U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he plans to visit a Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, on Thursday to ensure the U.S. planemaker is maintaining the highest level of safety, six years after a deadly 737 MAX crash in Ethiopia. Duffy will travel to Seattle with acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau as the Trump administration has vowed stringent oversight of Boeing, also following a January 2024 mid-air panel blowout on a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX. The pair are expected to meet with Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who will testify on April 2 before the Senate Commerce Committee on the planemaker's efforts to improve its safety culture and quality. They will also visit the 737 factory and meet with FAA inspectors. Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Duffy announced the factory visit on the sixth anniversary of the crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 that killed all 157 people on board, including eight U.S. citizens, and led to changes in the 737 MAX's design and pilot training. "I met with several families of the passengers of flight 302 on February 25th," Duffy said on X. "My door and this department are always open to them for answers and to help them navigate their grief." The FAA said the visit to the planemaker's factory was "part of this administration's commitment to ensure Boeing fixes its systemic quality control issues." Duffy said in January that Boeing needed "tough love." President Donald Trump has yet to nominate a candidate for permanent FAA administrator. In January 2024, former President Joe Biden's FAA chief Mike Whitaker imposed a 38 planes per month production cap after a door panel missing four key bolts flew off the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX.<br/>
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Every day, millions of travelers’ lives are literally up in the air, relying on the acuity of air traffic controllers to orchestrate high-speed maneuvers and help prevent aircraft from crashing. But the shortage of air traffic controllers is nearly the worst in 30 years, said the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents 10,800 certified ATCs across the country. The shortfall has forced many to work “six days a week, 10 hours a day – for years at a time,” union President Nick Daniels testified at a House subcommittee hearing this week. The US needs more than 3,000 new air traffic controllers to reach adequate staffing, he said. And recent, high-profile incidents have highlighted the scarcity and workload of exhausted air traffic controllers. “What is new – or more problematic or more common now – is the use of overtime,” said Michael McCormick, a professor and air traffic management coordinator at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “I would say your larger facilities are probably more problematic in use of overtime than the smaller facilities – just where you don’t want it the most.” In January, a commercial jet and a military helicopter collided midair near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing 67 people. While authorities have not identified the cause of that catastrophe, CNN has confirmed one air traffic controller was staffing two different jobs in the tower – handling both local air traffic and helicopter traffic in the area. And investigators recently said a near collision in 2023 was caused by an air traffic controller who was distracted by a third plane, though their report did not explicitly cite staffing shortage or exhaustion. The federal government recently announced pay boosts for new air traffic controllers and more efficient hiring processes. But anyone over age 31 is too old to apply, limiting the hiring pool. And the vast majority of controllers are forced to leave their jobs a decade before standard retirement age.<br/>
Guatemala's Fuego volcano, considered by seismologists to be one of the most active volcanoes in the world, is currently erupting. Authorities in the Central American state have already evacuated nearly 300 families but warn that another 30,000 people in the area, located some 60 kilometres from the capital, could be at risk. The eruption began Sunday night and so far no casualties have been reported. Authorities have closed all schools in the vicinity and a key road connecting several communities in the area. Experts say the greatest danger from the volcano is not the eruption itself but the lahars, a 'tsunami' of ash, rock, mud and debris that can bury entire villages. At 3,763 metres high, the last eruption of 'Chi'gag' - which would translate from the native Cachiquel into Spanish as "the place where the fire is" - was in June 2023. A previous eruption in 2018 killed 194 people and left 234 others missing. The Fuego volcano has only been inactive for 50 days, according to the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology (Insivumeh). The flow of volcanic material is moderate but is expected to increase, Guatemala's disaster agency said early this morning. Airlines are also operating with restrictions because ash spewing from 'Chi'gag' can reach up to 7,000 metres, according to Insivumeh.<br/>
