A pilot shortage that had gripped US regional airlines is finally easing, at least temporarily, due to aircraft production and maintenance issues that have left major US airlines with fewer-than-anticipated jets. Now, the narrative has shifted from deficit to over-supply. The change is reverberating among regional airlines, flight schools and recruitment organisations, with some regional carriers freezing new hiring or furloughing existing pilots. “We still have a dramatic pilot shortage, but it is being temporarily paused and somewhat concealed by an even-more-temporary large-aircraft shortage,” says Faye Malarkey-Black, CE of the Regional Airline Association (RAA). “We still don’t have all the pilots we need to fly all the routes and connect all the communities we want to.” Those sentiments are echoed by executives at regional airlines and by other industry insiders. They say the repreive, felt by smaller carriers prone to losing pilots to major airlines, results largely from delivery delays from Airbus and, to a greater extent, Boeing. As Airbus struggles with broad supply chain issues, Boeing has drastically reduced the number of new jets coming off its production lines since the 5 January mid-flight blow-out of a door-plug on a 737 Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines. The US company has said it aims to return to a 38-monthly 737 production rate this year. Airlines’ fleet-growth plans are further constrained by Pratt & Whitney’s recall of geared turbofan engines, forcing airlines globally to ground hundreds of Airbus A320neo-family aircraft. Southwest Airlines, which operates an all-737 fleet, has been hit particularly hard by Boeing’s delays, as it has been counting on receiving the yet-to-be-certificated Max 7. In April, the carrier disclosed it was limiting pilot hiring amid surging costs and 737 Max delays. CE Bob Jordan said Southwest was “implementing cost-control initiatives, including limiting hiring and offering voluntary time-off programmes”.<br/>
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The Canada Border Services Agency says it's dealing with a partial systems outage that's affecting customs processing at Canadian airports. The CBSA shared the news in a post on X today but did not say what caused the outage. The border agency says it's working with partners to fix the issue and apologizes for any inconvenience the outage may cause. Toronto's Pearson airport says the outage is impacting customs kiosks in two terminals. The airport says travellers using those terminals may experience longer wait times at customs. A spokesperson from Montreal's Trudeau airport says customs processing is slower than usual but there is no major impact to the airport so far.<br/>
Security checks at Shin-Chitose Airport in Hokkaido were temporarily suspended on Aug 17 due to a pair of missing scissors at one of the airport’s stores, causing departure delays and stranded passengers. A store in the departure lounge lost the scissors on the same day, and security checks were suspended shortly after 10am local time (9am Singapore time). All checks had to be repeated, resulting in 190 flight delays and 35 cancellations. Passengers waiting for their flights in the departure lounge were forced to leave the area and undergo security checks again. Although the scissors were not found, the airport resumed security checks two hours later. The airport was particularly busy on that day as many travellers were heading home after the Bon holiday.<br/>
Korea's budget airliners, better known as LCCs in the country, are increasingly accommodating pets. This shift is significantly impacting the airline industry, reflecting a growing trend among pet owners wishing to travel with their furry companions. Jeju Air reported that from January to July this year, 11,324 passengers traveled with pets, a 10.9% increase compared to the same period last year (10,210 instances). This figure is nearly 2.7 times higher than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of Jeju Air's pet-inclusive flights are domestic, with 95.1% (10,772 instances) of these trips being on domestic routes, compared to only 4.9% (552 instances) on international flights. Another LCC, Eastar Jet, expanded on July 15 its pet-friendly policy from domestic routes to international flights. The airline has seen the number of 'paw'ssengers more than double from an average of 200 to 300 cases per month last year to 600 to 700 cases this year. In response to this growing demand, Eastar Jet has extended its pet-friendly services to most of its international routes.<br/>
