A 37-year-old woman was shot and wounded by police after she opened fire by a ticket counter at Dallas Love Field airport, leading authorities to halt flights for several hours. The unidentified woman was the only person injured in the shooting that began after she entered the airport at about 10:58 a.m. local time, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said in a media briefing. The US Federal Aviation Administration halted inbound flights at Love Field until 2:30 p.m. and the airport suspended operations until it could clear the terminal and begin rescreening passengers. The suspect, who was hospitalized, was dropped off at the airport, went into a restroom and emerged wearing different clothing, possibly including a hoodie, and carrying a gun, Garcia said. The incident took place near a ticket counter and was outside security. Pictures taken in the gate area and broadcast on television showed people cowering behind rows of seats. “She produces a handgun and begins firing,” Garcia said. “There were several rounds fired. Simultaneously as she’s doing that, our officer engages the suspect, strikes her in the lower extremities.” The woman appeared to aim at the ceiling when she was firing, he said. <br/>
general
As the country’s pilot shortage fuels flight cuts, Sen. Lindsey Graham is introducing legislation that would raise the mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots to 67 from 65. The “Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act” would also require pilots over the age of 65 to maintain a first-class medical certification that needs to be renewed every six months. “We’ve got to get more people in the queue to be pilots, but we also have to adjust our age in a reasonable rational way to keep people in the cockpit,” Graham, R-S.C., said at a news conference Monday. “Other countries allow people to fly to 67 and beyond. And I am confident that this is a bipartisan issue.” The proposed legislation would not change any other pilot qualifications and would require airlines to continue using training and qualification programs approved by the FAA. The FAA didn’t immediately comment on the bill. In 2007, the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots was raised to 65 from 60. The pilot shortage comes after airlines offered early retirement packages during the Covid-19 pandemic as travel demand vanished and training and licensing slowed. Airlines had already been staring down a wave of retirements before the pandemic. Now, major US airlines are scrambling for ways to attract pilots and get them trained faster. Airlines have also offered scholarships and, in United’s case, opened a flight training academy to help teach more pilots and ease the financial burden on students. <br/>
India’s aviation regulator is inspecting all of the country’s airlines following a recent spate of non-fatal incidents to ensure they comply with safety standards, according to a document seen by Bloomberg News. The so-called special audit began on July 19 to tackle “engineering-related events,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in the document. It will investigate if airlines have enough qualified manpower and check staff training, along with work-shift limits designed to reduce crew fatigue. The DGCA said last week it grounded a pair of Airbus SE A320 planes operated by Go First, India’s second-biggest airline, after two domestic flights were diverted due to engine issues, while another was rerouted when its windshield cracked. The regulator also grounded an Air India Boeing Co. 787 following pressure loss on a flight from Dubai to Cochin in India’s south. The country’s biggest carrier, IndiGo, also diverted a flight due to a technical problem. SpiceJet has suffered several glitches on recent flights and was earlier this month summoned by the regulator to explain why no action should be taken against it for apparently failing to establish “safe, efficient and reliable air services.” The airline was given three weeks to respond to the July 5 notification, meaning the deadline is Tuesday. SpiceJet didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. IndiGo, operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., also didn’t respond, along with Go First and Air India, which is now part of Tata Group. A representative for India’s aviation ministry didn’t immediately respond to request for comment. The DGCA will examine grounded planes and the latest maintenance data of all aircraft, according to the document, which was dated July 18. <br/>
The shortage of airline seats remains a major obstacle for the recovery of Thai tourism as most European flag carriers haven't resumed flights and frequencies to the pre-Covid level. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the agency met the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand last week and was informed that Thailand might secure just 30.9% international seat capacity of the pre-pandemic level in the upcoming high season. At present, international airlines, mostly from major long-haul destinations, have not resumed flights as usual, leaving a limited choice for travellers who want convenient direct flights. The TAT has prepared a marketing plan to support airlines to bring passengers to Thailand, particularly from Russia and other countries in Europe, but it depends on the additional budget it requested.<br/>
Australia’s international aviation sector continues to see signs of improvement after nearly 1.3m people travelled internationally in May, jumping 85% in just two months since March. According to new figures released by the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE), international travel figures have continued to improve since the full reopening of Australia’s borders on 21 February. While numbers remain 59.6% short of the 3.2m passengers seen in May 2019, the number is still a significant increase from reports produced earlier this year. February’s figures saw roughly 430,000 scheduled international passengers while March saw a rise to just shy of 700,000. The total percentage of seat utilisation is also nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, with May 2022 seeing a seat utilisation percentage of 74.3%, which is only 4.3% short of the levels seen in May 2019.<br/>
