Major U.S. airlines and aviation unions on Thursday urged the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to pause approvals of additional flights between China and the United States, citing ongoing "anti-competitive policies of the Chinese government." In February, the U.S. Department of Transportation said Chinese passenger airlines could boost weekly round-trip U.S. flights to 50 starting on March 31, up from the current 35, about a third of pre-pandemic levels. U.S. carriers were authorized as well to fly 50 flights per week but are currently not using all those flights. Airlines for America, a trade group whose members include American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, and unions in a letter to the Transportation and State departments cited the "advantage Chinese airlines receive by continuing to access Russian airspace, while U.S. carriers stopped flying through Russian airspace at the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March 2022." The letter, which was first reported by Reuters, was signed by the Air Line Pilots Association, Allied Pilots Association and Association of Flight Attendants. It called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to "pause additional passenger flights between the United States and the People’s Republic of China until U.S. workers and businesses are guaranteed equality of access in the marketplace, free from the existing harmful anti-competitive policies of the Chinese government." Flights between China and the United States — which were a point of contention during the COVID-19 pandemic — have emerged as a rare area of cooperation between the two super powers, but U.S. airlines have expressed concern about the rapid pace of increasing flights. Airlines are worried the Biden administration could boost or even double to 100 the number of weekly flights permitted by Chinese carriers. Separately, U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher, the chair of the House select committee on China, and the panel's top Democrat, Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, urged the Biden administration in a separate letter Wednesday not to approve more flights until China abides "by its existing bilateral agreement, and passenger demand begins to recover." The lawmakers said Chinese carriers "operate air routes at an anticompetitive commercial advantage that must not be allowed to increase without reciprocal parity in the number of U.S. carrier operated routes" to China. It added that "American passengers must not be exposed to unnecessary security risks by traversing Russian airspace." More than 150 weekly round-trip passenger flights were allowed by each side before restrictions were imposed in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but until August 2023, Chinese and U.S. carriers could each fly only 12 a week between the two countries. The number rose on Sept. 1 to 18 weekly round trips and then to 24 per week starting Oct. 29. The U.S. Department of Transportation approved 35 for Chinese carriers in November. Reuters reported last June that newly approved Chinese flights to the United States were not overflying Russia, which would have given them a shorter flight time and fuel advantage over U.S. rivals blocked from Russian airspace.   Source: Japan Times

Two international flights have landed in Osmani International Airport, Sylhet after failing to land due to dense fog at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. The flights will leave for the destination after the weather situation becomes normal. A US-Bangla flight from Doha of Qatar lands at 8:55am and another US-Bangla flight from Guangzhou of China lands in Sylhet at 9:44am on Saturday. In a span of four days, four flights made emergency landings due to weather in Sylhet.

Flights at Germany's second-biggest airport were canceled until tomorrow. Heavy snow submerged the Bavarian capital, with public transport also suspended. Heavy snowfall hit southern Germany on Friday night and continued on Saturday, causing major disruptions at Munich Airport, the second-busiest hub in the country.  The airport said on Saturday it was suspending flights until 6 a.m. on Sunday. Around 320 of the 760 flights scheduled for Saturday have been canceled, the German DPA news agency reported. Crews were scrambling to keep a minimum of one runway in service and free of snow. Germany's DWD weather service forecasted prolonged snow through Saturday afternoon for much of Bavaria, with as much as 30-40 centimeters (roughly 12-15 inches) of snow expected in places, "a large portion of that within a period of 12 hours overnight into Saturday."  The airport was expecting further delays as a result, the spokesman said. Munich public transport severely impacted, fire trucks fit snow chains Most local bus and tram services were canceled since Friday evening and through Saturday in Munich as the road conditions worsened.  The city's fire service shared pictures on social media earlier in the day of firefighters fitting a fire truck with snow chains "so that we can come to you as safely as possible at any time."  Football journalist Archie Rhind-Tutt, who had spent the week on assignment in Helsinki, Finland, noted his surprise on returning to yet more wintery weather in Munich to cover a scheduled Bundesliga game. The home game between Bayern Munich and Union Berlin was later canceled due to the heavy snowfall, Union Berlin announced. Comparable weather was reported in nearby Bavarian cities like Augsburg.  Early start for the snow, Zugspitze ski slopes already open Friday's heavy snow capped a week full of indications of a comparatively early start by recent standards for cold, wintery weather across Germany.  The ski slopes on Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze, on the border to Austria in the Bavarian Alps, opened on Friday, the earliest start for the German ski season in years amid warmer recent winters.  A spokeswoman for the slope said the roughly 2 meters of snow was the most present on the mountain at the start of the ski season since 2007. Authorities on Friday reported dozens of overnight road traffic accidents in slippery conditions across southern Germany, including one mass collision on a highway in the southwest with seven injuries, four of them severe.  Snow also fell in Berlin midweek, while most of the country either recorded some light snowfall or at least freezing temperatures.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is launching its Dhaka-Narita (Tokyo) direct flight from September 1, 2023. Bangladeshi news agency UNB confirmed the matter as Shafiul Azim, managing director and CEO of the state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines said it to the news agency. The Biman CEO mentioned in that report, the inaugural flight will take off from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on September 1 at 11:45 pm local time and reach Narita International Airport in Japan on September 2 at 9:15 am local time. The flight, BG-377, from Narita International Airport to Dhaka will take off on September 2. Dhaka to Narita flights will depart every Friday, Monday and Wednesday at 11:45 pm and from Narita to Dhaka, every Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday at 11 am.   Biman Bangladesh Airlines started selling tickets for the Dhaka-Narita (Tokyo) direct flights from July 25. The minimum one-way fare on the route is Tk 70,828 and return ticket price is Tk 1,11,656 per passenger.

