Two US House Democrats on Tuesday proposed making it unlawful for airlines to offer flights if they know they lack sufficient staff or to cancel flights close to scheduled departures because of foreseeable staffing issues. In a summer of growing frustration over tens of thousands of canceled flights, Representatives Jan Schakowsky and David Cicilline said their proposal would give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general new powers to act. "Stronger enforcement of the airline industry is urgently needed," said Schakowsky. "The airline industry must be held accountable for the harm they are causing: the missed life events, time separated from family and friends, and the stress of navigating a travel system that isn’t putting consumers first." The measure would repeal an exemption passenger airlines received from oversight by the FTC under a 1958 law. It is the latest push by lawmakers to convince regulators to get tough on the aviation industry. Some lawmakers have said the Transportation Department (USDOT) already has the power to fine airlines who knowingly cancel flights because of foreseeable staffing issues citing USDOT authority to investigate whether airlines are engaged in "unfair or deceptive practice[s]" or "unfair method(s) of competition." <br/>
general
Three years after new rules came into force, the regulator overseeing Canadian airlines has not issued any fines related to passenger compensation claims for flight delays and cancellations. The lack of action reveals a reluctance by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) to exercise its authority on consumers' behalf, says Air Passenger Rights advocacy group president Gabor Lukacs. The absence of fines so far comes despite a flood of complaints made by travellers both formally and through social media who say their claims for compensation were rejected after airlines cancelled or delayed their trips amid the airport chaos of the past few months. "That's really where the concern lies -- what enables airlines to behave this way," Lukacs said. The country's passenger rights charter mandates airlines to pay up to $1,000 in compensation for cancellations or significant delays that stem from reasons within the carrier's control when the notification comes 14 days or less before departure. But airlines including Air Canada and WestJet have denied payments on the basis of crew shortages, deeming the reason a safety issue that would make it exempt from compensation. The CTA stance is that a lack of staff typically falls within the airline's control and therefore should result in compensation. "If a crew shortage is due to the actions or inactions of the carrier, the disruption will be considered within the carrier's control for the purposes of the APPR (Air Passenger Protection Regulations). Therefore, a disruption caused by a crew shortage should not be considered 'required for safety purposes' when it is the carrier who caused the safety issue as a result of its own actions," the agency said in an email. Customers whose claims are rejected by an airline can file a complaint with the regulator, but the backlog tops 15,300, with the time between initial submission and final ruling taking as much as one year.<br/>
Frankfurt Main airport’s operator admits passenger satisfaction targets will probably not be reached this year, as operational capacity bottlenecks persist. Operator Fraport states, in its first-half briefing, that almost 21m passengers passed through the hub over the six months to 30 June – although this was still 38% below pre-pandemic levels. It expects Frankfurt to record total passenger numbers of 45-50m this year, up from the previous forecast of 39-46m. But the company acknowledges that the “strong and dynamic” recovery, spurred by lifting of travel restrictions, is presenting “some major operational challenges”. “Unfortunately this also results in recurrent delays,” says Fraport chief Stefan Schulte. He claims that extensive measures implemented at the airport, including staff recruitment and support from administrative personnel, have been effective and helped to maintain stable and reliable operations. “However, there is still a way to go until we will fully meet our own quality requirements again,” he says. Fraport states that “intensive efforts” are being undertake to eliminate the operational snags but admits its target for global passenger satisfaction is “unlikely to be achieved” this year. <br/>
Spain's Ferrovial is looking at options for its 25% stake in London's Heathrow, two sources told Reuters, and has held preliminary talks with external advisers on the future of its holding in Britain's biggest airport. The early stage discussions come amid interest in Ferrovial's stake from private equity firm Ardian, which has held talks with its own advisers on a possible joint proposal with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, these sources and another person familiar with the matter said. Ferrovial has yet to take a final decision and the discussions may not result in a sale, all the sources said. Shares in the Madrid-listed firm rose as much as 4.2% on the Reuters report. At market close they were up 3.7%, scoring their second best day in five months and becoming the third best performing stock across the pan-European STOXX 600 index. Ferrovial and Ardian both declined to comment while PIF did not immediately respond to a request for comment. <br/>
Ukraine's president called on the West to impose a blanket travel ban on Russians, an idea that has found support among some European states but angered Moscow, which pressed on with a fierce military offensive in eastern Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's idea looked likely to divide the European Union, where differences on how to deal with Moscow have long persisted between some eastern and western members. Zelenskiy made his proposal in an interview with the Washington Post as Ukraine halted flows of Russian oil to some eastern European countries due to a sanctions-related payment issue. Zelenskiy wants a one-year travel ban and the apparent expulsion of Russians living in the West so that they could live "in their own world until they change their philosophy." He complained that sanctions imposed so far on Russia to punish it for invading his country on Feb. 24 were too weak. "Whichever kind of Russian ... make them go to Russia,” Zelenskiy was quoted as saying. "They’ll understand then. "They'll say, 'This (war) has nothing to do with us. The whole population can't be held responsible, can it?' It can." Zelenskiy was quoted as saying the ban should also extend to Russians who had fled since the start of the war in late February because they disagreed with President Vladimir Putin.<br/>
