By 2050 USA AIRLINES goal for flying with renewable fuels

6) Traveller Rules With people able to travel now, there are still new and at times, complex rules they must follow. The rules are still highly changeable and airlines must react in accordance to the nations they serve. Some countries have given the green light to travel to some countries, but those nations may still have their borders closed to all travellers. Vaccinated and non-vaccinated… that is the question. Plus the Passenger Locator Form and the pre-fight PCR test all make travel more complex these days and these restrictions look set to last.

Travel restrictions are ultimately designed to slow down the spread of the virus or any mutations. Considering that all four corners of the world live with the virus (the Delta variant), it begs the question that restrictions are in fact now meaningless.

Next we get to the make of vaccine; WHO approved or not, nation approved or not? If you had a vaccine not recognised by your destination, you won’t be going! Surely this proves that travel restrictions should be universal, transparent and global; where the rules apply to all and we do not have this infighting and squabbling between nations.

FRANCE END TO SHORT DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

France is to abolish domestic flights between destinations that also have good train links with a journey time of less than 2.5 hours in a bid to become more sustainable. This means that short flights from Orly Airport in the south of Paris to destinations such as Bordeaux and Nantes will no longer be an option.

France is not the only EU nation that has tried this measure. Both Holland and Austria have similar policies.

BY 2050 USA AIRLINES GOAL FOR FLYING WITH RENEWABLE FUELS

The US has set 2050 as the goal for airlines to fly with 100% renewable fuels, as one way to tackle climate change in the country.

Incentives may be given to support private-sector production of sustainable aviation fuels, as it aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Many big aviation nations are looking for ways to encourage the production of sustainable aviation fuels, which are 2-5 times more expensive than conventional aircraft fuels. Sustainable fuels are made from animal feed or cooking oils and are only account for a very small percentage of total aviation fuel use. Battery operated flights are a long way off due to the weight of the batteries.

CHINA EXCELERATES PRODUCTION OF ROBOCAR

Chinese internet search giant Baidu Inc has unveiled a self-driving robocar with no steering wheel, and an upgraded autonomous driving service platform named Luobo Kuaipao, in a bid to make autonomous driving technology commercially feasible.

The robocars will have, features like:

L5autonomous driving ability; voice and facial recognition capacity, which can analyse the potential needs of users and proactively offer related services; selflearning and continuous self-improvement abilities. Automated gull-wing doors and a transparent glass roof, all with external sensors, the robocar challenges the traditional car design concept. The interior features zero-gravity seats and a large curved intelligent display and control pad, with no steering wheel and pedals.

GERMANY TO SELL STATES SHARE IN LUFTHANSA

The German government is to sell a quarter of its 20% stake in Lufthansa, earning a good profit and with plans to sell the rest of its stake by the end of 2023. Its total stake is currently valued at over UK£728 million. The stake was bought for UK£258 million in 2020 as part of a recovery fund to help recovery during the health crisis. Lufthansa has received US$7 billion in bailout funds due to the pandemic. Its latest financial statement saw better than expected results for the Q2 of 2021. With a loss still of UK£801 million, the overall picture is more positive.

It saw a loss of UK£241 million euros for the whole of 2020. With more people vaccinated and travel restrictions easing in many places, the airline has seen a good uptake of business over the summer months.

The airline said that ticket sales for the coming months were up between 70-75% compared with the same period of 2019.

NEW QINGDAO JIAODONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT OPEN

The new Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport has just opened with the aim to be an international hub airport in Northeast Asia. The new airport in East China's Shandong province will see 35 million annual passengers, 500,000 metric tons of cargo and 300,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings by 2025. The new airport will help place Qingdao as a gateway to Japan and South Korea.

It is the 1st 4F ranked international airport in Shandong province, the ranking being the internationally rated highest level for an airport. The new Qingdao airport will now have the same rank as Beijing Capital International Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport. It can accommodate big aircraft, like Airbus 380 and Boeing 747.

Currently, the new airport operates 130 domestic destinations, including areas like Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta region and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Internationally and regionally, the airport caters for 50 major global destinations including 17 in Japan and South Korea.