A US appeals court panel Thursday vacated an April 2022 ruling that had declared unlawful a government order requiring masks on airplanes and other transportation modes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Justice Department had asked 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to declare the issue moot after President Joe Biden ended the COVID-19 public health emergency in May. "There is not a grain of evidence that the CDC has any plans to promulgate an identical mandate," the court ruled. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had issued the sweeping mask mandate days after Biden took office in January 2021, requiring masks on airplanes, buses, trains, ride-sharing services and at airports and other transportation hubs to combat COVID. In April 2022, a US district judge ruled the CDC lacked legal authority to issue a nationwide travel mask mandate. Judge Charles Wilson, who was appointed to the court by President Bill Clinton, said in the appeals court opinion that "while we think a legal degree confers many advantages, we do not believe it equips us to accurately predict if or when another global respiratory pandemic will infect our shared world." The plaintiffs who sued to overturn the mask mandate had urged the court not to dismiss the case. They included five individuals who did not want to wear masks on flights including a person diagnosed with anxiety. They argued vacating the opinion "would give CDC the ability to do this - or something like it - again while evading review in this court."<br/>
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A flurry of dealmaking at the Paris air show has confirmed that the aviation industry is back in business after the Covid pandemic — and that the world’s two dominant plane makers still face a challenge navigating a supply chain that retains the scars of the crisis. Airbus and Boeing had together announced orders for more than 1,200 aircraft by the end of the third day of the event, according to analysis by consultancy IBA. The European group snagged 846 of the total including the largest single commercial jet deal in civil aviation history, Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo’s order for 500 aircraft. Most of the orders — 1,070 — were for single-aisle planes such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 Max, which fly the short to medium-haul routes that have led the travel industry’s recovery. Order backlogs for the two plane makers now stretch out almost a decade. The buying spree has prompted some concerns that airlines are over-ordering to ensure they get scarce delivery slots that are now close to the end of this decade. But Christian Scherer, head of commercial at Airbus, said there was “nothing terribly unusual” and that the orders announced were evidence that “business is back as usual”. “It is good, stable,” he told the Financial Times, adding that the IndiGo order was a “natural continuation of an order flow, a growth and replacement of fleets into the future”. The planes for the Indian carrier will be delivered between 2030 and 2035. Stan Deal, head of Boeing’s commercial aircraft division, said he expected to see a “pretty robust recovery in the market” and a “steady state long-term”. Airbus and Boeing have forecast the need for more than 40,000 new jets over the next 20 years, with roughly half of them for growth and the remainder for replacement as airlines seek to buy more fuel-efficient aircraft to reduce their carbon emissions. Executives believe growth will continue to be strongest in Asia, with a wave of demand for new aircraft notably from India and China. Yet the industry continues to struggle with a shortage of skilled workers and critical materials, which is impeding planned ramp-ups in production.<br/>
The first Paris Airshow in four years has clocked up billions of dollars in commercial jet orders and offered some respite for suppliers as air travel springs back sharply from the pandemic. The industry returned to Le Bourget with high expectations of commercial orders and low expectations regarding the supply chain, but generated a more balanced picture on both fronts. Announced orders reached near-record levels but were heavily dominated by two airlines leading the charge in India, the world's fastest growing market: IndiGo and Air India. Airbus and Boeing collectively unveiled orders or commitments for some 1,100 jets, with Airbus at around 830 jets, led by a 500-plane deal with IndiGo. But these fell short of some market forecasts of 2,000 orders, to the relief of some analysts who noted a less brash and more business-like tone than previous shows, from an industry scarred by its near-collapse during COVID-19. India's economic growth and growing middle class have made it the latest frontier for aviation deals worth tens of billions of dollars, though exact prices were not disclosed. "That market is going to feed a lot of players in our industry, and we'd like to be the first one there for a long time, barring unforeseen events," Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer said. A total of 970 orders from two Indian carriers showed airlines willing to lock in positions for the next decade and manufacturers building a foundation for rising output rates. The IndiGo deal also highlighted the growing importance of the so-called sale-and-leaseback model, a popular aircraft financing method that requires a constant flow of new jets. Under such deals, freshly delivered jets are sold by airlines to leasing companies, rented back and then operated for six years or more before being moved on to another operator.<br/>
