Passenger Transportation Services

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration announced on Monday that it would begin charging air passengers $45 if their identification documents do not meet the stricter federal standards on February 1. This move is intended to encourage travelers to obtain enhanced identity documents. The TSA will begin enforcing "REAL ID' standards in May 2025. Passengers without these IDs are given warnings and subjected to enhanced screening. TSA officials have said that they will urge passengers who do not possess REAL IDs to get them before arriving at an airport or pay a fee. The $45 will cover travel within a 10...

Two years after his company was briefly blamed for a worldwide grounding of planes due to safety concerns, the director of an airline parts company in London pleaded guilty on Monday to fraudulent trading. Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala admitted to operating AOG Technicals with a fraudulent intent by "falsifying documents relating to origin, provenance and/or status of aircraft parts". This was between January 2019 and Decembre 2023. He entered his plea in London's Southwark Crown Court after being charged in May, following regulators' safety warnings issued in 2023 to airlines that had purchased or installed parts by AOG. The Serious...

VTB CEO Andrei Kostin said in an interview that Russian banks were willing to restructure some Russian Railways' debt, as long as their central bank did not increase the reserve requirements on these loans. The Russian government is examining different options to support Russian Railways. This company, the largest commercial employer in Russia, has accumulated a debt of 4 trillion roubles ($50.8 billion), according to a report on Nov. 25, VTB is the second largest Russian bank and Russian Railways' largest creditor. The bank's top managers participate in weekly government discussions on how to handle the debt. These meetings are...

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, confirmed to reporters on Sunday that he spoke with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He did not give any details about what they discussed. I don't wish to comment. When asked if he'd spoken to Maduro, Trump replied "yes". He was talking to reporters on Air Force One. The New York Times was the first to report that Trump spoke with Maduro in early this month, and they discussed a potential meeting between them both in the United States. Trump has continued to spout bellicose rhetoric about Venezuela while entertaining the possibility that diplomacy could be...

The U.S. president Donald Trump stated on Saturday that airspace surrounding Venezuela and above it should be "closed completely", but did not provide any further details. Washington is increasing pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government. Trump stated in a Truth Social posting that "All Airlines, Pilots, Drunk Dealers, and Traffickers, Please consider the entire airspace above and surrounding Venezuela to be closed." Venezuela's Communications Ministry, which is responsible for all government press inquiries, didn't immediately respond to a comment request on Trump's tweet. The U.S. Defense Department didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. U.S. attacks against alleged drugs...

Airbus, Europe's largest aircraft manufacturer, ordered the immediate repair of 6,000 A320 jets. The recall affected more than half of the world fleet and threatened disruption during the busiest weekend for travel in the U.S. According to a notice sent to airlines, the fix involves mostly reverting back to older software. However, it is necessary to do this before planes can be flown again. The repairs may cause flight cancellations or delays, according to several airlines. The following are the major disruptions reported by airlines at 0733 GMT, in alphabetical order. Aer Lingus Aer Lingus, the Irish airline, said that...

American Airlines announced on Friday that it expected some operational delays as a result of a major software update on a large number of Airbus A320 aircraft. Initially, the airline said the problem affected about 340 aircraft. American Airlines has confirmed that only 209 A320 aircraft in the A320 family are affected. This is down from over 340 originally identified. American announced in a press release that as of 6 pm CT (0000 GMT), less than 150 aircraft remained to be updated. The airline anticipates that the majority of updates will be completed over night, leaving only a few for...

According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, and the police, flights to Philadelphia International Airport were temporarily grounded due to a threat of a bomb. The incident was resolved without incident. Soon after 7 pm local time (00:00 GMT), the FAA issued an advisory to ground staff at the airport, stating that there was a threat of a bomb. The FAA announced that the incident had been resolved and normal operations were resumed about 30 minutes after the initial announcement. A police spokesperson stated in an email that the ground stoppage occurred because of a "situation aboard the plane that...

