Sustainable aviation fuel, commonly called SAF, has so far been expensive to produce, but new startups are now creating clean fuels out of carbon at a much cheaper cost. Now, new tax credits for clean fuel production from the recently signed Inflation Reduction Act could propel these companies further faster. Most SAF is made out of organic vegetable oils, but Twelve, a chemical technology company based in Berkeley, California, is making fuel out of carbon. It just announced a collaboration with Alaska Airlines and Microsoft to advance production and use of Twelve’s E-jet, a lower-carbon jet fuel. “Our process takes CO2, water and electricity as inputs. We use the electricity to break apart CO2 and water, and then we have catalysts that recombine the elements to make new products. And one of the things that we can make is the building blocks for jet fuel,” said co-founder and CEO Nicholas Flanders. The process, according to Flanders, is far cheaper than existing SAF production. “The cost of renewable electricity has been falling over the last decade, so has the cost of CO2 capture, and so has the cost of electrolyzers, which is the technology that we use to transform CO2 and water into the building blocks for jet fuel,” he said. Flanders says aircraft would not need to be changed in any way to accommodate the new fuel, which he said has 90% lower emissions than conventional jet fuel. That’s huge for airlines trying to reach aggressive emissions goals. “We have a goal of reaching net zero by 2040. We’ve got five steps to get there,” said Diana Birkett, senior vice president of public affairs and sustainability at Alaska Airlines. “But sustainable aviation fuel offers the biggest opportunity of all of those steps to take a meaningful leap into that 2040 goal.”<br/>
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A group of Palestinian passengers flew to Cyprus from an Israeli airport on Monday, but the flight was not organised under a promised arrangement easing travel restrictions for residents of the occupied West Bank, an airports authority spokesperson said. Israeli authorities agreed earlier this month, following pressure from the United States, to ease some of the strict travel restrictions which prevent Palestinians from using Israeli airports - including Ben Gurion, Israel's main international hub - without special permission. Israel's Airports Authority said on Aug. 9 it would allow special flights from Ramon Airport, near the Red Sea resort of Eilat, to take Palestinian passengers to some destinations in Turkey. The programme had been due to start this month but was delayed for unspecified reasons by the airport authority, according to a statement on Sunday. The change came amid continuing tensions on the West Bank where Israeli troops have conducted near daily operations against suspected militant groups and clashed repeatedly with Palestinian protesters. An airports authority spokesperson said the Palestinian passengers departing from Ramon Airport for Cyprus on Monday were not part of the programme but were leaving under a separate arrangement. "It's a regular scheduled flight. I'm not checking who the passengers are on a scheduled flight," the spokesperson said, referring any further questions to the carrier, Arkia Israeli Airlines. Amir Assi, a strategic consultant to Arkia, described it as a "private" initiative coordinated with the relevant Palestinian and Israeli authorities.<br/>
China’s civil aviation regulator on Monday proposed a roadmap for development of its civilian drone industry, saying it wanted to boost their use in inner-city logistics and eventually for long-haul goods transport. The proposed plan by the Civil Aviation Administration of China detailed various targets the regulator wanted its unmanned aerial vehicle industry to reach by the years 2025, 2030 and 2035, including improving regulations and expanding airspace capacity for civilian UAVs. Several companies in China have for years explored the use of drones or box-like robots on wheels to deliver parcels but widespread adoption has been slow amid regulatory hurdles and heavy reliance on human couriers. The goal is to “enhance China’s international competitiveness in the field of unmanned aviation as well as the country’s right to speak on international civil aviation rules and standards...and reach the goal of becoming a global civil aviation power,” it said. The CAAC said its plan was open to public comment until Sept. 5. <br/>
An air traffic controller (ATC) at the Delhi international airport was sacked after he allegedly tested positive for a psychoactive substance, according to Indian media reports. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) penalised the ATC at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) - the capital city’s only airport - after his drug test report was received on 18 August, aviation regulator sources said. It was the first time an ATC tested positive for drug use after the rules for the testing of flight crew and ATCs for psychoactive substances came into effect since January 2022, the sources said, according to PTI news agency. According to World Health Organisation, psychoactive drugs affect mental processes, eg perception, consciousness, cognition or mood and emotions when taken. The person, who was not identified, was subjected to the examination in accordance with the law and his positive report was received on 18 August, getting subsequently removed from the job by the air traffic controller office, it reported. The test is conducted randomly on flight and ATC crew, according to the guidelines for examination detailed in the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR). Three pilots of different airlines have found positive for drug use so far since the law was enacted on 31 January. The person who tests positive for psychoactive drugs is referred to a de-addiction centre for rehabiliation after testing positive for the first time. License is suspected for three years if the same person tests positive for the second time and it is terminated if the person defaults the third time.<br/>
So-called random trips, in which destinations are determined randomly by lottery or other means, are gaining popularity in Japan. In addition to the thrill of leaving travel plans up to chance, railway operators and airlines making using such strategies are providing the incentive of affordability through discounts. The move is aimed at reviving the demand for travel, which slumped during the COVID-19 crisis. The concept of random trips gained attention after low-cost airline Peach Aviation, under the wing of ANA Holdings, released the “Tabikuji,” in which users buy flight tickets without knowing the destinations, last summer. Japan Airlines has been offering random trips since 2016, when it launched a service in which mileage points can be traded for flights to random locations. Masami Morishita, professor at Toyo University specializing in travel industry trends, said that many people are interested in traveling but find it a hassle to decide where to go. “Random trips are attractive as they narrow down the options to some extent,” Morishita said. Such trips are hoped to spur new tourist demand as they create opportunities to visit locations users may not be knowledgeable of, Morishita also said.<br/>
The government’s air navigation agency insists it is adequately staffed to cope with a resurgence in travel despite being forced to implement landing restrictions on an increasing number of flights at Sydney Airport due to shortages of air traffic controllers. Landing restrictions, which are usually put in place due to inclement weather or equipment outages, were implemented on 21 out of 31 days at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport in July, and have continued into August, according to multiple aviation bodies. While some of the delays have been caused by weather, illness and absenteeism among air traffic controllers has also contributed, the sources said. Airservices Australia, which employs the country’s air traffic controllers, rejected suggestions the increase in disruptions was due to insufficient air traffic controller numbers. “We have sufficient staff numbers to fill our shifts in Sydney and across the network. We need about 800 air traffic controllers to fully staff the system, and we have more than 900 on staff,” a spokesperson said. But the spokesperson conceded absenteeism caused by illness had contributed to the delays. Figures from the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics revealed July was the worst month for cancelled flights across the nation since January. Airlines cancelled 6.4 per cent of flights in July, up from 5.8 per cent in June. The Sydney-to-Melbourne route experienced the most cancellations, with 13.9 per cent of flights cancelled according to the BITRE data. In perfect conditions, Sydney Airport can accommodate up to 50 landings an hour on the parallel runways and 25 on the cross runway. A ground delay program controls the air traffic volume to an airport when the projected demand exceeds the site’s capability to safely accommodate aircraft.<br/>