A bipartisan group of senators is pushing for restrictions on the use of facial recognition technology by the Transportation Security Administration, saying they are concerned about travelers' privacy and civil liberties. In a letter on Thursday, the group of 14 lawmakers called on Senate leaders to use the upcoming reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration as a vehicle to limit TSA's use of the technology so Congress can put in place some oversight. "This technology poses significant threats to our privacy and civil liberties, and Congress should prohibit TSA’s development and deployment of facial recognition tools until rigorous congressional oversight occurs," the senators wrote. The effort, led by Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., John Kennedy, R-La., and Roger Marshall, R-Kan., "would halt facial recognition technology at security checkpoints, which has proven to improve security effectiveness, efficiency, and the passenger experience,” TSA said. The technology is currently in use at 84 airports around the country and is planned to expand in the coming years to the roughly 430 covered by TSA. The FAA reauthorization is one of the last must-pass bills of this Congress. The agency regulates airlines and aircraft manufacturers and manages the nation’s airspace. TSA, which is part of the Homeland Security Department, has been rolling out the facial recognition technology at select airports in a pilot project. Travelers put their driver’s license into a slot that reads the card or they place their passport photo against a card reader. Then they look at a camera on a screen about the size of an iPad that captures their image and compares it to their ID. The technology is checking to make sure that travelers at the airport match the ID they present and that the identification is real. A TSA officer signs off on the screening.<br/>
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US imposes new Russia sanctions, targeting alleged Chinese suppliers<br/>Travelers who have been been waiting to fly in and out of Haiti’s volatile capital ever since international flights were canceled on March 4 shouldn’t make any travel plans before May. U.S.-based commercial carriers are still staying out of Port-au-Prince. American Airlines, which had announced it would restart its daily service on Wednesday between Miami International Airport and Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport, is now saying that the earliest its flights may resume is May 2. Fort Lauderdale-based Spirit Airlines, which flies into both Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien in the north, says all of its flights into Haiti remain canceled until further notice. Meanwhile, JetBlue Airways says it’s still looking at May 15 for the resumption of flights between Port-au-Prince and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International and John F. Kennedy International airports. The ongoing flight cancellations come as armed gangs continue to create panic in Port-au-Prince with heavy gunfire. The violence has left many people stranded and few options for escaping. Sunrise Airways is flying to Miami from Cap-Haïtien, charging more than $900 for a one-way ticket. High ticket costs and limited travel options are not the only obstacles facing Haitians wishing to get a respite from the capital’s violence and uncertainty. On Monday, the U.S. State Department announced that its won’t be processing requests for immigrant and non-immigrant visas unless it’s a life-and-death emergency, with proof of travel plans, until further notice. Haitians seeking to get a visa to visit the United States will need to continue to wait or go to a U.S. embassy or consulate outside of Haiti. To do the latter, an applicant would have to first write to the U.S. embassy or consulate in the country they plan on visiting to ask that their visa application be transferred from the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince for consideration. Applicants should be able to legally travel to the country in question and be prepared to stay there until their application is processed.<br/>
IATA has blasted the German government for a rise in aviation taxes that went into effect on 1 May. The tax increase of about 19% is being levied on passengers departing German airports. Depending on the route, that will raise the tax to between E15.53 and E70.83 ($16.63 and $75.85) per passenger per flight, IATA said on 2 May. Previously, the passenger tax had been between E12.73 and E58.06 per person per flight. That added surcharge will “weaken the German economy and damage aviation’s ability to decarbonise”, the international airline association says. “When Germany’s economic performance is anaemic at best, denting its competitiveness with more taxes on aviation is policy madness,” IATA director general Willie Walsh states. “The German government appears to have an unhealthy obsession with aviation taxes.” The surcharge will not only hinder the country’s post-Covid-19 recovery, which, IATA says, is already one of the slowest in the European Union, but also slow the industry’s move to decarbonisation. The government announced the increase in January, and is counting on an additional E400m this year in order to plug a hole in its budget. In future years, it hopes for annual proceeds as high as E580m. In addition to this passenger tax, the German government appears to be in favour of a European jet fuel tax which will make it even more expensive to do business in Germany or for families to travel, IATA adds.<br/>
Several flights to Dubai were cancelled and diverted Thursday, airport authorities announced, as heavy rains hit the United Arab Emirates for the second time in a month. An airport authority spokesperson said five inbound flights were diverted overnight, while nine arriving and four departing flights were cancelled. In April, heavy thunderstorms dumped the heaviest rains ever recorded in the UAE in a span of hours, flooding portions of major highways and Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel and a hub for the long-haul carrier Emirates. The airport ended up needing 22 tankers with vacuum pumps to get water off its grounds. Authorities warned residents to stay home ahead of Thursday’s rain, announcing that they should work remotely, and that schools will hold classes online. Although Thursday’s rain did not cause major problems or flooding, authorities still issued warnings on Wednesday and took precautions. The flooding two weeks ago quickly overwhelmed the UAE’s drainage systems, flooded out neighborhoods, business districts and even portions of the 12-lane Sheikh Zayed Highway, which links Dubai and the neighboring emirate of Abu Dhabi. Many residents lost their belongings when their homes flooded, and many cars were destroyed. (AP)<br/>
