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FAA reduces flights at Chicago O'Hare due to increased schedules
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to reduce flights this summer at Chicago O'Hare Airport, claiming major airlines overscheduled their flights. The agency announced on Friday. On March 3, the FAA will convene a meeting with major airlines to discuss reducing flight schedules after United Airlines and American Airlines both announced significant increases. The FAA has plans to reduce flight numbers for the summer season which begins March 29 and ends October 25. According to the FAA, airlines have published a schedule that shows more than 3,080 daily flights on peak days in this summer compared to 2,680 daily flights last summer. The FAA stated that the "increase in operations is significant" and will put stress on the air traffic control system, the terminals, and the runways. According to the FAA, O'Hare currently handles about 100 departures and arriving each hour. This amounts to about 2,800 daily operations. The agency stated that this is manageable, "given the current infrastructure and staff resources." The agency proposes adopting the limit of 2,800 passengers per day throughout the season, "to avoid large-scale disruptions in operations while also allowing airlines to operate within the demonstrated manageable capacity at the airport." United plans to increase its daily flights from Chicago O'Hare from 541 flights in average last year to 780 this month. United has announced that it will increase its mainline departures out of O'Hare this summer by 20%. American Airlines announced in December that it would increase daily departures from O'Hare to more than 75 destinations, a 30% rise compared with 2025. American announced that it would restore pre-pandemic flight levels by March with 500 daily departures 'from O'Hare. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a closed door meeting that the 'agency is concerned about O'Hare being able to function with the extra flights this summer. He also noted that the agency held a meeting last summer to reduce the schedule and reduced flights at Newark.
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Delta Orders 34 More Airbus A321neo Jets as part of Fleet Renewal Push
Delta Air Lines announced on Friday that it will purchase 34 more Airbus A321neo aircraft as part of a plan to refresh its fleet by purchasing 'aircraft' that burn less fuel and have more premium seats. In 2029, the new planes will be arriving. Delta now has 189 A321neo aircraft on order. Delta already operates 92 A321neo aircraft and has 97 others on order. The airline has options on another 36. This is the third aircraft deal announced by the Atlanta-based carrier this year. In January, the airline ordered 30 Boeing 787-10 jets and then later added an order for 31 Airbus aircraft. Delta, along with other major carriers has added newer jets which are more efficient and offer more seats in the premium cabins. The airline has said that most of the planned growth in seat capacity will come from higher-priced seating, rather than the main cabin. The A321neo will?be a?key part of this strategy on domestic and short international routes. Delta said the aircraft had the lowest operating costs per seat of its narrowbody jets, and carried more "first-class" and "extra-legroom" seats than any other single-aisle aircraft in its fleet. The engines will be Pratt & Whitney GTFs. Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh Editing Rod Nickel
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Havana is riding a bike boom while the US cuts off fuel to Cuba
Havana residents are repairing threadbare tires on their old bikes and in some cases learning to ride as fuel becomes scarcer in Cuba due to the U.S. taking over Venezuela's oil. Venezuela, which was a "key" ally of Cuba, was the island's main source of fuel and crude oil for over a quarter of a century. That is, until January, when the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Cubans are now in a survival mode due to the drying up of this supply. They have to deal with longer blackouts, rising prices for transportation and food as well as?fuel - if it's even available. Recently, fuel shipments from Mexico to Cuba were also stopped after the U.S. threatened to impose tariffs on countries that provide oil to the island. Havana residents are turning more and more to electric cars and installing solar panels on their homes and businesses. Gabriela Barbon (23), was persuaded to ride a bicycle for the first time by her ballooning transportation costs. She said, "Riding a bicycle is not just a hobby for me or something that I wanted to do'sometime in my life. It's a need," during a Citykleta-hosted training in a park in the city. Other adults were also learning how to balance on two wheels. She said, "The Learn to Pedal Campaign came just at the right time. Just when I needed it." Citykleta's organizer Yasser Gonzales expected 100 people to join, but it has drawn nearly four times that number - most of whom are looking for alternative ways to travel around the Cuban capital. He said that there was an "avalanche" of people wanting to learn, while a colleague helped a newbie on a blue bike. Yoandris Herera is no stranger to cycling. He has kept his bike disassembled in his bedroom for over a year. Herrera now pedals his China-made bike to work, and takes his children to school. He said, "Considering that fuel is so costly right now, it would be more convenient to travel by bicycle." Fuel crisis also brought more work to bicycle repairman Pedro Carrillo. He carefully aligned spokes on a wheel in a makeshift workshop?on a Havana street, with bicycle tire hanging?on the wall?behind him. He said, "It has been like a?explosion." He said that the bike boom has also led to a different type of scarcity. Sometimes I can't help because I don’t have the parts. "There are some things I just can't find anywhere." Reporting by Alien Fernandez in Havana, writing by Daina Beth Solon; editing by Ethan Smith
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Cheniere receives $370 million in tax breaks from Trump's IRS for 'alternative Fuel'
