The US Homeland Security Department said Monday it will delay enforcement of rules requiring Americans to get new identification cards in order to board airplanes or enter a federal building, by another two years to May 2025. The US Congress in 2005 approved federal standards for issuing identification cards but enforcement has been repeatedly pushed back. DHS in April 2021 had pushed back the "REAL ID" enforcement deadline until May 2023. The new delay is in part "to address the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability to obtain a REAL ID driver's license or identification card," DHS said. The 2005 law enacted the Sept. 11 commission's recommendation that the U.S. government "set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses." The law sets minimum security standards for license issuance and production. As of June, only around half of the eligible population had REAL IDs and the number of Americans obtaining them is increasing at a very slow rate. That figure is up from about 43% as of April 2021. Airports Council International – North America CEO Kevin Burke praised the decision to push the deadline because few people still have the cards. It will help "prevent undue travel disruptions" and preserve "the health of the aviation system as we continue to navigate the pandemic's impacts on global air travel," he said.<br/>
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The Government of Canada has expanded its air transport agreement with Colombia to increase the frequency of passenger and cargo flights between the two regions. With this newly expanded agreement, the number of passenger and cargo flights will be increased to 14 per week. The new agreement will also allow designated airlines of the two countries to operate an unlimited number of passenger and cargo flights to an unlimited number of destinations. Canada Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra said: “This significantly expanded agreement will improve connectivity for passengers and businesses in Canada and Colombia and demonstrates our commitment to enhancing air services with Latin America. Our government will continue to strengthen our economy and our air sector, and this expanded agreement will help Canadian businesses do just that.” At present, Colombia is Canada’s largest South American international air transport market. The new agreement is expected to enhance tourism and trade opportunities between the two countries.<br/>
The largest trial in Belgian history kicked off on Monday with 10 men accused of involvement in a triple Islamist suicide attack in Brussels in 2016 that killed 32 people and injured more than 300. Set to last seven months, the long-awaited trial revived painful memories for those who lost loved ones or got caught up in the blasts on March 22, 2016, two of which targeted the city airport while a third hit the metro. "I had a lot of trouble sleeping last night," Christelle Giovannetti, who now wears hearing aids due to injuries she sustained in the metro bombing, told reporters. Six of the accused were found guilty in June of involvement in terror attacks in Paris in November 2015, which killed 130 people. Unlike in France, the Belgian trial will be determined by a jury not judges. Nearly 1,000 people are being represented in the Brussels hearings, underscoring how many lives were impacted by the attacks. Sylvie Ingels, who was near the first airport explosion, said she had had repeated nightmares in recent days. "If I come today it's to make this step and go beyond my fears... It's their trial but also ours. We are waiting for answers," she said. Nine of the accused are charged with multiple murders and attempted murders in a terrorist context, and face potential life sentences. One of the group is presumed to have been killed in Syria and is being tried in absentia.<br/>
Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Abbas said on Saturday that Sphinx Airport will not be an alternative to Cairo International Airport, but will rather be a higher value-added facility serving Egypt's air transport. Abbas noted that the airport was expanded to make it accommodate 900 passengers per hour and its area was widened from 4,500 square meters to 23,000, adding the airport operates 12 domestic flights weekly to Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada, and Sharm El-Sheikh. The Civil Aviation Ministry plans to operate two flights to Jeddah and another two to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia every week, the minister said, adding that the airport is properly prepared to ensure that passengers with special needs can travel with ease like anybody else.<br/>
