Travelers take note: The federal government says it will start enforcing Real ID requirements at U.S. airports starting May 7 — for real this time. That means travelers will need a Real ID-compliant license or other accepted form of identification like a passport to get through security before a domestic U.S. flight. The Transportation Security Administration said 81% of people approaching airport checkpoints already have Real ID-compliant identification, though it varies by state. Federal and state officials in recent weeks have urged travelers to make appointments at motor vehicle departments to update licenses and other ID cards before the deadline, though availability has become scarce. “Make your appointments now as quick as possible,” John Essig, the Transportation Security Administration’s federal security director for New York City-area airports, said at a news conference at LaGuardia Airport earlier this month. “We certainly don’t want to hold up anyone without Real ID at the checkpoint,” Essig said. Signs reminding travelers at U.S. reports to apply for a Real ID have been up for years, though the deadline has been pushed back repeatedly. A TSA officer this week was handing out flyers to travelers with a QR code for Real ID information at LaGuardia Airport. Airlines have also been reminding travelers of the new requirements through customer emails and other channels. Frontier Airlines has a gray banner running along its website informing travelers of the Real ID requirements.<br/>
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Cars, consumer goods, and industrial equipment have been delayed at ports, stuck on rail cars, and languished in warehouses at times over the last few months due to the White House's on-again, off-again tariff policy. Planes and their engines are usually ordered by U.S. buyers years in advance, and tariff confusion risks delaying shipments of both, even if the industry has not been directly targeted for duties, sources told Reuters. The frequent changes and added costs are stressing a supply chain that has wrestled with shortages of parts and labor. Outside Montreal, workers at Airbus' Canadian plant assembled a single-aisle A220 jet over the last several months, even as the shifting tariff policy made it unclear whether the plane would go to its intended customer, Delta Air Lines, with or without a 25% duty. The rapidly changing landscape means Delta might receive the 130-seat plane without tariffs, or could owe duties to the U.S. government for parts made outside the United States. The aircraft is expected to be delivered in June, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Delta and Airbus declined comment on whether the A220 jet would be subjected to the levy. Tariffs have rarely been an issue for aerospace. Aside from an 18-month transatlantic tariff war over Airbus and Boeing subsidies in 2020 and 2021, the industry has operated under a 1979 treaty guaranteeing zero-duty trading that includes the U.S. and Canada, but not Mexico. But President Donald Trump's frequent tariff changes during assembly of this A220 jet illustrate how his strategy adds risks for planemakers and airlines alike. In early February, as Airbus employees in Mirabel, Quebec, worked on the plane's interior near the start of the assembly line, a source said, Trump threatened a 25% tariff on goods imported from Canada and Mexico. The levy would have raised the cost for Delta substantially on a plane worth about $40.5m, according to Cirium delivery data from 2024.<br/>
The helicopter that crashed into New York City's Hudson River on Thursday, killing all six on board including three children, lacked flight recorders, the National Transportation Safety Board said. No video or camera recorders have been recovered from the Bell 206 helicopter, the NTSB said late on Saturday, and none of the equipment on it had recorded information that would help the investigation. Divers from the NYPD were continuing to search for parts of the helicopter, including the main rotor, gear box, tail rotor and the tail boom, the safety agency said. The aircraft, whose passengers included a senior executive of Seimens AG, his wife and three children, had its last major inspection done on March 1, and had completed seven tour flights before the crash, according to federal investigators. Divers recovered the victims as well as the pilot from the submerged helicopter. Four people were declared dead at the scene, while the remaining two died later after they were transported to nearby hospitals. Some parts that have been recovered and sent to NTSB laboratories in Washington for inspection include the cockpit, cabin, horizontal stabilizer finlets, the vertical fin and a portion of the tail boom, according to the NTSB update. Investigators examined two similar helicopters as part of the probe and met with representatives of New York Helicopter Charter, the operator of the crashed chopper, to review operational records, policies and procedures, safety management systems and the pilot's experience, the agency said. The helicopter took off around 3 p.m. ET on Thursday from a downtown helicopter pad and flew north along the Hudson, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch has said. After reaching the George Washington Bridge, it turned south but crashed shortly afterwards, hitting the water upside down near Lower Manhattan, just off Jersey City, at about 3:15 p.m.<br/>
