Aircraft supply challenges have the potential to slow the airline industry’s progress towards its net-zero goals, in the view of IATA DG Willie Walsh. Speaking during a round-table discussion at IATA’s World Sustainability Symposium in Madrid on 3 October, Walsh said there is “a lot of frustration and a lot of anger” among airline leaders regarding aircraft reliability, maintenance and delivery issues. “Every airline CEO that I talk to highlights issues with difficulties in keeping aircraft flying,” he says, citing problems with Pratt & Whitney GTF powerplants as a recent example. Airline chiefs are also frustrated about widespread delays in the delivery of new aircraft, particularly given they are now being “forced” to bring back aircraft that might otherwise have been permanently retired on the back of the Covid-19 crisis, Walsh states. Most industry stakeholders suggest it is now expected that a new aircraft will arrive six months late, while development programmes – including Boeing’s 777X – have experienced multiple delays to service entry. In the short-term, Walsh explains, the impact of these factors is to constrain supply. “Airlines would have liked to have been able to put more capacity back into the market,” he says. But should the issues endure, they are likely to have a “significant” negative impact on the industry’s sustainability mission, according to Walsh, with higher-emission aircraft remaining in service for longer. <br/>
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The TSA is joining a broader federal review of regulations governing private charter flight operators, a move that could imperil the less onerous airport security measures that have boosted their popularity. This development comes on top of a move by the FAA in August to consider sweeping updates to existing safety standards for charter and “hop-on” flight companies, which now operate under less stringent standards than larger carriers. TSA is taking a closer look at the operations from a security threat risk perspective, according to a person with knowledge of the matter who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. Any mandate to have stronger security or add TSA checkpoints would drive up costs for a growing sector that includes JSX and a proposed charter unit at SkyWest Inc., the largest regional airline in the US. The rapid growth of such carriers poses “an increased risk to safety if left unchecked,” the FAA has said. JSX and peers are popular with travelers because they avoid airport crowds and the hassle of lengthy security lines. They operate from private airports and cater to people who want a better experience than with commercial airlines, but can’t afford the normally high price tag of flying private. JSX’s security program is accepted by TSA and “is every bit as thorough” as procedures at commercial airport terminals, Ben Kaufman, a spokesman for JSX, has said. The regimen includes swabbing bags for explosives and vetting passengers against no-fly lists, he said. There are more than 1,800 private charter air companies in the US, according to the US Private Aviation Association. Such carriers can use pilots who are older than 65, the required retirement age at larger airlines. The charter companies also don’t require the minimum 1,500 flying hours needed for a commercial pilot. <br/>
Passengers flying with pets are being warned not to put their animals through X-ray machines at airports. The US TSA has taken the step of reminding people after “too many” incidents of creatures being put through security screening equipment. Pets are required to pass through airport security metal detectors but rather than fed through a conveyor belt with bags, they should be removed from carriers and taken through (either walked or in the arms of the passenger). “Pets often travel with their humans and are thought of like family members, which is why it’s important that if a passenger is traveling with their pet to become familiar with the security procedures for pets and how to go through the checkpoint security screening process together quickly and easily,” said the TSA. “Key in the screening of pets is to know that they should never be screened through a checkpoint X-ray unit.” Empty animal carriers must pass through security like any other piece of luggage, and the TSA stressed that travellers should be aware that pet travel restrictions can vary between airports and airlines. In late 2022, a dog was sent through an airport X-ray machine after being zipped inside a passenger’s backpack. The small dog, a dachshund-Chihuahua mix, was “a little skittish” when it came out of the machine but otherwise unharmed, according to a TSA spokesperson.<br/>
A supporter of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi who was involved in the hijacking of an aircraft to Malta in 2016 has been jailed for 10 years by a Maltese court after he pleaded guilty. Ali Ahmed Lano Saleh was one of two men who hijacked an Afriqiyah Airlines Airbus A320 to Malta on Dec. 23, 2016. The plane had been on an internal flight in Libya when the two hijackers ordered the pilot to divert to Rome. They landed in Malta instead because of a lack of fuel. The hijackers had threatened to blow up the plane, but their weapons later turned out to be fake and the 109 passengers were released unharmed. The hijackers' demands were never made clear. The hijack mastermind, Soko Moussa Shaha Ali, was jailed for 25 years in 2020. In sentencing Saleh, the court said it had taken into account the fact that he had pleaded guilty, that the passengers were released quickly and unharmed, and that he was not the mastermind of the hijacking.<br/>
Taiwan canceled flights and shut schools and offices across parts of the South and outlying islands Wednesday as Typhoon Koinu closes in on its southern tip. The storm is bringing strong winds and waves up to seven meters tall along the southern coast, Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said in a statement at 8 a.m. local time. Local governments shut schools and offices in Pingtung and Taitung counties and the outlying Penghu and Green Island. The typhoon is about 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of Taiwan’s southernmost tip with sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 191 kph, according to the weather administration. It is forecast to make landfall in south Taiwan early Thursday afternoon. Airlines have canceled more than 50 international and domestic flights across southern Taiwan over the coming days ahead of Koinu’s arrival. Taiwan’s Maritime Port Bureau also suspended 12 shipping routes for Wednesday. Sea and land warnings remain in effect across much of the south of Taiwan. Koinu is forecast to exit Philippine territory on Thursday, according to its weather bureau, and “its passage over the rugged terrain of southern Taiwan will further weaken the typhoon.” After making landfall in Taiwan, the typhoon is forecast to head toward the eastern coast of China’s Guangdong province, according to Hong Kong’s weather observatory. The city will probably raise its lowest storm signal on Wednesday evening as the storm is forecast to bring winds and rain to Hong Kong from Friday and over the weekend, the observatory said in a statement.<br/>
