Source: Association of Flight Attendants-CWA The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO (AFA) and Norse Atlantic Airways (Norse) have agreed to a pre-hire agreement for U.S.-based Flight Attendant jobs at the new low-cost, long-haul start up airline. Norse expects to create a minimum of 700 Flight Attendant jobs in the U.S. and agreed to union neutrality with joint application for certification by the National Mediation Board once the Flight Attendants demonstrate majority interest in representation with AFA. The full contract, subject to ratification after certification of the union, includes industry-leading starting pay and job protections, healthcare, and a 401k among other key benefits. “This is what respect for workers and our unions looks like,” stated AFA President Sara Nelson. “We are proud [...]

Source: ICAO The ICAO Council expressed its strong concern today at the apparent forced diversion of Ryanair Flight FR4978, a commercial passenger aircraft flying in Belarus airspace on Sunday, 23 May 2021. At a special meeting convened, the ICAO Governing Body underlined the importance of establishing the facts of what happened, and of understanding whether there had been any breach by any ICAO Member State of international aviation law, including the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention) and its Annexes. Recalling Article 55 (e) of the Chicago Convention, the Council decided to undertake a fact-finding investigation of this event, and in this connection requested the ICAO Secretariat to prepare an interim report to the Council for a subsequent meeting [...]

Source: ICAO Participating yesterday in the opening ceremonies of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Regional Office for the Middle East, ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu drew attention to the fundamental synergies between aviation and tourism, and to how ICAO and UNWTO cooperation has delivered socio-economic benefits to countries all over the world. “As we consider the priorities of governments with respect to sustainability and innovation in aviation and tourism, we must also recognize the strong interdependence between these two sectors and holistically appreciate why regulators and authorities are so invested in enabling new technologies, fuels and operations today,” she emphasized. Aviation connectivity among nations has established a critical foundation for tourism markets and value chains, with well over [...]

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Tourism Economics released a long-term view for post-COVID-19 passenger demand recovery which demonstrates that people remain eager to travel in the short and long-term. To ensure that aviation can sustainably deliver its social and economic benefits as it meets this long-term demand, it is critical that governments step-up their support for more efficient operations and foster an effective energy transition. Forecast highlights include  In 2021 global passenger numbers are expected to recover to 52% of pre-COVID-19 levels (2019). In 2022 global passenger numbers are expected to recover to 88% of pre-COVID-19 levels. In 2023 global passenger numbers are expected to surpass pre-COVID-19 levels (105%). By 2030 global passenger numbers are expected [...]

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned of potential airport chaos unless governments move quickly to adopt digital processes to manage travel health credentials (COVID-19 testing and vaccine certificates) and other COVID-19 measures. The impacts will be severe: Pre-COVID-19, passengers, on average, spent about 1.5 hours in travel processes for every journey (check-in, security, border control, customs, and baggage claim). Current data indicates that airport processing times have ballooned to 3.0 hours during peak time with travel volumes at only about 30% of pre-COVID-19 levels. The greatest increases are at check-in and border control (emigration and immigration) where travel health credentials are being checked mainly as paper documents. Modelling suggests that, without process improvements, the time spent in [...]

Source: US FAA A new rule from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will enable the sharing of pilot records among employers in an electronic database maintained by the agency. The final rule (PDF) for the Pilot Records Database requires air carriers and certain other operators to report pilots’ employment history, training, and qualifications to the database. The rule also requires air carriers and certain operators to review records contained in the database when considering pilots for employment. “It has been a long journey for the families of Colgan Flight 3407, but their tireless advocacy and continued engagement with the FAA has made this database a reality. With it, employers will be able to quickly and thoroughly make informed hiring decisions [...]

Source: US FAA The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced that the Government of Mexico does not meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards. Based on a reassessment of Mexico’s civil aviation authority, the FAA has downgraded Mexico’s rating to Category 2 from Category 1. While the new rating allows Mexican air carriers to continue existing service to the United States, it prohibits any new service and routes. U.S. airlines will no longer be able to market and sell tickets with their names and designator codes on Mexican-operated flights. The FAA will increase its scrutiny of Mexican airline flights to the United States. The FAA is fully committed to helping the Mexican aviation authority improve [...]

Source: US DOT The U.S. Department of Transportation today released its May 2021 Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline operational data compiled for the month of March 2021.  The ATCR is designed to assist consumers with information on the quality of services provided by airlines.  The ATCR and other aviation consumer matters of interest to the public can be found at http://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in significant changes to airline schedules and operations in March 2021, although airlines scheduled and operated the most flights in March 2021 than any month since March 2020. March 2021 saw a decrease in flight cancellations compared to the prior month and an overall increase in flights operated.  The [...]

Source: ICAO Speaking yesterday to a World Economic Forum (WEF) Ministerial meeting on sustainable aviation fuels, ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu underscored that as a worldwide connector of peoples and businesses, and one heavily relied upon to promote economic growth at scales which permit meaningful sustainability investments by global societies, the international civil aviation sector has a key role to play in the world’s post-pandemic green transition. The government officials participating included the meeting’s Chair, UK Aviation Minister Mr. Robert Courts, the Principal Secretary for Kenya’s State Department of Transport, Mr. Solomon Kitungu, and His Excellency Engineer Suhail Mohammed Al Mazrouie, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, United Arab Emirates. “ICAO is leading the way today in helping countries explore [...]