Nigeria has been delisted from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category One Status (USFAA CAT 1) International Aviation Safety Assessment Programme (IASA). This means that no Nigerian registered carrier can operate to any US destinations until Nigeria returns to the status. Nigeria was delisted because no Nigerian registered airline had operated to the US for about seven years and according to the new FAA regulation, a Category One status country that failed to operate to US after two years will be delisted from the status. Category One Safety Status means that the country certified by the status has met US safety standard to operate flights to the US, which includes compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards. To designate and certify a country worthy of Category 1 Status, FAA inspectors will assess the country’s civil aviation authority and deter<br/>
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A woman’s High Court bid to make airlines take a “proactive” approach to paying compensation estimated to be worth more than GBP300m has been thrown out as it is “not in the interest of consumers”, a judge has ruled. Claire Smyth asked to be named as a “representative” of passengers who she said were not made aware of their rights to claim compensation on around 116,000 flights from 2016 to 2022. She began legal action against British Airways and easyJet after her own flight was cancelled in 2022, claiming that airlines did not do enough to make customers aware of their rights. Judge Richard Davison said that on a “rough and ready” estimate the claim was worth GBP319m, but that 24% of any money recovered would be split between Ms Smyth’s lawyers and her employer, an Australian man named John Armour, who had funded the legal bid. In a ruling on Monday, the judge dismissed her case, stating that the “dominant motive” for the claim was not the interests of passengers.<br/>
The Swedish government and the Sweden Democrats have announced the abolition of the controversial aviation tax, effective from July 1, 2025. Initially introduced in 2018 to reduce the environmental impact of air travel, the tax will be removed to boost Sweden’s competitiveness, with expectations that domestic and European flight tickets will become about 80 SEK cheaper, and long-haul flights 325 SEK cheaper. The decision has sparked concerns over potential increases in air traffic and emissions. Linda Lindberg, the Sweden Democrats’ group leader, acknowledged the environmental risks but emphasised the need for a competitive aviation industry for both businesses and individuals. Energy and Business Minister Ebba Busch added that the broader budget aims to reduce overall climate emissions, arguing that penalising individual families or jeopardising significant green projects is not the solution. The aviation tax has been a contentious issue within the governing coalition, particularly between the Sweden Democrats and the Liberals, who disagree on climate policy. Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari of the Liberals had previously opposed the tax’s removal, advocating instead for alignment with the EU’s climate policies to ensure that aviation bears its environmental costs.<br/>
With air traffic in Asia-Pacific set to double over the next 20 years, passengers and airlines will need to help cover the cost of infrastructural improvements that are required to meet future demand by paying more in airport fees, said the head of a regional industry group. “In order to attract the resources that are needed, you need to cover the costs. In one way or another, this means increasing the charges,” said Stefano Baronci, director-general of Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific and Middle East, which represents more than 600 airports in the two regions. “There is no free meal,” he told reporters at a media roundtable on Sept 3 at Jewel Changi Airport. “If you cannot find other sources of financing, such as state support, then the primary beneficiaries of the (airport’s) service are the ones that have to bear the cost.” Baronci sought to downplay the impact that such charges have on air fares, noting that international airport charges in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East have, on the whole, remained steady since the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, he argued that the price of an air ticket is driven by other factors such as demand patterns, supply and price elasticity.<br/>
The Thai Pilots Association is raising the alarm over liberalising pilot jobs for foreigners flying domestic routes through wet lease arrangements, claiming it risks another red flag from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Last month, the Department of Employment talked with the association, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, and an airline that asked former premier Srettha Thavisin for this liberalisation, which would give foreign pilots temporary permission to fly domestic routes. The permission would be given only to foreign pilots linked to ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance) leasing, widely known as wet leasing, that includes all four segments from the supplier airline. Teerawat Angkasakulkiat, president of the Thai Pilots Association, said according to the Labour Ministry, which sets the list of prohibited jobs for non-Thais, foreign pilots are unable to fly domestic flights. The department discussed this issue with related stakeholders and agreed to liberalise this rule on a temporary basis to mitigate the impact of a supply shortage during the upcoming high season for six months.<br/>
Boeing slumped on Tuesday as Wells Fargo & Co. lowered the planemaker to a sell-equivalent recommendation, saying it’s hard to see any upside in the shares. The stock fell as much as 8.9%, touching the lowest intraday level since November 2022, as analyst Matthew Akers downgraded his rating on the company to underweight from equal-weight and cut the price target to $119, the lowest among analysts tracked by Bloomberg. The move leaves Akers as one of only three analysts of the more than 30 that Bloomberg follows to recommend that investors sell the stock. The new share-price projection implies a roughly 32% decline over the next 12 months relative to Friday’s close. In a note released Tuesday, Akers said he expects free cash flow per share — Boeing’s main valuation metric — to peak by 2027 as aircraft development costs offset further production growth. Akers also said further dilution of the stock through an offering of additional shares is likely. “A substantial further equity raise is needed in the coming years, further diluting shareholders,” Akers wrote. <br/>
The number of aviation accidents involving large Western-made commercial jets declined in 2023 – and none caused fatalities, the first time that has happened since Boeing started collecting safety data decades ago. Airlines globally suffered 11 accidents involving the Western aircraft types last year, down from 25 accidents the prior year, according to the latest version of the US manufacturer’s annual Statistical Summary of Commercial Jet Airplane Accidents. The report only indexes accidents through 2023, and the period of fatality-free operations of Western jets ended on 2 January this year, when a Japan Airlines Airbus A350-900 collided with a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300 in Tokyo, killing five people on the turboprop. “Accident rates continue to decline to historic lows, despite air traffic nearly returning to pre-pandemic levels,” says Boeing vice-president of enterprise safety Elisabeth Martin. “2023 was one of the safest years on record.” Boeing’s safety report accounts for accidents involving Western-made jet aircraft weighing more than 27,216kg (60,000lb) – encompassing all Boeing and Airbus types and regional jets with at least 70 seats, but excluding turboprops. The 11 accidents last year neither caused fatalities nor total aircraft losses, according to Boeing. The world’s airlines operated 31.3m flights in 2023 – slightly fewer than they did in 2019 prior to the Covid-19 pandemic – equating to a 2023 accident rate of 0.35 per million flights.<br/>