Asian governments must ditch tough coronavirus travel restrictions to help beleaguered airlines recover, industry executives urged Tuesday on the opening day of the region's biggest airshow in Singapore. Hundreds of carriers, manufacturers and other aviation executives have descended on the city-state for the four-day industry event that takes place every two years. Top of the agenda is how to spur a recovery in a region where international travellers still face a gauntlet of tests and lengthy quarantines, and foreign tourists remain barred from many countries. Bo Lingam, group CEO at AirAsia , one of the region's top budget carriers, said there was "pent-up demand" across the region. "I think it's time to open up borders," he told a panel discussion, adding that many in the region were now fully vaccinated. He called on Southeast Asia's regional bloc to work together to harmonise a chaotic patchwork of rules for travel across the 10-country region. "You can't have different rules for entry for different countries," he said. The region, home to tourist hotspots like Thailand and the Philippines, was long a favourite with international travellers but visitor numbers have collapsed due to border closures during the pandemic. Captain Izham Ismail, group CEO of Malaysia Airlines, echoed the sentiment, saying current efforts to lift curbs were "disorderly". "Governments and policymakers must really work together," he said. The aviation sector's slow recovery in Asia stands in contrast to the fortunes of the industry in Europe and the United States, where curbs have been significantly eased and demand has rebounded strongly. Despite the challenges, Domhnal Slattery, CEO of aircraft leasing company Avolon, was confident aviation in Asia would see a similar recovery. "A lot of people have saved money for the last couple of years and they just want to spend that money and enjoy life," he said.<br/>
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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on Tuesday vowed to improve coordination on spectrum management after a 5G aviation dispute threatened flights. The agencies said they will work cooperatively to resolve spectrum policy issues and will hold formal, regular meetings to conduct joint spectrum planning. Earlier this month, lawmakers blasted the FCC and FAA for failing to avoid an embarrassing last-minute standoff between the aviation and wireless industries. The FCC and NTIA will update a memorandum of understanding to "address gaps in government coordination." The agencies vowed to "recommit to scientific integrity and evidence-based policymaking and "foster proactive technical exchange and engagement with industry and other federal agencies by participating in cross-agency advisory groups." New NTIA head Alan Davison will testify on Wednesday before a House subcommittee, pledging "a coordinated, national approach to spectrum use."<br/>
The US FAA Tuesday said it would perform final inspections on new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, and will not allow the planemaker to self-certify the jets. The US aviation regulator said it notified Boeing of the decision that it will retain the authority to issue airworthiness certificates until it is confident “Boeing’s quality control and manufacturing processes consistently produce 787s that meet FAA design standards.” Boeing said it “will continue to work transparently through (the FAA’s) detailed and rigorous processes... We will continue to engage with the FAA to ensure we meet their expectations and all applicable requirements.” Boeing suspended deliveries of the 787 in late May after the FAA raised concerns about its proposed inspection method. The FAA had issued two airworthiness directives to address production issues for in-service airplanes and identified a new issue in July. Deliveries have remained halted as US regulators reviewed repairs and inspections. Deliveries are expected to remain frozen months longer.<br/>
Two US lawmakers asked the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General to review the FAA oversight over Boeing’s actions surrounding the 737 MAX jet. The chair of the House of Representatives Transportation Committee, Peter DeFazio, and Rick Larsen, who chairs a subcommittee on aviation, said the request came after the FAA failed to provide an adequate response to a November letter seeking answers about Boeing actions before two Boeing 737 MAX crashes in five months that killed 346 people and led to the plane’s 20-month grounding. Boeing declined to comment. The FAA did not immediately comment. Boeing agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department in January 2021, including the payment of $2.5b in fines and compensation stemming from the 737 MAX crashes. Last week, the Justice Department defended the agreement over objections from some victims’ relatives. FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in a Jan. 24 letter made public Tuesday that because of the Justice Department investigation and work by other reviews, the “FAA did not pursue investigations or actions against individuals within the Boeing Company.”<br/>
