Demand for air travel in the US in 2015 grew at the fastest rate since 2007, according to FAA, which has slightly increased its 20-year annual growth rate forecast for US airline traffic. FAA said US airlines’ system RPMs increased 3.8% year-over-year in 2015 as domestic RPMs rose by 4.8% and international RPMs lifted 2.2%. International air travel from/to the US in 2015 was negatively affected by the economic slowdown in China and recessions in Brazil and Russia, FAA said. Bumping up its 20-year forecast slightly from last year’s projection, FAA said in a new forecast released March 24 that US airline RPMs will increase at an average annual rate of 2.6% from 2017-2036. The agency last year predicted a 2.5% annual growth rate for US airline traffic for 2016-2035. <br/>
general
Reports of errant drones flouting US regulations including flying too close to passenger airliners and other aircraft surged late last year to an average of 4 incidents per day, according to FAA data. The 1,200 incident reports in 2015 were more than 5 times the 236 the FAA recorded a year earlier when it first began compiling the data. By the second half of last year, there were an average of 4 reports per day, according to figures released Friday by the agency. While there were no reported collisions in the latest data and most incidents were sightings with little chance of a mid-air impact, there were numerous instances involving airliners or large aircraft. In the last 2 weeks of January alone, at least 7 airline crews said they spotted drones while flying. <br/>
Consolidation has been credited with transforming the profitability of the US airline industry. Some hope the trick can be repeated in Europe’s scrappy low-cost sector. Europe’s budget operators can be split into two camps. Ryanair and EasyJet sit in one of them. Neither carrier has much to gain from risky takeover activity. In the other camp is a long tail of diminutive rivals with disparate strategies. This is where consolidation could be useful. The prize is an established third place after the two giants. Lufthansa CE Carsten Spohr told analysts last week he thought Ryanair and EasyJet had “reached critical size,” while Eurowings and its peers lacked the scale needed to compete properly. With its strong balance sheet, Lufthansa is therefore ready for the expected “wave of consolidation”. <br/>
Russian authorities have established the Aviation Register of the Russian Federation, which will be responsible for aircraft design, components, engines and propeller certification. The setup document was published by Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, March 21. The transfer of certification powers from Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) to other authorities was announced in Dec 2015. IAC has been responsible for certification and incidents investigation since its launch by several former USSR countries in 1991. Now it will be responsible only for investigation. The reason for certification powers transfer has not been officially explained, but it could be connected with IAC’s decision to recall the Boeing 737 type certificate in Russia Nov 5, 2015. <br/>
Indonesia is about to roll out its first passenger plane, one of several smaller, home-grown aircraft being studied in Asia, designed especially for short hops across the region's emerging markets, where air travel is booming. PT Dirgantara Indonesia's 19-seat N219, which cost US$400m and took just over 5 years to make, is scheduled to make its first flight in June and start deliveries in 2018. South Korea is mulling a 100-seat aircraft, and India has considered a 70-90 seater. Novices in a highly competitive industry, these largely state-owned manufacturers are betting on growing passenger numbers and an increase in short flights operated by small, efficient craft. The planned craft would be smaller than the Airbus 320 or Boeing 737, which seat between about 150 and 190 passengers. <br/>