Source: US DOT Under President Biden, DOT has helped secure nearly $4 billion in refunds and reimbursements to airline passengers  The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced enforcement actions against Lufthansa, South African Airways, and KLM Royal Dutch Airways for extreme delays in providing more than $900 million in refunds owed to passengers due to flights cancelled or significantly changed in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the consent orders, the three airlines are required to provide timely refunds to passengers when owed and to pay a civil penalty to the U.S. Treasury. The enforcement actions are part of DOT's ongoing work to ensure passengers are treated fairly by airlines, which has already resulted in the largest [...]

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that it will establish the SAF Registry (Registry) to accelerate the uptake of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) by authoritatively accounting and reporting emissions reductions from SAF. Seventeen airlines, one airline group, six national authorities, three Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and one fuel producer are already supporting the effort to develop the Registry. The Registry is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2025. SAF is expected to account for up to 65% of the total carbon mitigation needed to achieve net zero carbon emissions in air transportation by 2050. “SAF is key to aviation’s decarbonization. Airlines want more SAF and stand ready to use every drop of it. The SAF [...]

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the winners of the 2024 edition of IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards: Inspirational Role Model: Kendra Kincade, CEO and Founder, Elevate Foundation High Flyer: Mafunase Ngosa Malenga, Founder and Managing Director, Southern Africa Institute of Aviation Science and Technology Diversity & Inclusion Team: British Airways The judging panel also awarded a special commendation in the High Flyer category to Hana Al Awahdi, Senior Vice President, Human Resources Business Partner for dnata. “The winners are true beacons of the change that is happening as diversity and inclusion entrenches itself as a strategic priority for the aviation industry. Their contributions to righting the gender balance in aviation are truly inspirational and deserving of [...]

Source: TIACA The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) and Airports Council International (ACI) announce the signature of an MOU aimed at strengthening cooperation for the benefit of each of the associations members and the industry. The primary objective of the MoU is to improve the overall level of safety, efficiency and sustainability of cargo operations within the airport ecosystem for the benefit of the aviation industry and its related stakeholders. Key points of the MoU focus on: Development of joint advocacy programmes in the context of ICAO events, aimed at facilitating the sustainable growth and development of the aviation industry, with a focus on cargo; Cooperation in the establishment of joint programmes or mutual support of industry initiatives, in particular [...]

Source: IATA Latin American airlines saw a 14.5% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity climbed 13.5% year-on-year. The load factor rose to 84.1% (+0.7ppt compared to April 2023), the highest among the regions. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for April 2024 global passenger demand with the following highlights: Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs), was up 11.0% compared to April 2023. Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), was up 9.6% year-on-year. The April load factor was 82.4% (+1.0ppt compared to April 2023). International demand rose 15.8% compared to April 2023; capacity was up 14.8% year-on-year and the load factor improved to 82.2% (+0.7ppt on April 2023). Domestic demand rose 4.0% compared to April 2023; [...]

Source: US DOT The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today released its Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline operational data compiled for the month of March 2024 for on-time performance, mishandled baggage, mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, and 1st quarter oversales. The ATCR is designed to assist consumers with information on the quality of services provided by airlines. For March 2024, 0.9% of flights were cancelled, lower than the 1.3% cancellation rate for March 2023 and the 2.0% cancellation rate for pre-pandemic March 2019.   DOT expects that airlines will operate flights as scheduled and that when they do not, airlines will provide consumers the services promised when a flight is cancelled or delayed because of an airline issue. After [...]