European regulators have extended the period in which airlines can transport cargo in cabins of passenger aircraft, pushing the deadline back to 31 July 2022. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency had set the original 31 December 2021 deadline – along with additional limitations – to mitigate the risk of cargo fires in passenger cabins. When airlines sought to use passenger aircraft for cargo flights amid scarce freight capacity and swathes of their fleets sitting on the ground during the pandemic's initial stages in 2020, EASA granted a deviation from design requirements for cargo compartments on large commercial aircraft, to enable the use of passenger cabins for freight transport. Passenger cabins are typically not equipped with the extensive smoke detection and built-in fire suppression systems that are required for cargo compartments. Fire protection is instead provided via handheld fire extinguishers. EASA says: "Cabin fires originate either from aircraft systems or from occupants personal belongings that are subject to intensive screening and control. Furthermore, it is assumed that passengers and crew members can detect cabin fires in a timely manner." The regulator saw the possibility that operators of freight-carrying passenger aircraft could "underestimate the hazard associated to a cargo fire" and therefore imposed time limitations to "mitigate to an acceptable level the risk of exposure to a catastrophic cargo fire event". In addition to the 31 December 2021 deadline, EASA mandated that no more than 2,500 aircraft be converted as temporary freighters – either by carrying cargo on seats or removing seats – and that each aircraft be limited to 2,000h for cargo missions. EASA has not changed the fleet and flight-hour limits as part of the deadline review. "The assumptions on the rate of conversion of the fleet and on the average flight-hours per affected aeroplane per year are established taking into account the expected temporary nature of this demanded kind of passenger aeroplane operation, which is expected to phase out as soon as the situation generated by the current Covid-19 emergency improves and normal fleet operation is restored," the regulator says. EASA decided it is "reasonable and sufficiently conservative" to allow affected aircraft to fly until 31 July 2022 because it had approved a "very low number" of design changes by the end of June 2021 and the number of converted aircraft was "significantly lower than initially assumed". Beyond fleet and flight-time limits, EASA mandates that at least two occupants must be on board aircraft carrying freight in the cabin in addition to the flight crew, whose duty is to detect and fight a fire and relay information to the pilots. The additional occupants are required to carry portable oxygen equipment each time when they leave the seat for cabin inspections, EASA says.

British Airways has entered negotiations with unions about establishing a new short-haul carrier to operate out of London Gatwick. The IAG-owned carrier confirms that talks to create a new unit at the facility have begun but declined to give further details while the process continues. Pilot union BALPA says it "cautiously welcomes" the decision to restart short-haul services from Gatwick. "BALPA and BA are in the final stages of negotiations over the revised pay and conditions for Gatwick-based BA pilots, and we hope to bring these talks to a conclusion shortly." Travel website Head for Points quotes BA as saying in an email to staff that Gatwick "was previously a highly competitive market, but for us to run a sustainable airline in the current environment, we need a competitive operating model". As a result it is proposing "a new operating subsidiary to run alongside our existing long-haul Gatwick operation, to serve short-haul routes to/from Gatwick from summer 2022. This will help us to be both agile and competitive, allowing us to build a sustainable short-haul presence at Gatwick over time." BA suspended flights at London Gatwick airport last year as passenger demand collapsed amid the pandemic, and consolidated its services at London Heathrow instead. This prompted speculation that the airline could abandon Gatwick altogether. Commenting on the latest development, investment firm Goodbody says a move to establish a new subsidiary with a lower-cost base could put pressure on EasyJet, which is Gatwick's largest operator, and Wizz Air, which is seeking to expand its presence there. "Clearly a development to be watched," adds Goodbody.

India has cleared the Boeing 737 Max to begin operating to and from the country's airports again. In a 26 August notice, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) says it has "rescinded with immediate effect" an order which grounded the Max in the wake of two fatal accidents involving the type. The DGCA says it has been "closely monitoring the global trend with regard to ungrounding" the Max, and has seen "no untoward reporting" about the aircraft's safety. India's government grounded the Max on 13 March 2019. In April of this year, the DGCA granted permission for foreign-registered 737 Max aircraft to overfly the country. It also gave permission for foreign-registered Max jets that were grounded in India to perform operational readiness flights. Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet, which has 13 737-8's in storage, disclosed earlier on 26 August that it had finalised a settlement with lessor Avolon to return its Max fleet to service once regulatory approvals had been obtained.