Airbus, Europe's largest aircraft manufacturer, has ordered the immediate repair of 6,000 A320 jets. This recall affects more than half of the fleet worldwide and could cause disruptions during the busiest weekend for travel in the U.S. According to a notice sent to airlines, the fix involves mostly reverting back to older software. However, it is necessary to do this before planes can be flown again. The repairs may cause flight cancellations or delays, according to several airlines. As of 6:20 pm, here is a list with major disruptions reported by airlines. ET (2320 GMT): American Airlines The largest A320...

Airbus, Europe's largest aircraft manufacturer, has ordered the immediate repair of 6,000 A320 jets. This recall affects more than half of the fleet worldwide and could cause disruptions during the busiest weekend for travel in the U.S. According to a notice sent to airlines, the fix involves mostly reverting back to older software. However, it is necessary to do this before planes can be flown again. The repairs may cause flight cancellations or delays, according to several airlines. As of 5:30 pm, here is a list with major disruptions reported by airlines. ET (2230 GMT): American Airlines 340 A320 aircraft...

Airbus has restricted the operation of some aircraft with Pratt & Whitney engine, an Airbus representative said on Friday. This confirms an earlier report from industry publication aeroTELEGRAPH. The French planemaker has said that it has modified its existing procedures for engine operation on the ground when icing conditions are present. Pratt & Whitney engines are restricted in extreme weather conditions, such as freezing fog or visibility less than 150 metres. Airbus has said that it is in constant contact with its airline customers, and Pratt & Whitney works on a possible solution. Pratt & Whitney didn't immediately respond to...

Venezuela has revoked the operating rights of six major international carriers that suspended flights into the country after a warning by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The Civil Aviation Authority revoked the permits of Iberia and TAP. Avianca and Latam Colombia were also affected. Turkish Airlines, Gol and Turkish Airlines are no longer allowed to fly into and out of this Caribbean nation. This further reduces their connectivity and fulfills their threats from last week. Caracas issued a statement in which it said that the airlines had "joined the actions of state terror promoted by the United States", by "unilaterally...

The Dutch parliament approved on Thursday a plan for a tax increase on private jet travel starting in 2030. The rules will be applicable to aircraft that have 19 seats or less. Passengers on flights up to 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles), will be charged 420 euros (486 dollars). The fee for those travelling between 2,000 km and 5,500km is 1,015 euro, while journeys over that distance are charged 2,100 euros. Private jets will be taxed based on distance in 2027, when all aviation taxes will move to a weight-based system. Between 2027 and 2030 the taxation of private jets will...

British Airways' owner IAG submitted a formal statement of interest to buy a minority stake (up to 5%) in Portugal's flag airline TAP. However, it said that some issues needed to be resolved before the company would consider investing. IAG has become the third airline in Europe to express interest in privatising TAP. It joins Air France-KLM, and Germany's Lufthansa. A spokesperson for IAG confirmed on Friday that the airline had submitted a declaration of interest to the state-owned holding Parpublica "in accordance with the process of the government for the partial privatisation of TAP". The spokesperson said that "However,...

Boeing will not use this week's Dubai Airshow to announce new orders, but rather to outline the certification path for its long-delayed mini-jumbo 777x programme. Boeing announced last month a new delay, and took a $4.9billion charge for its biggest twin-engined aircraft, pushing delivery to 2027, which is seven years later than initially planned. Stephanie Pope, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said that she would not be placing orders in the next 2 to 3 days. Pope said, "It is about being transparent and engaging with our customers. We will highlight the progress...and any concerns or issues they may have."...

Boeing's top executive in jet manufacturing said that the company aims to stabilize aircraft production levels at present before moving on to new industrial milestones, while implementing safety and quality improvements. Boeing Commercial Airplanes' CEO Stephanie Pope said it was still too early to predict when Boeing will increase 737 jet production to 47 per month. The regulators had recently cleared Boeing to achieve 42 per month following the lifting of temporary output limits. Pope told a press conference ahead of the Dubai Airshow that "getting it right at (the correct) pace is more important than speeding up." PRODUCTION MILESTONES...

