Global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels are on track to rise around 1% this year, scientists said on Friday, warning this would make it harder for the world to avoid disastrous levels of climate change. Released during the United Nations COP27 climate summit, the Global Carbon Budget report laid bare the gap between the promises governments, companies and investors have made to cut planet-warming emissions in future years, and their actions today - which cause emissions to keep rising. Countries are expected to emit a total 41 billion tonnes of CO2 in 2022, said the report by more than 100 scientists, with 37 billion tonnes from burning fossil fuels and 4 billion tonnes from uses of land like deforestation. This year's increase was driven by higher oil use in transport - paticularly aviation - as economies continued to reopen from lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emissions from burning coal increased, as countries have turned to the most-polluting fossil fuel after Russia restricted natural gas supplies to Europe after its Feburary invasion of Ukrane, which sent global gas prices soaring.<br/>
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More than a dozen protesters, including scientists, were arrested on Thursday at private airports in the United States, coinciding with similar actions around the world to highlight the toll of private jets on the environment, activists said. The protesters temporarily shut down the main entrance to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, and also picketed at airports in North Carolina, California and Washington State. They were joined by protesters who took similar actions at 13 other private airports in 12 other countries, activists said. Climate activists have taken part in several high-profile stunts recently. In October, they flung mashed potatoes on a glass-covered Claude Monet painting, “Grainstacks,” at a German museum. The $111m painting was not damaged, officials said. Activists in Britain and Italy recently glued themselves to art. The action on Thursday included climate scientists, a small sign that researchers have become more willing to take a more forceful public stand on climate change given the increasing clarity of the science, said Peter Kalmus, a climate scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. “Five years ago, the majority view was that it was unacceptable to be an activist and to speak out if you were a scientist,” he said Thursday. “I think the majority view now is you probably should be doing that because the science is so frightening.” Dr. Kalmus was arrested on Thursday on a charge of misdemeanor trespassing at a private jet terminal at the Wilson Air Center in Charlotte, N.C. He was among four people, including another scientist, who were arrested as part of the protest at the Charlotte airport, he said. A representative for the airport declined to comment about the matter.<br/>
In 2019, Air Company made a splash when it launched vodka derived from recaptured carbon, in an effort to reduce the amount of the harmful greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Today, the Brooklyn-based startup has begun using the same process to make fuel for airplanes. Air Company’s sustainable aviation fuel, which was recently tested by the US Air Force, could ultimately help the airline industry hit its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Currently, the airline industry accounts for about 3% of total global carbon emissions each year, and mostly relies on traditional, fossil-based fuels that require various forms of environmental disruption to produce. Already, some of the world’s biggest airlines are signing on to Air Company’s vision. The company announced last month that Jet Blue and Virgin Atlantic, as well as startup aircraft company Boom Supersonic, have agreed to purchase millions of gallons of its fuel in the coming years. Jet Blue Ventures, the airline’s investment arm, also invested directly in Air Company’s $30 million Series A funding round earlier this year. “How we think about what the company does is trying to solve humanity’s toughest problems,” Gregory Constantine, co-founder and CEO of Air Company, told CNN in an interview last month. “For us, climate change is the greatest challenge that we’re facing as humanity to date … so if we can work on technologies that take what was once really thought of as a problem and turn it into a solution, then that’s a massive win.” A number of producers of sustainable aviation fuel have emerged in recent years, including a major Finnish producer called Neste, many of them using ingredients such as plant material and cooking oil. But Air Company’s production process starts by pulling harmful carbon emissions out of the air.<br/>
Airlines in the United States canceled more than 1,350 flights on Thursday as Tropical Storm Nicole made landfall on the east coast of Florida, forcing airports in the region to shut. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Southwest canceled more than 150 flights each, while United Airlines called off 85 trips, according to flight-tracking website Flightaware.com. Another 2,000 US flights were delayed Thursday. Orlando International Airport, which had halted operations, said domestic arrivals would resume at 8 p.m. ET. Other operations were to resume Friday. Daytona Beach International was set to reopen early Friday while Palm Beach International reopened on Thursday morning. Nearly 990 flights were canceled on Wednesday. The FAA had earlier warned travelers that it expected the tropical storm to strengthen and affect travel in Florida and along the southeast coast.<br/>
