Despite great pressure from airlines, the hospitality industry and Republican lawmakers to lift the rule requiring masks on planes and other public transportation, the CDC extended the federal transportation mask requirement for two weeks on Wednesday, five days before it was set to expire. The mask mandate now expires May 3, if it is not extended yet again. Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the new White House Covid response coordinator, said that the additional time will allow the CDC to assess whether BA.2, a subvariant of the coronavirus, is going to become a “ripple or a wave” in the United States. The CDC will use that information to determine whether the mandate should be extended further, he said. “If the infection numbers are relatively low, as they are right now, then I think it’s reasonable to remove mask mandates,” he said, emphasizing that it’s a CDC decision. The CDC said BA.2 now makes up more than 85% of new US virus cases. “Since early April, there have been increases in the 7-day moving average of cases in the US,” the agency said. “In order to assess the potential impact the rise of cases has on severe disease, including hospitalizations and deaths, and health care system capacity, the CDC order will remain in place at this time.” In recent days, new US cases have started ticking up again. As of Tuesday, the nation was reporting more than 31,000 new cases a day on average, 8% more than two weeks earlier, according to a New York Times database, though the case counts have not approached the peak seen in the winter Omicron surge. Reported cases may be an undercount of the virus’s true spread to some degree, since access to at-home tests has increased and the results of such tests are often not officially reported. It’s not yet clear how severe the impact of these cases will be, Dr. Jha said, noting that BA.2 has caused far more hospitalizations and deaths in the United Kingdom than it has in Israel, two countries where it appeared earlier than in the United States and where it spread widely.<br/>
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday it will revise its COVID-19 travel recommendations for international destinations and shrink the number of countries the government recommends avoiding. About 90 countries and regions, including most of Europe, Brazil, Turkey, Russia, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Israel and Australia are currently rated by CDC as "Level 4: Very High" and the CDC recommends Americans, even if vaccinated, to avoid travel to those countries. "This new system will reserve Level 4 travel health notices for special circumstances, such as rapidly escalating case trajectory or extremely high case counts," the CDC said, adding that it will be effective Monday. Last month, industry group US Travel urged the CDC to end "avoid travel" advisories for all vaccinated individuals and urged the Biden administration to avoid the future "use of travel bans from specific countries."<br/>
After a grandiose inauguration ceremony of Mexico City's newest airport last month, not a single suitcase was in sight there on a recent Friday afternoon, with just one flight flashing across the display board: Aeromexico, arriving from the Mexican city of Merida, delayed. Three weeks after the opening, Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA), 28 miles (45 km) north of the current Mexico City hub, was still under construction. The teething problems risk embarrassing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who made the airport a key project of his presidency, and giving ammunition to the opposition that have long criticized the new airport as a vanity project. Chain-link fences covered with green tarps lined the entrance to the airport, and dust painted the sky a reddish hue as construction crews continued excavation. The reality contrasts starkly with the pitch sold by Lopez Obrador, who called it "one of the best airports in the world" ahead of the inauguration. The leftist rattled investors when he canceled his predecessor's $13b partially built airport before even taking office just over three years ago, arguing that the project was riddled with graft, too costly and poorly located. Instead, he ordered the Army to build a commercial airport on the grounds of the Santa Lucia military air base. Lopez Obrador inaugurated the airport on March 21, the birthday of 19th century Mexican hero Benito Juarez and ahead of a recall vote on the president's rule, which he handily won despite low voter turnout. "I think the airport is 100%. It's completely finished," Lopez Obrador said at the grand opening. As well as the uncompleted construction work, the airport also suffers from congested roadways linking it to the city and will not have a train connection until next year. For the moment, the airport does not allow pick-ups through ride-hailing services.<br/>
The Russian government will on Thursday discuss giving subsidies to airlines and airports to help them cope with the economic damage caused by western sanctions, Interfax news agency said. Airlines will be able to receive compensation for lost revenues stemming from forced flight cancellations while the state will support 11 airports in central and southern Russia, Interfax said. The sanctions have banned the supply of spare parts to Russian airlines, making maintenance more complicated.<br/>
