A BA flight was briefly grounded in Paris early Sunday, with passengers deplaned amid security concerns, French authorities said. Flight BA303 was due to take off from Charles de Gaulle Airport at 7:25 a.m. bound for London's Heathrow Airport when the safety concerns were raised. Authorities have not released details about what led to the alert but cleared the aircraft for departure after conducting extensive security checks. The Airbus 320 took off a few hours later, the French national police said. While passengers waited on the tarmac, security personnel conducted bag searches and sniffer dogs checked the aircraft, said James Anderson, 20, who was aboard the flight. "Aircraft has been deemed absolutely safe. Authorities are satisfied with the search. We will continue on to London Heathrow," he tweeted, praising the pilot and crew for their handling of the incident. Anderson posted pictures and video on social media showing passengers evacuating the aircraft with emergency response vehicles nearby. "On British Airways Flight BA0303, currently being held on tarmac at Paris due to security threat, surrounded by police and fire vehicles," Anderson wrote. "Apparently an individual has made a direct threat to this aircraft. We will all be led off the aircraft & baggage searched in due course." All passengers had multiple X-ray scanning checks while authorities secured the plane, he said. BA confirmed the incident aboard its flight and said it conducted additional security checks as a precaution.<br/>
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Brazil’s government has approved a plan by American Airlines to build a maintenance center at Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos airport, a $100m investment that will help the US carrier consolidate its South American operations. A resolution signed by Transportation Minister Maurício Quintella was published on Friday in the official gazette, approving an agreement between the airline and the firm operating the airport. It allows American to use land at the airport for up to 40 years. Reuters first reported in March that the US airline planned to set up its first aircraft maintenance center in South America at Sao Paulo’s international airport, where it will build a two-bay hangar at a cost of $50m plus another $50m for parts and tools. On any given day, American has at least six wide-bodied aircraft parked in Sao Paulo for up to 12 hours, and the hangar will allow it to do maintenance work using the planes’ ground time, said Marta Pantin, a spokeswoman for the airline. The approval is the latest example of President Michel Temer’s efforts to attract foreign investment to help build road, ports and railways and modernize Brazil’s airports. Private concessions are now operating the main airports and the government plans to sell shares in public airport operator Infraero through an initial public offering, potentially surrendering control of the agency. Temer’s government has also discussed ending a rule that restricts foreign ownership of Brazilian airlines to a 20% stake. <br/>
Lufthansa and several other parties had put in bids for parts of Air Berlin by the deadline of Friday set by the administrator of the insolvent airline. Germany’s second-biggest airline after Lufthansa filed for bankruptcy last month after major shareholder Etihad Airways withdrew funding following years of losses. “The current status as of the 2 p.m. (1200 GMT) deadline today is that we have received several offers that we will now have to assess in great detail,” a spokesman for Air Berlin said, declining to provide further details. A source close to the negotiations said Friday’s deadline for bids was not set in stone and that any offers made over the coming days would still be taken into account. Most potential investors appear interested primarily in the airline’s roughly 140 aircraft and its airport landing and take-off slots rather than in taking over the business. Lufthansa made an offer for parts of Air Berlin, a spokesman said, declining to provide more detail. A source familiar with the matter said Lufthansa planned to offer a three-digit millions of euros sum for up to 90 planes, including Austrian holiday airline unit Niki’s fleet and 38 crewed planes it already leases from Air Berlin. European budget airline easyJet, which media reports had said was interested in acquiring up to 40 of Air Berlin’s planes, only confirmed on Friday that it had bid for parts of Air Berlin’s short haul business. Meanwhile former Formula One motor racing world champion Niki Lauda has put in a joint bid with German airline Condor, owned by holiday firm Thomas Cook, a spokeswoman for Lauda said. Separately German family-owned logistics firm Zeitfracht has offered to buy Air Berlin’s cargo marketing platform, its maintenance business and regional unit LGW.<br/>
A German union criticised Air Berlin’s administrators for delaying a decision on a carve-up of the insolvent airline until after this month’s election, saying it was irresponsible to leave thousands of jobs in the balance. Administrators are seeking to sell the business, with bids due to be submitted by 2 p.m. Friday. However, a final decision has been pushed back to Sept. 25, the day after Germany’s national election and four days later than previously planned. “This postponement is at the expenses of the workers, who want a decision on their jobs and their future,” Verdi union board member Christine Behle said Friday. <br/>
Qantas Airways’ CE Alan Joyce has become one of the world’s highest-paid airline executives, near-doubling his annual pay packet to A$24.5m following a turnround at the Australian airline. The big increase reflects a jump in the value of shares awarded to the Irish-born executive under the carrier’s long-term incentive plan. Joyce raised US$17.2m this week by selling 3.75m shares, according to stock exchange filings, and still owns another 3.6m. “There is no question that these pay outcomes are high,” said Leigh Clifford, Qantas chairman. “That is because they reflect the company’s exceptional performance, including our top ranking for total shareholder return among global airline peers and every company on the ASX 100 [share index].” Joyce’s pay ranks him among the world’s highest paid airline executives. Oscar Munoz, CE of United, was paid US$18.7m last year, while Doug Parker, head of American Airlines, received US$11.1m, the vast majority of which came in stock awards. Joyce is also among the highest-paid Australian chief executives at an ASX-listed company.<br/>
The general superintendence of Brazilian regulatory agency Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica (CADE) has recommended that CADE’s administrative tribunal approve the American Airlines-LATAM Airlines Group joint venture without conditions. The proposed antitrust-immunized American-LATAM JV has already gained approval from regulatory authorities in Uruguay and Colombia. It still needs US Department of Transportation (DOT) approval. CADE’s administrative tribunal has until Sept. 29 to decide whether further review in Brazil is needed. American chairman and CEO Doug Parker called the initial approval in Brazil an “important step,” adding, “Through this agreement we’ll be able to offer customers a superior route network, with increased connectivity, lower fares and a seamless travel experience between our two airlines.” <br/>
Finnair will increase capacity 24% to German destinations beginning March 26, 2018, including a fourth daily frequency between Helsinki and Berlin. The Finnish flag carrier operates daily services to Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich; it will begin daily Helsinki-Stuttgart services from April 23, 2018. Finnair CCO Juha Järvinen said “We are a growing airline and we are looking forward to expanding our already strong footprint in Germany, which is a strategic focus market for us.” Järvinen said in the past year alone, Finnair has seen strong double-digit sales growth between Asia and Germany, especially to and from Japan.<br/>