Source: CANSO Simon Hocquard, CANSO’s Director General, has been named Executive Director of the Year in the annual Association of Association Executives’ International and European Association Awards. Simon was recognised for his leadership of CANSO through the COVID-19 crisis and the role the organisation played in advocating for air traffic management. He was also commended for his work in forging CANSO’s new direction and brand, and his role in creating the Complete Air Traffic System’s Global Council and its vision for the skies of 2045. The judges said: “He managed to keep the lights on in an organisation badly affected by the pandemic. He pivoted a new course during this period which should allow the organisation to flourish in the [...]

Source: FAA In an open letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Santa Claus revealed who made it on his FAA Safety Naughty and Nice Lists. “I have the utmost gratitude and respect for everyone who makes it their job to keep air travel safe,” writes Santa. “For those people whose bad behavior puts air travel safety in jeopardy, remember: I’m watching!” On Santa’s Nice List are air traffic controllers and technicians, pilots and flight attendants, ground crews, gate agents, airport personnel, security staff, airlines, commercial space operators, government safety oversight agencies and air travelers wearing masks. On Santa’s Naughty List are unruly passengers on flights, people pointing lasers at aircraft on purpose, and pilots or aircraft owners operating illegal [...]

Source: ALPA The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) issued the following statement in response to the robust discussion on pilot supply that took place during the most recent Senate Commerce Committee hearing on airline industry oversight: “The suggestion by network carriers that a lack of available pilots is the reason for leaving smaller markets is absurd and simply incorrect. The major ALPA carriers have approximately the same number of pilots currently as they did pre-pandemic. “Year over year, the United States is producing more pilots than can be hired by the airlines, with more than 1.5 certificated pilots relative to demand. With demand for air travel increasing and the end of the Payroll Support Program requirement that airlines maintain [...]

Source: FSF Flight Safety Foundation strongly encourages the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to work together to develop a plan that enables the safe and efficient implementation of 5G mobile communications services in the C-Band. It is critical to fully understand and mitigate potential 5G signal interference with radio altimeters that are integral to aircraft safety systems. Activation of these services currently is scheduled for Jan. 5. The FAA’s recent airworthiness directives (ADs) would restrict the use of approach and landing procedures during low visibility conditions. Other safety-critical features such as aircraft and obstacle collision avoidance systems also depend on reliable radio altimeter performance. The Foundation is concerned about the possible unintended consequences of [...]

Source: European Commission Today, the Commission adopted rules relating to the EU Digital COVID Certificate, establishing a binding acceptance period of 9 months (precisely 270 days) of vaccination certificates for the purposes of intra-EU travel. A clear and uniform acceptance period for vaccination certificates will guarantee that travel measures continue to be coordinated, as called for by the European Council following its latest meeting of 16 December 2021. The new rules will ensure restrictions are based on the best available scientific evidence as well as objective criteria. Continued coordination is essential for the functioning of the Single Market and it will provide clarity for EU citizens in the exercise of their right to free movement. The EU Digital COVID Certificate [...]

Source: FAA Unruly airline passengers may face additional consequences for bad behavior under a new partnership between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Under the partnership, the FAA will share information of passengers facing fines for unruly behavior with TSA who may remove the passenger from TSA PreCheck® screening eligibility, which is a privilege reserved for low-risk travelers. “TSA has zero tolerance for the unruly behaviors, especially those involving physical assault occurring aboard aircraft. We have tremendous respect for airport staff, gate agents and flight crews that get people safely to their destinations,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “This partnership with FAA will help ensure the safety and security of all passengers and hold those who [...]

Source: Court of Justice of the European Union In the case of a reservation for a particular flight, a claim for compensation may possibly be brought against the operating air carrier even if the reservation has not been forwarded to that carrier The Landgericht Korneuburg (Regional Court, Korneuburg, Austria) and the Landgericht Düsseldorf (Regional Court, Düsseldorf, Germany) have before them a number of disputes between, on the one hand, air passengers and the undertakings Airhelp and flightright, and, on the other hand, a number of airlines, namely Azurair, Corendon Airlines, Eurowings, Austrian Airlines and Laudamotion, concerning compensation to passengers whose flights have, inter alia, been brought forward. Those two courts have asked the Court of Justice to specify in several [...]