico registered 25,821 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, the most since August, as the omicron variant spreads through the country. Deaths and hospitalizations have remained low when compared to past waves. The country has fully vaccinated 57% of its population. “We’re seeing a domino effect,” said Suarez in a phone interview. “Every pilot that’s infected means their whole crew needs to be isolated.” Así la terminal 2 del Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México ante la falta de personal por contagios de COVID o sospechas de contagios lo que ha llevado incluso a la cancelación de vuelos. Aeromexico is “putting in place contact tracing protocols for various collaborators, including flight crews, which has resulted in adjusting planned operations,” the company said. A spokesperson for Volaris said the airline didn’t know of infections among its crew or employees and that flights were operating normally. Social media users complained of flights that had been delayed by more than 10 hours with little information from airlines. Videos showed crowded gates and hours-long delays to drop off bags.<br/>
China will focus on expanding domestic flights and restoring international air travel in 2023-2025, the country's aviation regulator said on Friday, as it issued a new five-year development plan for a sector heavily battered by COVID. China's domestic air traffic is faltering due to a zero-COVID policy of stamping out virus clusters quickly regardless of the economic cost. The approach has taken on extra urgency in the run-up to the Winter Olympics, to be staged in Beijing and with the Lunar New Year holiday travel season beginning later this month. Taking into account the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021-2025 five year plan has been divided into two parts, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). For the 2021-2022 period, China will consolidate its efforts in COVID-19 control and prevention, as well as focusing on reforms and specifying more support measures, so that "developmental momentum" could be unlocked later. The period from 2023 to 2025 is a period of growth, said the CAAC. "The focus is to expand the domestic market, restore the international market, release the impact from reforms and improve the level of opening up." China will aim to have over 270 civil airports by 2025, according to the CAAC. That compared with 241 civil airports by the end of 2020. It is also aiming to bring down CO2 emissions per tonne-kilometres to 0.853 grams by 2025, from 0.948 grams in 2020.<br/>
Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) in China has unveiled the fourth phase of its expansion project, which aims to bolster connectivity in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) area and fulfil the development requirements of Shanghai-based carriers. The airport organised a ground-breaking ceremony for the implementation of 82 major projects in the Pudong New Area in East China’s Shanghai city, marking the latest expansion phase of PVG. In total, these projects have been estimated to cost $49.8bn (CNY317.6bn). PVG said: “The fourth phase of Pudong Airport’s expansion project was launched in response to the Shanghai international shipping centre construction plan during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) and the YRD integration development strategy.” As part of the fourth phase, the airport will work on a terminal area, flight zone, transport facilities and municipal engineering support facilities. PVG will also develop a new eastern cargo area, along with the necessary auxiliary facilities. The airport will be able to handle 130m passengers annually upon completion of this phase.<br/>
Airbus delivered at least 605 jetliners in 2021 and the final tally could rise as high as 611 depending on the outcome of a final audit, industry sources said on Friday. Reuters reported earlier this week that Airbus had beaten its full-year target of 600 deliveries, maintaining a lead over US rival Boeing. Deliveries have been seen as key to generating cash during the pandemic. Airbus will give an update on orders and deliveries after markets close on Monday, with Boeing disclosing data on Tuesday. The European company declined to comment beforehand. Deliveries have been partially secured during the crisis by workarounds that allow some carriers to delay accounting for new planes on their balance sheets, Reuters reported in July, though such agreements must also be reviewed by auditors. read more With Airbus confident of beating its 2021 target by up to 11 units, the focus has turned to narrowbody production rates and deliveries in 2022 as the aviation industry tries to re-mobilise a crisis-weakened supply chain.<br/>
One of Russian carrier Aviastar-Tu’s Tupolev Tu-204C freighters has been destroyed in an accident in China, apparently as a result of a ground fire. The aircraft has been captured in photographs, circulated on social media, burning at Hangzhou airport, surrounded by firefighting vehicles and other emergency attendants. It appears to be Aviastar-Tu’s airframe RA-64032, which was originally delivered to Perm Airlines in 2002, although this is yet to be verified. The twinjet bears a distinctive livery featuring the logo of the Chinese logistics firm Cai Niao, based in Hangzhou. Its fuselage has been destroyed by the event, leaving the aircraft’s nose on the ground and its aft fuselage and empennage fractured and separated. Little information is available as to the cause of the accident, whether there was hazardous cargo on board at the time, or the condition of any occupants. The aircraft had apparently arrived from Novosibirsk on 8 January. Aviastar-Tu is based in Moscow and operates a fleet of Boeing 757 freighters as well as a small number of Tu-204s.<br/>