Flights at the Greek airport of Heraklion on the island of Crete will be suspended for six days from Feb. 19 due to maintenance work, the country's civil aviation authority said on Friday. Heraklion airport is one of two serving domestic and foreign flights on Crete, a popular tourist destination in the Mediterranean Sea. The airport's two runways will be off service from 0830 GMT on Feb. 19 to 1300 GMT on Feb. 24 for tarmac maintenance, the Greek civil aviation authority said. Only emergency helicopter flights for the transport of patients will be allowed over that period, it added.<br/>
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The number of passengers flying through Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel, surged last year beyond its total for 2019 — just before the coronavirus pandemic grounded global aviation. While still shy of its all-time high in 2018, the figures for 2023 showed just how far the airport known as DXB has bounced back from the pandemic. The number of passengers passing through its cavernous, air-conditioned terminals, home to the long-haul carrier Emirates in Dubai, long has served as a barometer for the aviation industry worldwide and the wider economic health of this city-state. Overall in 2023, the airport had 86.9m passengers. The airport's 2019’s annual traffic was 86.3m passengers. The airport had 89.1m passengers in 2018 — its busiest-ever year before the pandemic, while 66m passengers passed through in 2022. Paul Griffiths, the CEO of Dubai Airports, made the announcement Monday on state-owned radio station Dubai Eye. Passenger traffic largely has been driven by the airport’s standard travel destinations — India, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and Pakistan. Russia has also been a major market as Dubai remains one of the few places still open to Russians during Moscow’s war on Ukraine. Dubai was among the first cities to reopen to tourists in the pandemic. That helped boost the city-state’s tourism industry, as attractions like the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, and the sail-shaped Burj Al-Arab luxury hotel drew both visitors and transit passengers out of airport lounges. Earlier in February, Dubai announced its best-ever tourism numbers, saying it hosted 17.15m international overnight visitors in 2023. Average hotel occupancy stood around 77%. Meanwhile, its boom-and-bust real estate market remains on a hot streak, nearing all-time high valuations.<br/>
Korea's air passenger traffic shot up 57% on-year in January on the back of the strong demand for routes connecting to China, data showed Sunday. The number of international travelers to and from Korea reached 7.28m, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. It represents around 91% of the figure tallied in January 2019, indicating international travel has nearly recovered to the pre-pandemic level. By destination, the number of travelers on routes connecting to China reached around 873,000, marking an increase of more than eightfold from the 104,000 tallied a year earlier. This also marks the first time that the monthly figure has surpassed 870,000 since August of last year, when China announced the resumption of group tours to Korea. In the wake of the rising demand for travel to China, Korean Air, the country's flagship carrier, plans to resume routes to Zhangjiajie in April.<br/>
Singapore plans to require all flights departing the country to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from 2026, its transport minister said on Monday, as the city-state joins the global aviation industry's efforts to switch to greener fuel. Under the plan, announced by Chee Hong Tat at the Changi Aviation Summit on the eve of the Singapore Airshow, the country aims for a 1% SAF target from 2026 and plans to raise it to 3-5% by 2030, subject to global developments and the wider availability and adoption of SAF. "The use of SAF is a critical pathway for the decarbonisation of aviation and is expected to contribute around 65% of the carbon emission reduction needed to achieve net zero by 2050," the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), which developed the plan in consultation with industry and other stakeholders, said in a statement. SAF can be made either through a synthetic processes or from biological materials, like used cooking oil or wood chips. SAF currently accounts for 0.2% of the jet fuel market. The aviation industry says this will rise to 65% by 2050 as part of a plan to reach "net zero" emissions by then, though that will require an estimated $1.45t to $3.2t of capital spending. SAF producers complain that they lack certainty about whether fuel they produce will be bought, while airlines say there is not enough supply at the right price. SAF currently costs up to five times more than traditional jet fuel. CAAS plans to introduce a SAF levy for the purchase of SAF to provide cost certainty to airlines and travellers, it said. The levy will be set at a fixed quantum, based on the SAF target and projected SAF price at that point in time. It will vary based on factors such as distance travelled and class of travel. For example, the levy to support a 1% SAF uplift in 2026 could increase ticket price for an economy class passenger on a direct flight from Singapore to Bangkok, Tokyo and London by an estimated amount of around S$3 ($2.23), S$6 and S$16 respectively.<br/>