Canadians planning to travel to the United States may be affected by a new policy that would have them register if they are south of the border for more than 30 days. The policy came into effect under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) on March 9. According to an executive order, called Protecting the American People Against Invasion, put in place on Jan. 20, U.S. President Donald Trump is cracking down on those heading to the U.S., including Canadians. The travel policy comes amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Canada, with on-again off-again tariffs on Canadian goods as well as Trump repeated comments about Canada becoming the 51st state. Although some details have yet to be shared by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — such as the registration form and process — the agency has provided information about the requirements for Canadians and other foreign nationals with long-term travel plans. Global Affairs Canada told the National Post in an emailed statement that they are aware of the “guidance” from USCIS, which was published on Feb. 25 online. “Each country decides who enters its borders. The decision to travel is the sole responsibility of the traveller,” the department said. Story has more.<br/>
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled across Germany as airport workers stage a nationwide strike over pay, posing a major disruption for air travellers. The industrial action, led by the trade union Verdi, began unexpectedly on Sunday at Hamburg Airport, before expanding to a nationwide strike. Passengers at Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and other major hubs have been urged not to travel to airports, with operations severely disrupted. Frankfurt, Germany's busiest airport, said passengers would be unable to board flights and transfer would "almost certainly" be affected. Verdi, which represents public sector and transport workers, is in an ongoing dispute over wages and working conditions. German media reports thousands of flights could be cancelled across the day, disrupting travel for more than 500,000 passengers. The Lufthansa group, whose main hub is in Frankfurt, confirmed "delays and extensive cancellations" across all its airlines. Meanwhile, Munich Airport warned of a "greatly reduced flight schedule". This includes flights by Eurowings, Austrian Airlines and Swiss Air. Katja Bromm, spokeswoman for Hamburg Airport, where all 143 departures scheduled on Monday have already been cancelled, said Verdi was "dishonourable" to call a strike without notice at the start of the holiday season. She said that Sunday's walkouts were "excessive and unfair to tens of thousands of travellers who have nothing to do with the disputes". A spokesman for Verdi accepted that the strike would affect many, but said the travel disruption was necessary to extracting a better pay offer.<br/>
Turkish airports served a total of 30.4m travelers, including transit passengers, in the first two months of 2025, according to Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu. This marked a 3.6% increase compared to the same period of last year. Some 13.98m domestic and 16.47m international passengers went through airports in January-February, Uraloğlu said in a statement. The aircraft traffic — landing and taking off at airports — reached 130,862 in domestic flights and 108,690 in international flights, according to the minister. Total aircraft traffic, including overflights, was 323,986. Cargo traffic at the airports reached 694,727 tons, with 128,885 tons on domestic flights and 565,843 tons on international flights. Istanbul Airport served 12.1m passengers in the first two months of 2025, Uraloğlu said. Over 2.3m domestic and 9.8m international passengers used the mega airport in January-February.<br/>
An additional 25,000 seats for domestic flights will be added during the upcoming Songkran holiday, with air ticket prices for certain routes reduced by 30%, according to Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit. Suriya, also a deputy prime minister, chaired a meeting on Monday to prepare for an influx of travelers during the peak travel period from April 11-17. Representatives from various state agencies and the private sector attended the meeting. In response to the expected high demand for air tickets during the festival while ensuring reasonable airfares, Mr Suriya suggested that six major airlines under the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) -- Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air and Thai Vietjet Air, provide 25,000 more seats through 124 additional flights. He also suggested that airlines reduce airfares on certain popular routes by 30%. The airlines agreed to cooperate. The 124 additional flights will cover the Bangkok–Phuket, Bangkok–Chiang Mai, Bangkok–Krabi, Bangkok–Koh Samui, Bangkok–Nakhon Phanom, Bangkok–Udon Thani, Bangkok–Ubon Ratchathani, Bangkok–Chiang Rai, Bangkok–Khon Kaen, Bangkok–Hat Yai and Bangkok–Nakhon Si Thammarat routes.<br/>
The FAA has temporarily suspended enforcement of its new air-taxi operations and pilot-training rule to allow the provisions to be reviewed by the Trump administration. The agency will “exercise its enforcement discretion and not enforce provisions of the rule” – titled “Integration of Powered-Lift” – until 20 March, the FAA said in a regulatory notice released on 10 March. The rule had taken effect on 21 January. “This notice announces that the FAA will not take enforcement action against regulated entities for failing to comply with the final rule,” the FAA adds. The move responds to a 20 January memorandum from President Donald Trump directing agencies not to issue new rules unless those rules are approved by a department head or another person designated by Trump. Additionally, it directs agencies to “consider postponing for 60 days” other rules, including those already in effect, pending a review. Trump has said he is seeking to downsize the US government, including by curbing regulations his administration views as unnecessary or overreaching. Developers of electric air taxis have hailed the new Powered-Lift rule as clearing a major regulatory hurdle standing the way of bringing their in-development electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to market.<br/>