Thursday 22 January 2015

CJEU: The final price of air fares at booking process must be indicated at all times and for each flight shown

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled in its judgment on the case C-573/13 that airline websites must indicate the total price of the air fare at all stages of the booking process. Furthermore, the total price must be displayed for all flights shown on the screen and not only for the selected flight.

Saturday 17 January 2015

Cyprus Airways ceases operations after an order to repay state aid - but is it over?

Last week, Cyprus Airways, the island’s national carrier, was shut down after a European Commission decision ordered the company to repay more than 65 million euros it received in illegal state aid.   On Wednesday, the state’s Council of Ministers approved a proposal tabled by the Ministry of Finance, to proceed with acquiring the services of advisors in order to set up the new airline, which will use the logo and name of Cyprus Airways.

Saturday 10 January 2015

FAA issues law enforcement guidance for suspected unauthorized UAS operations

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued Guidance for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA), both state and federal, in relation to Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) operations. The FAA suggests that LEAs are often in best position to detect, deter and enforce the FAA regulations on UAS operations. The guidance explains briefly the pertinent FAA rules and suggests methods for their enforcement by LEAs. The document serves interagency cooperation, underscoring that the FAA has only administrative authority, yet unauthorized UAS operations might also violate criminal rules under special circumstances.

Thursday 8 January 2015

U.S. GAO rejects Sierra Nevada’s protest over NASA $6.8 billion space contracts


On January 5, 2015, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), rejected a protest filed by the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) over a NASA contract award to SpaceX and Boeing, to develop crew transportation vehicles to the International Space Station (ISS), under the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) Program.

Education campaigns on UAS, to inform users, increase safety… and prevent stricter regulation?

In the days before Christmas, two major education campaigns on the use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) started in the US and the UK. Although the major goal of such campaigns is to educate users on the legal framework of such flights, they might be part of an effort to avoid stricter regulation.