Source: IATA The Guatemalan Airlines Association (Spanish acronym AGLA), the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA), and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) urge to carefully evaluate the impact of article 32 of the film bill that imposes a specific contribution of US$1 on foreign passengers bound for Guatemala in order to finance the Guatemalan Film Institute. The charges applied to aviation, in accordance with the principles outlined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), of which Guatemala is a member, must be related to the provision of services to airlines and passengers, and the resulting income must be used for the operation, maintenance and development of aeronautical infrastructure and services, reinvested in aviation and not diverted to [...]

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) today renewed its call on the government of Colombia, the country’s civil aviation authority (Aerocivil), and airport operator OPAIN to work collaboratively in improving the operational efficiency of Bogota’s El Dorado Airport. The airport, the main aviation gateway to the country and a regional hub, is operating near maximum capacity. In order to optimize operations at the airport, several airlines and Aerocivil commissioned IATA to perform a capacity study in 2023. The results of the study estimated that 100 operations per hour could be reached, if a set of 23 measures – short, medium, and long-term - were implemented. This could generate a 47% increase in capacity, compared to the number of [...]

Source: A4A The following statement is attributable to Airlines for America (A4A) President and CEO Chris Sununu: “A4A is deeply concerned that TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs are being suspended and that the traveling public will be, once again, used as a political football amid another government shutdown. The announcement was issued with extremely short notice to travelers, giving them little time to plan accordingly, which is especially troubling at this time of record air travel. “During last fall’s 43-day shutdown—the longest in U.S. history—more than 9,000 flights were delayed or cancelled, significantly impacting six million travelers and countless deliveries. In sum, that shutdown caused $6.1 billion of losses across the travel industry and related sectors. “It’s past time [...]

Source: TSA Agency sees uptick in REAL ID compliance rate The Transportation Security Administration successfully implemented its new modernized alternative identity verification system, TSA ConfirmID, resulting in a promising increase of REAL ID compliance. Based on early data reports, 95-99% of travelers are presenting REAL IDs or other acceptable forms of identification at airport security checkpoints, an encouraging improvement in compliance since TSA ConfirmID was announced in December 2025. Passengers without REAL IDs or other acceptable forms of identification have the option to use TSA ConfirmID by paying a $45 fee for a 10-day travel period. The new system is designed to strengthen identity verification and further enhance aviation security by closing long-standing gaps in ID standards. “TSA ConfirmID has been a huge success due to the ongoing collaboration with our airline, airport and industry partners and effective public [...]

Source: A4A U.S. Travel, Airlines for America, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association issued the following joint statement on the potential lapse of appropriations for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security: “As yet another government shutdown looms, so does one of the busiest travel times of the year—spring break. Travelers and the U.S. economy cannot afford to have essential TSA personnel working without pay, which increases the risk of unscheduled absences and call outs, and ultimately can lead to higher wait times and missed or delayed flights. We commend all TSA employees, especially the frontline workforce, who continued to serve the traveling public during the 43-day shutdown last year. “Funding uncertainties create lasting damage to the entire travel ecosystem, [...]