Source: ALTA The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) is pleased to announce that Brazilian law firm Fenelon Advogados is now a consulting member. Headquartered in Brasília, capital of Brazil, and with unit in São Paulo, Fenelon Advogados specializes in advising clients in the resolution of conflicts related to complex public and private law issues. The firm was founded by Ricardo Fenelon Jr., former director of the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) and professor of Aeronautical Law at the Brasiliense Institute of Public Law (IDP). “Fenelon Advogados has the mission of providing legal services with maximum efficiency, guided by principles of ethics and transparency. For ALTA it is essential to have consulting members with a high level of [...]

Source: US Department of Transportation Scheduled passenger airlines add 5,375 full-time equivalents for 9th consecutive month of job growth U.S. Airline Employees Headcount (Full-time and Part-time Employees) U.S. airline industry (passenger and cargo airlines combined) employment increased to 733,491 workers in January 2022, 3,411 (0.47%) more workers than in December 2021 (730,080) and 16,848 (2.25%) fewer than in pre-pandemic January 2020 (750,339). The January 2022 figure is the highest industry headcount since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. scheduled-service passenger airlines employed 450,065 workers in January or 61% of the industry-wide total. Passenger airlines added 5,285 employees in January for a ninth consecutive month of job growth dating back to May 2021. American Airlines led scheduled passenger carriers, adding 1,319 [...]

Source: US Department of Transportation U.S. airlines carried 674 million passengers (not seasonally adjusted) in 2021, 82.5% more than in 2020 (369 million, unadjusted). U.S. airline passenger enplanements in 2021 remained 27.3% below pre-pandemic 2019’s 927 million (unadjusted). System-wide 2021 enplanements comprised 612 million passengers on domestic flights and 62 million passengers on international flights. U.S. airlines carried 68.1 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in December 2021, seasonally-adjusted, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS), up 0.2% from November 2021, but down 13.4% from pre-pandemic December 2019. BTS reported 60.9 million domestic passengers and 7.2 million international passengers on U.S. airlines flights in December 2021. U.S. airline traffic reports are filed monthly with BTS. See the [...]

Source: ALPA Delta pilots picketed at Delta’s largest hub in Atlanta, Georgia, to protest the airline’s scheduling practices that have caused pilots to fly long days or work additional days to keep the airline running. With spring break and the summer travel season approaching, the Delta pilots are demanding improvements to schedules that impact employees and passengers alike. “We’re picketing today because it’s time for Delta management to fix our schedules,” said Capt. Jason Ambrosi, chairman of the Delta Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA). “We’ve flown record amounts of overtime during the pandemic to help Delta operate its schedule and get our passengers safely to their destinations. In many cases, pilots are flying long [...]

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the recovery in air travel slowed for both domestic and international in January 2022 compared to December 2021, owing to the imposition of travel restrictions following the emergence of Omicron last November. Note: We are returning to year-on-year traffic comparisons, instead of comparisons with the 2019 period, unless otherwise noted. Owing to the low traffic base in 2021, some markets will show very high year-on-year growth rates, even if the size of these markets is still significantly smaller than they were in 2019. Total demand for air travel in January 2022 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) was up 82.3% compared to January 2021. However, it was down 4.9% [...]

Source: ACI Awards recognize airports who continued their commitment to the customer during the ongoing pandemic Airports Council International (ACI) World has today revealed the recipients of this year's Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards which celebrate and showcase the world's best airports as voiced by travellers. The COVID-19 pandemic continued to have a major impact on passenger traffic in 2021 with evolving health measures and a new set of expectations affecting how the airport experience is delivered and experienced. Despite the ongoing crisis, airports around the globe have continued to prioritize listening and adapting to the evolving needs of their customers through ASQ surveys. From the data collected in 2021 from over 370,000 surveys, 110 awards have been won by 87 individual [...]

Source: IFALPA As the war in Ukraine intensifies, IFALPA (International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations) and ECA (European Cockpit Association) stand in solidarity with the pilots, crews, and people of Ukraine: “We are deeply concerned for our Ukrainian friends and colleagues who are facing a Russian attack against their country, their freedom, and their people. We have been in touch with the leadership of the Ukrainian Pilots Association, UALPA, since the start of the invasion and offered our support. Our colleagues in Ukraine are bravely facing this new hostile reality and have expressed the desire for a quick and peaceful resolution” said Jack Netskar, IFALPA President. “The people of Ukraine have shown an incredible strength and resilience in the [...]

Source: ICAO A new ICAO pilot project is helping airlines, airports, and other air transport partners to test and leverage the capability to authenticate travel documents and related health certificates, including official proofs of vaccination. The limited-time pilot project trial is providing the private sector partners with enhanced opportunities to make use of the data in ICAO’s Public Key Directory (PKD), a critical backbone supporting the security and efficiency of international mobility. PKD data supports the international system of asymmetric cryptography employed by States to secure documents such as electronic passports, and importantly it contains no personal information about the travel document or health proof holders. “The ICAO PKD has always been a valuable tool for countries to enhance border [...]

Source: FAA The Federal Aviation Administration will open the application period to become an FAA Approved Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Service Supplier for the FAA's Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) on May 2, 2022. LAANC is a collaboration between the FAA and the drone industry that enables the safe integration of drones into the nation's airspace. LAANC Service Suppliers help drone pilots obtain FAA airspace authorizations to operate in controlled airspace below 400 feet. Since its launch in 2017, the system now covers 542 air traffic facilities serving approximately 735 airports. In February, the FAA issued its millionth airspace authorization through LAANC. LAANC does not grant Service Suppliers the authority to regulate the airspace or grant access without FAA approval. The schedule [...]

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for global air cargo markets showing slower growth in January 2022. Supply chain disruptions and capacity constraints, as well as a deterioration in economic conditions for the sector dampened demand. Note: We are returning to year-on-year traffic comparisons, instead of comparisons with the 2019 period, unless otherwise noted. Cargo demand is tracking above pre-COVID-19 levels, although capacity is still constrained. Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs*), was up 2.7% compared to January 2021 (3.2% for international operations). This was significantly lower than the 9.3% growth seen in December 2021 (11.1% for international operations). Capacity was 11.4% above January 2021 (10.8% for international operations). While this is in positive territory, [...]