Global airlines changed flight routes over Iran, canceled some flights, diverted others to alternate airports or returned planes to the points of departure on Friday, as Israel's reported attack on Iran lead to airspace and airport closures and security concerns. Airlines have been facing disruptions to flights this week, after Iran's missile and drone attacks on Israel last week further narrowed options for planes navigating between Europe and Asia. While Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon reopened their airspaces on Sunday, some routes continue to be affected. Story features latest updates from airlines.<br/>
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US airlines have enjoyed a travel boom for the past three years, but until this past quarter, big-spending corporate travelers had been largely missing. Those customers are now back in full force, boosting profits for carriers in what is normally a weak quarter for results. The US airlines that have so far released results - including Delta, United and Alaska Air - all reported a sharp rebound in flying for business purposes. On Thursday, Alaska Air said increased spending by technology companies like Amazon.com and Microsoft in the March quarter increased revenue from corporate travel to pre-pandemic levels. For most of the last year, the carrier's business bookings were stuck around 75% of the 2019 levels. The corporate travel increase helped the Seattle-based carrier post a strong performance in the March quarter, traditionally its weakest period of the year. In an interview, Alaska's CFO, Shane Tackett, said demand would keep growing, as spending by technology companies has not fully recovered. "Technology companies on the West Coast are the most valuable companies in the world," he said. "They are going to travel to see their customers and to sell software." Similarly, United said it recorded some of the biggest corporate bookings in its history this year, thanks to demand from professional services, tech and industrial companies. Business trips generated as much as half of passenger revenue at U.S. airlines before the global health crisis, according to industry group Airlines for America.<br/>
Global flight activity passed pre-pandemic levels for the first time in four years last week, but jet fuel demand growth has not kept apace as newer fleets of aircrafts become more fuel efficient and carry more passengers. Aviation fuel, a product refined from crude oil, has been the single biggest contributor to oil's post-pandemic bonanza, accounting for almost half the increase in total oil demand, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). That makes jet fuel's pace of growth critical in forecasting how long it will take for fossil fuel demand to peak - the biggest question energy market participants are grappling with. Global consumption of jet fuel and kerosene fell to 4.7m barrels per day (bpd) in 2020, as activity froze during pandemic lockdowns, down from a peak of 7.9m bpd the prior year, according to the IEA. As the lockdowns ended and travel recovered, demand for the fuels jumped by more than a million bpd in 2022 and 2023, IEA data showed. But global demand growth is expected to be much smaller this year, at just 230,000 bpd for a total of 7.4m, according to IEA forecasts. "This is despite air traffic recovering to pre-pandemic levels, with this gap arising because of very significant gains in overall aircraft fleet efficiency over the last five years," IEA analyst Ciaran Healy said. Flight activity hit a seven-week high in the United States and a 14-week high in Europe last week, JPMorgan analysts said on Wednesday. China's activity was at 105.3% of 2019 levels, pushing global air traffic to just above the 2019 levels for the first time, they noted. The divergence in air travel and fuel consumption has raised questions of whether jet fuel demand will surpass its pre-pandemic peak at all, said Alex Hodes, an oil analyst with brokerage StoneX. Efficiency gains alone have reduced jet fuel demand by around 10% versus the same level of activity before 2020, and it will take at least another year for fuel demand to make up for these changes, said Commodity Context analyst Rory Johnston.<br/>
The FAA said on Friday that it was taking significant steps to mitigate the risks posed by exhaustion among air traffic controllers, after a series of close calls last year raised alarms about the safety of the U.S. air travel system. Mike Whitaker, the FAA administrator, issued a directive increasing the number of hours that controllers are required to rest between shifts from nine hours to 10, and 12 hours before a midnight shift. He said he hoped to put the changes in place within 90 days. The announcement came as the air safety regulator released a 114-page report from an expert panel that assessed the risks associated with air traffic controller fatigue. “We are committed to a sustained effort to address controller fatigue and ensure our airspace is the safest in the world,” Mr. Whitaker said in a statement. The F.A.A. established the panel in December in the wake of a New York Times investigation that revealed how a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers had resulted in an exhausted and demoralized work force that was increasingly prone to making dangerous mistakes. Many air traffic controllers were working round-the-clock schedules that had pushed them to the psychological and physical brink. The Times reported that virtually all of the nation’s air traffic control sites were understaffed, forcing many controllers to work 10-hour days, six days a week. “Growing the work force continues to be a top priority, and over the past two years we’ve pulled out all of the stops to accelerate hiring,” Whitaker said Friday, adding, “Getting more qualified individuals into our air traffic facilities will help alleviate the demands on the current work force.” Story has more.<br/>
