Jet fuel price rises are putting pressure on airlines as they cope with suppressed demand caused by the omicron variant of COVID-19, according to a new report from the International Air Transport Association. The IATA has warned the rise in fuel to its highest level since late-2018 could threaten the airline industry’s recovery, which is also managing a revenue hit thanks to pandemic-related flight cancellations. The concerns come after financial results from Q3 of 2021 showed an easing of the pressure on profits, with a sample of 87 airlines showing the operating loss improved from 13.6% of revenues in Q2 to 2.6% in the next quarter. Additionally, the global airline share price index started the year 2022 on a positive note, rising by 5.8% in the first half of January. <br/>
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China’s aviation regulator on Tuesday suspended another eight incoming US flights by US airlines, bringing the total cancellation this year to 84, based on a Reuters tally. The Civil Aviation Administration of China ordered United Airlines to suspend four more flights from San Francisco to Shanghai over COVID-19 cases, while ordering Delta to cancel two flights from Seattle to Shanghai from the week of Jan. 31. Two Dallas-to-Shanghai flights from American Airlines will be cancelled from Feb. 21 over COVID-19 cases, the regulator said.<br/>
Verizon and AT&T said on Tuesday that they would delay the expansion of new 5G cellular service near some airports, a pause that President Biden said would avert potentially devastating disruptions that airlines had been warning about for months. The broader expansion of 5G — which provides much faster access to the internet than current wireless technology — is set for Wednesday after multiple delays. Aviation regulators and airlines repeatedly raised concerns that the new technology would interfere with safety equipment used to determine a plane’s altitude. The telecommunications industry has countered that regulators and airlines have had years to prepare for 5G. It was not immediately clear whether the changes that AT&T and Verizon announced midday were enough to prevent severe flight disruptions on Wednesday. A few foreign carriers canceled flights to the United States, while Delta Air Lines said it was preparing for possible disruptions should bad weather trigger some flight restrictions still in place for the 5G rollout. Other major U.S. airlines and an industry trade group said late in the day that they were still trying to understand the details of the delay. Wireless companies and Biden did not say how long the pause would last. The FAA, which oversees flight safety, said in early January that it had reached a deal with AT&T and Verizon that included delaying the start of the new 5G service by two weeks and adding safeguards around airports. But that agreement appeared to be insufficient when airline executives sent a letter to the administration on Monday claiming that the start of the service could cause such huge problems that the “nation’s commerce will grind to a halt.” Biden echoed those warnings. More than 90 percent of the planned 5G expansion will proceed as scheduled, and federal officials will continue to work with those carriers, airlines and aviation manufacturers to find a “permanent, workable solution,” he added.<br/>
Several foreign airlines are canceling flights to the U.S. over concerns about 5G interference, despite a last-minute commitment from telecom giants Verizon and AT&T to delay the deployment of the new service near some airports. Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Emirates Airline said Tuesday some flights to the US will be suspended. Dubai-based Emirates said affected destinations are Boston; Chicago; Dallas/Fort Worth; Miami; Orlando, Florida; San Francisco; Newark, New Jersey, and Seattle. Service to Los Angeles, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Washington, D.C., will operate as scheduled. “Emirates regrets any inconvenience caused,” the airline said. “We are working closely with aircraft manufacturers and the relevant authorities to alleviate operational concerns, and we hope to resume our US services as soon as possible.” The FAA had warned the 5G service could interfere with some sensitive equipment on board certain aircraft such as radio altimeters, which measure the plane’s distance from the ground. That instrument is especially crucial for low-visibility landings, which are common during winter snowstorms and other types of weather. Airlines had warned that the safety concerns would force them to cancel flights and repeatedly urged the White House to step in. <br/>
