The ‘hijacking’ of Ryanair flight FR4978 – which was diverted to Belarus to arrest a journalist that opposes the regime of President Lukashenko – was severely condemned by the international community, especially by the EU who threatened the country with a flight ban. In the next issue, we find out what procedures are in place for airports to respond to such incidents, and whether the response can be improved. 

The US Federal Aviation Authority has recently downgraded Mexico’s safety rating, which prevents Mexican carriers from adding further US flights and limits marketing possibilities with other carriers. We speak to aviation stakeholders in both countries to see if the move was justified and what the repercussions will be. 

We also speak to Munich Airport about its new sustainable fuel offering, take a look at some of the airports leading the way in automated baggage handling, and find out how airport and airline operators can protect themselves from cyberattacks. Plus, we catch up with Medical Detection Dogs about a project using sniffer dogs to detect Covid-19 cases and the potential of this new role for sniffer dogs in airport security.

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