European airlines have warned that air traffic control restrictions, worsened by bad weather, risk disrupting the summer getaway for millions of passengers. Just 56% of flights in Europe departed on time in the first week of July, as weather issues and air traffic restrictions combined to hit punctuality, according to figures from Eurocontrol, which manages the region’s airspace and national air navigation providers. Last month, passengers suffered a cumulative 4.7m minutes of flight delays, up almost a third from a year before, the group said. After disruption at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports earlier in the month, Ryanair on Friday said “excessive flight delays caused by European [air traffic control] staff shortages”, had delayed 24% of its first-wave departures (135 of its 574 aircraft) that day. The problems were “affecting all European airlines”, it said. “We have become really worried lately . . . the numbers [of flights delayed] have been silly,” said Ourania Georgoutsakou managing director of Airlines for Europe, the industry trade body. The rise in delays follows growing pressure on Europe’s airspace as airlines send an increasing number of planes into already congested skies. Bad weather, a shortage of air traffic controllers and the closure of a large area of Europe’s airspace because of Russia’s war in Ukraine have also placed more strain on the air traffic control network. In June, there were on average 33,671 daily flights in Europe, a 5.2% increase on the previous year, according to Eurocontrol, as airlines added fresh capacity to meet rising demand in a post-pandemic travel boom. “Summer 2024 is proving particularly challenging due to strong traffic growth and network saturation combined with adverse weather,” Eurocontrol said.<br/>
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The Dutch government must follow a special procedure under European rules and cannot simply decide to reduce the number of flights at Schiphol Airport, one of Europe's busiest hubs, the Dutch Supreme Court said on Friday. Even though the previous government had already suspended the plan to limit Schiphol's flight movements to 460,000 per year, the decision is important for concerned airlines as it rules out any uncertainty for travellers and the sector. It also overturned an earlier judgment by an Amsterdam court that said the Dutch State was allowed to implement two proposed measures to reduce noise pollution at Schiphol. "The decision of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal that the Dutch State was allowed to implement two proposed measures to reduce noise pollution at Schiphol will not be upheld. Based on European rules, a balanced approach procedure must be followed (to implement) the measures", the Supreme Court said in its statement. "KLM agrees with the clearly substantiated ruling of the Supreme Court", KLM, Air France's Dutch arm, said in a statement on Friday.<br/>
About 300 security staff at Glasgow and Aberdeen airports have voted to accept a pay offer of up to 12.8%. The pay deal delivers a basic pay rise of 5%. A one-off payment of GBP500 and an enhancement to the shift allowance of 75p per hour, which is an uplift worth around 5.9%, is also included in the deal. There will be access to double time shift rates for Christmas and New Year’s Day. The overall pay package boost is estimated to be worth up to 12.8% for some workers. The ICTS Central Search workers previously rejected a basic pay increase of 4% backdated to January and a £500 one-off payment. ICTS will also be advertising a minimum of 15 full time posts which will be initially offered to existing part-time staff following negotiations with Unite. Pat McIlvogue, Unite’s lead industrial officer for aviation in Scotland, said: “We are pleased that the company came to its senses and got back round the table to make an improved offer which was acceptable to our members. "The possibility of strike action at the airports is now over.”<br/>ICTS Central Search employs about 220 workers at Glasgow Airport and about 100 workers at Aberdeen Airport. The ICTS workers deal with passengers directly in the security search areas and process them for flights. The workers also cover mobile patrols, control access posts, screen all deliveries and deal with emergency services.<br/>
Budget airlines have commenced services from Italy’s Salerno Costa d’Amalfi airport, following its upgrade and restoration with modernised infrastructure. Naples airport management company GESAC is operating the facility. It says Volotea carried out the first arrival, from Nantes, on 11 July followed a few minutes later by an EasyJet service from Milan Malpensa. The two airlines will also serve London Gatwick, Berlin, Geneva, Basel, Verona, Cagliari and Catania. Ryanair is opening flights to Milan Bergamo, London Stansted and Turin, while Universal Air will operate to Malta. Salerno, formerly a military base as well as an facility for business jets, has been equipped with a new terminal and a longer runway.<br/>
Saudi civil aviation authorities have reported significant growth in the number of passengers and flights for the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year. There was a 17% increase in the number of passengers over the past six months, reaching approximately 62m passengers, compared to 53m passengers during the same period last year, while the number of flights rose to 446,000, marking a 12% increase over last year, which saw 399,000 flights, reported SPA, citing data from General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). Additionally, the airfreight volume in the first six months of 2024 witnessed a 41% increase, reaching 606,000 tons compared to the 430,000 tons in the same period of 2023, it stated. During the first half of this year, GACA launched several development projects, including the expansion of Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport, the inauguration of the development and expansion of Al-Ahsa International Airport, the launch of the new additional international departure terminal at Taif International Airport, and the introduction of the self-driving air taxi experience for the first time during the Hajj season. Furthermore, the authority granted the first operating permit for building cleaning using drones, which illustrates its commitment to enabling safe and innovative advanced air mobility solutions. <br/>
