In the spring of 2020, as the coronavirus swept over the globe, air travel disappeared. Airlines flew empty “ghost flights” to retain airport slots. Airport terminals were deserted. And the planet-warming emissions from aviation also plummeted — to less than half their 2019 levels. As the pandemic wore on, workers grew accustomed to Zoom meetings and virtual conferences; families opted to take driving trips instead of getting on cross-country flights. Some climate experts and activists wondered if the shift in transportation would have long-term effects — transforming the way Americans travel for work and vacation. But now, 3½ years on, Americans’ love of flying has fully returned. Last month, the Transportation Security Administration logged 75.5m passengers passing through airports in the United States — more than the 72m who traveled in October of 2019. The TSA expects 30m passengers to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday period alone. Globally, the International Civil Aviation Organization expects 2023’s passenger demand to outpace 2019’s by about 3%. Experts say the social norms around travel, the desire to maintain connections with distant family and friends, and the relative convenience of air travel keep Americans flying. And as aviation returns, any hope of a lasting decrease in emissions from flying is disappearing — at least until technology improves. Some aspects of flying don’t seem to have returned entirely; analysts say business travel, for example, has not fully returned to pre-pandemic levels and is unlikely to do so until next year. But traveling for vacation and other leisure activities has increased to offset the number of meetings now occurring via Zoom and other platforms. That’s similar to airline shocks of the past — after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and 2008 financial crisis, leisure travel was the first to rebound, while business travel took much longer.<br/>
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In air travel, minutes matter. A few moments could be the difference between making and missing a connection for passengers — and could avoid delays that ripple across the schedule for airlines. Saved time could even lead to big savings for carriers as they scramble to get a handle on costs. Major airlines are rolling out strategies that executives say could translate to lower costs and more efficient operations, even if the time savings on paper look negligible. Some of these tools will be put to the test during what’s expected to be a busy holiday season, a year after a meltdown that stranded thousands of passengers at the end of 2022. Many of the improvements are being made behind the scenes. American Airlines last year started using new technology to assign flight gates at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, the world’s second-busiest airport and American’s biggest hub, where it operates out of 135 regional and mainline gates. The new procedures, replacing a near-manual hours-long process, allowed the airline to avoid many of its planes crossing from the east side to the west side of the sprawling airport, saving an average of two minutes of taxi time per flight, adding up to about 11 hours saved a day, American said. The technology helped reduce taxi time by 20% and halved gate changes and conflicts, according to the carrier. “It took the nightly process of gating the airline from four hours to about 10 minutes,” said American COO David Seymour. The so-called Smart Gating program has been expanded to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Miami International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and most recently, in May, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, Seymour said, adding that the airline is considering using the technology in Phoenix as well. The gating technology in other airports aims to avoid gate congestion that could delay flights from departing or parking upon arrival. “If you try to do late-minute gate changes as planes arrive … you could get out of sync with your caterers and fuelers,” Seymour said, adding that the tools American built are tailored for each airport’s issues. In the first eight months of the year, 76.4% of American’s flights arrived within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival times, which the Transportation Department considers on time. That performance ranks American third among major U.S. carriers for on-time arrivals, an improvement from fifth place during the same time period last year.<br/>