The head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Monday said supply chain issues that are posing a challenge to the global aviation industry are likely to continue for a few more years. Speaking at the Changi Aviation Summit on the eve of the Singapore Airshow, Willie Walsh said the global airline industry is estimated to grow 3.3% a year over the next 20 years, with the Asia-Pacific region likely to lead that growth at 4.5% a year over that period. Walsh also said the airline industry needs to see greater production of sustainable aviation fuel, and governments need to provide incentives towards this. <br/>
China is gearing up to showcase its narrow-body passenger jet to a global audience for the first time at the Singapore Airshow. Touted as a competitor to Boeing’s 737 and the Airbus 320, the Comac C919 is quickly turning out to be one of the most anticipated features at this year’s event. The commercial aircraft was developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or Comac, and certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in September 2022. “Flying for the first time at the Singapore Airshow, is the C919, a narrow-body airliner developed by Chinese aircraft manufacturer Comac,” Singapore Airshow organizer and manager Experia Events said. The air show, held from Feb. 20 to 25 this year, is typically attended by tens of thousands, including military delegations and aviation enthusiasts, and will be open to the public. Aerospace and aviation industry bellwethers including Airbus, Boeing, Comac and defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Dassault, SAAB, Leonardo, Thales are among those participating at this year’s event. “Generally what to look for is a focus on China with the C919 making its international debut. The Singapore Airshow is a fantastic opportunity for Comac particularly given the current situation with Boeing,” Brendan Sobie of Sobie Aviation told CNBC. Sobie noted that this year’s air show could be significant as it can be seen as “a symbol of Asia’s recovery.” The Singapore Airshow will feature the largest number of foreign flying teams this year, according to organizer Experia. The first edition of the exhibition, one of Asia’s biggest aerospace events, was first held in 2008. The Indian Air Force’s Sarang aerial display team, which flies modified helicopters, will be performing aerial acrobatics. Others include the Royal Australian Air Force’s Roulettes, the Indonesian Air Force’s Jupiter and the Republic of Korea Air Force’s Black Eagles. The United States Air Force’s B-52 Stratofortress will make a flypast on Feb. 22, according to the organizer.<br/>
The Singapore Aviation Academy, the training arm of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), will undergo a $120m refresh to boost the manpower needs of the aviation sector in Singapore and beyond. Starting in April 2024, the facelift will increase the academy’s training capacity by 20% when it is completed in 2026, said CAAS. It added that the upgrade will help build the manpower capacity needed to complement the upcoming Terminal 5, which will increase Changi Airport’s handling capacity by 50m passengers when it is operational in the mid-2030s. The upgrade will include the addition of a fourth storey near the front of the building, bringing the academy’s total gross floor area of training spaces up from around 2,946 sq m, or almost two-fifths of a football field, to 3,567 sq m, or half a football field. After the upgrade, the academy will – for the first time – have new spaces open to members of the public, including a rooftop terrace, restaurant and a public events hall. The building will also house a public aviation gallery that will allow visitors to discover the nation’s aviation history and plans, added CAAS.<br/>
Traffic congestion outside the departure halls of Suvarnabhumi airport, where clusters of cars and taxis vie for parking spaces to drop off passengers, has become the norm for travellers starting their outgoing journeys from the biggest airport in the country. For arrivals, long queues at immigration checkpoints and baggage claims have become expected, as broken kiosks and lack of staff have yet to be properly fixed. In response to tourist complaints, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin made an unannounced visit to Suvarnabhumi airport earlier this month, after which he instructed authorities to shorten required procedures at the airport to 30 minutes or less for each passenger. Last month, Thailand tallied 3.03m foreign visitors, an increase from 2.1m year-on-year. Last month, Thailand tallied 3.03m foreign visitors, an increase from 2.1m year-on-year.<br/>
