Amsterdam Schiphol has agreed to buy a 40% stake in Maastricht Aachen airport (MAA) from the Dutch province of Limburg, leaving the territory with a 60% share in the facility. The cooperation agreement outlining the deal was officially signed on 8 June, and envisages the parties working to develop MAA into a “sustainable, environment-conscious and future-proof airport for both passengers and cargo.” It adds that the promotion of innovation and electric aircraft are “main priorities” for the agreement, but it will also slant heavily towards the deepening of cargo operations. MAA is the second and only regional cargo airport in the Netherlands and therefore plays a role in the economic health of the country, Schiphol says. With available cargo capacity at MAA, the deal will offer opportunities for further development and efficiency at both airports, it adds. “Even though Schiphol and MAA are not comparable in terms of size and number of flights, I do believe that this collaboration is a powerful combination. MAA can benefit from Schiphol's knowledge, experience and networks, while Schiphol can use the experience that MAA will gain with innovations such as electric flying,” states Schiphol chief financial officer Robert Carsouw. In recent months Schiphol has announced plans to limit flights and ban the noisiest aircraft from using the facility, although some of its programme for reduced operations have been thrown out in court. It has also come in for criticism over its handling of the recovery as it raises charges for airlines, with IATA director general Willie Walsh last week calling it “the worst airport in the world”.

The chief executives of Scandinavian carriers Norwegian and SAS have declared their intent to seek compensation for flight disruption caused by a shortage of air traffic controllers at Copenhagen airport. SAS says it transported 2.2 million passengers in May, a 19% increase on the year before, and has ramped up capacity to meet summer demand, but group chief Anko van der Werff complains that ATC capacity issues in the Danish capital over recent months have caused "considerable problems for airlines, airports and, not the least, our passengers". "We expect all parties to take their responsibilities and make sure our passengers can travel where they want and when they want this summer," he adds. "We will seek compensation for the irregularity costs caused by the situation." Norwegian likewise acknowledges that the ATC situation has led to "major delays and cancellations recently", and says it supports the stance of its Scandinavian rival, its own chief Geir Karlsen commenting: "We are also considering requesting compensation for the extensive disruptions we have experienced due to air traffic control shortages at Naviair at [Copenhagen] Kastrup airport." On 11 May, Copenhagen Airports stated that there had been "massive" delays because of issues at Naviair, which provides ATC services for civil aviation in Denmark. The operator highlighted that the busiest day in April for traffic had been 28 April, when 88,000 passengers used the airport, but noted that some 50,000 of them had been affected by delays, predominantly caused by a lack of air traffic controllers at Naviair. Of the 717 planned flights on that day, 23 were cancelled, it added. Of the 19,200 flights in April, 45% were delayed by more than 15min, affecting a million passengers. There were 400 cancellations, which affected 60,000. "We trust Naviair and the air traffic controllers to find – in the first instance – a temporary solution to cover the rest of the spring season and the upcoming busy summer season when we expect more than 7.5 million travellers to pass through the terminals," stated Peter Krogsgaard, Copenhagen Airports' chief commercial officer. Five days later, Naviair issued a statement in which it outlined a plan for summer to "deal with the challenges posed by the lack of air traffic controllers". Specifically, Naviair is launching two initiatives to strengthen the capacity of tower and approach control at Copenhagen Airport. These include the transfer of air traffic controllers from Roskilde airport, with a certificate for tower and approach control, to Copenhagen airport during the summer months. Secondly, more air traffic controllers will be transferred from support services to operational roles. "We have listened to our employees and have made a plan that is not based on the use of extra shifts due to the shortage situation," states Naviair's acting chief executive Mads Kvist Eriksen. "In this way, we hope that we can find common ground for the coming months."

US president Joe Biden has selected Department of Transportation deputy secretary Polly Trottenberg to be acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. Trottenberg is the number-two official at the DOT, reporting to transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg. She has more than 30 years of public-service experience at all levels of government, and has held various transportation roles during two presidential administrations, the FAA notes. The regulator's current acting administrator Billy Nolen disclosed in April that he planned to step down from the position during the upcoming summer, saying "it is time for a new captain to guide the FAA". In March, Phil Washington, Biden's nominee to lead the FAA, withdrew from the confirmation process amid an expected lack of approval votes from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The Biden administration is continuing its search for a nominee to the permanent FAA administrator role, which carries a five-year term and requires US Senate confirmation. "I am grateful to Billy for his service during one of the most challenging and dynamic times in aviation, and I have full confidence in Polly's steady hand during the search for a permanent administrator," Buttigieg states.