Palestinians from the Israeli-occupied West Bank will be offered special flights from Ramon Airport, near the Red Sea resort city of Eilat, to destinations in Turkey, Israel's Airports Authority said on Tuesday. The move is Israel's latest gesture to Palestinians, following pressure from the United States to ease travel for Palestinians as prospects for reviving long-stalled peace talks and establishing an independent Palestinian state appeared dim. "We welcome efforts to facilitate travel for the Palestinian people," a US Embassy spokesperson told Reuters. But representatives of Palestinians, whose movement is routinely restricted by Israel, said they were not a party to the decision. "Nobody consulted with us on this matter," said Wasel Abu Yousef, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization. "What we seek is the return of al-Quds International Airport to operate as the State of Palestine's airport." Palestinians from areas Israel occupied in a 1967 war cannot fly from Israel's Ben Gurion Airport without special permission. They typically travel to Jordan to catch international flights, a trip that entails crossing through checkpoints and can take hours. Under the pilot programme, the flights will run twice a week starting at the end of August to Istanbul and Antalya on Turkish carriers Atlas and Pegasus and using Airbus A321 aircraft, the airports authority said.<br/>
Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday approved investment benefits for a 10.4 square kilometre special economic zone centred on a repurposed Vietnam War airfield that is intended to become an aviation and logistics hub. Measures include corporate income tax exemption of up to 15 years for businesses in the area and a tax exemption for dividends, government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek said in a statement. The plan is part of the Eastern Economic Corridor, which covers three provinces east of the capital, Bangkok. This is the centrepiece of government efforts to boost growth and encourage investment, especially in high-tech industries. In June, the government approved investments worth $9.6b over five years in the industrial east, including infrastructure and utilities. The zone enjoying the benefits will also include the U-Tapao airport, which was completed in the Vietnam War for U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers and has since been used as a low-key civil-military facility. U-Tapao will be linked by high-speed rail to the country's main airport, Suvaranabhumi, and the Don Muang facility for low-cost aviation. The aviation and logistics industry to be built up at U-Tapao is planned to be the anchor of the special economic zone. Within the zone would be a 1.35-square-kilometre district called an airport city, which would include five-star hotels, high-grade restaurants and entertainment and conference space, Ratchada said.<br/>
Boeing jetliner deliveries fell to a five-month low of 26 airplanes in July, highlighting the pressure on global supply chains as it prepares to resume deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner. The US planemaker said monthly deliveries included 23 737 Max jets and three wide-body freighters, bringing Max deliveries so far this year to 212 jets and total deliveries to 242. The figures do not include the imminent resumption of 787 Dreamliner deliveries after a year-long suspension over production issues. The U.S. government on Monday approved the first 787 delivery since May 2021, people briefed on the matter said. July’s Boeing data does, however, underscore industrial snags testing the aerospace industry after Airbus reported lower July deliveries on Monday. At roughly half the 51 handovers seen in the previous month, Boeing’s July deliveries suffered the sharpest sequential drop since before the 737 Max was cleared to return to service in December 2020, following a safety grounding. Deliveries have nonetheless fluctuated significantly this year and June had seen a sharp swing towards the upside. CFO Brian West anticipated a “light” July when he outlined three worries for the 737 during earnings last week: supply chains, delays in getting planes out of storage and an effective freeze on deliveries to China. He told analysts that Boeing would not fully make up for lower-than-expected first-half deliveries in the second half and added: “We’ll continue to experience monthly variability.”<br/>
China’s aviation regulator is seeking industry feedback on special conditions for the homegrown C919 aircraft, it said on Tuesday, in a sign that certification of the narrowbody jet designed to rival Airbus and Boeing is edging closer. In dozens of technical documents, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) set out special conditions for the C919 in areas like flight envelope protection and flight operations under icing conditions, according to a statement on its website. Special conditions are additional airworthiness standards prescribed by the regulator when current regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards due to novel or unusual design features. Aviation regulators in the United States and Europe also regularly issue such conditions on new Boeing and Airbus jets as part of the certification process. The CAAC has invited public comment on the C919 special conditions over the next 15 working days. State-owned manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) said last month that the six of its test planes had finished flight testing as the C919 programme enters the final stage of receiving a certificate from CAAC that is required for commercial operations. <br/>