general

Schiphol Airport would like to excuse itself from the hop-on, hop-off jet-setting culture of business tycoons, celebrities and sports stars. The effort, if it succeeds over industry opposition, could set a precedent for private aviation around the world. The Netherlands’s largest airport made its intentions known in April, when it announced plans to ban night flights and private jets starting in 2026. The declaration came five months after climate activists stormed Schiphol’s runway to protest carbon emissions from air travel, and followed years of noise complaints from locals. “I realize that our choices may have significant implications for the aviation industry, but they are necessary,” Ruud Sondag, interim CEO of Royal Schiphol Group, said in a statement. “This shows we mean business.” The fate of Schiphol’s grand plan isn’t yet clear. Its implementation hinges on compromises that haven’t been reached yet, and is further complicated by ongoing litigation. But whatever happens next at the Dutch airport, Schiphol’s example could be a harbinger of how other countries deal with the intersection of wealth, climate politics and a growing backlash against emissions seen as particularly gratuitous. Moves to curb emissions and noise pollution at Schiphol began last year, when the Dutch government — the majority owner of the Royal Schiphol Group — proposed cutting the airport’s annual flights to 440,000 by 2024, from the current 500,000. The government later suggested a 460,000-flight cap as an intermediary step, but airlines challenged the restrictions in court. On April 5, 2023, a judge ruled in their favor, saying the government had not followed the correct procedure. One day before that ruling, though, Schiphol announced a swathe of additional measures, including the 2026 ban on night flights and private jets. The airport noted that some 17,000 private jet flights crossed its runways last year, causing a disproportionate amount of noise and generating 20 times more carbon dioxide emissions per passenger than commercial flights. Around 30% to 50% of private jet flights from Schiphol are to holiday spots like Ibiza, Cannes and Innsbruck, the airport said — all destinations that are also served by commercial flights.<br/>

The United States will allow Chinese airlines to increase U.S. passenger services to 12 weekly round-trips, the Transportation Department said Wednesday, equal to the number of flights Beijing has permitted for American carriers. It is a boost from the eight weekly round-trip flights currently allowed by Chinese carriers and matches what Beijing has permitted for US carriers, but a small fraction of the more than 150 round-trip flights allowed by each side before restrictions were imposed in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. USDOT's order said its goal was "a gradual, broader reopening of the US-China air services market." China in March reopened its borders to foreign tourists for the first time in the three years after abandoning COVID-related border controls for its own citizens in January. US carriers American Airlines, Delta, and United Airlines operate scheduled passenger services between the countries, as do Chinese operators Xiamen Airlines, Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines. USDOT noted American began operating two additional roundtrip weekly flights to Shanghai from Texas in March after Chinese pandemic restrictions were dropped.<br/>

The United States notes "with disappointment" Turkey's announcement that it would suspend Armenian airline overflight permission, the U.S. Department of State said on Wednesday. "The agreement that had previously been reached between these two countries to resume air connections had been a very important confidence building measure not just between these two countries, but again, for regional stability broadly," US Department of State spokesman Vedant Patel said during a briefing. "It's our sincere hope that Turkey and Armenia can continue to rebuild economic ties and open transportation links as well."<br/>

Los Angeles airport’s operator is the latest to conduct tests of security technology firm Liberty Defense’s Hexwave artificial-intelligence screening system, which will be used to scan employees. The week-long trial at Los Angeles International will be held within the Tom Bradley terminal. Hexwave uses a combination of 3D imaging, millimetre-wave technology and artificial intelligence to detect concealed metallic and non-metallic weapons – including liquid, plastic and powder explosives, and printed guns. “We take security measures and the efficiency of screening very seriously at our airports, and our approach is to look to security technology that can help us continue to stay ahead of the curve,” says Los Angeles World Airports police chief Cecil Rhambo. Hexwave is based on a walk-through contactless portal which allows rapid scanning without the subjects’ having to offload phones, keys and similar objects. “The mobility of the Hexwave system and its ability to detect non-metallic and metallic threats are features we look forward to evaluating during this trial phase to help enhance our employee screening capabilities,” adds Rhambo. Hexwave has previously been selected for trials at Toronto Pearson airport, US airports including Oakland, as well as evaluation by a US airline. Liberty Defense chief Bill Frain says Hexwave technology is flexible and can be “rapidly deployed” to various areas inside and outside airport facilities.<br/>

