The federal government says it will host a summit on air accessibility in May amid what it calls "completely unacceptable" barriers to Canadians living with disabilities. Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez says airlines have failed to meet the treatment standards that passengers with disabilities deserve, calling for more responsibility from the aviation sector. Multiple incidents have surfaced at Canadian airlines over the past year, including when a B.C. man with spastic cerebral palsy was forced to drag himself off of an Air Canada plane in Las Vegas. David Lepofsky, visiting research professor of disability rights at Western University, says the time for "chit-chat" has long passed and that tougher rules and enforcement are needed to ensure a dignified travel experience for all passengers. He and other advocates argue that loopholes persist after legislative reforms in 2019, and that regulators remain reluctant to levy fines big enough to deter breaches. The government says the accessibility summit on May 9 aims to convene representatives from industry and disability communities to discuss problems and pinpoint solutions.<br/>
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Brazil and Argentina have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing an open skies policy in the air market between both countries, which will end weekly limits on scheduled passenger flights and allow seventh freedom cargo operations. Through the policy, which Brazil’s civil aviation authority (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil - ANAC) and its Argentine counterpart (Administración Nacional de Aviación Civil - ANAC) approved on March 13, carriers from both countries will be able to freely determine the number of flights they intend to offer, Brazil’s ANAC said in a statement. Until now, airlines have been constrained to a maximum number of 170 weekly flights. The ch-aviation schedules module shows that Aerolíneas Argentinas, Flybondi, GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, LATAM Airlines Brasil, Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras, and JetSMART operate regular scheduled services between both countries. Additionally, several non-Argentinian/Brazilian carriers operate fifth-freedom flights: Air Canada, British Airways, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss, and Turkish Airlines. The MOU also allows cargo airlines from both countries to operate freighter services without requiring them to start or end in the company’s country of origin. Brazil has been negotiating similar seventh freedom cargo rights with other Latin American countries such as Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.<br/>
The boss of easyJet airline has led an aviation industry call for the UK government to put more public money into helping hydrogen-powered passenger planes get off the ground. The low-cost airline on Monday joined an alliance of companies including Rolls-Royce, Airbus and GKN Aerospace in urging ministers to help fund the development of the nascent technology, which offers the possibility of flying with zero emissions in the coming decades but is commercially unproven. Johan Lundgren, easyJet’s CE, said the UK had a “leading” hydrogen sector, but needed to improve its record in scaling up promising start-up technologies. “We need to do something that the UK has not always had a good track record for — turning our innovative and exciting research and development into a long-term productive industrial sector,” he said. The aerospace companies published a report on Monday acknowledging that the UK government had supported the sector through initiatives such as the Aerospace Technology Institute, the body that allocates state funding for innovation in civil aviation, but that significantly more help was needed. “We need the conditions to be right. The right government policy, standards and regulations,” said Russ Dunn, chief technical officer of GKN Aerospace. EasyJet and its long-term aircraft manufacturer Airbus have argued that hydrogen will be an important part of the aviation industry’s pledge to reach net zero by 2050, even as other airlines and Boeing have appeared more circumspect. Airbus plans to have a zero-emissions hydrogen-powered plane ready for service by 2035 and is exploring four different concepts based on either hydrogen combustion or hydrogen fuel cell technology. Matt Finch, UK policy manager at environmental NGO Transport & Environment, which is not part of the hydrogen alliance, said that while technical problems were being overcome, there were still “massive hurdles”, including around the supply of hydrogen to airports, as well as the certification of hydrogen-powered aircraft.<br/>
In January, more than 100 people gathered at an airplane hangar in California to watch NASA unveil its X-59 demonstrator jet — a futuristic aircraft designed to travel faster than the speed of sound that has helped revive excitement for supersonic travel. There hasn’t been a commercial supersonic passenger jet since the Concorde stopped flying in 2003. Since then, supersonic jets — which travel faster than the speed of sound — have been used primarily by the military. But the space agency’s unveiling of the X-59, designed and built in partnership with Lockheed Martin, comes as a growing number of private companies are vying to bring back supersonic travel for the commercial market. Boom, Exosonic and Spike are among the companies promising modern supersonic travel that will be quieter, greener and more affordable than in the past. And at least one company — Hermeus — is exploring hypersonic flights, which would whisk passengers from New York to London in 90 minutes. But there are questions about whether these companies can make good on their claims given the economics of air travel and growing concerns about the impact of commercial aviation on the environment. Story lists five things to know about the effort to revive supersonic travel.<br/>
Brazilian planemaker Embraer's estimate for 2024 aircraft deliveries could be higher if it were not for supply chain issues, CEO Francisco Gomes Neto said on Monday. The world's third-largest planemaker behind Boeing and Airbus estimated it would deliver between 125 and 135 executive jets this year, compared with 115 in 2023. Deliveries from its commercial aviation segment are expected to be between 72 and 80 planes, up from 64 aircraft it delivered last year. "Both deliveries in the executive and commercial could be higher if we had more parts from the market," the CEO said in a call with analysts. The executive said that despite improvements in supply chain constraints in 2023 that should continue into this year, Embraer's deliveries forecast was made based on conservative commitments from its suppliers. "But even then, we are already seeing some delays at the beginning of the year that are bringing some challenges in our production flow," Gomes Neto added. It also forecast a growth of up to 21.5% in annual consolidated revenue to a range of $6.0b to $6.4b. Free cash flow for the year should be at least $220m, an estimate that CFO Antonio Garcia said could be seen as "conservative". When the company has more visibility regarding free cash flow, the guidance will be updated, he said. In 2023, its yearly revenue was $5.27b, within its estimated range of $5.2b to $5.7b.<br/>
The first flying taxi could take off in the UK by 2026 and become a regular sight in our skies two years later, if a government announcement goes to plan. The Future of Flight action plan, developed with the aerospace industry, also says drones and other flying vehicles will become more autonomous. It predicts that the first pilotless flying taxi will take off in 2030. But experts say hurdles such as infrastructure and public acceptance need to be overcome first. There are a number of different models, but most flying taxis look like a futuristic helicopter and can usually carry about five people. They are part of a family of vehicles called "eVTOLs" - which stands for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. The technology for them exists now, but it is likely that the aircraft will start off as exclusive modes of transport - replacing expensive journeys currently done by helicopters. The Department for Transport also plans to allow drones to fly beyond visual line of sight - meaning the person controlling the drone cannot see it in the air. Some of the uses of unmanned drones include transporting medical supplies, delivering post in rural areas and tracking down criminals on the run. Their use is still in early stages, but the plan suggests drone deliveries would be commonplace by 2027.<br/>