The European Commission has requested airlines to standardize luggage sizes to simplify travel for passengers and reduce hidden extra costs. The Commission prefers to let the industry create the rules, and has proposed measures to reinforce passengers' rights legislation, including a standard EU-wide reimbursement form and increased awareness of their rights.

(Source: Aida Sanchez Alonso - EURONEWS. Read article here)

Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport has reached its 20 million passenger annual milestone for the first time in its history. The milestone was celebrated by representatives from airlines, state security forces, and other companies. The airport has broken traffic records since 2023, with the highest traffic in history in July. It also broke daily records for the number of travelers served and operations managed in a single day..

(Source: Martin Romero - AVIACIONLINE. Read article here)

Argentina's aviation industry leaders are set to resist President Javier Milei's plans to privatise the state airline Aerolíneas Argentinas. The move follows Milei's victory in the presidential run-off vote, which saw him pledge to hand over shares to workers and reduce state funding. The hard-left Unidad Piquetera social movement plans to lead a march in Buenos Aires against Milei's austerity measures. The country is currently facing its worst economic crisis in two decades, with annual inflation reaching 142% in October.

(Source: Clara Nugent - FINANCIAL TIMES. Read article here)

The International Airlines Group (IAG) has announced that low-cost, long-distance airline LEVEL will receive its own Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and become the fifth airline in the group. LEVEL, established in 2017, generates double-digit margins due to feeder traffic from IAG's short-haul flights in Barcelona. The airline will expand its fleet from five to eight aircraft, including a sixth Airbus A330-200 by March 2024 and two additional A330s by the end of 2026. LEVEL will also reconfigure its cabin to include 42 Premium Economy seats and 269 Economy seats.

(Source: Gastón Sena - AVIACIONLINE. Read article here)

United Airlines has set a record in pilot hiring, hiring 270 pilots in October 2023, marking the highest number in a single month. The Chicago-based airline aims to surpass its 2022 record of 2,500 pilots. United Airlines plans to hire at least 10,000 pilots over the next decade, with significant orders of narrow and wide-body aircraft. The company's hiring strategy reflects optimism in the future of commercial aviation and air travel demand.

(Source: Roberto Mtz Armendáriz. TRANSPONDER 1200. Read article here)

Ryanair, Europe's top airline, has called on the EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, to take urgent action to protect overflights and EU citizens' freedom of movement during the French ATC strike on November 20th. With 65 days of ATC strikes in 2023, over 13 times more than in 2022, France has used Minimum Service Laws to protect French flights, forcing thousands of EU overflights to be cancelled. Ryanair has called on passengers to join its "Protect Passengers: Keep EU Skies Open" petition , as over 2 million passengers have already done so. The airline believes that France should protect overflights during ATC strikes, similar to Spain, Italy, and Greece, and cancel flights to or from the affected state.


(Source: BREAKINGTRAVELNEWS. Read article here)
(See Rayanair "Protect Passengers: Keep EU Skies Open" petition, here)

IAG anticipates a medium-term operating profit of over 1.500 million euros in Spanish businesses, pledging to distribute dividends to shareholders once its balance sheet stabilizes and investment plans are advanced.

(Source: EUROPA PRESS. Read article here)

Delta Air Lines and El Al Israel Airlines have applied for US Department of Transportation's authorization to engage in reciprocal codeshare services beyond the United States and Israel. The partnership aims to strengthen Delta's connection to Israel by offering more customers unrivaled access to destinations across the United States. Delta is also looking to offer more destinations through El Al's route map, including Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt and other non-open skies points. Delta is currently not flying to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport due to the ongoing conflict.

(Source: Daniel Martínez Garbing - SIMPLE FLYING. Read article here)

Air Canada has denied responsibility in a $20 million gold heist lawsuit against Brink's, a Miami-based transport and security services provider responsible for transporting 400.19 kg of gold from Switzerland to Toronto. The airline denies negligence and claims that Brink's Switzerland Ltd. did not request or pay for insurance and extra security for the cargo. The theft, one of Canada's largest in history, raised questions about the safety protocols of Air Canada's cargo operations.

(Source: GLOBAL NEWS. See it here)

Italy's ITA Airways has signed a codeshare deal with Korean Air, covering connecting flights from Rome Fiumicino and Seoul Incheon, as well as existing flights linking Seoul to Milan Malpensa airport.

(Source: Graham Dunn - FLIGHTGLOBAL. Read article here)

Four bidders have entered the next stage of negotiations to secure a leasehold for Doncaster's airport, which closed last year following a strategic review by Peel Group. The first stage of the procurement exercise has closed, and bidders will submit formalised bids before Spring 2024. The council will continue working with the Civil Aviation Authority to protect the airport's airspace.

