Airline ticket sales fell sharply at the end of 2021, the IATA said Wednesday, blaming governments for having "over-reacted" to the Omicron Covid variant by closing borders. The IATA, which groups over 290 airlines, said international air travel had been slowly but steadily recovering from the mass shutdowns of 2020 and early 2021 before the fast-spreading Omicron strain was discovered at the end of November. Ticket sales in November were 60.5% below their pre-pandemic November 2019 level, marking an improvement on the 64.8% decline recorded a month earlier. "Unfortunately, governments over-reacted to the emergence of the Omicron variant at the close of the month and resorted to the tried-and-failed methods of border closures, excessive testing of travellers and quarantine to slow the spread," IATA president Willie Walsh accused. "Not surprisingly, international ticket sales made in December and early January fell sharply compared to 2019, suggesting a more difficult first quarter than had been expected," he added. In October, the association forecast cumulative industry losses of $11.6b in 2022, down from an estimated $51.8b in 2021 and $137.7b in 2020. The ICAO said separately on Wednesday that preliminary data shows the number air passengers was down by 49% last year from pre-pandemic levels in 2019. That was an improvement from the 60% drop in 2020.<br/>
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The Biden administration on Wednesday criticized China's decision to cancel a growing number of flights from the United States to China because of passengers who later tested positive for COVID-19 and warned it could take action in response. "China’s actions are inconsistent with its obligations under the U.S.-China Air Transport Agreement. We are engaging with the (Chinese government) on this and we retain the right to take regulatory measures as appropriate," a US Transportation Department (USDOT) spokesperson said. China on Wednesday ordered the suspension of six more US-to-China flights in coming weeks after a surge in passengers testing positive for COVID-19, rising to 70 cancellations mandated this year in a schedule that had already been drastically cut back. The latest suspension affected two United flights from San Francisco to Shanghai and four China Southern Airlines flights from Los Angeles to Guangzhou. Airlines for America said US carriers are in "communication with the US and Chinese governments to identify a path forward that minimizes impact to travelers." Beijing and Washington have sparred over air services since the start of the pandemic. Before the latest cancellations, three US airlines and four Chinese carriers were operating about 20 flights a week between the countries, well below the figure of more than 100 per week before the pandemic.<br/>
The FAA said it will publish notices early Thursday detailing the extent of the potential impact of new 5G wireless service on sensitive aircraft electronics. The FAA has been in talks with airplane manufacturers, airlines and wireless carriers to reduce the impact of new wireless service that is set to begin Jan. 19. The FAA has warned that potential interference could impact sensitive airplane instruments like altimeters. AT&T and Verizon Communications, which won nearly all of the C-Band spectrum in an $80b auction last year, on Jan. 3 agreed to buffer zones around 50 airports to reduce the risk of interference. They also agreed to delay deployment for two weeks, averting an aviation safety standoff. The FAA said it will publish what are known as Notices to Air Missions at midnight Thursday offering details on "aircraft with untested altimeters or that need retrofitting or replacement will be unable to perform low-visibility landings where 5G is deployed." Among the notices will be details of how instrument approaches at major airports are impacted. The FAA has determined that some GPS-guided approaches will continue to be possible at certain airports like Miami and Phoenix. The FAA said Wednesday that it "expects to provide updates soon about the estimated percentage of commercial aircraft equipped with altimeters that can operate reliably and accurately in the 5G C-Band environment." The wireless industry provided additional transmitter location data and the FAA said it was able to determine that in the initial 5G deployment, aircraft will be able to safely land in low-visibility conditions on some runways without restrictions.<br/>
The US EPA will announce on Wednesday it will again review whether emissions from piston-engine aircraft operating on leaded fuel contribute pose a danger to public health. Emissions from the 190,000 US general aviation airplanes operating on leaded fuel account for about 70% of the lead entering the atmosphere, according to US government estimates. "EPA has been investigating the air quality impact of lead emissions from piston-engine aircraft near airports for years, and now we're going to apply that information to determine whether this pollution endangers human health and welfare," said EPA Administrator Michael Regan to Reuters. Lead is not in jet fuel, which is used by commercial aircraft. The EPA said it was responding to several petitions including from the County of Santa Clara, California, and Middleton, Wisconsin. It plans to issue a proposal for public review and comment this year and take final action in 2023.<br/>
Hong Kong will soon feel the negative effects of tougher COVID-19 quarantine curbs on air crew, with cargo traffic and the supply of goods into the city set to drop, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Wednesday. Hong Kong’s first transmission of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was detected at the end of last year after three months of zero infections in the community, prompting authorities to tighten quarantine measures, including on air crew, and reintroduce wide-ranging restrictions on social life. More than 40 local cases have since been discovered. Authorities said the outbreak could be traced back to two air crew members of Cathay Pacific Airways who broke self-isolation rules. An investigation has been launched into the airline. The tighter rules prompted Cathay to cancel most of its planned passenger and cargo flights in January. Cathay will operate about 20% of its pre-pandemic cargo capacity and around 2% of its pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity this month.<br/>
Thailand is planning to collect a 300 baht ($9) fee from foreign tourist from April to develop attractions and cover accident insurance for foreigners unable to pay costs themselves, senior officials said on Wednesday. Thailand, one of Asia's most popular travel destinations, has been badly hit by a pandemic-induced tourism slump, with about 200,000 arrivals last year, compared to nearly 40m in 2019. Recent efforts to revive the sector have been complicated by the rapid global spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. "Part of the fee will be used to take care of tourists," Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn told Reuters. "We've encountered times when insurance didn't have coverage for tourists ... which became our burden to take care of them," he said, adding that funds would also be used to upgrade tourism infrastructure. The fee adds to a list of requirements for foreign tourists seeking entry to Thailand, which include pre-payment for COVID-19 tests, hotel accommodation or quarantine, and having insurance with COVID-19 treatment coverage of at least $50,000. Thailand waived its strict quarantine measures in November in place of a "Test & Go" scheme for vaccinated visitors, but suspended that late last month over concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant. The new fee will be priced in with airline tickets and is part of the government's sustainable tourism plans, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said.<br/>