Global air passenger traffic now almost at pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels

Global total air passenger traffic in November last year passed 99% of the figure for November 2019, which was the last November before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, reports the International... 

US researchers develop longer-life, rapidly charging, solid-state lithium battery

A new solid state lithium metal battery, that can be charged within a matter of minutes and can be charged and discharged at least 6 000 times, has been developed by researchers at the John A... 

UAE to build key element of future new Nasa space station

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is to build the crew and science airlock module for the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration- (Nasa-) led Gateway Space Station. Gateway will be the first... 

UK to invest hundreds of millions into the production of fuel for advanced reactors

The UK government has announced that it is to invest £300-million in the creation of a commercial-scale production plant for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel for nuclear reactors. It... 

IAEA launches microplastic pollution research project in Antarctica

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched a mission to research the presence and impact of microplastics in Antarctica. Microplastics are defined as plastic particles with a... 

IATA welcomes aviation decarbonisation conference agreements, but demands States act

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which is the global representative body for the airline industry, has welcomed the outcomes of the intergovernmental International Civil Aviation... 

International air cargo group opens pharmaceuticals handling facility at Cape Town

The International Airlines Group’s (IAG’s) freight business, IAG Cargo, announced on Thursday that Cape Town had become its latest station to receive approval to handle the shipment of temperature-... 

South African young-women-led startup gains international visibility from global event win

The winning of the jury prize at the recent Women Entrepreneurs 4 Good (WE4G) global startup pitching event in Paris, by South African biotechnology startup BAOM Eco Solutions (BAOM), has created... 

AI, flying taxis identified as emerging megatrends in the air transport sector

Global air transport industry information technology (IT) provider SITA has identified both generative artificial intelligence (AI) and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) as among the emerging megatrends in... 

PRASA to brief Parliament’s transport committee early next year on its challenges

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) will account to, and provide a briefing for, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Transport, regarding the challenges faced by the Shosholoza Meyl... 

SADC marks 23 years of transfrontier conservation with major conference

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) Network reported on Tuesday that its latest yearly meeting had marked “monumental progress” in... 

Researchers report that space weather events could endanger railway safety

Researchers at the University of Lancaster in the UK have determined that significant space weather events could interfere with railway signalling systems at sea level, on Earth, thereby creating... 

International observatory has awarded R1bn-plus in contracts in South Africa

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Observatory (SKAO) has so far awarded contracts worth about R1.2-billion to South African companies and institutions, for work on the SKA-Mid radio telescope array,... 

Airbus buys new generation more sustainable training aircraft

Europe-based global major aerospace group Airbus has announced that its wholly-owned civil and military pilot training subsidiary, Airbus Flight Academy Europe, has taken delivery of four... 

Erection of Karoo telescope dishes to start in early 2024

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope project is, in terms of scale, undoubtedly the biggest astronomy programme in the world today. What was once a dream, and then a hopeful project, is... 

Erection of Karoo telescope dishes to start in early 2024

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope project is, in terms of scale, undoubtedly the biggest astronomy programme in the world today. What was once a dream, and then a hopeful project, is... 

IATA determined to help improve aviation safety in Africa

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which is the global representative body for the airline industry, “is still very focused on Africa”, assured IATA regional VP Africa and Middle... 

IATA is urging governments to prioritise the production of sustainable aviation fuels

The production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) is not receiving the priority it needs, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned. SAF is essential if commercial aviation is... 

Air passenger traffic continued a strong recovery in October

The International Air Transport Association (IATA – the representative body for the worldwide airline industry) reports that total global air passenger demand continued to recover strongly in... 

Global air cargo demand continues on an upward trend

October was another month that saw increased year-on-year (y-o-y) air cargo demand, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has reported. (IATA was the global representative body for the... 

South African woman appointed to head Brussels aircraft maintenance facility

Aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company ExecuJet MRO Services Europe has appointed South African Nadia Coetzee as GM of its facility at Brussels International Airport. She was... 

Space sector representatives from four African countries currently touring the UK

Space innovators, entrepreneurs and government officials from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa are currently in the UK to meet their British counterparts, to exchange insights and... 

Airbus awarded contract for next phase of 'standards laboratory in space' project

Airbus Space has been awarded a €109.3-million (including options) contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the latest phase of its Traceable Radiometry Underpinning Terrestrial and Helio... 

Global nuclear energy summit announced for early next year

The intergovernmental International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA’s) director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo have... 

Airlink has upgraded its Johannesburg – Richards Bay service

South African regional and domestic airline Airlink has announced that it has significantly upgraded its service on its Johannesburg-Richards Bay route, with effect from Monday. Previously operated... 

Campaign launched to promote tourism to George, the Garden Route and Klein Karoo

Inter-agency and public private partnership Cape Town and Western Cape air connectivity initiative Cape Town Air Access (CTAA) has announced it is partnering with Cape Town-based and leading... 

ACSA urges airline passengers to adhere to hand baggage regulations

With the high-demand Christmas season about to start, the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has called on airline passengers to adhere to the regulations regarding hand baggage (the bags that... 

Chinese communications company considering assembly operations in South Africa

China-based mission-critical communications hardware and software company Hytera Communications is in early-stage discussions to hopefully start basic assembly operations in South Africa. Based in... 

Rolls-Royce says all its commercial aero engines can run on 100% green fuels

UK-based global major propulsion and power systems group Rolls-Royce announced on Monday that it has successfully tested every one of its current production commercial (including business) aircraft... 

Sierra Leone to get its first wind farm next year

UK-based renewable energy group Octopus Energy has announced that it has entered a partnership to develop the first ever wind farm in the West African country of Sierra Leone. Its partner in the... 

Canadian airline orders another 25 jetliners from Embraer

Brazil-based major aerospace group Embraer has announced that Canadian carrier Porter Airlines has ordered a further 25 E195-E2 airliners, which will take its fleet of this type to 75. The airline... 

FlyNamibia to link Windhoek with Victoria Falls in joint strategy with Airlink

Independent Namibian airline FlyNamibia has announced that it is to institute a new route on April 4 next year. This will connect the country’s capital, Windhoek, to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.... 

South African food inflation is accelerating again

South African food and non-alcoholic beverage (NAB) inflation – hereafter to be referred to as food inflation, for short – continued its renewed acceleration in October, the Bureau for Food and... 

Rolls-Royce seeking a 'step change' in its mid-term financial performance

UK-based global major propulsion and power systems group Rolls-Royce announced on Tuesday, as part of a Capital Markets Day that it is hosting, that it is targeting a major uplift in its... 

South Africa seeks re-election to council of global shipping regulator

The Department of Transport (DoT) has announced that it has launched a campaign to get South Africa re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), for the period... 

IATA welcomes aviation decarbonisation conference agreements, but demands States act

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which is the global representative body for the airline industry, has welcomed the outcomes of the intergovernmental International Civil Aviation... 

South Africa has hosted major nuclear energy school for African countries

The fourth International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Nuclear Energy Management (NEM) school for Africa was held in Cape Town, from November 13 to November 24, the South African Nuclear Energy... 

Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s fourth CubeSat project well on track

The Africa Space Innovation Centre (ASIC) of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) is currently busy with its fourth nanosatellite programme, ASIC Chief Engineer Nyameko Royi tells... 

Satellite constellation project to support African farmers highlighted

South African space infrastructure company SCS Space, based in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape, is highlighting its SCS-Agrisense project at the 2023 Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Week and... 

GMES Africa initiative stimulating use of satellite data on the continent

Intergovernmental organisation the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Africa is attending the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Week and Ministerial Summit 2023 (being held at...