The US Federal Aviation Administration is permanently restricting non-essential helicopter operations around Ronald Regan Washington National airport and eliminating helicopter and fixed-wing mixed traffic. The move comes after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) asked the FAA to permanently prohibit helicopter operations near the airport when runways 15 and 33 are in use, and to designate an alternative helicopter route. The FAA notes in a 14 March update that it is permanently closing Route 4 between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge and evaluating alternative helicopter routes as recommended by the NTSB. It adds that it is prohibiting the simultaneous use of runways 15/33 and 4/22 when helicopters conducting urgent missions are operating near DCA. "If a helicopter must fly through the airspace on an urgent mission, such as lifesaving medical, priority law enforcement, or Presidential transport, the FAA will keep them specific distances away from airplanes," it says. Furthermore, the FAA is limiting the use of visual separation to certain Coast Guard, Marine and Park Police helicopter operations outside the restricted airspace. The FAA says it is "continuing its analysis of airports that have high volumes of mixed traffic". That includes an assessment of the eight cities where it has charted helicopter routes: Boston, New York, the Baltimore-Washington area, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles, some of which have multiple airports. The administration is also assessing the US Gulf Coast, including offshore helicopter operations. "The FAA will have corrective action plans for any risks that are identified," it says. "To make us more predictive, we are using machine learning and language modeling to scan incident reports and mine multiple data sources to find themes and areas of risk."

Israeli airline El Al has reported a sharply higher profit for 2024 as foreign competitors were largely absent from the country's aviation market. Operating profit near-trebled to $773 million on a 37% revenue increase, to $3.4 billion, the carrier says in a filing to the Tel Aviv stock exchange. Net profit came in at $545 million. Connectivity to Israel was heavily impacted by conflict through 2024. Most foreign airlines withdrew their services in response to the risk of rocket attacks. El Al, which remained in operation throughout the year, therefore captured a larger slice of the market. Rival airlines are now starting to return to Israel, although for now at a reduced level. "The year 2024 presented us with complex national and business challenges, but we have proven our ability to successfully overcome them," states chief executive Dina Ben Tal Ganancia. "Despite the difficulties, we maintained Israel's air bridge to the world during a multi-front war while continuing to implement our strategic plan." That strategy, which El Al is in the process of updating, envisages that the airline will target leisure travellers, focusing on the European and North American markets, she adds. "We welcome the return of foreign airlines and continue strengthening El Al's position as a strong and leading Israeli airline that contributes to the country's economy and society."

Air Baltic has reaffirmed its commitment to resuming scheduled flights to and from Ukraine as soon as the country's airspace reopens and all necessary approvals are secured. A delegation from the Latvian airline visited Kyiv this week to meet with local stakeholders about restoring air connectivity, the Latvian carrier says. The carrier plans to reintegrate Kyiv and Lviv into its route network once conditions allow, with expanded connections linking Ukraine not only with Riga but also with Tallinn and Vilnius. During their visit, the delegation met with representatives from Ukraine's Ministry of Development of Communities and Territories, Boryspil International airport, and the Latvian Embassy. Air Baltic president Martin Gauss states: "We have consistently expressed our plans for AirBaltic to be the first airline back in Ukraine when it is safe, and we stand by this commitment. The safety of our employees, passengers, and operations will always be our highest priority, and following our second in-person visit to Kyiv, preparations for our return are well underway." In preparation for its return, AirBaltic has integrated the Ukrainian language into its official website to enhance accessibility for Ukrainian-speaking customers. The airline currently operates nearly 130 routes from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, Tampere and, seasonally, Gran Canaria.