Runway Girl
• Mary Kirby
The Air Line Pilots Association is asking the FAA to require airlines to install secondary cockpit barriers on in-service aircraft. The proposal would extend physical cockpit-access protections beyond newly delivered airplanes, potentially creating new compliance, maintenance and retrofit-planning obligations for carriers and operators.
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Nancy Kassebaum, the former U.S. senator who pushed through the General Aviation Revitalization Act, has died. The law reshaped product-liability exposure for general aviation manufacturers, making her a consequential figure in the sector’s regulatory and industrial history.
The Air Line Pilots Association is asking the FAA to require airlines to install secondary cockpit barriers on in-service aircraft. The proposal would extend physical cockpit-access protections beyond newly delivered airplanes, potentially creating new compliance, maintenance and retrofit-planning obligations for carriers and operators.
The United States’ decision to remove Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism and waive restrictions on Syrian-operated flights removes significant barriers to the country’s aviation recovery. The changes could enable new investment and support the rebuilding of Syria’s air transport sector.
Fiji Airways has secured immediate U.S. authority to broaden its scheduled and charter operations while its application for an amended foreign air carrier permit proceeds toward final approval. The interim authorization gives the Fiji-based carrier additional flexibility in serving the U.S. market.
New TSA Administrator David Cummins has ended the agency’s controversial Gold+ program, but the broader push to expand private security screening at U.S. airports remains in place. The decision separates the fate of Gold+ from the administration’s wider approach to airport security privatization.
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The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the Department of Transportation’s 2025 order requiring Delta Air Lines and Aeroméxico to unwind their nearly decade-old joint venture. The ruling restores the partnership’s antitrust immunity and allows the carriers to continue operating it amid a dispute involving Mexico.
Ireland’s airport authority is pressing for a higher passenger cap, highlighting a potential constraint on airport capacity and traffic growth. The request puts the country’s aviation infrastructure and regulatory framework at the center of plans to accommodate future demand.
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The White House has issued a new U.S. National Space Transportation Policy, superseding policies released in 2004 and 2013. The update establishes a revised framework for U.S. space transportation and could shape how international partners, launch providers and regulators interpret America’s role in the sector.
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