Airbus came in ahead of Boeing at this week’s Paris Air Show in the closely watched contest for airplane orders thanks to a massive haul from India that highlights Asia’s growing importance to aircraft demand. North American and European carriers sat largely on the sidelines while Airbus raked in a record-setting deal for 500 narrowbody jets from low-cost carrier Indigo, the biggest airline in the world’s most populous country. While that was the only major show stopper, the two planemakers also split a 470-jet purchase by Air India that had already been announced in February and was now firmed up in Paris. The nation’s former flag carrier, being revamped under new owners, also added 70 Boeing options — setting up the deal to potentially reclaim mantle of the world’s biggest aircraft order. Overall though, dealmaking remained muted. Airbus picked up an agreement with leasing company Avolon Holdings for 20 A330neo aircraft and an accord with Saudi low-cost carrier Flynas for 30 A320 aircraft. Boeing secured a win with North African carrier Air Algerie for eight 737 Max models, alongside another accord with Avolon for the same bestselling jet. But with so many commitments already on their books, attention focused on how Airbus and Boeing will get the planes built. Aviation executives and investors attending the show spent much of their time discussing how the manufacturers will overcome shortages of parts and labor that have slowed a post-pandemic ramp-up in production, as well as the repair work needed to keep existing fleets in the air. “The focus of air shows is shifting away from large orders, especially as both Airbus and Boeing have large backlogs that they have still to deliver,” said Andy Cronin, the Avolon chief executive officer. “We do believe in the demand story. There have been some significant orders in markets where we see real growth opportunities, whether that’s in the Middle East, or whether thats in India.”<br/>
Spirit AeroSystems will suspend factory production on Thursday at its plant in Wichita, Kansas, the company said, after workers rejected a proposed four-year deal and announced a strike to begin on June 24. Spirit is one of the most consequential suppliers for aerospace heavyweights Boeing and Airbus. The Wichita site makes the entire fuselage for Boeing's bestselling 737 MAX narrowbody jet and the forward sections for most of its other aircraft, as well as pylons for the Airbus A220. A prolonged work stoppage at Spirit could have ripple effects for the aircraft makers it supplies, eventually forcing them to slow or stop jetliner assembly at a time when both Airbus and Boeing are ramping up production. "It's not a welcome development," said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with AeroDynamic Advisories. "I think the general feeling is that (Spirit) had it under control with what appeared to be a reasonable agreement," he said. But after more than a decade of cost pressure on the aerospace industry, "labor feels like they have some power." Spirit will suspend factory production prior to the expiration of its contract with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) on June 24, but will continue to pay employees, it said. "Despite this setback, we are not distracted from the task at hand. We look forward to continued meetings with IAM leadership," Spirit said.<br/>
Some ramp workers and airplane cabin cleaners at LaGuardia Airport walked off the job Thursday to protest what they call unsafe working conditions and equipment issues, as well as alleged retaliation against organizing. The workers, employees of aviation service provider Swissport USA, load, unload, and clean aircraft for Air Canada and Spirit Airlines. “We are consistently understaffed here at Swissport USA,” said ramp agent Jonathan Quito Rodriguez, 27, at a rally outside LaGuardia’s Terminal A. “But perhaps worst of all we are contending with a terrible culture of intimidation and retaliation because we spoke out about our conditions at work.” Swissport workers said they were saddled with old and unreliable equipment, from the small trucks — called tugs — that move airplanes on the tarmac, to the personal protective gear they use while cleaning planes and emptying cabin lavatories. “You need a whole suit and a face shield,” Jason Reed, 27, said of draining airplane sewage. “They don’t give us that.” “We work with biohazards — lavatories, vomit,” said Justice Cardenas, who’s been on the job six months. “All they give us is gloves.” The tarmac workers are trying to unionize with the Service Employees International Union.<br/>