Vaccinated travellers will no longer need a molecular COVID-19 test to enter Canada starting Feb. 28, and can instead opt for a potentially cheaper and easier to access rapid test. The change comes as sunny news to some travellers looking forward to a March break getaway, but tourism and airline associations feel the government needs to go further to clear the way for vaccinated people to travel freely. The rapid tests would have to be managed by a laboratory, health care or telehealth provider, federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced Tuesday. The new rules are more closely aligned with those of the United States which allows people to perform a rapid antigen test on themselves, as long as the test is affiliated with a telehealth service that will verify the user's identity, supervise the test and provide written documentation. Some fully vaccinated travellers might still be randomly selected for a molecular test at the airport, but they will not need to quarantine while they wait for the result. To make travel easier for families, unvaccinated children under the age of 12, travelling with vaccinated adults, will no longer have to isolate from school, daycare or other public places for 14 days after they arrive in Canada either. “Having the PCR test requirement removed just makes it that much easier and less expensive for travellers right now,” said Flight Centre spokeswoman Allison Wallace. Depending on the destination, many places offer to verify and document rapid test results in pharmacies, making them just as easy to access as a molecular or PCR test at a far reduced cost and with much faster turnaround, she said.<br/>
Airlines will need to negotiate Ukraine aviation cover with their insurers, with some of the required war risk policies now being agreed on a daily basis, a senior Lloyd’s market official said on Monday. Two Ukrainian airlines disclosed problems in securing insurance for some of their flights on Monday, while foreign carriers began avoiding the country's airspace as Russia masses a huge military force on its border. "Most market leaders (insurers) gave 48 hours’ notice to exclude Ukraine as of Friday evening, which does not mean they have terminated or withdrawn cover. It means that there is an invitation to negotiate coverage,” Neil Roberts, head of marine and aviation with the Lloyd’s Market Association (LMA), told Reuters. "War risk insurance cover is being agreed in some cases on a rolling 24 hour or 48 hour basis, which is prudent. A lot of planes could get stuck on the ground and insurers need to be aware of their exposure in such scenarios. More will be known as the situation develops."<br/>
Japan's campaign to cut greenhouse gas emissions is extending to the skies, as the government aims to have airlines replace 10% of their jet fuel with eco-friendlier alternatives by 2030. Sustainable aviation fuels, or SAFs, are made from waste, biomass or scrap material. While they generate 70% to 90% less carbon dioxide than conventional jet fuel, they can cost up to 10 times as much to produce. The government plans to set up a public-private committee this year to consider specific measures to encourage Japanese companies to make and use these fuels. Domestic production is expected to be key to the government's strategy. Importing SAFs would generate carbon dioxide emissions during transportation, cutting into the benefit of switching to a greener fuel, and the possibility of surging prices presents an increased economic security risk as well. Efforts to this end are already underway in the private sector. Engineering company JGC Holdings and oil wholesaler Cosmo Oil plan to start up Japan's first commercial SAF production facility in 2025, making up to 30,000 kiloliters of fuel a year. IHI and Electric Power Development, better known as J-Power, are working on making SAF from microalgae, aiming to bring it to market around 2030. JERA, a 50-50 joint venture between Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings and Chubu Electric Power, has partnered with Mitsubishi Power and Toyo Engineering on a plan to turn woody biomass into fuel. Airlines used a total of 63,000 kl of SAFs worldwide in 2020, equivalent to less than 1% of all jet fuel consumed that year. Supply in Japan, where production is still only in the trial stages, came to only about 300 liters in 2021. The Japan Transport and Tourism Research Institute estimates that Japan could theoretically produce between 7.06m kl and 13.13m kl of SAFs per year by 2030, depending on whether materials such as biomass are repurposed for this instead of electricity production. A blend of carbon dioxide and hydrogen would make up the largest share of supply, at about 40%, while municipal and industrial waste are together seen accounting for 32%.<br/>
