general

Aviation’s status as a ‘hard to abate’ sector when it comes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions was laid bare in the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which suggests nascent carbon removal efforts will become crucial to the sector reaching net-zero emissions. In its AR6 Synthesis Report, the UN body notes with medium confidence that “sustainable biofuels, low-emissions hydrogen, and derivatives (including ammonia and synthetic fuels) can support mitigation of CO2 emissions” in the transport sector – a view that chimes with the airline industry’s focus on sustainable aviation fuels in its net-zero roadmaps. Also echoing the airline industry’s observations, the report says that “production process improvements and cost reductions” are important to encourage the wide adoption of sustainable fuels needed for aviation to help limit the projected rise in global temperatures. Crucially, however, the report notes with high confidence that despite the adoption of sustainable fuels, “some hard-to-abate residual GHG emissions remain and would need to be counterbalanced by deployment of carbon dioxide removal methods to achieve net-zero CO2 or GHG”. Responding to the report, Doctor Rob Bellamy, a lecturer in climate at the University of Manchester, says it is “crystal clear” that “leftover” aviation emissions are a factor making carbon removal from the air “not just an option – but a necessity”. Aside from aviation emissions, agricultural emissions are also cited as being hard to abate, Bellamy notes, while carbon removal could also help to “speed up mitigation” in general, “or to bring the temperature back down in the case of overshooting” targets. <br/>

The FAA on Wednesday called on airlines to exercise “continued vigilance” after a string of high-profile near misses on runways, including at Kennedy International Airport in New York in January. The agency’s notice said that while its data does “not reflect an increase in incidents and occurrences, the potential severity of these events is concerning.” The FAA issued the bulletin after holding a safety summit with airlines, airport operators and workers last week to address recent “incidents across the aviation system,” including unruly passengers and near misses on runways at major airports. “I think I speak for all of us, and certainly the traveling public, when I say these events are concerning,” the FAA’s acting administrator, Billy Nolen, said in his opening remarks at the summit. “They are not what we have come to expect during a time of unprecedented safety in the US air transportation system.” There are more than 45,000 flights each day in US national airspace, according to the FAA. In recent months, planes came unnervingly close on runways in New York, Texas, Boston, Hawaii, Florida and Virginia, outside Washington, DC. In January, a Delta Air Lines plane had to abort its takeoff after an American Airlines plane crossed about 1,000 feet in front of it at Kennedy. In February, two planes narrowly avoided a collision at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas after a FedEx cargo plane aborted its landing on the same runway that a Southwest Airlines flight had just been cleared to take off from. Though these events have received considerable attention, there has not been a significant increase in what the F.A.A. calls “runway incursions”— events involving the “incorrect presence” of an aircraft, vehicle or person in a landing or takeoff area.<br/>

The FAA Wednesday announced measures to try to avoid a repeat of disruptions at airports serving New York City and Washington D.C. this summer as it grapples with a shortage of air traffic controllers at a key facility in the area. The agency said it will reduce flight requirements for airlines’ take off and landing rights to avoid congestion. Airlines have until April 30 to file requests to give up take-off and landing slots. The waiver would last from May 15 through Sept. 15. Airline executives have repeatedly complained about air traffic control shortfalls contributing to flight disruptions as air travel sprang back from pandemic lows in the past few years. Airlines last summer also reduced their schedules to avoid delays as they dealt with their own staffing issues and other strains. The FAA said it expects increased delays in the New York City area this summer compared with last year, projecting a 45% rise in delays with operations growing 7%. United Airlines said it would seek a waiver for certain use of take-off and landing allotments at the three biggest New York-area airports and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. In a letter to the FAA’s acting Administrator Billy Nolen on Wednesday, United said it would use aircraft with more seats to make up for reduced numbers of flights and offer alternative flights to affected customers. Delta Air Lines applauded the FAA’s measure. “Delta is reviewing our network to ensure the best customer experience throughout the summer travel season and we are committed to working with the FAA on measures to ensure the safety and efficiency of operations at the NY/NJ Airports,” the carrier said. Later this month, the FAA will hold a summit with airlines about other ways it can ease disruptions in the area. It held a similar event last year at Florida as airline passengers faced delays stemming from bad weather, high demand and congestion from issues like space launches and military exercises.<br/>