Cheniere Energy Inc revealed this week that the 'Trump administration gave it a tax credit of $370 million for burning liquefied gas in their massive 'tankers. Critics argued that such a credit was intended for a 'far smaller boat. In financial disclosures, the company announced on Thursday that it won the IRS tax break for alternative fuels. The tax credit was part of a 2005 law signed by George W. Bush that was intended to subsidize a variety of alternative fuels, including those derived from biomass, coal and natural gas. The credit was intended to be claimed only by those who operate motor vehicles or'motorboats. The IRS doesn't define the size of motorboats, but federal regulations do. They are defined as being smaller than 65 feet (20 m), which is tiny when compared to LNG tankers that can be up to three football fields in length. William Henck said that Cheniere had taken a "very aggressive position" in relation to the tax credit. Does a tanker sound similar to a motorboat? Lukas Shankar Ross, deputy director of the environmental non-profit group Friends of the Earth called Cheniere’s claim of the credit "a new kind of fantastic and incredulous interpretaion of the tax codes that has been rubber stamped by an IRS?whose independence is increasing in question." The Washington Post was the first to report Cheniere's disclosure. Cheniere's CEO Jack Fusco, who donated to Donald Trump 2024, declined to make a comment. The IRS did not respond immediately to a comment request. Cheniere, which exported the first LNG cargo out of the lower 48 state 10 years ago, said a few months earlier that it had invested $50 billion in expanding its two export facilities in Texas and Louisiana. It aims to double production to 100 million tonnes per year by mid-2030s.
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One person is killed and 40 injured when a tram derails in Milan's central area
A spokesperson for the local firefighters reported that a tram in central Milan derailed on Friday. One person died and 40 were injured, including one who was in a critical state. The tram, 'one of the latest models in operation in Milan', crashed into a window of a store in Vittorio Veneto Street, one of Milan's most important downtown arteries, according to Vittorio di Giacomo, the spokesperson. According to local emergency services, 13 ambulances are on the scene. According to an eyewitness, civil protection teams have set up a tent to help the injured. ATM, the Milanese transport company, released a statement in which it expressed "deep shock" at the accident. It also expressed sympathy to all those who were affected and said that it was working closely with the judicial authorities to try to determine what caused it. Reporting by Elvira Pollina, Daniele Mascolo and Kevin Liffey, with editing by Gianluca Smeraro, Gavin Jones and Kevin Liffey
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TSA officers receive fractional pay during the government shutdown
As the partial government shutdown continues, airport security screeners in the U.S. will receive a fraction their normal pay. This could lead to more officers calling in sick, taking second jobs or even quitting. The funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security expired on February 13, after Congress failed in its efforts to reach an agreement on immigration enforcement reforms requested by Democrats. This halted the funding of several government agencies including the Transportation Security Administration. The current shutdown is less severe than the 43-day event in October and November that shut down numerous government departments. TSA agents could lose even more money if the shutdown continues. This would have ripple effects, including absences, departures and bottlenecked lines in airport security. Philip Glover, vice president of district 3 of the American Federation of Government Employees who represents TSA employees at 19 airports in Delaware and Pennsylvania, said: "People will get discouraged much quicker this time." EXPECT MORE REGISTRATIONS Local AFGE officials expect a rise in TSA resignations, while some TSA workers are still paying off debts from last year's?shutdown. Ha Nguyen McNeill told Congress in this month's session that approximately 1,110 Transportation?security Officers (TSOs), a 25 percent increase over the same period in 2024, left the TSA between October and November 2025. McNeill, speaking of the shutdown last year, said that officers were sleeping in their cars to save on gas and selling their blood plasma to get by. They also took on second jobs in order to survive. The TSA will be increasing staffing for spring break, World Cup, and summer travel in March, May, and April. The TSA officer who requested anonymity at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas said that the two shutdowns back to back are forcing her to reconsider her career with the agency. The 34-year old said, "I would like to stay in this job for the medical benefits at least. But sometimes I feel I'd be better off abandoning ship and reinvesting myself elsewhere." Local AFGE officials said that workers are having to work odd jobs in order to pay their bills and fill up their gas tanks for the?second time within four months. The agency is putting more pressure on employees to be present, while some have called in sick to do odd jobs. Darrell English, the president of AFGE Local 777 which represents TSA employees in Illinois and Wisconsin, said that officers are considering other options to maintain stability. "This is a 'backlash' that will come from these 'continuous shutdowns'." Neal Gosman is the treasurer for AFGE Local '899 in Minnesota. He said that many of his colleagues who had high levels of seniority retired shortly after the shutdown began. He said, "It could be a coincidence that these older people have been in the area for a long time but they somehow decided to pull out the trigger this past week." (Reporting from Doyinsola Oladipo in New York, with additional reporting by David Shepardson at Washington)
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Sources say that Druzhba Pipeline carried Ukrainian and Russian oil prior to the attack.
