UK Airport Liquid Restrictions Lifting Stopped

The liquid hand luggage restrictions imposed on items leaving UK airports would have been eased on 29 April but, according to a government official, this will now not take place.


The change of heart follows concerns, expressed by the airline fraternity, that partially re-allowing liquids would trigger scenes of airport chaos. Writing directly to the organisations that own the UK’s airports, Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, confirmed that the hand luggage liquid ban would be unaltered and referred to security as the reason why.


As a result, it’s likely that UK airport passengers will see no change before the end of 2011. As covered in previous Airport International News Items, dedicated airport liquid scanning technologies are in development, but have not yet been deployed.


That fact was emphasised by the Airline Operators Association, whose chief executive, Darren Caplan, stated: “Airports have always supported a lifting of the ban for the benefit of our passengers, to ensure they have a positive experience when they are travelling - but only when appropriate technology has been developed and properly tested.”
Had the UK airport liquid restrictions been removed, passengers using the UK as a connection point from one flight to another would have been able to carry duty-free liquids on board. That so long as they’d arrived on long-haul flights that originated outside the EU’s borders, and were set to fly to destination airports inside the EU.


Almost exactly 12 months ago, the EU ruled that the airport liquid security restrictions would remain until 2013. By that time, they will be in their eighth year of enforcement, having been introduced in 2006 following an attempt to deploy liquid explosives on transatlantic flights.
Since then, no bottles with a liquid content of over 100ml have been permissible and, even if under that figure, they’ve had to be displayed within a specific type of clear plastic bag.
The UK’s important role as a transfer hub for passengers in-between flights could, however, prompt the EU to reconsider its 2013 ban-lifting date. London Heathrow alone handles around 65 million passengers each year and, of these, close to ten per cent are transfer passengers.
Airport International will revisit the liquid bottle issue in future News Coverage.


Source: airport-int.com

By: Progress On 04:10

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New Anti-Fatigue Rules for Air Traffic Controllers

Apr 18, 2011 — After reports of another air traffic controller falling asleep on the job, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Randy Babbitt on Sunday announced changes to air traffic controller scheduling practices that will allow controllers more time for rest between shifts.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 23:42

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NY/NJ Transportation Hubs Lacking Senior Police Leadership

Apr 18, 2011 — The New York/New Jersey Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) has only four active captains to oversee policing at crucial NY/NJ transportation hubs, reports the New York Post.
Locations currently without captains include, but are not limited to, the World Trade Center, the Holland Tunnel, the Lincoln Tunnel, Newark Airport, the George Washington Bridge, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 23:40

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Key Test of U.S. Missile Defense System a Success

Apr 15, 2011 — In what the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) describes as "the most challenging test to date", the U.S. military carried out a successful demonstration of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) element of the nation's Ballistic Missile Defense System on Friday. In the test, a SM-3 Block IA missile, fired from the USS O'KANE, successfully shot down an intermediate-range ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 23:38

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Another F/A-18C Hornet Catches Fire

Apr 15, 2011 — Just over two weeks ago an engine on a U.S. Marine F/A-18C Hornet caught fire as the jet was preparing to launch from an aircraft carrier off the coast of Southern California. Eleven sailors were injured in that incident. Now a second F/A-18C Hornet has suffered a similar event. This time on a carrier in the Arabian Sea. On Monday (4/11), a F/A-18C Hornet was landing on the carrier USS Carl Vinson when one of the jet's engines caught fire.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 23:36

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Man Arrested for Sexual Assault at Denver Airport

Apr 13, 2011 — With all the security at the nation's airports it's hard to believe that this could happen, but a man has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in a largely deserted concourse at Denver International Airport early Tuesday morning. To make matters worse, the victim claims two airport employees saw what was happening, and walked on by and did nothing to help. Two other workers outside the concourse apparently saw what was happening through a window and called airport security.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 23:34

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Atlanta Airport is Still World’s Busiest

New data from the ACI – Airports Council International – confirms that Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is still the busiest in the world, while Beijing Capital International takes second place.
The data forms part of ACI’s initial report for the 2009-2010period, for which data was compiled from more than 900 airports around the world.
It’s published to illustrate growth in three specific areas: how much traffic passed though in total, how many passengers were handled and how much freight was processed.
London Heathrow – previously the occupier of the No.2 spot - now sits in fourth place, behind Chicago O’Hare.

