A meeting of more than 100 countries on Friday agreed to an interim goal for emissions reductions from global aviation by 2030 by using less-polluting fuels, but China, Russia and some others aired concerns about the impact on their economies. The goal, which came after five days of U.N.-led talks in Dubai, called for 5% lower carbon emissions through the use of cleaner energies like SAF by 2030, the ICAO said. An earlier draft had a target of 5-8%. The United States told the closing session of the meeting, which was held ahead of next week's COP28 climate summit, that the goal sent a "clear and positive signal" to the financial community, which must invest in new clean energy projects. Aviation accounts for an estimated 2-3% of global carbon emissions. SAF is key toward reducing those emissions, but it is costly and amounts to less than 1% of total global jet fuel. Mauricio Ramirez Koppel, ICAO representative from Colombia, which is looking to produce SAF from materials like palm oil, said the 5% target "will kick-start and speed up SAF projects" by providing investors a clear objective. "Now it is up to the finance community and energy sector to support the necessary infrastructure and start delivering SAF in ever increasing quantities,” said Haldane Dodd, executive director of the Air Transport Action Group, which represents airframe and engine makers, among others. Aviation is not directly covered by the Paris Agreement on combating climate change, but the air transport sector has previously pledged to align itself with global goals by setting an "aspirational" target of net zero emissions by 2050. By bringing together broadly the same countries that are involved in COP28, analysts have said that this week's aviation talks offered an early glimpse of the scope for further cooperation.<br/>
general
Amsterdam's Schiphol airport said on Sunday it had appointed Pieter van Oord as its new CEO for a four-year period from June 1, 2024. Van Oord, who has managed international maritime contractor Royal Van Oord since 2008, will succeed Ruud Sondag, who has been interim CEO since Nov. 1, 2022 and will remain in office until March 1, 2024, Schiphol said. CFO Robert Carsouw will be interim CEO from March 1 to June 1.<br/>
A Virgin Atlantic flight will set off on Tuesday from London Heathrow for New York, a Boeing 787 shorn of paying passengers but with a payload of scientists, aviation leaders, politicians and media, and powered largely by used cooking oil – or as it is now better known, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The UK government and aviation industry hope the transatlantic journey, funded with GBP1m of taxpayer’s money, will demonstrate that greener flying is possible and its 2050 “jet zero” aspirations are more than hot air. However, is the trip – as claims the transport secretary, Mark Harper, who himself is preparing to strap – a historic moment paving the way to change the future of flight? Or as others argue, a one-off stunt that the airline industry will struggle to emulate – and worse, one that convinces the public they can fly without environmental damage? Undoubtedly, the test flight demonstrates that the dial has turned on what is technically possible: the creation and use of a full tank of alternative fuel, synthesised from captured carbon and recycled oil. According to the producers, the carbon footprint of the flight is about 70% below that of conventional jet fuel, in a “lifecycle” analysis. The aviation industry now believes SAFs are the single biggest tool for bringing net carbon emissions down to zero – in its roadmap to 2050 that still allows for substantial growth in flying. That alarms environmental campaigners, who are sceptical about the merits of the fuels and have expressed disquiet over the language used by the government about the flight. Announcing GBP53m this month to fund nine UK projects to create SAF in different ways, from burning waste to converting CO2 and green hydrogen, the Department for Transport declared it a “milestone marker” ahead of the 100% SAF flight “making guilt-free flying a reality”. Even more hyperbolic – and plain wrong – according to Cait Hewitt, the policy director at the Aviation Environment Federation (AEF), was the assertion that passengers were now a “step closer to flying without CO2 emissions”. Not even the airline would dream of that: a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson confirmed that the CO2 emissions out of the back of the plane on Tuesday would be identical, although it claims the “net” emissions – calculated by the carbon saved in recycling oil – to be 70% less. Story has more.<br/>
Hotspot holiday destination Portugal is going to be a little more difficult to get to next year as one airline makes significant flight cuts. Low-cost carrier Ryanair has announced it is scrapping services to many popular cities in summer 2024 due to ‘increased airport charges’. It may also stop flying to one much-loved island altogether. The move will mean flights are likely to go up in price, but there’s good news if you fancy getting to Portugal by train instead. Ryanair will reduce its services from the UK to various destinations in Portugal next summer including Faro and Porto. The number of aircraft based in the archipelago Madeira will be halved, and the budget airline has warned that it may close its base there completely as it has done with Ponta Delgada in the Azores. Company boss Michael O’Leary criticised the new charges introduced by ANA Aeroportos de Portugal, which manages 10 hubs across the country. “Unfortunately, we are here to announce cuts, because we have recently been victims of the ANA/Vinci monopoly, which has extraordinarily increased airport charges for next year,” he said. O’Leary cited this as the reason for closing the Ponta Delgada base this winter. “If ANA continues with these latest monopoly price increases to 2024, then Ryanair intends to downsize one of its two Madeira-based planes and significantly reduce our schedules to/from Faro and Porto for summer 2024,” he continued. Airport fees across the country are set to increase by an average of 14.6% in 2024, working out to roughly E1.60 per passenger per flight. “The ANA monopoly should follow the example of other major European airports, especially in Spain, and freeze or reduce fees to help stimulate traffic and tourism recovery in Portugal post-COVID,” O’Leary said. “Instead, ANA is harming Portugal’s competitiveness with this excessive and unjustified 17% increase in fares, which will crowd out much-needed tourism growth, especially on the islands of Madeira and the Azores.”<br/>
