Parcels that exploded at logistics depots in Europe were part of a test run for a Russian plot to trigger explosions on cargo flights to the United States, according to security officials. Western governments and intelligence agencies in Europe have previously pointed to Moscow as being the source of a series of fires and acts of sabotage in Europe aimed at destabilising allies of Ukraine. However, explosions in courier depots in Britain, Germany and Poland this July, which a Lithuanian presidential adviser said were the work of Russia, had the potential to mark a serious escalation by causing an explosion on an aircraft. "I can state that this is part of unconventional kinetic operations against NATO countries that are being undertaken by the Russian military intelligence," Kestutis Budrys, a national security adviser to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, told Reuters on Tuesday. "We note that these operations are being escalated: their focus is moving... to harming infrastructure and actions that could end up killing people," he added. The Russian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Wall Street Journal on Monday cited Western security officials as saying that the devices that ignited in DHL depots in Birmingham, central England, and Leipzig were part of a Russian operation that was intended to cause fires on cargo or passenger flights to North America. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration said over the past several months it "worked with industry partners to put additional security measures for U.S. aircraft operators and foreign air carriers regarding certain cargo shipments bound for the United States."<br/>
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Russia denied on Wednesday it was behind hoax bomb threats during voting in the U.S. presidential election and rejected reports of an alleged Russian plot to place incendiary devices on planes to the United States.<br/>Hoax bomb threats, many of which appeared to originate from Russian email domains, were directed on Tuesday at polling locations in five battleground states - Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania - as Election Day voting was under way, the FBI said. Security officials said separately that parcels that exploded at logistics depots in Europe were part of a test run for a Russian plot to trigger explosions on cargo flights to the United States.<br/>
Dublin Airport could handle about 35m passengers next year following this week’s court ruling, meaning the hub would exceed a controversial cap on numbers there for the second time. The High Court blocked regulators from limiting the number of passengers that airlines at Dublin can fly next summer pending the outcome of lawsuits challenging the move, which is tied to a 32m passenger cap imposed by planners on the airport. Kenny Jacobs, CE of State company DAA, which runs Dublin Airport, predicted that about 35m people could pass through it in 2025 as a result. DAA figures show that the airport is poised to breach the 32m limit this year. Jacobs said the company now expected modest growth in 2025. Airlines faced the loss of about 1m seats from summer 2024 had the court decided that air travel regulator the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) could apply the limit. That would have forced them to cut flights, driving up air fares and enduring tens of millions of euro each in revenue losses, while they and the airport would have had to axe jobs.<br/>
Paralympic champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson is to lead a new taskforce created to ease air travel for disabled passengers, Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has announced. The group will aim to tackle issues such as people being left onboard planes without timely assistance, mishandling of wheelchairs and a lack of access to toilets. Other members will include Sophie Morgan, co-founder of global disability campaign body Rights on Flights, as well as industry representatives from organisations such as British Airways, Ryanair and Manchester airport. Haigh said: “Everyone has the right to travel with dignity and it is vital we ensure that flying is an accessible, safe and enjoyable experience for all. For too long, disabled passengers haven’t had the standard of assistance and service they need. That’s why we are bringing together this expert taskforce to drive forward change. Under the leadership of Baroness Grey-Thompson and with accomplished members like Sophie Morgan, this group will help break down barriers and deliver lasting and meaningful improvements to ensure passengers always comes first.” In August, Lady Grey-Thompson said she was forced to crawl off a London North Eastern Railway train at London King’s Cross station on her way to the Paralympic Games in Paris because no staff were there to help. The following month, BBC News security correspondent Frank Gardner said he had to crawl on the floor of a LOT Polish Airlines plane on a flight to Heathrow because there was no onboard aisle chair for disabled passengers. <br/>
Hong Kong should be proactive in opening up new flight routes and destinations, experts have said, brushing off concerns that there could be an oversupply of airport capacity following the opening of the city’s three-runway system. Authorities had announced on Tuesday that the HK$141.5b (US$18b) system would open on November 28, boosting capacity by half to 120m passengers and 10m tonnes of cargo annually. Responding to concerns that there could be an excess supply of airport capacity, lawmaker and Airport Authority’s 3RS and Works Committee chairman Lo Wai-kwok said on Wednesday that Hong Kong should not focus on the current traffic. “The most important thing is we have to prepare ourselves. The passenger traffic is obviously increasing in a gradual manner,” he told a radio programme. “We should not simply wait for others to come. We should utilise our strengths to increase the number of destinations.” Lo suggested destinations in the Middle East, as Hong Kong had recently been exploring business opportunities in the region. “We do not have to be too worried about when the passenger traffic will return to pre-pandemic levels,” he added. The Airport Authority said in February that passenger traffic was expected to fully return to the pre-pandemic level, or around 70m, by the end of this year. But an update in September revealed the figure to be 39m passengers for the first three quarters of 2024, well short of official estimates. The central government has called on Hong Kong officials to develop the city into a world-class international aviation hub, as outlined in Beijing’s latest five-year national plan.<br/>