general

European countries face a blisteringly cold start to the week as temperatures drop below -10C (14F) in parts of Scandinavia and snow grounds planes elsewhere in the region. Norway, Sweden and Finland are being hit by deep sub-zero temperatures that are expected to remain for at least another week, according to forecaster Maxar Technologies Inc. Meanwhile, rain, sleet and snow are expected across much of Britain and France. The UK’s Met Office has implemented a yellow warning for rain in the southwest of the country. Much of western Europe is on guard for cold snaps, snow and flash flooding, after air and train services in Germany and the Netherlands were stalled. Temperatures in Berlin are set to remain near freezing throughout the week. Oslo is forecast to reach as low as -13.5C on Monday, more than 12 degrees below average for the time of year. Wind power output, a key source of electricity in the region, has almost come to a halt, contributing a mere 4.9% of the region’s output. Sweden, normally a net exporter of power, was importing Monday from Germany and Poland to ensure that supplies meet the increase in demand. A Uniper SE oil-fired plant in the south is also on standby to generate if needed. In relief to the market, Vattenfall AB resumed output at its Ringhals-4 nuclear reactor earlier than planned. The UK was exporting electricity to Norway, a relatively rare occurrence. Across Europe, a total of 85.1 heating degree days are forecast in the next 1-5 days, well ahead of the 10-year normal of 66.8, according to Maxar. That’s a key indication of persistent below-normal temperatures.<br/>

The World Economic Forum has introduced three new measures that could cut European Union aviation emissions by two-thirds by 2050, which include sustainable aviation fuels, open fan architecture, and new propulsion systems. The same noted that replacing kerosene used to fuel aeroplanes with sustainable alternatives holds significant promise for cutting emissions from flights, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports. Aviation accounts for nearly 3% of global human-generated CO2 emissions and without action it could surge to 22% by 2050, according to aviation-industry group Energy Transitions Commission. Airlines belonging to the IATA have pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, meaning that the volume of CO2 emitted by airlines is balanced by the volume of emissions removed from the atmosphere. In addition to sustainable aviation fuels, other measures include open fan architecture new propulsion systems. The aviation industry’s sustainability agenda also consists of a reassessment of the design approach for aero engines.<br/>

Raising the existing 80:20 slot usage rates, greater transparency with slot-allocation decisions, creating a central platform for secondary slot trading and limiting the length of slot leases are among a number of topics under consideration as part of a wide-ranging UK government consultation. The UK transport ministry says it is looking at proposals for new ways to manage slot capacity and how they are allocated to airlines, under the airport slot allocation system reform consultation it has launched today. That includes a move to potentially increase the current 80-20 ‘use it or lose it’ rules, under which airlines must use at least 80% of slots allocated in each season in order to retain them for the same season the following year. ”Given the current capacity constraints… and the likelihood of these worsening without new capacity, the government believes that it is essential that the utilisation of existing capacity is fully maximised,” the transport ministry says. ”One measure by which to ensure that existing capacity is more fully utilised would be to implement a higher usage ratio.” It has included an impact of assessment on raising the slot usage ratio to 90:10 as part of the consultation, but says it has no view on what the new level should be set at. The UK is also consulting on whether slot auctioning would be an affective means of allocating new slot capacity and whether to ring-fence a portion of new slots for domestic connectivity. It is also consulting on potentially limiting the historic rights granted to an airline for some, or potentially, all new slots made available – meaning these would return to the slot pool after a period of time. In a joint forward to the consultation, UK transport and aviation ministers Mark Harper and Anthony Browne say: ”This consultation sets out proposals for reform that are aimed at making the system more efficient, transparent and dynamic. We also want to use this opportunity to future-proof the system so that if new airport capacity is created it can deliver the greatest possible benefits.”<br/>

China’s domestically manufactured Comac C919 aircraft will fly outside the mainland for the first time next week and head to Hong Kong, where it will conduct a low-altitude flyby over the city’s Victoria Harbour on Dec. 16. The C919, a single-aisle jet that has similar passenger capacity to narrowbody planes produced by Boeing and Airbus, will go on display at Hong Kong International Airport during the trip, Hong Kong CE John Lee said Tuesday. It will be joined by an ARJ-21 regional jet. Both aircraft are made by Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd., known as Comac, which is raising its profile as it seeks international customers for its flagship C919. The Shanghai-based planemaker unveiled longer and shorter versions of the plane in November. The C919 has been a long-running project, dogged by delays due to testing and production snags after Comac started development in 2008. It took until last year for it to receive official certification to fly. While the ARJ-21 also operates in Indonesia, the C919 has yet to secure an international customer. Orders from Chinese carriers have climbed above 1,000, though they will take several years to deliver. China Eastern Airlines, the first C919 customer and main buyer, placed a further order for 100 C919s in September. Airbus’s A380 was the last major new aircraft to conduct a low-altitude flyby of Victoria Harbour, in 2007.<br/>

