In the lead-up to the midterms, the Trump Administration has been preparing a 90-day US diesel export ban. The war against Iran launched by the Trump administration in February and Ukrainian attacks against Russian refineries have been driving diesel prices to record highs over the course of 2026. The move is an attempt to bring down the soaring energy prices and the damaging impact they might have on the election results for the Republicans. 

“I’ve said let’s not send out the diesel. We make a lot of diesel. I’ve called for it within my people. I’ve been talking about it,” Trump stated during the U.N. General Assembly in New York. 

If the measure goes through, it would be the first time for diesel exports to be restricted since 2015, when the Obama administration put an end to a decades-old ban. However, the ban is not yet in place and allegedly, some administration officials are still trying to turn things around. 

Industry stakeholders, too, have massively spoken out against the measure. According to them, the ban might initially lead to lower prices. Stocks intended for export will be pumped into the American market, thus increasing the offer and lowering the price. However, the ban is eventually likely to cause a price increase, as oil refinery will supposedly slow down as soon as the international demand disappears.

“We urge you to reject calls to ban or otherwise limit the exports of diesel and other products that have made the U.S. energy industry so strong. With 10 percent of global refining capacity offline, U.S. refiners are running at full capacity to supply the U.S. and to help stabilise global fuel markets. The U.S. produces more diesel than it consumes, allowing us to meet domestic demand and to supply our allies in Latin America and Europe. U.S. crude oil exports have likewise helped keep refineries running in other parts of the world as disruptions occurred through the Strait of Hormuz,” some of the biggest business groups in the US wrote in a letter addressed to President Donald Trump on 23 September 2026.

The U.S. supplies about 20% of diesel traded globally by sea. An export ban would remove that supply from that market, exacerbating the global refining crisis responsible for high fuel prices. pic.twitter.com/amNi3Odrwb

— American Petroleum Institute (@APIenergy) September 23, 2026

The open letter was signed by organisation such as the Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, and National Association of Manufacturers. 

On 24 September 2026, Airlines for America, which represents carriers such as American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, joined the opposition against the ban. The CEO of the airline group, Chris Sununu, stated to have spoken with the US Departments of Energy and Interior in order to address his concerns.

“The chain reaction of issues that it causes – the prices don’t go down,” Sununu told Reuters. 

At the moment of writing, it is yet unclear whether or not the Trump administration will effectively put a ban in place. 

L’article US airlines speak out against US diesel export ban est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The airline is looking for people whose kindness or commitment has made a difference to someone else. That could be a person who helps their family, supports a friend, volunteers or contributes to a club or community group. Eurowings says nominees do not need to be well known or have made a grand gesture. The focus is on what they do for others, including the small acts that can make a difficult day easier.

“Often, it is the small, everyday gestures that make the greatest difference,” said Max Kownatzki, CEO of Eurowings. He said the airline wanted to give those contributions recognition by placing the selected people’s names on its aircraft. The campaign therefore asks people to put forward someone they appreciate, rather than enter for a reward themselves. It also gives them a chance to explain why that person’s help matters to them.

Nominations are open from 21 September until 11 October 2026 through the competition page on Eurowings’ website. Both the person submitting the nomination and the person nominated must be at least 18 and live in Europe. Each participant may enter once, and there is no fee to take part. The form asks for the participant’s contact details and an explanation of why the nominee should be considered. According to the competition rules, entries close at 23:59 on 11 October.

Eurowings asks participants to describe the nominee’s actions or qualities rather than share sensitive personal details. Its form says the story should use only the nominee’s first name and should leave out information such as their address, employer or contact details. Participants should also avoid private information about health, religion or sexuality. The airline says it will tell a nominee who submitted their name if it contacts them during the selection process. That is useful to know before writing about someone who may not yet be aware of the nomination.

After entries close, Eurowings will review the stories and make an initial selection. A jury will then choose the people whose stories best reflect the campaign’s aim of recognising help and kindness. The decision will be based on the nominations, rather than a random draw. People who remain under consideration will be contacted, and their agreement is required before their nomination can move further through the process. The airline says it plans to announce four selected people in December and share their stories.

The aircraft will carry the selected people’s first names, rather than the full stories behind their nominations. Eurowings has said those names will appear prominently on Airbus A320 aircraft, turning a personal message of thanks into something passengers can see. Its competition rules do not promise a particular aircraft, route or length of time for the display. The selected people must also agree separately before their names are used on an aircraft or their stories are made public.