Three people were killed and one was injured when a small plane crashed Friday morning in South Florida near a major interstate highway and pushed a car onto railroad tracks, officials said. Boca Raton Fire Rescue assistant chief Michael LaSalle said the plane crash that killed all three people on board emitted a fireball when it hit the ground, injuring a person in a nearby car. LaSalle said several roads near the Boca Raton Airport will remain closed near Interstate 95. The FAA identified the plane as a Cessna 310 with three people on board. It went down about 10:20 a.m. after departing from Boca Raton Airport bound for Tallahassee, the FAA said in an email. Fire officials told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the aircraft appeared to have pushed a car onto the railroad tracks, leading to the tracks’ closure. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, with the NTSB leading the probe. NTSB officials arrived at the scene Friday afternoon and began collecting evidence and taking photos as part of their preliminary investigation. The plane wreckage will be taken to a salvage facility in Jacksonville for further investigation. The NTSB will release a preliminary report in 30 days, followed by a final report with the likely cause of the crash in 12 to 24 months.<br/>
The FAA will conduct drone-detection testing in New Jersey starting on Monday after a spike in reports last year and continuing sightings near airports. The FAA will operate several large drones and about 100 commercial off-the-shelf drones during the two-week period in Cape May, New Jersey. Last year, a frenzy of concern about drones in New Jersey and surrounding states prompted a dramatic spike in the number of people in the area pointing lasers at airplanes flying overhead. The FAA receives more than 100 drone-sighting reports near airports each month. The public should not fly recreational drones near this area during the test period in New Jersey, the FAA said. "These tests will help determine the effectiveness of these technologies and whether they might interfere with FAA or aircraft navigation systems," the FAA said. The FAA last year temporarily banned drone flights over dozens of critical infrastructure sites in New Jersey and New York. In December, the White House, FBI and Homeland Security Department said they had no evidence that drone sightings reported in New Jersey posed national security or safety threats, despite concerns raised by lawmakers. The FBI and DHS said "it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted airspace." The administration of former President Joe Biden had urged Congress to pass legislation to expand the ability of authorities to identify and counter drones that are a threat to airports or other critical infrastructure. Days after President Donald Trump took office in January, the White House said the drones in New Jersey posed no threats. "In time, it got worse due to curiosity," the White House said. "This was not the enemy." Drone sightings have at times disrupted flights and sporting events.<br/>
A car burst into flames at Gatwick airport in England on Sunday (local time). Firefighters raced to the scene of the blaze at around 1.30pm after the vehicle set alight, causing car access to the North Terminal to be temporarily suspended. A witness said the car had pulled up to the exit barrier in Car Park 6 before it “started smoking”. The driver of a nearby AA van jumped out with a fire extinguisher and tried to put the fire out, the onlooker said. Another witness said they believed the driver had escaped the fire, but that smoke had obscured their vision. Two fire engines from West Sussex Fire and Rescue (WSFRS) put out the fire at around 2pm. Daniel Connelly, who was returning from a holiday in Benidorm when he saw the car engulfed in flames, said: “We were coming out of the terminal and we thought we could smell something burning. As we came further round we saw this vehicle absolutely engulfed in flames.” A London Gatwick spokesman said: “The airport Fire Service responded to a vehicle fire outside a North Terminal car park this afternoon. The fire has now been resolved. “Car access to the North Terminal was temporarily suspended while we dealt with the incident, but have since reopened.” A spokesman for WSFRS said: “At approximately 13.23 on Sunday we received a call reporting a car fire at Gatwick airport. Two fire engines were immediately immobilised to the scene and the fire, which had spread to the car park barriers, was extinguished just after 2pm.“The North Terminal car park has now fully reopened and is accessible to the public.”<br/>
