Archive

BY MARK ROWE
A SONG or customs passed down through generations by an aboriginal tribe can reveal as much about that society as a physical artefact such as their traditional clothing or funerary urns. But while these last two items can be preserved for posterity easily enough, the challenge to retain more intangible objects such as a musical story is far greater.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
THE FLOODS in central Europe last August and September took a tragic toll of lives, disrupted local economies and devastated numerous museums with the irretrievable loss of cultural artefacts. In Dresden, the worst hit city, thousands of artworks had to be moved when both the Zwinger Palace, site of one of Europe’s great art museums, and the Albertinum Museum became victims of rising floodwater.…

BY MATTHEW BRACE
SOUTH African airports have been using a novel way of improving air traffic control safety: employing sheepdogs to scare birds from their runways and reduce the incidence of bird strikes on aircraft. Trials have been successful at Durban and Johannesburg’s international airports and civil aviation authorities elsewhere have expressed interest in the scheme.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE NEW International Code for the Security of Ships and Port Facilities, agreed by an International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Diplomatic Conference, held in London, last month (Dec) aims at reducing the industry’s exposure to terrorist attacks and resulting damage.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
OFFICIALS from the United States and European Union have been meeting to solve differences over the Americans’ Container Security Initiative. The EU and the US have agreed to quickly explore signing a cooperation deal on operating a mutually acceptable container security system, but problems remain, for instance on the proposed US 24 hours rule, requiring carriers to provide American customs with cargo manifest information a day before it is loaded on board a USA-bound vessel.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
CHANGES have been made to European legislation aimed at protecting European Union (EU) airlines which could restrict slots allotted to foreign competitors receiving large government subsidies. The European Parliament’s transport committee have approved amendments which would specify retaliatory measures that could be taken against offending carriers.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A STATE aid inquiry has been formally launched by the European Commission into the benefits offered to Ryanair by its first base in mainland Europe, Brussels South Charleroi Airport, Belgium. The Commission says there is a case to answer over advantages provided by the airport, which is controlled by the Walloon regional government.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission will examine “as a matter of urgency” how the cost of installing additional airport and airline security following last year’s September 11 attacks could be shared between public authorities and air industry operators. It is an attempt to break an impasse between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers, which has wanted to shift the burden onto the industry.…

Keith Nuthall
THE EUROPEAN Investment Bank (EIB) has unveiled plans to lend the Polish Airports State Enterprise, (Przedsiebiorstwo Panstwowe Porty Lotnicze) Euro 200 million to construct a second terminal at Warsaw International Airport, Poland. The project should enable the airport to accommodate existing and rapidly rising demand for air transport in Poland, and, said an EIB note “contribute to Poland’s integration into the EU, and to strengthening transport links between the EU and Poland.”…

BY MARK ROWE
BANGKOK’S new international airport will have no train link to the capital when it opens in 2005. Instead, five new roads will be built linking Bangkok to Nong Ngu Hao airport. Thai government officials said a rail link would not be a worthwhile investment because the city’s mass transit system would not be completed to provide it with effective connections.…