Holidaymakers trying to get away for the Easter weekend have been warned they are likely to face disruption whether travelling by air, rail, road or sea. Staff sickness and a shortage of workers have already caused multiple days of chaos for air passengers, with carriers cancelling dozens of flights at short notice, while ferry operators have struggled to meet demand as P&O Ferries services remain suspended. Travellers have been told they face delays over the bank holiday weekend, and may even have difficulties reaching their destination, regardless of how they travel, amid widespread closures to the rail network and predictions of “huge surges” of vehicles on motorways. The Easter weekend is the first public holiday since the lifting of almost all Covid travel restrictions, and traditionally signifies the start of the busier spring and summer season. Airline passengers have faced lengthy queues in terminals to clear security in recent weeks, while thousands of travellers flying from Manchester airport missed their flights as a result. It came after the surge in passengers coincided with high rates of staff off work with Covid, and a wider shortage of workers after many were laid off during the pandemic. Manchester airport has warned passengers they will continue to wait for up to 90 minutes to get through security, while there is also some disruption expected for those flying from Birmingham, as well as Heathrow and Gatwick.<br/>
The air travel regulator must be given powers to fine airlines who ignore passengers' legal rights, a consumer rights group has said. Alongside more powers for the Civil Aviation Authority, Which? said lessons must be learned from the "travel shambles" over the Easter holidays. Travellers have faced long delays in recent days and weeks, with security issues causing many to miss flights. Which? called for the government to work with airlines and airports to make sure they have "resources and capacity" to meet the expected demand of summer holiday flights. The group's travel editor Rory Boland insisted "lessons should be learned from the experience and said "there can be no excuse for a repeat of these failings". He said the government must "support consumers" by giving the Civil Aviation Authority the power to fine, ramping up pressure to ensure people are given their legally required compensation for flight delays. "Airlines wouldn't be ignoring the law and their passengers' rights if the aviation regulator had some teeth," he added.<br/>
China is trying out reduced quarantine times for overseas arrivals and close contacts of positive cases in eight cities, in a potential easing of some of the world’s most stringent pandemic entry controls, financial media outlet Caixin reported. Shanghai and Guangzhou are among the cities picked by the State Council for a trial that will see quarantine times reduced to 10 days from 14 days currently, plus seven days of health monitoring with regular testing as before, Caixin said. The State Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment. While many major economies have began to ease COVID controls in a bid to live with the virus, China has kept in place strict measures and has sharply reduced transport links with other countries as part of efforts to halt the spread of the virus. Shanghai is in the midst of China’s worse outbreak since the virus emerged in Wuhan in late 2019, reporting more than 25,000 local cases on Wednesday even after locking down the city of 25m people. Restrictions were eased in 7,000 areas of the city on Tuesday. The trial will help authorities to better understand how antigen testing can be used in pandemic controls and to better determine the optimal isolation period, Caixin said.<br/>
The United Nations aviation agency supports having direct flights between North and South Korea, on condition of Seoul’s endorsement, but a clear assessment of the safety and security of passengers and flights should be carried out, its chief said Tuesday. “We are interested that these flights are conducted in a safe, secure, efficient manner and we stand ready to support basically if that decision is taken by the government,” said Juan Carlos Salazar, the head of the International Civil Aviation Organization. Salazar was referring to Pyongyang’s 2018 request to allow the establishment of air routes between the two Koreas right before the PyeongChang Winter Olympics kicked off in February that year. Back then, the ICAO said North Korea would have to also discuss the matter with South Korea first and that the organization, which researches new air transport policy and standardization innovations, would have to visit North Korea for inspection before an approval. President Moon Jae-in’s administration had then actively discussed opening airways between the two Koreas as such a breakthrough would cut time for South Korean flights that have had to fly around the North Korean airspace. Establishing an air route between the two Koreas would allow flights departing from Incheon Airport to the US, for instance, to reduce at least 400-500 kilometers of traveling distance. But since peace talks with North Korea came to a halt after the 2019 North Korea-US Hanoi Summit, there has been no further development. “We haven’t been able to conduct a visit (to North Korea) because of the international sanctions. And so, unfortunately, ICAO as an organization does not have any information about the status of compliance with the standards and recommended practices,” said Salazar. “That would be perhaps an important step if the two governments expect to open those routes.”<br/>
The global aviation industry should strengthen in-flight and airport infection containment efforts, as a top priority amid signs of recovery for the industry hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to industry experts, Wednesday. The recommendation was made during the 2022 International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Legal Seminar at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul. The three-day event that began Tuesday was jointly organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and ICAO, a United Nations organization that oversees global aviation policy in 193 member countries. Representing the ICAO at the event were Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar, Legal Affairs Director Michael Gill and Legal Committee Chairperson Siew Huay Tan. The global aviation experts discussed the desired future course of laws governing international aviation, as well as aviation safety and security, to better respond to post-pandemic travel demands. This year marks the 70th anniversary of Korea's ICAO membership, according to the ministry, a memorable milestone for the country that joined the international organization in 1952 during the Korean War.<br/>
