Airline passenger traffic in the US has been running above the comparable levels of 2019, the first time that’s happened since Covid-19 dramatically cut air travel. Just over 15m people went through TSA security portals in the past seven days, about 39,000 more than in 2019, or an increase of less than 1%, according to TSA data. Even as travel demand has rebounded, weekly passenger totals have been hovering well below historic levels, the result of staffing shortages, reduced airline schedules and other issues. The rolling seven-day total has held above the same period in 2019 since Oct. 27, according to TSA. Passenger traffic has occasionally topped pre-pandemic levels in recent months, but only during unusual periods, such as when holidays have fallen in different weeks. The uptick comes in a traditionally slack period for travel. The recent volume is still well below the 18m people a week who flew during peaks in the summer of 2019.<br/>
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Senior leaders at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Commerce Department's telecommunications unit met to discuss aviation safety concerns raised by new 5G C-Band deployments, two sources briefed on the meeting told Reuters on Tuesday. FAA acting Administrator Billy Nolen and Alan Davidson, who heads the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), met virtually for about 30 minutes on Monday, the sources said. Last month, Nolen wrote the NTIA seeking a delay in some 5G C-Band transmissions from smaller operators over aviation safety concerns. The FAA and NTIA declined comment on the meeting. Nolen said in his Oct. 21 letter said the agency wants the Federal Communications Commission to mandate voluntary mitigations AT&T and Verizon agreed to earlier this year mandated for 19 smaller telecoms and other spectrum holders. "Aviation safety would be compromised if the U.S. government does not codify certain additional operating limits in the 5G C-Band environment," Nolen wrote. Industry officials say the FAA has raised the idea of temporarily prohibiting deployment of some stations in the 3.8-3.9 MHz block and maintaining some existing power limits until January 2024. The letter was sent to Davidson and FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel was copied.<br/>
Six Democratic US senators urged the FAA on Tuesday to bar airlines from further shrinking the size and leg room of airplane seats. The senators including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Richard Blumenthal, Edward Markey and Ron Wyden, said airlines have been shrinking seat sizes since at least the 1990s — with seat pitch, which determines leg room, decreasing from 32 inches (81 cm) to 28 inches (71 cm), and seat width decreasing from 19 inches (48 cm) to as little as 16 inches (41 cm). "We urge the FAA to comprehensively review the safety factors impacting seat pitch, width, and length and ensure that such safety factors take into account the entirety of the American public – including children, senior citizens, individuals with disabilities, and others," the senators wrote to FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen. "We urge the FAA to immediately prohibit any reduction in size, width, or pitch of seats on airplanes, the amount of leg room per seat, and the width of aisles on such planes until a final rule is issued." Airlines for America and the IATA said in written comments they believe the FAA should not write regulations setting minimum seating dimensions, arguing the agency "has thoroughly studied seat sizes and concluded that current passenger dimensions and configurations are safe." In 2018, Congress said FAA within a year had to issue regulations establishing minimum dimensions for passenger seats - including minimums for seat pitch, width, and length - "that are necessary for the safety of passengers."<br/>
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has extended its compensation scheme for passengers who missed flights as a result of long queues at security. The compensation is applicable for the period between 12 August and 31 October. This decision has been taken by the airport due to disruption at the airport as a result of security staff shortage. Until 30 November, passengers can submit a compensation claim to the airport for incurred costs. The compensation scheme will help cover costs related to rebooking a flight or arranging a replacement flight and alternative transportation or additional travel costs for coming to Schiphol again or to another airport. Schiphol stated that it “implemented this compensation scheme in the summer because travellers had nowhere to go in order to claim these costs back.”<br/>
Finnish airport operator Finavia is set to raise its airport charges for airlines and other airport users from 1 January 2023. The decision was said to have been driven by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the rise in financing costs. It was also the result of increased depreciation as a result of the investment programme, stated the operator. As per the new plan, passenger charges will see a 4.8% hike, while landing charges will rise by an average of 5.1%. Aircraft parking charges, electricity infrastructure fees, and security charges for departing passengers will rise by 3.8%, 4%, and 4.2%, respectively. Total air traffic charges will rise by 4.7% compared to 2022 tariffs. The operator is currently conducting a cost-cutting drive of E200m. <br/>