Three Airbus A380s – two ex-Lufthansa and one ex-Malaysia Airlines aircraft – are to undergo dismantling for spares by Florida-based VAS Aero Services. VAS has identified the former Lufthansa jets as MSN61 and MSN66, and the Malaysia airframe as MSN84. Airbus has selected the company to handle the teardown and redistribution of serviceable material from the A380s. All three were Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered aircraft. VAS says the engines will be “made available for lease” although some will be used as sources of parts. It will carry out the teardown in collaboration with French-based aircraft storage specialist Tarmac Aerosave. “Harvested parts will be positioned in Europe for ready access to customers throughout the [European, Middle Eastern and African] market,” states VAS. “Early on we identified the A380 platform as an aftermarket growth opportunity,” says VAS chief Tommy Hughes. “The timing is right for a programme focused on retiring end-of-life A380 aircraft and monetising the residual value of their serviceable parts.” Boeing 777X delivery delays, says VAS, have led to an “increasing reliance” on A380s to meet long-haul capacity demand – and pressure to keep the fleet supported. VAS has managed the dismantlement of 13 A380s including the three latest airframes. It tied up with lessor Dr Peters Group to oversee the first A380 teardown in 2018.<br/>
Hundreds of flights were delayed at Indira Gandhi International Airport due to congestion following a dust storm that hit the Indian capital on Friday evening. "Flight operations at Delhi Airport are improving. However, a few flights are still affected due to last night's weather conditions," Delhi International Airport Limited said Saturday on X. It said Friday’s inclement weather had a significant impact on the flight operations across the country. Frustrated passengers complained about flight delays and cancellations. "Our on-ground teams and all stakeholders are working together to minimise any inconvenience to passengers," the airport operator said. More than 350 flights were delayed and the passenger area saw chaotic scenes, according to local media reports. "Ongoing air traffic congestion in Delhi is causing flights to be held for takeoff and landing clearance. Due to the consequential impact, a few flights across the network are affected, too," IndiGo airline said in an X post on Saturday afternoon. <br/>
Experts and industry players balk at the notion that the entry of three new private airlines this year will lead to a rebound in air travel as the industry struggles to regain its pre-pandemic footing. Newly established carriers, namely Fly Jaya, Indonesia Airlines and Mukhtara Air will be wading into a high-risk domestic market where softening demand, soaring operational costs and outdated policies had stunted recovery, they warn. Even established players have been feeling the strain and some had scaled back operations as costs outpaced revenue, according to aviation industry expert Alvin Lie, who also chairs the Association of Indonesian Aviation Service Users. “The Indonesian market is hardly attractive for newcomers. With existing players cutting back operations, that’s just keeping us stuck in the mud,” Alvin told The Jakarta Post on March 27. Alvin said this had led Lion Air, the country’s largest private carrier, to move part of its fleet to Malaysia and Thailand, where “profits are higher and the market is steadier.” Last year, Indonesian domestic passengers amounted to 62.56m, growing 1.76% from last year, according to Statistics Indonesia. Indonesia’s aviation sector welcomes Jakarta-based PT Surya Mataram Nusantara, operating as Fly Jaya, which had secured an Air Operator Certificate (AOC), Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said in March, Bisnis.com reported. PT Mukhtara Indonesia Air, the local subsidiary of Saudi Arabia-based Manazil Al Mokhtara Group, has reportedly started its licensing process. Its official website said it already had a head office close to Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Banten, and was recruiting engineers and flight operation managers.<br/>
To hear President Vladimir V. Putin tell it, Russia’s economy has thrived despite Western sanctions, becoming more self-sufficient and reorienting toward new markets. But there is one company that Russian officials make no secret about missing: Boeing. The aviation giant’s planes play a critical role in Russia’s economy, connecting its far-flung cities. Until the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Boeing sold and maintained planes in Russia and operated a major design center there. It also bought much of its titanium, a key material for modern jets, from Russia. As President Trump pursues a striking rapprochement with Moscow, the company has emerged as an early test of whether American businesses that fled Russia early in the war will return. Boeing has said nothing in public about whether it is considering going back, and it declined to comment for this article. But the obstacles are considerable. Trump has so far kept in place American sanctions on Russian aviation, which give him leverage with Mr. Putin as he pursues negotiations to end the war. And there is widespread skepticism in U.S. aviation circles about the business sense of Boeing returning to Russia, a reflection of the enormous damage that three years of war have done to the country’s standing in the American corporate world. “If given the choice between re-entering Russia and drinking bleach,” said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace consultant, “I’m sure that that glass of bleach is looking mighty good.”<br/>