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US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is launching a “full investigation” into the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices of the FAA. Duffy disclosed the probe in a 14 March post on social media platform X, which linked to audio purportedly showing that a “DEI activist” had shared exam answers with “minority” air traffic controller (ATC) candidates. “If true, swift accountability will come for those responsible,” he says. “We need the best and brightest, not buzzword, DEI hires.” Duffy has previously echoed president Donald Trump’s comments suggesting DEI hiring – and alleged resulting shortages of skilled controllers – played a role in the catastrophic January accident in which a PSA Airlines regional jet collided with a US Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan National airport in Washington, DC, killing 67 people and shaking a US airline industry that had gone more than 15 years without such a massive loss of life. A Trump appointee and former Fox News contributor, Duffy was sworn in to lead the US Department of Transportation – which oversees the FAA – the day before the PSA accident. In a 14 March Fox News interview, Duffy pointed to the administration of former US President Barack Obama as having encouraged diverse candidates to enrol in the FAA’s ATC training programme. ”You can get into law school, but if you can’t pass the bar [exam], you can’t become a lawyer,” Duffy says. ”You still have to pass that bar. What this has done for us, here – we should do an investigation. I want to know: are there DEI practices still in place? Because the president has been incredibly clear. He wants the best and the brightest air traffic controllers controlling our skies. “I agree with him on that, so we’re going to do an OIG investigation,” he says, likely referring to the DOT Office of Inspector General. ”We’re working with a law firm that is going to do an independent investigation into our air traffic control system.”<br/>

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday that the Federal Aviation Administration plans to propose rules to expand use of drones for deliveries and other services. "We're in the stages of developing a rule to make sure we can give more authority and clarity to those who are developing these drones," Duffy told reporters after a tour of Amazon Prime Air drone delivery service's headquarters in Seattle, saying the agency plans to release a proposal "in relatively short order." Last month, the Commercial Drone Alliance urged President Donald Trump's administration to release a proposed rule that would allow commercial unmanned aircraft systems or drone operations beyond visual line of sight, saying the rule "is essential to enable this industry to succeed." The rule would "normalize commercial drone operations that are otherwise prohibited or require individual approval through bureaucratic and time-consuming FAA application processes." The FAA has done substantial work to prepare the draft rule and other federal agencies have provided input, the group noted. Drone delivery companies have raised concerns that the U.S. could fall behind China. "If we don't have clear rules that allow innovators to innovate and create products and test products, it won't happen here," Duffy said. "It's going to happen somewhere else, and then we'll import someone else's technology into this country to develop whether it is in packages or groceries." In January, the Commerce Department under former President Joe Biden said it was considering rules to restrict or ban Chinese drones in the U.S., citing national security concerns. China accounts for the vast majority of U.S. commercial drone sales. Washington has increasingly cracked down on Chinese drones over the last year.<br/>

A top official at Costa Rica's civil aviation authority, Luis Miranda, said on Friday that service was returning to normal after an air control failure at a center in Honduras paralyzed flights across Central America. Costa Rican newspaper La Nacion had reported that at least 8 flights were paused in Costa Rica.<br/>

Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, one of the world's biggest aircraft lessors, has signed multiple agreements to acquire 17 aeroplanes worth about $1b as part of its fleet modernisation strategy. Eighty per cent of the aircraft will come from Airbus, with the remaining 20% from its US rival Boeing, DAE said in a statement on Friday. The fleet – on lease to 11 airlines in 10 countries – entirely consists of next-generation aircraft, 89% of which are narrow-bodied, it added. DAE did not specify the type of aircraft involved in the deals. The aeroplanes are expected to lower the weighted-average age of DAE’s passenger fleet to 6.9 years and increase its remaining weighted-average passenger fleet lease term to 6.6 years, the company said. Eventually, DAE's pro-forma fleet will be 46% Airbus aircraft, 49% Boeing jets and 5% ATR planes, it said. The agreements are “consistent with our commitment to improve the next-generation content of our fleet and reduce the fleet average age", Firoz Tarapore, chief executive of DAE, said in the statement. "This transaction also allows us to further deepen our relationship with our global base of airline customers." As global air travel demand soared following the Covid-19 pandemic, airlines have rushed to order new planes. However, problems in the aerospace supply chain and aircraft maintenance industry, including labour shortages and engine issues, have delayed delivery of new jets. This has complicated airlines' growth plans and increased their frustration with prolonged supply chain issues. Aviation companies, however, continue to implement operational efficiencies. In 2024, DAE signed 233 lease agreements, extensions and amendments. Notably, it signed definitive deals to acquire 33 aircraft at a total value of $1.6b, it said in January. Last month, it reported that its annual profit before tax in 2024 jumped more than 45% to $532.3m, while revenue grew about 8.8% to nearly $1.43b. Demand for aircraft from airline customers remained strong, resulting in a balance sheet that is "stronger than ever before", Tarapore said at the time of the earnings report.<br/>