Airbus SE said it wants to replace its bestselling A320 family by the mid-2030s, embarking on an all-new program that seeks to replicate the success of the model that put the European manufacturer on the map three decades ago and eventually eclipsed Boeing Co.’s 737. The planemaker is engaged in two distinct projects: one for a smaller plane capable of flying about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) and powered by hydrogen, and a short- to medium-range A320 successor that will use so-called sustainable aviation fuel, CEO Guillaume Faury said at Airbus’s annual earnings conference in Toulouse. “We’re in the test phase,” Faury said. “We’re testing wings with a bigger span, with certain characteristics in terms of adaptability in the air. We’re testing the propulsion systems.” The single-aisle market is by far the most important segment of commercial aviation, accounting for the bulk of aircraft and the biggest profit contributors for Airbus and Boeing. The two manufacturers have been locked in duopoly for decades, but the balance has tilted in Airbus’s favor in recent years, hastened most recently by Boeing’s woes with its 737 Max model that competes with the A320 type. With the hydrogen-powered aircraft, Airbus plans to start at the smaller end — carrying broadly 100 passengers — then scale up depending on “success in time,” Faury said. The next important milestone is selection of the propulsion system, with final details like size and target market locked down around 2025 or 2026, with an official launch in the 2027-28 timeframe, he said. The successor to the A320 series will be a new platform and is set for entry into service in the second half of the next decade, he said. Seating capacity for those models range from about 140 to 240 people, depending on subtype and configuration. <br/>
On a recent Thursday morning in Queens, travelers streamed through the exterior doors of La Guardia Airport’s Terminal C. Some were bleary-eyed — most hefted briefcases — as they checked bags and made their way to the security screening lines. It was business as usual, until some approached a line that was almost empty. One by one, they walked to a kiosk with an iPad affixed to it and had their photos taken, as a security officer stood by. Within seconds, each passenger’s image was matched to a photo from a government database, and the traveler was ushered past security into the deeper maze of the airport. No physical ID or boarding pass required. Some travelers, despite previously opting into the program, still proffered identification, only for the officer to wave it away. This passenger screening using facial recognition software and made available to select travelers at La Guardia by Delta Air Lines and the Transportation Security Administration, is just one example of how biometric technology, which uses an individual’s unique physical identifiers, like their face or their fingerprints, promises to transform the way we fly. This year could be the “tipping point” for widespread biometrics use in air travel, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst for Atmosphere Research. Time-consuming airport rituals like security screening, leaving your luggage at bag drop and even boarding a plane may soon only require your face, “helping to reduce waiting times and stress for travelers,” Harteveldt said. In the United States, major airlines have increasingly invested in facial recognition technology as have government agencies in charge of aviation security. Overseas, a growing number of international airports are installing biometrics-enabled electronic gates and self-service kiosks at immigration and customs. The technology’s adoption could mean enhanced security and faster processing for passengers, experts say. But it also raises concerns over privacy and ethics. Story has more.<br/>
Singaporean start-up Nandina REM will begin producing aerospace-grade carbonfibre from materials reclaimed from retired aircraft, a move it believes will help cut emissions from the production process. Nandina says it is looking to “bridge the gap between unused materials from retired aircraft and the growing demand from manufacturing industries for high-quality resources”. It believes its “novel approach” to reclaiming carbonfibre “addresses the long-standing” challenge of ensuring material integrity and quality, given that, unlike metals, the composite cannot simply be melted down and reformed. “By reclaiming high-value materials from end-of-life aircraft, markets have access to new sources of ultra-low-emission, high-quality carbonfibre composites that are comparable in quality to virgin materials, and cost less,” Nandina states. It is working with Singapore public sector research agency A*Star, and is a member of the body’s Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre. Under the partnership, Nandina and A*Star will work on profiling aircraft undergoing disassembly, as well as separating materials into different “resource streams” and facilitating the recovery of high-grade fibres. “These high-quality materials will be accessible to manufacturers for a variety of products, including aircraft cabin galleys and seats. This availability enables emissions reductions from the production process, compared to virgin carbonfibre materials,” it says, claiming the process could eliminate 1 gigatonne of greenhouse gas emissions from the global supply chain by 2030. <br/>