The European Union is considering broadening the scope of proposed cybersecurity labelling rules that would affect not just Amazon (AMZN.O), Alphabet's Google and Microsoft but also banks and airlines, according to the latest draft of the rules. The EU move to set up such a system comes as Big Tech looks to the government cloud market to drive growth in the coming years while a potential boom in artificial intelligence after the viral success of OpenAI's ChatGPT could also boost demand for cloud services. The latest proposal from EU cybersecurity agency ENISA concerns an EU certification scheme which vouches for the cybersecurity of cloud services and determines how governments and companies in the bloc select a vendor for their business. The document retains key provisions contained in earlier drafts such as a requirement that U.S. tech giants set up a joint venture with an EU-based company to qualify for the EU cybersecurity label. Another provision states that cloud service must be operated and maintained from the EU, while all cloud service customer data must be stored and processed in the EU, with EU laws taking precedence over non-EU laws regarding the cloud service provider. These obligations apply to the highest security level, of which there are four. The latest draft sets out the possibility for these tough requirements to be extended to the third highest security level. EU countries are now reviewing the latest draft after which the EC will adopt a final scheme. Tech lobbying group CCIA said broadening the scope would affect a bigger swath of industries. "Perhaps the most striking part of this new draft is that ENISA now suggests the requirements that discriminate against foreign cloud providers could also be extended to lower levels of assurance," said Alexandre Roure, CCIA Europe's public policy director.<br/>
Heathrow has accused the Government of stalling on securing a greener future for aviation. The west London airport urged ministers to legislate for a scheme which will provide more financial certainty to companies which could produce sustainable aviation fuel (Saf) in the UK. In September, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced plans to introduce a revenue certainty mechanism by the end of 2026. Saf is made from sustainable sources such as agricultural waste and used cooking oil, meaning it uses 70% less carbon than traditional jet fuel. It is seen as vital to reduce the aviation industry’s carbon emissions but is currently several times more expensive to produce. Heathrow runs a scheme through which it provides Saf to airlines and covers around half of the extra cost. It announced on Thursday it will make GBP71m available to carriers through the programme in 2024, aiming for 2.5% of fuel used at the airport to be Saf, up from a target of 1.5% this year. The US has introduced a tax credit scheme to lure investors in Saf production. Under the DfT’s Saf mandate, at least 10% of the fuel used by airlines in the UK must be made from sustainable feedstocks by 2030. Without UK Saf production, airlines will rely heavily on imports to adhere to the mandate. Heathrow director of carbon Matt Gorman said: “Sustainable aviation fuels are a proven reality – they have already powered hundreds of thousands of flights and we will soon show we can fly the Atlantic fossil fuel free. Heathrow’s first of its kind incentive scheme has seen Saf use at the airport ramp up in recent years. Now, the Government needs to capitalise on this strong demand and legislate for a revenue certainty mechanism to enable a homegrown Saf industry, before it is too late for the UK to benefit from jobs, growth and energy security this would bring.”<br/>
On a typical day 1,300 planes take off and land at Heathrow Airport, and keeping that going requires around 20m litres of jet fuel every day. That's the equivalent of filling up your car around 400,000 times. It's a massive operation, with fuel piped to the airport direct from refineries and then stored at two facilities know as fuel farms. "The amount of fuel that passes through Heathrow is enormous. It's about half of the UK's jet fuel requirement," says Matt Prescott, head of carbon strategy at Heathrow. Heathrow Airport itself does not buy and sell fuel, that's down to the airlines and their suppliers. However, it does have to think about the infrastructure, allotting space for storage and pipes, and making sure the airlines and fuel firms have everything they need. "It's really about building up the sufficient capacity to ensure that the airport has that resilience built in," says Prescott. But, when it comes to fuel, airports around the world are having to have a major rethink. In the UK, under the government's Jet Zero plan, by 2040 the UK aviation industry has committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions. The US aviation industry plans to reach net zero by 2050. The European Union has a similar goal.<br/>
Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) has gained access to classified documents showing that Russia’s civil aviation sector “is on the verge of collapse” due to Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine. The obtained data includes a list of Rosaviatsia’s daily reports on incidents across Russia over the past 18 months. Analysis of the documents indicates that a number of malfunctions, especially those related to engines, landing gear, and wing mechanization, appear to be systemic, the GUR says. GUR sees the current situation as a direct result of Western sanctions, which have hit Russia’s aviation sector hard across several key areas. Aircraft and parts supply chains have been severed, leaving Russian airlines without access to new planes or replacement components needed for maintenance and repairs. US and European service providers have ended relationships with Russian carriers, cutting them off from crucial aircraft maintenance, inspections, and certification processes. Western aviation software companies refuse to update navigation databases, flight planning systems, and other critical software. Leased Russian aircraft operating internationally have been impounded abroad due to contract violations with sanctions-complying lessors. And Russian access to international meteorological aviation data that feeds navigation systems has been curtailed, posing risks to safety. Story has more.<br/>
