ARC NEWS
FAA restricts helicopter traffic near Washington National
February 03, 2025
The US Federal Aviation Administration has enacted new flight restrictions for helicopters flying in the area over the Potomac River in the vicinity of Ronald Reagan Washington National airport, effective 31 January. The restrictions added in response to the fatal mid-air collision on 29 January of a PSA Airlines MHIRJ CRJ700 and a US Army Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter "exempts helicopters entering this airspace for life-saving medical support, active law enforcement, active air defense, or presidential transport helicopter missions that must operate in this restricted area", the FAA says. The regulator adds that the restrictions will remain in place until the National Transportation Safety Board completes its preliminary investigation of the accident, at which point it will be reviewed based on NTSB's report. "Today’s decision will immediately help secure the airspace near Reagan airport, ensuring the safety of airplane and helicopter traffic," states US transportation secretary Sean Duffy.


TAAG receives its first 787
January 31, 2025
TAAG Angola Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 on lease from AerCap. The African carrier has another three 787s (one -9 and two -10s) on order and opted for GE Aerospace GEnx engines on the fleet. TAAG notes that the first Dreamliner arrived nearly 50 years after it received its first aircraft, a 737-200. "The delivery of the 787-9 is a pivotal step in our strategy to modernise TAAG Angola Airlines' fleet," states chief executive Nelson Rodrigues de Oliveira. "This airplane brings the efficiency and versatility we need to meet growing market demands, replace our aging widebody fleet, and deliver a world-class experience to our passengers." Fleets data shows that the carrier has nine 737NGs (including one freighter), eight 777s, one Airbus A220-300 and six De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 turboprops. The A220 is on lease from Air Lease Corporation. TAAG has another 10 A220-300s on order, to be variously leased from ALC (three), Aviation Capital Group (four) and Azorra (three).


Passenger demand hit record highs last year: IATA
January 31, 2025
IATA has reported record-breaking passenger demand in 2024. Full-year traffic, as measured by revenue passenger kilometres, increased 10.4% year on year, exceeding 2019 levels by 3.8%. RPK growth was highest in Asia-Pacific, at 16.9%, followed by Africa on 13.2% and the Middle East on 9.5%. Europe's RPKs grew 8.7%, Latin America's 7.8% and North America's 4.6%. Capacity as measured in available seat-kilometres was lifted 8.7%. Faster growth in demand than in capacity led to a record-high load factor of 83.5%. International traffic showed a particularly strong resurgence, rising 13.6% compared with 2023, against 5.7% for domestic. In December 2024, there was an 8.6% increase in demand. Last year "made it absolutely clear that people want to travel", states Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general. "With 10.4% demand growth, travel reached record numbers domestically and internationally. Airlines met that strong demand with record efficiency." IATA expects growth in travel demand to continue this year, albeit at a more moderate pace of 8%.


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