Two years after tourism in Southeast Asia ground to a halt, travellers are getting back on planes as entry and COVID-19 quarantine rules are lifted in the region, but a full recovery will be slow and some long-time hotspots are falling out of favour. International airline bookings to Southeast Asia reached 38% of pre-pandemic levels by late March, according to travel firm ForwardKeys. They were at less than 10% of 2019 levels at the start of the year. Singapore and the Philippines led a sharp uptick in bookings. “We are the first to cut all the red tape,” said Philippines tourism minister Bernadette Romulo-Puyat. “Tourists are quite happy because upon arrival, they are free to go.” These countries now require vaccinated travellers to only perform a rapid antigen test before arrival, whereas more complicated requirements in Thailand have knocked the former tourist favourite out of the top league. The ForwardKeys data showed Singapore and Philippines bookings were at 72% and 65% of 2019 levels, respectively, while Thailand was at just 24%. “The on-arrivals PCR can cost 2,000-2,500 baht ($60-$75) and can cost a lot especially for groups, (making) people hesitant to travel,” said Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotels Association. “If another country does not have entry requirements, people would rather go there … less hassle.” Bookings are a forward-looking indicator, and arrival figures also include returning locals. Singapore and the Philippines have large outbound markets compared to Thailand, said Brendan Sobie, an independent aviation analyst. Asia, though, is lagging a recovery in other regions including Europe, which eased restrictions months ago. Domestic and international traffic within the Asia Pacific this year will only reach 68% of 2019 levels and hit pre-pandemic traffic by 2025, a year behind the rest of the world, the IATA said.<br/>
Queues and delays at Australian airports are expected to be at their worst ahead of the Easter long weekend, but security providers have warned the chaos stemming from staff shortages will continue into the second half of the year. More than 82,000 people were expected to travel through Sydney airport’s domestic terminals on Thursday – the busiest day since March 2020 – while 350,000 were predicted to visit over the course of the long weekend. The travel peak comes as the airport struggles with security staffing that is 70% of pre-pandemic levels. Senior executives at Sydney airport were ordered to leave their offices, along with retail and IT workers, to help manage departure queues as Covid infections, isolation orders and a structurally depleted workforce contributed to the issues plaguing airports across the country. On Thursday morning, travellers heeding the call to allow extra time arrived at Sydney airport in the hours before its doors opened. Travellers reported queues forming outside some domestic departure halls before 4am – two hours before the airport’s curfew lifts. Traffic at departure drop-off zones was also considerably backed up before 5am, while queues of travellers lined up for security checkpoints stretched out to the car park. While queues at Sydney airport had eased by mid-morning, they were expected to peak again by Thursday afternoon. Melbourne airport had more domestic passengers pass through its terminals on Wednesday than it did in March 2020 while Brisbane and Adelaide airports were expecting 50,000 and 25,000 domestic travellers respectively on Thursday.<br/>
Brazilian fuel distributor Vibra Energia SA has tapped an existing partnership with Brasil BioFuels to move into producing and selling palm oil-based jet fuel as it looks to take another step in the energy transition. Vibra, formerly known as Petrobras Distribuidora SA, has agreed to sell aviation fuel to be produced at BBF’s Manaus biorefinery, which was already set to provide the company with renewable diesel. The move has prompted BBF to invest an additional 200m reais ($43m) in the venture, which will use oil from palms planted in the Amazon location of Roraima, Brazil’s northernmost state, as raw material. Vibra, the country’s largest fuel distributor, has chosen to base the new venture in the city of Sao Joao da Baliza, known for its tropical rainforest climate, ideal for palm planting. The palm oil coming from there will be processed into fuel at BBF’s Manaus plant in the neighboring state of Amazonas. The plant is expected to start operating in 2025 with an annual production capacity of up to 250m liters of “green diesel” and 280m liters of aviation fuel. Vibra Chief Executive Wilson Ferreira Junior said the move is in line with the company’s strategy of boosting its renewable energy portfolio through acquisitions and partnerships. Renewable power generation, biomethane, renewable diesel, ethanol and SAF are part of such a strategy, he said. In addition, Vibra has said it is also developing potential partnerships to enter Brazil’s on grid-natural gas market, as well as initiatives for the off-grid liquefied natural gas (LNG) market, and plans to start operating in the country’s LNG retail market. “From now on there will be a multienergy platform for the energy transition,” Ferreira Junior said.<br/>