Busiest Airport in the World

The highest number of arrivals and departures occurred at Hartsfield Jackson, with over 950,000 in all. The same site also experienced the highest level of passengers – 89 million of them – and that’s what made it the busiest airport in the world.
It was another airport, though, that triumphed in terms of freight – Hong Kong International Airport (Chek Lap Kok). Here, no less than 4.1 million cargo flights arrived or departed.
“2010 underscored the resilience of the air transport business and resulted in over 5 billion annual passengers for the first time ever”, Angela Gittens – director general of ACI – stated in a press release.
She continued: “2010 also pronounced the shift and divergence in growth across the regions. While North America and Europe have struggled to reach pre-crisis passenger volumes, Asia-Pacific, Latin America-Caribbean and Middle East sustained a strong momentum and gained market share through double digit growth.”

World’s Busiest Airports

Of the world’s 30 busiest airports, just two saw passenger levels decline: Las Vegas and London Heathrow.
The report highlights the factors that affected the eventual results outcome. These include the impact of the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud, which severely limited air travel during much of April and May 2010, and extreme winter weather at the start of 2010.
On a more regionalised based, US airport growth was hampered by limited economic recovery and the reluctance of airlines to create more domestic flight routes. Elsewhere, growth was especially strong around both the Asia Pacific and Middle East areas, according to Gittens.
The new ACI airport growth report is a preliminary one, with a final version due out before the end of 2011.


Source: airport-int.com

By: Progress On 06:16

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1 Survivor in UN Plane Crash

Apr 5, 2011 — Only one of the 33 people aboard a UN plane that crashed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Monday has survived. Alain Le Roy, the UN's Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, told journalists that initial indications were that bad weather was a key factor in the accident.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 23:50

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Jet Diverts to Athens for Bomb Threat

Apr 4, 2011 — A bomb threat forced a jet full of British tourists headed to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh to make an emergency landing in Athens, Greece on Monday (4/4). The Thomson Airways' Boeing 757 landed safely in Athens, the 213 passengers and crew were evacuated, and the jet is being inspected.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 23:48

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Southwest Airlines Looking for Fuselage Cracks in 737s

Apr 4, 2011 — Southwest Airlines on Saturday grounded dozens of its Boeing 737s, after one of them developed a large hole in its fuselagewhile in flight last Friday. The company, along with Boeing is inspecting these aircraft for "subsurface fatigue in the skin that is not visible to the eye."
The NTSB is also probing the cause of the hole and says it found additional cracks in the "lap joint along the fuselage" of the affected aircraft.
The NTSB says that Boeing has indicated that it will be drafting a Service Bulletin to address the problem, and once this is complete the FAA will make a determination whether to make it mandatory for all similar 737 airplanes.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 23:46

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Flight Diverts Because Passengers Feeling Sick

Apr 1, 2011 — An American Airlines flight from Virginia to Chicago was diverted to Dayton, Ohio Friday morning after passengers and flight attendants complained of being dizzy and feeling ill. At least four passengers fainted before the plane could land.

A passenger who spoke with the Dayton Daily News said that before the flight left Reagan National Airport an announcement was made about a problem with the airplane's air condition and the cabin pressurization system. But eventually the flight took off.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 23:41

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Cathay Pacific orders 27 new aircraft and announces record profits

Cathay Pacific Airways has placed orders for 27 new aircraft to boost fleet growth and modernisation plans. The 27 aircraft orders include 15 Airbus A330-300s, 10 Boeing B777-300ERs and two A350-900s.


The new aircraft are all scheduled for delivery by the end of 2015. The 10 additional B777-300s will bring the total to 46 aircraft of this type within Cathay Pacific’s fleet and the 15 new A330-300s will add to the 32 aircraft of this type already within the carrier’s fleet.


