Concerns about aircraft supply shortages affecting airlines may be "overdone" as carriers report soaring profits, a slowing global economy curbs new jet demand and the use of larger narrow-bodies with higher seat counts boosts capacity, a report said. China's diminished demand for narrow-body aircraft is also expected to reduce the effects of fewer deliveries from Boeing and Airbus over the next few years, according to a report by Bloomberg Intelligence on Friday. "Despite reports of airplane shortages, our analysis finds that global airline profitability, weak return on capital and plateauing lease rates mean there may be no lack of planes," George Ferguson and Melissa Balzano, aerospace and defence analysts at Bloomberg Intelligence, said in the joint report. "Demand could be abating on rising narrow-body seat counts, the peak of geared-turbofan [engine] inspections and slowing global gross domestic product [GDP] growth, especially in China." A global shortage of aircraft has been pushing up fares and forcing airlines to keep older jets flying longer. Some carriers, such as Emirates, have invested billions of dollars to retrofit their older jets as they await delayed deliveries of new aircraft. Airlines around the world have struggled to increase capacity in response to rising travel demand as supplies of jetliners are limited by parts shortages, industry-wide hiring problems and overloaded repair shops. Bloomberg Intelligence's analysis of Boeing and Airbus aircraft shortages shows 466 fewer narrow-bodies were built than planned, from mid-2022 to the beginning of 2023, as supply chains slow down the manufacturers' production rates.<br/>
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A woman who evaded security to be a stowaway on a New York-to-Paris flight last month claims she’d tried to sneak into secure areas of other U.S. airports before in a bid to travel without a ticket, a prosecutor said Friday. Svetlana Dali, 57, told investigators that she had tried to travel for free at several domestic airports, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke Theodora said at a bail hearing as she described concerns by the government that Dali might flee while awaiting trial on a stowaway charge. Theodora said those attempts included one last February at Miami International Airport, where Dali was turned away as she tried to sneak into a secure area by going through a customs processing area to reach departing flights. The prosecutor made the remarks as she urged that bail conditions be strict enough to ensure Dali, an unemployed Russian woman with permanent U.S. residency, would attend her court hearings. Dali, who wore a brown jailhouse uniform and entered a courtroom limping with a cane, spoke to her lawyer through a Russian interpreter. Earlier, she’d been treated and released from a hospital for treatment of an undisclosed nature. The hospital’s identification card was on her wrist.<br/>
as it the too-big carry-on bag? Or perhaps a rise in passenger intoxication? Or the “gate lice”? US airlines are attempting a crackdown on passengers’ bad behaviour without anyone being exactly sure what led to the increase in problematic travellers. Last week saw Svetlana Dali, a US resident travelling on a Russian passport, appearing in court in Manhattan after stowing away on a Delta Air Lines flight to Paris. Dali had slipped through security, boarded the plane and was only apprehended when a flight attendant allegedly saw her going between bathrooms as the plane came in to land. She later, allegedly, resisted efforts by French authorities efforts to return her to the US. Dali’s case, while unique in its security failures, is not when it comes to generalized bad airline travel behaviour. Out of the ordinary travel attitudes came to broader attention during the pandemic when airlines, desperate for revenue, dropped prices. Three years on, and with air travel prices high and planes packed – Transportation Security Administration data says 3.09m passengers were checked in on 1 December, a new record and only the second time that number has surpassed 3m – the phenomenon has not significantly subsided. Among the highlights: a fight over a blanket on an Air Canada flight to Montreal from Morocco that was later cancelled; a man on a United Airlines flight from Austin to Los Angeles had to be restrained after he began violently kicking a seat and smashing a plastic tray table; a woman, Tiffany Gomas, who yelled “that motherfucker back there is not real!” during an altercation on an American Airlines flight; and a woman who threatened to pee in the middle of the aisle because a flight attendant told her she needed to wait to use the lavatory.<br/>
Barry Choi has been noticing fewer filled seats on some of his flights over the past year. “People are travelling a little bit less,” said Choi, who runs the Money We Have personal finance and travel website, which has him on a plane every four to six weeks. The trend is one he wouldn’t have anticipated two years ago, when the urge to get away was nearly palpable after COVID-19 border closures ended and air travel became possible once more. “Because of that pent-up demand from the pandemic, people kind of took their trips. In 2022, I feel like everyone was travelling. Everyone was like, ‘I’ve got to get it out.’ “Some people waited until 2023, but this year everyone’s kind of calmed down,” he said. That pattern looks likely to persist in December and January. After turning abroad for holiday vacations last year, more Canadians are keeping their travel plans in-country this Christmas season due to squeezed budgets, lower domestic fares and a decisive end to the post-pandemic boom in overseas travel — and now a slumping currency. The number of Canadian flights bound for the United States this December is slated to fall 2.5% year-over-year, according to figures from aviation tracking firm Cirium. Meanwhile, domestic flight capacity is set to jump nearly 10% this month compared to December 2023. The extra flight capacity north of the border has helped push down prices even as demand goes up, with fares on flights within Canada sitting 20% lower than the year before as of September, the latest month for which Cirium had data.<br/>