A blueprint will be ready by next year to pave the way for Singapore's aviation sector to cut emissions and put in place other green initiatives. Goals will be set for 2030 and 2050, with details on how to get there, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) on Tuesday. CAAS director-general Han Kok Juan said: "There is consensus among governments and industry stakeholders around the world that as the aviation sector recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, it cannot be a return to business as usual."The international aviation system we rebuild must be more sustainable - the question is not one of whether but of when and how." He said the targets set in the Singapore Sustainable Air Hub Blueprint will be backed by achievable pathways that both the Government and the private sector can commit to. An international advisory panel, which has been set up to drive the development and publication of the blueprint, held its first full-day meeting on Monday on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow at the Changi Exhibition Centre.The panel agreed to set up three sub-committees to study sustainability in the airport, airline and traffic management, and to do deep-dive workshops, said CAAS. Chaired by Professor Chong Tow Chong, the president of the Singapore University of Technology and Design, the panel also agreed on the need to identify projects and pilots for Singapore and the region. The panel comprises 19 other members, including top executives from CAAS, international organisations, major aerospace firms and research institutes. Changi Airport Group CE Lee Seow Hiang and Singapore Airlines Group CEO Goh Choon Phong are on the panel as well.<br/>
Air taxi pioneers Volocopter and Skyports are set to co-launch commercial air taxi services in Singapore in just two years' time, beginning with frequent flights in Marina Bay and Sentosa. This will then expand to include cross-border air taxi trips to Indonesia and Malaysia, possibly flying directly from terminals in areas like Seletar and Changi to cities including Melaka, Batam and Bintan. An air taxi flight from Changi Airport to Batam would take less than 20 minutes, German aviation company Volocopter said. A business traveller going to Ibrahim International Business District in Johor Baru could reach his destination in just 30 minutes, compared with three hours by car. At the Singapore Airshow on Tuesday, the air taxi companies said the technology is now close to commercial roll-out. Their blueprints are the first concrete details that have emerged from the urban air mobility industry here since their joint 2019 trial, when an electric air taxi took off successfully for a three-minute flight along the Marina Bay waterfront. On Tuesday, the Economic Development Board (EDB) and developer JTC Corporation identified Seletar Aerospace Park as a possible "advanced air mobility" hub, signing a memorandum of understanding with each company. One with Skyports pledges to explore building air taxi infrastructure like terminals and facilities for pilot training in Seletar. Another agreement with Volocopter seeks to establish a manufacturing and maintenance, repair and overhaul centre for air taxis in the same area. The four signatories said in a joint statement: "With the advanced air mobility industry set to take off amid accelerating technological breakthroughs, Singapore is pushing ahead to grow the industry locally... with a view to creating a network of air taxi ports and an initial commercial air taxi service in the city state by 2024."<br/>
Boeing is to establish a 767-300BCF conversion line at ST Engineering’s airframe facility in Guangzhou in response to growing customer demand for freighters. The new line adds to the two additional 767-300BCF conversion lines Boeing announced last September at Guangzhou-based GAMECO. The new addition at ST Engineering’s facility, announced by the US airframer during the Singapore Airshow, will be added during the second half of this year. Boeing Global Services CE Ted Colbert says: ”Boeing is pleased to further expand our strong and long-standing relationship with ST Engineering on the versatile 767-300BCF and its global customer base. ST Engineering has been an MRO supplier for more than forty 767-300BCF conversions and their technical expertise and commitment to the programme is recognised and greatly appreciated.” ST Engineering commercial aerospace president Jeffrey Lam says: “Our latest 767-300BCF conversion line will strongly augment the conversion capacity for the Boeing Converted Freighter. We look forward to replicating our long-term collaboration with Boeing by consistently delivering on time and high-quality conversions.”<br/>
Some 3,000 personnel at Airbus plants in the UK have voted in favour of industrial action over a pay dispute, although a strike has yet to be called. The ballot involved workers at the wing plant in Broughton as well as the aerospace facility at Filton. According to the Unite union, staff voted “overwhelmingly” for industrial action with 94% support on a turnout of 84%. It says a strike could be initiated in March. Unite claims the airframer has refused to improve a pay offer for 2021 after a wages freeze in the previous year.“This vote makes it abundantly clear that our members are totally dissatisfied with Airbus’ unacceptably low pay offer,” says Unite general secretary Sharon Graham. National officer for aerospace Rhys McCarthy says Airbus needs to “step up”, adding: “There is still time to avoid strike action but Airbus needs to table an offer our members can accept.” Airbus acknowledges that the vote in favour of a strike has “not been taken lightly”, but states: “We are disappointed by the decision, given the damaging impact it will have on our recovery from the pandemic.”<br/>