L’article Eurowings launches competition to put winners’ names on four of its aircraft est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Iranian airlines began cancelling international services as the US anticipated on Wednesday, as the latest wave of sanctions reached airports, fuel suppliers, ground handlers, and ticketing businesses outside Iran. The first tangible disruption fell on two of Iran’s most important regional links. Iranian aviation officials said Baghdad and Muscat would stop accepting Iranian-operated flights from midnight, prompting cancellations from Tehran.

A Varesh Airlines flight from Tehran to Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, had to return to IKA Airport in Tehran after neighbouring countries between Iran and Tajikistan had denied passage of this Iranian passenger plane.

The Iranian plane then attempted to use an alternative… pic.twitter.com/kNM5uMX56P

— Arya Yadegaar (@AryJeayBackup) September 24, 2026

However, at the time of writing, flights to Baghdad and Muscat have been halted, while services to China and parts of the wider network continue, leaving passengers to face a fast-changing patchwork of cancellations, rerouting, and higher costs.

Talks are still under way about redirecting some Baghdad-bound services to Najaf, a key gateway for religious travel, while negotiations continue over Oman. Iraq and Oman had not publicly detailed the full scope or duration of the restrictions when the changes were announced.

The picture is not yet the blanket grounding Bessent envisioned. Same-day reporting indicated that Iranian services to Qatar, Georgia and Azerbaijan had also been suspended, while at least one Mahan Air flight reached Guangzhou and other China services remained scheduled. Some Istanbul flights were still listed, although the timetable was unstable and individual departures had been cancelled. The result is a fragmented network in which availability can change by route, airport, and service provider.

How the restrictions work

Washington is not closing foreign airspace. Instead, it is using the reach of the US financial system to deter the commercial support an airline needs after landing. Fuel, airport access, ground handling, maintenance, ticket sales, and payments can all become pressure points if providers believe continued dealings with a sanctioned carrier could jeopardise their access to dollar transactions.

The US Treasury’s 8 September action designated 36 aviation-linked targets, including 27 Iranian airlines, as well as warning foreign firms about assisting sanctioned carriers. It also suspended three Iran-related aviation authorisations, while saying safety-related requests could still be considered individually. The Treasury claims the sector has been used to move weapons, personnel, and illicit cargo. Iran and China reject Washington’s unilateral sanctions framework.

What it means for travellers

For passengers, the immediate uncertainty is perhaps even more disruptive than a single formal ban: a flight may be listed but become unworkable if an airport, fuel contractor, or sales agent withdraws support. Travellers should expect short-notice changes, limited rebooking options and greater reliance on foreign carriers or overland connections through neighbouring countries.

The inconvenience is especially acute on routes tied to pilgrimages, family visits, and medical travel. Najaf could potentially handle some Iraq-bound demand, but a diversion does not solve every onward journey. If more airports decline Iranian carriers, passengers could be pushed towards hubs such as Doha, Dubai, and Istanbul, increasing connection times and fares. Iranian airlines also face deeper maintenance and fleet pressures after years of restrictions on aircraft, parts, and technical support.

A fluid regional map

Compliance will vary. China has publicly opposed the measures, and continued flights there demonstrate the limits of Washington’s ability to impose an immediate worldwide stop. Iraq’s links with Iran and Najaf’s pilgrimage economy may encourage efforts to preserve some connectivity, while decisions by Gulf, Turkish, South Asian and Caucasus airports will determine how much of the remaining network survives.

Travellers booked on Iranian carriers should verify their flight directly with the airline and departure airport immediately before travel, avoid relying on a single connection, and check ticket-change and refund conditions. Because sanctions compliance decisions can change quickly, schedules displayed by agents or aggregators may lag behind operational reality.

L’article US sanctions on Iran disrupt regional aviation as airlines navigate restrictions est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The study, produced by Klima Consulting and authored by former IPCC scientist Olivier Boucher, models contrail mitigation beginning in 2030 and reaching 50% effectiveness by 2040. On that pathway, aviation would reach a global warming contribution of 0.08°C in 2050 rather than 2040. The estimated avoided warming is around 0.025°C by mid-century and 0.049°C by 2070, T&E said.

Contrails form when aircraft exhaust meets sufficiently cold, humid air. While many vanish quickly, persistent trails can spread into cirrus cloud and trap outgoing heat. Their overall warming effect is considered comparable with aviation’s accumulated carbon dioxide emissions, yet it is far more concentrated: 2019 data indicate that around 3% of flights generated 80% of contrail warming. Night-time and winter services are prominent targets because, after dark, contrails trap heat without reflecting incoming sunlight.

