Source: ALTA The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) held several meetings with Guatemalan authorities, aimed at reinforcing collaboration ties to foster a competitive environment that strengthens the development and connectivity in the country. ALTA’s Executive Director & CEO, José Ricardo Botelho, participated in an agenda of meetings including meetings with Antonio Maloufl, Minister of Economy of Guatemala; Fernando Morra, Vice Minister of Economy; Shirley Aguilar, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Francis Argueta, General Director of Civil Aviation (CAA); along with Marcela Toriello, President of the Board of Directors of TAG Airlines, and Julio Alejandro Gamero, CEO of TAG Airlines. In these meetings, where a proactive atmosphere prevailed, were discussed the need to implement measures to reduce [...]

Source: US House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA) during today’s hearing titled, “Finding the Right Frequency: 5G Deployment & Aviation Safety.” Videos of DeFazio and Larsen’s opening statements are here and here. More information on the hearing can be found here. Chair DeFazio: Thank you, Chair Larsen, for calling this important hearing today focused on the recent deployment of 5G technologies and its impact on the aviation industry and National Airspace System. I would like to thank FAA Administrator Dickson as well as the many aviation and telecom [...]

Source: US Department of Transportation Overall air cargo remains up 12.7% over pre-pandemic November 2019 U.S. Airlines Carried 0.2% less cargo by weight in November 2021 (preliminary) than in November 2020. The decrease comprises a gain of 0.3% in domestic cargo and a loss of 1.8% in international cargo, according to data filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by 14 of the leading U.S. cargo airlines. The 14 airlines carry 95% of total cargo by weight transported on U.S. airlines. Cargo data consists of freight and mail carried within the U.S. and between the U.S. and foreign points. November 2021 (preliminary) air cargo numbers for 14 U.S. cargo carriers: Total: 1,650 thousand tons, down 0.2% from Nov. 2020, [...]

Source: ICAO ICAO has published its first Health Master List, a new data resource for States and aviation stakeholders to aid in the more efficient and secure authentication of traveler health certificates, including vaccination and test result certificates. In support of WHO recommendations, ICAO has embarked on an innovative Public Key Infrastructure collaboration with the Luxembourg State Agency, INCERT. The aim of the partnership is to address the urgent need for improved trust and processing of health documentation internationally during the COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond. “The presentation of documentation related to COVID-19 health interventions has become commonplace since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and many States originally issued health proofs appropriate for domestic and/or regional use cases,” commented ICAO [...]

Source: US DOT Through continued technical collaboration, the FAA, Verizon, and AT&T have agreed on steps that will enable more aircraft to safely use key airports while also enabling more towers to deploy 5G service. The FAA appreciates the strong communication and collaborative approach with wireless companies, which have provided more precise data about the exact location of wireless transmitters and supported more thorough analysis of how 5G C-band signals interact with sensitive aircraft instruments. The FAA used this data to determine that it is possible to safely and more precisely map the size and shape of the areas around airports where 5G signals are mitigated, shrinking the areas where wireless operators are deferring their antenna activations. This will enable [...]