Latest News
-
FAA closes Fort Hancock airspace after accidental use of antidrone laser
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned flights in an area around Fort Hancock on Thursday after lawmakers claimed that a military laser anti-drone system was used by the Pentagon to accidentally shoot down a U.S. Government drone. The FAA did not comment immediately, nor did the Pentagon. However, the FAA's notice regarding the restrictions of the airspace near Mexico border cited "special reasons for security". U.S. U.S. According to Congressional aides, the Pentagon is believed to have accidentally shot down the CBP drone near the Mexican border. This area is prone to incursions from Mexican drones that are used by drug cartels. CBP and White House did no respond immediately to requests for comments. The FAA announced this month that it would halt traffic at El Paso Airport for ten days. However, after eight hours, they reversed course and lifted their order. Fort Hancock is about 80 km (50 miles) away from El Paso. Other media reported that the closure was due to concerns over the 'laser-based drone anti-drone system. The FAA agreed to lift its'restrictions in the area of?El Paso, if the Pentagon agreed that further testing would be delayed pending an FAA review. Aides claimed that there was a "lack of coordination" between the FAA, and Pentagon. The government informed congressional offices late Thursday about the El Paso shutdown as well as the Fort Hancock accident. The FAA issued a?notice banning all flights from the Fort Hancock region, but stated that 'air ambulances or search and recovery flights could be authorized by the Joint Task Force - Southern Border. The restrictions will last until 24 June. (Reporting and editing by Clarence Fernandez, Jamie Freed, and David Shepardson)
-
Local media report that officials search Panama offices linked to port dispute
Local media reported that Panamanian officials searched offices connected to the Panama Ports Company (the local 'unit of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison), on Thursday. CK Hutchison did not respond immediately to a comment request. Neither did the Panamanian authorities. Local TVN showed pictures of about a dozen individuals, some of whom were wearing vests with the initials DIJ of Panama's Investigative Police, located in an underground parking garage in Albrook, a high-end area of Panama City. Images showed people loading cardboard boxes into a police truck. The images did not show the name of the location, so it was impossible to independently verify the report. An official of the local TV station interviewed by a judicial official confirmed that a search was conducted, but refused to name the business or reveal what materials were seized. Panama's highest court declared the contracts of CK Hutchison?to operate terminals at the entry to?the Panama Canal? unconstitutional recently, causing the government to cancel the deals. After pressure from the U.S., the decision ignited a war between Beijing and Washington. Donald Trump wants Panama to reduce Chinese influence on the Panama Canal, which is responsible for 5% of global maritime trade. CK Hutchison said that it views the decision as illegal and is considering taking legal action. (Reporting and writing by Elida Moreno)
-
White House official promises 'new interest in the airline industry' after flight woes
James Blair, the Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House, vowed to show a "new level of interest" on Thursday in?the United States. After he and wife had issues with separate American Airlines flights, Blair vowed to take a "new interest" in the aviation industry. "Today, American Airlines delayed?me 2.5 hours because someone failed notice empty hydraulic liquid before it was time for the plane to go down to the runway. Blair told X that yesterday, it was apparent that they forgot to book a pilot for my wife's trip. "I am going to develop a new interest for the airline industry." American Airlines and the White House did not comment immediately. American Airlines has been under fire for its performance since a winter storm in late January caused widespread cancellations of flights that put the'recovery system' to the test. OAG, an aviation analytics company, found that American Airlines was the least reliable airline in January. It was behind Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Delta Air Lines. The Trump Administration reverses BIDEN's proposals Since the beginning of President Donald Trump's second term in office last year, his government has taken several steps to reverse consumer aviation proposals made by the former administration of President Joe Biden. The Transportation Department reversed some penalties that were imposed by the Biden Administration on airlines. This included waiving $16.7 Million in fines for American Airlines, which was imposed in 2024, as part of an agreement?over how the carrier treated disabled passengers. Southwest Airlines was also exempted from paying the $11 million remaining fine as part of the $140 million settlement for operational problems which left more than 2 million passengers stranded during the holiday travel season in December 2022. In November, the Department withdrew from consideration a proposal made under Biden which sought to compel airlines to compensate passengers in cash when they are "responsible" for U.S. flights disruptions. Last month, the?Transportation Department? proposed revising their guidance to reduce the emphasis on imposing civil penalties on airlines that violate consumer rules and to abandon Biden's policies that tightened enforcement. (Reporting and editing by Jamie Freed; David Shepardson)