Israel voiced hope on Wednesday that Saudi authorities would admit direct flights for its Muslim citizens who want to make the Haj pilgrimage, which takes place next month, in what would mark another step toward normalising relations. Saudia Arabia signalled approval for Israel's U.S.-sponsored forging of ties with Gulf neighbours United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in 2020 but has held off on following suit, saying Palestinian goals for statehood should be addressed first. Any such prospects have been further clouded, however, by Riyadh's strains with U.S. President Joe Biden, its recent fence-mending with regional rival Iran - a foe of Israel - and the rise of Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right Israeli government. Netanyahu's centrist predecessor, Yair Lapid, said on March 10 that, as prime minister last year, he secured Saudi consent for what would be the first direct Haj flights from Israel, some 18% of whose population are Muslim. Asked whether the direct flights would happen for next month's pilgrimage to the holy Saudi city of Mecca, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said a request had been submitted. "This issue is under discussion. I cannot tell you if there is any progress," he said in an interview with Israel's Army Radio. "But with that, I am optimistic that we can advance peace with Saudi Arabia."<br/>

The northern wing of Changi Airport Terminal 2 will reopen in October, several months ahead of schedule. This will complete the terminal’s reopening, and take T2’s handling capacity to 28m passengers a year, up from 23m before the terminal was closed in May 2020 for upgrading amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Changi Airport’s total handling capacity will increase to 90m passengers a year, up from 85m. It currently has a capacity of around 70m passengers annually. Announcing the development on Wednesday at the 2023 Changi Airline Awards ceremony held at the Shangri-La hotel, Transport Minister S. Iswaran said travellers can look forward to new amenities and innovative retail and food and beverage offerings at the refreshed northern wing. “These additions will further enhance the distinctive Changi travel experience,” he said. Iswaran added: “As we rebuild to pre-Covid-19 traffic volumes, we are working hard to ensure that Changi has both the physical and operational capacity to support the increase in flights and passengers.”<br/>

Planes landing at Wellington Airport will be up to 6 tonnes heavier after a batch of bad jet fuel was delivered to the capital. Board of Airline Representatives executive director Cath O’Brien said airlines were told on April 26 that a bad batch of jet fuel had been delivered to Wellington. Passengers were not expected to be affected. That meant they would only be able to refuel up to 80% capacity in Wellington, meaning they would have to fly in carrying more gas, which could add up to 6 tonnes to an incoming plane. This was because there was a second, non-contaminated, batch but that needed to be rationed. It was the third batch of gas that had arrived in New Zealand since November 2022 which failed to meet testing requirements, she said. “It is frustrating that another batch of imported jet fuel has not come up to the required standard, especially at a time when airlines are working hard to ensure services operate without impact to customers.” The extra weight, in turn, meant more fuel being used. “Sadly, for the environment at a time when airlines are doing their best to reduce carbon emissions, this means that aircraft are burning extra fuel to carry fuel. Airlines do all they can to minimise carbon burn however the need to tanker negates all these efforts.”<br/>

Airbus vowed to turn around its slow pace of aircraft deliveries in the second half after lackluster output weighed on profit and sales in Q1. The world’s biggest commercial aircraft manufacturer said the final four months of 2023 would be stronger, as Airbus follows its typical pattern of churning out a much higher number of jets in the final stretch. Speaking on a call with journalists after reporting earnings, CEO Guillaume Faury reiterated his goal to hand over 720 units this year, while cautioning that the pace of deliveries would be “significantly” lower in the first half than the second. Airbus has warned of persistent issues with its supply chain that create “challenges to roll the ball forward at the speed we want,” according to Faury. Besides a lack of skilled labor and parts, the company has also been forced to grapple with glitches on some of its most advanced aircraft engines, including the Pratt & Whitney units that power the A320 and smaller A220 single-aisle jets. Faury said Airbus is “very closely monitoring” the issues on Pratt’s Geared Turbo Fan unit. Lufthansa said Wednesday that a third of its A220 fleet in Zurich is grounded because of engine issues. That’s adding to a growing chorus of carriers complaining of bigger-than-usual outages on their fleets just as the airline industry gears up for a bumper summer. <br/>