A group of workers who handle jet fuel used at the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) could go on strike as early as Tuesday. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 502 says it served a strike notice on Friday to the workers' employer, SGS Canada. Rob Ashton, president of ILWU Canada, said the 11 newly organized workers are seeking pay increases, pension benefits and severance packages as part of their first collective agreement. The workers unload fuel from ships before transporting it to the airport. According to Ashton, this is one of several ways that YVR gets fuel. He said the workers are paid just above the living wage in Vancouver, which is about $27 per hour. "A lot of these workers have to work two jobs, and when you have an employer that works in international shipping, they should be paying a lot more than the living wage," Ashton said. The union has been negotiating with SGS Canada since June and has been in talks with a federal mediator since September, but Ashton said things broke off near the end of last month. "The employer up and walked away from the table, went back to Toronto, and the union's been asking them through the conciliator to come back to the table to get a deal done," he said.<br/>
The Dutch government is seeking to reduce the number of annual flights at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport by 4.4% from next November after residents complained about noise, clipping capacity at one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs. Flight movements will be capped at no more than 478,000 compared with 500,000 permitted until the measure kicks in, the government said in a statement on Friday. The step will help reduce noise levels around the airport by 15%, it said. “I understand that some residents had hoped that the noise around Schiphol would be further reduced,” Infrastructure Minister Barry Madlener said in a statement on Friday. “These are drastic measures for the sector. I am convinced that we have achieved a good balance with this decision.” The Dutch state, the airport’s main shareholder, has run into obstacles with its foray to shrink the hub’s capacity. The previous cabinet was forced to abandon plans to cut flights to a maximum of 460,000 per year after push back from the US and the European Union. The new cabinet floated a smaller shrinkage plan in September, with Madlener proposing between 475,000 and 485,000 flights per year. <br/>
Flights are suspended at Damascus International Airport following the collapse of the Syrian government. On Sunday, Syria's Sham FM radio reported that the airport in the capital city had been evacuated and all flights halted after the city fell to rebel forces overnight. A spokesperson for Fly & More Travel, a Dubai travel agent for Cham Wings Airlines, confirmed the news. "For now, there are no flights. We are awaiting further information from our company regarding the resumption of services," the spokesperson told The National on Sunday morning. Online information from Dubai International Airport, shows that Cham Wings's flight number RB517 scheduled to land in Dubai at 6.40pm on Sunday from Damascus is cancelled. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 corroborates news of the airport's closure, with the latest data showing no aircraft landing or departing from Damascus. AFP has reported that Syrian military and security forces had left Damascus airport. Footage shared on social media on Sunday appeared to show travellers hurrying through security checkpoints and running towards departure gates at the airport before flights were grounded.<br/>
Hong Kong authorities have stepped up health screening measures for all flights arriving from African transit hubs as they brace for risks of an unidentified disease that killed at least 79 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Centre for Health Protection said on Thursday it had sought information about the outbreak from the World Health Organization, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and Congolese health authorities. According to DRC health authorities, the unknown disease has resulted in 79 deaths and more than 300 infections since late October. Patients, most of whom were over the age of 15, experienced symptoms including fever, headache, runny nose, cough, breathing difficulties and anaemia. The centre said the local government had received no reports of people or travellers arriving in Hong Kong from the country with unknown diseases. While there are no direct flights between DRC and Hong Kong, travellers from the country typically reach the city through African transit hubs, particularly Johannesburg in South Africa and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.<br/>
Permission granted to foreign pilots to operate flights in Thailand is a temporary measure designed to address a surge in flight demand that local operators have been unable to meet, says the Ministry of Transport. By making more planes and flights available, the measure has proven effective in lowering airfares, said Krichanont Iyapunya, an assistant to Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit. The approval of wet-lease arrangements, as they are called in the industry, is temporary and will expire on Dec 31, 2025, he added. Krichanont was responding on Saturday to a petition filed on Friday by the Thai Pilots Association, which he had accepted on behalf of Suriya. A wet lease is an arrangement in which one airline (the lessor) provides an aircraft, complete crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) to another airline or air travel broker (the lessee), which pays based on hours operated. The surge in demand for air travel services following the Covid-19 pandemic has left the existing fleet of aircraft owned by local airlines insufficient to meet passenger demand. This shortage had contributed to higher airfares, said Krichanont. He said the wet lease arrangement serves as a quick solution, as it has significantly reduced air ticket prices. This in turn supports Thailand’s tourism growth and its policy of positioning the country as a regional aviation hub. “While relying on this temporary measure, the government continues to encourage airlines to invest in acquiring new aircraft,” he added.<br/>
