A recent U.N. aviation agency information security incident involved the alleged release of thousands of recruitment application data records from April 2016 to July 2024, the Montreal-based body told Reuters on Tuesday. The 42,000 records, which the threat actor known as Natohub claimed to have released, do not affect any systems related to aviation safety or security, the International Civil Aviation Organization said in response to a Reuters query. "We can confirm that this incident is limited to the recruitment database and does not affect any systems related to aviation safety or security operations," ICAO said. The claim of an ICAO-related incident has been circulating for days following a post to a data breach-focused website popular with cybercriminals. Reuters could not immediately locate contact information for Natohub. Earlier on Tuesday a source told Reuters that the incident was linked to the release of job applicants' records, with a sample made public.<br/>
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With multiple wildfires and high winds impacting the greater Los Angeles area and other parts of southern California, local airports and many common tourist destinations are affected. Passengers arriving on aircraft landing at airports in Los Angeles and Burbank are greeted by smoke-filled skies, and many flights are canceling food and drink service due to anticipated turbulence caused by high winds, USA Today reported. Officials at Los Angeles International Airport do not expect significant impacts on flight schedules due to wildfires, but officials at Hollywood Burbank International Airport said weather conditions are affecting flights at that airport. As of 1:45 p.m. EST on Wednesday, FlightAware indicated 18% of flights in Burbank were canceled and 11% were delayed. United Airlines, American Airlines and JetBlue are among domestic airlines that have issued flight waivers for the Los Angeles area where Los Angeles International Airport and Burbank Airport are located. Airline passengers are advised to check respective flight information if they are traveling to or from southern California airports. The wildfires also are affecting tourist destinations in southern California. Universal Studios on Wednesday closed its Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal CityWalk attractions for the day due to fire conditions and high winds, ABC News reported. Also among popular attractions closed for the day are Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita, the Six Flags theme park in Valencia and the Getty Center and Villa locations.<br/>
Aircraft cabin temperatures, long a source of passenger complaints but largely unregulated, will now be the subject of a federal safety study as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s latest reauthorization. The FAA said it has contacted the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to begin investigating the subject, though it has yet to develop a full plan pending the study’s scope. The one-year study will examine the health and safety effects of minimum and maximum aircraft cabin temperatures on passengers and crew. Airline cabin temperatures became a hot topic this summer amid record heat, and states like California expanded workplace safety regulations to protect indoor workers from rising temperatures. In September, a Politico investigation revealed that neither Delta Air Lines (DAL), United Airlines (UAL), nor Southwest Airlines (LUV) had a maximum cabin temperature at the time that would prevent passengers from boarding. American Airlines (AAL) allows cabin temperatures to reach 90 degrees before considering it too hot to board, while JetBlue (JBLU) recently raised its threshold to 85 degrees from 80 degrees. The study is part of the FAA’s broader oversight of cabin air quality, which currently requires airplane manufacturers to ensure passenger compartments are free from harmful concentrations of smoke, vapor, or toxic fumes. Airlines must maintain ventilation systems that supply about half a pound of fresh air per minute for each passenger – comparable to other public spaces.<br/>
A U.S. citizen has been blocked from entering Poland because her passport was defaced with handwritten notes, border officials said Wednesday. The unidentified passenger arrived at Krakow’s Balice airport on a flight from London shortly after midnight, according to Justyna Drozdz, a local border security spokeswoman. The woman was stopped at passport control because her document contained handwritten notes of locations and airport names under visa stamps from the countries she had visited. The woman told border security staff she was unaware it was not permitted to write on passports or ID documents, Drozdz told Polish news agency PAP. She will remain at the airport for a return flight to London on Thursday. As a general rule, it is not permissible for the holder to write in a passport other than to provide a required signature and emergency contacts. Airlines and immigration officials often deny boarding or entry if they feel a passport has been damaged or defaced. It was not clear why border officials elsewhere had not questioned the woman about her passport.<br/>
The closure of airport runways because of snow has inevitably led to questions about how colder countries manage not to grind to a standstill in wintry weather. Both Manchester and Liverpool airports were forced to shut in recent days to allow snow ploughs time to clear airfields. In response to the question of why airports in countries more used to snow don't seem to suffer the same disruption, Manchester Airport said it largely came down to one thing - the "type of snow". And the colder the weather, the easier it can be to clear - with snow frozen below -2C easier to move than the more slippery snow that causes slush and ice, the airport said. Runways are closed when snow reaches a certain depth to allow the snow-clearing vehicles to work unhindered to clear the tarmac as quickly as possible. In Manchester's case, there are more than 30 snow ploughs on standby for this reason. The airport said clearing the snow was "no small task" for these teams, with more than 20 miles of runways and taxiways to clear.<br/>
Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) on Wednesday announced that it has suspended all of its flights between the Azerbaijani capital Baku and the Russian city of Kazan for an indefinite period. “Due to the recent regular closure of airspace over the Russian city of Kazan AZAL is indefinitely suspending all flights en route Baku-Kazan-Baku to ensure flight safety,” said a statement by the company on Telegram. The statement said that passengers who have bought tickets to fly between the two destinations will be able to receive a full refund or re-book their tickets. “AZAL continues to monitor the current situation closely and will inform passengers about any changes,” it added. AZAL previously declared on Dec. 27 that it suspended flights from Baku to eight different destinations in Russia, including the cities of Sochi, Volgograd, and Nizhny Novgorod. The statement said the decision was made based on the preliminary results of the investigation into the AZAL plane crash in Kazakhstan that took place just a couple of days prior.<br/>
The chairman of Saurya Airlines (Kathmandu) says the carrier is preparing to resume operations after a fatal crash six months ago and the subsequent suspension of its air operator's certificate (AOC). Dipak Pokharel told Kathmandu's Business Age newspaper that the airline had submitted the required documents to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and was awaiting approval to resume flights. CAAN has confirmed receipt of the documentation but has yet to make a decision. CAAN spokesperson Gyanendra Bhul says, among other things, that the agency is weighing up whether Saurya Airlines meets the minimum staffing and airworthiness requirements for the reissuance of its AOC. Pokharel said measures such as recruiting staff and purchasing new aircraft are underway. Saurya suspended operations and later lost its AOC after a CRJ200ER crashed during takeoff from Kathmandu on July 24, 2024. Eighteen people died. The carrier is now down to two CRJ200s, although only one is operational.<br/>
New Year holiday passenger numbers were up almost 20% on last year at Thailand's six main airports, and airlines increased the number of flights accordingly. There were 19.7% more travellers and 16.4% more flights year-on-year, Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said on Wednesday. The figures apply to Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket and Hat Yai airports, which are under the supervision of Airports of Thailand plc (AoT). According to the minister, from Dec 27 to Jan 2 a total of 2.97m passengers used the main airports - 1.84m international travellers, up 23.8%, and 1.13m domestic travellers, up 13.5%. The airports served 17,385 flights - 9,792 international flights, up 21.7%, and 7,593 domestic flights, up 10.3%. The greatest number passed through Suvarnabhumi airport. Its procedures took an average of 22 minutes for each arriving international traveller, 28 minutes for departure, and 12 minutes for each arriving domestic passenger and 16 minutes for departure. Minister Suriya said automatic check-in gates played important roles in shortening travellers’ airport time.<br/>
A consortium comprising Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund Khazanah and BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners that offered to take over Malaysia Airports Holdings said late on Wednesday it had secured an 84.1% stake of the company.The consortium, which includes Malaysia's Employees Provident Fund and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, said it had reached the level as of Wednesday, moving it decisively towards the 90% threshold to de-list Malaysia Airports. A stock filing on Monday showed the offer had been extended to Jan. 17 from Wednesday. The consortium announced in May last year an offer to acquire all shares in Malaysia Airports not already owned by it at 11 ringgit per share, giving the airports operator an equity value of 18.4b ringgit ($4.09b). Malaysia Airports' shares have jumped 40.9% over the past one year, LSEG data showed. It ended Wednesday 1.3% higher at 10.78 ringgit.<br/>
What is going on with aviation security? People have been found dead hiding in the wheel wells of planes twice in the past month. Two stowaways were arrested on different flights in November and December. Then a passenger opened an emergency door while a plane was taxiing in Boston Tuesday night. These incidents are being investigated, so we don't know yet exactly where security failed. But clearly there were gaps in security. So it's natural to wonder: is my flight safe? Why worry? If a stowaway can get inside a plane's wheel well or sneak aboard the cabin, what would prevent someone with malicious intent from getting access? “The challenge we run into is we have a system with gaps, and those gaps are sometimes exploited,” said Jeff Price, professor of aviation at Metropolitan State University of Denver. The Transportation Security Administration, the airlines and the airports are all trying to find where those gaps are and plug them. But Price said that by design there are gaps in the system. The fact that people are getting access to these planes makes pilots worried about the system. “Right now we’re seeing some fissure cracks. They’re unacceptable. And we’ve been lucky that it hasn’t been somebody with broader nefarious intent,” said Dennis Tajer, a longtime airline pilot and spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association union. Experts have also said that a shortage of air traffic controllers, outdated plane-tracking technology and other problems are eroding the margin of safety in air travel.<br/>