Asia's ability to supply sustainable aviation fuel will outpace regional demand this year and next as more production comes online, increasing exports and potentially lowering prices for the fuel, oil executives and analysts said. Planned SAF production could take a hit if regional demand remains tepid and prices fall below production costs, industry sources say, though Asia's increased capacity is good news for airlines that have been complaining SAF is too expensive and hard to source. At least five SAF projects in Asia, outside of China, have started up or are earmarked to start production this year, targeting exports regionally and to Europe. Unlike in Europe, where flights departing EU and UK airports must now use 2% SAF in their tanks, Asia's mandated demand remains low with compulsory use of the renewable fuel in some nations to start only later this decade. Low consumption and a lack of policy guidance have led to delays of some SAF projects in China. "Asian airlines are still more focused on ramping up flights and SAF is not a top priority given it is still costlier than jet fuel and airlines will make less profit," said Shukor Yusof, founder of aviation consultancy Endau Analytics. Aviation accounted for 2.5% of global carbon emissions in 2023. SAF, made from waste oil and biomass, is key toward reducing those emissions, but is costlier than conventional fuel and only accounted for 0.3% of global jet fuel production, global airlines body IATA said. The Asia-Pacific region's SAF production capacity is set to reach 3.5m metric tons per year (77,671 barrels per day) by end-2025, forecasts from Argus Consulting showed, versus 1.24m tons in 2024. However, the first compulsory use of SAF in Asia will not begin until 2026 when Singapore and Thailand enforce a 1% mandate. These requirements are expected to lift SAF demand from these countries to about 14% of their production capacity by 2026, Reuters calculations based on trade data showed. Anticipated production capacity does not mean that much SAF will actually be produced given an industry focus on profitability and actual demand. IATA said 1m tons of SAF was produced globally in 2024, below forecasts of 1.5m tons, and described production as disappointingly slow. Recent project delays point to a very real risk that SAF penetration may actually begin to fall even as demand grows, said Ellis Taylor of aviation analytics firm Cirium.<br/>

He had already boarded the plane when he realised his phone was missing. After being told he could not leave the gate hold room to look for it, the man allegedly verbally abused a female airline employee and damaged the wall of an aerobridge at Changi Airport by kicking it. The man, a Briton, is expected to be charged on March 17 with using abusive words against an airline staff member and mischief causing destruction to property, the police said in a statement. The 57-year-old realised he had misplaced his mobile phone after boarding his flight to London on March 8. Hoping to locate it at the airport lounge where he was at earlier, he disembarked and approached an airline staff member in the gate hold room at Changi Airport Terminal 3 for assistance. She contacted staff at the airport lounge, and was informed that no phone had been found. The staff member communicated this to the man, and, as the flight’s departure time was approaching, informed him that leaving the gate hold room would result in him being offloaded. The man then allegedly responded with a slew of abusive and derogatory remarks. As he turned to walk back to the aircraft, he also allegedly kicked a wall panel of the aerobridge, causing damage. He was subsequently offloaded from the flight, and the Airport Police Division was alerted. The man will face two charges in court: using abusive words, which carries a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment for up to six months, or both; and committing mischief causing destruction to property, which carries a jail term of up to two years, a fine, or both.<br/>

