The UK government’s proposals to shake up airline compensation legislation will result in fewer claims and lower expenditure for airlines, according to consumer rights legal firm Bott and Co. Although the proposals would reduce the threshold that compensation would be due down to one hour of delay from three currently – meaning that over ten times as many passengers could make claims – it would also massively reduce the average compensation claim amount. Based on government data, this would fall from an average of £220 ($297) to £23.60. "In theory the changes expose the airlines to more compensation, however the consultation acknowledges that in reality far fewer people will actually have the impetus to make a claim when the compensation is on average just £23.60," comments Coby Benson, consumer rights solicitor at Bott and Co. "The net result is that the airlines will save money because passengers will be disincentivised to make a claim." The law firm also believes that consumers will be less likely to challenge an airline’s refusal for compensation when relative small amounts are at stake, especially given the costs in launching a claim under the government’s alternative dispute resolution scheme. "I think if compensation is going to be reduced to such a low level then it should be paid out automatically, without any argument over extraordinary circumstances. This would then mirror the regulations for rail delays,” adds Benson. Currently, passengers are able to claim for delays of three hours or longer. The government's central proposal is that for a delay of more than one hour but less than two, passengers will be entitled to compensation of 25% of their ticket price. For a delay of more than two hours but less than three, this rises to 50% of ticket price. Beyond three, the full ticket price would be refunded. The change in legislation is designed to update UK regulation after Brexit.

The US Federal Aviation Administration's concerns over the activation of 5G telecommunication networks in the USA are "nothing new", Peter DeFazio, chair of the US House committee on transportation and infrastructure, said during a hearing on 3 February. The FAA and the US Transportation department have expressed concerns that 5G implementation could interfere with radio altimeters on board aircraft. Under pressure from regulators, AT&T and Verizon agreed on 18 January that their twin launch of 5G communications networks on 19 January would temporarily bypass certain US airports amid ongoing safety concerns. AT&T stated at the time that it was "frustrated by the FAA’s inability to do what nearly 40 countries have done, which is to safely deploy 5G technology without disrupting aviation services". DeFazio on 3 February cited as the true culprit a "completely broken" federal interagency process for auctioning off spectrum. “My colleagues and I watched in complete dismay as the deployment of 5G originally proceeded without any of the safety mitigations the FAA, aviation industry and I have long called for,” DeFazio says. “This resulted in a disorienting display of 5G fits and starts over the last several months, inevitably due to the FCC auctioning off 5G spectrum without any concrete plan in place to safely deploy these technologies without interfering with aviation.” He adds that "numerous aviation stakeholders" had expressed their concerns over the 5G rollout to the Federal Communications Commission "prior to and after the FCC voted to open up the C-band for wireless use all the way back in 2018".

A declaration of support for a public-private effort to decarbonise European aviation has been signed by 35 countries and the European Commission. The Toulouse Declaration seeks to reinforce the work of Destination 2050, an aviation industry collective that seeks the funding, political will and infrastructure to achieve net zero within 30 years. Destination 2050 was launched last year by Europe’s five chief aviation associations, representing airlines (A4E and the ERA), airports (ACI), aerospace manufacturers (the ASD) and air navigation service providers (CANSO). Key to the Toulouse Declaration is a desire to establish a European strategy for the production of sustainable aviation fuel and synthetic fuel, plus research on low-carbon aviation technologies, as well as regulatory systems to minimise fuel consumption. The agreement also seeks to build momentum for a global regulatory push on aviation emissions at the 41st ICAO Assembly taking place later this year.