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has warned airlines not to withhold domestic capacity to keep airfares high, as travel demand remains robust. In its quarterly airline competition report, the regulator notes that despite strong holiday travel demand, the country’s airlines are “continuing to hold back adding capacity to the market to better manage operational challenges”. The observation follows months of operational snares to hit several Australian carriers in the middle of the year, leading to lengthy delays, lost baggage and record cancellations. ACCC commissioner Anna Brakey says: “We accept that the airlines are still experiencing some pandemic-related resource challenges, but the ACCC will be monitoring them closely to ensure they return capacity to the market in a timely manner to start easing pressure on airfares.” She adds: “We would be concerned if airlines withheld capacity to keep airfares high.” The ACCC notes that the average domestic airfares in October were 27% higher compared to the same period in pre-pandemic 2019. It adds: “In a climate of strong consumer demand, airlines don’t need to offer special fares in order to fill their planes. Further, the discounted tickets that are available are being purchased much earlier than is normally the case.” While it expects travel demand to taper once the southern summer season ends, the ACCC says broader supply chain issues and workforce shortages could last longer through the new year. The ACCC report also highlights how international airfares are “particularly high” at the moment, as travel demand outstrips the supply of seats available. <br/>
Travellers have been urged to behave respectfully in airports and on planes over the festive season, with the Australian Federal Police warning they will crack down on troublemakers. The agency has told passengers to remain on their “nice list” over Christmas, saying it will have “zero tolerance” for bad behaviour. It comes after the AFP responded to more than 800 aviation alcohol-related incidents at Australian airports in the 12 months to November. More than 330 alleged offenders faced about 420 charges for their conduct at airports between May and October this year. AFP Assistant Commissioner Scott Lee said travellers needed to be particularly mindful of how much alcohol they were consuming at airports. “This is a special time of the year, and the AFP is at airports to keep passengers safe," Lee said. “The majority of passengers do the right thing, but we know those who do not can be disruptive for other passengers. People who are unruly on aircraft should understand that this may mean they will not be allowed to travel and will impact their holiday plans.” Airlines for Australia and New Zealand chief executive Alison Roberts, said protecting customers and staff was the main objective for authorities. <br/>
Japanese businesses are moving to take advantage of a deregulation allowing remote-controlled drone flights in residential airspace, seeking to offer last-mile deliveries that bring food, medicine and more to consumers. The legalization of level 4 flights, in which the pilot operates an unmanned aerial vehicle beyond the visual line of sight, took effect Monday. The government expects such flights to begin in earnest around next spring after a round of licensing. "This day will mark a milestone for expanding the possibilities of drone use," said Masafumi Hirono, president of KDDI SmartDrone. The company will soon open a school where prospective drone operators can receive training and obtain licenses. Besides regular lessons for licenses, KDDI will also offer courses in specialized areas, such as transmission tower inspections, logistics and transport management using drones. Convenience store operators are looking at drones to serve people in remote and depopulated areas. Seven-Eleven Japan has partnered with air carrier ANA Holdings to transport food and other items to customers living on islands. The duo conducted field testing this October in Fukuoka, flying store products to the nearby island of Nokonoshima. Commercialization is slated for fiscal 2025. ANA is collaborating with Tokyo startup Bluestone Link & Circle to analyze signal quality for designing the safest routes.<br/>
Global grain merchant Archer Daniels Midland Co sees the commercialization of its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) efforts coming online around 2026, CFO Vikram Luthar said on Monday. “SAF in terms of reality to come online, at least for us, is going to be in the 2026 type of time frame,” said Luthar, speaking at the BMO Capital Markets 2022 Growth & ESG Conference. He said investment in the SAF sector will be needed to help commercialize sustainable jet fuel but such investment would not necessarily come from ADM. In an effort to fight climate change, the Biden administration has launched a government challenge to supply at least 3b gallons of SAF per year by 2030. The airline sector is considered one of the most difficult to decarbonize as fuel for flights cannot be easily replaced with other kinds of power. The biofuel industry got a boost this year from passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides significant subsidies to the biodiesel and sustainable jet fuel industries in the form of tax credits. “We believe there’s enough economic incentive for SAF to be profitable and to be a viable blend for jet fuel,” he said, adding that in some circumstances, “we believe there is some profitability already in SAF.” Luthar also said the US Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal of renewable volume obligations is a positive move for the biofuel industry that “establishes a floor, not a ceiling for demand going forward.”<br/>