Millions of people boarded flights this summer, eager for an escape more than two years into a stifling pandemic. What many may not have realized is that at least some of the dispatchers who planned and managed those flights — mapping out routes, monitoring weather forecasts and more — were doing the job from home. Two years ago, the FAA allowed a handful of airlines to let some aircraft dispatchers work remotely to keep travel running smoothly as coronavirus cases ran rampant. Two carriers, Republic Airways and SkyWest Airlines, which operate flights for the largest U.S. airlines, took the agency up on the offer. But critics say it is long past time to end that practice, arguing that it exposes dispatchers to disruptions and distractions, shields them from oversight and raises concerns about flight safety. “This dispatch-from-home concept takes all the controls away,” said Gary Peterson, the air division director of the Transport Workers Union, which represents tens of thousands of airline workers, including dispatchers at Republic. “Taking people out of the operation like they’re doing, it’s insanity.” Dispatchers typically work from secure facilities known as airline operations centers. There, they play a crucial role, sharing operational authority over flights with pilots. Dispatchers put together comprehensive flight plans, charting routes, accounting for weather and turbulence, and ensuring that a given plane is ready and safe to fly. If an emergency arises or weather patterns change, they work with pilots to adjust course or address any problems. Since first allowing dispatchers at some airlines to work remotely in the summer of 2020, the FAA has expanded the policy, permitting as many as 60% of the dispatchers at Republic to do so. SkyWest allows remote work when local coronavirus cases are high or when the airline deems it necessary, the FAA said. United Airlines was also given the option, but hasn’t used it. Story has more.<br/>
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The US Energy Department on Friday issued a plan detailing a government-wide strategy for ramping up production and use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). In September 2021, the Biden administration launched a government challenge to supply at least 3b gallons of SAF per year by 2030 and have enough SAF by 2050 "to meet 100% of aviation fuel demand, currently projected to be around 35b gallons a year." US airlines have pledged to work with the government to make 3b gallons of SAF available to aircraft operators by 2030. The administration wants SAF to achieve a minimum of a 50% reduction in GHG emissions compared to conventional fuel and seeks to expand supply, use, reduce its cost and enhance its sustainability. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the "plan will help American companies corner the market on a valuable emerging industry." The Energy Department said given limited time to meet the 2030 goals "requires an immediate focus on commercially ready conversion technologies and feedstocks." It added, "Lipid-based pathways (fats, oils, and greases) are expected to be the primary fuel pathway leading up to 2030." President Joe Biden signed legislation in August creating a two-year blender tax credit; a subsequent three-year production tax credit; and $290m SAF grant program. Many airlines including Delta and Southwest want to replace 10% of jet fuel with SAF by 2030. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said hitting near-term goals "will require continued work alongside our suppliers and policymakers so that SAF can become as economical and widely available as traditional jet fuel," while Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said, "SAF is critical to decarbonizing the aviation sector."<br/>
In 1928, one person crossed the Atlantic; in 2018 there were 4.3b passenger journeys recorded. Although some people managed to avoid it even before Covid – according to a Gallup poll, about half of Americans don’t fly at all — the rest of the US population flies enough to bring the mean up to about two flights per year. It takes a lot of energy to get people up into the air and, since the production of energy comes at an environmental cost, air travel is a significant carbon emitter, with a unique challenge compared to other modes of transport when it comes to climate change. Unlike innovations in electric cars, boats, and trains — where the added mass required to go electric isn’t an insurmountable engineering problem, and the extension cords aren’t 30,000 feet long — combustible fuel remains largely the only way to fly, at least for longer flights. Eighty percent of emissions are from flights that are roughly 1,000 miles or longer, and for which there is no current viable alternative to fuel. Each individual has a role to play in bringing down emissions. The average American is responsible for about 15 metric tons of CO2 per year, and more than one-third of Americans say they now are likely to pay a little extra in their airfare for carbon offsets. The rich and famous have an even bigger carbon footprint. Taylor Swift’s much-maligned private jet produces around 8000 metric tons of CO2 annually. But Taylor has nothing on the airline industry, whose annual CO2 emission is pushing one billion metric tons. If the combined air industry were a country, besides having a killer peanut region, it would also have a larger CO2 emission than Germany. The industry, though, stresses its small carbon footprint relative to other industries. US carriers, specifically, transport over 2m passengers and 68,000 tons of cargo per day while contributing “just” 2% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the industry trade group Airlines for America.<br/>
Russian employees at airlines and airports have started to receive conscription notices after President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial military mobilisation, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Friday citing sources. Employees of at least five airlines, including Russian top carrier Aeroflot, and staff at more than 10 airports received notices within a day of Putin ordering the mobilisation, the paper reported. According to sources in three companies, potentially 50-80% of the employees could be called up, with a source close to Aeroflot saying that over half of the staff at three of the group's airlines potentially could be drafted, Kommersant said. Aeroflot declined to comment. Most pilots in airlines are reserve officers trained in military departments of flight schools, or privates who have completed military service. At least five companies have started to compile, and two have already sent, lists of employees to be exempted from the draft, as the exemption is critical not only for pilots and air traffic controllers, but also for technical, commercial and IT specialists, Kommersant said. Putin on Wednesday ordered Russia's first mobilisation since World War Two and backed a plan to annex swathes of Ukraine, triggering some draft-age Russians to leave the country.<br/>
A 48-hour strike by air traffic controllers in West and Central Africa has been suspended, their union said on Saturday. The strike, which started on Friday, has disrupted flights across the region and left hundreds of passengers stranded at airports on Saturday. The Union of Air Traffic Controllers' Unions (USYCAA), which called the wildcat strike, said in a statement it decided to suspend its strike notice for 10 days immediately so as to allow for negotiations. "Air traffic services will be provided in all air spaces and airports managed by ASECNA from today Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 1200 GMT," the statement said. The union said more than 700 air traffic controllers joined the strike to demand better working and pay conditions. The controllers work under the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) an 18-member state agency that manages air traffic over an area covering 16 million square km of airspace. Across the region, airport operations ground to a near halt as authorities tried to keep control towers operational for some flights. Hundreds of passengers were stranded at Douala International airport in Cameroon on Saturday morning, national television CRTV reported. National carrier Camair-Co said on Friday it had cancelled all its flights due to the strike.<br/>
Cleaner vehicles, better cooling systems at terminals and the installation of solar panels in open spaces around Changi Airport's runways. These are among the proposals mooted by an international panel of experts and business representatives to reduce the carbon footprint of Singapore's aviation sector. In a report it submitted to the Government on Friday, the 20-member panel gave 15 recommendations on how to make the airport, airlines and air traffic management here greener. The Government will study its proposals, and incorporate them into a blueprint that outlines Singapore's 2030 and 2050 goals for a greener air hub which will be published in 2023. The report comes as the global aviation industry moves to decarbonise to address climate change, which the panel said is "an existential issue that impacts air travel directly". It is untenable for the aviation industry to remain on its current trajectory, the panel said, noting that the sector's contribution to global emissions is estimated to increase significantly from 2% before the pandemic to 22% if nothing is done. Transport Minister S. Iswaran on Friday said the report and the upcoming blueprint are clear signals of Singapore’s commitment to sustainability, which in turn will give the Republic an edge over other air hubs.<br/>