A Sukhoi Superjet passenger plane crashed in the Moscow region on Friday and three crew members were presumed killed, the Russian emergencies ministry said. It said the plane had crashed in woodland near the city of Kolomna and there had been no casualties apart from those on board. The cause of the crash was not clear. State-owned producer United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said the plane had been on a test flight after repairs and belonged to Gazpromavia, an airline owned by gas giant Gazprom. The plane was equipped with a SaM146 engine, according to Swiss aviation intelligence provider ch-aviation. The engines are made by a Franco-Russian joint venture. Russian airlines have struggled to import spare parts for aircraft since Western sanctions were introduced in 2022. UAC is developing a fully import-substituted version of the Sukhoi Superjet, but its production has not yet begun. The crash is the third of a Sukhoi Superjet since the regional passenger jet was introduced in 2008, Russia's first passenger plane developed since the Cold War. About 150 of the aircraft are currently in operation.<br/>
Indonesia said it is beginning to recover data that had been encrypted in a major ransomware attack last month which affected more than 160 government agencies. The attackers identified as Brain Cipher asked for $8m in ransom to unlock the data before later apologising and releasing the decryption key for free, according to Singapore-based cybersecurity firm StealthMole. The attack has disrupted multiple government services including immigration and operations at major airports. Indonesian officials have acknowledged that the bulk of the data had not been backed up. Chief Security Minister Hadi Tjahjanto said in a statement late on Thursday that data for 30 public services overseen by 12 ministries had been recovered using a "decryption strategy" without elaborating. "The communications ministry is using a decryption strategy to recover services or assets from ministries, state agencies, and the regional governments that are affected. We are handling this gradually," the statement said. It was not immediately clear if the government had used Brain Cipher's decryption key. Hadi and Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Ransomware attackers use software to encrypt data and demand payment from victims to restore the data. Indonesia has said this attack used malicious software called Lockbit 3.0.<br/>
Indoor waterfalls, rooftop pools, yoga studios. Airports have many bells and whistles these days. But most travelers would gladly trade them for flights that consistently arrive on time. The passenger rights company AirHelp ranked 239 airports in 69 countries, with an emphasis on the on-time performance of flights operating from May 2023 to April 2024. That measure accounted for 60% of each airport’s total score, with on-time performance defined as flights that arrive within 15 minutes of their published arrival times. Passenger opinions of each airport, along with traveler ratings of its food and shops, accounted for the remaining 40% of the score, according to AirHelp’s website. Story lists the results. Doha Hamad Airport tops the list.<br/>
Boeing has started conducting flight trials of its 777-9 aircraft with US regulators on board, achieving a milestone toward certifying its jumbo airliner after years of setbacks. The company announced that it took the initial test flight late Friday with FAA personnel. Achieving so-called Type Inspection Authorization marks the start of certification flight testing, a key step in one of the most extensive commercial test efforts that Boeing has ever undertaken. Regulators are putting the 777X test aircraft through a rigorous evaluation at a time when the US planemaker is engulfed in crisis, with its manufacturing and engineering prowess called into question following a January accident involving the smaller 737 Max. While the 777X family is already five years behind schedule, clearing the first jet to enter the commercial market would mollify angry customers and help stem Boeing’s financial losses. “The certification flight test will continue validating the airplane’s safety, reliability and performance,” Boeing said in an emailed statement. “We appreciate our regulator’s rigorous oversight.” While Boeing said it has already spent time preparing for the items on FAA’s flying exam, it’s too soon to know if the plane will be ready for customers by next year, as executives have predicted. The FAA declined to comment on the certification effort, but noted that “safety always drives the timeline.” “Generally this kind of thorough process takes many months,” the regulator said in an emailed statement. The accomplishment, which was first reported by the Air Current, is rare good news. Boeing has logged around 480 orders for the 777-9, and two other planned models: the smaller 777-8 passenger jet and a freight-hauler. The aircraft, the largest twin-engine planes ever built, feature wings so long that the tips are hinged to flip upward while they taxi around airport gates.<br/>
Airbus has embarked on a plan to improve its performance and keep costs in check in response to supply-chain constraints and rising expenses. “In view of the continued pressure in the supply chain as well as the overall complex economic situation, there is a need to concentrate our efforts on the fundamentals,” an Airbus spokesman said in an email. “This will allow us to secure our industrial ramp-up today to deliver to our customers, continue our growth trajectory and prepare our ability to invest in our future programs.” The company responded to a report by Reuters earlier on Friday, which said Airbus will freeze headcount at its planemaking subsidiary, according to a memo sent to staff. Some positions may disappear and the overall number of posts will be capped, Reuters said. Airbus last month pared back a whole range of longer-term goals — from operating profit to cash generation, jet handovers and the monthly production rate of its all-important A320 model. The planemaker has grappled with a shortage of parts ranging from engines to cabin interiors. The aviation industry has taken a more gloomy view just as it heads into the busiest travel season of the year. Earlier on Friday, Deutsche Lufthansa cut its profit outlook for the full year as it wrestles with higher unit costs and falling ticket prices.<br/>