(Source: Stephanie Bateman - THE STAR. Read article here)

Airlines are struggling to convince investors to support the travel recovery despite reporting booming profits and spending billions on new planes. The MSCI index tracking global airlines is trading about 40% below pre-pandemic levels, with a fall of over 20% since July. Despite airlines ordering over 2,800 new planes this year, high fuel prices and economic fears have unnerved investors. Some Asian carriers, US airlines, and Ryanair have performed well, while Air France-KLM hit a record low. European airlines build on their post-pandemic recovery through increased airfares, but some cracks have appeared in the US market. The industry has a history of mistiming transactions, ordering planes during boom times only to arrive just as demand and yields fall.

(Source: Philip Georgiadis, Sylvia Pfeifer, Patrick Mathurin, Mercedes Ruehl and Claire Bushey - FINANCIAL TIMES. Read article here)

Boeing has surpassed its French rival Airbus at the 2023 Dubai Air Show, securing 295 aircraft orders compared to Airbus' 86 orders. The strong demand for wide-body jets at the show highlights Dubai's optimistic outlook for long-haul air travel and the Middle East market's importance to the aircraft model's demand. Emirates Airline ordered 90 of its 777 wide-body jets at $52 billion, followed by an $11 billion order from Emirates subsidiary and low-cost carrier FlyDubai for 30 of its first-ever-ordered 787 Boeing Dreamliners. The significant proportion of wide-body jets at the Dubai show reflects the surge in international travel in 2023 and favors Boeing, which is stronger than Airbus in widebodies and has snared approximately 50% of the Dubai dollar order value.

(Source: Natasha Turak - CNBC. Read article here)

The EU is evaluating if Dutch plans to decrease Schiphol airport flights comply with EU regulations, a significant decision that has not been made before..

(Source: Bart Meijer and Benoit Van Overstraeten - REUTERS Read article here)

Tenerife Sur airport in Tenerife has been experiencing chaos due to Brexit, with hundreds of thousands of British tourists stuck in long queues for passports. The UK's departure from the EU has led to stricter passport controls, with the airport now having a modern second terminal. The queues at passport controls and taxi ranks are also causing issues. The UK's departure from the EU has also led to a change in the process of travelling from the UK to EU countries, with the introduction of the Entry/Exit System (EES) to measure and control the duration of people from third countries' stay in the Schengen Zone.

(Source: Rita Sabot and Milo Boyd - MIRROR. Read article here)

Singapore Airlines and its Scoot subsidiary have set a 5% sustainable fuel target for its total fuel requirements by 2030. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional kerosene-based jet fuel, and is crucial for the aviation industry's net-zero emissions target by 2050. SAF can be produced from various feedstocks, including used cooking oil and animal fats. Singapore Airlines is in discussions with fuel suppliers to buy more SAF and has used the fuel for flights between Singapore and San Francisco since 2017.

(Source: Rob Gill - BTN EUROPE. Read article here)

Frankfurt airport recorded its highest monthly flight count for four years in October, handling 40,720 inbound and outbound flights, despite a 14% decrease from the previous year. Frankfurt lags other major European hubs in recovery from Covid-19..

(Source: Rob Gill - BTN EUROPE. Read article here)

Latvian airline airBaltic has become the largest customer in Europe of the Airbus A220, with an order for 30 more A220-300s. The wings are manufactured at the former Bombardier premises in Belfast, now owned by Spirit AeroSystems. AirBaltic already operates a 44-strong fleet of A220-300s, making it the largest A220-300 operator in the world. The A220 offers a unique capability in terms of range, performance, and passenger appeal.

(Source: Margaret Canning - BELFAST TELEGRAPH. Read article here)

Insider Business traveled the world to observe the thousands of people behind the scenes, from Singapore chefs to flight attendants, dog trainers, and runway clearers, ensuring safe and comfortable flights.

(Source: INSIDER BUSINESS. See video here)

Asia-Pacific airlines face challenges from rising fuel prices and high inflation, causing a downbeat outlook for the segment. The region's air travel recovery is only 69% of 2019 levels, largely due to China's slow reopening of borders after COVID-19. Non-oil costs, supply chain issues, and inflation are squeezing profit margins. The industry is expecting Chinese travelers to return in the first half of next year.

