general

Syria’s main airports suspended operations following the collapse of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, halting the few remaining flights that had maintained a low level of international connectivity in the past decade. Damascus International Airport issued a notice halting all flights until Dec. 18, following a similar move a few days earlier by the airfield in Aleppo. Syrian Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, grounded all flights, while foreign airlines including Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines and Iraqi Airways said they would avoid the country’s airspace. Syria had already lost many international connections over the past decade in the wake of the Arab Spring uprising that was violently suppressed by now-deposed President Assad. Syrian Air has a fleet of 12 aircraft, including Airbus SE A320 and larger A340 aircraft, though most of the planes are listed as parked, according to tracking site planespotters. Alongside privately held Cham Wings, Syrian Airlines has been sanctioned by the US and the European Union, meaning the airlines cannot conduct flights to these destinations or buy aircraft containing parts from those regions of the world. The two local carriers maintained some connections to destinations in the region, including the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and Russia, according to the their websites.<br/>

Airlines at South Africa’s busiest airport can start refueling their aircraft again after a faulty valve disrupted operations, causing some flight delays. The fuel system at the O.R. Tambo International Airport east of Johannesburg is now fully operational, the facility said in a post on X. This comes after Airports Company South Africa flagged “refueling challenges” earlier. A broken valve, rather than a lack of fuel, caused the problem, Acsa Regional General Manager Jabulani Khambule said in an interview with broadcaster 702. Authorities grounded some aircraft because they couldn’t refuel, he said. The incident came just two days after pilots at the state-owned carrier ended a strike, leading to renewed concerns about potential disruptions during the peak December travel season. The South African Airways Pilots Association on Dec. 7 ended a three-day labor action that caused the state-owned carrier to cancel about 60% of its flights. SAA has since resumed its normal schedule. <br/>

European flights to China have become longer, more expensive and even harder to find as more and more airlines cancel routes — but Chinese airlines are facing no such problems. It's a side effect of Russia's war on Ukraine, which has led to tit-for-tat sanctions between the Kremlin and Western governments, including the closure of Russia's vast airspace to European airlines. But that doesn't affect countries like China with warmer Kremlin ties. “It is a competitive disadvantage for the European carriers. That’s clear,” said Berlin airport CEO Aletta von Massenbach. With the world's largest country turned into a giant no-fly zone for Western operators, passenger and cargo carriers are forced to take longer routes to avoid Russia — and bear the costs associated with burning more fuel and paying overtime for pilots and cabin crew. The struggle to turn a profit on travel between Europe and Asia has led several airlines, including Lufthansa, British Airways and Poland's LOT, to suspend some routes. Instead, Chinese and other non-European carriers are increasing direct flights from Asia to European cities. “Our airlines serving, for example, Berlin-Beijing have to take a different route if it’s a German airline compared to a Chinese airline," von Massenbach said. After at least five European airlines canceled flights to Asia, the European Commission promised in October a study on competition in international routes touching upon this issue. But the airline industry remains skeptical that Brussels will act.<br/>

A heated debate about legal changes to compensation rights in the event of flight cancellations during wartime, intended to bring back foreign airlines to Israel, ended without a vote on Monday. MK David Bitan, who chairs the Knesset Economic Committee, said in the meeting that without an unequivocal commitment from foreign airlines to resume their flight operations, he will not bring to a vote a proposal to make temporary amendments to the 2012 Aviation Services Law that would partly limit consumer rights for full compensation or reimbursement of canceled flights. “I’m not willing to offer relief for [foreign] carriers or hurt consumers when I don’t see that the other side of the coin is on board,” said Bitan. “Israeli consumers are already grappling with [ticket] price hikes and are scrambling to find their way back home because of flight cancellations. On the one hand, the government is not doing what should be done to help lower prices and bring back foreign airlines, and on the other hand, all [the carriers] want are concessions, so we will not vote,” he said.<br/>

Governments worldwide are blocking $1.7b in airline funds as of October's end, threatening global aviation connectivity, according to a report by the International Air Transport Association. While this marks a slight improvement from $1.8b in April 2024, the issue remains critical as airlines struggle to access revenue from ticket sales and other operations. Nine countries accounting for 83% of the airline industry’s blocked funds, amounting to $1.43b, include Pakistan, Bangladesh, and several African nations, Iata said. Pakistan alone accounted for $311m in blocked funds, however that's down from $411m in April. In Pakistan, the main problem is the system of audit and tax exemption certificates, which is causing long processing delays, said Iata, which represents nearly 340 airlines comprising over 80% of global air traffic. Iata’s director general Willie Walsh urged governments to uphold their treaty obligations and enable the repatriation of airline funds, warning that any delay could jeopardise aviation connectivity and harm local economies. He said airlines cannot be expected to maintain services if they are unable to access their own revenue. “This unfortunate game of ‘whack-a-mole’ is unacceptable. Governments must remove all barriers for airlines to repatriate their revenue from ticket sales and other activities in accordance with international agreements and treaty obligations. No country wants to lose aviation connectivity, which drives economic prosperity. But if airlines cannot repatriate their revenue, they cannot be expected to provide a service. Economies will suffer if connectivity collapses. So it is in everyone’s interest, including governments, to ensure that airlines can repatriate their funds smoothly,” Walsh said.<br/>

U.S. planemaker Boeing is laying off about 396 employees at various locations in Washington, a notice from the state's Employment Security Department showed on Monday. This is part of a wider job cut that Boeing announced in October and is expected to impact a total of about 17,000 workers. Boeing is trying to get production of its strongest-selling 737 MAX back on track, after a weeks-long strike by more than 33,000 U.S. West Coast workers halted output of most of its commercial jets.b A similar notice in November had said the company would lay off more than 2,500 workers in Washington, Oregon, South Carolina and Missouri.<br/>

Boeing aims this month to fully resume final assembly of commercial aircraft in the Pacific Northwest, having so far held off from rebooting the lines after machinists ended a 53-day-strike in early November. In a recent internal email, Boeing says it is working through its “safety management system” (SMS) to ensure its operation, tools and people are prepared for a safe production restart. The company’s 737 production lines in Renton and its 767 and 777 lines in Everett have already been offline for nearly three months. Meanwhile, the FAA says it is closely monitoring Boeing, with FAA administrator Michael Whitaker having visited the company’s 737 Max assembly site in Renton last week. “Commercial Airplanes is expected to resume final assembly of new airplanes this month in the Pacific Northwest. A dedicated team has been using the company’s safety management system (SMS) to ensure that tools, processes and teammates are ready to safely restart after the work stoppage,” says the Boeing internal email. “Additionally, each airplane programme has invested time to complete unfinished jobs, clear excess inventory where possible, and address issues that could interrupt factory flow,” it adds. The company has been delivering some aircraft amid the stoppage. Boeing faces immense financial pressure to resume production as quickly as possible, but must also ensure its operation does not allow further quality lapses.<br/>