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The Biden administration announced on Thursday that it was proposing new regulations for how airlines must treat passengers in wheelchairs, an effort aimed at improving air travel for people with disabilities. Under the proposal, damaging or delaying the return of a wheelchair would be an automatic violation of an existing federal law that bars airlines from discriminating against people with disabilities. The Transportation Department said that change would make it easier for the agency to penalize airlines for mishandling wheelchairs. The proposed regulations would also require more robust training for workers who physically assist disabled passengers or handle their wheelchairs. “There are millions of Americans with disabilities who do not travel by plane because of inadequate airline practices and inadequate government regulation, but now we are setting out to change that,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “This new rule would change the way airlines operate to ensure that travelers using wheelchairs can travel safely and with dignity.” For people in wheelchairs, flying can be difficult and uncomfortable, and airline mishaps can make for an even more agonizing experience. More than 11,000 wheelchairs and scooters were mishandled by airlines last year, according to data reported to the Transportation Department. The proposed regulations add to earlier moves by the Biden administration intended to improve the flying experience for disabled travelers. In 2022, the Transportation Department published a bill of rights for airline passengers with disabilities. Last year, the agency finalized new regulations to require more commercial aircraft to have accessible bathrooms. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a former Army helicopter pilot who uses a wheelchair after losing both her legs in the Iraq war, noted that airlines had previously fought unsuccessfully against a rule that requires them to disclose the number of wheelchairs and scooters they mishandle. Ms. Duckworth said that since airlines began reporting those numbers several years ago, she had noticed improvements at airports around the country.<br/>

European Union countries are negotiating exemptions for a proposed EU-wide tax on polluting aviation fuel for islands, in a move that could benefit countries such as Ireland, Cyprus, Malta, Spain and Greece, a draft document showed.<br/>The European Commission proposed an overhaul of energy tax rules in 2021 to make them more climate-friendly, including by gradually introducing taxes on fuels for flights within the 27-nation bloc, which currently escape EU-wide levies. A compromise proposal, seen by Reuters and drafted by Belgium which holds the EU's rotating presidency, showed countries are now negotiating softer rules for islands - both island nations and countries including island territories - reliant on aviation and shipping for transport and trade. The draft compromise would exempt islands from the jet fuel tax until 2032. For other countries, a minimum EU tax rate would apply from 2028, and gradually increase, while EU member states would also have the option to introduce their own national levies immediately after the policy is adopted. The changes aim to win support from island nations that have expressed concerns the policy would hit their economies particularly hard. Islands would also receive some exemptions from EU minimum tax rates on shipping, under the draft compromise. Changing EU tax policy is fiendishly difficult because it requires unanimous approval from all EU countries - meaning any one government can block it. Exempting islands could, however, hamper the policy's ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.<br/>

A little more than 10 years ago, in October 2013, a Wizz Air A320 arriving from Budapest made headlines by becoming the first commercial passenger flight ever to touch down at Al Maktoum International Airport, also known as Dubai World Central (DWC). This brand new “greenfield” airport some 20 miles southwest of downtown Dubai was designed to become, in a not-so-distant future, the world’s largest and busiest. The vision was – and still is – for a futuristic mega-hub, ensuring that the emirate’s role as a major node of the global economy doesn’t run into capacity problems anytime soon. Dubai Airports, the airport authority that manages both Dubai International (DXB) and the new airport, promises that when Al Maktoum International is finished, it‘ll be able to handle more than 160m passengers per year as well as 12m tonnes of freight. To put that in perspective, that’s nearly 63m more travelers than the world’s current busiest airport, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International, handled in 2022 and nearly 100m more than Dubai International. DXB, let’s not forget, is already the world’s busiest airport outside of the US and Dubai’s main international gateway. However, a decade and a pandemic after that initial passenger flight, and a full 13 years since it first opened for cargo operations, Dubai’s newest airport is still very much a work in progress. DWC has found a role as a center for aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul – “MRO” in industry parlance. It also hosts a number of air cargo operators (including Emirates Cargo, the freight subsidiary of the UAE flag carrier) and handles executive jets and some charter flights. Scheduled passenger services, however, are limited to those provided by a handful of low-cost carriers that operate services mostly to Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia. Story goes into details.<br/>

Asia-Pacific airlines had a good start of the year in January, with international passenger and cargo businesses improving year on year. Airlines in the region carried 27m international passengers in January, up 49.4% year on year, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. “The year started on a positive note for Asia Pacific airlines, as both international air passenger and cargo markets saw robust growth, supported by the timing of the Lunar New Year festive period,” says AAPA director general Subhas Menon. “Travel demand was boosted by a rise in leisure travellers, while cargo markets benefitted from heightened demand for air shipments ahead of the festive period.” International RPKs jumped 48.3% year on year, as ASKs rose 51.3%. Load factors dropped 1.6 percentage points to 79.9%. International FTKs rose 22.5% as FATKs rose 25.8%, with freight load factors falling 1.6 percentage points to 57.5%. “The upcoming year looks broadly positive for Asian carriers, given the renewed optimism on the global economic outlook,” says Menon. “However, as capacity restoration progresses, airlines face intensifying competition. In addition, the cost environment remains challenging, as inflationary pressures continue to be felt amid ongoing supply chain issues. Nevertheless, airlines remain pro-active in seeking new growth opportunities, while maintaining the highest safety and customer service standards.”<br/>

Hong Kong international airport’s (HKIA) Three-Runway System is expected to be commissioned by the end of the year, allowing the airport to tap into what it calls “a new aviation hinterland”. Announcing his government’s annual budget, Hong Kong financial secretary Paul Chan says countries that are part of Chinese supreme leader Xi Jinping’s ‘Belt-and-Road’ global infrastructure investment initiative will be a key focus in the near-term, with HKIA looking into “strengthening aviation services between Hong Kong and related countries”. HKIA’s Three-Runway System expansion project comprises the construction of a third runway, as well as a second passenger terminal. Chan, speaking on 28 February, underscores Hong Kong’s importance as an aviation hub, especially for the Greater Bay Area (short for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area). “[Our] vision is to transform HKIA into an Airport City integrating commerce, conventions and exhibitions, tourism, lifestyle, logistics and more, shaping it into a world-class landmark,” says Chan. HKIA will look into opportunities in the Greater Bay Area for cargo and logistics. For instance, Hong Kong is working to develop a sea-air intermodel cargo shipment mode with the Chinese city of Dongguan, where the HKIA Logistics Park is sited. <br/>