Turbulence during a flight can be an uncomfortable experience for many, ranging from mild bumpiness to more serious instances of damaged airplanes and injured passengers. With millions of people jetting off on their summer vacations, a recent study from researchers in England provides some challenging, but important, reading. According to the analysis, which was published in Geophysical Research Letters in June, clear-air turbulence (CAT) became increasingly prevalent in certain parts of the world between 1979 and 2020. Related to wind shear, clear-air turbulence presents a specific challenge to pilots because it’s tricky to identify ahead of time and can appear without warning. The World Meteorological Organization, for example, says CAT “often — though not necessarily always — occurs in the absence of cloud, making it difficult to detect visually.” In an announcement accompanying the report’s release, the University of Reading laid out some of the researchers’ key findings. “At a typical point over the North Atlantic — one of the world’s busiest flight routes — the total annual duration of severe turbulence increased by 55% from 17.7 hours in 1979 to 27.4 hours in 2020,” it said. In addition, moderate turbulence jumped from 70.0 to 96.1 hours, while light turbulence hit 546.8 hours, up from 466.5. The university went on to state that warmer air from carbon dioxide emissions “is increasing windshear in the jet streams, strengthening clear-air turbulence in the North Atlantic and globally.” The paper’s authors say their research “represents the best evidence yet that CAT has increased over the past four decades, consistent with the expected effects of climate change.”<br/>
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A U.S. government watchdog will review FAA efforts to prevent airport runway incursions after a series of incidents where airplanes came dangerously close to each other. The U. Transportation Department Office of Inspector General (OIG) said it was opening its audit to assess FAA processes for analyzing data, identifying risks and preventing and mitigating runway incursions. The NTSB is investigating six runway incursion events since January including some near catastrophes. In March, the FAA said it was taking steps to improve air traffic control, convening a safety summit and issuing a safety alert. In April, it named an independent safety review team and in June announced $100m for 12 airports to make improvements to taxiways and lighting to reduce runway incursions. On Thurday, the FAA said it welcomes scrutiny and looks forward to sharing its progress with OIG. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said a FedEx cargo plane and a Southwest Boeing 737 that came within about 115 feet (35 metres) of each other in Austin, Texas on Feb. 4 in poor visibility conditions could have been a "terrible tragedy." Last month, she said the FedEx plane's first officer saw a single light from the Southwest 737 and then a silhouette of the plane before they aborted their planned landing. Story has more. <br/>
Airlines are liable if they provide inadequate first aid to passengers injured during a flight, Europe’s top court said on Thursday. A passenger scalded on an Austrian Airlines flight when a jug of hot coffee fell over him took the case to Austria’s Supreme Court. He sought compensation from the airline, arguing his burns were aggravated by inadequate first aid administered on board. Austria’s Supreme Court sought guidance from the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on whether first aid should be regarded as part of the accident under the Montreal Convention covering civilian air travel. “The strict liability of airlines under the Montreal Convention extends to inadequate first aid administered on board an aircraft,” the CJEU judges said. “It cannot be disputed that there is a causal link between the jug of coffee falling and the aggravation of the bodily injuries caused by it on account of inadequate first aid being administered.”<br/>
London’s Gatwick Airport is seeking planning permission to bring its second runway into full-time use, potentially raising capacity by tens of millions of passengers annually as air travel rebounds post-pandemic. The UK’s second-largest airport wants to open the strip, currently used as a taxiway or as an emergency measure when the main runway is out of service, for regular operations. It would handle departures only, with the existing runway facilitating landings. The move would create about 14,000 jobs and inject GBP1b ($1.3b) into the local economy each year because of the tourism and business opportunities it would generate, Gatwick said in a statement. It has submitted an application to the UK’s planning inspectorate. Gatwick is attempting to resurrect plans to expand its emergency runway even after the UK in 2016 endorsed larger Heathrow airport, which has long planned to build a third runway, as the best candidate for growth. So far, Heathrow hasn’t yet started construction amid legal challenges. Gatwick said it could begin upgrades on the so-called Northern Runway project in 2025 and complete it by 2030. The airport handled about 33m travelers last year, though that was below pre-pandemic levels. The northern runway would offer new international connections to increase competition in London’s airport market, as well as helping Gatwick meet passenger demand in the future and boost its resilience, Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate said in the statement.<br/>
Bosses at Stansted Airport are promising 5,000 new jobs under plans to extend its terminal building. The planning application, which is due to be submitted to the local council, includes an extra three aircraft bays, a larger security hall and departure lounge, plus more baggage capacity. Managing director Gareth Powell said it would see the airport's economic contribution double to GBP2b annually. The Essex airport handled more than 26m passengers in the past year. A spokesman said Stansted was expected to pass pre-pandemic passenger levels during the coming year and was set for its busiest summer season on record.<br/>
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has selected Rothschild & Co to advise on the strategic review of its assets, two sources close to the matter said on Thursday. The transport regulator is considering an initial public offering of Dubai Taxi Corp and its public parking business, said the sources, who declined to be named as the matter is not public. The RTA and Rothschild & Co did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The authority last year raised $1b and drew orders of $50b for a 24.9% stake in a public share sale of its toll-road business Salik. Dubai raised nearly $8.5b from five IPOs last year, fuelled by a government privatisation plan to list 10 state-linked companies to boost stock market activity. Future IPO candidates could include energy company ENOC and airport services provider dnata. Reuters reported in June that the RTA invited boutique banks to pitch for an advisory role in a strategic review of its assets, including a possible IPO of its taxi business. The authority was also looking at potential options for its public parking assets and the Nol card, which passengers use to pay for public transport across the emirate. Companies in the region raised $21.9b through IPOs last year, more than half the total for the wider Europe, Middle East and Africa region, Dealogic data shows.<br/>
Airbus deliveries increased by 6% in the first half of the year to reach 316 aircraft, industry sources said on Thursday. The European planemaker delivered 72 planes in June, up 20% from 60 in the same month last year and up from 63 in May this year, they added. Airbus, which is targeting 720 deliveries for the year, declined to comment ahead of the publication of data on Friday. Airbus's first-half performance compares with industrial deliveries of 297 planes in the first six months of last year, before a negative adjustment of two units related to Russia. Aerospace deliveries have been plagued by supply chain problems and labour shortages since the COVID-19 pandemic. But after a rocky start to the year, CCO Christian Scherer told Reuters in June that Airbus was seeing a "more predictable" industrial pattern and what appeared to be the start of a more positive trend in deliveries. Based on tracking of test flights, Jefferies said in a report this week that underlying aircraft production remained soft compared with targeted rates but looked set to increase this summer. It predicted 70 deliveries for June.<br/>