Global aviation industry players are continuing to hire more employees in China to prepare for a period of high demand for air travel in the post-COVID-19 era. British Airways said it is doubling the size of the company's cabin crew bases in China with its biggest international recruitment drive since the pandemic. The job application process has opened for cabin crew roles in Beijing and Shanghai. As demand for travel between China and Europe grows, British Airways is looking to bolster the number of Chinese-speaking cabin crew members. The number of Mandarin-speaking crew operating flights between Chinese mainland cities and London will increase from two to four per flight, allowing for more personalized service for Chinese customers, the carrier said. "We are excited to be expanding our bases in both Beijing and Shanghai. Growing our crew bases in Beijing and Shanghai is another step forward in rebuilding the travel industry and boosting the local employment market," said Calum Laming, British Airways' chief customer officer. China's air travel market has been on a steady track of recovery since the country optimized its COVID-19 response measures late last year. In October, about 56m air passenger trips were handled, up 252% year-on-year, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Meanwhile, European aircraft manufacturer Airbus said talent acquisition is becoming one of its priorities alongside business development and steady growth in China. Airbus signed partnership agreements with the Sichuan University Pittsburgh Institute and the Civil Aviation University of China in November to impart relevant competencies and skills to young talent.<br/>
Hundreds of crowd gathered at Singapore’s Jewel Changi Airport, Thursday, staring up at the ceiling and counting down to film a spectacle with their mobile phones. As the clock hits 11 a.m., 38,000 liters of water cascaded down to the giant indoor garden from the dome-shaped roof, drawing exclamations from the audience. The monument at 40 meters tall is the world’s largest and tallest indoor waterfall HSBC Rain Vortex, one of the iconic attractions of Changi airport. Around the monument is an entertainment and retail complex, equipped with a wide range of shopping, leisure facilities and restaurants. It is the result of the airport’s eight-year-long project with a budget of $771m, aiming to create an airport economic zone. An airport economic zone refers to an airport’s surrounding area where various airport-related industries are integrated to form an industrial ecosystem for optimal synergetic effects. Under the scheme, the former taxi stand and parking area transformed into a 135,700-meter square nature-themed monumental complex, offering relaxing and entertaining airport experience to visitors. The project saw an immediate success. The Jewel attracted over 50m visitors during the first six months since opening in October 2019, surpassing the airport’s pre-pandemic annual passenger record at 68.3m from that year. The airport became a travel destination of its own, sought by both air travelers and local residents, according to the airport official. As a result, the airport was named the World’s Best Airport earlier this year in the World Airport Awards by a global world airline and airport research firm Skytrax for leisure amenities. Following the global trend, Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC), the operator of Incheon International Airport, plans to develop an airport economic zone featuring integrated resorts and entertainment complexes. Mohegan Inspire — a world class integrated resort featuring entertainment facilities, hotels and meeting convention space — is set to open to the public on Incheon’s Yeongjong Island near the airport on Nov. 30. ICT-based innovative theme park “Smart Racing Park” and a fine art piece storage facility for galleries, auctions and art fairs are also under construction. Story has more.<br/>
Chiang Mai Airport has cancelled or rescheduled 160 flights on two days next week to accommodate the annual Yi Peng Lantern Festival. Airlines asked the airport to change nighttime flight schedules on Monday and Tuesday to avoid danger from thousands of flaming lanterns that are launched to celebrate the festival. The affected flights had been scheduled to land or take off after 7pm on Monday and Tuesday, said airport deputy director Wisut Khamyod. The changes affect 47% of flights scheduled to fly to and from Chiang Mai Airport over the two days. Of the 160 flights affected, 101 have been cancelled and 59 rescheduled. The 101 cancellations comprise 77 domestic flights and 24 international flights. Those rescheduled comprise eight international and 51 domestic flights. Wisut said the airport had sought to minimise travel disruption by informing passengers in advance that the festival could bring flight changes. The ban on lighting up fireworks and releasing lanterns within 4.6km of the airport would be tightly enforced, he added. Airport security will also increase runway patrols from four times a day to 10 times a day during the festival.<br/>