Hurricane Milton is closing in on Florida’s west coast, packing torrential rainfall and a destructive storm surge that could inundate some of the state’s fastest-growing counties. Milton is expected to make landfall just south of Tampa Bay around 9 p.m. New York time, according to commercial forecaster AccuWeather Inc. Vertical wind shear over the Gulf of Mexico has knocked back Milton’s top winds to 120 miles (193 kilometers) per hour, leaving it a tree-snapping Category 3 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. The storm was 50 miles west-southwest of Sarasota as of 6 p.m., according to an update from the US National Hurricane Center. Heavy rains from the storm’s outer bands pounded central Florida for much of Wednesday, and more than 285,000 homes and businesses are already without power, according to PowerOutage.us. As of 5 p.m. New York time, more than 4,000 flights across the US have been canceled for Wednesday and Thursday, according to FlightAware, an airline tracking service. <br/>
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The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on Wednesday warned airlines to have strict risk monitoring procedures for flights within the airspace of Israel. "The European Commission and European Union Aviation Safety Agency have updated the Conflict Zone Information Bulletin (CZIB) for Israel issued on September 28. The revised CZIB recommends air operators to implement a stringent monitoring process and risk assessment for each flight when intending to operate within the airspace of Israel," it said. "The recommendation is valid until October 31 and can be reviewed earlier and adapted or withdrawn subject to the revised assessment," it added.<br/>
Airlines have diverted more flights over Afghanistan over the past week to avoid Iranian airspace, data shows, adding to journey times and fuel costs in the latest disruption for routes between Asia and Europe as tensions in the Middle East escalate. Flights over Afghanistan were already growing in recent months, but expectations of an Israeli response to an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel last week have furthered that trend, data from flight tracker FlightRadar24 shows. EASA last week issued a warning for airlines to avoid Iranian airspace.<br/>FlightRadar24 showed 132 overflights of Afghanistan on Sept. 29. On Oct. 2, the day after Iran attacked Israel, the number of Afghan overflights rose to 176. On Oct. 6, the daily number had steadily risen to 222.<br/>Taliban officials said the number of overflights were even higher in recent days than the FlightRadar24 data showed. "Specifically, over the past five or six days, there have been about 350 transit flights in 24 hours, compared to around 100 transit flights (a year ago) previously," said Imamudden Ahmadi, the spokesperson for the Taliban-run Ministry of Transportation and Aviation.<br/>
The Australian government has introduced legislation for slot reform at Sydney airport, with changes to include civil penalties for airlines found to be hoarding slots. The legislation – introduced in parliament on 9 October – comes about 27 years since slot allocation at the country’s busiest airport were last tweaked. Key changes include new civil penalty provisions for “failing to use a slot, applying for slots with no reasonable prospects of using them, and failing to return or transfer unused slots”. It also calls for the government to “make changes” to allow access for new entrants and regional operators. In a statement following its introduction, transport minister Catherine King says the reforms will result in an “efficient, resilient and competitive” Sydney airport. Other areas of reform will include handling of major disruptions – including during weather events. A so-called “recovery period” will temporarily permit an extra five movements per hour for a maximum of two hours following the disruption. Sydney airport’s movements are capped at 80 per hour, with no additional provisions in case of disruptions. King says the new system will not increase the number of movements across the day, but will ensure disruption recovery can happen faster. <br/>
A report issued by an aviation industry coalition on Wednesday called for new steps to help prevent future unapproved parts from entering the aviation supply chain. The report from the Aviation Supply Chain Integrity Coalition that was created in February called for strengthening vendor accreditation, digitizing documents and improving part traceability. It also proposed adopting best practices for receiving and inspecting parts and scrapping and destroying non-usable material. In 2023, jet engine maker CFM International, co-owned by GE Aerospace and France’s Safran said thousands of engine components may have been sold with forged paperwork by British distributor AOG Technics. In December, British police made an arrest and launched a probe into allegations that the London-based firm had distributed fake parts for aircraft engines. “These recommendations will close holes and add new layers of safety to strengthen the integrity of the supply chain,” said former National Transportation Safety Board chair Robert Sumwalt, one of the group’s co-chairs.<br/>