A vote on President Joe Biden’s choice to run the Federal Aviation Administration was delayed indefinitely Wednesday in the face of an opposition blitz by Republicans, who say the nominee lacks enough experience in aviation to lead the agency, which is under pressure to stem a surge in dangerous close calls between planes. The Senate Commerce Committee was scheduled to vote on Denver International Airport CEO Phillip Washington, whose nomination has languished since Biden announced his choice last July. Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., an ardent supporter of the nominee, said the vote would be delayed to gather information requested by senators. She gave no date for a vote, “but we would like to do it soon.” Democrats hold a 14-13 edge on the committee, so the defection of one could derail the nomination if all Republicans oppose it. The GOP has targeted Democrats and independents from swing or red-leaning states. Most Democrats on the panel say they will support Washington, but it isn’t clear if there are enough votes to move the nomination forward. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, a Democrat until she switched to independent in December, and a moderate Democrat, Jon Tester of Montana, have not said how they will vote.<br/>

The European Union will put forward rules outlining how some aircraft can be considered climate-friendly under the region’s green rulebook, offering a roadmap toward a cleaner future for an industry that’s traditionally had a huge carbon footprint. The Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, will propose adding aircraft manufacturing and leasing to the bloc’s green taxonomy if they meet strict criteria, including having zero emissions or not adding to the global fleet and meeting certain CO2 limits, according to a draft seen by Bloomberg News. From 2030, passenger aircraft will have to use a minimum 10% share of sustainable aviation fuels, increasing by 2 percentage points each year in order to qualify for the green label, according to the draft. The commission also added rules for other transport sectors like road and maritime. Some of Europe’s biggest airline groups, including British Airways’ parent IAG SA, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Air France-KLM and Ryanair Holdings Plc have committed to net-zero emissions by 2050. But aviation is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize given the long development times for hydrogen or electric powered aircraft, as well as a lack of propulsion methods for long-haul jets. The taxonomy is the EU’s bid to create a list of economic activities that contribute toward the bloc’s goal of climate neutrality by the middle of the century, with the hope of channeling private sector investment toward them. It also forms the bedrock of much of the bloc’s environmental regulation, including the green bond standard as well as recent efforts to re-shore vital clean technologies. But the rulebook has also been a magnet for controversy. A decision last year to include gas and nuclear power, albeit with strict conditions, infuriated environmentalists. The plan to include the aviation sector — even the top performers — will likely draw more ire from green groups.<br/>

France’s civil aviation authority has asked airlines to extend flight cuts at several airports across the country as national strikes against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform continue. A new round of strikes and demonstrations are planned for Thursday, leading to a 30% capacity cut at Orly airport outside of Paris, and a 20% reduction of air traffic at Marseille-Provence, Toulouse-Blagnac and Lyon-Saint Exupéry airports, the DGAC said. At Orly airport, a hub for Air France-KLM’s French arm, capacity restrictions were already in place on Tuesday and Wednesday. <br/>

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs, is to be forced to limit the number of international flights and passengers it handles under the Dutch government’s plans to cut carbon emissions — a move that has triggered airline concerns. Dutch officials announced on March 17 that it would impose restrictions on all international flights leaving the Netherlands in order to reach its climate goals. Aviation accounts for around 2-3% of the world’s planet-warming pollution, but a country’s share of those emissions can be quite high, especially for smaller nations that handle a lot of flights. And some have targeted aviation to reduce their overall climate footprint and meet their climate promises. While there have previously been moves within Europe to limit or ban some local and regional short-haul flights to cut carbon emissions, this would be the first environmental measures made against international services. KLM, the Netherland’s flagship carrier, this week expressed concerns over the move. “KLM believes that sustainability policies – due to the global scope of aviation – should be regulated internationally as much as possible,” the company said Wednesday. “Being the only country in the world to set up a national CO2-ceiling does not match with an internationally operating sector and international policy,” it continued. The Dutch transport ministry said in a statement that Schiphol and other affected airports could spread the reductions over multiple years. “The maximum CO2 emissions set for each airport will apply for several years, so that an exceedance in one year can be compensated in subsequent years,” it said. “The policy will help the country meet its carbon goal Further details remain to be decided and the government promises that discussions will include all parties.”<br/>

More than a third of UK flights were delayed last year, according to the aviation regulator. The Civil Aviation Authority said travel operators' performance had been affected by the challenges they faced in the first half of 2022. Only 63% of flights departed or arrived in the UK within 15 minutes of their scheduled time. This was down from 75% in 2019, the last year before the pandemic. Having shed thousands of jobs during the worst of the pandemic, many aviation businesses including airports couldn't get new staff in place quickly enough. Many passengers experienced queues, delays, or cancellations. Heathrow and Gatwick airports then introduced limits on numbers over the summer peak, and a number of airlines scaled back their schedules. A spokesperson for Airlines UK, the trade body for UK-registered carriers said "the whole industry knows how important punctuality is for customers. Last year was not representative due to the late unwinding of Covid restrictions which required a very steep ramp up." They added "since then, the whole industry has invested huge resources into increased resilience for this summer".<br/>

