LATAM Airlines will cancel or reschedule flights in Chile between April 10 and April 13 as a precaution while it continues to negotiate with a union of flight attendants who have threatened to strike, the company said Wednesday. LATAM earlier this week requested a period of govt mediation to extend talks with the union, which threatened to strike in early March after failing to reach a deal with the airline. The continuing negotiations have staved off the risk of a walk off until at least April 10, LATAM. However, the company said it was notifying travel agencies and passengers on flights after that date in order to minimise any impacts on their travel plans. LATAM said the majority of flights affected would be within Chile, with minimal impact on regional flights between South American countries. <br/>
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International investigators have confirmed that a surface-to-air missile fired at a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER could have avoided detection on radar. Such a weapon could have simply been travelling too fast for the surveillance processing capabilities of the civil radar station at Ust-Donetsk (Russia), the analysis indicates. No other aircraft were displayed on radar in the vicinity of MH17 at the time of the event, the analysis has found. While no Buk missile can be detected on the Russian radar images – a fact pointed out by the Russian govt, which has put forward alternative theories on the loss of MH17 – the analysis identified several reasons for its absence. A Buk missile is capable of speeds in excess of 2,600km/h, far beyond those typically being processed by civil aviation surveillance systems. <br/>
Airlines based in the UK have universally reported that men in their employ earn more than women, with male employees dominating the highest-paid roles at all operators. British Airways appears closest to achieving gender parity among the UK's major operators – though it still has some way to go – while Ryanair revealed the largest pay gap. All businesses with more than 250 employees in the UK have been required to supply figures to the govt by the close of April 4 as part of new regulations designed to address unequal pay. In terms of hourly earnings, British Airways pays women 10% less than men on a median basis – calculated by ranking all employees from the highest paid to the lowest paid, and taking the wage of the person in the middle. <br/>
The Sri Lankan govt has appointed a new board for SriLankan Airlines as it seeks to return the airline to profitability. The carrier’s new board has been tasked with accelerating an ongoing restructuring of the company, with the eventual aim of finding a strategic investor that will participate in a public-private-partnership arrangement. The new board is chaired by retired banker Ranjit Fernando, whose success in restructuring the formerly state-owned National Development Bank is cited as one reason for his appointment. A UK-based aviation consultancy, Nyras, was appointed in Nov 2017 to assist in the process. The airline said that Nyras “has presented a detailed business plan that demonstrates the SriLankan Airlines Group can become viable in the short to medium term through the restructuring strategy. <br/>