On a clear January morning in 2020, Ukraine Airlines Flight 752 was struck by two Iranian missiles just three minutes after leaving an airport in Tehran, killing all 176 passengers. Ever since, families of the victims have asked for a credible explanation but have been rebuffed by the Iranian authorities. On Wednesday, four of the countries whose citizens perished in the disaster filed suit at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, requesting Iran provide a full account, to acknowledge its responsibility and pay “full compensation” for the material and moral damages. The four parties to the suit — Britain, Canada, Sweden and Ukraine — contend that Iran has failed “to conduct an impartial, transparent and fair criminal investigation” but instead has “withheld or destroyed evidence” and “threatened and harassed the families of the victims.” Iran had no immediate response to the lawsuit. For the family members, who have long complained that the case was being ignored, the filing meant a symbolic first day in court; or, rather, in the highest judicial forum of the United Nations, based in The Hague, which settles disputes between nations and is not a criminal court. The families have received no response to a complaint they filed earlier at the International Criminal Court, also in The Hague, which is currently dealing with war crimes investigations in Ukraine. “We need to find the whole truth, first and foremost,” said Kourosh Doustshenas, who lost his fiancée in the crash and heads an association of Flight 752 victims’ families. “This is the only way the families can find closure,” he said by telephone from Winnipeg, Canada. “We want no discussion about money, about compensation until the Tehran regime admits the truth about shooting down the plane.” Under international law, the investigation of an air disaster is conducted by the nation where the aircraft crashed. That has left the Iranian military in a position to examine its own actions, an evident conflict of interest that has drawn wide criticism. Story has more. <br/>
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Australia’s biggest pilots’ union has claimed air traffic control staffing issues are making skies less safe for pilots and passengers. The Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) has told Australian Aviation that its members have encountered “chronic” and “systemic” staffing problems at Airservices dating back to before the COVID-19 pandemic. It comes after reports emerged earlier this year that there were 340 instances of “uncontrolled airspace” from June to April 2023, with Airservices admitting to “staff availability issues”. The issue re-emerged last week after aircraft on Thursday had to “self-separate” from each other and rely on radio broadcasts rather than centralised information from air traffic controllers. Switching to TIBA — traffic information broadcasts by aircraft — leads to delays and cancellations, with Virgin’s policy not to operate in TIBA airspace when possible. Airservices, however, insists its TIBA workaround procedure is both safe and “internationally recognised”. Captain Louise Pole, president of AFAP, and Marcus Diamond, safety and technical manager at AFAP, detailed the issues its members have encountered. Captain Pole pointed to a survey of AFAP members that found almost 31% of pilots experienced delays multiple times per month, 72% reported an efficiency of flight issue due to contingency measures like TIBA, which most pilots see as unsafe and inefficient, and 15% reported traffic proximity or separation issues within the last six months. “We’ve had extensive responses from all our members around Australia that they are experiencing unforecast holding due to lack of available air traffic control staffing numbers. They’re experiencing TIBA airspace at short notice, and that’s possibly meaning flights can’t depart — and if they can depart, they’ve got quite large diversion routes required to go around that airspace,” she said.<br/>
More than 300,000 United Parcel Service workers are closer to striking after the company failed to reach an agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, threatening to plunge the US supply chain into disruption if a deal isn’t reached this month. Weeks of talks between UPS and the Teamsters fell apart early Wednesday morning in Washington after stretching through the July 4 holiday, with beleaguered negotiators emerging just after 4 a.m. to say the talks had collapsed. The two sides quickly traded barbs on who was to blame for the breakdown. “This multibillion-dollar corporation has plenty to give American workers — they just don’t want to,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said. “UPS had a choice to make, and they have clearly chosen to go down the wrong road.” The union tweeted that the company presented an “unacceptable offer” that “did not address members’ needs.” In a statement, UPS spokesman Malcolm Berkley said it was the Teamsters who stopped negotiating despite an generous pay offer from the company. “We have not walked away, and the union has a responsibility to remain at the table,” Berkley said. <br/>
Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs), fell 5.2% compared to May 2022 (-6% for international operations). "Capacity, as measured by available cargo tonne-kilometres (ACTKs), rose 14.5% compared to May 2022, primarily driven by belly capacity which increases as demand in the passenger business recovers," says the latest update from the IATA. "Capacity is now 5.9% above May 2019 (pre-pandemic) levels." Global manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) indicates an annual contraction of 1.4% in new export orders and a decrease of 5.2% year-on-year in production PMI. This suggests a cooling in global manufacturing demand. "Global goods trade declined 0.8% in April due to macroeconomic challenges and supply chain constraints. Trading conditions appeared to favour maritime cargo as demand for container shipping contracted by 0.2% while air cargo demand weakened by 6.3% year-on-year." Also Read - Qatar Airways Cargo takes Fresh to the next level The global supplier delivery time PMI increased to 54.5 in May, up from its low of 35 in October 2021, indicating shorter delivery times and some relief for supply chains. However, this is also a sign of weaker global goods trade demand, the release added. “Trading conditions for air cargo continue to be challenging with a 5.2% fall in demand and several economic indicators pointing towards weakness," says Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA. "The second half of the year, however, should bring some improvements. As inflation moderates in many markets, it is widely expected that central bank rate hikes will taper. This should help stimulate economic activity with a positive impact on demand for air cargo."<br/>