At current traffic levels, halving contrail warming could avoid an estimated 67 million to 225 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent climate impact each year, measured over a 100-year period—roughly 7% to 23% of aviation’s projected 2025 CO₂ emissions. It could also preserve three to five percentage points of the world’s 2025–2050 temperature budget under a 2°C pathway, reporting by Sustainability Online emphasises.

Avoidance would not require eliminating every trail. Airlines could use forecasts to adjust departure times, cruising altitudes, or routes, while air traffic managers could steer flights around high-risk patches of the upper atmosphere. Selective use of lower-soot fuels is another option. Small trials have already shown that rerouting can prevent contrails with limited extra fuel burn, although researchers say larger tests across varied weather and airspace are needed, according to Aerospace Global News.

Forecasting humidity at cruising altitude remains a major challenge, as do questions about contrails’ interaction with natural clouds. Even so, the report argues that the underlying physics is established enough for action. Europe began monitoring aviation’s non-CO₂ effects in 2025, while a North Atlantic trial involving the UK government and air traffic services is due to test avoidance at oceanic-airspace scale.

For the travel sector, often berated for its high emissions record, the contrails approach promises a rare, near-term climate gain without wholesale disruption to networks, because interventions can concentrate on the most damaging flights. T&E is urging the European Union to extend non-CO₂ monitoring to all flights in 2027, and to reward carriers that avoid contrails through the Emissions Trading System. But the benefits last only while avoidance continues. The study is explicit that operational fixes must complement—not displace—lasting cuts in aviation CO₂, including cleaner fuels, more efficient aircraft, and measures addressing demand.

L’article Cutting aircraft contrails could delay aviation climate warming by a decade, study finds est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Qantas is slowly but surely conquering the world of the ultra long-haul flight. Not only did the company complete a successful 19-hour test flight from Toulouse (France) to Melbourne (Australia) in July 2026, the return flight from Australia to France lasted for no less than 24 hours and 24 minutes.

Following the successful test, Qantas said it was planning on starting its first commercial Project Sunrise route between Sydney and London in October 2027. Initially, Project Sunrise’s launch was planned for 2022 but that date had to be postponed several times due to the Covid-19 pandemic and manufacturing delays at Airbus.

Starting from mid-2028, a second ultra long-haul flight should be added to the Project Sunrise schedule. The new flight route will introduce nonstop 18-hour voyages between Sydney’s Kingsford-Smith airport and New York’s JFK airport, the first commercial flight of its kind. 

Sydney to New York, non-stop

We’re excited to announce the first ever commercial non-stop flights between Australia and New York will launch from 2028 as part of Project Sunrise.

As demand for travel between Australia and the United States continues to grow, this new route… pic.twitter.com/D9CII4TE3L

— Qantas (@Qantas) September 23, 2026

The impressive duration of the nonstop flights can be explained through the introduction of the Airbus A350–1000ULR aircraft. The planes, the first of which is expected to be delivered in April 2027, have been fitted with an extra 20,000-liter fuel tank, allowing them to fly for up to 16,000 kilometers or 22 hours nonstop. 

Qantas ordered 12 A350–1000ULRs overall, which offer 238 seats across four cabins – including six first-class suites, 52 business suites, and 40 premium economy seats. The planes will also boast a so-called wellbeing zone, located between the economy and premium economy cabins. Here, travellers will get a chance to stretch, participate in guided exercise videos, and get snacks and drinks. 

“Conquering the tyranny of distance has been part of who Qantas is from the very beginning. Reaching New York nonstop completes a vision we set out many years ago, and it’s a moment of enormous pride for the thousands of our people who have been working hard to make Project Sunrise a reality,” stated Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson.

By the time all 12 A350–1000ULRs will have been delivered, Qantas expects to have trained 360 pilots and 1,200 cabin crew to use the new aircraft. More ultra long-haul direct flights from Perth should follow in the future. 

At the moment of writing, Qantas does already offer a flight option between Sydney and New York. However, due to a stopover in Los Angeles, the journey takes approximately 21 hours in total. The new ultra long-haul nonstop flight would thus cut the journey by three hours. 

Tickets for the new route are expected to go on sale in August 2027. At the moment of writing, fare details have not yet been disclosed. However, previously, Qantas had announced tickets could cost some 20% more than stopover fares – which typically amount to €1,665 ($1,900) for a return flight and €1,227 ($1,400) for a single way ticket. 