Syria’s Aleppo airport is out of service due to damage caused by an Israeli airstrike in the early hours of Wednesday, state television said. Flights due there will be diverted towards Damascus and Latakia, it added.<br/>

Boeing’s 737 Max is making a slow but steady comeback in China, with carriers returning more of the jets to service and Boeing thinking about when it might restart deliveries to Chinese customers. The US company’s CFO Brian West says Chinese airlines have resumed flying nearly 30 of the jets – out of 97 that had been out of service amid the global grounding. “Twenty eight are back flying again,” West said on 22 March during a BofA Securities investor conference. “That’s 20 more than… this time last month.” Amid broad US-China geopolitical tension, China had been slow in reintroducing the 737 Max. China Southern Airlines in January became the first Chinese carrier to return the type to service – more than two years after the US FAA lifted the Max grounding. West says Boeing is now assisting Chinese airlines with the work of returning another roughly 70 still-grounded 737 Max to flight duty. But when those jets are back in the skies, Boeing hopes Chinese carriers, with approval from China’s aviation regulator, will again start receiving 737s direct from Boeing. “As things play out – maybe traffic keeps growing, and customers do fleet planning, and the regulator’s decide what they’re going to do – you could see… a return-to-delivery discussion,” West says. Boeing has a lot on the line. It is depending on 737 Max deliveries to China to help clear its backlog of undelivered 737 Max and to support future production. Through 2041, Boeing expects Chinese airlines will need some 8,500 new aircraft, including nearly 6,400 narrowbody jets, according to Boeing’s market outlook. Those aircraft account for 21% of its expected total global demand. “That’s a lot for… two legacy airframers to handle,” West says, referring to Boeing and Airbus. “It’s bigger than just one can handle.”<br/>

India's Adani Group will focus on expanding its aviation business and plans to bid for more government-run airports when they come up for privatisation, Adani Airports' CE said on Wednesday. The South Asian nation is the world's fastest-growing aviation market, with demand for air travel outstripping the supply of planes. Some major airports are already reaching full capacity even as airlines continue to order more planes. Air India last month placed a record order for 470 jets and domestic rival IndiGo is in talks for a new order of more than 500 planes, Reuters reported this month, even as it waits to take delivery of the same number from an older order. "Our ambition is to do more airports in India," Adani Airports CEO Arun Bansal said, adding that the government's airport privatisation policy is publicly known, "and we intend to bid for that". Adani already owns and operates seven airports, including six that it won as part of the government's first privatisation drive, and a new airport it is building in Navi Mumbai on the outskirts of India's financial capital. The government has plans to privatise 25 more airports under a public-private partnership until 2025 and Bansal said the group would look at bidding "if the conditions are right". The expansion plans come as billionaire Gautam Adani's group tries to rebuild investor confidence after U.S. short-seller Hindenburg Research accused it of stock manipulation and improper use of tax havens - charges the company has denied. Hindenburg's Jan. 24 report eroded more than $100b in the value of the company's shares.<br/>

A top Boeing executive has reiterated that the company will wait until next decade to bring a new single-aisle jetliner to market, saying Boeing needs that much time to mature technologies. Speaking during a BofA Securities investor conference, CFO Brian West says the company wants its next narrowbody aircraft to deliver “step-function-changing” efficiency improvements. “Right now, anything on that front is next decade,” West says. His comments address the question of what comes next for Boeing, which has been playing catch up to competitor Airbus following the 737 Max grounding and subsequent production issues affecting nearly its entire line of commercial aircraft. Airbus has likewise struggled with production trouble due to parts shortages. Several years ago, Boeing had been considering developing a 757 replacement dubbed the “New Mid-market Airplane”. That project has since stalled, and in November 2022 Boeing CE David Calhoun revealed Boeing does not intend to launch a new aircraft programme any time soon, saying, “I don’t think we are even going to get to the drawing board this decade”. He said Boeing’s next narrowbody jet must be 20-30% more efficient. Calhoun’s strategy drew criticism from some aerospace analysts, who insist delays will leave Boeing farther behind competitor Airbus, which has recently enjoyed enormous success selling A321neos. Analysts broadly view Boeing as lacking an aircraft that effectively competes against that Airbus jet. Other industry watchers, however, have called Boeing’s timeline prudent, saying launching a new aircraft too soon could erode 737 sales, on which the company’s financial health rests. <br/>