Certification requirements for turbofan endurance testing are set to be overhauled by European regulators, to take better account of modern engine design characteristics. The update is contained in a proposal put forward by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. It also intends to improve the level of confidence in the robustness of engine design prior to entry-into-service by requiring a test to demonstrate the powerplant’s initial maintenance programme. “Some turbofan engines have faced unexpected failures shortly after entry-into-service,” says EASA in its proposal. “Such issues required urgent corrective actions to control the associated safety risk posed by multiple engine shutdown occurrences. “The root cause of such failures may have been identified during the engine endurance test if the test conditions and the engine configuration had been more representative.” While EASA does not identify any specific powerplants, engines including the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 for the Boeing 787 and, more recently, the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G have each suffered premature in-service durability issues. EASA’s current certification standard for engine endurance requires an “accelerated severity” test to demonstrate a minimum level of operability and durability within approved engine limitations. But it states that the origins of the test date back 60 years, when it was intended for the operational characteristics of reciprocating engines. “The fundamental approach – the demonstration of concurrent redline speed and temperatures – has been retained because these conditions are undeniably conservative and desirable from a safety-demonstration perspective,” says EASA. But it acknowledges that the test running conditions are becoming “harder to achieve” as engine designs have evolved and adapted to the needs of modern air transport.<br/>
The owners of London Southend Airport have confirmed they have "started the process" to manage its sale. Aviation group Esken revealed financial concerns in its annual results report - and that it would be seeking new owners for its core businesses. It said the airport was a "key strategic asset" and EasyJet investment proved "recovery is now under way". Executive chairman David Shearer said "the case for the airport remains well founded". London Southend Airport was bought by Esken - formerly the Stobart Group - in 2008 for GBP21m. The airport struggled during the Covid lockdowns from March 2020, when passenger numbers at the Essex terminal dropped by 90%.<br/>
International flights at Haifa Airport in northern Israel resumed on Thursday after a four-year hiatus, Israel's Ministry of Transport and Road Safety said. Three flights of the Malta-based airline Universal Air carried passengers from the airport to Cyprus, two of them to the city of Larnaca and the other to Paphos. Most international flights to and from Israel take place at the central Ben Gurion Airport, alongside tourist flights to the southern Ramon Airport outside the Red Sea resort city of Eilat. As the short runway at Haifa Airport, which is about 1,300 meters long, only allows the operation of small planes and short-haul flights that reach close destinations such as Cyprus and the Greek islands, the number of international flights decreased over the years until the service was suspended in 2019. Plans to extend the runway have been considered several times in recent years, but they have proven difficult to carry out due to the many uses along the Mediterranean coastal strip of Haifa Bay, which is home to leading civilian seaports, an Israeli Navy seaport, a shipyard, and more, the ministry explained.<br/>
Macau's Legislative Assembly has passed the territory's reforming Civil Aviation Bill that paves the way to liberalising access to Macau International Airport and reducing the dominance of Air Macau. Earlier this month, ch-aviation reported that the Legislative Council had drafted the bill and sent it to the Assembly for approval. The Assembly waved the bill through on June 21, with 30 votes in favour and two abstaining. The bill will allow the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government to standardise licencing arrangements and permit new entrants to open bases at Macau International. Air Macau has enjoyed a 28-year reign as the only scheduled passenger carrier allowed to maintain a base at the airport. That right will cease at the end of this year. The new law effectively changes the territory's aviation regime from a franchise-style arrangement to a more conventional licencing arrangement. While the bill guarantees Air Macau will maintain its licence, the airline will lose its control over slot allocations at the airport to foreign competitors. The new bill will require any new and existing entrants looking to open a base to incorporate a joint stock company in Macau, use the territory as their principal place of business, and prove financial and operational bona fides. The Director of the SAR's Secretariat for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, told the Macau Business outlet that the bill incorporates "several important articles" that "will be difficult to implement," adding that "it will be impossible to guarantee 100% that there won't be problems in the future." The Director also said that given the airport's space constraints and overall demand for flights, he does not think there will be many airlines looking to open a base in Macau. <br/>