L’article Qantas to launch first-ever nonstop Sydney–New York flights in 2028 est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the administration intends to ask Congress for a further $30 billion (over €26 billion) for air traffic control and airport upgrades. The proposal would allocate about $10 billion to ageing towers and facilities, $10 billion to telecommunications and other control technology, and $10 billion to airport infrastructure, Reuters reported.

The announcement came a day after a telecommunications outage disrupted traffic around New York and Philadelphia. Simple Flying reported that roughly 9,500 US flights were delayed or cancelled and more than 100 were diverted, with Newark, New York JFK, LaGuardia, and Philadelphia among the airports affected. Newark alone recorded more than 600 cancellations.

The disruption reportedly began with a primary circuit failure at Philadelphia TRACON, which manages traffic in the region. When controllers moved to a backup connection, a fibre-optic cable in New Jersey had also been severed during construction. Communications were restored after about eight hours, but the knock-on effects continued across airline networks.

UPDATE: The telecom lines have been repaired, and all airport operations in the Northeast are resuming.

It will take some time to clear all existing delays, so please check with your airline for the latest information. https://t.co/cqFWKQr0ar

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) September 21, 2026

The latest request is additional to the $12.5 billion approved by Congress in 2025 for the Federal Aviation Administration’s modernisation programme. Of that earlier package, $9 billion was directed to systems and $3.5 billion to facilities. If the new bid succeeds, combined federal investment in air traffic control and airport renewal would reach about $42.5 billion.

Plans include replacing copper telecommunications lines, radios, radars, and voice switches, while expanding digital surveillance and information displays. The FAA has also started limited use of SMART, a software platform drawing on around 200 data streams to anticipate congestion, weather effects, and capacity constraints. Administrator Bryan Bedford said the platform, combined with hardware upgrades, could help reduce delays and keep US airspace safe and available.

Our airspace is getting SMARTer

SMART – or Strategic Management of Airspace Routes & Trajectories – is our new AI tool:

Pulls 200 data streams into 1 platform
Prevents delays & cancellations before they happen
Reduces stress on air traffic controllers

This is the… pic.twitter.com/aHAHfZZB60

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) September 22, 2026

However, the eventual price remains uncertain. A government review cited by media sources found that the FAA lacks a comprehensive estimate for the programme’s full lifecycle cost. Telecommunications spending has already risen from $4.75 billion to $5.91 billion, while a second phase of systems work is estimated at a further $10.2 billion, excluding facilities.

For travellers, the episode demonstrates how one damaged link can ripple through several major hubs and continue affecting schedules after repairs are completed. The long-term outlook includes FAA forecasts that commercial flights will increase by more than 40% by 2046, but recent events raise the stakes for Congress: modernisation is no longer only a capacity-building project, but an immediate reliability issue for airlines, airports, and passengers.

L’article US seeks $30 billion to modernise aviation network after northeast disruption est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Published on 23 September, ACI World’s 2026 Annual World Airport Traffic Report draws on data from 2,817 commercial airports across more than 185 countries and territories. The organisation’s largest dataset to date covers an estimated 97% of scheduled global passenger traffic.

International travel was the main driver of growth in 2025, with passenger traffic increasing by 6.1%, compared with growth of 1.7% for domestic traffic.

The results build on figures previously covered by Travel Tomorrow in its report on the world’s busiest airports in 2025. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport remained the world’s busiest, handling 106.3 million passengers, followed by Dubai International Airport with 95.2 million and Tokyo Haneda Airport with 91.7 million.

Big data drop: the Annual World Airport Traffic Dataset 2026 just landed.

A comprehensive global view of airport traffic based on 2025 data from 2,800+ airports across 185+ countries and territories.

What you'll find inside:

Passengers – domestic and international… pic.twitter.com/pnAsFkXDjp

— ACI World (@ACIWorld) July 15, 2026

Passenger growth was recorded across almost every region in 2025. Africa led with an increase of 9.0%, followed by the Middle East at 6.5%, Asia-Pacific at 5.1%, Latin America and the Caribbean at 4.5% and Europe at 4.2%. North America was the exception, with traffic declining by 0.7% amid weaker domestic demand.

Records were also reached beyond passenger traffic. Global air cargo volumes increased by 3.3% to an all-time high of 131.2 million tonnes, while aircraft movements rose by 2.0% to 103.1 million.

“The 2025 results confirm what this industry has shown year after year: long-term demand for air travel remains strong, and more capacity will be needed,” said Justin Erbacci, ACI World’s Director General.

