Thousands of travelers were stranded at US airports Monday as a wave of canceled flights — many of them operated by Southwest — spoiled holiday plans and kept families from returning home during one of the busiest and most stressful travel stretches of the year. The cancellations and delays one day after Christmas left people sleeping on airport floors, standing in hourslong customer service lines and waiting on tarmacs for hours on end. The problems are likely to continue into Tuesday and later this week. As of Monday night, more than 1,700 US flights scheduled for Tuesday were already canceled, including 40% of all Southwest flights. “The only thing we want is to get home,” said Francis Uba, who was among the frustrated passengers at Baltimore-Washington International Airport on Monday, where over 130 flights were canceled as of that evening. He and his family returned from an eight-day cruise in the Bahamas on Monday to learn that their Southwest flight back home to Columbus, Ohio, had been canceled. Uba, 60, said the airline had rebooked them onto a Wednesday flight with no explanation. Uba, who owns a health business, said he had spent five hours trying to find another flight but had not even been able to reach an airline customer service agent and was considering renting a car in order to get back to work. More than 3,700 flights in the United States — including international flights into or out of the country — had been canceled as of Monday evening and more than 6,800 others had been delayed, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service. Southwest was by far the most disrupted airline, with about 2,800 canceled flights, nearly 70% of its total flights, FlightAware showed. Chris Perry, a spokesman for Southwest, said that the airline was “experiencing disruptions across our network” as a result of the winter storms.<br/>
general
President Biden’s pick to lead the FAA, Phillip A. Washington, is facing an uncertain path to confirmation amid concerns about his limited aviation experience and his entanglement in a public corruption investigation. Biden nominated Washington, the CE of Denver International Airport, in July, but he has not yet received a confirmation hearing in the Senate. Because the current Congress ends in early January, the president will need to renominate Washington next year, and a White House spokeswoman would not say whether he planned to do so. “The FAA has a crucial safety mandate, and filling this role remains a serious priority for the Biden administration,” the spokeswoman, Olivia Dalton, said. The uncertainty about Washington’s nomination comes as the FAA is facing a long list of challenges. With air travel returning in force after cratering during the coronavirus pandemic, the agency has received a stream of complaints from travelers over flight delays and cancellations. It is also grappling with issues like improving safety oversight in the aftermath of the Boeing 737 Max crashes, shoring up staffing for the air traffic control system and regulating electric air taxis. The agency has been without permanent leadership since the end of March, when Stephen Dickson, a former Delta executive who was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, resigned about halfway through his five-year term as FAA administrator. Billy Nolen, the agency’s top safety official, has been in charge since Dickson’s departure. Washington, 64, would come to the agency with a short aviation résumé. Before being hired to a series of transportation positions, he served in the US Army for 24 years, achieving the rank of command sergeant major. In 2000, he joined Denver’s Regional Transportation District, which operates bus routes and rail lines, and became its general manager and CE in 2009. In 2015, he became the chief executive of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the county’s rail and bus systems. Last year, he was chosen to run Denver’s airport, which is one of the busiest in the world.<br/>
Brazil's National Union of Aeronauts agreed on Sunday to accept the airline's offer of increased pay and benefits, ending almost a week of strikes. The two-hour daily strikes began last Monday before being lifted temporarily for Christmas weekend and the voting process. The strikes were due to resume today. In the online vote, which began on December 24th at 06:00 and ended on Sunday, December 25th at 12:00, the associated pilots approved the third proposal by the TST (Superior Labor Court) for the renewal of the Collective Convention of regular aviation work. Of the 5,834 ballots taken, 70.11% voted to accept the airlines' offer and lift the strikes, some 28.8% of the SNA members rejected the proposal, and just over 1% of respondents abstained. The latest proposal provides for a 6.97% increase in fixed and variable salaries, representing an adjustment for inflation and a 1% pay rise. The proposal also raised the cap on food vouchers and the minimum wage, along with fines for non-compliance. In addition, the final bid also provided for the complete renewal of other social clauses, clearly defined break times, and allowed workers to begin their vacation time on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.<br/>
As hundreds of Canadians scramble to get home after their Sunwing flights from Mexico were cancelled last week, a passengers' rights advocate says stranded travellers should consider legal action if they aren't compensated by the airline. Gabor Lukacs, president and founder of the Air Passenger Rights group, says passengers grappling with cancelled flights and inadequate information about when they might be rebooked should buy their own tickets home with a different carrier, and keep careful records and receipts of their expenses. If Sunwing refuses to compensate them under the federal Air Passenger Protection Regulations, they should take the matter to small claims court, Lukacs said in an interview. "We're at a point in Canada where suing an airline is not simply about your own money, it's about changing how they operate. It's about behaviour modification," he said. "And that's where the government is derelict in its duties to the public." He said passengers should also phone their local member of Parliament and ask for better enforcement of passenger rights in Canada. As of Sunday, hundreds of Canadian travellers were stuck in Cancun, Mexico after Sunwing cancelled their flights home. Some described being shuffled from hotel to hotel, sometimes arriving to find there were no rooms booked for them, while Sunwing officials offered inaccurate and incomplete information about when they might get home. Story has details.<br/>
