Filipino-based regional airport, Tacloban Airport, has temporarily been closed due to the increasingly deteriorating state of the airport’s primary runway. A series of potholes had gradually been developing on the runway surface, which consequently prompted the Filipino civil aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), to close the airport while the necessary repairs could be carried out. All airlines operating under the jurisdiction and oversight of the CAAP continue to be listed on the EU ban list of carriers (with the exception of Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific), as the European Union continues to question the CAAP’s ability to adhere to internationally recognised standards in safety oversight.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has released a statement citing the increased risk associated of operating within Malian airspace. EASA has advised operators to exercise increased caution when operating over (or within) the northern and western regions of Mali due to reports indicating the presence of anti-aircraft machine guns and man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS). EASA notes that there are currently up to 13 European commercial passenger flights operating over this region and advises carriers should ‘exercise extreme caution’ when operating within this area and the surrounding airspace.

The U.S. civil aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has officially banned U.S.-based airlines from operating over Syrian and Iraqi airspace due to the increasingly volatile security situation within these regions. The FAA noted that presence of anti-aircraft weapons in these regions posed a significant potential threat to commercial airlines and has consequently banned U.S. airlines from operating over these regions. Any U.S.-registered airline planning to operate within the airspace of these regions is now required to contact the FAA in order to seek approval to operate within the restricted airspace.