Miguel Praga

📡 On August 10, several balloons from Morocco were detected in the airspace of the Canary Islands. USCA spokesperson José Feliu clarified that the balloons, attributed to American studies and not Moroccan spy activities, were previously notified to air traffic controllers and pilots. These high-altitude balloons are used for communications, data transmission, surveillance, and intelligence, operating above commercial flight levels.

🚀 Spanish Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, justifies the decision to eliminate compensations for AVE train delays of 15 and 30 minutes, labeling punctuality commitment as economic suicide. Amidst the high-speed rail sector's price war, with competitors Iryo and Ouigo, the industry faces annual losses of €230 million. Renfe paid €42 million in delay compensations in 2023, often for issues not attributable to them. Puente denies the policy change is related to Talgo S106 trains' 479 incidents.

💥 Adriano Assis and José Felipe narrowly avoided a potentially fatal incident on a Voepass flight 2283 from Cascavel to Sao Paulo on Saturday. Mistakenly waiting at a Latam counter, both men missed their flight, which later encountered erratic speeds and a potential ice hazard at 19,000 feet. Experts suggest technical faults in radar data recording, while investigations continue into the cause, with ice on wings being a primary suspicion.

✈ IAG is confident Vueling will emerge successful from its battle with Spain's Ministry of Consumer Affairs over hand luggage policy, leading to a multimillion fine for Ryanair, Easyjet, and Volotea. On June 14, Vueling appealed the sanction, with a resolution expected in 2024. The total fine amounts to €150 million, with Ryanair responsible for approximately €100 million. The alleged violations include extra fees for seating minors or dependents, hand luggage in the cabin, lack of transparent pre-contractual pricing, cash payment bans, and a €20 reissuing fee for boarding passes at the airport, the latter solely penalizing Ryanair.

✈ Geneva Airport in francophone Switzerland has enforced a policy penalizing airlines for delays since 2023, with full implementation expected in 2025. Airlines facing delays pay fines ranging from 5,000 to 21,000 euros for European flights and 10,000 to 41,000 euros for transoceanic flights. Resultantly, noise complaints have dropped significantly. However, some airlines have challenged the policy in Swiss federal courts. Geneva Airport's main operator is Easyjet's Swiss subsidiary.