A potential strike by pilots at easyJet, Europe’s second-biggest low-cost airline, has been averted after they accepted a fresh offer from the carrier to resolve a dispute over fatigue. The pilots had given their union, the British Airline Pilots’ Association, authorisation to call a strike after a ballot in September, when 96% of participants voted in favour of industrial action. Balpa has about 2,000 members at the carrier. However, in a ballot on Tuesday 68% voted in favour of accepting a new proposal. Neither side revealed details of the agreement but Balpa had been unhappy about the scheduling of flights, saying timetables were leading to excessive fatigue among pilots. Brian Strutton, Balpa general secretary, said the deal represented a “positive outcome for Balpa and easyJet”. “Balpa will now be working closely with easyJet to ensure this agreement delivers real improvements to pilots’ lifestyles,” he said. EasyJet said it was pleased with the vote. “Our pilots are integral to the airline’s success and we look forward to working closely with them and their union Balpa to deliver the proposal,” it said.<br/>
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Ryanair plans to start flights from Frankfurt Airport, marking its first foray into one of Europe’s top aviation hubs and laying down a challenge to Lufthansa, which has its main base there. Discount giant Ryanair will unveil the strategy at a joint press conference with airport operator Fraport on Wednesday, according to invitations sent to the media. Neither company would provide details in advance of the event. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has said he wants to boost the Dublin-based airline’s market share in Germany and serve more major airports across Europe as the carrier seeks to add business travellers. At the same time, he has said that entering Frankfurt, London Heathrow or Paris Charles de Gaulle, the home hubs for the region’s top three network carriers, would be a stretch. O’Leary has been reviewing his strategy in the wake of Britain’s June 23 vote to quit the European Union, downgrading expansion plans for its biggest market and looking more to countries on the mainland for growth. Germany is already gaining flights, with Ryanair opening a new base this week in Hamburg, where it has stationed two planes and added seven routes to take its total to 14. Ryanair is likely to open the new base with two aircraft, increasing the figure to eight if demand matches expectations, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported, adding that initial flights will serve Palma de Mallorca and Alicante in Spain.<br/>
Ryanair co-founder Declan Ryan has reached a deal to sell his company Irelandia Aviation’s 49% stake in budget Mexican carrier VivaAerobus to majority stakeholder IAMSA in order to focus on expansion in central and South America. Ryan said the deal for IAMSA to take full control of the Mexican carrier was awaiting regulatory approval. He declined to discuss financial details, but a newspaper report in recent weeks suggested Irelandia would sell the stake for some $250m, five times its initial investment. VivaAerobus declined immediate comment. “We’ve been in Mexico 10 years, we adore the country,” said Ryan, who is managing partner of Irelandia. “But we think the new frontier is the whole of central and South America, and that’s what we’re concentrating on . . . to be frank, the Viva brand could be throughout South America.”<br/>
WestJet posted Q3 net earnings of C$116m, up 13.9% from C$101.8m in the same quarter of 2015. Total revenue for the quarter was C$1.124b, up 7.6% from last year. Revenue per available seat mile (RASM), however, came in 2.7% lower at 14.73 Canadian cents. WestJet expects revenue per available seat mile to grow from Q1 2017 after several negative quarters. Costs per available seat mile were 2.6% lower at 12.50 Canadian cents. WestJet carried 5.9m passengers, a 7% increase, with a load factor of 84%, up 2.2 percentage points on last year’s quarter. “I am very pleased with how our robust business model has… delivered not only record third quarter net earnings, but also achieved our second best ever quarterly net earnings and earnings per share in our twenty-year history,” CE Gregg Saretsky said. One issue WestJet has is the reliability of its London flights. Although loads are strong, reliability has been a problem on the old Boeing 767s it uses on the routes. Several flights have been cancelled and last month a flight was diverted to Iceland after an engine problem.<br/>
Boeing and Donghai Airlines have agreed terms of an order for five 787-9 Dreamliners, worth US$1.32b at list prices. Shenzhen-based Donghai Air announced its intent to order the 787s at the Farnborough Airshow in July. Donghai said it will accelerate its fleet expansion plan, with the Dreamliners “a key effort for us to fulfil the plan,” chairman Wong Cho-Bau said.<br/>