The White House on Monday urged Republicans who control the House of Representatives to drop a provision in aviation legislation that would let airlines advertise the price of tickets without including government fees and taxes and to include new consumer protections for passengers. The House is set to vote this week on legislation authorizing funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but Republicans excluded many consumer protections sought by Democratic President Joe Biden. The bill would rescind a 2012 Transportation Department regulation that requires airlines to advertise full fares including government fees and taxes. Democratic Representatives Jan Schakowsky, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others are seeking a vote on an amendment to keep the full fare disclosure rules. Schakowsky said that "the airline industry and congressional Republicans are once again prioritizing profits over people." The White House said in a statement of administration policy that "the disclosure requirements currently in place for passenger tickets are necessary to help consumers comparison shop for a ticket." Biden's administration in June submitted draft legislation to Congress seeking to mandate that airlines pay cash compensation for delays of three hours or more when carriers are responsible. While Biden in May said the administration was writing new rules to require airlines to compensate passengers with cash for significant flight delays, the passage of legislation would bolster the administration's legal authority.<br/>
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The airport in the Sicilian city of Catania, close to some of the main tourist hot spots in eastern Sicily, has been shut down until Wednesday due to a fire, its management company wrote on Twitter. The fire broke out late on Sunday and there were no injuries, the airport said. Firefighters said they managed to contain the blaze about 90 minutes after it was called in, but provided no details on possible causes or any link to current high temperatures in the region. Catania was among several Italian cities that imposed a hot weather red alert on Sunday, along with the Sicilian capital of Palermo and the third island's largest city of Messina, as the country braced for record high temperatures in the coming days. Flights at the Sicilian airport, which according to the Assoaeroporti sector group, ranked fifth for traffic in Italy last year and first on the island, have been suspended until 1200 GMT on Wednesday, the company said. Ansa news agency reported dense smoke in the lower part of the facility after the fire broke out, sending people rushing out of the airport shouting and in distress. The Catania airport is regularly used by tourists heading to places like Mount Etna and Taormina, which is about 70 km away, and Siracusa, with its Greek Theatre and the historical centre on the Ortigia island.<br/>
Air traffic resumed at Iraqi Kurdistan's two airports on Monday evening after a brief suspension due to suspected drones activity in the Kurdish region's airspace, two security sources said. Air traffic at the airports of Iraq's northern cities of Erbil and Sulaimaniya was interrupted for around four hours from 1800 local time (1500 GMT) after security forces alerted regional aviation authorities of suspected unknown drones flying in the area, said a security source on condition of anonymity. "Security threats ended after the drones left. It's still not clear where the drones came from," said a second source. The manager of Erbil airport confirmed in a statement the resumption of air flights without elaborating.<br/>
Sharjah Airport has witnessed an impressive surge in traffic, with over 7m passengers passing through its terminals during the first half of 2023. This figure reflects a remarkable growth of over 24.4% compared to the corresponding period in 2022, the Sharjah Airport Authority said. The airport also achieved substantial growth in cargo operations, handling more than 70,000 tons of cargo, including 6,000 tons of sea-air cargo. These figures highlight the airport's essential role in facilitating trade and logistics operations, further reinforcing its reputation as a reliable and efficient cargo hub in the region, it said. Furthermore, the aircraft activity exhibited an upward trajectory, with a 14% increase in flights, totalling over 46,900 flights during this period, in comparison to the same period last year. <br/>
Typhoon Talim became the first typhoon to make landfall in China this year on Monday evening, prompting authorities to issue flood warnings, cancel flights and trains, and order people to stay at home. Talim, the fourth typhoon of the year, made landfall at 10:20 p.m. (1420 GMT) in Zhanjiang city of Guangdong province, with winds near its centre clocked at a top speed of 136.8 kph (85 mph), according to Guangdong weather bureau. Winds stronger than 150 kph would put Talim in the severe typhoon category, very rare for a typhoon this early in the rainy season. Talim is expected to move at a speed of 20 km per hour northwest and into Guangxi region early on July 18, Guangdong weather bureau added. The national forecaster has urged authorities in Guangdong and Hainan to be on standby to respond to the typhoon. Zhuhai Jinwan Airport in Guangdong cancelled 43 inbound and 36 outbound flights on Monday, and Meilan International Airport in Hainan's capital city Haikou and Qionghai Boao Airport, also on the resort island, cancelled all flights, state media reported.<br/>
Vietnam will consider increasing ceiling airfares for domestic flight routes amid jet fuel price fluctuations, following eight years of having them being unchanged, local media reported on Monday. Ceiling prices for routes from 500 km to 850 km will increase from 2.2m to 2.25m Vietnamese dong ($92.4 to 94.5), local newspaper Vietnam News reported. Meanwhile, the ceiling airfares for domestic routes below 500 km will be kept unchanged at 1.6m to 1.7m Vietnamese dong, the newspaper said. The proposal of increasing ceiling airfares was raised in the context that jet fuel prices saw huge fluctuations, the newspaper said, citing the ministry of transport. Ceiling airfares being kept at a low level was hindering the growth of the aviation sector, the newspaper cited experts. The lifting of the ceiling on airfares would certainly help airlines better meet the needs of passengers, especially during the peak period because airlines could offset the cost of two-way flights, Bui Doan Ne, general secretary of Vietnam Aviation Business Association said. According to the Ministry of Transport, in the long term, the ceiling could be removed when air transport capacity better meets requirements and the aviation market sees more diverse participation of carriers. The competition must be substantive by ticket prices and service quality, and passengers need the right to choose based on their capacity. <br/>
An aviation company plans to run commercial flights using an electric engine that creates no carbon emissions by 2025. ZeroAvia has flown nine test flights with its hydrogen-electric engine at Cotswold Airport, near Cirencester. The only emission created by the engine is water. Sergey Kiselev, Vice-President of ZeroAvia, said the engine would help achieve "the decarbonisation of aviation". Many other aerospace firms are developing engines that run on hydrogen, but most are not expecting to fly commercially until 2035. So how have they done it, and could it be possible to fly without causing climate change much sooner than people had thought? The Gloucestershire-based company are moving much faster because they are not designing an entirely new aircraft. ZeroAvia is working on the Dornier 228, a conventional 19-seater plane that has two propellers, usually powered by kerosene. One of these has been replaced by an electric engine, and the electricity is generated on-board using a hydrogen fuel cell. For the testing period, the other engine remains fuelled by kerosene, in case of failure. But once the technology is proved, both engines will run on electricity from the hydrogen fuel cell. Only the new engine needs to pass safety tests, and the company is working with the Civil Aviation Authority to achieve certification.<br/>