Singapore safety authorities believe that the rising incidence of more intense storms will create challenges for pilots, and potentially a necessity for improved safety margins. In its final report into a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER (9V-SWH) that landed low on fuel in 2022, Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) warns of a more dynamic weather environment in the future. The 25 October 2022 incident saw the twinjet hold for an extended period over Singapore’s Changi airport before the crew eventually opted to divert to Batam airport in Indonesia. By that point, however, Batam was also suffering poor weather – and the aircraft was low on fuel, resulting in the declaration of an emergency. The TSIB report suggests that such weather events could become more commonplace, and that pilots will need to plan accordingly. “Recent studies identified that one of the effects of climate change is more intense and more frequent storms in many regions exacerbated by extreme rainfall and flooding,” says the TSIB. “This may likely result in pilots operating into areas where the weather conditions exceed the limits to conduct a safe landing or results in loss of capacity of an airport that may impact the regional airspace system.” The report says that the crew appeared to prefer landing at Changi, delaying their decision to divert. By the time the aircraft started three ultimately futile attempts to land at Batam, the Indonesian airport itself was experiencing challenging conditions. “The effects of climate change are also expected to make the operating environment for pilots more unpredictable,” says the TSIB. “The events in this occurrence suggest that it may be prudent for pilots to interpret operating procedures in a more conservative manner to conclude that landing at a scheduled destination is not assured if the air traffic controllers are not able to provide definitive updates. This will allow pilots to make an earlier decision to divert, with higher safety margins, especially when weather conditions are favourable, to increase the chances of conducting a safe landing at the diversion aerodrome.”<br/>
Hydrogen technology startup Electric Hydrogen (EH2) was valued at $1b after a financing round, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Earlier on Tuesday, the company said it had raised $380m in an oversubscribed series C financing round led by Fortescue, Fifth Wall and Energy Impact Partners. The round also included investors BP Ventures, Oman Investment Authority, Temasek, Microsoft's Climate Innovation Fund and the United Airlines' Sustainable Flight Fund. EH2 has raised over $600m since it was founded in 2020, with investments from major heavyweights including Amazon and Honeywell. Green hydrogen is touted as the clean-energy alternative to existing fossil fuels, and top corporates across the world are investing millions in an attempt to decarbonize their operations, fleets and factories. "We're here to replace natural gas and coal with renewable green hydrogen. To address the global climate challenge, we need new technologies that help critical industries reduce their emissions," EH2 CEO and co-founder Raffi Garabedian said.<br/>
Houston-based e-fuel producer HIF Global and Japanese oil refiner Eneos Holdingswill explore cooperating on e-fuels production and distribution, the companies said, in HIF's second such deal in the Japanese market. E-fuels producers such as HIF are betting on e-gasoline as a low-carbon bridge fuel for internal combustion cars, and are also looking to develop similar e-fuels for aviation and other hard-to-electrify industries. Many global airlines, for example, are counting on such products to decarbonise their flights.HIF intends to supply Eneos with carbon-neutral e-fuels produced in the United States, Chile and Australia, the companies said in a statement. They have not yet signed a contract. HIF Executive Director Meg Gentle told Reuters the focus of talks was for HIF-made e-gasoline, which Eneos can distribute in Japan. Also under consideration is using HIF-produced e-methanol in Japan as marine fuel, with Eneos further processing the e-fuel at its refinery in Japan to make e‐gasoline and carbon neutral aviation fuel, Gentle said. Markets around the world are shifting to electric vehicles, with some such as China making a rapid shift as governments mandate sales of EVs to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. But existing gasoline-powered vehicles, including hybrids from companies such as Toyota and Ford, will likely be on the road for several decades to come. That requires a different solution to make transport carbon-neutral.<br/>
Boeing plans to push production of its bestselling 737 narrowbody jet to a record of at least 57 per month by July 2025, reflecting rising orders and the company's recovery after the 737 MAX crisis, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter. The goal would hit the planemaker's unmet target from several years ago, which was scuttled in 2019 when the MAX was grounded globally following two deadly plane crashes. Both Boeing and its European rival Airbus have laid out ambitious ramp-up goals as air travel and aircraft sales rebound, with Airbus producing in-demand single aisle planes even faster than the US planemaker. Boeing laid out the plan in the latest version of its master schedule for suppliers, which was reaffirmed by the planemaker in mid-September, the sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity because the document is not public. Boeing declined to comment. The schedule targets 737 production to reach 42 jets a month by December 2023, affirming statements made by Boeing Commercial Airplanes head Stan Deal to Bloomberg TV in June. From there, monthly 737 production - which includes the 737 MAX as well as earlier models used for military planes - is set to grow to 47.2 jets in June 2024 and 52.5 jets in December 2024 before hitting a steady rate of 57.7 aircraft per month in July 2025.<br/>