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ACI EUROPE and Airlines for Europe (A4E) called (12-Oct-2026) for "immediate" operational and regulatory changes to the Entry/Exit System (EES), warning that excessive waiting times at border control continue to cause "significant" disruption for passengers, airports and airlines across the Schengen area. Proposed measures include:

• Eliminating 'double verification';
• Optimising biometric verification;
• Preventing duplicate EES profiles;
• Upgrading the 'Travel to Europe' app and web portal;
• Accelerating and harmonising Automated Border Control for third-country nationals;
• Restoring the possibility to partially suspend the EES in case of excessive waiting times, as a permanent flexibility mechanism. [more - original PR]

London Heathrow Airport reported (12-Oct-2026) it handled nearly 7.2 million passengers in Sep-2026, a decline of 2.3% year-on-year. The airport stated the performance underlines "continued demand for the UK's only hub airport", despite "recent headwinds including the Middle East conflict. Airport CEO Thomas Woldbye also commented on the Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement, which is being reviewed by UK Parliament - ahead of his evidence session at the Transport Select Committee's hearing on the HENPS in mid Oct-2026. Mr Woldbe stated: "The debate about whether the UK needs additional hub airport capacity has been settled. Businesses, trade unions, regional airports, airlines and politicians agree that better global connections are critical if the UK is to compete, trade and grow". He added: "Expansion would unlock more than 100,000 jobs, inject GBP33 billion (EUR39.06 billion) of private investment, strengthen British supply chains and increase export capacity for companies across the country. It would open the door to new airlines, new destinations and greater choice for consumers". He concluded: "There is now a clear path forward. The private investment is available, the benefits are well understood and the Government has confirmed expansion can be delivered within net zero targets. After decades of discussion, Parliament now has the opportunity to unlock a project that can deliver lasting benefits for generations to come. We are ready to deliver it". [more - original PR]

Delta Air Lines announced (12-Oct-2026) plans to delay the launch of Atlanta Hartsfield-Riyadh service until Mar-2027. As previously reported by CAPA, the carrier planned to launch the route on 23-Oct-2026. No other carriers operate the route, according to OAG. [more - original PR]

oneworld announced (12-Oct-2026) check-in enhancement technology is now available on all carriers across the alliance. The technology offers a simplified check-in process in which customers can scan their passport, receive boarding passes and save their boarding pass directly to their digital wallet. The enhancement will apply to flights operated by oneworld carriers in their itinerary, irrespective of the first operating carrier. The check-in enhancement is powered by oneworld's proprietary technology, which enables different members' systems to communicate via a shared digital platform. [more - original PR]

Air Canada, via its official website, announced (Oct-2026) a non-refundable booking fee of CAD30 (USD21.04) per passenger will be applied to new bookings made via an Air Canada agent through its contact centre, effective 15-Oct-2026. The fee will continue to apply for the carrier's Aeroplan flight reward bookings made through its contact centre.

Emerald Airlines CEO Keith Butler commented (09-Oct-2026) on the operation complexities of "essentially running two separate AOCs under one roof", as part of its 10 year franchise agreement with Aer Lingus. The carrier launched operations in Feb-2022, operating services from Dublin to the EU under one AOC and operating UK domestic services from Belfast under another. Mr Butler stated: "In aircraft on ground situations, we've got to hire in an aircraft from ourselves if we want to have operational robustness, and that's a burdensome process. We can't interchange our crew between bases in any way". He added: "It has affected the number of flights we've been able to operate. Ideally, there would be a resolution to this for all UK operators, in terms of mutual recognition between European and UK licences for both engineers and pilots, or some sort of fast qualification recognition". He concluded: "It's been a real challenge building up to 20 aircraft over a three to four-year period. We've done that and achieved profitability within year two of operation". [more - Aviation Week]