general

The US FAA said Monday it would hold runway safety meetings at 16 additional airports in the coming weeks after a series of troubling close-call aviation incidents. In August, the FAA said it was holding meetings at 90 airports after the National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating seven runway incursion events since January, including some that were potentially catastrophic. The new meetings with the FAA, airlines, pilots, airport vehicle drivers and others will take place by Dec. 31. They will include Boston, Newark, Washington Reagan and the Dallas-Fort Worth airports, address unique concerns at individual airports and develop plans to mitigate or avoid risks. On Thursday, a US Senate Commerce subcommittee will hold a hearing on recent incidents that raised questions about FAA air traffic control operations. The hearing will include FAA Air Traffic Organization head Tim Arel, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy, National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Rich Santa, Air Lines Pilots Association President Jason Ambrosi and former FAA administrator Randy Babbitt. "There have been far too many close calls and near-misses on our runways," Homendy said last week. <br/>

The US CDC said on Monday it was expanding testing of samples collected from international air travelers beyond COVID-19, to include flu and respiratory synctial virus (RSV) beginning November. The agency's traveler-based genomic surveillance program, or TGS, began in 2021 to help with early detection of new SARS-CoV-2 variants. CDC conducts voluntary nasal swabbing and airport wastewater sampling as part of it. The program includes seven participating international airports across the country - Los Angeles, New York's John F. Kennedy, San Francisco, Boston Logan, Washington Dulles, Seattle and Newark. "Our focus is always on airports that are international hubs and have flights coming in from a broad array of international locations so we can get a picture of what's going on globally and detect concerning strains early," said Cindy Friedman Chief of CDC's Travelers' Health Branch. Of the 6,000 nasal swab samples collected every week under the program, about 2,000 are tested for respiratory diseases, Friedman said, adding that nasal swabs from two of seven participating airports have been tested since October. Wastewater sampling from some of the airports began in November, Friedman added without providing details of the locations. The pilot expansion, which will last for several months, comes ahead of the US winter months when respiratory-disease causing viruses usually circulate more heavily.<br/>

Brussels is probing the recent rise in air fares across Europe after airlines pushed up prices by as much as 30% over the summer, leading to bumper profits. Adina Vălean, the EU’s transport commissioner, told the Financial Times that EU officials were “looking into detail . . . of what is exactly going on in the market and why”. The EC does not have the power to regulate air fares, but Vălean’s intervention adds to pressure on airlines over the recent price rises, triggered by a travel boom and supply chain issues. She said she was seeking explanations from airlines about the rise in fares and the potential barriers to connectivity in the bloc. Average air fares across Europe were between 20-30% higher over summer 2023 compared with 2019, according to EU data released in October in response to a question in the European parliament. Vălean said she had no plans to intervene in the “functioning” aviation market but the commission needed more details of the industry dynamics that had led to the higher prices. “We are still investigating because we don’t have a full, detailed explanation,” she said, particularly on whether the fare rises were a long-term trend. Brussels is concerned that high air fares could affect the EU’s outer regions, such as islands or isolated territories that rely on aviation for connections with the rest of the bloc. “We cannot go as a regulator into micromanagement of prices or imposing that, I don’t think this is doable or desirable,” Vălean said. “On the other hand, what I as a regulator worry [about] is that a price [could] become a barrier for connectivity. “We are in a permanent conversation with the industry . . . to understand what the cause of this development is.” Vălean’s intervention adds to political pressure on airlines over rising fares.<br/>