Three industry sources said that the Druzhba Pipeline exported some Ukrainian oil, and much larger volumes of Russian crude before it was damaged by a Russian strike a month earlier. The strike 'has caused a halt to supply', they added. Since January 27, oil shipments from Russia to Hungary and Slovakia via the pipeline they operate have been suspended. Kyiv claims that Russia attacked pumping stations in western Ukraine. This sparked a dispute within the European Union and Hungary's efforts to block any new sanctions against Russia. It was not previously known that the Druzhba Pipeline is used to export Ukrainian Oil to EU member countries Hungary and Slovakia. Ukraine is denied the export revenue and funds it needs to control its budget deficit. If the suspension is maintained, it could force Kyiv's oil production to cease. The Ukrainian energy ministry didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. Ukraine has been encrypting all information about oil exports and processing since the Russian invasion of four years ago. RUSSIA TARGETS UKRAINE’S OIL PRODUCTION Ukraine will produce about 1.7 millions tons of oil by 2021. It imported large volumes of oil that were processed at the Kremenchuk Refinery, which has a 19 million ton capacity per year. In February 2022, Russia started attacking Ukraine's refineries. One source said that the destruction of Ukraine's last refinery capacity by mid-2025 forced traders and fuel importers to increase their fuel imports. This created a dilemma about what to do with Ukraine’s oil production. Source: Ukraine had no refining capability at home, so it was forced to export its oil. Druzhba?was then the only option available. State Property Fund owns the section of pipeline network in Ukraine. It was not possible to determine the current level of production in Ukraine. Ukrainian media reported in 2024 that Ukraine's biggest oil company Ukrnafta would produce 1.4 million metric tons of oil, about the same amount as it did in 2023. According to a second source in the industry, Ukraine was injecting 40,000 metric tonnes of oil per month into the Druzhba Pipeline before Russia's strike. Other sources confirmed that there were exports, but they did not give any estimates of the volumes. The three sources requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the subject. According to a second source, Ukraine had been injecting crude oil in the pipeline in Brody in the west of Ukraine for several months before the Russian attack on January. MOL, a multinational Hungarian oil company, processes the oil delivered by pipeline. MOL buys a variety of oils, including Ukrainian oil, to diversify its supply. This includes Russian oil. He refused to provide more details. On Friday, the Hungarian and Slovakian governments did not immediately reply to comments. Hungary and Slovakia continue to rely on Russian oil despite other EU nations ceasing their use. They have also accused Ukraine of intentionally prolonging the outage. Hungary has also accused Ukraine of meddling with its elections in April, halted a 90 billion euro EU loan Kyiv depends on, and blocked a second round of European sanctions against Russia. A WORLD-LONG PIPELINE HAS LOST IMPORTANCE The southern branch of Druzhba was constructed in the 1960s, during the Soviet period. It is where the bulk of the oil that goes to Europe comes from. The name of the pipeline means friendship in English. Moscow has accused Kyiv that it is threatening Europe's security of energy by stopping the flow of Russian oil through the pipeline. Druzhba, one of the largest oil pipelines in the World, has lost its importance since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the subsequent European sanctions. ExPro, a Kyiv-based oil consulting firm, said that transit through the southern branch will reach a low of 9.7 millions tons in 2025. ExPro reported that Slovakia received 4.9 millions tons of oil while Hungary received 4.35 million tons. The Czech Republic stopped using Russian oil by April 2025. The northern leg, which was the main supply route for Poland, is only using a fraction of its capacity in order to transport Kazakh oil to Germany. Ukraine has been planning to use the Druzhba Pipeline to pump Caspian Oil to Europe for a long time. The Odesa-Brody oil pipeline, which connects Black Sea oil terminals to Druzhba in 2002, has carried very little oil since then. On Wednesday, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that this section was also attacked by the war. Brussels has not taken sides in the Druzhba dispute, but has asked the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban respect the EU loan agreement for Ukraine. It also plans to submit on April 15 a legal proposal that would permanently ban Russian oil imports. Slovakia announced that the Druzhba Pipeline was out of service on February 13th, long after Russian oil shipments were stopped last month. Reporting by Daniel Flynn; Editing by Barbara Lewis and Daniel Flynn
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Gas supply in Nigeria is at 43%, reducing Nigeria's grid capability.