Consumers have booked fewer flights for Thanksgiving week than they did three years ago, before the Covid pandemic, according to Adobe data released Thursday. Domestic bookings are down 7% from the same point in 2019, but high fares have translated to a 3% increase in revenue. Air travel demand has been resilient this year, despite high inflation and a particularly sharp rise in fares, helping airlines more than make up for a surge in fuel and other costs. Inflation in October rose less than expected, but airfare was up nearly 43% from last year. “The slower bookings growth indicates that some consumers may be waiting to see if prices come down materially, while others may pursue alternate forms of travel, such as by car or train,” Adobe said in its report, which looked at online bookings of six of the 10 largest US carriers. Consumers have spent $76b on flights online this year, up 17% from 2019, Adobe said. Bookings rose 5%, showing a chunk of the increase was due to higher fares.<br/>
A US government watchdog said on Thursday it will review the FAA oversight of two safety features on the Boeing 737 MAX. The Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General said Thursday it will audit the FAA's oversight of the inclusion of MCAS, a key airplane software feature in the 737 MAX design, that was cited as a contributing factor in two fatal MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people. OIG will also review FAA oversight of the inoperability of Angle of Attack disagree alerts on the majority of the MAX fleet in 2019. Boeing in 2017 identified that not all 737 MAX 8 aircraft were equipped with an AOA disagree alerts but did not directly notify FAA of the issue. An FAA spokesperson said the agency "welcomes the outside scrutiny." This will be the fourth review into the MAX by the OIG. In April 2021, the agency opened a review of the FAA's oversight of the Boeing 737 MAX return to service in late 2020.<br/>
Contrary to expectations, the average weight of passengers has not changed significantly since a previous study conducted nearly 15 years ago. Lufthansa Consulting reached the finding after conducting an extensive survey at six airports on behalf of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. Standard passenger weights are used for aircraft balance calculations and concerns over increasing obesity within the population led EASA to initiate a review of passenger data to determine whether the figures need to be updated. The 2022 study says the “similar results” to those observed in a previous 2008 analysis “would in principle be a contradiction to what is expected”, given the World Health Organization’s indications that populations are shifting towards being more overweight. “On the other hand, considering that aviation has been expanding consistently over the last few decades – especially with the entry of low-cost airlines – it is expected that air travel will, in a short period of time, serve a larger and more diverse spectrum of people,” it states. “This includes different economical levels.” Lufthansa Consulting also highlights that the latest study, carried out during the winter season in February-March and the summer season in June-July, may have been affected by the pandemic. It says economic uncertainties and ticket costs might have “significantly” deterred the “most economically-vulnerable population” from flying. “In general, this population may be the ones with less concern about dietary habits,” the study states. <br/>
France opened a hub for testing electric air taxis as it seeks to introduce the world’s first service with the new category of aircraft in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Aeroports de Paris, which runs the French capital’s major airports, will operate the facility alongside UK-based Skyports Ltd., a leading developer of so-called vertiports, as flying-taxi bases have been termed. The hub at Pontoise Cormeilles aerodrome, unveiled Thursday, combines a passenger terminal, take-off and landing area, mission control zone and hangar, all as close as possible to the configuration envisaged for 2024. As part of the launch, Volocopter GmbH, a German developer of electric vertical take-off and landing craft or eVTOLs, as flying taxis are known, carried out a flight integrated into conventional air traffic. The project is also backed by RATP Group, which provides public transport in the Paris area, and the DGAC aviation regulator, as well as the transport ministry and Ile-de-France region. ADP CEO Augustin de Romanet said the opening of the test site marks “a new decisive step in the development of electric air mobility,” and that work will include development of multiple use cases for the hub, including health and logistics applications. Valérie Pécresse, president of the Paris Region, said she wants the city to be known as the site of the first passenger eVTOL flight, adding that the Olympics provide “an incredible opportunity to showcase and launch this project.”<br/>
Several incoming flights to Manchester Airport have been diverted to Liverpool after a "defect" was found on a runway. An airport representative said the issue was discovered earlier on Runway One "during one of our regular routine inspections" and was being fixed. They said safety "will always be our top priority" so the airport was only using Runway Two "as a precaution". Flights from Majorca, Heathrow and Amsterdam have been diverted to Liverpool John Lennon Airport. The airport representative said the landing of some incoming flights was currently being delayed and some airlines had chosen not to land at Manchester. They said the repairs to the runway "may result in some delays to both arrivals and departures and we apologise to passengers for any inconvenience and thank them for their patience".<br/>