At least four people died, factories closed and the runway of one of India's busiest airports lay submerged due to torrential rain, as two southern states were braced on Monday for the impact of a severe cyclone. Cyclone Michaung was expected to make landfall on the coast of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh around noon on Tuesday, the country's weather office said, with sustained winds of 90-100 kph, gusting to 110 kph. Four people had died in rain related incidents in neighbouring Tamil Nadu state, including two killed when a building wall collapsed, the state's disaster management minister and a top official in his department said. In Tamil Nadu capital Chennai, the state's largest city and a major electronics and manufacturing hub, cars were swept away as floodwater flowed through the streets, while its airport, one of the busiest in India, shut operations until Tuesday morning. Media showed pictures of grounded planes with their wheels submerged as the rain pelted down.<br/>

Boeing has asked the Federal Aviation Administration to exempt its long-delayed 737 Max 7 from several certification rules due to an issue involving engine anti-ice system overheating. The company, which has aimed to begin Max 7 deliveries next year, requested temporary exemptions in November as part of its effort to achieve the type’s certification, according to an FAA notice released on 4 December. Boeing is working on a permanent fix. It remains unclear how the problem might affect the Max 7’s certification timeline but the exemption request makes clear the company needs more sign offs from the FAA. “The… request is a part of the certification process. The FAA will determine when all certification requirements are met,” Boeing tells FlightGlobal. Boeing and the FAA are familiar with the overheating problem, which can affect engine barrels and cowls. Earlier this year, the FAA issued an airworthiness directive addressing the risk in Boeing’s two in-service Max models – the Max 8 and Max 9. That order prohibits some operations and specifies when pilots are to use the anti-ice system. The FAA’s 4 December notice says Boeing requested “a partial exemption from [certain rules] as they relate to the engine nacelle inlet structure and engine anti-ice system” on 737 Max 7s. Boeing seeks the exemption through May 2026. “In November, we made a request to certify the 737-7 with the same inlet design and engine anti-ice system as the in-service 737 Max fleet,” Boeing says. “Under this request, operators would continue measures that were shared with them earlier this year and mandated by the FAA in August to mitigate potential overheating in a portion of the inlet structure under a very specific combination of weather and operational conditions.”<br/>

The head of the world's second largest aircraft leasing company SMBC Aviation Capital expects a shortage of new aircraft to continue until at least 2026 and possibly beyond. Aircraft manufacturers struggled to increase production after COVID-19 lockdowns and SMBC CEO Peter Barrett said recent engine difficulties have "significantly" exacerbated that challenge, notably the latest snag to hit RTX's Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan engines. Aircraft lessors are major buyers of aircraft. SMBC, which is owned by a consortium including Japan's Sumitomo Corp and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, placed an order for 60 Airbus planes last month, bringing its fleet to close to 1,000. "Our view has been for the last 12 or 18 months that this is going to be a continuing challenge for at least a number of years, I see it going well out into '25, '26 and possibly beyond," Barrett told the Airline Economics trade publication in an interview broadcast on Monday. On GTF engine problems, he said: "We hope and believe that we know the extent of that at this stage. I think our customers are all coming to terms with what it's going to mean for them in a practical sense. It's going to make '24 and probably the early part of '25 a challenge for some of those operators". The constrained supply along with increased travel demand and higher interest rates have contributed to lease rates rising by 20%-30% in dollar terms over the last year, Barrett said. He added that airline travel would likely grow at a more modest rate in 2024 following a bumper 2023.<br/>

Aviation faces a steep climb towards a greener future. Although it has, like many other industries, committed to slashing its planet-warming pollution by 2050, it is not on track to reach its target — mainly because there are no obvious ways to do so. Although the sector currently accounts for around 2.5% of global carbon emissions, its actual climate impact is actually higher, because of the emission of other greenhouse gases and the formation of heat-trapping condensation trails created by jet engines. Meanwhile, demand for air travel is projected to steadily rise, with the global fleet of commercial airplanes doubling in size by 2042 to keep up, according to Boeing. “By the most commonly used measure – carbon emissions – air travel’s problem is that it’s not only growing, but is also very difficult to decarbonize, so it’s anticipated to be responsible for an increasing share of the budget as other industries reduce their emissions faster,” says Gary Crichlow, head of commercial analysts at consultancy firm AviationValues. “The heart of the decarbonization problem is that we haven’t yet found a non-carbon energy source that can replicate the energy density of jet fuel at the scale, cost, safety and reliability that global aviation needs.” Medium- and long-haul flights are the greatest culprits, accounting for 73% of aviation’s carbon emissions. According to the Aviation Environment Federation, UK nonprofit group that monitors aviation’s environmental impact, a return flight from London to Bangkok can produce more emissions than you’d save by following a vegan diet for a year. As the climate crisis continues, concerns about long-haul flying are starting to influence travel choices, nudging many towards less damaging trips closer to home. But it’s natural to wonder when and if a “guilt-free” long-haul flight – one that is truly sustainable – will be available.<br/>