Source: US DOT Secretary of Transportation of the United States of America, Pete Buttigieg and European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, met on May 22, 2023, to discuss EU-U.S. support to Ukraine, ongoing cooperation in aviation and maritime transport, as well as issues of common interest in transportation, such as international collaboration to fight climate change and decarbonize transport. U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said: “From supply chain disruptions caused by Putin’s war in Ukraine, to the impacts of global climate change, to the challenges our vital transportation workforce members face on a daily basis, the transportation systems on which the world economy depends are being tested. The EU and the U.S. share a strong commitment to working [...]

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for April 2023 global air cargo markets, showing a continued, but slower, decline against the previous year's demand performance. Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs), fell 6.6% compared to April 2022 (-7.0% for international operations). This decline was an improvement over the previous month's performance (-7.6%). Capacity (measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers, ACTK) was up 13.4% compared to April 2022. It was also up 3.2% compared to April 2019, marking the first time in three years that the capacity has surpassed pre-COVID levels. The strong uptick is primarily driven by belly capacity as demand in the passenger business recovers. Adjusting for this, freighter capacity declined 2.3%. Preighter operations ceased [...]

Source: International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (ASA) Quality standards organization Cargo iQ has forged a partnership with the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) and the Airport Services Association (ASA) to set shared goals for enhanced standard practices across the air cargo supply chain. The objective of the alliance is to strengthen collaboration between forwarder, ground handler, and airline communities, working on a global basis to achieve common standards and enhanced quality. The decision was made at Cargo iQ’s most recent board meeting that FIATA’s Director General, Stéphane Graber, and ASA’s Director General, Fabio Gamba, will attend all Cargo iQ board meetings as observers and work together with the board members, with a view to intensifying the co-operation [...]

Source: ICAO A new innovative initiative aimed at equipping aviation regulators and senior and mid-level managers with comprehensive professional training to address current and emerging challenges will result from an agreement signed today between ICAO, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), Korean Aerospace University (KAU), and Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC). The agreement, which was signed at the on-going ICAO Global Implementation Support Symposium in Seoul, Republic of Korea, establishes the “Global Aviation Professional Programme (GAPP).” Under this new agreement, the partners will collaborate to deliver a transformative learning experience. This programme represents a significant milestone in aviation education and training, harnessing the collective knowledge and expertise of the partners. By leveraging their combined resources, the programme will offer a dynamic curriculum [...]

Source: ICAO In Brussels last week, ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar and EUROCONTROL Director General Raúl Medina deepened the cooperation between the two organizations on the safety-vital topic of aircraft in distress. Their signature of letters tasks EUROCONTROL with the development and hosting of a Location of an Aircraft in Distress Repository (LADR) and an Operational Control Directory (OPS CTRL). Both will play a major part in assisting rescue efforts by coordinating all affected actors in the event of an aircraft in distress, supporting the ultimate goal of improving aircraft tracking and identifying distress situations during a flight in order to initiate a timely rescue operation. LADR is part of the Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS) that [...]

Source: ICAO The European Commission today announced support for the development of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) under the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Capacity-building and Training for Sustainable Aviation Fuels programme (ACT-SAF). In line with the European Green Deal commitment to help partner countries decarbonise, the project will support selected countries with €4 million. The funding will go towards increasing SAF production, feasibility studies and assistance with the certification of these fuels. Implemented by ICAO and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the project involves 12 partner states: Cameroon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, India, Kenya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa. This list may be expanded at a later stage. European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said: "We [...]

Source: ALTA Albert Perez, SVP of Maintenance at Avianca; Carlos Garcia Martin, Partner at Oliver Wyman; Diego Giorgiadis, Director Técnico at Aerolíneas Argentinas, and Santiago Diago, COO at Aeromexico participated in the Challenges and Operational Trends in Latin America and Caribbean panel during the ALTA CCMA & MRO Conference, an event organized by the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA). Executives highlighted that in 2022 the region achieved an outstanding passenger recovery with some markets growing considerably. One such example is Mexico which, during the pandemic, kept flexible policies in terms of the movement of people and has experienced outstanding passenger growth. Diago further explained that Mexico is the exception in the region when it comes to exchange [...]

Source: US DOT The U.S. Department of Transportation released its Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline operational data compiled for the month of March 2023 and the first quarter of 2023 for on-time performance, mishandled baggage, and mishandled wheelchairs and scooters. The ATCR is designed to assist consumers with information on the quality of services provided by airlines. DOT remains committed to ensuring airline passengers are treated fairly and flights operate as scheduled. For the first three months of 2023, cancellations have stayed below 2% and are far lower than last year's 2.7% cancellation rate and the rate of 4.1% for the first three months of 2022. The Department is currently investigating several domestic airlines to ensure that they are not [...]