Several major airports in Florida are planning to shut down operations in preparation for Hurricane Milton, which has rapidly intensified into a potentially catastrophic storm as it approaches the state’s Gulf Coast. Tampa International airport said it will suspend operations at 09:00 local time on 8 October and “reopen when safe to do so”. It urges air travellers to check directly with airlines for updates. Meanwhile, Orlando International airport plans to shut down commercial operations the following day at 08:00 local time. ”We’ll continue to monitor the hurricane’s path and we’ll post updates as they become available,” the airport says on social media. ”Please continue to work with your airline in regards to your flight.” ”For the next two days, we’ll have aircraft taking off and landing here,” Orlando International CE Kevin Thibault said during a 7 October press conference. “Once that stops, the group here will do things like… tie down all the boarding bridges to make sure we protect the assets we have here.” Southwest Florida International airport in Fort Myers plans to close 8-9 October. American Airlines says it is “closely monitoring” the storm’s progression. The carrier has scheduled “multiple additional flights with more than 2,000 seats” to Tampa International and Sarasota-Bradenton International airports late on 7 October and early on 8 October. It will suspend operations to those airports shortly after midnight on 8 October. American has also issued travel alerts for 12 airports in Florida. ”If an American flight has been cancelled or excessively delayed, customers may cancel their itinerary and request a refund by visiting our website,” it says. <br/>
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Dublin airport’s summer capacity next year will be capped at 25.2m seats, with the Irish civil aviation regulator warning that slot demand is likely to greatly exceed this limit. It points out that summer 2025 is the second scheduling season to take account of an Irish national planning body condition – dating from 2007 – which restricts the combined annual capacity of Dublin’s two terminals to just 32m. “This planning condition remains in existence, and is limiting the available slot capacity below the capacity of the physical infrastructure,” says the Irish Aviation Authority. Its summer seat capacity limit of 25.2m, plus a winter 2024 limit of 14.4m, gives a total of 39.6m seats – higher than the conditional passenger limit of 32m, because it adjusts for load factor as well as transfer passengers. The regulator says it expects demand for summer 2025 slots will “significantly exceed” the cap, and it will prioritise carriers according to slot usage in summer 2024. But it cautions that “not all slot series” from this year will be able to find accommodation next year. The regulator adds that the cap decision will result in “very little, if any” available capacity for new, or ad hoc, slot requests – a consequence of the planning condition which, it says, it has no power to amend or revoke. It points out that, if the planning condition did not impose the 32m-passenger restriction, it could declare a “significantly higher” airport capacity, providing slot opportunities for growth and new entrants.<br/>
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday issued interim safety recommendations to Indian carriers operating Boeing 737 aircraft and asked them to conduct a safety risk assessment to evaluate and mitigate the risk associated with the rudder control system. The aviation regulator’s advisory comes days after the US National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) on September 26 warned that a faulty component in some Boeing 737 aircraft could jam the plane’s rudder control system used by pilots to steer the jetliners on runways. NTSB was investigating a February 6, 2024, incident in which the rudder pedals on a United Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX were stuck in their neutral position while landing at Newark Liberty International Airport. According to NTSB, a sealed bearing was incorrectly assembled on actuators for rudders that pilots adjust to stay in the centre of the runway after landing. As a result, moisture could leak into a rudder assembly and freeze. In its interim safety recommendations on Monday, DGCA asked airlines to issue advisories and circulars to all its flight crew members regarding the possibility of a jammed or restricted rudder control system. “Appropriate mitigations must be communicated to help crews identify and handle such a situation,” the regulator told the airlines.<br/>
Boeing's largest union said it would continue negotiations with the planemaker on Tuesday, as both sides seek an agreement to end a strike by around 33,000 U.S. West Coast factory workers. The company and the union, whose members have been on strike for 25 days, had resumed contract talks on Monday in the presence of federal mediators. "Although we met with Boeing and federal mediators all day, there was no meaningful movement to report. We will be back at it tomorrow," The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said late on Monday. Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The union is seeking a 40% pay rise over four years and the restoration of a defined-benefit pension that was taken away in the contract a decade ago. Boeing made an improved offer last month that it described as its "best and final", which would give workers a 30% raise and restore a performance bonus, but the union said a survey of its members found that was not enough. The strike has halted production of Boeing's best-selling 737 MAX jet, along with its 777 and 767 widebody planes. The MAX is a key revenue-driver for the company at a time when it is struggling with weak margins in its defense business.<br/>
Airbus and the Philippine government have begun feasibility studies on sustainable aviation fuels in the country. The study – announced at the annual Philippines Aviation Summit in Manila on 3 October – comes as the Philippines establishes a SAF committee to oversee the development of a roadmap towards SAF production and the reduction of carbon emissions. Airbus says it will contribute to the feasibility study, by “analysing country specific macroeconomic data, evaluating SAF feedstocks and production pathways, assessing relevant implementation support, financing and policies, as well as drafting an action plan”. The European airframer adds: “This study will serve as a critical reference to springboard further development of relevant policies, and at the same time encourage industry stakeholders to advance economically viable SAF production in the Philippines”. The announcement is the latest sustainability-related partnership Airbus has announced in recent weeks. In September, AirAsia and Airbus entered into a memorandum of understanding to explore initiatives that will reduce aviation’s carbon emissions in Southeast Asia. The two companies will work together to explore SAF production using alternative feedstocks.<br/>
When China set off on its long-haul endeavour to build and fly a modern commercial airliner, it aimed high, with the long-term aspiration of taking on Western competitors Boeing and Airbus. Now, with its home-grown C919 being used commercially by three domestic airlines and hopes that it will be used overseas, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) will need to take a detour to learn from another foreign manufacturer to achieve its lofty goal, with Brazilian giant Embraer on its radar. “Comac needs to compare notes with Embraer, whose rise from scratch to becoming a global aviation powerhouse is a source of inspiration,” said Paulo Filho, a former colonel and strategic studies expert with the Brazilian army. Embraer’s technology and sales prowess are much sought after, analysts said, with Comac aiming to increase the pace it can produce the C919, as well as future models, while also cramming normally decades worth of certification and overseas marketing into about 10 years.<br/>