US regulators are ordering Boeing 787 operators to modify cockpit seats to prevent possible serious injury to the captain in the event of rapid decompression, despite objections from several airlines citing fatigue risk. The US FAA has determined that, when the seat is reclined, the headrest lies in the path of the cockpit door decompression panel. This means that, theoretically, the panel could strike the captain’s head or face and cause serious, even potentially fatal, injury. While the FAA proposed modifying seat assemblies on certain aircraft, several 787 operators asked for alternative methods to be considered. British Airways, Air France and KLM all argued that the modification would limit the seat recline and prohibit pilots from achieving sufficient effective rest. Air France stated that this situation could force the carrier to add a third pilot on 787 services, or change the 787 network, at significant cost. British Airways and KLM also said that pilot fatigue from inadequate rest posed a greater operational hazard than the relatively low risk of crew injury during decompression. Air France and KLM suggested using aids for accurate seat positioning, or procedures and placards to limit seat recline, to address the FAA’s concerns. But the FAA says that, following analysis and evaluation of fleet data, it has determined that the risk to pilots is “unacceptable”, and has not revised its directive.<br/>
Aircraft delivery delays at Boeing Co. and its European rival Airbus SE are forcing some carriers to furlough crews and review expansion plans, according to the head of airline industry’s main lobby group. “We’ve seen airlines actually starting to furlough pilots and some crew, and it’s not a demand issue, it’s because they’re not getting the aircraft that they can expect it to get,” Willie Walsh, the director general of the International Air Transport Association, said in an interview at a conference in Amsterdam. He didn’t identify which airlines had placed staff on leave. Production at Boeing had already been curbed after a near-catastrophic accident in January, before a strike by 33,000 workers at its Seattle-area plants halted production of its workhorse 737 Max model. Airbus, meanwhile, continues to grapple with supply chain issues and could be forced to once again downgrade its annual delivery forecast. The slowdown at manufacturers has left airlines frustrated because they cannot properly plan ahead for new aircraft to join the fleet, Walsh said. In Europe, low-fare leader Ryanair Holdings Plc has cut its annual passenger forecast and has pared back some routes because of Boeing’s deliveries slipping. Smaller rival Wizz Air Holdings Plc recently said that its goal to grow to 500 jets by 2030 could slip into 2031 or 2032 because of supply-chain issues. Deutsche Lufthansa AG has been forced to fly older aircraft for longer as it awaits the arrival of new jets.<br/>
Boeing and its largest union appear to be digging in for a long fight — even as some striking workers start to look for temporary jobs and the company risks having its credit rating downgraded to junk status. Nearly a month into the strike, negotiations between Boeing and the union resumed this week under federal mediation after a long break. But they collapsed on Tuesday with the company withdrawing its latest offer. The two sides traded blame for the breakdown. In a message to employees, Stephanie Pope, the CE of Boeing’s commercial airplane unit, said the union had made “demands far in excess of what can be accepted if we are to remain competitive as a business.” The union accused Boeing of being “hellbent” on sticking to the offer that labor leaders had previously rejected for being insufficient to garner the support of most of its more than 33,000 members. A long strike is the last thing Boeing needs. The company, which hasn’t reported a full-year profit since 2018, is now losing tens of millions of dollars more every day that striking workers are not building planes. Boeing is also trying to persuade regulators to let it produce more 737 Max jets, its best-selling plane. And on Tuesday, S&P Global Ratings said it was considering lowering the company’s credit rating, which sits just above junk status, depending on the strike’s length. The walkout, which began on Sept. 13, is also difficult for workers, many of whom are living off savings and have had to find health coverage after Boeing dropped them from its plan this month. But in interviews and online forums, many workers said they were prepared to wait for a better deal after growing frustrated by wages that failed to keep pace with rising costs and concessions that they made in previous contracts. They have also drawn inspiration from the gains that unions in other industries have secured for their members.<br/>
Airbus deliveries fell 9% in September to 50 aircraft, compared with the same month last year, the European planemaker said on Wednesday. The figure, which confirms a recent Reuters report, brings deliveries so far this year to 497 jetliners, up 2% from 488 at the nine-month stage a year ago. Airbus is targeting 770 deliveries for the full year after reducing its goal from 800 jets in July, citing shortages of engines and other parts as the aerospace industry's supply chain struggles to recover from the pandemic. Reuters, quoting industry sources, reported on Friday that Airbus had delivered 50 jets in September, leaving it facing a sprint towards the finish line in the traditionally busy fourth quarter. Airbus has said it is on track to meet its annual target of "around" 770 jets. The figures suggest that Airbus would have to deliver 273 aircraft in the fourth quarter to meet its headline target figure, up 11% from the same quarter last year. Airbus and Boeing supplier Senior said on Tuesday it was cutting headcount in response to challenges in commercial aerospace manufacturing, sending its shares tumbling.<br/>