B&M, a British discount retailer, reported a weak start for the crucial Christmas quarter on Thursday, sending its share price to a new record low. However, its CEO is hopeful that a strong position with festive gifts and decorations can improve their performance. Helen Cowing, an experienced finance executive, was appointed interim finance director a month following the disclosure of an accounting mistake that resulted in a profit warning as well as the departure of their previous finance chief. Five months after taking on the position, CEO Tjeerd Gegen has already laid out a turnaround plan that focuses on reducing...

Air France-KLM announced third-quarter results that were in line with expectations on Thursday. It also confirmed its outlook for 2025, despite some expenses increases and expensive challenges faced by its Dutch subsidiary KLM. As the summer travel season is lucrative and busy, the third quarter of the year is typically the most profitable for European airlines. Travel from Europe to the United States is down under U.S. president Donald Trump. His policies are seen by many as anti-foreigner, anti-trade and anti-foreigner. Analysts polled by LSEG had predicted an operating profit of 1,27 billion euros (1,48 billion dollars) for the airline...

Safran, the French aerospace company, raised its full-year revenue forecasts after reporting higher than expected third-quarter revenues led by its core Jet Engine division. The company, who co-produces LEAP engines with GE Aerospace via their CFM venture said that it had "strongly caught up" on late deliveries in the third quarter, shipping more than any other quarter. Airbus and Boeing have delayed their jet deliveries and caused congestion in maintenance centres, which has led to a strong demand from engine manufacturers for spare parts. In the engine industry, there is a tug-of-war between aircraft manufacturers and airlines that need spare...

Air France-KLM CEO said that on Monday, western European airlines needed more favorable regulation as the requirement to fly around Russian airspace places them at a disadvantage compared to their Chinese competitors. Ben Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM, said in an interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as well as with French newspaper Les Echos and Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Schohr that having to avoid Russia adds two to two-and-a half hours to flights from Europe to Asia. All costs associated with the extra flight time are to be paid by the customer. Smith added that customers don't...

IndiGo, India's budget carrier, announced on Friday that it had signed a contract confirming the conversion 30 of its 70 A350-900 purchase rights into firm orders. This doubled its widebody order list to 60 from 30, and increased its total number of A350-900s ordered. This move is part of India's strategy to increase its long-haul services and capture more international traffic away from Gulf carriers like Emirates. According to government and industry data, India's international air traffic is expected to grow from 64 million passengers in 2019 to 160 million passengers by 2030. However, the majority of this traffic will...

Air India has been in discussions with Airbus and Boeing about adding more wide-body aircraft to its planned purchase of up to 300 aircraft. This is a sign that the turnaround for the Tata Group's Air India has accelerated. Sources say that the negotiations include 80 to 100 wide body jets in addition to 200 narrow body jets and 25-30 large-body aircraft previously reported. Airbus stated that it "does not comment on confidential conversations, which may or might not happen with customers." Air India and Boeing didn't immediately respond to requests for comments. Air India had been reported to be...

Boeing said that it delivered 55 jets to customers in September. This is up from 33 in September of last year, when the production was curtailed by a strike by some 33,000 workers at its Northwest factories. The total is broadly stable from August's 57 deliveries Boeing delivered 87 aircraft in September 2018, its best month since 2018. However, it still lags behind rival Airbus which delivered 73 planes last month. Airbus delivered 507 aircraft to Boeing's 440 in the first nine-month period of this year. Last month, Boeing delivered 40 737 MAX jets, including 10 to Ryanair. One of...

Spirit Airlines, in an effort to optimize its fleet, will not purchase 52 Airbus aircraft and its options on 10 more. AerCap will take over the aircraft orders. The agreement between Spirit and AerCap was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York on Friday as part of a settlement of disputes. Spirit's second bankruptcy was triggered by a dispute with the largest aircraft leasing company in the world. AerCap abruptly cancelled the lease agreements of 36 Airbus A320neo jets scheduled to be delivered to Spirit in 2027-2028. The company also claimed that Spirit had...