The two A350-900s will be the first of its kind to enter the carrier’s fleet in 2015 while the 30 others purchased last year (see story here) will be delivered between 2016 and 2019. 
Tony Tyler, chief executive of Cathay Pacific, said: “Our plan is to retire our 21 B747-400 and 11 A340-300 aircraft before the end of the decade as we take delivery progressively of new generation aircraft that will provide much greater fuel and operating cost efficiencies.” Currently, the average age of aircraft within Cathay’s fleet stands at 20 years. 
He said: “This is important both for environmental reasons and from a financial perspective as fuel remains our greatest single cost.” 


When anouncing record profits of HK$14 million (US$1.7 million) for 2010, the carrier emphasised that the recent spike in oil pricees due to turmoil in the Middle East is a “source of real concern.” 


Christopher Pratt, Cathay Pacific chairman, said: “If fuel remains at this level or continues to rise, we can expect adverse effect on our profitability as fuel accounts for up to 40 percent of our operating costs.”


The carrier stated it will hedge 20 to 30 per cent of its fuel to ensure protection against higher oil prices despite last year’s fuel hedging activities resulting in losses. 
For more information, visit www.cathaypacific.com


Source: businesstraveller.com

By: Progress On 23:33

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New Spanish Airport Strikes in Prospect

A new round of Spanish airport strikes is in prospect over periods including the Easter break which could impact on the holiday plans of many families.

A total of 22 airport strike days are proposed to take place in Spain, with the first one scheduled for April and the last one four months later.

As this News Item was being prepared, discussions between Unions representing airport workers and government officials were due to be taking place but, as it stands, European air travel could be severely disrupted. The ripples could be felt further afield, too: Spain is used as a stop-off site on long haul flights to South America.

The absence of up to 12,500 ground workers at Spanish workers would force airlines to launch and recover flights elsewhere, although there have been suggestions that some flights could still arrive and depart in Spain while the strikes are in force.

Source: airport-int.com

By: Progress On 23:28

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Pilot Finds Small Hole in Boeing 737 Fuselage

Mar 29, 2011 — The pilot of a US Airways Boeing 737 discovered a small hole in the fuselage during a pre-flight check at North Carolina's Charlotte-Douglas International Airport Monday afternoon. The aircraft had arrived on a flight from Philadelphia. The FBI is involved in the investigation of what caused the damage to the plane.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 22:46

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India Revokes Pilots Licenses Gained with Fake Documents

Mar 25, 2011 — After two Indian commercial aviation pilots were arrested earlier this month for allegedly using forged documents to earn their flying licenses, the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) launched a larger investigation into this illegal practice. And so far, at least 14 additional airline pilots have lost their licenses for faking documentation.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 22:45

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NATO Sort-of Taking Control of Libya No-Fly Zone

Mar 25, 2011 — NATO has stepped up and will take a more active role in military operations tied to protecting Libyan citizens from pro-Ghaddafi forces. However, NATO is not taking complete control as some are reporting. In fact, there will soon be two distinct missions. One led by NATO and one led by the American/French/British coalition.
NATO is purely responsible for enforcing the no-fly zone. NATO planes will not be involved in attacking Libyan military targets on the ground. Even if it means saving civilian lives. This responsibility will fall to the coalition.
For a good analysis of this military division, check out The Australian's coverage of the fractured political nature of NATO.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 22:43

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NTSB Says Washington Controller Fell Asleep

Mar 25, 2011 — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is still probing what happened early Wednesday morning when two commercial jets were unable to make contact with the air traffic control tower at Washington Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) as they were landing.
The NTSB released a statement about the investigation and says the controller on duty at the time of the incident indicated he fell asleep.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 22:40

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Massive Fuel Tank Fire at Miami Airport

Mar 24, 2011 — A massive fuel tank fire erupted at Miami International Airport about 11:00 pm Wednesday night. The Miami Herald reports that firefighters have the blaze under control this morning, but are not sure yet what caused it. Expect flight disruptions at Miami International on Thursday (3/24) as fuel supplies there are said to be at about 40% following the fire.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 22:39

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