Aviation

  Bloomberg China said it would hit back at nations that placed Covid restrictions on its travellers for “political goals,” showing the coronavirus remains a politically sensitive subject in Beijing even as it lets the virus run rampant. “We believe that some countries’ entry restrictions targeting only China lack scientific basis and some excessive measures are unacceptable,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman ...

  Bloomberg Within months of a 2008 fatal plane crash that killed five, federal authorities revoked the license of the Oklahoma company that arranged the charter flight for allegedly doing so illegally. But Interstate Helicopters Inc won back its certificate to fly commercially early the next year and has kept it despite multiple subsequent violations of aviation regulations, a guilty ...

  Bloomberg Spain will require passengers arriving from China to provide a negative Covid test or a certificate proving full vaccination amid increasing concern about a renewed surge of the virus. The government in Madrid also wants a European Union crisis-response meeting at which the bloc should agree to demand evidence of full vaccination from Chinese arrivals, Health Minister Carolina ...

Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co says it’s sparing nothing in an operations review after a Christmastime meltdown stranded tens of thousands of passengers. But that’s not likely to include junking its network or losing its top executive. Chief Executive Officer Bob Jordan is pledging that no aspect will escape scrutiny, including the airline’s unique point-to-point route network that can limit the ...

Bloomberg Boeing Co shares posted their largest quarterly gain in 40 years after executives laid out a plan to turnaround the company after four years of turmoil that have cemented Airbus SE’s lead as the world’s biggest planemaker. Boeing’s shares soared 57% during the final three months of the year, adding $42 billion to its market value, according to data ...

  Bloomberg Australia said travellers departing China, Hong Kong and Macau will require a negative Covid-19 test before boarding flights to the country. The temporary measure, which will start from January 5, has been put in place because of a “lack of comprehensive information” about the situation in China, Health Minister Mark Butler said. “The decision to implement these temporary ...

Bloomberg The Philippines said hundreds of flights were cancelled or diverted after technical issues related to air traffic navigation, with planes on other international routes also prevented from passing through its airspace. There were no commercial flights in the Philippines on Sunday, according to a tweet by Flightradar24, which tracks air traffic. More than 280 local flights were either delayed, ...

  Bloomberg A Chinese fighter plane flew within 20 feet (6 metres) of a US Air Force reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea in what the US Indo-Pacific Command called “an unsafe maneuver.” The unusually close encounter happened on December 21 but wasn’t disclosed until later, when the command issued a statement after verifying the details and getting approval ...

  Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co’s 2022 nightmare before Christmas is unlikely to inflict long-lasting damage to the carrier’s reputation if management compensates customers and makes good on vows of operational changes, communications and management professionals say. In recent days, social media has been flooded by angry Southwest customers after storms and shaky computer systems forced the airline, the largest domestic ...

  Bloomberg Hong Kong scrapped its closed-loop requirement for international airline crews, ending almost two years of pandemic-related restrictions on flight staff. Transport officials in the Asian financial hub told airline industry representatives of the change, which took effect immediately, people familiar with the matter said, declining to be identified because they’re not authorised to speak publicly. The change means ...