Category: REGULATIONS & SAFETY

FAA Failing To Ensure Airline Pilots Retain Flying Skills

Reading Time: 3 minutes The U.S. government is falling short in ensuring airline pilots keep up their flying skills and get full training on how to monitor sophisticated automated control systems in cockpits, according to the Transportation Department’s internal watchdog. Most modern airline flying is done through automated systems that pilots closely monitor. Pilots typically use manual flying skills […]

China Issues First “Traffic Rules” for Civilian Drones

Reading Time: 2 minutes China’s civil aviation regulator has issued its first-ever “traffic rules” for the operation of light-duty civilian unmanned aircraft. The guidelines have been issued on a trial basis, as the country has witnessed remarkable growth in the number of civilian drones. Li Bin started learning how to fly drones just three months ago. But now, he has passed […]

IATA to Tackle Payment Security

Reading Time: < 1 minute The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is to expand its activities to prevent payment fraud in the air travel industry. Payment fraud costs the industry an estimated $858 million annually, approximately $639 million of which is borne by airlines and the remainder by other participants in the travel value chain, including travel agents. As part […]

Russian Authorities Recommend Carriers for Civil Servants

Reading Time: < 1 minute Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, has published a list of airlines recommended for civil servants traveling on business. The list consists of 20 Russian carriers—including Aeroflot and its subsidiaries, Aurora, Donavia, Pobeda, Rossiya Airline, OrenAir as well as Vim Avia, S7 and Globus, Grozny Avia, IrAero, Nordavia, Red Wings, Rusline, Severstal, NordStar, Ural Airlines, […]

EASA Opinion on AIR OPS Balloons Published

Reading Time: < 1 minute EASA published draft revised European operational rules for balloons. This activity was conducted in the context of the EASA General Aviation Road Map which represents a change towards more proportionate and simpler rules for General Aviation. At present, the operational rules for balloons are integrated into Regulation 965/2012 which concerns air operations for all aircraft, […]

Russian Refusal to Issue Visas to Carrier Violates Aviation Rules

Reading Time: < 1 minute Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday Russia’s refusal to issue visas to crew members working for budget carrier Pegasus was an “arbitrary” measure and violated international aviation rules. Istanbul-based Pegasus said on Tuesday it suspended flights to and from Russia until Jan. 13 after authorities in Moscow failed to give its crew visas. […]

IATA Expects Seven Billion Annual Passengers by 2034

Reading Time: < 1 minute Passenger numbers will be double the expected 2015 total of 3.5 billion by 2034 with seven billion people taking to the skies, according to IATA’s 20 year Passenger Forecast Report. By 2034, the largest passenger markets will be China, the United States, India, the UK and Indonesia. Japan is sixth, Brazil seventh, Spain, Germany and […]

150 Flights Between Saudi and Iran Halted as Diplomatic Ties Cut

Reading Time: 2 minutes Around 150 direct flights between Iran and Saudi Arabia carrying thousands of pilgrims every month have been halted as diplomatic ties between the two countries were severed, aviation sources said on Tuesday. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Reuters in an interview on Monday that it had halted trade and flights with Iran as part […]

Canada and Australia Expand Agreement

Reading Time: < 1 minute Canada and Australia are doubling the number of seats airlines can fly per week between the two countries under an expanded air transport agreement, effective immediately, the Canadian government has said. With the new deal, airlines from Canada and Australia each have been allotted 6,000 weekly seats for flights between Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth […]

New European Airline Association Takes Shape

Reading Time: 2 minutes Final preparations are underway to create a new European airline association, called Airlines for Europe (A4E), which is expected to launch around the third week of January 2016. In June 2015, Europe’s five largest airline groups—Air France-KLM, easyJet, International Airlines Group (IAG), Lufthansa Group and Ryanair—joined forces to lobby on European aviation policy. At the […]