Sacramento International Airport experienced major flight delays on Thursday after an AT&T cable was deliberately slashed, cutting off internet service to at least two major airlines, the airport said. The outage — which temporarily halted check-in services, primarily for Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines — occurred just before 1:20 a.m., disrupting flights for several hours, Scott Johnston, an airport spokesman, said by phone. At the Southwest terminal, hundreds of people waited in long lines to check in before internet service was restored and normal operations resumed on Thursday afternoon, Johnston said. A service team, he added, had determined that the cable, about 2.5 miles from the airport, had been “cut intentionally.” A spokeswoman for AT&T said in an email that the company had “restored internet and wireless service to affected customers.” Amar Gandhi, a spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, said that the cable — which is about the width of a garden hose and attached to a telephone pole — had been cleanly slashed in one place about four or five feet from the ground in a manner that he said appeared to be “very precise” and “very targeted.” “It’s not like it was some loose hanging wire,” he added. “It required some level of knowledge and or expertise to know what to cut, and how to do it.” The authorities said that they did not have a suspect, adding that they were looking through video footage and following up on leads. They have not provided any information regarding a potential motive. The Sacramento field office of the F.B.I. said in a statement that it was “investigating the disruption of communications at Sacramento International Airport” along with the sheriff’s office and could not comment further.<br/>
Less than a quarter of airline emissions were caught by Europe’s carbon trading schemes last year, according to new data that illustrates the limitations of one of the key tools to fight pollution from aviation. Airlines and other carbon-intensive industries are charged under emissions trading systems in the EU, UK and Switzerland, which require companies to buy allowances to cover the carbon dioxide they give off. But the schemes only apply to flights within the region and do not capture emissions from long-haul flights, which burn the most fuel. Airlines are also handed annual free allowances under the system. In all, only 22% of emissions from flights departing from Europe were caught by the regional carbon trading schemes in 2023, according to a report by Transport & Environment, an environmental campaign group. “A big share of European aviation emissions are not charged for,” said Jo Dardenne, aviation director at T&E. “In a time of climate crisis, how can we allow airlines gobbling up fossil fuels to not pay for a fair share of their emissions?” Flights departing from Europe emitted a total 164.5 megatonnes of CO₂ in 2023, T&E said, up 11% on the previous year but still 12% below 2019’s peak. European airlines have made a commitment to reach net zero by 2050 and face some of the most stringent environmental rules in the world, which also include a mandate to blend jet fuel with cleaner but more expensive alternatives from next year. Even under the current ETS systems, airlines flying in Europe paid E3b in ETS allowances in 2023, T&E calculated. This meant the price of polluting had developed into the third biggest cost for major European airlines, behind fuel and labour, one industry executive said. The region’s airline bosses have warned that their companies are at a disadvantage because of the EU’s tough climate rules, and called for global standards that would capture all flights and not just those taking off from Europe.<br/>
Emissions from UK flights are rapidly returning to pre-pandemic levels, with CO2 pollution from aviation on track to reach a record high this year. The increase means the sector may breach a key plank of the government’s Jet Zero strategy, which pledged to not surpass 2019 figures on the way to reaching net zero emissions from aviation by 2050. Several airlines are already emitting more than ever before, according to analysis from the campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) based on UK and EU carbon reporting and other flight data. It estimates that Ryanair emitted 13.5% more CO2 in 2023 than it did in 2019, with easyJet up by 4.8% and Jet2.com up by 26.3%. British Airways was still by far the UK’s most polluting airline, although its emissions remain 18% below 2019 levels. Last year, 940,000 flights departed from UK airports, emitting a total of 32 mn tonnes of CO2, 89% of 2019 levels, according to T&E. It said there had been remarkable levels of growth in comparison to 2022 alone, with long-haul flight emissions 28% higher, and that the data suggested aviation emissions could reach a record high in 2024. BA, Ryanair and easyJet have announced continued planned expansion of between 7% and 9% for 2024. Although the newer planes with lower fuel consumption ordered by airlines such as Ryanair mean they have boasted of lower emissions for each passenger, the rapid growth in traffic means their overall pollution figures are growing inexorably.<br/>
A man was arrested in Denmark on Saturday in connection with a bomb threat at Billund Airport, the country's second largest aviation hub, police said. The airport, in central western Denmark, was evacuated and remains shut following the threat. "The evacuation has proceeded calmly and as expected, with travellers following our instructions," police inspector Michael Weiss said in a statement. A man was arrested in Denmark on Saturday in connection with a bomb threat at Billund Airport, the country's second largest aviation hub, police said in a statement. The airport, in central western Denmark, was evacuated and remains shut following the threat. "The evacuation has proceeded calmly and as expected, with travellers following our instructions," police inspector Michael Weiss said.<br/>
Taiwan said on Friday China's decision to open new air routes that run close to two Taiwanese-controlled islands was a flight safety risk taken without consultation, and said it would demand any aircraft using them be asked to turn around. Taiwan's government expressed anger in January after China "unilaterally" changed a flight path called M503 close to the sensitive median line in the Taiwan Strait. China claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory. The new Chinese routes to China's Xiamen and Fuzhou cities, called W123 and W122 respectively, connect to the M503 flight route, and run alongside existing routes to the islands of Kinmen and Matsu, which have regular flights to and from Taiwan. China had said in January it was opening routes from west to east - in other words, in the direction of Taiwan - on the two flight paths from Xiamen and Fuzhou, but had not until now announced when they would go into operation. China's civil aviation regulator said in its statement on Friday those routes were now in operation, adding that from May 16 it would "further optimise" airspace around Fuzhou airport.<br/>It did not elaborate, but that is four days before Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te is inaugurated, a man Beijing believes is a dangerous separatist. Lai has repeatedly offered talks with China but has been rebuffed.<br/>
