Summer's nearly officially over and that means the season's air travel crush -- and hopefully the chaos -- is set to subside. The last big summer travel weekend for Americans ended on a relatively high note. The flight cancellation rate for the Labor Day holiday weekend was 0.6%, a substantial drop from the summer average of 2.2% from Memorial Day weekend in late May through September 1, according to data from flight tracking site FlightAware. Put that down to a variety of factors, says FlightAware's Kathleen Bangs, including excellent weather -- for the most part -- across the US. "But credit also goes to the airlines for increasing their staffing over the summer," said Bangs, a former airline pilot and spokesperson for FlightAware. The smooth performance came on a weekend where the number of passengers screened at US Transportation Security Administration checkpoints exceeded 2019 passenger volumes for the first time over a holiday weekend since the pandemic began. Is the weekend a harbinger of lower levels of disruption to come? Fall -- toward the end of September, and especially October -- "is the sweet spot for airlines as weather delays and cancellations should be minimized in this upcoming shoulder season before winter," Bangs said via email, with the caveat that a hurricane would mean "all bets are off." While hopes are high for smoother skies ahead, there's no denying that summer air travel has been a mess in the US and around the world. So which airports ultimately fared the worst this summer in terms of the percentages of flights delayed and canceled? Story looks at how things shook out in the United States and globally (based on FlightAware data from May 27 through September 5).<br/>
general
New Air Passenger Protection Regulations go into effect today. The update comes as the Canadian Transport Agency tries to close a loophole that left some passengers unable to secure cash refunds after pandemic-related flight cancellations. Starting Thursday, airlines will be required to issue a full refund for cancellations and delays if passengers are not placed on a new flight within 48 hours, including for reasons outside of the airline's control. Previously, the passenger rights regime only required refunds for flight disruptions that were within the airline's control, which excluded situations ranging from weather to war to unscheduled mechanical issues. As well as a cash refund, the ticket price may also be reimbursed through credit or vouchers and is to be paid in full by the airline within 30 days. The original Air Passenger Protection Regulations were established in 2019, before air travel demand collapsed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<br/>
From cosy sleeping pods to sliding doors, ambient lighting to curvaceous seating, a new generation of night trains designed to maximise passengers’ comfort and privacy are expected to be whizzing across Europe from next year. NightJet, the sleeper division of Austria’s national railway, ÖBB – considered one of the world’s trailblazers in night rail travel – unveiled the interior of its new wagons this week. Travel writers and railway buffs invited to Vienna to inspect them said they had the potential to give a fresh boost to the industry at a time of huge challenges such as the energy crisis and the climate emergency. The carriages’ design focuses on passengers’ wishes for more privacy and safety, including cocoon-like cabins with lockable doors for individual travellers, and sliding shutters between pods at head level to allow for inter-cabin conversation when desired. Other modern conveniences include free wireless connection, power points, dimmable lighting and soft seating areas. The routes the NightJets are expected to travel on span cities including Vienna, Budapest, Berlin, Milan, Rome and Zurich. The first of 33 NightJet trains, in which ÖBB has invested E700m, will be launched next summer and the fleet will be rolled out fully by 2025. Each has seven carriages including two seating cars, two sleeping cars with two-person compartments, and three sleeper cars with four-person suites as well as mini cabins for individual travellers. Each train is capable of carrying 254 passengers, bigger than the capacity of most short-haul planes, and will be able to travel at up to 230kmh.<br/>
A Dutch city has become the first in the world to ban advertisements in public places for holiday flights. From 2024, ads relating to fossil fuel products and services will be barred from being displayed in public places in Haarlem. That means any billboards on buses, shelters and screens promoting air travel and non-electric cars will be barred, as the city moves to address the climate crisis. As part of the changes, Haarlem will also be to be the first city in the world to ban adverts for meat. The UN says livestock is responsible for 14.5% of global greenhouse gases, including methane, while other studies have revealed the production of meat worldwide causes twice the pollution of production of plant-based foods. With a population of around 160,000, Haarlem is the second Dutch city to tackle the climate issue; in 2021, Amsterdam became the world’s first city to ban high-carbon adverts on its metro system, which included advertisements promoting flights and fossil fuelled cars. The ban in Haarlem can’t come into effect until 2024, due to the number of existing advertising contracts which need to be completed. Elsewhere, France enforced a ban last month on advertising for fossil fuels, such as gasoline and diesel.<br/>
Turkish airports saw 118.6m passengers in the January-August period, the country’s air travel authority announced on Thursday. The eight-month figure jumped 56.9% from a year ago, according to data released by the State Airports Authority General Directorate. Nearly 52.2m passengers took domestic flights in the first eight months of this year, and some 66.2m took international flights. Türkiye's airports served more than 1.2m planes including overflights from January to August, of which 520,313 on domestic routes and 456,071 on international routes. The directorate also said that cargo traffic stood at 2.65m tons in the eight-month period, soaring 22.6% year-on-year. Türkiye's busiest Istanbul Airport welcomed more than 41.1m passengers on both international and domestic routes and served 273,687 airplanes in January-August.<br/>