Climate campaigners and scientists have barricaded the entrance to an airport. Extinction Rebellion and Scientist Rebellion gathered at Farnborough Airport to demand a ban on all private jets and a tax on frequent flyers. The blockade was part of a global protest across 13 countries with activists also gathering at London Luton Airport's Harrods Terminal. Farnborough Airport said it was aware of the demonstration but confirmed the airport remained fully operational. The spokesperson said: "We are continually monitoring the situation to ensure the safety and welfare of everyone." Farnborough Airport in Hampshire is a private airport which campaigners described as "Europe's premier private jet facility". Extinction Rebellion said it was calling on world leaders gathering this week at Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt for the COP27 summit to end the use of private jets. The group has also demanded a tax on frequent flyers to cut emissions and help "pay for the loss and damage caused by climate breakdown".<br/>
Israelis will be permitted to fly directly between Israel and Qatar during the soccer World Cup this month, officials from both nations announced on Thursday, in the latest sign of warming ties between Jerusalem and some Arab governments. As part of the deal, Qatar will permit Israeli diplomats, under the umbrella of a private travel company, to provide consular support to Israelis during the tournament. The Israeli public broadcaster, Kan, has also been allowed to set up a temporary studio in Doha to provide Israeli viewers with coverage of the matches. The full details were not available, but those moves, gleaned from interviews and separate statements from Israel and FIFA, soccer’s governing body, fell well short of creating formal diplomatic relations between Israel and Qatar. The Gulf state has ruled out full normalization with Israel until the creation of a Palestinian state. The gestures also have precedent: Israel and Qatar have publicly cooperated on low-level diplomatic and economic issues since the 1990s. But according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, there have never been direct flights between the two countries. The announcement mirrored a wider recent thaw between Israel and certain Arab governments that began two years ago. Then Bahrain, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates signed full normalization agreements with Israel, in deals brokered by the Trump administration. This year, Saudi Arabia also gave Israeli airlines permission to fly through Saudi airspace, in an arrangement brokered by the Biden administration.<br/>
Asian airline travel should reach about two-thirds of pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year with momentum going into 2023 based on bookings, the director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines said Thursday. Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the association in Bangkok, Subhas Menon, Menon told reporters that airlines underestimating pent-up demand had led to higher ticket prices. Although supply was catching up, airlines faced cost headwinds from higher fuel prices and interest rates, he said. Airlines would have to keep costs low in areas they controlled like sales and overheads, he said, adding some carriers opted to have staff work virtually to make savings. Manpower was another issue. "The industry is struggling to get more people back," he told Reuters, referring to technicians and ground staff who been retrenched. Travel in the Asia-Pacific region recovered more slowly than other parts of the world because of prolonged border closures, though Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan have recently reopened, leaving mainland China as the major outlier. Despite that, some carriers, like Singapore Airlines and Qantas Airways, are reporting record levels of profitability and returning cash to shareholders based on strong pent-up demand and constrained supply, even though oil prices are high.<br/>
Airbus expects Asia-Pacific airlines’ need for widebody aircraft to drive a post-pandemic recovery in demand for the larger jets as the region starts to open up, according to a top executive. The surge in demand isn’t just to replace jets like ones from Airbus’s older A330-family, but also for fleet expansion, Anand Stanley, president of Asia Pacific for the European planemaker, said in an interview on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines in Bangkok on Thursday. Asia has been slower than the rest of the world to open up its borders following the pandemic, with China still largely closed to outsiders. However, popular business and tourist destinations including Singapore and Thailand have reopened, while strong domestic markets like India were even faster to recover. “There is incremental growth. So on top of fleet renewals, which is a very conservative scenario, you have to also meet the incremental growth numbers, given the constraints that you’re seeing today in terms of not enough pilots, not enough capacity to meet the demand,” Stanley said. “I think there’s fundamental demand, there is fundamental structural growth that will drive the demand, not a short-term speculative.”<br/>