-
Brazil's Monetary Council expands airline access to the Public Aviation Fund
The Brazilian 'National Monetary Council' (CMN) announced on Thursday that it would?loosen the conditions of loans given to airlines backed up by the FNAC, a fund funded by a public entity?expected to release 778.66 millions reais in 2026. The Council is the top economic policy-making body of the country and is composed of three members: Finance Minister, Planning and Budget Minister, and Central Bank Chief. Brazil's Finance Ministry said that the changes include expanding airlines' access to FNAC for services like training pilots and aviation workers, rather than using it for only domestically produced aircraft and components. In a statement, the ministry said that the changes also "raise the cap on financing for eligible items from 10% to 30% of an aircraft's value" and allow the loan proceeds to be used as contractual guarantees. The report stated that the changes were approved to align credit lines with airline operations, without increasing subsidies or changing the financial conditions for financing. Last week, documents from the government showed that the changes were anticipated. They were requests made by Brazil's Ports?and airports Minister?Silvio Cost Filho to finance ministry. The government argues that airlines need assistance?after pandemic? to buy aircraft, perform?maintenance? and purchase sustainable aviation fuel. Embraer, Brazil's largest aircraft maker, could benefit from a?higher cap on financing. Gol, LATAM, and Azul are the largest airlines operating in Brazil, by market share.
-
Cheniere Corpus Christi LNG terminal in Texas gets an increased export approval from the US
The U.S. Department of Energy announced on Thursday that it had?approved an increase of 12%?in the?exports?from?Cheniere Corpus Christi's liquefied gas terminal in Texas. The department has approved the export of LNG up to 0.47 billion cubic foot per day to large markets in Asia, Europe, and other non-Free Trade Agreement nations. The expansion has been approved for the Corpus Christi Stage Three?Project Trains 8 and 9. "This order will help?further increase America's LNG-export capacity, providing peace abroad and prosperity to Americans here at home," Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, while visiting the project. Since 2018, Corpus 'Christi LNG is operating as an export facility.?Cheniere has announced its final investment decision for?trains 8 and 9? Mid last year. Cheniere announced this week that it has invested $50 billion over the last decade in expanding its two export facilities and hopes to double production?to 100 millions?tons annually by the middle of the 2030s.
-
Virgin Australia's half-year profits exceed estimates on the back of strong demand for holidays
Virgin 'Australia posted a 20.7% increase in underlying profit for the 'half-year period' on?Friday. This was a better result than expected due to strong customer demand, and its transformation program. Australia's second largest airline reported an underlying net profit of A$278.7?million ($198.07?million) for the six-month period ended December 31. This was higher than Visible Alpha's consensus estimate of A$261.1 million and A$230.9?million a year ago. The company's airline division benefited from the strong domestic demand that occurred during the holiday period, and the progress made in the transformation program of the group has yielded more than A$200 millions in gross benefits. The program was launched after Virgin Australia voluntarily left voluntary administration. It aims to update outdated technology and systems, streamline processes, reorganise business for efficiency, and simplify its fleet.
-
Bombardier CEO: Bombardier can boost business jet sales to India in the long term
Chief executive officer?Eric Martel stated on Thursday that?India's efforts to upgrade its aviation infrastructure?will give Canada’s Bombardier an opportunity to increase?sales?of business -jets?there. Martel told reporters at Montreal that Bombardier operates around 60 jets in India. He added that the lack of infrastructure is a challenge for the company. The good news is they are spending a great deal of money right now. As far as I'm aware, they are building at least a dozen airports. "The infrastructure (investment), which will be taking place in the next few decades, will certainly 'open doors for us to grow. Mark Carney, the Canadian Prime Minister, is headed to India in the hope of improving trade relations and boosting the country's economy. Carney pledged to diversify Canadian trade away from the United States. This is even as the country tries to negotiate tariff-free goods movement with the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump. Trump's latest tariff regime allows planes to be imported duty-free into the United States. Bombardier is dependent on the United States as it is the largest business aviation market in the world. It expects to increase revenues and deliver more private jets by 2026. Martel added that Bombardier has a?important U.S. presence with?2,800 U.S. suppliers and a Kansas-based division for defense. "I believe that common sense is going to prevail."