A Nigerien military helicopter crashed landing at an airport in the capital Niamey on Monday, killing three people on board including an expatriate instructor, the defence ministry said. The helicopter was returning from a routine training flight when it crashed on a military runway, the statement said. The wreckage burst into flames, blocking rescuers from reaching the crew. A comission of inquiry has been set up to determine the cause of the accident.<br/>
In the midst of the celebration of the festive season, Conex Energy Liberia has announced the shortage of jet fuel in the country. Last year, the African distribution business acquired the Liberia and Sierra Leone businesses of French petroleum refining company Total Energies for an undisclosed sum. Cherif Abdallah is the company’s Chief Executive Officer. In a statement issued in Monrovia on Tuesday, the company disclosed that the arrival of jet fuel in Liberia will be delayed as a result of the shortage on the global market. “We are constrained to inform the public that there is an aviation fuel shortage in the region. According to the Airline Operators of Nigeria (“AON”) and The Guardian, there is a shortage of aviation fuel in the region.” “Based on the above, Conex Energy Liberia informs the public that there is a delay in the arrival of the next Jet Fuel vessel, causing low fuel stock at Roberts International Airport (“RIA”). The vessel should have arrived on December 14, 2022. We are now being informed that the vessel will not be in Liberia until January 13, 2023.” The company disclosed that during this period, airlines will use alternative methods / locations for fueling.<br/>
Iranian authorities rerouted a flight bound for Dubai on Monday and prevented the wife and daughter of former national soccer team captain Ali Daei, who has supported anti-government protests, from leaving the country, state media reported. Amid a concerted clampdown, Tehran also said the arrests in Iran of citizens linked to Britain reflected its "destructive role" in the more than three months of unrest. People from across Iran's social spectrum have joined one of the most sustained challenges to the country's ruling theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, relying heavily on social media platforms - which the government is trying to shut down - to organise and spread news of demonstrations. Meanwhile Daei's wife was banned from travelling abroad, Iran's judiciary said, after authorities ordered the Mahan Air plane she had been a passenger in to land on Iran's Kish Island in the Gulf. "I really don't know the reason for this. Did they want to arrest a terrorist?" Daei told semi-official news agency ISNA. After he voiced support for the protests on social media, authorities this month shut down a jewellery shop and a restaurant he owned. The protests were triggered by the Sept. 16 death in detention of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian held for wearing "inappropriate attire" under Iran's strict Islamic dress code for women.<br/>
China will reopen its border to international travelers on Jan. 8, after the country made an abrupt U-turn on its COVID-19 containment policies earlier this month. The National Health Commission announced the decision late on Monday. Inbound passengers will only be required to present a negative test result obtained within 48 hours of boarding. As long as their health declarations are normal and they show no signs of illness in a "routine checkup" while clearing customs, they will not be subject to any special restrictions while in the country. The NHC said mass PCR testing upon arrival and centralized quarantine will be scrapped. So too will restrictions on international flights, such as the "Five-One" policy -- a rule under which a single country can only send one flight from one airline via one route once per week. In-flight masks will still be required. China will gradually reopen its water and land ports, too, the NHC said. And restrictions on outbound travel will be eased: The NHC said citizens will be allowed to go abroad "in an orderly manner." In the past three years, China has imposed a de facto ban on citizens traveling abroad for "nonessential" reasons, while refusing to replace expired passports. The shift could have a major impact on an international travel market that has been missing Chinese tourists and their cash. The border policy changes come after a rush of easing of domestic restrictions, following widespread protests against harsh "zero-COVID" lockdown measures. Beijing has swung from one extreme to the other -- from a situation where a single close contact could lead to a residential block being sealed off, to no longer controlling the movement of infected people.<br/>
