https://www.scmp.com/rss/523707/feed The latest news and top stories on the International Air Transport Association (IATA). A Canada-based global trade association for the airline industry, IATA is dedicated to promoting safety, security and efficiency in air transport. Its main areas of focus include setting global standards for airline operations, advocacy training and certification. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Eric Jiang Eric Jiang Budget carrier HK Express will cut its fuel surcharge on flights departing Hong Kong to overseas destinations by 12.8 per cent from May 16, reducing the fee by HK$50 (US$6.38) to HK$339 per leg, the airline has said. The reduction, revealed on its website on Wednesday, excludes mainland China routes, and follows lower fuel prices amid the Middle East war. The budget carrier of Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways also said the surcharge for inbound medium-haul journeys, such as those departing... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3353443/hk-express-cuts-surcharge-128-fuel-prices-ease-amid-mideast-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3353443/hk-express-cuts-surcharge-128-fuel-prices-ease-amid-mideast-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2026 10:30:49 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings European airlines are adding flights to China despite costly airspace barriers over Russia to capture surging tourism demand and vie with Chinese carriers, analysts said. The frequency of direct China-Europe flights will climb from 3,011 this month to a per-month maximum of 4,151 in August at the height of summer, British aviation intelligence firm OAG said on Sunday. The same span of time last year saw a similar flight frequency in May, but an increase to only 3,393 flights by that... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3353110/european-airlines-adding-china-flights-despite-russian-airspace-barrier?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3353110/european-airlines-adding-china-flights-despite-russian-airspace-barrier?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 May 2026 06:00:05 +0000 Eric Jiang Eric Jiang Fewer than 5 per cent of Hong Kong flights for May and June combined have been cancelled, and about 1 per cent for the peak July travel period, aviation authorities have said, despite a global fuel crisis triggered by war in the Middle East. The figures were shared in Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan’s response to a lawmaker’s question, with the minister also revealing the Airport Authority planned to review charges to ease the financial burden on the aviation industry. The Civil... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3352602/airport-authority-reports-less-5-cancellations-despite-middle-east-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3352602/airport-authority-reports-less-5-cancellations-despite-middle-east-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 08:37:08 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Jet fuel shortages and surging prices are forcing flight cancellations across the Asia-Pacific, a squeeze that could intensify after the United States began controlling oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz following failed peace talks with Iran. Tehran’s effective closure of the strait – a chokepoint for about 20 per cent of global oil supply – is hitting regional airlines, particularly in countries without strategic energy reserves, analysts said. Jet fuel reached nearly US$198 in the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3349928/asia-air-travel-faces-turbulence-iran-war-exposes-jet-fuel-vulnerability?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3349928/asia-air-travel-faces-turbulence-iran-war-exposes-jet-fuel-vulnerability?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 02:00:31 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Buffeted by six weeks of war in the Middle East, airlines have scrambled to trim routes and costs as fuel bills explode and wary clients think twice about their travel plans, a situation that could persist even if a fragile truce holds. Carriers have largely halted flights in the Gulf region, with Air France announcing this week that it was extending its suspensions until May 3 – a decision a source said was made before this week’s ceasefire between the United States and Iran. With no certainty... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349544/why-us-iran-truce-may-not-end-high-airfares-and-flight-disruptions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349544/why-us-iran-truce-may-not-end-high-airfares-and-flight-disruptions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:00:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters The head of a body representing global airlines said on Wednesday that even if Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, it would take months for jet fuel supply to recover given disruptions to Middle East refining capacity. Oil fell below US$100 per barrel after US President Donald Trump said he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran ‌that was subject to the immediate and safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil trade. Iranian Foreign... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349353/no-quick-fix-asian-airlines-even-if-iran-reopens-hormuz-iata-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349353/no-quick-fix-asian-airlines-even-if-iran-reopens-hormuz-iata-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:26:07 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Julia had a plan: spring break, Kuala Lumpur’s skyline, then a long-overdue reunion in the jungles of Sarawak. What she got instead was a travel booking screen showing €3,000 (US$3,440) flights and a cascade of cancellation alerts. “I just can’t afford that,” the 22-year-old Romanian told This Week in Asia. Her original Emirates itinerary had her transiting through Dubai or Abu Dhabi, but the US-Israel war on Iran upended her plans after the carrier warned of disruptions and two-week... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3347358/visit-malaysia-2026-meets-iran-war-crisis-it-never-planned?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3347358/visit-malaysia-2026-meets-iran-war-crisis-it-never-planned?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Aviation leaders tackled barriers to growth and the impact of geopolitical tensions on the eve of the Singapore Airshow on Monday, while reaffirming pledges to reduce emissions. Supply chain problems were hurting global airlines and would remain for some time to come, the head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned industry leaders and regulators. “This disruption continues to have a major ⁠impact,” IATA Director General Willie Walsh said at the Changi Aviation Summit,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342050/aviation-chiefs-warn-turbulence-ahead-supply-chains-remain-grounded?