Source: US Department of Transportation The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled for June 28-29, 2022 U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel – an attorney general who has prioritized protecting consumers and defending civil rights – will act as the state representative and new Chair of the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee (ACPAC). Attorney General Nessel is succeeding Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey as state representative and Chair. "It's never been more important to protect airline passengers' safety, rights, time, and money," said U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "I thank Attorney General Healey for her leadership as the state government representative and Chair of the Aviation Consumer Protection [...]

Source: A4A Airlines for America issued the following statement in reaction to the brief filed by the U.S. Solicitor General in Virgin America, Inc., v. Julia Bernstein on petition for a Writ of Certiorari: “The Solicitor General’s brief sends a mixed message.  It recognizes that California’s meal and rest break rules as construed by the Ninth Circuit are incompatible with FAA rules applicable to inflight crews, and agrees that the Ninth Circuit’s analysis of this conflict was ‘misguided,’ yet still recommends against U.S. Supreme Court review. The conflict between federal and state law is a critical issue with nationwide implications, and we hope the Supreme Court will grant review on the merits and reverse the Ninth Circuit’s decision in the Bernstein case, for reasons set [...]

Source: US Department of Transportation President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests in research, workforce development and more through popular partnership with colleges around the U.S. As part of its University Transportation Centers (UTC) program, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is seeking applications from universities for up to 35 UTC awards, with total funding of $450 million for the 5-year period from 2022 through 2026. "I am inspired by the cutting-edge transportation technologies our UTCs are developing," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "With this investment, we'll be able to support a new generation of visionary leaders and advance research that will help to transform our transportation system with safer, cleaner, more accessible ways for people and goods to move [...]

Source: ACI-LAC ACI-LAC and NACO - Netherlands Airport Consultant invite all its members to the webinar on "GRF 6 months after implementation – challenges and opportunities". Runway excursions make up over 25% of all aviation-related accidents. Introduced in November 2021, ICAO's new Global Reporting Format (GRF) is set to improve runway safety globally. During this session, we'll share the lessons learnt 6 months after its implementation. Join us for the webinar and get more insights into the challenges and opportunities of GRF Date: Tuesday, June 7, 2022 Time: 10:00 AM (Panama/Quito/Bogota) Moderator:  Pim Meyboom, Senior Project Manager Airside Automation at NACO, Netherlands Airport Consultants. Speakers:  David Almeida, SMS Manager, Quiport Pedro Vieira, Safety Analyst , RIOGaleão To participate, you have to register here: https://bit.ly/3PD06f4 NOTE: Simultaneous [...]

Source: ACI New resources seek to promote safe and secure airport operations, now and in the future Airports Council International (ACI) World has today launched its first policy brief on advanced air mobility (AAM), advocating for a seamless integration of these new entrants into airports, alongside a knowledge centre on drone risk mitigation to promote safe and secure operations at airports. The Policy Brief – Advanced Air Mobility: Integration into the Airport Environment – sets forth ACI's positions and key policy statements on the integration of AAM into the airport environment. This is timely as the growth in development of electric and hybrid aircraft for urban, suburban, and rural operations for passengers and cargo is rapidly advancing. The concept of AAM includes [...]

Upward revision of European airport passenger traffic forecast comes with hefty warnings Source: ACI Europe ACI EUROPE has today revised upwards its passenger traffic forecast for the year 2022 and beyond, with a base case for Europe’s airports to fall -22% below 2019 levels over the full year - compared with the previous forecast of -32% published last October. A full recovery to pre-pandemic volumes is now expected for 2024 rather than 2025. However, the airport association sounded a loud note of caution, pointing to the triple jeopardy of the return of geopolitics, worsening economic conditions and the threat of new Covid variants as creating significant uncertainty and traffic downside risks. ACI EUROPE also stressed the differing outcomes for different [...]

Source: ICAO ICAO’s latest analysis of global air traffic reveals clear signs of a strong global recovery in air traffic, characterized by increasing airline confidence and a range of regional air connectivity and air travel facilitation improvements. The number of air passengers carried from January to April 2022 increased by 65% compared to the same period in 2021, while aircraft flight departures increased by 30%. Airline seat capacity grew by 32% during the same period, and with continuing supportive conditions for increases in air travel demand expected, ICAO is projecting a stronger overall rate of recovery this year compared to last. In terms of regional highlights, North America and Latin America/Caribbean domestic seat capacity has now recovered to pre-pandemic levels, [...]

Source: Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Singapore will help promote aviation safety and raise aviation safety standards in the Asia-Pacific region through a new annual regional aviation safety summit. The Asia-Pacific Summit for Aviation Safety (APSAS) will bring together C-suite executives and aviation professionals from regulators, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, and maintenance organisations in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss aviation safety challenges and initiatives. The annual summit will be jointly organised by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF). The inaugural summit will be held in Singapore in the second half of 2022. In subsequent years, the summit venue will alternate between Singapore and another country in the Asia-Pacific. On 18 May 2022, Mr Han [...]