Japan will rework its air traffic control system by spring 2025 to accommodate 2m flights per year, up 10% from current capacity, anticipating a rebound in travel demand after the end of coronavirus-era travel restrictions. The transport ministry will reorganize its four regional control centers into three, with one covering all high-altitude travel above 10,000 kilometers and two for low-altitude flights, split between east and west. Japan wants to reduce the number of flights passed from one center to another as they move between regions. The change is expected to let the network manage at least 2m flights yearly compared with 1.8m now, including foreign and domestic travel as well as overflights that do not touch down in Japan. The government also plans to create a digital system by fiscal 2024 to consolidate information such as takeoff and landing times, flight routes and weather, based on standards from the ICAO, a United Nations agency. The data will be shared in real time with airlines, airport operators and government bodies such as the Defense Ministry. Airlines will be able to adjust flight plans based on congestion levels, letting air traffic control operate more efficiently in large urban centers where departures and arrivals are concentrated. The planned upgrades respond to a global rise in demand for air travel, particularly from fast-growing emerging economies. The IATA expects passenger numbers to return to pre-COVID-19 levels in 2024. With annual growth steady, "dealing with airspace congestion is a challenge shared by a number of countries," a Japanese transport ministry source said.<br/>
Korea's transport ministry said Monday it temporarily suspended flights at the Gimpo and Incheon international airports, but it didn't specify the reason. At the request of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it had banned flights at the country's two major airports for about an hour Monday afternoon. Flights at the Gimpo and Incheon airports resumed at 2:10 p.m. after the flights were halted at 1:08 p.m. and 1:22 p.m., respectively, the ministry said. Twenty flights at Gimpo and 10 flights at Incheon were delayed due to the suspension order, according to the airports' operators. <br/>
Tourism operators in Phuket are urging the government to intervene<br/>following complaints about surging airfares which they fear could prompt travellers to choose cheaper alternatives. Governor Narong Woonciew said the tourism sector is making a recovery, but its momentum could be disrupted by skyrocketing airfare prices which<br/>is a problem that local authorities and operators are unable to handle by themselves. "Expensive air tickets may cause tourists to turn away from Phuket and choose other destinations like Vietnam or Bali. We have to report this to the agencies concerned," Narong told a gathering of business operators who met to discuss the issue. Thanusak Phungdet, president of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, said<br/>hotels in Phuket, many of which are still not fully open, will bear the brunt if high airfares, coupled with the insufficient capacity of airlines, are not addressed. He said the government should consider intervening in air travel pricing as most visitors to Phuket arrive by air and are facing high prices and low ticket availability. According to Thanusak, a trip to Phuket costs around 7,000-10,000 baht per person, while it costs no more than 8,000 baht for a trip to Singapore. The rate is likely to have an impact on potential visitors. "We'd like the government to increase flights or ask Thai Airways International [THAI] to use a bigger aircraft. It is expensive and difficult to get to Phuket. If this persists, people won't come," he said. The private sector will submit a letter to the government and all airlines next week asking them to take action, he added.<br/>
The new Federal Government has been requested to upgrade airport facilities in Sarawak. The airports are in Kuching, Miri, Bintulu and Sibu, said Sarawak Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin. Calling for special attention to the state’s requests, he said previous requests for upgrades had not been approved. Lee cited Miri Airport, which receives eight flights weekly from Singapore, as an example. “Miri is a major revenue generator in terms of oil and gas,” he said, adding that the airport was running at full capacity. The airport, he added, needed more aerobridges and better aprons. “New aerobridges are also needed for Bintulu Airport as the current ones are prone to breakdown,” he said during a press conference in Sibu Airport prior to the arrival of the inaugural AirAsia flight from Singapore. Also present at the press conference were Malaysia Airports Holding Bhd senior general manager Kamaruzaman Razali and Sibu Municipal Council chairman Clarence Ting. Sibu Airport, Lee said, would be allocated RM8mil to upgrade its facilities. As for Kuching International Airport, he said the boarding area at Gate 7 needed improvement. Lee also called on airlines flying to Sarawak to increase their flight frequency during festive seasons. “They should offer reasonable airfare especially during Christmas and Chinese New Year periods.<br/>
Global hydrogen-electric aircraft developer ZeroAvia has received an approval from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to conduct a test flight of its Dornier 228 aircraft. ZeroAvia has retrofitted the airplane with its hydrogen-electric powertrain prototype. The firm obtained the CAA clearance after carrying out a ground testing drive and an evaluation of the full development programme under the supervision of the regulator. With the Part 21 approval in place, ZeroAvia will start the first round of test flights of its 600kw hydrogen-electric powertrain. The twin-engine aircraft, which features 19 seats, has been retrofitted in an engineering testbed configuration to include ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric engine to drive the left wing’s propellor. It has also been designed to operate along with a single Honeywell TPE-331 stock engine on the right for a safe trial of the new propulsion technology. ZeroAvia plans to begin the test flights in January next year. Once completed, the test will be a major achievement for ZeroAvia and the HyFlyer II project, a research and development (R&D) project supported by the government of the UK’s ATI Programme, noted ZeroAvia. The ATI Programme aims to build a 600kw hydrogen-electric powertrain for aircraft with capacity to carry nine to 19 people.<br/>