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342050/aviation-chiefs-warn-turbulence-ahead-supply-chains-remain-grounded?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 05:05:55 +0000 Ambrose Li Ambrose Li Hongkongers hold the world’s 15th most powerful passport, up three places from last year, according to an index measuring visa-free access. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport offers visa-free access to 171 destinations, according to this year’s Henley Passport Index released last week. Singapore retained the top ranking for the third consecutive year, with its passport granting its citizens visa-free entry to 192 destinations. However, data from Hong Kong’s Immigration... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3340224/hong-kong-passport-ranks-15th-globally-rising-3-places-visa-free-access-index?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3340224/hong-kong-passport-ranks-15th-globally-rising-3-places-visa-free-access-index?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 15:06:03 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele As a near-weekly flier, Qyira Yusri is attuned to the rising menace of in-flight theft, mainly by Chinese gangs targeting flights across Asia to pilfer cash, credit cards and luxury handbags stored in overhead compartments. She checks everything twice before boarding, puts aside her passport and phone and only places carry-on luggage overhead in her eye line. For the 30-year-old, whose next flight to Bangkok from Malaysia will be her 55th in a work-packed year, a healthy dose of paranoia... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3338155/mile-high-crime-club-theft-syndicates-target-asias-airlines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3338155/mile-high-crime-club-theft-syndicates-target-asias-airlines?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 10:30:08 +0000 Zhu Wenqian Zhu Wenqian The global air travel market has bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, with the industry upbeat about 2026 and the Asia-Pacific region expected to lead worldwide traffic growth, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Monday. Load factors in Asia-Pacific were projected to hit an all-time regional high of 84.4 per cent next year, according to IATA, which represents some 370 airlines, accounting for more than 80 per cent of the world’s air traffic. Passenger demand was strong,... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3336513/china-led-asia-pacific-region-lifts-global-aviation-outlook-profits-set-soar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3336513/china-led-asia-pacific-region-lifts-global-aviation-outlook-profits-set-soar?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 11:53:19 +0000 Kandy Wong Kandy Wong The International Air Transport Association (IATA) will add the yuan to the settlement currencies available to airlines and aviation suppliers through the industry association’s clearing house, a move bolstering China’s efforts to promote the internationalisation of its currency. Yuan settlements will be available from next month following the completion of a trial period, the association said in a statement issued on Wednesday, with domestic carriers China Southern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331728/yuan-internationalisation-efforts-uplifted-airlines-add-currency-settlement-options?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331728/yuan-internationalisation-efforts-uplifted-airlines-add-currency-settlement-options?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 07:30:09 +0000 Cannix Yau Cannix Yau Hong Kong will play a pivotal role in pushing for the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in an effort to raise the city’s status as an international aviation hub, the transport chief has pledged. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan also said on Tuesday that the government’s green fuel usage target of 1 to 2 per cent by 2030, announced after Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s policy address, was “pragmatic and realistic”. “It is of utmost importance that we join hands to scale up... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3329816/hong-kong-will-lead-push-green-fuel-elevate-status-aviation-hub-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3329816/hong-kong-will-lead-push-green-fuel-elevate-status-aviation-hub-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 10:12:09 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Two Delta Air Lines regional planes collided at low speed while taxiing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday night, causing minor injuries to one flight attendant and prompting regulators to open an investigation. Both planes were CRJ-900 aircraft operated by Endeavor Air. Endeavor Air Flight 5047 was heading to its gate at the airport when it struck Endeavor Air Flight 5155 around 10pm, the US Federal Aviation Administration, which is probing the incident, said in a statement on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327689/2-delta-planes-collide-new-yorks-laguardia-airport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327689/2-delta-planes-collide-new-yorks-laguardia-airport?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 16:35:57 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji India is preparing to open two major new airports near its capital and financial centre, a move that industry analysts say would help ease severe air traffic congestion and strengthen its position to become a global aviation hub. The inauguration of the airport at Jewar – about 100km (62 miles) from New Delhi in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida area – is scheduled for October 30, with commercial operations expected to begin around mid-December, according to government officials. The other airport at Navi... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3327043/can-indias-aviation-hub-goal-take-2-new-airports-ease-congestion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3327043/can-indias-aviation-hub-goal-take-2-new-airports-ease-congestion?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 11:54:42 +0000 Aisyah Llewellyn Aisyah Llewellyn When Michael Watson boarded an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner from New Delhi to Dubai in early June, he didn’t expect to swear off the aircraft type for good. But days later, another Dreamliner operated by the same airline crashed just 30 seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people on board as well as 19 others on the ground. Watson, a retired British teacher and frequent flier in Asia, says he now avoids the 787 altogether because “I have a bad feeling about... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3318804/after-2025s-aviation-scares-are-skies-still-safe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3318804/after-2025s-aviation-scares-are-skies-still-safe?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jul 2025 00:00:11 +0000