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February 7, 2005
TIACA NEWS
2005 Annual General Meeting To Be Held In Turkey (February 2nd)
Istanbul To Host TIACA’s 2005 AGM And Executive Conference
TIACA will hold its AGM and Executive Conference in Istanbul on April 10-12, 2005. The opening address will feature guest speaker Binali Yildirim, Turkey’s Minister of Transportation and Communications. The conference will be at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. For more information, visit www.tiaca.org.
NORTH/SOUTH AMERICA NEWS
DHS Loses Another Top Official (February 3rd)
Outgoing Homeland Security Official Cites Need For Better Planning
C. Stewart Verdery Jr., DHS’ assistant secretary for border and transportation security policy and planning, announced his resignation on Thursday. He joins Secretary Tom Ridge, Deputy Secretary James Loy and Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for border and transportation security, as DHS loses much of their top staff at the beginning of the President’s second term. Verdery joins the “growing chorus of critics [who say] the department needs better long-term planning and strategic thinking.”
CBP Drops C-TPAT Requirement For Using ACE (February 2nd)
Requirements Eased For Participation In The Automated Commercial Environment
In order to encourage widespread use of ACE, the new Internet portal system for imports and exports, CBP has dropped the requirement that all ACE users participate in C-TPAT. CBP officials stressed that this move in no way indicated diminished support for C-TPAT. Whereas C-TPAT is currently a voluntary program, ACE will soon be mandatory and CBP wants to encourage its use by all shippers.
Costello Is New Democratic Leader On House Aviation Subcommittee (February 4th)
Costello Assumes Top House Aviation Minority Post
Jerry Costello, a Democrat from Illinois, is the new minority leader of the House Transportation Committee’s subcommittee on Aviation. Former Ranking Member Peter DeFazio has moved on to the highway subcommittee.
New Proposed Regulations Give Regional Carriers Pause (February 1st)
Regional Uncertainty
The so-called ‘135s’, those carriers regulated by Part 135 of the FAA regulations (7,500 pounds of cargo and below), are concerned that they are in the dark on how TSA’s proposed regulations will affect them. Part of the reason comes from the short 60 day window that TSA gave them for analysis and comments. Another major concern is who pays for the cargo inspection that is almost certain to be required.
EUROPE NEWS
Tens Of Airlines Plan Protests Of Frankfurt Curfew (February 4th)
Airlines To Protest Proposed Curfew At Frankfurt Airport
As a trade-off for being allowed to build a fourth runway, Frankfurt Airport has announced that it will ban all flights between 11 PM and 5 AM, starting in 2009. This will affect many airlines, especially cargo carriers. Lufthansa Cargo, in particular, has already shifted traffic to Munich in response to Frankfurt’s actions. Airlines have until March 2nd to file a complaint and reserve their right to any future legal action.
ASIA NEWS
Hong Kong Ups Cargo Flights To Japan By Over 40 Percent (February 4th)
Hong Kong To Increase Cargo Flight Capacity To Japan
The HK Economic Development and Labor Bureau announced that they had agreed to add about 24 weekly cargo flights to Japan, adding to the 36 existing flights and increasing capacity by over 40 percent.
Australia Thinking Open Skies With EU Next (February 2nd)
Europe In Sights For Airline Access
Australian Transport Minister John Anderson hopes to head to Europe as soon as he wraps up negotiations with Singapore on open skies, perhaps as soon as the end of the month. Since Australia allowed Singaporean carriers to continue on to America after making stops there, they expect to see Singapore support its bid for greater access to Europe through Singapore.
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