Since last year, Indonesian airline TransNusa has routinely shuttled passengers between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur two to three times each day. But when its Airbus A320 plane touched down outside Malaysia's commercial capital on Aug. 1, it was hailed with arcing water cannons and a congratulatory banner. Flight attendants offered passengers commemorative pins. The flight was exceptional because it was landing at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport -- also known as Subang Airport and Subang SkyPark -- rather than Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) as all TransNusa's flights to the city had previously done. As the commemorative pins noted, no jet-operated international airline flight had arrived at Subang in 26 years. But now many more are coming. The same day TransNusa's plane landed, a Boeing 737 belonging to Batik Air, the full-service arm of Indonesia's low-cost Lion Air Group, set off for Penang. Batik and other airlines will launch more new Subang routes over the coming weeks. "Subang SkyPark offers a unique advantage with its proximity to Kuala Lumpur," said Manoharan Periasamy, director general of Tourism Malaysia. "This makes travel incredibly convenient and attractive for both local and international tourists," he said. "We are excited about the potential increase in the tourism industry with this new connectivity." The revival of commercial jet flights at Subang and newly launched upgrades to its facilities mirror developments at Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport and Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport. They too in recent years have clawed back some of the activity ceded when their cities opened new flagship airports that initially put them largely out of business. In each place, national authorities are seeking a balance between focusing activity on the country's main gateway to maximize networking benefits with sustaining an alternative airport to relieve capacity strains, handle VIP and corporate jet flights, and support other policy priorities.<br/>
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is in exploratory talks to line up Boeing and Airbus freighters for a new cargo airline, as it looks to turn the kingdom into a logistics hub to rival Dubai and Doha. The cargo-hauling operation would serve flag-carrier Saudia and startup Riyadh Air, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified as the talks are private. The Public Investment Fund is in discussions with both planemakers and lessors to acquire Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 freighters, the people said. The talks are at an early stage. No final decisions have been made and the fund may ultimately decide to delay or scrap the plans. Representatives for the PIF and Riyadh Air declined to comment, while Saudia did not reply to a request for comment. Boeing and Airbus said they do not comment on talks with airlines or potential customers. Like its Persian Gulf rivals, Saudi Arabia is looking to take advantage of its location at a global crossroads connecting Europe, Asia and Africa amid booming demand for air freight. Air cargo shipments rose 14% in June from a year earlier, the seventh consecutive month of 10% or greater growth, according to the International Air Transport Association industry group. Shipments are on pace to exceed levels hit in 2021, a record year. The move is part of a push by Saudi Arabia to diversify its economy away from a reliance on oil sales, with an emphasis on tourism, aviation and logistics. The kingdom has launched an aircraft leasing company, a helicopter firm, invested in Saudia’s engineering unit, and plans to develop one of the world’s biggest airports in its capital. Riyadh Air, which was set up by the PIF as part of those efforts, is seeking to build its network and challenge regional incumbents Emirates and Qatar Airways. Dubai-based Emirates has 14 freighters in its fleet and plans to more than double that number in the next decade, while Qatar has 28 cargo-hauling jets.<br/>
The owner of Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport will build what it says is Australia’s first fully integrated sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility in Brisbane. The project, in partnership with Boeing, has secured $760,000 in Queensland government funding and aims to start construction in 2026. It will use LanzaJet’s Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) technology to create ethanol-based fuel, with the expectation of 102m litres of SAF per year. Wagner says the SAF produced at its Brisbane facility will “integrate seamlessly with existing airline infrastructure and meet rigorous fuel standards”. The company is already partnering with Boeing on a SAF blending facility at Toowoomba Wellcamp.<br/>“Aviation uses billions of litres of fossil jet fuel per year and accounts for about 2.1% of global CO2 emissions. In Australia alone, demand for jet fuel is expected to increase by 75% over the next 25 years,” Wagner Sustainable Fuels CEO Matt Doyle said. “Australia is in a strong position to produce and scale renewable liquid fuels to meet this challenge and grow a domestic low-carbon fuels industry.” According to Queensland Minister for State Development and Infrastructure Grace Grace, growing the state’s SAF industry will create jobs as well as helping reduce carbon emissions. “We are well on the way to establishing Queensland as a true green jet fuel hub for the Asia-Pacific region,” she said.<br/>