Production capacity of sustainable aviation fuel in the United States could jump by 1400% in 2024 if all announced capacity additions come on line, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. The EIA anticipates domestic production of biofuels will increase by about 50% in 2024, led by rising SAF production. The White House aims to meet all of the U.S.'s aviation fuel demand with SAF by 2050 and to supply at least 3b gallons of SAF annually by 2030. In 2023, the EIA reported that around 1.6m barrels per day (bpd) of jet fuel was consumed in the country. SAF, an alternative to petroleum jet fuel, is produced from agricultural and waste feedstocks and has seen increased investments due to benefits from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Renewable Fuel Standard. The EIA projects that SAF output will rise from 2,000 bpd to nearly 30,000 bpd in 2024.<br/>
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Almost thirty aviation lobby groups and unions have called on the US government to increase its investment in air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure in order to maintain safety across the country’s national airspace system (NAS). The 26 organisations from across the industry sent a joint letter to members of Congress on 16 July, urging the legislators to better support the Federal Aviation Administration in sustaining and modernising the system, after alarming gaps have come to light in recent years. “We respectfully request authorisers and appropriators work with the FAA and all stakeholders to support the system through direction and predictable appropriations, derived primarily from the [Airport & Airway Trust Fund] AATF to help ensure the FAA has an updated plan in order to effectively use the resources necessary to continue to grow the NAS safely and efficiently,” the letter reads. Aviation accounts for more than 5% of gross domestic product, and therefore has “a unique economic importance”, the groups say. The FAA has come under fire in recent months after numerous safety incidents highlighted critical deficiencies in staffing, technology and infrastructure nationwide. Participants say that is a result of a lack of funding by the US Congress, and that this underinvestment could someday have disastrous consequences.<br/>
UK air navigation service NATS is adapting a predictive decision-making took potentially to prioritise arriving flights based on environmental performance. NATS has used the DCB tool, intended to support demand-capacity balancing, at London Heathrow since 2015. It simulates various scenarios – using data sources such as flight schedules, wind forecasts, and airspace restrictions – enabling planners to avoid congestion by taking preventative measures. NATS says the tool has primarily been used to focus on punctuality and reducing delays. But it states that a new set of features being introduced from November will allow the efficiency of inbound aircraft to be measured, allowing the derivation of operating plans which minimise emissions. “Small incremental steps like this are vital to reduce ‘in the air’ emissions to reach Heathrow’s goal of net zero by 2050,” says Heathrow head of airport operations Kelly Stone. NATS adds that it plans to conduct trials of a target arrival-time function within the DCB from early next year, which will enable minor adjustments to aircraft dynamics long before arrival – adjustments which could achieve annual carbon emissions savings of 30,000t.<br/>
Dublin Airport manager DAA has been given leave by the High Court to bring a challenge over a decision it says will result in a breach of the 32m annual passenger cap at the airport. Justice Niamh Hyland granted the DAA permission to bring the challenge against the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) which regulates air safety in this country. The application was made on a one-side only represented (ex parte) basis. The challenge is to a May 7th decision of the IAA relating to the hours of runway and terminal capacity limits at the airport for the next winter season. These “Winter 2024 Coordination Parameters” breach the capacity constraint set by planning permissions for the operation of the airport which say passenger numbers are limited to 32m a year, the DAA says. They may also be in breach of EU regulations, it says. In its application for judicial review of the IAA decision, the DAA seeks an order quashing those winter parameters. Alternatively it seeks the reopening of the May 7th decision or the setting of temporary parameters or other steps which will avoid breaching the planning permissions.<br/>
The family of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was not consulted on the decision to rename Milan's main airport after him and recognises that the timing was not good, his eldest son has said.<br/>Milan's Malpensa Airport, Italy's second-busiest passenger airport, was officially named in honour of the centre-right politician earlier this month, barely a year after his death. The decision was rubber-stamped by Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right League party. Berlusconi's son, Pier Silvio, said the family was happy at any honour bestowed on his father but had had no say in the matter. "To be blunt, the method wasn't exactly perfect, both in terms of timing and the way it was done. It was obvious it would cause a controversy," he told reporters at the headquarters of MFE-MediaforEurope, the media firm founded by his father. "As a family, we were not involved in the process and we were informed at the very last minute," he added. Milan's centre-left Mayor Beppe Sala led widespread criticism of the move, while opponents launched a petition to try to get the decision reversed.<br/>
South Korea ordered people living near rivers in its central region to evacuate homes on Thursday as heavy monsoon showers dumped more than 300 mm (12 inches) of rain, while warnings went out across a large swathe of the country, including the capital. The rain caused cancellation of more than 24 flights at the Incheon international airport on the west coast, and also disrupted train services in Seoul, emergency authorities said. The government was watching for sudden surges in rivers flowing from North Korea, urging vigilance against any landmines planted at the border by its neighbour that could get washed downstream. South Korea's military has said it could not rule out the chance that the North planted more mines in recent weeks, fully aware of the likelihood of heavy rain. "We're monitoring the water level in the main rivers shared by the South and the North in real time," a military spokesman, Lee Chang-hyun, told a briefing.<br/>
A self-driving bus to transport workers around Changi Airport’s restricted area will go on trial from the third quarter of 2024, as part of efforts to improve manpower productivity at the airport through automation. Airport operator Changi Airport Group (CAG), Singapore Airlines Engineering Company (SIAEC) and Sats Airport Services, a subsidiary of ground handler Sats, inked an agreement on Wednesday (July 17) to start a two-year proof of concept. The idea is to use autonomous buses at the airside, which is the part of the airport where the loading and unloading of aircraft, as well as take-offs and landings, take place. This is so airside workers do not have to perform routine driving tasks and can focus on more complex activities. The upcoming trial, which will take place in two phases, will allow CAG, SIAEC and Sats to evaluate the self-driving capabilities of the autonomous bus, including its operational performance and safety. The first phase is expected to last about nine months, and it will be conducted in a controlled environment at the airport without any passengers on board.<br/>