The greater Chicago area experienced a series of severe tornadoes and thunderstorms on Wednesday, leading to a temporary suspension of air traffic at O'Hare International and Midway airports. Tornado sirens blared throughout the third-largest city in the United States as officials urgently advised residents to seek shelter. Eight tornadoes touched down in four counties in the midwestern state of Illinois, with four of them striking Cook County, where Chicago is located. Authorities issued warnings asking people to take immediate refuge.   Flights grounded Both O'Hare and Midway airports were compelled to ground all departures for commercial flights, causing delays for outgoing flights as well, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). FlightAware reported that over 300 flights in and out of O'Hare, along with 32 flights in and out of Midway, had to be canceled due to the inclement weather. Operations returned to normal after the storms had passed and the weather conditions improved, according to the FAA's statement. Tornado sirens in the Windy City Throughout Wednesday evening, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued two tornado warnings for different parts of the city. Tornado sirens blared at least twice, echoing across Chicago, urging residents to find safety. According to the weather service, the tornado intermittently made contact with the ground and was seen moving eastward. Additionally, there were reports of other circulations along the southern line of O'Hare. The NWS issued warnings to those in the affected area, advising them to seek shelter immediately. Uprooted trees and blown-off roofs were reported in Countryside, a town in Cook County, while La Grange saw car windows shattered, the NWS said. Additionally, multiple tornadoes caused damage to trees and roofs in various areas.

The Srinagar International Airport saw a record 102 flights clocking 15,199 flyers on Monday, April 11, bouncing back from the diminished air traffic seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. An official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) Srinagar said that the aerodrome witnessed a record 51 flight arrivals and a similar number of departures on Monday. Earlier, On March 29, 45 flights carrying 7,824 passengers landed at the airport while as many flights departed taking 7,190 passengers to various destinations. Daily flight arrivals had dropped to as low as 14 last year owing to the pandemic but tourists rushed in since February this year as Covid-19 cases subsided. In March, 1.8 lakh tourists visited the Valley. The number of flights is only going to rise in the coming weeks as people hope to escape heat waves in their towns and the security situation is expected to improve. This year, authorities are also expecting a record eight lakh pilgrims during annual Amarnathji yatra in south Kashmir Himalayas. Tourism had plunged in Kashmir first after the Centre stripped the region of its special status under Article 370 in August 2019, and later, as the pandemic cut domestic and foreign tourist inflows. The Amarnath yatra also remained suspended during 2020 and 2021. However, despite the airport seeing an increase of more than four lakh passengers last year, the outdated Instrumentation Landing System (ILS) has become a major reason for flight delays during inclement weather. The ILS is a ground-based instrumentation system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching the runway to enable its safe landing during reduced visibility conditions, common in Kashmir during winters. However, AAI officials say that the upgraded ILS will be up and running by end of 2022. The annual footfalls of passengers at Srinagar is expected to increase from three million passengers to six million passengers per annum while the 60-65 flights are expected to get added in the next few years. Source: deccanherald.com  

A total of 600 Indians who were evacuated from Ukraine's Sumy were flown out in three special flights from Poland on Friday (Local Time).   Some of the students were seen with the Indian Ambassador to Poland, Nagma Mohamed Mallick and other members of the Poland evacuation team at the Rzeszow airport.   Taking to Twitter, the Indian Embassy in Warsaw wrote, 600 Indians evacuated from Sumy flew out in 3 special flights out of Poland- the last of the Op Ganga flights! Some of the students are seen here with Amb Mallick and other members of the Poland evacuation team at Rzeszow airport.   External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday lauded authorities who facilitated the smooth conduct of Operation Ganga launched by the Government of India to bring back students from war-hit Ukraine.   Students from Sumy are returning today to India. Their evacuation was particularly challenging, Jaishankar said in a statement. The External Affairs Minister also thanked all those who facilitated the smooth operations of Operation Ganga.   India has evacuated over 20,000 of its citizens from war-hit Ukraine under Operation Ganga. Earlier today, more flights carrying many Indian students from the City of Sumy in North-Eastern Ukraine landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.   Source: ANI  

