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In the quest to shrink the outsized climate impact of air travel, airlines across the globe have vowed to consume vast quantities of greener jet fuel. But most airlines are lagging far behind their pledges, according to a Bloomberg Green analysis of corporate environmental filings for 2023. Although many airlines have promised to get at least 10% of their propellant from cleaner sources by the end of the decade, the use of sustainable aviation fuel, or “SAF,” grew from 0.04% of global aviation fuel in 2021 to 0.17% in 2023, according to estimates from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). European airlines are trouncing competitors in the US and elsewhere. That’s due, in part, to a government mandate, with the European Union requiring airlines to use 2% SAF starting next year. Other governments are following with mandates of their own, including the UK, Singapore and British Columbia. By contrast, the US has embraced a voluntary approach, with the government offering lucrative incentives for SAF but not requiring airlines to purchase the cleaner fuels, which cost about three-times more than conventional jet fuel.“There’s a real meaningful stick forcing [European airlines] to use it,” says Nik Pavlenko, who leads the fuels team at the International Council on Clean Transportation, a nonprofit think tank. “In the US, there’s still a bit of cognitive dissonance between the 2050 net-zero claims and the excitement about SAF, and what airlines are actually willing to pay for if they don’t have to.”DHL Group leads the world in SAF adoption, getting more than 3% of its aviation fuel from cleaner sources last year. To achieve this, the Bonn, Germany-based cargo carrier purchased more lower-emission jet fuel than all US airlines combined. In stark contrast to its European competitor, Memphis-based FedEx Corp. didn’t purchase any SAF last year, despite a pledge to get 30% of its jet fuel from cleaner sources by 2030. Story has more details.<br/>

The Labour government has given the green light to allow London City Airport to expand its passenger numbers by more than a third, in one of its first major decisions intended to boost growth since taking office last month. The government confirmed on Monday that it would allow London’s smallest airport — popular among business travellers because of its proximity to the City of London and Canary Wharf financial districts — to increase its annual passenger capacity from 6.5mn to 9mn by 2031. It will be able to fly three extra flights in the first half hour of operations during the week to help accommodate the expansion.  Ministers, however, refused to give the go-ahead for additional flights on Saturday afternoons from 12.30pm until 6.30pm, and stipulated that quieter aircraft should be used for any additional morning flights.  The approval comes after Newham Council, the airport’s local authority, last year blocked the expansion request over concerns around the impact of noise pollution and other environmental impacts from the extra flights. The airport appealed against the decision, which was approved on Monday by Angela Rayner, secretary of state for housing, and Louise Haigh, transport secretary. According to the decision, the additional morning flights would cause “no harm in terms of noise effects, and any additional effects at that time would be mitigated in terms of the use of quieter aircraft for the three additional flights, as well as the enhanced sound insulation scheme”. It added there would be “no conflict in terms of national policy” on air quality.<br/>

A three-day strike by Border Force agents at London's Heathrow Airport "will likely cause serious disruption" a union has said. Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will strike from 31 August to 3 September then work-to-rule, which includes refusing overtime, until 22 September. The union said the action involves 650 of its members in a dispute over the "enforced changes to terms and conditions". The Home Office said it has "robust plans in place to minimise disruption where possible". A PCS spokesperson said the industrial dispute, which began in April, is over issues including the introduction of "inflexible rosters". PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Our hard-working members at Heathrow take great pride in keeping our country’s border safe but many are being forced out of the job they love." She said staff are being told to "choose between caring responsibilities and their job". “We know our strike action is likely to cause serious disruption to travellers using Heathrow at the end of the summer. But the strike can be avoided if the employer listens to the concerns of our members," Heathcote said. A Heathrow spokesperson referred BBC News to the Home Office as the employer of Border Force agents, but said it has worked through industrial action in the past and aims to minimise any disruption.<br/>