Foreign pilots will not be allowed to fly domestic flights in Thailand next year if the aircraft shortage subsides, the labour minister says, while the Thai Pilots Association has launched legal action to stop the practice. Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the approval for foreign pilots is still on a temporary basis, with a duration of six months that can be extended for another six months. As the approval was announced in December 2024, the measure can be extended until the end of 2025. Based on discussions with stakeholders in the Thai aviation sector, he said the airline that requested the approval confirmed to the Ministry of Labour that its aircraft shortage should be resolved next year, if manufacturers deliver new jets as planned. Phiphat said the measure cannot be extended without another approval from the cabinet, which would lead to another evaluation of local aircraft supply. He said Thai VietJet uses two aircraft under a so-called wet lease agreement, in which pilots and crew are supplied along with the aircraft. Foreign pilots are used for domestic flights on these aircraft. He said he was unsure about the number of foreign pilots used in total. The Thai Pilots Association filed a lawsuit on Friday with the Administrative Court, seeking a temporary injunction to prohibit foreign pilots from flying domestic flights. The cabinet agreed with the proposal for the wet lease arrangement submitted by the Labour Ministry on Dec 3. Teerawat Angkasakulkiat, president of the Thai Pilots Association, said the court action was crucial as there is no guarantee that the cabinet would not renew the approval granted earlier, particularly if an aircraft shortage is used as a justification again. The association does not object to wet lease agreements for some airlines, such as Bangkok Airways, which adopted this method to address an insufficient fleet, he said. However, Bangkok Airways only uses those jets and crews for international flights. Teerawat said the legal action was necessary as the cabinet approval breaches existing laws regarding foreign jobs and air navigation, while potentially impacting 5,000 local pilots, of which 1,700 are unemployed.<br/>

Work will begin on Monday on what is being described as a “spectacular addition“ to Wellington Airport. A new multi-level bar and cafe is being built above the current Blue Lady outlet with views out onto the runway and Lyall Bay. It is part of a $20m upgrade for inside the terminal building and at duty free. The work will be ongoing for most of the year, but the airport said it won’t affect departure gates for passengers. Wellington Airport’s CE Matt Clarke said the new dining area will add an extra 130 seats. “This is going to be a spectacular addition to Wellington Airport and a very popular place to eat, drink, relax and enjoy the views,” said Clarke. “Very few airports can match our stunning local environment, and this development makes the most of it.” Last year, a new duty-free operator was announced. LagardereAWPL will also transform the Relay site in the main terminal and add new stores. LagardereAWPL CEO Costa Kouros said the deal extends an existing partnership with Wellington Airport: “The new stores will showcase some of our exciting concepts that we feel are most relevant to this wonderful airport.” The developments will have a combined floor area of 900 square metres. Other airports in New Zealand have been recently ungraded as well. In Hamilton, work has been ongoing on a new international departure hall as it readies for Jetstar flights to Sydney and the Gold Coast from June.<br/>

U.S. planemaker Boeing lost its way and also lost the trust of the American people after a January 2024 mid-air emergency involving a new Boeing 737 MAX and two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday. Duffy also said the Federal Aviation Administration is not yet ready to lift a 38-plane per month production cap on the 737 MAX. "When you breach the trust of the American people with that safety and with your manufacturing, we're going to put the screws to you to make sure you change your ways and start doing things right," Duffy told Fox News Channel’s The Faulkner Focus after a visit on Thursday to the Boeing 737 factory in Renton, Washington. "They've lost trust." Duffy traveled to Washington and met with Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, along with acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau, following last year's mid-air panel blowout on a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 airplane that was missing four key bolts. Ortberg will testify April 2 before Congress. Boeing said it was pleased to show Duffy and Rocheleau "the progress we're making to further strengthen safety and quality. Our team continues to work on improving our culture and rebuilding trust." Duffy said at a press conference Friday that Boeing's new leadership is making improvements.<br/>

Boeing on Friday appointed Don Ruhmann as its new chief aerospace safety officer, as the planemaker works to rebuild its reputation amid ongoing challenges. Ruhmann, who joined Boeing in 1989, was most recently vice president of Airplane Development at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, where he led design and certification work for the newest members of the 737 MAX family and the new 777-9. Ruhmann succeeds Mike Delaney, who announced his retirement after a nearly four-decade career with Boeing.<br/>