Canadian police are investigating the theft of a C$20m ($14.84m) cargo of gold and other valuables that was stolen from a holding facility at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday. The cargo was reported missing after arriving on an aircraft early Monday evening, Peel Regional Police Inspector Stephen Duivesteyn told a news conference on Thursday. Duivesteyn said after the aircraft landed the cargo was unloaded and taken to a holding facility, as per normal procedure, but disappeared some time afterwards. "Subsequent to its arrival this high value cargo was removed by illegal means from the holding facility," Duivesteyn told reporters. The cargo was reported missing to police a short time later. Duivesteyn would not say where the aircraft carrying the cargo had come from, or its final destination. "This is very rare," he added.<br/>
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Europe’s airlines are set for a much more profitable summer as pent-up demand for travel translates into higher ticket prices and airport capacity restrictions continue to ease. The stronger outlook for fares, coupled with lower fuel costs, led BofA Securities analyst Muneeba Kayani to increase operating profit targets for the continent’s major airlines by 14%. Airline bosses should report much stronger bookings for summer in a series of upcoming earnings calls and are “unlikely” to pass on savings they stand to make on jet fuel, which has fallen in price by around 17% since the start of the year, Kayani said. Low-cost carrier easyJet led the way this week, saying pre-tax profit in the year to September would be ahead of current market expectations of GBP260m, which itself is an uplift from the GBP126mn it was expected to generate in January. The company, which last summer incurred GBP133m of disruption costs as it compensated passengers for delayed or cancelled flights at overstretched hubs, said it will be back to pre-pandemic capacity levels this summer, having recently completed its “largest ever crew onboarding campaign”. It flew around 1,600 flights a day during the Easter holidays, with capacity in the UK already back to pre-pandemic levels and yields ahead of where they were in 2019. The recovery for low-cost carriers has been quicker than for former flag carriers such as BA-owner International Consolidated Airlines, Lufthansa and Air France-KLM, which have had to wait much longer for restrictions on long-haul flights to ease, particularly to China. LCCs are pulling ahead of legacy competitors in Europe because “they operate a less complex business model, have greater flexibility in where they place their aircraft and price to create demand”, noted John Grant, a senior analyst at flight data specialist OAG.<br/>
Airports in Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Cologne Bonn were virtually empty on Thursday in the first of another round of strikes called by Germany's Verdi trade union over the cost of living crisis. Nearly 100,000 people will be affected by aviation security worker strikes on Thursday and Friday at the three airports, airport association ADV said, with around 700 departing flights to be cancelled. "The situation in the terminals today is the same as previous Verdi strikes this year: departure terminals are empty, the situation is calm," a Hamburg airport spokesperson said in a statement. The union said it has been negotiating with the BDLS aviation security association to push for pay increases for night, weekend and public holiday shifts, with no breakthrough in sight. On Friday the strike is set to widen as Verdi has called on security staff at Stuttgart airport to join the walkouts, prompting the airport to cancel all departures. Germany's EVG union has also called for a nationwide transport strike on Friday, with national rail operator Deutsche Bahn among the companies impacted. The strike will affect 50 companies and run from 3 a.m. until 11 a.m. (0100 GMT-0900 GMT), with significant disruption expected, the railway and transport union said. High inflation in Europe's largest economy has prompted a wave of strikes in recent months as workers demand higher pay to offset the rising cost of living.<br/>
Dutch investigators are recommending that the government assess the risk of parts falling onto residential areas from aircraft departing Maastricht Aachen airport, following an incident in which fragments from a Boeing 747-400 freighter’s engine damaged property and injured people on the ground. The Dutch Safety Board says it has received letters for “several years” from residents in the vicinity of the airport concerned about safety. These have remarked on such issues as wake turbulence dislodging roof tiles, the vulnerability of a chemical industrial park – known as Chemelot – located north of the airport, and the potential risk to villages from overflight of heavy freighters at low altitude. The villages include Meerssen which was affected by the shower of debris from the 747’s outboard left-hand Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engine when it failed as the jet climbed out of Maastricht, bound for New York JFK, in February 2021. According to the Dutch Safety Board, the incident confirmed the concerns of residents regarding the overflight risk. The board is recommending that the infrastructure ministry perform and publish a risk assessment. “Based on the results of such an assessment, an informed decision about the acceptability of these local risks should be made,” it adds. The board acknowledges that the incident might be viewed as having presented relatively little risk, given that the 747, with four engines, remained flyable and diverted to Liege. But it says the safety level was “adversely affected”, and demonstrated the hazard to people on the ground. <br/>
Airport operator Finavia will begin the €8m renovation of runway two at Helsinki Airport on 2 May until 15 September. Aircraft landing directions will be altered until the renovation is complete. The renovation of the airport’s runway two (15/33) is taking place over two years. Later this year, it will focus on resurfacing the northern end of the runway. Finavia vice-president Jani Elasmaa said: “The runway comes under enormous stress, and its structures must be first-class. Continuous inspections and regular renovations ensure safe and punctual air traffic.” Preparatory work is being carried out this month, which means runway two will not be used for landings from 7am to 5pm. During the renovations, landings from the direction of Nurmijärvi will decrease and there will be an increase in landings from the direction of north-east Vantaa and Kerava. Propeller aircraft will still be able to take off from runway two in the direction of Tikkurila. Later this year, the stormwater sewers and the electrical systems underneath the runway will also be renovated. In March, a wetland was built underground at Helsinki airport to divert runway and apron stormwater.<br/>
Aviation regulators in the United Kingdom and Israel have announced a working arrangement to facilitate collaboration and international trade. Signed by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Interim Joint CEO Rob Bishton and Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI) Director of Airworthiness Benny Davidor on Thursday, the agreement will see both bodies develop a closer working relationship to reduce administrative burden and strengthen regulatory oversight. Alongside its industry development, the CAA has noted the potential to bolster trade between the UK and Israel through expanded market opportunities for aerospace and aviation companies. “Working together with our colleagues at the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel is an important part in building our relationships as a worldwide regulator. The signing today is the first step in helping to reduce the duplication of activity and to establish the principles enabling the validation or acceptance of certificates,” said Bishton. “The signing of this aviation working arrangement demonstrates the commitment of both the UK Civil Aviation Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel to the continued growth and development of the aviation industry, while maintaining the highest level of safety, as well as the importance of international cooperation in reducing the regulatory burden on both industries,” added Davidor. The complete processes for its latest agreement are set to be outlined within the Implementation Procedures, to be signed by the CAA and CAAI at a later date.<br/>