Flights are disrupted to and from Lanzarote Airport after haze and ‘calima’ swept onto the island, local news reports. Arrivals and departure flights from Lanzarote were delayed after severe weather obstructed the visibility of Spain’s Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa. Data from FlightRadar shows that a significant number of arrivals have been delayed, most of them by around an hour, in landing at Lanzarote’s airport, while some afternoon departures were also delayed by around an hour on Monday, 19 August. Aena, a Spanish airport authority that operates Lanzarote’s airport, confirmed to The Independent that 12 flights, including arrivals from Leeds, Birmingham, and Dublin, as well as domestic flights from Madrid, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife, were diverted mostly to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. Flights including Ryanair and Air Lingus planes travelling from Dublin to the island were diverted to Fuerteventura, landing at 10.40am. Tui and Jet2 flights that departed from Leeds and Birmingham were also diverted to Fuerternventua, while other airlines that were coming from elsewhere than the UK were diverted to Gran Canaria Airport and Tenerife North Airport, FlightRadar shows. The diversions appear to have stopped around midday, but disruptions and delays persisted into the afternoon. Since 5pm GMT, most flights have landed on time or with minor delays, and departures also appear to be doing the same. The disruptions and delays were thought to be caused by a warning of haze and calima, which is when fine sand and dust particles are lifted into the atmosphere from the Sahara Desert, causing a reduction in visibility and high temperatures.<br/>

China's airlines are reopening direct services linking the country to Mexico after a hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic, as a wave of Chinese manufacturers set up shop in the North American production hub. On a recent evening, a gate at Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport was busy with Chinese passengers lining up for a Hainan Airlines flight to Beijing via northern Mexico's Tijuana. Hainan launched the long-haul route in July. In May, China Southern Airlines also opened direct flights from Shenzhen to Mexico City, the company's longest passenger route. The reopening of trans-Pacific routes can be credited to the expansion of Chinese companies into Mexico. In 2023, U.S.-based electric vehicle giant Tesla announced that it would open a new factory in the northern state of Nuevo Leon, prompting a number of Chinese to follow suit. China's BYD, which has overtaken Tesla to become the world's largest EV manufacturer, is also considering building a factory in Mexico and is in the final stages of selecting a site. BYD has received offers from over 20 Mexican states and has narrowed down its final candidates to three states, according to Bloomberg. Details of the factory, which is expected to employ 10,000 people, could be announced within a few months. The Shenzhen-based company held a new vehicle launch ceremony in Mexico City in May, the company's first outside of China. BYD Americas President Stella Li, who attended the ceremony, said that the Mexican factory will mass-produce EVs for Latin America.<br/>

The FAA mandated that operators of Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner inspect the jet’s cockpit seats after an uptick in reports about inadvertent movements disrupting flights. Boeing warned operators in March that a switch located on the rear of pilots’ seats that activates a motor to move them up and back can possibly jam if the mechanism is loose or damaged. The notice followed a March incident where a Latam Airlines Group SA flight took a nosedive after a cockpit seat reportedly moved, throwing the pilot into the plane’s control column. Dozens of people were injured as a result of the mishap. “The FAA has received, with increasing frequency since March 2024, reports of uncommanded horizontal movement of the Captain’s or First Officer’s seat, when occupied,” the regulator said in a filing Monday. Due to “the risk to the flying public” the FAA said it decided to issue the so-called airworthiness directive as a final rule, rather than proposing it first. “Uncommanded horizontal seat movement can cause inflight upset from unintended and abrupt flight control inputs, which could result in a rapid descent of the airplane and serious injury to passengers and crew,” the FAA said. The directive affects 158 US-registered aircraft. The regulator said it has received five reports about seat movements, the most recent of which occurred in June.<br/>

Boeing said Monday that it has paused flight tests of its 777X after it found damage in a structure of one of the wide-body aircraft. The company said it discovered the damage to the custom part, which it said is between the engine and the airplane structure, during scheduled maintenance. It has since grounded the three other 777-9 airplanes in its test fleet. No other flight testing was scheduled for the other aircraft, Boeing said. "Our team is replacing the part and capturing any learnings from the component and will resume flight testing when ready," Boeing said in a statement. It said it has informed the Federal Aviation Administration and its customers, which have ordered 481 of the 777X, according to Boeing's website. It wasn't immediately clear whether the grounding and issue would impact certification and delivery of the new wide-body jetliners, which are slated for 2025, about five years behind schedule. Boeing began flight tests of the aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration in July, a major milestone. The news comes as Boeing's leaders, including new CEO Kelly Ortberg, are trying to move the company past a safety crisis that started with a doorplug blowout at the start of the year.<br/>