Source: US Department of Transportation The U.S. Department of Transportation today released its Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline operational data compiled for the month of April 2022 for on-time performance, consumer complaints received, mishandled baggage, and mishandled wheelchairs and scooters. The ATCR is designed to assist consumers with information on the quality of services provided by airlines. DOT remains committed to ensuring airline passengers are protected fairly and is concerned about recent cancellations and flight disruptions. It uses the data from the ATCR, consumer complaints, and other information it secures from the airlines to inform its enforcement activities and the adequacy of existing rules. Flight Operations In April, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to result in significant changes to [...]

Source: ACI Europe ACI EUROPE President Javier Marín today called upon the EU Institutions, European Governments and regulators to work with industry so that aviation policy enables a strong and sustainable reset for the entire sectoral ecosystem. Speaking at the 32nd ACI EUROPE Annual Congress and General Assembly in Rome, Marín tackled issues as diverse as slot regulation, regional air connectivity, airport charges, decarbonisation and the handling of resurgent viral variants. Marín, who is Managing Director - Airports for AENA and oversees 47 airports across Spain, opened by tackling staff shortages and the severe disruptions suffered by air travellers in several European markets. The root cause, he said, is the combination of a stronger than expected surge in demand alongside very tight [...]

Source: ACI Europe Olivier Jankovec paints a bleak financial picture as debt-ridden airports will struggle to invest – and sets out 'new value creation business model' in response Opening the 32nd ACI EUROPE Annual Congress and General Assembly in Rome, Director General Olivier Jankovec described an industry with a clear vision for its future societal and economic role – but fighting for the financial stability to get there. Continued and systemic financial weakness Europe's airports are still reeling from the unprecedented revenue collapse caused by the pandemic, which resulted in historic losses reaching cumulatively over €20 billion1 over the past 2 years – a seismic economic shock to any industry. With Governments having mostly focused their financial support on airlines and [...]

Source ACI Europe ACI EUROPE’s net zero 2050 resolution both expanded and reaffirmed today Almost half of Europe’s 2050 airports now accelerated to 2030 commitment Repository of airport net zero carbon roadmaps celebrates new additions ACI EUROPE Guidance for Airports’ Contribution to Net Zero Aviation published today Cooperation with Airbus unveiled Europe’s airport industry today announced significant progress in the concrete steps towards net zero CO2 emissions. Speaking at ACI EUROPE’s 32nd Annual Congress and General Assembly in Rome, Director General Olivier Jankovec announced a raft of accelerated and expanded commitments by its membership, both unilaterally and in increased collaboration with partners and stakeholders. ACI EUROPE’s net zero 2050 resolution both expanded and reaffirmed today First launched in 2019 and firmly establishing [...]

Source: ACI Europe The Annual ACI EUROPE Best Airport Awards winners were announced yesterday during the Gala Dinner of the 32nd ACI EUROPE Annual Congress and General Assembly, taking place in Rome, Italy, and hosted by Aeroporti di Roma. The Best Airport Awards1 recognise excellence and outstanding achievement across the entire portfolio of airport activities. This year has been characterised by both the many ways in which airports are recovering after COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing focus on sustainability-related achievements. Airports in this section are divided into five groups, according to 2019 passenger traffic. To recognise airports’ efforts in key areas, the Awards portfolio also includes the Eco-Innovation Award, the Human Resources Excellence Award and the Digital Transformation Award. This year’s judging panel comprised representatives [...]

Source: ACI Modernizing airport charges will benefit the travelling public In response to statements made at the 2022 Annual General Meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regarding airport charges, ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira gave the following comments: "Recent statements made by IATA do not reflect current market and economic realities as airports, airlines, ground handlers and other stakeholders work together to rebuild the sector following a historic downturn. At a time when the air transport industry has never been more united, it remains of utmost importance that fellow aviation organizations continue on this path of collaboration and cooperation. In this spirit, we would like to raise a few points: While airport charges represent a [...]

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged governments to work closely with the aviation industry to ensure that aviation and incumbent aviation safety systems can safely co-exist with new 5G services(1). While IATA recognizes the economic importance of making spectrum available to support next generation commercial wireless telecommunications, maintaining current levels of safety of passengers, flight crews, and aircraft must continue to be one of governments' highest priorities. The call came as the industry was meeting in Doha, Qatar at the 78th IATA Annual General Meeting. "We must not repeat the recent experience in the United States, where the rollout of C-band spectrum 5G services created enormous disruption to aviation, owing to the potential risk of interference with [...]

Source: UK - CAA The UK Civil Aviation Authority, with the support of the Terrence Higgins Trust, the National AIDS Trust and the British HIV Association, has issued a landmark package of measures for pilots living with HIV to support them flying and continuing with their careers. The regulator has published important new guidance on how pilots living with HIV will be medically assessed to obtain and continue to hold their UK licences. The regulator’s new guidance confirms that with a timely diagnosis of HIV and antiretroviral therapy, there is a much lower risk of a pilot suffering conditions that could impair their ability to safely fly aircraft. This is a significant milestone in the global aeromedical assessment of HIV.  [...]

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called for governments to urgently put in place large-scale incentives to rapidly expand the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) as aviation pursues its commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. To fulfil aviation's net zero commitment, current estimates are for SAF to account for 65% of aviation's carbon mitigation in 2050. That would require an annual production capacity of 449 billion liters. Investments are in place to expand SAF annual production from the current 125 million liters to 5 billion by 2025. With effective government incentives, production could reach 30 billion liters by 2030, which would be a tipping point for SAF production and utilization. "Governments don't need to [...]