Airlines begin lengthy Tel Aviv flight suspensions as war rages
Tel Aviv is becoming off limits for a growing number of airlines as the conflict enters its fourth day and the Israeli government vows to respond aggressively to the Hamas attacks.
Finnair Oyj will cancel all flights to Tel Aviv until March 30 next year, it said on the X, the platform previously known as Twitter. Discount carrier EasyJet said Tuesday that it had suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv and would monitor the situation, “with a view to resuming some services when we can.”
Both carriers follow Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Air France-KLM and the three big US airlines that stopped services yesterday. Delta Air Lines Inc on Monday suspended Tel Aviv flights through Oct. 31 in what it said was “a difficult decision” while promising to help customers book with partners.
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EU puts a stop to antitrust exemption for liner shipping consortia
The European Commission has decided not to extend the EU legal framework which exempts liner shipping consortia from EU antitrust rules.
The Commission said on Tuesday that the Consortia Block Exemption Regulation (CBER) no longer promotes competition in the shipping sector and therefore it will let it expire on April 25, 2024.
Today’s decision follows a review process launched in August 2022, aimed at gathering evidence on the functioning of the CBER since 2020. The CBER allows shipping lines, under certain conditions, to enter into cooperation agreements to provide joint cargo transport services, also known as consortia.
The Commission launched a call for evidence in August 2022 inviting feedback from stakeholders on the performance of the CBER. It sent targeted questionnaires to the most interested parties in the maritime liner shipping supply chain on the impact of consortia between liner shipping companies as well as of the CBER on their operations.
Splash 24/7
Blanked sailings gain pace following China’s Golden Week holiday
Vespucci Maritime's Lars Jensen wrote in the Baltic Exchange's latest commentary that the number of sailings being blanked in the wake of Golden Week is higher than usual, as the container shipping market reaches a crossroads and demand is way below the record newbuilding deliveries.
Sailings are expected to be blanked until 22 October at least.
New vessels are left idle at times out from the yards rather than being put into service immediately.
Sea-Intelligence’s recent data shows that 4% of the global capacity remains unavailable due to continuing vessel delays – roughly twice the normal pre-pandemic level.
Container News
EU could slash methane emissions 30% by tackling fuel imports
The European Union could help slash global methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by almost a third if it applied measures tackling pollution domestically to imports as well, according to a new report.
Member states and the bloc’s parliament are negotiating rules to tackle methane emissions in the fossil-fuel sector, with EU lawmakers pushing to apply the same rules for detecting and repairing domestic leaks to products made outside the bloc. Methane is about 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20-year time frame.
Such a move may help spur a reduction of at least 30% in global emissions from the oil and gas sector, according to Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit group in Rotterdam. The industry currently is responsible for about 7% of methane releases into the atmosphere.
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UK envoys head to India as nations seek to conclude trade deal
UK envoys are due in New Delhi this week as the two countries seek to bring almost two years of trade negotiations to a conclusion, people familiar with the matter said.
A team of 30 UK officials including Director General for trade negotiations Amanda Brooks will head to the Indian capital to thrash out remaining issues as part of their 13th round of talks, officials from the UK and India said, requesting anonymity because a deal isn’t yet sealed.
At stake is a commercial agreement between two of the world’s largest economies that would represent a landmark for both. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would be able to hold the deal up as a benefit of Brexit, and for India, it would be a boost for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he gears up for an election next year.
AJOT
Air Traffic Control – the real art of blue sky thinking
Picture the worst possible day on the biggest and busiest road and then imagine that chaos transferred to the clouds worldwide. Artemis Aerospace looks at the crucial work of air traffic controllers and how they keep aircraft moving and skies safe.
If you’ve downloaded a flight radar app, you may have been astonished at the sheer number of aircraft crisscrossing the country. Zooming in to Heathrow or JFK, all you can see is a vast pile of teeny planes all seemingly jostling to get on or off the runway. It appears to be completely chaotic, but every single aircraft is on a precisely dictated flight path, and it’s the work of air traffic controllers that will result in an untroubled journey and a safe landing.
Air traffic control aims to move aircraft safely and efficiently through the airspace system, maintain communication with the pilot, and ensure compliance with aviation protocol. In the UK, 7,000 aircraft traverse the skies every day, and air traffic control services handle 2.5 million flights and 250 million passengers per year on commercial, leisure, cargo and military flights.
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