general

The National Transportation Safety Board found incorrect assumptions on the part of an air traffic controller led to the February 2023 near-collision between a FedEx plane and a Southwest Airlines jet in Austin, Texas. The two planes came within about 170 feet (52 m) of each other when the FedEx Boeing 767 was forced to fly over the Southwest 737-700 to avoid a crash in poor visibility conditions. It was one of at least half a dozen near-miss incidents last year that raised concerns about U.S. aviation safety and the strain on understaffed air traffic control. An air traffic controller had cleared both planes to use the same runway. He told the NTSB in an interview released last year he had assumed the Southwest plane would have already departed before the FedEx plane landed given his "expectation bias" that Southwest planes were quick to depart. The NTSB on Thursday found the probable cause of the incident was the controller's incorrect assumption the Southwest airplane would take off before the FedEx plane arrived on the same runway. It also cited lack of situational awareness along with lack of low visibility training and the Federal Aviation Administration's failure to install safety technology.<br/>

Thousands of Canadian border guards at airports and land crossings with the U.S. were poised to strike Friday as they worked to reach an agreement with their employer, the federal government. But with 90% of frontline border officers with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) designated essential workers, according to the government, it was not clear what form that strike could take. The U.S. is Canada's biggest trading partner, with an average of C$3.6b worth of goods and services crossing the border in both directions combined in 2023, according to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. The two sides have been negotiating with the assistance of a mediator this week and talks were ongoing Thursday morning, a Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) spokesperson said, with a strike deadline of 4 p.m. ET (2000 GMT) Friday. Sticking points include wages, remote work, retirement benefits and workplace protections, according to the union. "The border will remain open and safe," CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer said in an email Tuesday. He said about 4,870 of the agency's 5,400 frontline officers are designated essential, meaning they cannot legally stop working. "Border services officers occupying essential services positions cannot work to rule and cannot intentionally slow down border processing," Canada's Treasury Board said in a statement Wednesday, adding that the CBSA "will take progressive disciplinary action or other measures" against essential workers "who engage in illegal job action." But the discretion border officers have to stop, question and search travelers could slow cross-border traffic, said Carleton University associate professor of management Ian Lee.<br/>"A slowdown where they really did work to rule would be just catastrophic at Pearson (Airport in Toronto) and Vancouver and Montreal," he said.<br/>

EU travel rules are being introduced that will mean passengers from outside the bloc have to pass through a new automated system. Known as the Entry/Exit System or EES, it will replace the stamping of passports for non-EU travellers who don’t require a visa. These checks will use biometric data including fingerprints, facial scans and passport information, which will be taken the first time you enter an EU country after the system is introduced. After numerous setbacks, it is due to be introduced in autumn this year. But airlines have warned that the launch is likely to have a major impact on travellers - including the end of last-minute bookings. Currently, airline passengers have to provide some details before they fly, such as name, passport number and date of birth. This is known as Advanced Passenger Information (API) and it is likely to become more detailed when the EES is introduced. It will also require airlines to get the greenlight for passengers to travel. The deadline for this is reportedly up to 48 hours before departure. They will have to send the API for verification and the system will respond with either “OK” or “NOT OK” for boarding. Airlines will also be fined if they allow non-compliant passengers to board. This deadline and the complexity of the process is something that airlines are worried about for people booking last minute.<br/>

A legal battle between insurers and aircraft leasing companies over jets stuck in Ukraine should be heard in Ukraine rather than London, the High Court in London ruled on Thursday. Aircraft lessors, including Ireland's AerCap, are pursuing insurers after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine left aircraft stranded in Ukraine. Judge Andrew Henshaw, in a decision relating to six separate lawsuits, ruled that the cases in London should be put on hold because of "exclusive jurisdiction clauses" requiring disputes to be heard in Ukraine. The claimants had argued that the cases should be heard in London, in part because the ongoing war in Ukraine makes it very difficult to fairly conduct litigation there. Henshaw, however, said in his ruling that "the evidence about the effect of the war on the court system ... does not indicate that the war is likely to result in substantial delays or other problems in litigating these claims effectively in the courts of Ukraine". In March, the High Court ruled that a separate $10b battle over more than 200 jets stuck in Russia should be heard in London rather than Moscow.<br/>

India's airport industry is likely to report a 35% rise in pre-tax profit for fiscal year 2025, helped by sustained robust demand for air travel, aviation consultancy CAPA India estimated on Friday.<br/>Airports' pre-tax profit will rise to 103.7b rupees ($1.24b) from 76.8b rupees a year ago, CAPA India Vice President Paramprit Singh Bakshi said at the CAPA India aviation summit. India, the world's most populous nation, expects to have 350 airports by 2030, up from 144 in 2019, according to an earlier CAPA India estimate and government data. Most airports in the country are run by the state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI). GMR Airports, which runs the country's busiest airport in capital New Delhi, the Adani Group and Fairfax India, are among its top private airport operators. Record domestic passenger traffic and a rebound in international travel helped airports and airlines alike report better results in the previous fiscal year.<br/>

The Thai Pilots Association strongly opposes a government proposal to temporarily ease restrictions on foreign pilots flying with Thai carriers. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Thursday that one major obstacle for the tourism sector has been the slow resumption in flights. A post-pandemic personnel shortage has been one of the reasons cited by airlines worldwide. The government has already asked airlines to increase flights and expand their fleets to help spur the recovery of tourism, he said during a visit to the Thai offices of Agoda, the world’s largest travel booking platform. Some airlines would like the government to consider allowing foreign pilots to fly Thai aircraft, as the job is currently reserved for Thais. “We will discuss this issue with the Ministry of Labour to seek a possible solution, including lifting this restriction on a temporary basis,” Srettha said. Teerawat Angkasakulkiat, president of the pilots’ group, said the association disagrees with the idea of allowing foreign pilots to work for Thai carriers. During the pandemic, airlines scaled down their operations, forcing them to furlough a number of Thai pilots and freeze employment of fresh graduates, he said.<br/>

Airbus delivered 53 aircraft in May, down 16% from the same month last year and bringing the number of airplanes handed over to customers since Jan. 1 to 256, the planemaker said on Thursday. It is targeting 800 deliveries for the year. Demand for aircraft is strong because air travel is staging a strong recovery at the same time as supplies of new airplanes are tight, notably at Boeing. Reuters reported on Monday that Airbus, which has headquarters in France, had delivered around 50 aircraft in May. Industry sources said it had been targeting closer to 60 deliveries for the month. Jefferies analyst Chloe Lemarie described the published tally of 53 deliveries as a "setback". While May was affected by a high number of weekday holidays in France, where Airbus has two out of eight narrow-body assembly lines, Airbus must achieve "significant catch-up" to reach stable deliveries for the quarter, Lemarie said in a note. That comes as Airbus is also facing new pressure on the underlying production of single-aisle jets because of parts and labour shortages, Reuters reported last week. There is no immediate connection between production and deliveries because Airbus includes a buffer in its plans against delays to protect its delivery goals, analysts say. But industry sources said production of several dozen jets could be delayed in the second half of the year, putting renewed pressure on the planemaker's industrial ramp-up.<br/>