Long queues and delays at Australian airports could worsen from Tuesday as baggage handlers across the east coast initiate industrial action. The potential strike threatens to impact baggage handling for up to 20 airlines, including Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Etihad and Air Canada. The Transport Workers Union said it will apply to the Fair Work Commission today to hold a vote on strike action as it negotiates with the country's largest baggage handling company, Dnata, over a new workplace agreement. The application is the first move towards receiving legal protection to industrial action. Dnata is owned by the Dubai-based airline Emirates. In a statement, Dnata said it was committed to ensuring its employees were appropriately compensated and meeting customer requirements. "We stay committed to working with our trade union partners and continue our conversations with the Transport Workers' Union (TWU) and employees in good faith while working to minimise the impact of a potential industrial action on our customers' operations. "We have and will continue to prioritise Australian jobs and our local workforce." If strike action does go ahead, it could affect thousands of travellers in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. The threat of industrial action comes after passengers endured cancelled flights, long queues and delayed baggage retrieval over past weeks.<br/>
New Zealand on Monday urged travellers returning from Indonesia to take extra precautions and in some cases to stay away from farms for at least a week to prevent a local foot and mouth outbreak that could devastate the crucial livestock industry. "New Zealand has never had an outbreak, and we want to do all we can to keep it that way," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at her weekly news conference. Indonesia, including popular tourist destination Bali, have recently had an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, raising the risk that the virus could reach New Zealand. Foot and mouth disease is a highly contagious animal disease that affects cattle, sheep, goats, deer, llamas and pigs but does not pose a threat to humans. Central bank modelling projects that a widespread foot and mouth outbreak in New Zealand would have an estimated direct economic impact of around NZ$10b ($6.23b) after two years.Australia has also stepped up its precautions against the disease. Ardern said Biosecurity New Zealand, the country's agency to keep pests and diseases out of the country, is stopping any traveller from bringing personal consignments of meat products from Indonesia and requiring them to use footmats to wash their shoes at airports when they return.<br/>
The FAA intends to require US airlines to perform more work to ensure 777 fuel tanks are safe from potential ignition. The agency on 25 July issued a proposed airworthiness directive (AD) detailing measures the agency says build on previous efforts to prevent fires and explosions. The FAA’s proposal would apply to all 777 variants – 282 US-registered aircraft. It would require airlines perform inspections and address potential risks, including by installing Teflon sleeves on wire bundles. Additionally, the proposal would require US airlines update maintenance or inspection programmes. The risk of fuel-tank explosions caught regulators’ attention following the 1996 in-flight break up and crash of TWA flight 800, a 747-100. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that a fuel-air mixture likely exploded in the jet’s centre fuel tank. The FAA subsequently required manufacturers prove that fuel tank systems in their aircraft can prevent ignition. The FAA in 2017 issued an AD aimed at preventing 777 fuel tanks from igniting in the case of lightning strikes. The agency now seeks to expand that rule with the new proposal, saying 777s might still be subject to ignition risks. Its proposed rule would require airlines follow steps laid out in a service bulletin issued by Boeing in August 2021. That bulletin specifies procedures for installing and inspecting “Teflon sleeves” found at wire bundles in various locations on 777s, the AD says.<br/>
Nearly 2,500 members of a union that represents three Boeing Co. defense locations in the St. Louis area voted to reject the company’s contract offer and plan to strike starting Aug. 1. “We cannot accept a contract that is not fair and equitable, as this company continues to make billions of dollars each year off the backs of our hardworking members,” the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837 said Sunday. The union said the company “previously took away a pension from our members” and isn’t compensating their 401(k) plans adequately. The strike will affect workers in St. Louis and St. Charles in Missouri and Mascoutah, Illinois, who build military aircraft including the F-15, F-18, T-7A trainer and the MQ-25 unmanned refueler. The failed negotiations may portend an equally tough time for Boeing in the next round of contract talks for IAM’s much larger contingent at the company’s Seattle commercial-aircraft operations, which has about 30,000 Machinists members in a separate bargaining unit. “Boeing is disappointed with Sunday’s vote to reject a strong, highly competitive offer,” a company spokesman said via email. “We are activating our contingency plan to support continuity of operations in the event of a strike.” In a statement on July 21, the union said Boeing offered “subpar” general wage increases, “no change in wage progression, and takeaways” in the 401(k).<br/>
Brazilian planemaker Embraer said Monday it delivered 32 jets in the second quarter, including 11 commercial aircraft and 21 executive jets, a sign it was gaining pace after a lukewarm Q1. The company added in a securities filing that its firm order backlog hit $17.8b at the end of June, up 12% from the same period a year ago and the highest level since 2018. Shares in Embraer were trading near flat at 11.88 reais in early afternoon in Sao Paulo, while Brazil's stock index Bovespa rose 1.3%. Analysts at Itau BBA said the results came in roughly in line with their expectations but left the company closer to the bottom of its guidance for 2022, which comprises 100 to 110 executive jets and 60 to 70 commercial jets. Embraer's latest delivery figures showed "overall weak numbers, which we believe overshadows the news of the robust backlog," they said in a research note. The current backlog did not include a new Porter Airlines order of 20 E195-E2 aircraft from the Farnborough Airshow last week, valued at $1.56b, Embraer said. It did include an Alaska Air Group order of eight new E175 jets last week. Monday's figures showed deliveries accelerating from the first quarter but fell just shy of the 34 jets delivered in the same period last year. CFO Antonio Carlos Garcia said in May the company had already won enough orders to meet the top end of its targeted revenue range for this year, but supply chain constraints remained an issue.<br/>