The NTSB said on Wednesday it had scheduled 20 hours of hearings over two days on the January Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 in-flight door plug emergency and would review oversight by U.S. safety regulators. The NTSB said on its website the Aug. 6-7 hearings are set to last 10 hours each day and would focus on Boeing 737 MAX manufacturing and inspections, FAA oversight of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems and events surrounding the removal of the door plug in 2023. The hearing would also review safety management and quality management systems. Boeing has faced mounting questions after a door panel detached during a Jan. 5 flight on a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9, forcing pilots to make an emergency landing while passengers were exposed to a gaping hole 16,000 feet above the ground. The FAA had grounded all MAX 9 airplanes for several weeks and required safety checks before they could resume flights. The agency also has barred Boeing from expanding MAX production as the agency reviews the planemaker's practices. The NTSB said previously that four key bolts were missing from the door plug that blew off the Alaska Airlines flight at 16,000 feet. The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the incident. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told Reuters in April she expected witnesses from Alaska, Boeing and Spirit would provide testimony. The FAA and Boeing referred questions about the hearing to the NTSB. Last month, the NTSB said Boeing could lose its status as a party to the probe after it violated rules by providing non-public information to media and speculating about possible causes.<br/>
Boeing’s Washington state factory workers voted by more than 99% in favor of a strike mandate, their union said on Wednesday evening, as they seek a 40% raise in their first full negotiation with the planemaker in 16 years. Earlier in the day, many of the estimated 30,000 workers who build Boeing’s 737 MAX and other jets crowded to vote at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, although they cannot strike before their contract expires on Sept. 12. Boeing’s labor talks come as the U.S. planemaker loses ground to rival Airbus and navigates a crisis that erupted after a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX jet in mid-air on Jan. 5. The planemaker also faces other issues. Union local president Jon Holden of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) said bad decisions made at the executive level of Boeing are putting workers’ livelihoods at risk. “Our jobs, our legacy and our reputation are on the line right now,” Holden said in a statement. Asked for comment on the vote result, Boeing referred to a statement it made earlier this week, which said: “We remain confident we can reach a deal that balances the needs of our employees and the business realities we face as a company.” While the vote is considered procedural, the union held the event with music, speeches, a motorcycle convoy and signs with such slogans as “no pay no planes.” “It does empower the negotiating committee, it does send a strong message,” Holden said in an earlier interview with Reuters. The vote in favor of a strike mandate frees up funds in case members decide to strike later.<br/>
After a door panel on an Alaska Airlines-operated Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet blew off midair in January, Anneke Palmerton learned the carrier had canceled her flight to Orlando as well. It did not surprise her as Alaska had decided to ground its fleet of MAX 9 aircraft after the Jan. 5 accident. Little did she know the incident would snowball, impacting air service in her city of Bellingham, Washington and upending her winter plans to fly Southwest Airlines. The door blowout happened aboard only one flight. But fallout from the ensuing safety crisis has inflated costs for those reliant on Boeing. Interviews with airline executives, union leaders, pilots, suppliers, passengers and government officials, show how the incident is rippling through the trillion-dollar global aviation industry. Boeing's resulting slump in MAX deliveries has hit earnings at airlines like Southwest and some suppliers who planned to equip new planes. It has inconvenienced and stranded passengers as airlines fly fewer routes, and has led to a slowdown in pilot hiring, interviews show. "We thought...there would be a little bit of bumps," said Palmerton, a notary and marriage officiant in Bellingham. "Never in a million years (did we think) it would lead to Southwest," Palmerton said about the airline's decision to cut service to her local airport. Boeing is the largest U.S. exporter and employs nearly 150,000 people domestically. It supports millions more through a supply chain that includes thousands of businesses big and small around the world.<br/>
Over the past 30 years, Airbus SE has continuously eked out more range from its A321 aircraft, making the model a bestseller as customers pair the economic benefits of a narrowbody airliner with the reach and capacity approaching a widebody jet. Now Airbus is approaching certification of its latest variant — the A321XLR — which may get sign-off from regulators as soon as this month and will effectively double the range from the original model that entered service at the start of 1994. Airbus plans to showcase the plane, for which it has more than 550 orders, at the Farnborough Air Show starting next week. The XLR’s entry into service, delayed by a year due to the pandemic and concerns about a fire risk from an extra fuel tank, pushes its range to 4,700 nautical miles, or 11 hours of flight. It’s a radius that promises to take single-aisle planes to destinations that were previously the domain of fuel-guzzling twin-aisle planes, changing the operating calculus for carriers that ordered the plane. Icelandair has ordered 13 XLRs to replace its aging fleet of the out-of-production Boeing Co. 757, which has a shorter maximum range of about 3,900 nautical miles. The XLRs, which burn 30% less fuel than its predecessors, will let the carrier add destinations in California, Texas, Dubai and across Europe, its CEO said. “In many cases we are competing with a widebody aircraft, which are not as fuel efficient and not that environmentally friendly,” said Bogi Nils Bogason. “So that is definitely an advantage and we see opportunities for us in that respect.” Other airlines will also leverage the XLR to expand their networks. Wizz Air Holdings Plc, with 47 XLRs on order, will open up new routes in the Middle East and Asia. The Hungarian low-cost carrier is negotiating with Indian authorities about flights to India using the aircraft, which has capacity for as many as 244 passengers.<br/>