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: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA), in partnership with Airlines for America (A4A) and 28 US and international aviation and travel and tourism stakeholder groups, urged the US government to remove the pre-departure testing requirement for fully vaccinated air travelers flying to the US. The vaccinated traveler population adds no additional risks to the domestic US population. Increased immunity levels, the pervasiveness of COVID-19 in all 50 US states, rising vaccination rates and new therapeutics, all point to removing the testing requirement for fully vaccinated travelers. "The experience of Omicron has made it clear that travel restrictions have little to no impact in terms of preventing its spread. Moreover, as Omicron is already broadly present across the US, [...]

Source: CANSO CANSO Director General Simon Hocquard has recognised the significant contribution of Federal Aviation Administration’s Chief Operating Officer, Teri Bristol, following the announcement of her retirement. In a note to CANSO members, Simon said that Teri had: “played an integral part in the development of CANSO since she first joined our Executive Committee as a member at large back in 2012. “Since then, she has served as Chair of the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Region, as a champion for developing operational and safety excellence within the ATM industry and as Chair of CANSO itself.” Simon also pointed out Teri’s key role in developing the CADENA operational information system in the LAC region, and said that the impact of that work [...]

Source: FAA The FAA and local, state and federal law enforcement will be actively looking for illegal drone operations. SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., is a "No Drone Zone" for Super Bowl LVI. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will prohibit drones within a 30-nautical-mile radius of the stadium up to 18,000 feet in altitude. The Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) goes into effect from 2:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. PST on Feb. 13, 2022. Drones are also prohibited for one nautical mile and up to 3,000 feet in altitude around SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13 from 10 a.m. until the TFR for the game takes effect. Further details are available in this Super Bowl LVI Flight Advisory. Drone operators who enter the TFRs without [...]

Source: ALTA The Latin-American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) is delighted to receive Maluf e Rodrigues Advogados as a new consulting member. The Brazilian firm is made up of highly qualified professionals, who provide their services and assistance in various legal areas, such as: representation, assessment, regulation, corporate, contentious (consumer, labor, civil and tax). The team has extensive experience in opening and advising international airlines in Brazil and in the preparation and negotiation of air service contracts. In addition to operating in all the states of Brazil, they maintain partner offices in various capitals of America, Europe, Asia and Africa. “The more than 35 years of experience that Maluf e Rodrigues Advogados have at the service of the airlines [...]

Source: ICAO In the first meeting of its 225th Session today, ICAO Council member States considered the ICAO Secretariat’s Report on the Fact Finding Investigation into the events surrounding the diversion of Ryanair flight FR4978 on 23 May 2021. Also taking part in the discussions were official representatives of non-Council States considered to have a special interest in the proceedings namely, the Republic of Belarus, Lithuania, Poland and Ireland. A point of convergence from States’ discussions included the Council’s appreciation to the ICAO fact finding investigation team for the exhaustive analysis undertaken, and the high quality of the report it produced. The Council expressed concern at the gaps in information provided by Belarus and the inconsistences contained in the evidence [...]

Source: Airlines UK Commenting on the announcement of a Government consultation on air passenger rights, Tim Alderslade, CEO of Airlines UK, the industry body representing UK-registered carriers, said:    “Airlines work hard to ensure that the passenger experience is as smooth and enjoyable as possible. Put simply, without their customers carriers would not exist. This is borne out by the most recent CAA tracker – conducted during the pandemic – which showed net satisfaction with aviation at 82%. We look forward to responding to the consultation, whilst continuing to deliver for our passengers as we look ahead to the spring and summer season and the sector’s eventual recovery from Covid.”

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association welcomed the creation by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) of a global directory of public keys required for authentication of health credentials. The directory—called the Health Master List (HML)—will make a significant contribution to the global recognition and verification (interoperability) of government issued health credentials. A public key enables third parties to verify that a QR code displayed on a health credential is authentic and valid. The HLM is a compilation of public key certificates signed by ICAO and regularly updated as more health proofs are issued and new public keys are required. Its implementation will ease the global recognition of health credentials outside of the jurisdiction in which they were issued. "For [...]

Source: ACI-LAC Airports Council International – Latin America and the Caribbean (ACI-LAC) warmly welcome Leadin Aviation Consulting, a consulting firm specializing in airport planning, as a new World Business Partner – WBP. Leadin Aviation Consulting has been developing its services in airports in five continents since 2018, consolidating its reputation in the Aviation and Airport planning sector. With headquarters in Madrid, Spain.  “ACI-LAC continues to work to attract new business partners that add value to the growth of the airport industry. We are confident that Leadin Aviation Consulting, with its vast experience in airport planning, will be a key member for the continued development of the sector in Latin America & the Caribbean,” commented Dr. Rafael Echevarne, General Director of ACI-LAC. [...]