An Australian man will be charged with two counts of using threatening words that caused alarm after he said he wanted to crash a plane in Singapore, the Singapore Police Force said on Sunday. The 36-year-old man was boarding a departing flight at Changi airport on November 23 when he allegedly told cabin crew he "wanted to crash the aircraft", said Singapore police. After the incident the man was removed from the flight and escorted to a holding room. While in the holding room he allegedly repeated the same threats again, police said. The Singapore police force said it treated all security threats seriously and "will not hesitate to take action against anyone who causes public alarm with false threats." "Beyond the fear and inconvenience caused to other members of the public, the making of false threats comes at a cost, in the extensive public resources that have to be deployed to deal with the incident," the Singapore police force said in a statement. In Singapore, under the Protection from Harassment Act those found guilty of using threatening words causing alarm face a fine of up to S$5,000 ($5,800).<br/>
The head of the FAA is working to streamline aircraft certification and strengthen oversight of Boeing in the aftermath of an in-flight emergency in January. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in an interview the agency is also restructuring how it approaches its broader aviation oversight after a door panel missing four key bolts flew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 in January. Whitaker said he is reviewing the aircraft certification process. "We're reviewing that to make sure we're getting the right stuff and we have the right tools to understand it, and maybe injecting ourselves earlier in the process to understand what's happening is going to be more effective," Whitaker said, adding the FAA is working to use "better technology" to help streamline the process. At one point, Boeing hoped to get the MAX 7 certified in 2022 but has faced a series of issues. Boeing in January withdrew its request for a safety exemption to address an engine de-icing issue. Whitaker told Reuters he thought Boeing would submit a proposed de-icing fix as soon as this month.<br/>
Boeing’s head of government affairs and top lobbyist is leaving effective immediately, the planemaker’s CEO told employees in an email Friday. Ziad Ojakli, who took over as head of Boeing government operations in September 2021 and previously headed Ford Motor and Softbank government affairs offices, is stepping down and will be replaced on an interim basis by Bill McSherry, who oversees the planemaker’s state and local government operations, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in an email. Boeing has faced a difficult year after a door plug missing four key bolts blew off a new Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jets at 16,000 feet in January.<br/>
The surprise rejection of Boeing Co.’s proposed guilty plea to fraud charges stemming from two fatal 737 Max crashes has inserted a fiery culture issue into the proceedings after a judge opposed the consideration of race in the selection of a compliance monitor. In a decision opposing the proposed deal between Boeing and the Justice Department, US District Judge Reed O’Connor focused on the terms for appointing an independent monitor — particularly a requirement that the hiring follow the department’s diversity and inclusion criteria to ensure that members of minority groups get fair consideration. The Fort Worth, Texas judge said he couldn’t accept the proposed settlement because it would improperly require race to be factored into in the hiring of an independent monitor and that his role in making sure Boeing abides by the deal would be minimized. He asked both sides to confer and decide on the next steps, which could include revising the plea agreement. “These provisions are inappropriate and against the public interest,” O’Connor said in his ruling Thursday. A representative for Boeing didn’t comment on the ruling. Diversity, equity and inclusion considerations continue to face increased legal and political headwinds inspired by a US Supreme Court decision in June 2023, which outlawed the use of race as a factor in college admissions. Critics of DEI efforts maintained that such policies promote divisiveness and undermine merit-based decision-making. Boeing itself recently dismantled its global DEI department, making it the latest high-profile corporation to make changes to the policy. While Boeing’s workforce has traditionally skewed White and male, the company has stepped up its efforts to recruit more Black employees and people from other minority groups.<br/>
Airbus secured orders for 30 aircraft in November, including 15 A330-900s and five A350-900s, but it has identified none of the three customers involved. The airframer lists the 20 widebodies in its latest backlog figures, along with an order for 10 A321neos. These agreements accounted for Airbus’s entire order activity during the month. Fourteen A220-300s originally destined for Russian lessor Ilyushin Finance have been removed from the backlog. The aircraft had been part of a legacy order, originating more than a decade ago, and inherited by Airbus when it acquired the Bombardier CSeries programme in 2018. Airbus also recorded cancellations for four A320neo-family jets. The changes take Airbus’s net orders for the first 11 months of 2024 to 742 aircraft. Airbus also delivered 643 aircraft over the period –including 84 during November – leaving it with more than 120 to hand over in December if it is to meet its full-year target of 770.<br/>