The FAA said on Tuesday it was withdrawing proposed conditions that could have allowed delivery company FedEx Corp to install a laser-based missile-defense on Airbus A321-200 airplanes. The FAA said Tuesday it “has determined that further internal study is necessary.” The FAA said to avoid confusion “a comment period on a proposal that the agency is not moving forward at this time, the FAA is withdrawing the notice.” FedEx did not comment Tuesday and the FAA declined comment beyond the withdrawal. The FAA had said on Friday it was proposing conditions and opening the proposal for public comment. In October, 2019, FedEx applied for approval to use a feature that emits infrared laser energy outside the aircraft as a countermeasure against heat-seeking missiles, the FAA disclosed Friday. For decades, the airline industry and several governments have been grappling with the threat to airliners from shoulder-fired missiles known as Man-Portable Air Defense Systems, or MANPADs. Some use infrared systems to target an aircraft’s engines. “The FedEx missile-defense system directs infrared laser energy toward an incoming missile, in an effort to interrupt the missile’s tracking of the aircraft’s heat,” the FAA document said. According to the US State Department, more than 40 civil airplanes have been hit by MANPADs since the 1970s.<br/>
Tongans raced Wednesday to clear a thick coat of ash from the main international runway to let in emergency aid, as the island nation faced a month of crippled international communications following a violent volcanic eruption and tsunami. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted 30 kilometres into the air on Saturday sending ash, gas and acid rain across a large area of the Pacific. It released an enormous pressure wave that traversed the planet, travelling at supersonic speed at about 1,231 kilometres per hour (764 miles per hour), New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research said. In the tsunami that followed, waves in Tonga rose up to 15 metres (50 feet) in some areas, the small Pacific island nation's government said in a statement. Three people were killed and "a number" were injured, the Tongan government said, calling the volcano explosion "an unprecedented disaster." The ashfall and tsunami affected more than 100,000 people, virtually the entire Tongan population, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said in an update, quoting the Tonga Red Cross Society. Australia and New Zealand have military transport C-130 aircraft ready to fly when ash has been removed from the main island. Ash particles pose a threat to modern jet aircraft, including by melting and accumulating in the engines. A thicker-than-expected blanket of five to 10 centimetres (two to four inches) of ash had accumulated on the main island Tongatapu's runway, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. It expected the runway to be clear soon. "The ash has proven more difficult to clear than was expected," said Jonathan Veitch, Fiji-based UN coordinator on the crisis.<br/>
Airbus plans to create an aircraft “lifecycle” service centre in China to take advantage of the forecast “exponential” growth of aircraft retirements in the country over the next 20 years. To be implemented with the city of Chengdu and French aircraft dismantler Tarmac Aerosave, the site is the subject of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the parties that should lead to a formal agreement by mid-year. Airbus expects the proposed facility will become operational by the end of 2023. It will provide services including: aircraft parking and storage; maintenance, upgrades and conversions; and dismantling and recycling. “This is another concrete contribution to the aviation industry’s quest for sustainability, supporting the principle of a circular economy in line with Airbus’s purpose to pioneer sustainable aerospace,” says Klaus Roewe, senior vice-president of Airbus Customer Services. Roewe says aircraft phase-out in China is forecast to grow “exponentially” over the next two decades and the establishment of the Chengdu site “will see Airbus well positioned” in the market for aircraft ‘second life services’ in the country.<br/>
SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC) has signed a 10-year agreement with Rolls-Royce to provide line maintenance and in-field services for Rolls-Royce Trent 7000, 1000, 900, 800, 700, 500 and XWB engines. In an announcement, SIAEC said it will provide in-field services at its facilities for Rolls-Royce customers in Singapore including Singapore Airlines, supported by solutions through its global line maintenance network. The new agreement is an extension of SIAEC’s existing on-wing care services with Rolls-Royce, covering On-Wing Support, Borescope Inspections, Engine Changes and Engine Build-Up services for the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000, 900, 800 and 700 engines. It will be expanded to include new capabilities for the Trent 7000 and Trent XWB engines. These new capabilities will strengthen the scope of SIAEC’s engine services in support of its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners and airline customers, the company said.<br/>