Travelers are canceling or postponing planned vacations to the Middle East and North Africa due to fears of the Israel-Hamas conflict worsening, and as touring companies have also altered itineraries and canceled flights. Leisure travel demand to the region was hit after Israel said the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas killed 1,400 people in southern Israel on Oct. 7, and Israel responded with air and ground strikes on Gaza that Palestinian authorities say have killed more than 9,000. Major airlines extended temporary halts on flights into Israel through the end of the year while cruise operators are shifting itineraries to avoid neighboring countries as well. Travel operators say the war is affecting demand for travel to nearby nations including Egypt, Jordan and Turkey. "We are seeing clients cancel cruises like an Egypt Nile river cruise as far out as December 2024 due to concerns with the war," said Todd Elliott, CEO of Orlando, Florida-based Cruise Vacation Outlet, a travel agency.<br/>Still, some industry representatives say they expect the effect to be short-lived. "In terms of demand, based on the CEOs that I've spoken to, they're saying that they can't identify an impact at this stage," said Willie Walsh, head of the International Air Transport Association, an airlines trade group. Lufthansa said on Thursday their Middle East bookings have not been affected by the war, with only an initial dip when the conflict started.<br/>

Air Lease Corp said on Monday it had leased out two Boeing 787s in Israel, amid escalating tensions in the region due to the military conflict in the Middle East. “We continue to monitor this region very closely with all of our airline lessees,” Air Lease CEO John Plueger said. <br/>

Unseasonably cold weather and blizzards hit northeast China on Monday, forcing hundreds of flights to be rescheduled and closing schools as several cities issued heightened weather alerts and warned people to stay indoors. With snowfall of as much as 25 cm, over 90% of expressway entrances in Jilin province had been closed as of 7 p.m. (1100GMT), state television CCTV said. In the country's northernmost province Heilongjiang, the local railway operator halted 51 passenger lines over safety concerns. A gymnasium in Heilongjiang's Jiamusi city collapsed, trapping three inside, according to CCTV. State-run Jimu News said there were children at the venue at the time of the incident. It is unclear if the collapse was related to the snowfall, the report said. A rescue operation is underway. Schools, kindergartens, and off-campus training institutions in most parts of Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang, will remain suspended on Tuesday, after they were cancelled on Monday, CCTV said. China's national weather forecaster renewed its orange blizzard alert - the second highest tier of its color-coded warning system - at 6 p.m, as more snow is expected from Monday night to Tuesday in parts of Jilin and Heilongjiang. Earlier on Monday, 405 flights were cancelled at Harbin Taiping International Airport, according to data from third-party travel app Flight Master. Many flights were also cancelled in Jilin and Liaoning provinces, and in the Inner Mongolia region, Flight Master showed.<br/>

A Japanese courier plans to start a service next year that lets international tourists send their baggage ahead of them when they return home. Travelers in Osaka using the service from Airporter will not need to lug their suitcases and check them in at Kansai International Airport. Instead, they can book a pickup by 11 p.m. on the night before their departure and drop off their luggage by 9 a.m. at a designated hotel in Osaka. Airporter ships the luggage to the airline for a flight after 4 p.m. The travelers fly home and pick up their luggage at the airport. The company aims to reduce airport check-in wait times 30% by 2025, said Kunio Izumitani, Airporter's CEO. The planned service could help ease congestion at the main airport in Osaka when the city hosts the 2025 World Expo. Airporter tested the service from July to October, using Japan Airlines flights to Bangkok. The service is expected to charge $35 per piece, part of which will go toward payments for the partner hotels and delivery drivers. Airporter looks to tie up with 250 hotels in Osaka and 60% of airlines at Kansai International. A comparable service for tourists in Japan is available from Chinese logistics company SF Express. Travelers from Hong Kong or Macao can have luggage picked up from hotels and convenience stores in Japan and delivered to their homes. JAL and All Nippon Airways also offer similar services for travelers going overseas from Japan, carrying their luggage from their home or offices straight to their destination airport.<br/>

Malaysia will review conditions for granting licenses to new airlines after financial troubles forced a low-cost startup carrier to abruptly suspend its services. Conditions need to be more stringent and additional background checks should be done to ensure the “competency and financial strength” of companies applying for an air service license, the country’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke said in an interview Thursday, without going into further detail. Subang, Selangor-based MYAirline suspended operations just 10 months after it started flying, prompting authorities to halt its license while also initiating a money-laundering investigation against individuals involved with the airline. The Business Times reported Monday that MYAirline no longer has leases on its 10 Airbus SE A320 planes. MYAirline is the second Malaysian airline startup to run into trouble within months of beginning operations. In 2016, Rayani Air, a full-service carrier, lasted less than four months following technical issues, a pilot strike and a restructuring. Malaysian authorities permanently revoked its license later that year.<br/>