The Taliban administration announced on Thursday they would sign the third and final major contract for running Afghanistan's airports with the United Arab Emirates' GAAC Holding. The contract would run for 10 years, Ghulam Jelani Popal, deputy head of Afghanistan's ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, told reporters at a press conference in Kabul. He added that the group had already signed contracts with UAE state-linked GAAC over ground services and security. The agreements would help the Taliban ease their isolation from the outside world, with no foreign country formally recognising their government and strict enforcement of sanctions hampering the economy. It would also hand Abu Dhabi a win in its diplomatic tussle with Qatar for influence. Ibrahim Moarafi, the General Manager and Regional Director of GAAC told reporters in Kabul that it would encourage major international airlines to return to Afghanistan. "We believe this is the significant development," he said. "We also believe this is a significant development as it will bring economic benefits in terms of job creation." The Taliban, whose government remains an international pariah without formal recognition, have courted regional powers, including Qatar and Turkey, to operate Kabul airport, landlocked Afghanistan's main air link with the world, and others. But after months of back-and-forth talks, and at one point raising the possibility of a joint UAE-Turkey-Qatar deal the Taliban in recent months decided to hand operations in their entirety to the UAE, sources had told Reuters in July.<br/>
With the biannual migration of birds across Israel underway, experts are warning that commercial flights in and out of Ben Gurion Airport are at risk of striking birds and sustaining damage, presenting a serious safety risk for passengers. Sitting on the crossroads between Africa and Eurasia, the Jewish state’s narrow airspace is crossed by 500m birds twice a year, in one of the largest global migrations on earth. With airports finally overcoming a summer of flight delays, overcrowding and lost luggage, Jewish National Fund experts are warning that the mass migration poses a security risk to travelers, urging aviation authorities to alter flight paths for the months of September and October. Yitzchak Raz, the former chief investigator for aviation accidents, told Channel 12 news that “when a plane arrives with speed and impacts [birds], even the smallest damage is enough to splinter the metal from the blades and enter the engine. These can cause shredding in the engine and even engine failure.” <br/>
Indian carriers continue to face losses due to disruptions caused to the aviation industry by the Covid-19 pandemic followed by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, SpiceJet chairman and managing director Ajay Singh said at the HT Tourism Conclave. “Currently, all airlines are facing losses. A big hole was created during the Covid-19 pandemic across the world, the difference being the foreign governments realised the pandemic was a big issue and supported airlines by paying them money,” Singh said. India’s priorities were different and the government’s situation was difficult, which did not allow them to support airlines financially, the SpiceJet chairman said, as he claimed global airlines like Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa and American carriers received total aid worth more than $16b from their governments. Soon after the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic (March to May 2021), air traffic started picking up but was interrupted after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to rise in oil and jet fuel prices, Singh said. “Today, of every ₹100 revenue we get, we are giving ₹70-75 to oil companies. We are expected to pay the airports, taxes, salaries, aircraft and maintenance from the remaining amount which is impossible,” he said. The SpiceJet managing director called for structural changes in the Indian aviation sector.<br/>
Gold Coast’s new $260m terminal expansion opened on Thursday morning to domestic passengers. The phased introduction will continue until 11 September before it welcomes international travellers on 13 October. The three-level, $260m project doubles the building’s capacity and offers “spectacular” views of both the surrounding area as well the northern NSW hinterland. It specifically includes six new gates and room for up to 19 widebody aircraft. It comes as domestic and international passenger numbers are expected to grow from about 6.5m pre-COVID-19 to more than 10m with the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. The city’s population is also expected to double to 1.2m by 2050. The expansion, designed by Hassell and built by Lendlease, includes a triple-height glass-walled departure hall, four glass aerobridges, and space for 18 new food and retail outlets. The development is part of a wider $500m of investment in the Gold Coast Airport precinct since 2018, including the $260m terminal, $86m in airside works, and other associated infrastructure.<br/>
Auckland International Airport in New Zealand is upgrading its international terminal arrivals area to strengthen the country’s border protection. Various enhancement works at the arrival area are already underway to boost efficiency in the final stages of border processing formalities. These include the launch of improved biosecurity screening technology, as well as an overhaul of baggage and reclaim facilities. Upgrades are being made to front-of-house and back-of-house facilities for Biosecurity New Zealand and the New Zealand Customs Service. Biosecurity New Zealand Northern Regional Commissioner Mike Inglis said: “We’re looking to automate some existing processes and make use of advancements in 3D scanning to provide greater biosecurity protection for New Zealand. “We are already making good progress in developing algorithms that will allow the new screening tools to automatically detect biosecurity threats in baggage carried by travellers.”<br/>
Renewable fuels firm Aemetis has signed offtake agreements worth $7b for sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel. This includes agreements with ten airline companies for the delivery of 916mn gallons of blended sustainable aviation fuel. The contracts were signed with Delta Air Lines, Jet Blue Airlines, as well as with oneworld Alliance members including American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia , Japan Airlines and Qantas. Collectively valued at nearly $3.8b, this contract will see Aemetis supplying the green fuel for seven to ten years. Saf will be delivered to San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport as blended fuel. The blended Saf consists of 40% of ‘neat’ sustainable aviation fuel and 60% petroleum jet fuel. Earlier, Aemetis signed a supply agreement with a major travel stop chain for 450m gallons of RD, which will be delivered to Northern California truck fuelling locations.<br/>