A 2.5km-long underground link will be built to connect the future Changi Airport Terminal 5 (T5) with the existing Terminal 2 (T2). It comprises tunnels for an automated people-mover system – similar to today’s Skytrain – and a separate system to handle baggage. Part of ongoing infrastructural works at the new 1,080ha Changi East development, the T2 Connection will link T5 with Changi’s existing terminals when the mega terminal opens in the mid-2030s, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) told The Straits Times in response to queries. New details about this inter-terminal underground link were first reported by Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao on April 14. Earlier in February, construction work for the T2 Connection at Changi East appeared as a new line item in the Government’s projected development expenditure for Budget 2024, with a total project cost exceeding $722m. Preparatory work for the new underground link is already under way. According to stock exchange filings, the Singapore subsidiary of Chinese construction firm Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co was awarded a $622m contract in October 2023 by airport operator Changi Airport Group (CAG) to design and build underground structures for the new T2 underground link.<br/>
Boeing has been the subject of 32 whistleblower complaints with the workplace safety regulator in the United States during the past three years, newly obtained documents reveal, amid mounting scrutiny of standards at the beleaguered aircraft maker. The figures shed light on the extent of alleged retaliation by Boeing against whistleblowers as the Virginia-based company is facing mounting questions over its safety record and standards. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which handles claims of retaliation against workers who blow the whistle on their employer, received the complaints of retaliation between December 2020 and March of this year, according to a table of figures compiled last month by officials at the agency. The documents, obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera via a freedom of information request, do not provide details of the alleged workplace violations or alleged retaliation by Boeing in each case. However, 13 of the complaints were filed under a statute that protects whistleblowing related to aviation safety, specifically. Fifteen of the complaints were filed under a statute related to workplace safety, two were filed under the category of fraud, and one related to the control of toxic chemicals. Apart from monetary restitution being awarded in two cases, all of the complaints where an outcome was specified were closed without the agency taking action, according to the figures.<br/>
Investigations into window damage on an Airbus A321neo, caused by high-intensity floodlights during a filming session, have turned up four other occurrences under similar circumstances. Three of these other instances involved Boeing 787s while the fourth affected an A321. The Titan Airways A321neo had departed London Stansted for Orlando on 4 October last year, but returned to Stansted some 36min after take-off after window damage was discovered by its crew. Four windows had been affected, two of which were completely missing. While the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch had already identified exposure to high-temperature lighting – the day before the incident – as the cause of the damage, it reveals that other aircraft have previously encountered a similar issue. Four aircraft received damaged to acrylic cabin windows during filming activities, it states, adding: “In those four cases the damage was identified and repaired before the aircraft flew.” Six cabin windows were damaged on a Boeing 787 which was filmed inside a hangar and illuminated by three 2,000W lamps positioned on mobile platforms. The windows suffered “significant deformation”, says the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, with one of them having a hole burned through its panes. Boeing referred to three occurrences of 787 windows sustaining thermal damage in its customer safety publication, recommending that operators avoiding high-intensity lights during film work – or at least keep them distant from the cabin and use equipment which minimises infra-red emission.<br/>
Brazilian planemaker Embraer said Friday it delivered 25 aircraft - seven commercial planes and 18 executive jets - in Q1 2024, a 67% increase on a yearly basis. Embraer, the world's third-largest planemaker behind Boeing and Airbus said in a securities filing that its firm order backlog hit a seven-year high of $21.1b at the end of March, up 13% from the previous three-month period. Embraer plans to deliver 72 to 80 commercial aircraft this year, while its outlook for business jet deliveries stands between 125 and 135.<br/>
Archer Aviation backed by Stellantis and Boeing aims to begin trials of its electric air taxi in India next year, ahead of a planned commercial launch in 2026, the company's CE said on Friday. US-based Archer last year partnered with InterGlobe Enterprises, which backs India's top airline IndiGo, to launch the air taxis to help people avoid ground traffic in congested cities. "Hopefully for next year, we will be able to bring planes here at the very least from a demonstrations perspective and fly them around. The goal is to help prepare the public for a new form of transportation," Adam Goldstein, who also founded Archer, said in New Delhi. Archer is working with India's aviation watchdog to get the "appropriate regulatory approvals" before it can begin trials in the country, its CCO Nikhil Goel said, adding it is already conducting trials in California. For commercial operations, Archer is in final stages of getting approvals from the FAA in the United States, which it expects will come through next year, after which it will seek clearances in India. It will first launch in New York and India will be its first international market, Goel said. Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), also known as flying taxis, have been touted as the future of urban air mobility. The low-altitude aircraft would travel between cities and airports avoiding traffic, but face a number of challenges before they can become a reality.<br/>