News & numbers
“Full travel bans and border closures are not an ongoing solution as variants emerge.”
Luis Felipe de Oliveira, ACI World
World restricts travel to southern Africa in response to Omicron variant
On 26 November, governments around the world, including the US, the UK, Canada and the EU, imposed a travel ban on non-citizens and permanent residents coming from eight countries in southern Africa, in response to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The new restrictions restricted travel from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, intended to mitigate the spread of
Omicron. The restrictions invited criticism due to the work done by scientists in South Africa and Botswana to detect, sequence and report the variant. On 30 November, WHO director-general
Tedros Adhanom criticised member states for “introducing blunt, blanket measures that are not evidence-based or effective on their own, and which will only worsen inequities”. Confirmed cases of the Omicron variant
Skyports unveil plans for Europe’s first test eVTOL vertiport
Skyports, a leading designer, developer and operator of vertiports – landing sites for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft – is developing a test vertiport in Paris. This move is intended as a significant step towards launching commercial advanced air mobility (AAM) services in time for the 2024 Olympics. The vertiport will be designed, built and operated by Skyports at Groupe ADP’s Cergy-Pontoise Airfield in Paris. “The trial platform we are launching is unprecedented in Europe,” said Augustin de Romanet, chairman and CEO of Aéroports de Paris (Groupe ADP). “It will function as a concrete experiment to explore the field of
possibilities of a decarbonised and innovative aviation, and to develop the low altitude aviation market, which has been largely unexplored until now.”
The test site will be equipped with a range of technologies, including biometric identity management, recharging equipment and weather stations. The data collected will be essential for the development of AAM regulatory frameworks.
Ankit Dass, chief technology officer at Skyports, said: “Technology will play a critical role in ensuring the safety and operational efficiency of vertiports. The integration of technology is at the core of our vertiport design, development and operation.”
Passenger jet use of SAF shows promise
Initial findings from the ‘Emission and Climate Impact of Alternative Fuels’ (ECLIF3) study, involving Airbus, Rolls- Royce, German research centre DLR and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer Neste have provided promising results. The study marks the first time 100% SAF has been measured simultaneously on both engines of a commercial passenger aircraft – an Airbus A350 aircraft powered by Rolls- Royce Trent XWB engines.
In April 2021, the A350 flew three flights to compare in-flight emissions of both
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kerosene and Neste’s hydro-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) sustainable fuel. Tests resumed in November 2021, measuring the emissions of 100% SAF and a HEFA/Jet A-1 fuel blend. Results indicated potential improvement in air quality around airports and reduced climate impact. “Sustainable aviation fuel is widely recognised as a crucial solution to mitigating the climate impact of the aviation sector, both in the short term as well as the longer term,” said Jonathan Wood, Neste’s renewable aviation vice-president for Europe.
began appearing across the world in the following days.
Scientists say the mutations may make it more transmissible than the currently dominant Delta variant of the disease and potentially more likely to evade the immune response from previous infections and vaccination. They stress, however, that more research – and time – is needed to establish the likely impact of the variant.
Heathrow partners with Microsoft to combat wildlife traffickers
Heathrow Airport and Microsoft have teamed up to trial the world’s first artificial intelligence system developed to combat illegal wildlife trafficking. ‘Project SEEKER’ is intended to detect animal trafficking in cargo and baggage by scanning up to 250,000 bags a day, helping authorities to tackle the $23bn industry.
Microsoft developers have taught Project SEEKER to identify animals and animal products, and trials at Heathrow have demonstrated the algorithm can be trained on any species in just two months. It recorded an over 70% successful detection rate and was particularly effective at identifying ivory items, such as tusks and horns. “Project SEEKER and our partnership with Microsoft and Smiths Detection will keep us one step ahead of traffickers, by exploring new technology that will help us protect the world’s most precious wildlife,” said Jonathan Coen, director of security at Heathrow Airport. “We now need to see more transport hubs deploy this innovative system, if we are to take meaningful action on a global scale against this illegal industry.” Following the pioneering trials at Heathrow, Microsoft is now calling on conservation organisations, law enforcement agencies and other major transport hubs to deploy Project SEEKER and help improve its capabilities.
Future Airport /
www.futureairport.com
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