09MAR: Greek airport prices double, new international airport Sao Paolo

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LGZZ/Greece Landing and parking fee hikes are coming on Apr 1, at all those airports in Greece that are operated by Fraport: Aktion, Chania, Corfu, Kavala, Kefalonia, Kos, Lesbos, Mykonos, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos, Thessaloniki and Zakynthos. Parking at all airports will now be at least twice as expensive as it used to be.

SBSP/Sao Paulo The World Economic Forum on Latin America 2018 will be taking place in Sao Paulo from Mar 13-15. For the first time since 1985, the city’s second airport SBSP/Congonhas will be open to international flights, from Mar 9-18. Only BA/GA will be accepted, nothing larger than 737BBJ / A319ACJ. This will be a trial period to check if the airport could regain its international status on a permanent basis.

VTZZ/Thailand Tropical storms are forecast across central Thailand, including in Bangkok, from Mar 8-10. Authorities have warned locals to prepare for possible flooding, as most dams and rivers in the area are already near capacity.

KZZZ/USA Travel disruption expected to continue across the Northastern states in the next few days, following the passage of Storm Quinn, which buried many areas with heavy snow. More than 2000 flights were cancelled at Northeastern airports because of the storm.

NFTF/Fua’amotu Reconstruction efforts continue, following damage caused by Cyclone Gita in Feb. The night-time curfew in central Nuku’alofa has been extended to Mar 12. The airport is open and operating, but travel to Togo is currently not advised due to damage to hotels and infrastructure across the rest of the island.

NZZZ/New Zealand Cyclone Hola is forecast to arrive sometime between Mar 11-13. The cyclone is currently building as a category 2 storm as it moves away from Vanuatu. It’s expected to intensify on Mar 8 as it moves southwest towards New Caledonia, with most forecasters saying it will then track towards the north island of New Zealand.

LGTS/Thessaloniki The hugely disruptive repair work that had been going on since early Dec 2017 has now been completed. Both runways are back in service, and the makeshift runway they were calling 10L/28R has now been re-assigned back as Taxiway F. Easyjet will re-commence their scheduled flights there from Mar 25 onwards.

LFZZ/France Potential strike by some Air France staff on Mar 23. If it goes ahead, it’s likely to be similar to the one held on Feb 22 which resulted in the carrier canceling a quarter of its flights.

VCZZ/Sri Lanka On Mar 6, the government announced a nationwide state of emergency in response to recent incidents of inter-communal violence in certain regions to the east of the capital, Colombo. There are restrictions on phone and internet access, and all the main social media platforms have been blocked. Soldiers have been deployed across the island for an initial 10-day period in a bid to prevent the unrest from spreading.

LGZZ/Greece We’ve heard reports that the Greek CAA are planning to introduce some new rules for non EU-registered aircraft with up to 19 seats intending to do charter flights to Greece. In order to pick-up or drop-off passengers, these operators will now need to apply for an annual licence from the CAA. This is quite separate from the existing requirement to get a Third Country Operator (TCO) approval from EASA. Expect an AIP update soon with more details on this.

RJZZ/Japan A volcano in southern Japan erupted on Mar 6, shooting smoke and ash up to 7,500 feet into the sky. All flights at the nearby RJFK/Kagoshima airport were grounded, though operations have since resumed. On Mar 7, an ash cloud was still being reported in the area up to FL150.

KSDM/San Diego CBP are threatening to close the Customs office at the airport from May 1, after failing to reach an agreement with the City of San Diego about a requested upgrade to the CBP facilities and equipment at the airport. If the closure goes ahead, GA will no longer be able to operate internationally to/from KSDM.

LXGB/Gibraltar On Mar 3, severe weather and a subsequent rockfall damaged some airport equipment – both the primary and secondary radar are currently out of service.

TTCP/Tobago The airport will be closed for runway repair each night between 02-10z until May 5.

MUZZ/Cuba The U.S. have claimed that some of its embassy staff in Havana have been targeted by so-called ‘health attacks’, and believe that U.S. citizens may also be at risk. They now specifically mention Hotel Nacional and Hotel Capri as hotels to avoid.

SOCA/Cayenne Due to ongoing staff shortages, the airport is unavailable from 01-11z every night now until further notice.

VIDP/Delhi Sporadic runway closures until the end of March will mean that at most times overnight, there will only be one runway available. Expect delays.

ZSPD/Shanghai The airport now has Cat-III ILS installed on RWY34L, which will enable pilots with the necessary qualification to land even when visibility is less than 175 meters / landing height less than 15 meters.

KZZZ/USA With the ADS-B deadline coming up in Jan 2020, U.S. operators can get their ADS-B equipment validated by the FAA for free – just do a flight of at least 10 minutes in ADS-B airspace above FL050, and the system will check the accuracy of the data your aircraft is transmitting, and will send you an automated report by email. Sign up here: https://adsbperformance.faa.gov/PAPRRequest.aspx

09MAR: Greek airport prices double, new international airport Sao Paolo