Brussels South Charleroi Airport canceled all flights departing on Tuesday due to a strike by security staff, the airport announced on Monday. “All arrivals at Charleroi airport will be maintained,” the airport added, inviting passengers “to contact their airline to confirm their flight.” The airport ascribed the cancellation of all departures on Tuesday to the security sector action and subsequent “lack of staff to ensure security operations,” noting that safety could not be guaranteed. The airport also said it would “do its utmost to restart operations … from Wednesday.” Tuesday’s action is the third strike to hit Belgium’s second-busiest airport in less than two months. It followed a surprise strike that paralyzed Charleroi airport on Sept. 12 and a union action on Oct. 1 that disrupted air traffic at both Charleroi and Brussels airports. Charleroi airport, located at about 60 kilometers south of Brussels, is mainly used by low-cost airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air, with a small number of flights operated there by Air Corsica and Pegasus.<br/>
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Israel’s airport authority on Monday resumed operations at the country’s main airport, Ben Gurion, after briefly closing its airspace. “The airport is open for landings and departures,” the airport authority said in a statement, while Israeli media reported a “suspicious object” being spotted near the facility that had led to the closure of the facility for about 30 minutes.<br/>
Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said Monday they shot down a cargo jet in the country’s far western reaches of Darfur, a claim that Russian diplomats said they were trying to investigate in the war zone. Mobile phone footage showed what appeared to be a debris field with fighters from the paramilitary force, known as the RSF, showing off what appeared to be identity documents recovered from the crash. However, documents also shown in the footage from the crash site suggest the aircraft was affiliated with an airline previously linked to an effort by the United Arab Emirates to arm the RSF in the war, something that has been strenuously denied by the UAE despite evidence. A message from Russia’s Embassy in Khartoum confirmed its diplomats were investigating the incident in Sudan’s Malha region in northern Darfur near the border with Chad. The embassy’s message said Russians may have been on board at the time. The RSF has been at war with the Sudanese army since April 2023.The paramilitary force claimed in a statement it shot down a “foreign warplane” that had been aiding the Sudanese military. It alleged without providing evidence that the aircraft had been dropping “barrel bombs” on civilians.<br/>
Malaysia’s aviation industry is poised for a 4% increase in overall passenger movement, according to Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook. He said the expansion of airline fleets and the return of foreign carriers are fuelling growth. “Malaysia recorded a strong 12.7% growth in passenger numbers in August compared to the same period last year, reaching 8.7m passengers,” he said. Loke added that this growth aligns with global trends, where many regions have exceeded pre-pandemic air traffic levels. “By the end of this year, we expect connectivity to the Asia-Pacific region to be fully restored. “Looking ahead, we anticipate a 10.4% year-on-year increase in global passenger numbers for 2024,” said Loke. He also said that global demand for air travel will rise by an average of 4.3% annually over the next two decades. “This increase will generate 15.5m direct jobs and contribute US$1.5t to the global GDP by 2036,” he said. Loke said the air cargo sector expects year-on-year growth of 6% to 6.6% in 2024, totalling around 20b freight tonne-kilometres. “This growth is driven by factors such as China’s recovery, the upturn in the global technology cycle and economic stabilisation,” he said.<br/>
Boeing is expected to book more than $1b in wage-related expenses from its proposed labor contract, analysts said, although its shares rose 4% on Monday on hopes of an end to a crippling strike. About 33,000 workers will vote on the contract proposal on Wednesday after a more than month-long work stoppage, which has halted production of models including its best-selling 737 MAX narrowbody jets. The vote also coincides with Boeing's third-quarter results, in which it is expected to report a hefty loss. "We view the proposal as a positive step," Ben Tsocanos, aerospace director at ratings agency S&P Global, said in an email to Reuters. "Resolving the strike quickly is key to improving the company's financial position and supporting the rating." The new contract proposal announced on Saturday includes a 35% pay hike over four years, a $7,000 ratification bonus, a reinstated incentive plan and enhanced contributions to workers' 401(k) retirement plans, including a one-time $5,000 contribution plus up to 12% in employer contributions. The new wage increase and the ratification bonus are an improvement over the previous offer, which was rebuffed by the striking workers, but the salary hikes still fall short of a 40% pay rise over four years demanded by the Machinists' union. "But will the members accept? We can't say for sure, though it does seem to offer nearly all the union asked for," J.P. Morgan analyst Seth Seifman wrote in a note.<br/>
Business aviation’s annual contribution to the US economy is expected to climb by over $50b within five years bringing the industry’s annual input to $183b. This is according to a study – one of two published on the eve of NBAA BACE – of US-based private jet financiers and brokers commissioned by Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ). With fewer than 500 of the 5,000 public-use airports in the USA currently served by commercial airlines, business aviation has become a key and often indispensable component of the country’s transportation system. Some 85% of survey respondents believe the significance of this role will continue to grow over the next five years. The ACJ study also reveals over 60% of financiers and brokers expect the sale of large business jets to increase over the next five years driven by a desire to upgrade from older to new-generation models – particularly high-end, large-cabin and midsize business jets. Airbus says these sectors “are increasing at a faster rate than other categories due to their range and capacity, and because OEMs are driving interest with the introduction of new models”. Between now and 2027, 84% of those surveyed believe the focus on top-end and midsize jets will increase. The second study from ACJ reveals 90% of senior executives at large corporations expect widespread availability and take-up of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will lead to an increase in US companies using private jets. Similarly, 90% of respondents expect SAF affordability will lead to an overall increase in the sale of business aircraft.<br/>
Brazilian airframer Embraer delivered 57 jets in the third quarter of 2024, one-third more than during the equivalent three-month period in 2023, and 24% more than the previous quarter. Sao Jose dos Campos-headquartered Embraer said on 18 October that it delivered 16 commercial jets – four E175s, two E190-E2s and 10 E195-E2s – and 41 executive jets, of which 22 were light and 19 were mid-size, during the quarter that ended on 30 September. It also delivered two C-390 Millenniums, one to the Hungarian air force, its first, and one to the Brazilian air Force, its seventh. Embraer ended the quarter with a firm order backlog of $22.7b, about 25% higher than at the same point a year ago, and its highest point in nine years. The commercial firm order backlog is $11.1b, up 30% from last year. It consists of 374 jets – 175 E175s, 27 E190-E2s, and 172 E195-E2s. “The highlight was the delivery of the first E2 aircraft under a contract signed with a lessor to supply LOT Polish Airlines – the agreement includes two more jets before year-end,” Embraer says. “Additionally, Virgin Australia placed a firm order for eight E190-E2 small narrowbody aircraft during the quarter.” On the executive jet side, Embraer delivered four Phenom 100s, 18 Phenom 300s, nine Praetor 500s and 10 Praetor 600s. The backlog of the executive jet business unit reached $4.4b during the quarter, 3% higher than at the same point last year.<br/>