Sierra Leone's civil aviation authority on Sunday urged airlines reschedule flights after a nationwide curfew imposed by the government in response to an attack on a military barracks by unidentified gunmen. The aviation authority said in a statement that passengers should be placed on the next available flights after the curfew is lifted. It added that the country's airspace remains open.<br/>
Russia has lost 76 passenger planes because of Western sanctions imposed on its aviation industry after its full-scale aggressive war on Ukraine, propaganda outlet Kommersant reported, citing Russian Transport Minister Vitaliy Saveliev, who is himself under US sanctions. "The decision to seize the planes took us by surprise. We have lost a total of 76 passenger planes." The United States and the European Union banned the supply of aircraft and components to Russia, and also obliged lessors to return leased aircraft, which make up as much as 40% of the Russian fleet, Bloomberg wrote earlier. A number of Russian aircraft have been seized. Russia's largest leasing company, GTLK, abandoned on Nov. 16 its summer plans to raise lease rates by 30% for 37 aircraft owned by its subsidiary, GTLK Europe. Most are reportedly operated by Aeroflot and Rossiya, as well as S7, Aurora, and Yamal airlines. The Russian Transport Ministry had to intervene to reach the "compromise". The European Union has proposed a ban on the export of machine tools and machine parts used by Russia to manufacture weapons for its war against Ukraine as part of its 12th package of sanctions against Russia, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 15, citing an EU document. Previous reports suggested that the 12th round of sanctions could impact $5.3b worth of EU trade with Russia. Story has more.<br/>
Israeli air strikes put Damascus airport out of service on Sunday, forcing incoming flights to be diverted elsewhere, the Syrian army and a pro-government newspaper said. Israel has for years carried out strikes against what it has described as Iranian-linked targets in Syria, including against Aleppo and Damascus airports. The Syrian army said in a statement its air defences intercepted Israeli missiles flying from the Golan Heights. It said the Israeli strikes, which also targeted outposts in the Damascus countryside, led only to material losses but did not elaborate on the extent of damage to the country's biggest civilian airport.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Flights scheduled to arrive in Damascus were being diverted to Latakia and Aleppo, Al Watan newspaper said.<br/>
China will temporarily exempt citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia from needing visas to visit the world's second-largest economy in a bid to give a boost to post-pandemic tourism. From Dec. 1 to Nov. 30 next year, citizens of those countries entering China for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, or transiting for no more than 15 days, will not need a visa, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday. China has been taking steps in recent months - including restoring international flight routes - to revive its tourism sector following three years of strict COVID-19 measures that largely shut its borders to the outside world. The government is also looking to re-establish its image around the world after clashing with many Western countries on various issues including COVID, human rights, Taiwan and trade. A recent Pew Research Center survey in 24 countries revealed that views of China were broadly negative, with 67% of adults expressing unfavourable views. More than half of the respondents said China interfered in the affairs of other countries and did not take into account the interests of others. "This decision will facilitate travel to China for many German citizens to an unprecedented extent," Germany's ambassador to China, Patricia Flor, said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.<br/>
India will start blending compressed biogas with natural gas to boost domestic demand and cut reliance on natural gas imports, the government said in a statement on Saturday. The mandatory phased introduction will start at 1% for use in automobiles and households from April 2025, it said. The share of mandatory blending will then be increased to around 5% by 2028. India, which is one of the world's largest importers of oil and gas, ships in about half of its overall gas consumption and wants to cut its imports cost.<br/>The government also aims to have 1% SAF in aircraft turbine fuel by 2027, doubling to 2% in 2028. The SAF targets will initially apply to international flights, the statement said. The steps are aimed at helping India achieve net zero emissions targets by 2070.<br/>
It's been 20 years since the last iconic Concorde plane flew over Bristol's skies, returning to its home city. Crowds gathered to watch the aircraft's piercing flight, with the plane's unmistakeable nose drooping as it came into land. Concorde meant so much to so many people, the engineers and designers who worked to create a plane that could go supersonic, the captains and air stewards who spent countless hours on board and not to mention the thousands of passengers who drank sparkling champagne while soaring through the skies. The aircraft's first commercial flight was on 21 January 1976 and its last was on 26 November 2003. To mark the anniversary, the last ever plane to take flight will turn its nose up and down later in a specially-built hanger in Bristol. One so-called nose droop had been due to take place at 11:30 GMT and another at 13:07 - the last moment it landed 20 years ago. Special guests will then have a lunch to share their memories of the ground-breaking plane. On 25 July 2000, Air France Flight 4590 crashed shortly after take-off with all 109 occupants and four on the ground killed. This was the only fatal incident involving Concorde. Investigators later found one of the Concorde's tyres struck a small piece of sheet metal that had fallen from an aircraft that had taken off five minutes earlier. Commercial operations never fully recovered from publicity after the crash, and concerns over pollution and ground noise contributed to the joint Franco-British decision to cease Concorde flights in 2003.<br/>