Austrian airline Niki said Wednesday it had paid all bills owed to a tour operator and it therefore expected to avert bankruptcy proceedings which have hit parent Air Berlin. Law firm Kosch & Partner said earlier it had applied for insolvency proceedings against Niki on behalf of an Austrian tour operator which said it was owed money by Niki. The law firm declined to identify the tour operator. “We have reviewed the relevant post, and the claim has been settled,” Niki said. “We thus assume that the proceedings can be closed.” The Korneuburg regional court said it was examining the case. A company just paying a bill is not necessarily enough to convince a judge of its financial health, said Anton Klikovitz, an insolvency expert at creditor protection association Kreditschutzverband 1870. “The court has to examine the overall financial situation,” Klikovitz said. “The examination’s purpose is to find out whether there is a bankruptcy situation or not.” <br/>
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Qantas last night flew a jumbo jet and an Airbus A330 across the Tasman into Auckland to use as "fuel mules" for its aircraft hit by the aviation gas shortage. The Boeing 747-400 was a special flight scheduled just to deliver fuel and was able to siphon off about 65,000kg to awaiting aircraft and a fuel truck. The A330 was a scheduled service carrying additional fuel and provided around 10,000kg. The flights, nicknamed the "fuel mules", transferred fuel directly to aircraft using special hoses which were freighted over to Auckland. Additional fuel was transferred to a fuel truck and delivered to other Qantas and Jetstar aircraft at the airport. Fuel is pumped out of the donor aircraft using the aircraft's fuel pumps but when moving fuel from a larger aircraft like the 747 to the smaller A320, gravity does help in the transfer. By tankering in fuel from Australia, as well as other measures, Qantas and Jetstar have been able to minimise the impact of the Auckland fuel shortage on customers.<br/>
American Airlines will launch daily service from LA to Beijing this November, bringing to an end a stalemate with the Chinese government over airport access that led to a months-long delay. The inaugural flight will depart on Nov. 5 from Los Angeles International Airport at 10:55 a.m. and arrive in Beijing at 4:20 p.m. local time. American first announced the start of service on social media last month. The new route will help grow American’s China presence and strengthen its international service at Los Angeles International Airport, where the carrier will be the only US airline offering nonstop service to Beijing. But getting to the point where it’s ready to fly the route has been a lengthy and bureaucratic process for American that has involved authorities in both the US and China. <br/>
Japan Airlines has been identified as the customer for four Boeing 787-8s that were previously attributed to an unidentified customer. Boeing says that the deal is valued at more than $900m at list prices. JAL president Yoshiharu Ueki says that the order is part of its efforts to bolster its network ahead of Tokyo hosting the 2020 Olympic Games. "The superior noise performance of the 787 will play a critical role in meeting our commitment for quieter operations within our domestic network going forward," he adds. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that JAL already operates a fleet of 25 787-8s and nine -9s, while it has 11 more of the latter on order. All of its 787s are powered by General Electric GEnx engines. With JAL now identified, Boeing’s orders and deliveries website shows that there are 27 787s attributed to unidentified customers.<br/>
An attorney defending a man accused of inflight behavior that prompted military fighter jets to escort an airplane wants a hearing on his mental competency and detention to be closed to the public. Richard Sing, a lawyer for Anil Uskanli, filed the motion Monday in Honolulu. It was granted Tuesday by US Magistrate Judge Kenneth Mansfield. Mansfield scheduled another hearing for Thursday to explore whether to completely close the proceeding or make arrangements that will balance public rights to court access and Uskanli's privacy. Uskanli was charged with interfering with a flight crew after authorities said he tried to get to the front of the plane during an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu.<br/>