More than 1,100 flights have been cancelled in Germany after public sector airport workers went on strike to demand higher pay. Airport officials confirmed Tuesday that nearly 700 flights had been cancelled at Frankfurt Airport. Four hundred flights were affected in Munich, and dozens more were cancelled in Cologne and Bremen. Lufthansa was forced on Tuesday to cancel 800 flights, or half its daily schedule. It said 90,000 passengers had been affected. Public sector workers including bus drivers and hospital staff have staged weeks of intermittent strikes across Germany, but airports had not been affected until Tuesday. Verdi, a union that represents 2.3m public sector workers in Germany, said that airport staff including security guards and firefighters were striking at the four airports. The union is calling for a 6% annual raise for its workers, and is using the strike to promote its cause ahead of negotiations on Sunday.<br/>
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Pan-European air traffic control agency Eurocontrol on Tuesday warned airlines to exercise caution in the eastern Mediterranean due to the possible launch of air strikes into Syria in next 72 hours. Eurocontrol said that air-to-ground and/or cruise missiles could be used within that period and there was a possibility of intermittent disruption of radio navigation equipment. Russia and the United States tangled on Tuesday at the United Nations over the use of chemical weapons in Syria as Washington and its allies considered whether to strike at President Bashar al-Assad's forces over a suspected poison gas attack last weekend. "Due consideration needs to be taken when planning flight operations in the Eastern Mediterranean/Nicosia FIR area," the agency said in reference to designated areas of airspace, without specifying the origin of any potential threat.<br/>
Blockchain technology has the potential to shake up the travel industry by giving airlines and hotels a way to bypass controlling intermediaries like Expedia or Amadeus and gain better access to customer data. Major players including Lufthansa and citizenM hotels are partnering with startups and talking to large corporate clients about whether they can do group bookings via blockchain instead of using middlemen, who charge up to 25% of ticket or room prices in fees. Blockchain, which functions as an online record-keeping system maintained by a group of peers rather than a central agency or authority, also offers new business opportunities in tracking bags and flight delays. Because transaction data is openly available and not controlled by any one party, blockchain offers an opportunity to build new platforms that can connect travel providers and customers more directly and replace decades-old technology. "We see a lot of business potential from the very nature of blockchain being decentralized by construction, removing the middleman by design. That looks very fruitful potentially," said Xavier Lagardere, head of distribution at Lufthansa Group Hub Airlines.<br/>
It won’t be a room with a view, but may help prevent neck strain. Passengers flying on Airbus planes will soon be able to slip down into the cargo hold for a proper nap. The jetmaker is working with seat manufacturer Zodiac Aerospace on the design and construction of lie-flat beds to fit in lower-deck cargo areas. The berths will initially be offered on Airbus A330 widebody aircraft from 2020, the companies said Tuesday at a conference in Hamburg. The idea for specially designated sleeping areas on planes was also raised last month by Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, who said the airline is studying options for making ultra-long haul flights more bearable for passengers. Qantas is exploring direct links from Australia to the US and Europe that would require travelers spend as many as 17 consecutive hours in flight. Joyce said the airline could introduce a new four-class structure, with part of the cargo hold used for beds. Under Airbus’s plan, the sleeping berths would be installed as modules that could be quickly replaced with regular cargo fittings during an aircraft’s typical airport turnaround. Holds have in the past been designed as cabin crew rest areas and for ablutions.<br/>
Airbus has shelved advanced studies aimed at improving its A320neo jet family, designed in part to fend off a mid-market plane that Boeing hopes to build, two people familiar with the matter said. The surprise decision to back away from the proposed "A320neo-plus" and "A321neo-plus," which would lengthen and modernize both models, comes as Airbus continues to face problems in increasing output for the current versions. "The ramp-up is not going as well as hoped," a person with knowledge of the supply chain said. Another said Airbus had declared industrial matters top priority amid engine shortages, calling off plans to show the A320neo-plus design to airlines. "We do not comment on product policy," an Airbus spokesman said, asked about a decision to halt work on the A320neo-plus. Demand for both workhorse series is strong, but Airbus has won the order race since both sides carried out engine upgrades earlier this decade, particularly with the big-selling A321neo.<br/>
Airbus and its suppliers have agreed to lift the target production rate for its A320neo in response to strong demand for the narrow-body aircraft, according to people familiar with the matter. The European planemaker now aims to produce 63 jets a month by Q2 2019, up from a previous goal of 60, said the people. The company has previously said it could lift rates to as high as 70 a month, based on market demand, and was in talks with its supply chain. The company has faced pushback on rates predominantly from the plane’s two engine makers, CFM International and Pratt & Whitney, with both signalling that capacity is likely too stretched to meet the upper level target. Both turbine manufacturers have battled to meet production goals, with Pratt’s most recent engine-seal hiccup stalling deliveries until later this month. An Airbus spokesman declined to comment specifically on the rate increase but said the company is studying its options, and has a “strong backlog, which supports our ramp-up ambitions.”<br/>
Boeing outsold rival Airbus almost four to one in Q1 and increased deliveries by a stronger-than-expected 9% compared with the same period last year, company data showed on Tuesday. Both sets of numbers reflect higher demand for Boeing’s best-selling 737 jetliners, with 184 commercial aircraft delivered in the three months to end-March, including 132 of the single-aisle workhorse jet. Though it too has seen strong demand for its single-aisle A320neo, Airbus is struggling to keep up deliveries due mainly to engine issues, with deliveries down 11% in Q1, prompting it to juggle priorities. At the same time, Boeing has seen a rebound in new orders after losing last year’s race. It booked 221 net aircraft orders after cancellations in Q1, well ahead of the 45 bagged by Airbus during the same period.<br/>