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Pilots at Southwest voted to ratify a new contract that hikes wages and alters retirement benefits, their union said Monday, following more than four years of talks. The approval marks a step toward better labour relations at the US budget airline after recent picketing by workers and calls by union leaders for two executives to resign. The new contract raises pay by 15% upon ratification, followed by increases of 3% annually through 2020, the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association said. The deal, reached with the help of US mediators, moves pilots from a company-matching pension plan to one where they are not required to contribute to receive benefits, the union said. It also protects pilots' work in case Southwest chooses to market flights on non-US airlines. More than 84% of voting pilots approved the deal, with turnout at 96%, the union said. Southwest is "starting to put behind some of the rancor that has punctuated the place for the past couple years," industry consultant Robert Mann said. Under the new contract, the pilots' union said a captain in his or her first year with Southwest will now make $221.01 per hour, up from $192.18.<br/>

Qatar Airways expects to finalise plans to buy a 49% stake in Meridiana Fly SpA by the end of January, which would end a long spat with unions over job cuts at the ailing Italian carrier. Completion of the deal, which was agreed in July, depends on Meridiana meeting certain unspecified conditions, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said Sunday. “We are hoping to have our discussions concluded by the end of January," he said. "During this period, Meridiana Fly also has to deliver certain conditions and achieve certain targets in its performance. We want Meridiana Fly to be a very strong national carrier with a robust international network, creating jobs.” Qatar Airways had previously said it expected to complete the acquisition of unprofitable Meridiana in early October. The Italian government spent months earlier this year trying to mediate between Meridiana and the company’s unions, which objected to job-cut plans. Italy’s second-biggest airline is owned by a holding company of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development.<br/>Qatar Airways, which is London-based IAG SA’s biggest shareholder, has been seeking stakes in foreign companies. It said in July it would pay $613m for up to 10% of Latam Airlines Group, South America’s biggest carrier. Meridiana is expected to get some of the 70 737 Max 8s that Qatar Airways ordered from Boeing last month, Corriere della Sera reported, citing an interview with Al Baker.<br/>

Ryanair raised its long-term passenger growth forecast by 10% Monday to 200m travellers a year by 2024, saying it planned to take advantage as intense fare competition forces higher-cost rivals to retrench. It also announced it would return an additional E550m to shareholders by February in a share buyback, a move that helped lift its share price by 6%. Ryanair cut its profit forecast last month by 5% for the year to March due to sterling weakness and lower average fares, but it still expects to outperform most rivals by increasing profits by 7% in the year to the end of March. With the lowest cost base in the industry and a strategy of filling planes irrespective of air fares, it says it is uniquely positioned to take advantage of current low fares to boost market share. "We have EU incumbents retrenching, restructuring...creating more and more opportunities for Ryanair, particularly in primary airports," CE Michael O'Leary said. "The second half of the year will be difficult in a weaker pricing environment, but we expect that with a huge cost advantage over every other carrier in Europe, Ryanair is well positioned to continue to grow strongly." Ryanair said it plans to grow capacity by 13% this winter compared to an industry average increase of around 9% - the highest level of capacity growth in the industry in a decade.<br/>

Uzbekistan Airways will order three additional Boeing 787s, the carrier said Nov. 5 while taking delivery of a second 787-8 from a previous contract. The new order is for 787-9s. According to the Tashkent-based carrier, the agreement for additional aircraft was reached in September during a visit from Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Raymond Conner. The Uzbekistan flag carrier took delivery of its first 787-8 on Aug. 31, which started commercial operations Sept. 5. On Sept. 9, the aircraft operated its first international flight to the Kazakhstan capital of Almaty. The 787-8s currently operate from Tashkent International Airport to Dubai, Deli, Tel Aviv, Istanbul and Moscow. Uzbekistan Airways has had a partnership with Boeing since 1996. The carrier’s fleet consists of 34 aircraft, including 767s, 757s as well as Airbus A320 and Ilyushin Il-114-100 aircraft.<br/>