Airports & Routes

A joint plan by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Florida’s Orlando International Airport (MCO) to accelerate deployment of biometric facial recognition scans on every passenger arriving or departing on international flights at the airport is reviving privacy concerns.

LCC Norwegian plans to enter the Canadian market later this year with three initial routes—two will replicate its seasonal US services to the French Caribbean and the third will connect Canada with Ireland. Further routes were promised at the launch announcement.

The UK government has said it is prepared to intervene to reserve slots at London Heathrow Airport for domestic flights if the airport’s planned expansion goes ahead.

Warsaw-based LOT Polish Airlines, which launched its first transatlantic services from Budapest, Hungary to New York JFK and Chicago O’Hare in May, has added London City (LCY) services to its Hungarian network.

A government-industry advisory panel has been established in Thailand to provide greater collaboration amongst stakeholders regarding the country’s airport development program.

Britain’s trade minister resigned on June 21 over a planned House of Commons vote on whether to build a third runway at London’s Heathrow Airport.

Paris airports operator Groupe ADP and the Airport Authority of Hong Kong (AAHK) have signed two MOUs covering airport management, aviation development and cargo development aimed at strengthening cooperation between Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).

Turkish LCC Pegasus Airlines is expanding its Middle East presence with two new routes to the Gulf—Saudi Arabia’s oil industry center Dammam and Oman’s capital Muscat.

An “information report” by a French senator is blaming the country’s air traffic control (ATC) for disproportionate flight delays in Europe, citing obsolete equipment, inadequate human resource management and frequent strikes.

FAA acting administrator Dan Elwell has called on the UK and world governments to accelerate the pace of bilateral aviation negotiations ahead of Brexit, when the UK leaves the European Union (EU), in March 2019.

IATA DG Alexandre de Juniac and Airports Council International (ACI) DG Angela Gittens see potential for independent oversight of airport charge disputes and for airports to have greater involvement in slot allocations.

State-run national flag carrier Kenya Airways plans to merge with Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to compete with other state-owned carriers in Africa and the Middle East, such as Ethiopian Airlines and Emirates Airline.

China’s Sichuan Airlines is seeking approval from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to open service to Boston, Massachusetts, accelerating its international expansion.

Abu Dhabi Airports has opened a new sleeping facility for transit passengers at the emirate’s main international airport, its operating authority said June 20.

ACI Europe has said the region’s airports must be ready for change, as the European market continues to boom against a backdrop of challenges.

Eurocontrol director general Eamonn Brennan has warned that urgent action is needed to avoid European flight delays nearly doubling by 2040, as record traffic growth continues.