Those backing Heathrow’s proposed new runway want to depoliticise the issue entirely. But hard choices are inevitable.
The scene of the fatal crash at Essendon Airport, where authorities allowed extensive development between the runways and surrounding housing.
Joe Castro/AAP
Airport operators enjoy the privileged position in Australian planning law of being able to decide their own futures. Their exemption from state planning rules threatens orderly planning and safety.
Qantas’s new non-stop route from Perth to London might be a watershed for travel times between Australia and Europe. But super-long-haul routes won’t do much to cut aviation’s greenhouse emissions.
Air traffic controllers are modernizing their systems.
AP Photo/Cliff Owen
A rare but dramatic solar storm could have a damaging effect on aircraft systems crucial for safe flight. New technology can help us avoid serious consequences.
US domestic carriers won’t face emissions curbs until the rest of the world’s airlines do too.
Lasse Fuss/Wikimedia Commons
Greenhouse emissions from the aviation industry are still largely unregulated. The prospect of regulations for US flights sounds like progress, but it won’t happen without an elusive international consensus.
A TWA annual report from the early 1960s featured its gleaming new terminal.
Todd Lappin/flickr
The bid by British Airways’ owner, IAG, to buy Aer Lingus is yet another step towards the establishment of the three dominant network carriers in the EU airline market. The Aer Lingus board is currently…
People do disgusting and disruptive things on airplanes. They show little regard or patience for fellow passengers and their needs. Inconsiderate behavior on the part of passengers can make air travel…
Oil prices have been in a tailspin for month, falling to a five-year low, yet airfares have barely budged. What gives?
Shutterstock
Oil prices are down almost 50% from their peak this year, and jet fuel has plunged 33% since last December. Given energy costs consume almost a third of airline operating expenses, shouldn’t we expect…
Mass spectrometry will identify those explosive molecules.
Marcia Cirillo/Flickr
You’ve probably had your hand luggage swabbed after walking through the metal detector at the airport. Whatever molecules were picked up by the swab have been separated using gas chromatography. So how…
You have gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to thank for keeping you safe from explosives in air travel.
Dustin Ground/Flickr
As the holidays draw near, many of us will hop on a plane to visit friends and family – or just get away from it all. Some will be subjected to a swab at the airport to test clothes and baggage for explosives…