South Africa’s shadow public enterprises minister is insisting that the government ease air transport pressures by allowing other operators to conduct repatriation services. Ghaleb Cachalia, from the opposition Democratic Alliance party, argues that South African Airways – which has been mired in a drawn-out business rescue process – does not have sufficient cash to carry out the task properly. The party says the government, particularly its international relations department, should “facilitate” flights to and from South Africa. It has sought clarification from the government as to whether SAA is being given preferential treatment at the expense of other carriers. “SAA has no cash in its coffers,” says Cachalia, describing the airline as a government “vanity project”. “In the absence of shouldering its responsibility to South African citizens, the very least that can be done is for the international relations department to facilitate other international carriers that are willing to step into the breach.” SAA’s repatriation efforts had been threatened by its financial predicament, with the carrier’s business rescue practitioners having previously declared that it did not have sufficient funding to maintain such flights beyond early May.
Although the government started easing the lockdown on 1 June, South Africa’s air transport system remains in poor shape, with three major carriers under various levels of financial pressure. Transport minister Fikile Mbalula, during an inspection visit to Johannesburg airport on 3 June, stated that the government’s gradual release of lockdown measures would mean a phased introduction of domestic services at the country’s airports. Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Lanseria would be covered in the first phase. This will extend subsequently to Bloemfontein, Kruger and Polokwane airports, before a third phase brought in Kimberley, East London, Port Elizabeth, Upington and Umtata. Mbalula also stated that only passengers would be allowed inside terminal buildings, which would be fitted with temperature-screening systems, and passengers would need to follow measures including social-distancing and wearing of face masks. Aircraft will be boarded in sections – aft first – to minimise contact. No catering or magazines will be provided, while the last row of seating will be reserved for isolation of suspected coronavirus cases.

Source: Cirium

New York LaGuardia airport's new terminal B arrivals and departures hall will begin accommodating passengers on 13 June, just in time for the modest rise in traffic US carriers are now seeing as states in the USA continue their staggered reopenings after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The US Transportation Security Administration reports that 338,382 passengers cleared its checkpoints on 9 June - down about 85% compared with the same weekday a year ago. On the second Tuesday in May (12 May), 163,205 passengers cleared TSA checkpoints, compared to 2.2 million passengers a year ago on the same weekday. American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Air Canada operate gates in LaGuardia's terminal B. The first new gates and concourse of LaGuardia's terminal C opened on 29 October 2019. Terminal B's first new gates and concourse were unveiled in December 2018. A new arrivals and departures hall at terminal C will open in 2022 with the phased opening of three additional concourses. Terminal B is also scheduled for completion in 2022. The terminals are part of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's $8 billion ongoing reconstruction of LaGuardia, which began following New York governor Andrew Cuomo's 2016 unveiling of his plan to rebuild the airport.

Source: Cirium

Stephen Hillier has received parliamentary approval to become the new chair of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, with one of the former Royal Air Force chief of the air staff’s first tasks to be helping to steer its departure from European Union Aviation Safety Agency control. The CAA on 7 May named Hillier as its preferred candidate to succeed Deirdre Hutton. His selection was endorsed on 9 June by the House of Commons’ cross-party transport committee. Speaking to committee members on 5 June, Hillier had outlined his ambitions for the UK aviation regulator in a post-EASA era, and detailed the sector’s challenge in recovering from a coronavirus-driven collapse in demand for air travel. “My task is to make sure that we continue in the CAA to be a world-class regulator,” he says. “What is going to be the biggest challenge is the amount of change that we are now facing. “In addition to the safety functions, we have a clear role to look after consumers in every respect,” he says. “People are also interested in how we take responsibility for our regulation back from EASA and looking at how we recover in an environmentally sustainable way.” Hillier identifies his first priority was continuing the CAA’s primary duty: “to protect the safety of those who fly and those who are on the ground underneath platforms that are flying”. Secondly, he identifies the need – as exposed during the coronavirus crisis – to “generate greater resilience in the aviation sector” to cope with such shocks. “We need to deal with rapidly changing technology and the increasing exploitation of unmanned systems, drones and the space environment,” he says. “We need to deal with rising consumer expectations. I need to make sure that the CAA has the capabilities, the agility and the adaptability to be able to function in that environment.” Pointing to the UK regulator’s long contribution of knowledge and expertise to EASA – an organisation that it will leave before the end of 2020 ­– he notes: “It is not as if we are starting from a blank sheet of paper. The sheet of paper has EASA written on it at the moment. We are working from that as our baseline, and then on what we need to do to take our national responsibilities, and still have relationships with EASA, ICAO and the like.” Hillier points to his “lifelong experience of working in aviation in highly regulated environments and leading at a strategic level in complex and demanding positions”, including being chief of the air staff for a three-year period concluding in July 2019. Having first gained a private pilot’s licence at the age of 17, his career in the RAF included being a pilot on Panavia Tornado GR1/4 strike aircraft and air officer commanding the service’s 2 Group organisation. The latter post included having responsibility for the operation and safety of its air transport, tanker, and intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance aircraft fleets. Hillier’s appointment awaits final confirmation by UK transport secretary Grant Shapps.

Source: Cirium