Auckland Airport hopes to quieten airlines that said its domestic charges would balloon to $46 by 2032. It has confirmed on Friday it sees a viable pathway to an average of $25 for domestic jet passengers across the next five-year price period out to 2032. However, the airport said charges for eight years away can’t be set yet and they will be subject to airline consultation. Currently the airport charges airlines a domestic jet charge of $10.25 per passenger, moving to $15.45 by 2027 – a similar cost to what other major New Zealand airports charge today. “We are confident this is internationally competitive and reasonable given the scale of the necessary infrastructure investment,” an airport spokesperson told Stuff Travel. On Thursday, the airport unveiled details and design of its to-be-constructed integrated domestic jet terminal. It would see the domestic and international check-in kiosks under one roof and make for a five-minute, inside walk between terminals. Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker told media on Thursday that speculation its domestic charges would reach $46 by 2032 was wrong and that it had not consulted with airlines for the 2027-2032 pricing period.<br/>
Singapore-based lessor Avation has ordered 10 ATR 72-600s and signed purchase rights for another 24 examples. Delivery of the 10 turboprops are scheduled between 2025 and 2028, states ATR, in a statement announcing the order. The purchase rights, if exercised, will take aircraft deliveries through 2034. The order adds to Avation’s existing fleet of 20 ATR 72s, comprising 16 -600s and four -500s. It also has two more -600s to be delivered in the coming months. Avation executive chairman Jeff Chatfield states: “Over the years, we have witnessed the exceptional performance of ATR aircraft, and enjoyed both strong airline demand and secondary market value retention.” He adds: ”We also believe that establishing a ten-year programme for the supply of new regional aircraft with sensible economics is a key component of our long-term business strategy.” <br/>
A whistleblower who worked for Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems died Tuesday. Joshua Dean, who lived in Wichita, Kansas and was formerly a quality auditor for company, had an infection that came on suddenly and quickly spread, The Seattle Times reported. He was 45. Dean’s aunt, Carol Parsons, told the newspaper that he spent two weeks in critical condition. He had gone to the hospital after having trouble breathing and was later intubated and developed pneumonia and MRSA. Dean was among the first whistleblowers to allege that leaders at Spirit turned a blind eye to deficiencies in Boeing’s 737 MAX. He gave a deposition in a shareholder lawsuit filed late last year and made a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration. “Our thoughts are with Josh Dean’s family. This sudden loss is stunning news here at Spirit and for his loved ones,” Spirit told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. Dean told The Wall Street Journal that he was fired after he pointed out misdrilled holes in fuselages. “It is known at Spirit that if you make too much noise and cause too much trouble, you will be moved,” he said in January. A Spirit spokesperson told the Journal at the time that the company would defend itself against the lawsuit and disagreed firmly with the allegations.<br/>
Airline parts manufacturer Spirit AeroSystems has asked a U.S. judge to block a probe by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, calling the state's demand for internal documents and other information unreasonable and unlawful. Spirit Aero filed the lawsuit, Wednesday night in an Austin, Texas, federal court. It said Spirit Aero had significant legal concerns with the investigation that Paxton's office announced in March focused on the safety of airplane parts provided to Boeing. Paxton's demands go too far and violate the U.S. Constitution’s right against unreasonable search and seizure, the company said. Spirit Aero is a key supplier of fuselages for Boeing, which is facing mounting regulatory and investor scrutiny after January’s mid-air panel blowout on a new 737 MAX plane. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun has announced he will step down by the year's end amid the sprawling safety crisis. The Texas attorney general's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday. Boeing, which is not a party in the new case, declined to comment. Spirit Aero declined further comment on the pending litigation. Paxton's request directed Wichita, Kansas-based Spirit AeroSystems to turn over internal communication records and other documents "relevant to manufacturing defects in their products."<br/>
Airbus has called for financial compensation to take on money-losing operations from Spirit AeroSystems, a demand that has emerged as one obstacle to a tie-up deal between the supplier and its main customer Boeing people familiar with the matter said. Spirit and Airbus executives are holding talks in New York, first reported by Bloomberg, to try and work through issues such as the European planemaker's demands for financial compensation to take on the supplier's loss-making operations. They also include the mechanics of separating Airbus' business from Spirit, said two of the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. It was not clear how the talks progressed or whether any of the obstacles were resolved. The world’s dominant aircraft makers have been exploring how to untangle their respective ties with Spirit through a carefully timed "framework" deal to split operations, Reuters reported in April. The sources did not give financial details, but industry sources have said a UK Airbus plant run by Spirit needs a $1b-plus re-investment to dig it out of losses. Boeing is focused on acquiring its key aerostructures supplier, which produces the fuselage for its 737 MAX jet. In order for Boeing to regain control, it has to deal with its arch-rival Airbus, which accounts for roughly one-fifth of Spirit revenues.<br/>Boeing is seen likely to oppose payments to Airbus to take operations. It wants to close the deal to focus on ramping-up slumping MAX production, one of the sources said.<br/>
China’s first home-grown narrowbody passenger jet has passed a battery of “deep level” safety tests as part of a step that is expected to help the C919 find overseas markets as its rival Boeing wrestles with a list of mechanical woes. China Eastern Airlines Technology, a subsidiary of the group that owns C919 operator China Eastern Airlines, concluded four days of “A-inspection” tests on Monday at a hangar in Shanghai, the Civil Aviation Administration said on Tuesday. The aircraft is required to undergo safety checks after either every four months, 700 flight hours or 500 flight cycles – meaning the operation of an engine from take-off to landing – depending on which threshold is reached first. A crew of more than 60 checked the aircraft – referred to as B-919A by China Eastern Airlines – and tested its engines, landing gear and all equipment in the cabin, according to the regulator. “The Chinese aircraft builder has a chance to compete with Boeing,” said Alexander Vuving, a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies in Hawaii. “The Chinese will offer a better price, and of course they will advertise their aircraft of similar quality as Boeing and capitalise on all the scandals that Boeing has run through in the last couple of years.” Chinese officials would also “be lobbying the powers that be” in developing countries to buy the aircraft, he added, with many governments in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia enjoying close commercial and economic ties with China.<br/>