• AVIATION SAFETYStudy: Flying Keeps Getting Safer

    By Peter Dizikes

    Reflecting a “Moore’s Law of aviation,” commercial flight has become roughly twice as safe each decade since the 1960s; Covid-19 added a wrinkle, however.

  • INADMISSIBLE MIGRANTSAnother Report Says CBP, ICE Not Detaining, Removing Inadmissibles Flying into Country

    By Bethany Blankley, The Center Square

    A DHS OIG audit found that a regional CBP and ICE detention and removal processes were ineffective at one major international airport, the OIG audit found. Between fiscal years 2021 and 2023, the report found CBP agents at this airport released at least 383 inadmissible travelers from custody into the U.S. who, under the law, are prohibited from entering the country.

  • AVAIATION SECURITYCybertech Startup Aims to Keep Aircraft Safe

    By Zachy Hennessey

    As hackers get more daring and sophisticated, and even try to hijack airplanes, it’s increasingly vital to keep our aircraft safe from attack. Cybertech startup Cyviation aims to do just that.

  • AIRPORT SECURITYPrototype Self-Service Screening System Unveiled

    TSA and DHS S&T unveiled a prototype checkpoint technology, the self-service screening system, at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, NV. The aim is to provide a near self-sufficient passenger screening process while enabling passengers to directly receive on-person alarm information and allow for the passenger self-resolution of those alarms.

  • SECURITY SCREENINGSpeedier Security Screening in the Palm of the Hand

    Though pat downs are currently an essential element of keeping travelers safe at the airport, it slows the screening process for people waiting in line and can be an uncomfortable experience for the passenger being screened. Reducing the need for pat downs may soon be easier.

  • AIRPORT SCREENINGA Self-Service Screening Option Coming to the Airport Near You

    Self-service screening is coming to airport checkpoints, thanks to the Science and Technology Directorate’s Screening at Speed Program. A pilot of a new self-service screening system is scheduled to begin in January at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada.

  • AIRSHIPSSolar-Powered Airships Could Make Air Travel Climate-Friendly

    Flying is the most damaging mode of transportation for our climate. At least, up until now. Researchers are investigating technical alternatives to conventional aircraft, and one such alternative is the old-fashioned airship, equipped with solar panels.  

  • AIRSHIPSFrom Fiction to Reality: Could Airships Be the Key to Greener Travel?

    By Claire Elise Thompson

    Airships have captured science-fiction writers’ imaginations — including Kim Stanley Robinson in Ministry for the Future. We examine the tech’s utility in the real world.

  • DRONESMaking Drones Suitable for Cities

    By Tom Cassauwers

    Unmanned aerial vehicles will make their way into urban skies only if the safety of people below can be ensured.

  • AIRPORT SECURITYImproving the Speed and Safety of Airport Security Screening

    By Anne McGovern

    For decades, airports around the nation have employed sensitive canine noses to detect concealed explosives. While this four-legged fleet has been effective and efficient, researchers have yet to build a mechanical method that can mimic their abilities. Researchers seek ways to build non-contact screening methods that can detect concealed explosives at airports.

  • COASTAL CHALLENGESMajority of California's Coastal Airports Are Vulnerable to Increased Flooding Caused by Climate Change

    Most of California’s population and its largest airports are located along the Pacific coastline, which is increasingly impacted by storm surges, sea level rise, and erosion due to climate change. In the next 30 years, sea level along the coast is expected to rise as much as 8 inches.

  • EBOLAAs Ebola Spreads in Uganda, U.S. Imposes Traveler Screening

    The Biden administration announced last week that all travelers entering the United States from Uganda will be redirected to airports where they can be screened for Ebola virus disease (EVD). Ebola detection is not straightforward, as symptoms can lay dormant for two to 21 days, and during that time, the disease wouldn’t show up on a blood test, let alone a thermometer.

  • EXPLOSIVE DETECTIONThe Next Generation of Explosives Trace Detection is Here

    Launched in fiscal year 2020, NextGen Explosives Trace Detection (ETD) expands the scope of aviation checkpoints technology, resulting in the advancement of technologies that can quickly and accurately collect and analyze samples in a variety of ways, including from direct contact with the subject, non-contact sampling via vapors, and even through barriers.

  • ELECTRIC PLANESElectric Planes Are Coming: Short-Hop Regional Flights Could Be Running on Batteries in a Few Years

    By Gökçin Çınar

    Electric planes might seem futuristic, but they aren’t that far off, at least for short hops. In the 2030s, experts say, electric aviation could really take off.

  • AIAn AI Pilot May Be Able to Navigate Crowded Airspace

    Researchers believe they have developed the first AI pilot that enables autonomous aircraft to navigate a crowded airspace. The artificial intelligence can safely avoid collisions, predict the intent of other aircraft, track aircraft and coordinate with their actions, and communicate over the radio with pilots and air traffic controllers.