(Source: Reporting by Chen Lin; Writing by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman - REUTERS. Read article here)

The US airline industry saw an increase in employment to 807,865 workers in September 2023, a 0.37% increase from August 2023 and an 8.72% increase from pre-pandemic September 2019. Passenger and cargo airlines contributed to this growth, with Southwest leading the pack. The number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) increased to 751,511 in September 2023, a 9.80% increase from September 2019. However, cargo carriers lost 18 jobs, with FedEx the leading employer.

(Source: US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. Read article here)

Aena has submitted arguments against the suspension of the public tender for handling licenses by the Central Administrative Tribunal for Contractual Resources (TACRC), stating that the suspension is automatic and that the process is based on transparent criteria agreed upon with all parties.

(Source: AENA. Read article here)

City Airlines, a new European airline, will launch in 2024 from Munich and Frankfurt, german operator Lufthansa is behind it. Operating with a fleet of Airbus A319, the airline aims to provide fast and convenient connections to European destinations, with plans to expand sustainably.

(Source: Liv Kelly. TIMEOUT. Read article here)

The European Commission is investigating the rise in air fares across Europe after airlines increased ticket prices by up to 30% over the summer, leading to increased profits. Transport Commissioner Dina Vălean is seeking a detailed explanation of the market dynamics behind the price rises, which were triggered by a travel boom and supply chain issues. The commission is concerned that high fares could affect the EU's outer regions, such as islands or isolated territories that rely on aviation for connectivity. The European Commission is in a permanent conversation with the industry to understand the cause of the development.

(Source: Alice Hancock, Philip Georgiadis - FINANCIAL TIMES. Read article here)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not yet ready to replace pilots but is expected to simplify flight search, deliver more competitive airfares, and help airlines fly sustainably. Recent advances show that AI can be used for personalization, competitive airfares, more effective marketing spend, and improving operations. Virgin Atlantic is integrating Amperity's AI-driven Customer 360 platform to offer a more tailored journey and a partnership with Fetcherr to match fares to market conditions. Alaska Airlines has also invested in Assaia, which optimizes aircraft turnaround processes.

Google is assisting airlines in developing a new Travel Impact Model carbon footprint tracker to help calculate the environmental impact of flights and find optimal flight paths to reduce emissions. American Airlines partnered with Google to tackle aviation's most perplexing non-carbon pollution issue, contrails. Google Research and Breakthrough Energy conducted a study to identify atmospheric zones where aircraft are most likely to produce contrails and created contrail forecast maps. Pilots conducted 70 flights over six months guided by AI-generated forecasts, resulting in a 54% reduction in contrail formation..

(Source: Marisa García - FORBES. Read article here)

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) led the top 20 cargo airport rankings in 2022, handling 4.2 million tonnes of cargo, a 16.5% drop from 2021. The airport is expanding to a three-runway system (3RS) to meet passenger and cargo demand and maintain its position as the world's busiest cargo airport. The expansion will enable HKIA to handle an annual cargo volume of around 10 million tonnes. The airport is also the preferred international cargo gateway for the Greater Bay Area.

Air cargo traffic is primarily concentrated at major airports, with volumes in the top 20 representing around 42% of the global total. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International airport (CVG) is home to DHL Express' Global Superhub for the Americas and Amazon's primary US hub. CVG rose four spots to 17th position in the ACI World air cargo rankings for 2022, with volumes up by 16.8% versus 2021. DHL plans to invest more than $192m in capital improvements at its CVG hub, including the construction of a new maintenance hangar. Amazon Air continues to grow at its $1.5bn primary US hub there. CVG is diversifying its cargo operations by developing extra cargo handling facilities, including the airport's North Cargo Village project.

Air cargo, accounting for 35% of global trade value, is crucial for the global economy and a sign of economic growth. Airports are recognizing its importance and investing in it. However, success depends on network development planning, data investment, collaboration from governments, and technology support for human workforce.

(Source: Megan Ramsay. AIRCARGO NEWS. Read article here)

Aena has awarded private security services for 46 airports and 2 heliports in its Spanish network for the next four years. The company used a competitive dialogue process to determine the most suitable service delivery model. The security services were awarded in various lots, resulting in an average economic improvement of 4.30%. Aena aims to maintain its leadership in global airport management by investing in technology and innovation, such as installing explosive detection equipment and modernizing security filters.

(Source: AENA. Read article here)

Juneyao Air has awarded dnata's Airport Handling a multi-year contract at Milan Malpensa Airport, providing passenger, ramp, and baggage services, ensuring a smooth airport experience for the airline.

(Source: GROUND HANDLING INTERNATIONAL. Read article here)