Source: SESAR Two winners were recognised in the SESAR Young Scientist Award 2021, for the first time applauding both postgraduate and undergraduate achievements. Philippe Monmousseau’s work on performance-based assessments in air traffic management at the ENAC Academy in France secured the PhD award; and Chen Xia, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, become the first undergraduate to win for her thesis addressing conflict anticipation and resolutions to mitigate the risk of mid-air loss of separation.   Speaking about their successes, both see aviation as amounting to much more than the flight itself. “Air transportation is inherently multi-modal,” says Philippe Monmousseau, who followed “an unconventional approach to studying the air transportation system: leaving the plane aside and focusing on data generated by passengers throughout their trip.” [...]

Source: ACI-LAC GPA, an aviation transport consulting firm, joins Airports Council International Latin America and the Caribbean as a new World Business Partner (WBP). GPA is an aviation transport consulting company, founded in 1999, with more than 15 years of experience on providing its services to institutions, airlines, airports and other relevant agents of the sector. The foundations of GPA are firmly based on the belief that airports and airlines are a key business driver for any economy in the world, far beyond the direct impact of the infrastructure itself. Deep know-how on the interrelationship between economic and strategic aspects of the air transport sector and the airline industry is the spirit of their company. Doctor Rafael Echevarne, General Director [...]

Source: US DOT The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded $5 million in grants to develop a diverse talent pool of aviation maintenance technicians. The Aviation Maintenance Technical Workers Workforce Development Grants were awarded to organizations that will teach technical skills and prepare participants to pursue aviation maintenance careers. “A career as an aviation maintenance technician opens a wide world of opportunity. These grants will allow us to reach and support individuals who may not had the chance to pursue this exciting career before,” FAA Deputy Administrator A. Bradley Mims said.  Grant recipients include: Macon County School District, Tuskegee, Ala.: $425,000 Pima County Community College District, Tucson, Ariz.: $490,000 North Orange County Community College District, Anaheim, Calif.: [...]

This webinar set for 20 January 2022 will review new and emerging technologies that are likely to bring enhanced security, greater efficiency and a better experience for passengers at the checkpoint. Speakers will discuss the potential for open architecture to bring about profound changes in aviation security screening, thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning and object recognition technology. The webinar will address: The potential for artificial intelligence and machine learning in aviation security Open architecture The impact of greater automation Ethical considerations Regulatory framework for new security solutions The speakers will be: David Pekoske, Administrator, U.S. Transportation Security Administration Tom Salter, Deputy Director for National Security Science and Research, UK Department for Transport John Abel, Technical Director, Office [...]

Source: UNWTO The important role that tourism will play in the recovery of national economies and global trade has been highlighted in the 2022 edition of the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report by the United Nations. Drawing on data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), WESP underlines the sector’s importance for the world economy and particularly for developing economies, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS). After a global contraction of 3.4% in 2020 and a rebound of 5.5% in 2021, the world economy is projected to grow by 4% in 2022 and then 3.5% in 2023. Given its importance as a major export category (prior to the pandemic tourism was the third largest in the world, after fuels and chemicals), [...]

Source: ALPA The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), the world’s largest nongovernmental aviation safety organization, today vowed to keep flying safe as it prepares to implement the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) new guidance for operating aircraft in areas where AT&T and Verizon 5G signals will possibly interfere with critical safety systems onboard commercial passenger and cargo airliners. For years, ALPA and its industry partners have been raising the red flag on the aviation safety threat posed by the 5G C-Band spectrum that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auctioned off without requiring safety mitigations. Initially intended to launch December 5, the launch was delayed to January 5 and then again by two weeks only after the Department of Transportation and [...]

Source: ACI NA Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) President and CEO Kevin M. Burke issued the following statement on the confirmation of Alan Davidson to be the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information for the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration.  ACI-NA is the trade association representing commercial service airports in the United States and Canada. “Mr. Davidson’s confirmation comes at a critical time as we look toward the deployment of 5G nationwide on January 19.  U.S. airports are very concerned about the impacts that C-band 5G operations will have on travelers, shippers, and communities because of uncertainty about how new operations and flight restrictions might lead to widespread disruptions when C-band 5G operations commence.  [...]

Fuente: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the recovery in air travel continued in November 2021, prior to the emergence of Omicron. International demand sustained its steady upward trend as more markets reopened. Domestic traffic, however, weakened, largely owing to strengthened travel restrictions in China. Because comparisons between 2021 and 2020 monthly results are distorted by the extraordinary impact of COVID-19, unless otherwise noted all comparisons are to November 2019, which followed a normal demand pattern. Total demand for air travel in November 2021 (measured in revenue passenger-kilometers or RPKs) was down 47.0% compared to November 2019. This marked an uptick compared to October's 48.9% contraction from October 2019. Domestic air travel deteriorated slightly in November after [...]