Some big US airlines are questioning the benefits of proposed next-generation satellite navigation over oceanic routes, even as Russia is about to take a big step toward potentially embracing the concept. The ambivalence of American carriers about the anticipated services was on display at an industry meeting Friday, when a federally created advisory group launched a cost-benefit analysis of space-based aircraft surveillance slated to be provided in coming years by Aireon. The closely held venture is controlled by Iridium Communications and a number of European air-traffic control providers. It promises to help airlines save time and fuel by taking more direct routes or adjusting aircraft speed and altitude, all based on traffic and weather conditions. <br/>
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European intelligence agencies and air-safety officials have created the first formal intelligence-sharing network to warn the region’s airlines about dangers of overflying various conflict zones world-wide. The new system seeks to coordinate and update such threat assessments under the auspices of the EU, and then quickly disseminate the information to European carriers, according to the region’s top aviation safety official. EASA said the goal is to ensure the agency can provide carriers with the best possible guidance about avoiding airspace where fighting on the ground poses potential hazards for commercial aircraft. The advisories won’t be binding on airlines, but they are intended to offer the most comprehensive and timely assessment of such in-flight hazards covering parts of the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere. <br/>
The Civil Aviation Authority is to investigate extra fees charged by airlines on top of basic ticket prices. The review will decide whether airlines are "open and clear" with passengers about what they are paying for. After the "headline price" of a ticket, customers may have to pay to change a name on their booking, re-issue boarding passes or check in at the airport rather than online. Ministers say the CAA will examine whether any charges are "unfair". The CAA says "anything that is an additional charge will be looked at", suggesting it will also look into the transparency of charging for in-flight meals, advance seat selection, paying by credit card and putting bags into the hold. The CAA says its review will take "a few months" at the end of which it will publish its findings. <br/>
Italian air traffic controllers will strike again Saturday, July 23, which could result in numerous flight cancellations during one of the busiest summer holiday travel days, A4E said. “It is unacceptable that airlines and their customers can be repeatedly punished by these unjustified strikes. The EC and govts must act immediately to protect the rights of millions of European travellers,” A4E MD Thomas Reynaert said. The latest ATC strikes in Greece, Italy, Belgium and France since March have caused nearly 3,000 cancellations among A4E members and more than 1m minutes of delay (more than 16,000 hours) across all airlines operating in European airspace. In 2015, more than 10,000 flights operated by A4E members were affected by 28 days of ATC strikes in Europe. <br/>
Greek civil aviation workers suspended a 5-day strike planned for June 20-25 to protest against the development of the country's regional airports after receiving assurances from the govt their jobs were not at risk. Greece's privatisation agency published an invitation Monday to hire an adviser to work out whether 23 regional airports could be further developed. In response, civil aviation workers union OSYPA called the strike fearing that such a move would result in job losses or hurt workers' rights. The walkout would have disrupted air traffic at the start of the peak tourism season. After a series of meetings, OSYPA said the govt and senior tourism officials had shown "sensitivity" over the issues that worried workers and were willing to discuss the airports' future with unions. <br/>
Boeing is negotiating a deal to sell 100 airplanes to Iran, state-run media reported Sunday, a sale potentially worth billions that would mark the first major entry of an American company into the Islamic Republic after last year's nuclear deal. Boeing declined to discuss details of the talks or the figure of 100 planes, attributed to Ali Abedzadeh, the head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation. Regulatory hurdles and US sanctions that remain in place after the nuclear agreement could complicate the deal. Despite efforts by the US State Department to encourage trade to Iran, many American firms remain worried about the legal and political ramifications of any agreements with the country. The state-run IRAN newspaper quoted Abedzadeh as saying negotiations took "several stages" and final figures and terms had yet to be reached. <br/>