Tens of thousands of Taiwanese working in China are at risk of being unable to return home for the Lunar New Year in mid-February as a result of an escalating battle over airspace in the Taiwan Strait. On Tuesday, the Chinese carriers China Eastern and Xiamen Air announced that they had cancelled 176 flights intended to meet added demand during the holiday since they had yet to receive approval from Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration. The agency said Jan. 19 that it was denying the airlines permission for the flights because they were flying sensitive new routes in the Taiwan Strait that China began using without consulting Taiwan’s government. The move has been viewed in Taiwan as a show of disrespect, one that could heighten the risk of a dangerous incident and potentially provoke a crisis in the increasingly tense cross-strait relationship. The new passenger routes come close to airspace used by Taiwanese airliners and military planes at a time when Chinese military drills encroaching on Taiwan’s airspace have become increasingly common. Against this backdrop of heightened tensions, Taiwan’s armed forces conducted their annual live-fire military drills Tuesday highlighting Taiwan’s readiness to deal with the threat of invasion. In a statement released Tuesday about the dispute over the airspace, Taiwan’s presidential office said protecting the safety of all people flying across the strait was “a responsibility that cannot be abandoned.” The statement called on Beijing to return to the consensus reached in talks over the airspace in 2015, urging a resolution of the dispute for “regional stability, cross-strait relations and flight safety.”<br/>
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Mexico is in talks with the US on whether to allow US federal air marshals to travel with Taser stun guns on cross-border flights with US airlines, National Security Commissioner Renato Sales said Tuesday. Sales’ comments come the day after Reuters exclusively revealed that Mexico and the United States were looking into an agreement that could allow armed US federal air marshals to be deployed on commercial cross-border flights. Sales said no memorandum of understanding had been signed with the United States, adding that talks to allow US federal marshals in Mexico stretch back years. “They would only be on commercial (U.S.) flights, on (U.S.) airlines, not on Mexican airlines,” he said. “But it’s still not finalized... we’re still in talks.” Mexico has been trying to prove itself a good ally to the United States in the hopes this will help its efforts to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in terms that are as favourable as possible. Quizzed by ruling party lawmakers on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray denied the air marshals were critical to the fraught trade talks. “I can assure you that we’re not going to negotiate NAFTA in exchange for the air marshals,” he said.<br/>
The launch of low-cost, long-haul flights by Indian airlines will boost outbound leisure travel and open a multi-billion dollar opportunity for carriers, a report released Wednesday showed. The analysis by aviation consultant CAPA India and online travel agent Expedia Inc comes as large budget airlines IndiGo and SpiceJet draw up plans to fly as far as Europe and the US. The carriers have so far focused on shorter-range destinations such as Sri Lanka and Thailand. Only 0.3% of Indians currently travel abroad for a holiday every year, a fraction of the estimated 100m who could potentially afford to do so, CAPA's analysis of household income shows. Tourism spending by Indians could rise to as much as $40b by 2027 from about $16.4b in 2016, CAPA said, ranking it sixth in the world ahead of Canada, South Korea and Australia. "If there is any market where low-cost, long-haul can work it is India," CAPA India CEO Kapil Kaul said Tuesday, citing its geographic location and a large order pipeline for new long-range narrowbody jets. SpiceJet Chairman Ajay Singh said Tuesday low-cost long haul flights will be introduced as early as this winter. IndiGo is exploring long-haul operations and seeking rights to routes, parent InterGlobe Aviation said last week.<br/>
South Korea's airlines will hire more than 3,500 workers this year as they move to serve ever rising numbers of air passengers, industry sources said Wednesday. Korean Air Lines said it will recruit more than 1,000 new workers, noting that it will fly 17 new flights this year. The carrier said it accepted 1,050 new workers last year, including 600 cabin crew members, 200 pilots and 250 technicians and office workers. Korean Air plans to add 17 new planes -- nine CS300 short-haul aircrafts as well as four B787-9 and four B777-300ER long-range jets -- to its fleet this year. Moreover, its joint venture with Delta, which is awaiting approval from authorities, will allow the carrier to serve more cities in the US and Asia. Asiana said it will employ up to 500 new workers this year, including 250 cabin crew members, 100 pilots and 150 office workers and technicians. Asiana Airlines said it will fly two more A350s this year with the aim of launching new air routes to Venice in April and Barcelona in August. The country's six low-cost carriers -- Jin Air, Jeju Air, Air Busan, Air Seoul, Eastar Jet and T'way Air -- also have plans to increase hiring. <br/>
There was a realistic-looking replica of a suicide vest found in a checked bag at an airport in El Paso. A block of inert explosives was discovered in a carry-on bag at an airport in Florida. Hand grenades were confiscated from luggage at airports all over the country. These, along with 3957 firearms, were among the items discovered by agents from the TSA at airport security checkpoints in 2017. In its "TSA Year in Review" report, the agency said a "record-setting" number of firearms were found in carry-on bags. With nearly 4000 firearms for the year, that translates to about 10 firearms a day. That's up roughly 17% from 2016, when 3391 firearms were found at checkpoints, TSA said. And the number of firearms found has risen steadily since TSA began tracking the number in 2005, when 660 firearms were found.<br/>According to the agency 2m travellers a day went through security check points last year and a total of 771.5m passengers were screened. TSA said nearly 35% of the firearms found had a round in the chamber. And "the most firearms discovered in one-month - a whopping 31″ were found in August at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to the report.<br/>It wasn't just guns. Passengers also tried to board with numerous other hazardous items.<br/>
With in-flight Wi-Fi finally emerging from its role as a punch line, there’s good news for sky warriors who routinely curse their connection, or lack thereof. The cost of buying and installing better hardware has fallen far enough that many airlines have begun upgrading to faster speeds, and smaller airlines are adopting Wi-Fi for the first time. Here’s the bad news: What you’ll pay for it might end up being a lot. Worldwide, 82 airlines offer in-flight Wi-Fi—12 more than last year—with the amenity now common enough that there’s a 43% chance your plane will have it when you plunk down in your seat, according to an annual airline report from New York-based Routehappy Inc. (And more than 80% in America.) Airbus and Boeing also fit most of these newer systems onto new airplanes as part of the final assembly process. In terms of the most Wi-Fi access, Delta, American Airlines and Emirates take the top three spots, with Delta and Emirates also among the 13 airlines that offer Wi-Fi on all of their long-haul flights, according to the report released Tuesday. Routehappy divides Wi-Fi quality into best, better and basic categories, with the basic category—no streaming media capability—rapidly losing favour. Story has more details.<br/>