Police and airport authorities are warning of the "potentially catastrophic" consequences of drones being flown near airports. It follows recent reported sightings of drones in the vicinity of the Glasgow Airport flightpath. Drone operators are being reminded that it is a criminal offence to fly them near airports without permission. The warnings have been issued by Police Scotland, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and airport operators. Every airport and airfield is protected by a flight restriction zone and drone operators cannot fly there without permission of the airfield operator and air traffic control. Insp David Ferguson, of Police Scotland's aviation security and safety unit, said: "There has been a significant growth in the use of drones and Police Scotland works in partnership with the CAA and airport operators to ensure compliant use. What may seem like a harmless pastime or hobby could have potentially catastrophic consequences if the drone is flown in a location which poses a threat to aircraft. We also actively engage with drone pilots to encourage responsible use of the aircraft and ensure they do not interfere with the operations at airports as well as more rural airfields."<br/>
Carlyle Aviation Partners said it sued a group of insurance companies and re-insurers claiming they failed to pay for losses stemming from the seizure of planes leased to Russian airlines following the invasion of Ukraine. Carlyle Aviation leased 23 planes to Russian airlines, including Izhavia and NordStar, and tried to repossess and relocate the aircraft as soon as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24, the company said in a complaint it provided to Bloomberg News. The Russian airlines that leased the aircraft advised Carlyle Aviation on Feb. 27 they couldn’t move the planes out of the country due to Russian government instructions and restrictions, according to the lawsuit. The planes, which Carlyle Aviation says are valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, remain in Russia. The lawsuit was filed Monday in state court in Miami, a Carlyle Aviation spokesperson said, but it couldn’t be immediately verified in court records. Carlyle Aviation is part of the Carlyle Group, a global investment firm with more than $300b in assets under management. The company sued more than a dozen insurers and re-insurers, including American International Group UK, Chubb European Group SE and Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance Ltd. for breach of contract and violation of good faith duties. It seeks unspecified damages, to be determined at trial. Carlyle Aviation said it paid quarterly premiums in exchange for coverage.<br/>
Aviation consultancy firm CAPA said on Tuesday said that more than 75 planes of Indian carriers are currently grounded due to maintenance and engine-related issues. These planes, which account for about 10-12% of the Indian fleet, are grounded due to maintenance or engine-related issues. “These will have a significant impact on financials in the second half,” CAPA said in its India Mid-Year Outlook 2023 released on Tuesday. As per the report, more than 75 aircraft are currently grounded, creating serious challenges against the backdrop of an already hostile cost environment and contributing to increased losses. The capacity has been impacted by serious supply chain issues impacting current and future deliveries, it said, adding that these issues are likely to proliferate in the fiscal starting April 2023 which, in turn, will impact future deliveries, the report said. Significantly none of the domestic airlines, including two listed companies – IndiGo and SpiceJet – have so far made any public announcement on the grounding of the planes. According to CAPA, delays in future deliveries could also reflect in liquidity issues as the income from sale and lease back financing may be less-than planned.<br/>
Hong Kong International Airport opened a bridge connecting a terminal and satellite concourse on Tuesday, part of a wider HK$9b ($1.15bi) upgrade even as a full recovery in air traffic remains far off. “What the airport engineers and practitioners want to make sure is we complete the facilities in advance of the demand coming up,” said Ricky Leung, HKIA’s executive director of engineering and technology. Hong Kong’s prized status as a major aviation hub took a beating through the pandemic, with passenger numbers slumping as the government imposed rules such as mandatory hotel quarantine for as long as 21 days. In the depths of the crisis, the city’s dominant airline Cathay Pacific was flying only a few hundred passengers a day compared with about 100,000 pre-Covid. A recovery is slowly underway after quarantine was dropped and other rules eased in recent months. HKIA said it is handling about 20,000 passengers a day, while Cathay carried close to 266,000 passengers in September, more than double the number a year ago, but still 89% below the same month in 2019. Asked when the airport could return to normal, Leung said: “I cannot really tell you the timeline yet because I think nobody can at the moment.” HKIA is also going through a much bigger HK$144b upgrade that includes adding a third runway.<br/>