According to an announcement by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Thursday, fully resumption of international flights stands postponed at least till January 31, 2022. Last week, days after announcing resumption of international flights from December 15, the Government postponed its decision indefinitely due to fresh concerns over the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron. An order from the DGCA on December 1 said that a new date would be announced in “due course of time”. On Thursday, the DGCA said, “the competent authority has decided to extend suspension of scheduled commercial international passenger services to/ from India till 2359 hours IST of 31st January, 2022”. It added that international flights under air-bubble agreement with 32 countries would continue as before. In a relief for travellers arriving in India from Singapore, they will no longer be subjected to mandatory on-arrival RT-PCR test and seven-day quarantine, after the government removed the island city-state from its list of “at-risk” countries. Singapore had announced that it was restarting flight connectivity with India from November 29, after a gap of 20 months, and fully vaccinated Indian passengers could avail quarantine-free entry under its “Vaccinated Travel Lane” scheme. But later that month, in a setback to many planning to reunite with their families after a long time, India put Singapore on the list of at-risk countries requiring passengers arriving into the country to undergo additional health safety protocols. Singapore will now be classified with countries “not at risk”. Passengers arriving from these countries can enjoy quarantine-free travel within India and will only need to self-monitor their health for 14 days. In addition, a random selection of a mere 2% of passengers travelling from Singapore will need to undergo RT-PCR testing on arrival at Indian airports. The “at-risk” list of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare now comprises Europe and 11 countries — South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Ghana, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Hong Kong and Israel. Source: The Hindu.

Flight services between India and Singapore under the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) started on Monday even as Singapore deferred similar travel arrangements with some countries amid the 'Omicron' scare. Indian air line companies Vistara and IndiGo said they have started operating flights to Singapore, while there was no comment from Air India. VTL allows quarantine-free travel to Singapore for fully vaccinated travellers. "There is no change as of now in terms of our Singapore operations - our first flight went at 1:50 am today," a Vistara spokesperson said. While there is no change as of now, the spokesperson said the situation is being reviewed and a decision will be taken accordingly. "We can confirm that we are operating our flight on Chennai-Singapore as per schedule," an IndiGo spokesperson said. Last week, Singapore Airlines also announced that flights to and from India will resume from November 29. There was no immediate comment from the airline on Monday regarding the services. Various countries have imposed travel curbs in the wake of the emergence of the new COVID variant ''Omicron''. India too will review its decision to resume scheduled international passenger flights from December 15 on the basis of the evolving scenario. Earlier this month, Singapore and India agreed on resuming scheduled commercial flights between the two countries under the VTL from November 29, with six designated flights daily from Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai. Vistara, last week, said it would operate Airbus A320neo/A321neo planes five times a week between India and Singapore starting from November 29. Meanwhile, Singapore has deferred VTL arrangements with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates as a "precautionary move" to reduce the risk of importation and spread of 'Omicron'. VTLs for these three countries, originally scheduled to launch from December 6, will now be deferred "until further notice", Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Sunday.  Source: NDTV

India has decided to resume commercial international passenger flights on December 15, the Civil Aviation Ministry said Friday. “The matter has been reviewed and the competent authority has decided to resume the scheduled commercial international passenger services to/from India with effect from 15th December 2021,” it said in a statement this evening. According to the ministry statement, the decision would imply reversion to bilaterally agreed capacity entitlements and termination of air-bubble arrangements with some countries. It said 14 countries designated by the Indian ministry of health affairs as 'at risk', and with whom there is an existing 'air bubble' agreement, would be allowed to resume 75 percent of pre-Covid operations (or a minimum of seven frequencies per week). These 14 countries are - Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Singapore, China, Brazil, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, and New Zealand. The list also includes South Africa, Botswana, Israel, and Hong Kong - which have confirmed cases of the new B.1.1.529 variant of the Coronavirus. Countries designated as 'at risk' but without 'air bubble' agreements with India would be allowed to resume 50 percent of bilateral capacity entitlements, the Aviation Ministry said. Against the backdrop of the spread of Covid-19, the scheduled international commercial passenger services to and from India were suspended from March 23 last year. The suspension has been extended from time to time and is still in force till November 30, 2021, the statement added. Source: BSS AH