A judge in Nevada has reopened a federal lawsuit accusing air traffic controllers of causing the 2016 fatal crash of a small airplane that veered into turbulence in the wake of a jetliner before it went down near Reno-Tahoe International Airport. The families of the pilot and a passenger killed are seeking up to $6.5m in damages from the FAA. U.S. District Court Judge Miranda Du dismissed the case in 2022 after she concluded the 73-year-old pilot’s negligence was the sole cause of the crash. But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently overturned her ruling and ordered her to re-evaluate whether the air traffic controller shared any responsibility for the deaths of pilot John Brown and passenger James Elliker. Brown was an experienced pilot and professional flight instructor. His widow and two of his children first sued the FAA in 2019 after the National Transportation Safety Board concluded miscommunication between Brown and the control tower likely contributed to the accident. The NTSB also cited the pilot’s judgment, alertness and fatigue as factors in the crash on Aug. 30, 2016.<br/>
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Two German airports temporarily suspended flights on the morning of Aug 15 after climate activists breached their airfields as part of a larger protest action targeting four airports nationwide. The Last Generation campaign group said in a statement that eight activists had stopped or reduced traffic at the Berlin, Cologne-Bonn, Nuremberg and Stuttgart airports, and published pictures of activists with their hands glued to the tarmac. The activists did not enter the runway area, it added. German politicians have demanded better protection for the country's airports after climate activists were able to breach fences and disrupt air traffic, including at the country's busiest airport, Frankfurt, for two days in a row in July. The Nuremberg airport suspended flights for a little more than an hour due to the activists, leading to six delayed flights, one cancellation and one rerouted flight, it said on Facebook. Traffic at the Cologne-Bonn airport was running since 0525 GMT after being halted early on Aug 15, with some delays still expected, according to the airport on social media platform X. Police were on site at the Berlin-Brandenburg airport, the largest one affected, and were able to remove the two protesters, who had entered the airfield by cutting through a fence, said a police spokesperson, adding that flight operations were unaffected. Air traffic at Stuttgart airport was also unaffected after two people who blocked a taxiway were immediately apprehended by police, the airport said in a statement.<br/>
Torrential rains across Spain's Balearic islands have flooded roads, forced people to evacuate and flights to be cancelled, with Spain's emergency military unit saying on Thursday it had been deployed to Mallorca to help with the situation. Spanish national weather agency AEMET kept an orange alert on Thursday in the whole area due to the high risk of storms, having downgraded it from red earlier. The emergency services said they expected the worst of the storm to have passed, having urged people on Wednesday to remain indoors. "Forbidden to carry out outdoor activities," read a post from the emergency services posted on X, formerly Twitter. Regional firefighters said on X they had cordoned off areas in central Palma de Mallorca and evacuated 29 people from a train on the line between Palma and Manacor due to the flooding. More than 50 flights were cancelled across airports in the Balearic Islands since the rainstorm started on Wednesday and delays are expected to continue, Spanish airport operator Aena said.<br/>
Catania Airport in Sicily was forced to temporarily close its runway following a volcanic eruption on the Italian island, delaying and canceling flights to the vacation hotspot at the peak of the summer travel season. About 75% of departing flights from Catania, located on the east coast of Sicily, were canceled on Thursday, while almost half of all arrivals, excluding diversions, were called off, according to Cirium. Ryanair Holdings Plc saw the most cancellations to and from Catania, followed by ITA Airways and EasyJet Plc, the analytics company said. “The runway is unusable due to a significant fall of volcanic ash on the airfield, and therefore, both arrivals and departures have been suspended,” the airport said on Thursday in a statement. Ryanair continues to monitor the situation, the airline said in a statement. EasyJet said it had rerouted some flights to Palermo, the capital of Sicily, and provided onward transport for passengers, while Wizz Air Holdings Plc said they also had to cancel flights to the hub. Mount Etna has erupted at various times over the past two months, causing trouble for airlines flying to the Mediterranean island as volcanic ash particles can damage aircraft engines, windscreens and fuselages. Catania Airport said it expects flights to resume at 6 pm on Thursday.<br/>
The transportation ministry unveiled a set of new safety measures Thursday to prevent in-flight accidents caused by frequent air turbulence. According to the guidelines by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, air carriers have to establish standard procedures for suspending cabin services, such as in-flight meals and duty-free sales, in the event of turbulence. Given that turbulence often occurs during the landing process, it is recommended that in-flight services end 40 minutes before landing on medium- and long-distance routes, and 15 minutes before landing on short-haul routes. This represents an adjustment of about 20 minutes earlier than previous practices. Major airlines, such as Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, have already implemented these policies, while other low-cost carriers have also expressed their willingness to consider the government's recommendations, the ministry said. The guidelines also advise airlines to review the risks associated with serving hot soup and tea on board. Korean Air has already suspended instant noodle services in economy class to prevent burns caused by turbulence. Additionally, airlines will enhance in-flight announcements to remind passengers to keep their seat belts fastened at all times during the flight.<br/>