-
Mexico orders Paris auction house to stop selling pre-Colombian artworks
Mexico's government announced on Thursday that it had taken legal action to force Millon, a French auction house, to stop the planned sale this week of 40 precolombian artifacts Mexico considers to be its cultural heritage. Mexico has launched "appropriate legal procedures before?the?relevant?authorities", and reached out via diplomatic channels to repatriate the artifacts, Culture Secretary Claudia Curiel stated in a social media post. She said, "The protection of cultural heritage is the responsibility of the State and an act historical justice." Millon will hold an in-person sale of a precolombian collection entitled "Les Empires of Light" (The Empires of Light), in Paris, on Friday. Millon didn't immediately respond to the '?request for comments. On Thursday, the auction house's site displayed a message that it was under maintenance. Curiel sent a letter dated Tuesday to?Millon in which she stated that Mexico's anthropology institution INAH had?determined 40 of the artifacts?advertised at the auction house were protected by Mexican law. In a letter, she stated that "These goods are the property of the nation, unalienable, and incontrovertible. Their export has been prohibited since 1827 and as such, their presence outside national territory is derived from an illegal extraction." Mexico has been trying to retrieve?artifacts from private collections all over the world that are part of its precolonial history. Although some governments have accepted repatriations of artifacts, others remain the subject of extended disputes. The iconic headdress with bejeweled motifs is said to be the one that belonged to Aztec Emperor?Moctezuma, before he fell to Spanish conquistador Hernan cortes. The Austrian Weltmuseum, which houses the headdress, has stated that transporting it would damage its delicate iridescent quetzal feathers. Mexico launched a separate lawsuit against Millon in 2023 over 83 items it had put up for auction that it determined to be part of its cultural heritage. At the time, ARTnews reported that?Millon had told the trade outlet it would proceed with the sale. It said all of its lots were "irreproachable" and met criteria set by French law and UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural agency. Reporting by Raul Cotes, Writing by Sarah Morland and Editing by David Gregorio
NTSB: House bill fails to provide adequate advice on mid-air collisions
The National Transportation Safety 'Board stated on Thursday that a proposed U.S. Congressional aviation safety bill fails to address the safety recommendations they issued?after a mid-air collision in 2025 near Washington killed 67 people.
The NTSB said that the House's ALERT Act does not address its recommendation for requiring aircraft tracking technology, also known as ADSB.
The NTSB stated that ADS-B could have prevented a collision between an American Airlines regional plane and an Army Black Hawk in 2025, which occurred near the nation's capitol.
House Transportation Committee chair?Sam Graves announced on Wednesday that the ALERT Act would be taken up by his committee as early as next week. The bill would address all 50 NTSB recommendations after the crash but not require ADS-B.
In a letter sent together, the NTSB members stated that they could not support the ALERT Act as it stands in its current format because it does not respond fully to the NTSB recommendations. The House voted 264 to 133 in favor of the ROTOR Act on Tuesday, which was passed by the Senate unanimously in December. The bill failed to receive the two-thirds vote it needed to pass under fast-track legislation designed to speed up legislation.
The ROTOR act would require that the military use ADSB, an advanced surveillance technology which transmits an aircraft’s location on routine training flights, but not on sensitive missions.
How many more deaths must occur before we decide to take action? NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters this week that it was "despicable", the ROTOR Act had failed.
The NTSB stated that ADS-B could have alerted the passenger plane pilot and helicopter crew 48 seconds prior to the collision.
The Pentagon had said in December that it supported the ROTOR Act legislation. However, on Monday, it stated that the bill could create "significant budgetary burdens, and operational security risks, affecting national defence activities."
The Pentagon has yet to comment on the 'ALERT Act. House Armed Services Committee chair?Mike Rogers is the author of the ALERT Act. He said that the bill would improve coordination between the military, the FAA, and aircraft safety issues. It also required enhanced training for military operators in congested areas. Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Chris Reese & Jamie Freed
(source: Reuters)