Flights into the Dallas area are being forced to take older, cumbersome routes and a runway at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was temporarily closed after aviation authorities said GPS signals there aren’t reliable. The FAA said in an emailed statement Tuesday it’s investigating the possible jamming of the global-positioning system that aircraft increasingly use to guide them on more efficient routes and to runways. So far, the agency has found “no evidence of intentional interference,” it said. American Airlines, the primary carrier at DFW, said the GPS issue is not affecting its operations. Southwest., which flies from nearby Love Field, said it also isn’t experiencing any disruptions. The FAA reopened the closed runway earlier on Tuesday. A representative for DFW did not reply immediately to a request for comment. The GPS problem -- despite the lack of impact -- highlights the risk of widespread reliance on the weak GPS radio signals from space used for everything from timing stock trades to guiding jetliners. The FAA occasionally warns pilots in advance of military testing that may degrade the GPS signals and pilots sometimes report short-lived problems, but the interference in Dallas is atypical, said Dan Streufert, founder of the flight-tracking website ADSBexchange.com. “In the US, it’s very unusual to see this without a prior notice,” Streufert said. ADSBExchange.com monitors aircraft data streams that indicate the accuracy of the GPS signals they are receiving and the website began seeing problems around Dallas on Monday, he said. <br/>
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The FAA and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) agreed to partner on advanced air mobility certification and operations, the US regulator said Tuesday. The two countries in Tokyo were set to sign a declaration of cooperation to support future aircraft development and operation and formalizing ongoing discussions on certifying and validating new aircraft, production, airworthiness, operations, and personnel licensing. The announcement comes as companies around the world are racing to develop and eventually win regulatory approval to deploy air taxis known electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL). “The FAA and the JCAB have enjoyed a long and strong working relationship, and that will extend into this new era of aviation,” said Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen. “Close collaboration with our international partners is critical to successfully and safely integrating these new technologies.” The announcement follows the FAA’s announced partnerships with the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in the National Aviation Authorities Network to harmonize certification and integration plans. The low-altitude eVTOL urban air mobility aircraft has drawn a huge amount of interest around the world as numerous eVTOL companies have gone public.<br/>
Russia plans to set aside 1.4t roubles ($22.7b) from its sovereign wealth fund to replace foreign aircraft with domestic models, as Western sanctions make it hard to get spare parts to fix foreign planes. Aircraft leasing companies will be given money to replace Boeing and Airbus airliners with new Russian-built planes, including Sukhoi’s Superjet New and Irkut’s MS-21. “Our aircraft manufacturers will be guaranteed demand for leasing, which will then be used for our domestic airlines,” Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said at a budget committee meeting on Monday in parliament’s lower house, the Duma. The money to pay for the scheme will be diverted from the National Wealth Fund (NWF) - a rainy day fund that is increasingly being used to prop up the economy in the face of Western sanctions over Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The funds are expected to be spent by 2030, a finance ministry representative said. Russia’s aviation industry aims to produce 1,000 airliners by 2030 in a bid to end its reliance on Western aircraft, state-owned conglomerate Rostec said in September.<br/>
The Russian authorities have raised the death toll in the crash of a Russian military jet to 14, the state-run Tass news agency reported on Tuesday. The jet crashed into the courtyard of a large apartment building during a training mission on Monday, emergency officials said. Three children were among those killed. The warplane, a Su-34, crashed in Yeysk, a port and resort town across the Sea of Azov from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, military officials told Russian news outlets. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the jet had been on a training flight when one of its engines caught fire and it plunged into a residential area. The Russian Emergency Ministry wrote on the messaging app Telegram early Tuesday that rescue efforts were complete. An additional 19 people were injured, the ministry said. The pilots ejected themselves, according to Russia’s state-run news agency, Tass.The fire engulfed several floors of the building, which was nine stores tall, the regional governor, Veniamin Kondratiev, said on Telegram. He said initial reports indicated that 17 apartments had been damaged but added later that the extent of the damage was still being assessed.<br/>
Japan is already seeing an increase in inbound travellers since relaxing its COVID-19 border controls last week, but a full recovery will remain elusive until China opens up, said the head of the country's biggest international airport. Narita Airport CE Akihiko Tamura said a jump in overseas arrivals in Japan's biggest international travel hub was an indication of this broader trend. International arrivals have ticked up about 10 percentage points to about 30% of pre-pandemic levels since Japan reinstated visa-free travel to tourists on Oct. 11, Tamura told Reuters, citing airport research. "To return to 2019 levels, it's not enough just for Japan to open up," he said. "Of course, China has to change as well or it's impossible." Chinese visitors made up a sizable portion of Narita's volume until borders started clamping shut in 2020, Tamura said, adding that Beijing's continuation of a zero-COVID policy and Japan's delayed reopening will push back a full recovery in East Asia travel to as late as 2025.<br/>
Newshub can reveal a major audit by an overseas regulator has found serious failures with aviation security at all of New Zealand's international airports. Up until now, hundreds of airport workers, contractors, and visitors getting airside access haven't been screened for weapons or explosives and airports are now scrambling to boost security. "The failures we have been told about are very significant. Basically, no non-flying passengers or crew are screened," said Captain Andrew Ridling, president of the New Zealand Air Line Pilots' Association. Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown international airports have failed to meet international standards, set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). It follows a visit by ICAO to New Zealand. Newshub understands the concerns arise from a fear that workers could access the tarmac unchecked, leaving planes vulnerable to terrorism or smuggling operations. The Civil Aviation Authority said it's acting on the issues. "So we are implementing and making improvements in terms of some of the gaps that we identified," said Mike Hill, deputy chief executive of aviation security and infrastructure at CAA. Air New Zealand refused to answer questions. But a memo from Air NZ, obtained by Newshub, revealed sudden changes to security as a result of the failures. <br/>