Grid manager revealed on Friday that Nigeria's gas-fired plants receive less than half of the fuel needed, resulting in a worsening of electricity supply across Africa's largest country. Operators claim that the shortage is due to a rising debt in the sector, resulting from government subsidies. This debt has reached 6 trillion naira (US$4.4 billion) for this month. Gas deliveries to power stations have fallen to less than half the required volume. The national generation is now down to 4,300 megawatts. This has forced the grid operator to reduce electricity supply, also known as load-shedding. They have also cut the allocations for power distributors in order to maintain the stability of the system. The Nigerian Independent System Operator, or NISO, said that thermal stations require around 1,630 millions standard cubic feet of?gas each day. However, actual supply on February 23 was just 692 mmscf, which is only 43% of the?required volume. The NISO stated that the shortfall had reduced the 'national output' and 'amount of electricity allocated to distribution companies. The company said that when the total system generation drops sharply, they must implement load-shedding and distribute available energy according to the regulated allocation percentages in order to maintain grid stability. The government approved last year a plan to refinance the 4 trillion naira electricity sector debt in order to stabilize the industry. The debt, owed to 27 power companies for unpaid invoices between 2015 and 2023, has discouraged investment and worsened the already severe outages. The government issued a first tranche of a bond worth 501 billion Nairas in January to?restore liquidity. Operators claim that the measure is insufficient, as total debt has risen to 6 trillion Naira. Tarife?reforms have also been affected by the deteriorating supply. Even those 15% of consumers with higher incomes who were recently charged higher tariffs for their increased consumption and ability to pay, are now experiencing erratic power supply. Many have even considered abandoning the grid.
FedEx customers seek tariff refunds following US Supreme Court ruling
FedEx was sued in federal court on behalf of customers who were seeking refunds after the U.S. Supreme Court decided this month that President Donald Trump had illegally imposed emergency tariffs worth billions of dollar on imported goods. The proposed class-action in federal court in Miami Florida seeks compensation for potentially millions of shippers that paid import duties and other fees on products they claim?should've entered the United States without duty.
FedEx issued a statement Friday saying: "If FedEx receives refunds, we will refund the shippers or consumers who initially incurred these charges."
The lawsuit filed on Friday alleged that FedEx's promises were not legally enforceable. John Yanchunis is a Miami-based lawyer representing plaintiff Matthew Reiser. FedEx is one of at least 2,000 businesses that have sued the federal government before the U.S. Court of International Trade in order to recover tariffs paid on imported goods. This was done under the International Economic Emergency Powers 'Act (IEEPA). On February 20, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a decision of 6-3, ruled that Trump had overstepped his powers by using emergency powers to impose tariffs.
Reiser, who filed the lawsuit on Friday, claimed that FedEx charged him $36 – $21 for IEEPA duties, and $15 for brokerage and clearance fees – after he purchased tennis shoes from a German retailer. In the lawsuit, it was argued that no duty should have been required. Hasbro, a toymaker, joined thousands of other companies in suing the U.S. Court of International Trade for refunds of tariffs. The French beauty group L'Oreal, the British vacuum manufacturer Dyson, and Bausch + Lomb, along with retailers like Costco and J. Crew, have also filed lawsuits. Crew. (Reporting and editing by David Bario, E. Smith, and Mike Scarcella)
(source: Reuters)