“Meeting that demand means expanding capacity while getting far more out of the infrastructure we already have. It also means advocating for regulation that enables investment rather than blocking it and never losing sight of the fact that airports are strategic assets for their communities.”

Middle East passenger traffic drops 21%

The picture has changed considerably in 2026. Global passenger traffic reached approximately 4.7 billion during the first six months of the year, representing growth of just 0.6% compared with the same period in 2025.

Growth continued across Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific, while North American traffic remained broadly flat. The Middle East recorded the sharpest decline, with passenger traffic falling by 21% amid escalating conflict and airspace disruption.

The downturn reflects disruption already documented by Travel Tomorrow, including the impact of the Middle East conflict on major aviation hubs and international routes.

Europe, meanwhile, has shown greater resilience. More recently, Travel Tomorrow reported that the continent recorded its busiest-ever summer for air traffic in 2026 despite disruption linked to the Middle East conflict. Between 1 June and 31 August, the European aviation network handled an average of 35,959 flights per day, up 2.4% compared with summer 2025.

The global slowdown also comes as airports face the longer-term challenge of accommodating continued growth in demand. ACI World argues that expanding airport capacity and making better use of existing infrastructure will be necessary to keep pace with future passenger numbers.

Despite the volatility seen in 2026, the organisation maintains that the underlying drivers of aviation demand remain strong, including population growth, rising incomes, expanding connectivity and continued demand for mobility.

The latest figures therefore point to a contrast between record-breaking global airport activity in 2025 and a considerably more uncertain operating environment in 2026, with geopolitical tensions, airspace disruption and rising costs weighing on short-term growth.

L’article Global airport traffic hits record 9.8 billion passengers but growth slows in 2026 est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The airline says scheduled flights should continue, supported by a €350 million debtor-in-possession financing commitment. A judge has authorised initial access to €140 million, according to Flightradar24.

What caused the filing?

The immediate trigger was a liquidity squeeze, but the failure was years in the making. Pandemic losses weakened the balance sheet; The invasion of Ukraine removed important Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine traffic that had fed airBaltic’s Riga transfer hub; and Pratt & Whitney engine shortages repeatedly grounded its all-Airbus A220 fleet. Court filings summarised by Bandoro say the airline lost an estimated €40 million in 2022 passenger revenue from the route suspensions and later faced costly cancellations, replacement aircraft, and constrained growth.

Then fuel became the accelerant. After selling its remaining hedges in March 2026 to protect minimum liquidity, airBaltic was exposed to spot prices as jet fuel surged. Bondoro reports that fuel peaked about 109% above January levels; Reuters says the broader shock followed the Iran conflict. With competitors better hedged, airBaltic could not simply pass the increase to passengers without risking weaker demand.

What about refinancing?

Attempts to refinance outside court also ran out of runway. Reuters reports roughly $583 million in funded debt and finance-lease liabilities, alongside €106 million in payroll taxes, airline taxes and fees.

A proposed super-senior bond carried a 25% rate, while the chosen Chapter 11 facility costs about 12%. Chief executive Erno Hilden said the process would allow the company to seek “sustainable terms” from stakeholders; the restructuring target is completion by June 2027, Reuters has reported.

Industry ripples

For the industry, airBaltic serves as a warning about concentrated fleet risk and debt-funded expansion. A single aircraft type can simplify training and maintenance, but dependence on one engine family magnifies technical and supply-chain disruption. The carrier had planned to grow towards 100 aircraft; it now expects about 36 by the end of 2026 and may cancel or defer 40 additional A220 deliveries. That reversal matters to Airbus, Pratt & Whitney, lessors, and the Lufthansa Group airlines that use airBaltic aircraft and crews.

The case may also encourage more European carriers with international creditors to consider US Chapter 11 processes that offer a single forum to reshape leases, orders, and financing while preserving operations. But the high price of rescue capital shows how quickly weaker airlines can be forced into expensive protection when fuel spikes or geopolitical shocks hit. Governments, meanwhile, face pressure to safeguard connectivity without repeatedly socialising airline losses.

What does it mean for flyers?

For travellers, the near-term message is continuity rather than collapse. airBaltic says flights will operate as scheduled, while its court motions seek authority to keep honouring tickets, refunds, gift cards, loyalty benefits and EU261 claims. Passengers should nevertheless expect a thinner network over time: fewer aircraft can mean reduced frequencies, fewer seasonal routes, and less choice, particularly through Riga and across the Baltic states.