FedEx Corp. is encouraging pilots to seek work flying for a unit of American Airlines Group as the pandemic-era surge in demand for air cargo slows. “Given the softness in air cargo demand across the industry and current FedEx flight operations staffing levels, we shared information about this unique opportunity with our pilots,” a FedEx spokesperson said by e-mail. “Their recognition of the quality of our crew force is clear in this recruitment initiative that provides FedEx pilots an additional career path opportunity.” FreightWaves first reported on FedEx telling its pilots to seek work at an AA affiliate. The freight industry is grappling with declining package volume and a return to cheaper sea freight as pandemic-era shipping bottlenecks ease and a resumption of long-haul air travel increases capacity for goods inside the hold of passenger airliners. FedEx lowered its outlook for revenue in 2024 to no gain amid the slowdown. <br/>

Air Lease Monday cast doubt on whether planemakers Boeing and Airbus would hit their 2023 delivery targets due to quality issues at their suppliers. "Our feeling at the moment ... is that neither of the two big players will reach the target deliveries that they forecast," Air Lease Chairman Steven Udvar-Hazy said in response to an analyst question on fourth-quarter deliveries during a post-earnings call. The ongoing jet shortage has benefited lessors such as Air Lease, with the company reporting a third-quarter profit per share of $1.10, beating analysts' estimates of $1.03, according to LSEG data. Jet deliveries usually rise during November and December as planemakers rush to meet their annual target, but delays from Boeing and Airbus have left airlines scrambling to meet strong travel demand in the busiest season of the year Last month, Boeing cut the delivery forecast for its best-selling 737 jets for the year, citing quality issues at supplier Spirit AeroSystems. Its rival Airbus has set a delivery target of 720 commercial jets this year. Reuters reported earlier on Monday that the European planemaker handed over 55 aircraft in September, bringing total deliveries so far this year to 559 units. "On the Airbus side, the situation with engine suppliers in Pratt & Whitney is not enabling Airbus to meet their fourth-quarter targets," Air Lease's Udvar-Hazy said. "A lot of engines are being diverted as spare engines to keep airlines flying."<br/>

Embraer swung to profitability in the third quarter of 2023 and still expects to meet its full-year delivery and financial expectations despite a still-struggling supply chain. “We know we have a challenge ahead in terms of deliveries. Therefore, we can expect an intense Q4, mainly due to supply chain constraints,” the Brazilian manufacturer’s CE Francisco Gomes Neto said on 6 November. His comments came as Embraer reported earning a $64.3m profit in the third quarter, reversing a $41.4m loss in the same period last year. The company attributes the improvement largely to a bump in aircraft deliveries. Its commercial aviation division delivered 15 aircraft in the third quarter, up from 10 in the same period of 2022, and generated $425m in revenue, up 68% year on year. Embraer delivered 28 business jets last quarter, up from 23 in the third quarter of 2022, and brought in $340m in revenue, up 25% in one year. The company also logged a 24% jump in service revenue and a 40% bump in defence revenue, year on year. “This quarter was marked by an excellent sales momentum and double-digit revenue growth in all business units,” says Gomes Neto. Executives say their 2023 predictions remain unchanged, though Gomes Neto predicts the company’s aircraft-delivery total will come in at the lower end of its guidance. Embraer has said it expects in 2023 to deliver 65-70 commercial aircraft and 120-130 business jets, to generate $5.2-5.7b in revenue and to post a 6.4-7.4% operating profit margin. The company has a way to go. Embraer generated $3.3b in revenue in the first three quarters of 2023 and delivered 39 commercial aircraft and 66 business jets.<br/>