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Публикация от airBaltic (@airbaltic)

The restructuring is therefore a bet that reliability and a smaller core network can restore confidence. Travellers with near-term bookings should monitor airline messages and retain receipts, but bankruptcy protection itself does not invalidate a ticket. The bigger public-interest question is whether a leaner airBaltic can preserve the Baltic connectivity that larger network airlines and low-cost rivals may not fully replace.

L’article Why did airBaltic file for bankruptcy? est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Set to hit Faro, Lisbon, and Porto airports from 2 to 6 October and 19 to 23 December, the withdrawal of labour could affect thousands of flyers, with at least 500 scheduled flights expected to be grounded during the first walkout, and even more during the second wave, due to increased Christmas traffic volume.

The National Union of Civil Aviation Flight Personnel (SNPVAC) claims easyJet pays Portuguese crew “wages below those paid by other airlines operating in Portugal and below those paid by easyJet itself in other countries in the network” and called for salaries to be in line with the cost of living and the national minimum wage.

Other complaints include planning issues, roster instability, staff shortages, overtime pressure, and unequal treatment of stewards and pilots. Union members also allege easyJet has broken the terms of the collective labour agreement. The strike vote meeting was attended by 188 members and the decision to go ahead with the walkout was unanimous, SNPVAC said.

In a statement, SNPVAC called the deadlock over its grievances “long and intolerable” and said it believed easyJet was entrenched in its approach with an “ultimate aim” to “prolong indefinitely the position it has adopted.”

The union also accused the airline of undermining its members’ right to withhold their labour by replacing striking staff with managers and other colleagues from other countries.

For passengers, the strikes are likely to cause disruption at busy and inconvenient times, falling over the long weekend of Portugal’s Republic Day public holiday on 5 October, and impacting schedule the week before Christmas, a time when journeys to see family and friends, leisure and ski flights, and other seasonal trips should be taking place.

EasyJet says the sustainability of its Portuguese operations is at stake and has declared itself “extremely disappointed” in the strike over what it called “unworkable” demands, an outcome that mediation authority DGERT had been unable to prevent. The carrier insists its crew are paid more than minimum wage.

During the strike periods, a minimum-service operation may be dictated by authorities, and the airline has promised to make all attempts to minimise ​disruption to the travelling public.

L’article Portugal faces easyJet cabin crew strikes during October and December holidays est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Industry group Airlines for America (A4A), whose members include some of the country’s largest carriers,​ has warned that US operators are unable to compete against flights to China from the East Coast, due to Russian airspace restrictions since the March 2022 invasion of Ukraine—sanctions that do not apply to their Chinese rivals.

Prohibited from overflying Russia, US airlines have been forced to re-route, flying longer distances and consuming extra fuel at a time when Middle East oil prices and high operational costs already put them at a disadvantage. It’s a starkly different business proposition compared to those who benefit from “shorter, less costly, and more economical routings on ​flights to ⁠and from China and the United States,” they said.

Following calls for an outright US ban on Chinese airlines, the US Department of Transportation (DoT), eventually imposed a 50-roundtrip limit on airlines on both sides as a result of the tensions. But now, the A4A points out, the additional two flights requested by Air China to both New York and Washington DC during the weeks of Jinping’s visit, would risk breaching those bilateral rules that should constrain them to 50 return flights per week. 

The A4A has urged officials not to comply with the latest request. It also demanded that, if approved, the extra Chinese flights should be classified as charter flights, in line with their ad-hoc nature. If they were classed as scheduled operations, the trade body says, it could create a regulatory loophole that could mean their rivals can continue to fly beyond the 50-flight cap in the future.

Chinese airlines have already taken advantage of the geopolitical situation to grow international connectivity and schedules, boosting their market share on international routes that enjoy high demand and where overflying Russia gives them an edge over the suite of other carriers, like American, Delta, and United, who cannot. Air China currently already flies five flights a week between Beijing and New York and Washington. Meanwhile, China Eastern Airlines flies Shanghai to New York; China Southern flies Guangzhou to New York; and XiamenAir flies Fuzhou  to New York.

Whether or not the extra flights are permitted, Trump and Jinping are expected, among other things, to discuss the risks posed by AI amid calls for cooperation and information sharing regarding AI incidents that could have national security implications. Those talks come at a time when the US has just begun rolling out its latest AI SMART system for air traffic control.

L’article US airlines oppose extra Chinese flights for Trump-Xi Jinping summit est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.