In the continuing battle between Ryanair and some of its pilot groups, the airline has proposed third-party mediation to break the deadlock in its talks with the Irish pilot union Fórsa. Ryanair proposed mediation on the day some of its Dublin-based pilots walked out for their fourth 24-hour work stoppage. The carrier suggested the former head of the Irish Workplace Relations Commission Kieran Mulvey as mediator. Ryanair said Mulvey’s background and experience could be a positive influence on talks and called on Fórsa to accept him as third-party mediator. The airline said the union had repeatedly called for mediation in recent weeks. Fórsa responding to the proposal said the offer was made without preconditions and is an “unexpected and positive development.” <br/>
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Spanish pilots’ union SEPLA has filed a lawsuit against Ryanair in a bid to get the airline to apply Spanish labour law to its members’ contracts. The carrier is locked in a wide-ranging labour relations dispute with its workforce across Europe, after agreeing to recognise unions in Dec 2017. The process of negotiating agreements with individual unions has proved complicated so far and the LCC is facing industrial action by pilots and cabin crew in several countries. “The only thing we want is for our pilots to have the same rights and obligations as established by Spanish regulations, as well as the negotiation of a statutory collective agreement as other airlines in the same sector of the competition have,” SEPLA said. <br/>
Holidaymakers are facing hikes of around E100 a seat for last-minute getaways as airfares rocket due to Ryanair strikes. Members of the travel industry claim airline prices have taken off due to a lack of competition as passengers shy away from the carrier. CE of the Irish Travel Agents Association Pat Dawson said the carrier's woes have pushed up some prices to popular destinations including Malaga, Faro and Majorca by more than E50 each way. He said flights to Malaga were currently on sale for up to E600 with some airlines. Ryanair's rivals are enjoying a boost in bookings as a campaign of industrial action that began among a minority of pilots in Ireland has spread across Europe. More than 110,000 passengers have already been hit by flight cancellations due to stoppages. <br/>
Norwegian Air is looking to recruit 40 pilots for its Dublin base to support its transatlantic expansion plans. The airline said the additional Boeing 737 pilots it is looking for will virtually double the size of the Ireland base. Norwegian operates European flights from Dublin to Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Helsinki. It also recently announced plans to expand its summer 2019 schedule to 40 weekly departures to trans-Atlantic destinations from March next year. The additional flights signal an increase of 37% in its schedule from Ireland to the US and Canada. In a possible dig at Ryanair, Norwegian said it looks forward “to welcoming qualified pilots who want to work for an airline that recognises the vital contribution that they make to our business during this continued phase of expansion in Ireland.” <br/>
IranAir took delivery of 5 more ATR turboprop aircraft, Iranian state media said Sunday, shortly before Washington imposes new sanctions on Iran after exiting a nuclear pact between Tehran and major world powers. All 5 new ATR 72-600 planes landed in Tehran’s Mehrabad airport after leaving Toulouse, France, where they were built. US president Donald Trump’s decision in May to pull the US out of a 2015 deal requires most companies to complete ongoing business with Iran before US sanctions are re-imposed Aug 6. After the signing of the accord to reopen trade links in return for Tehran curbing its nuclear activities, IranAir ordered a total of 200 aircraft from Western planemakers. But few have been delivered and planemakers say they are unable to use the wind-down period because Washington has also revoked export licenses. <br/>
Cambodian start-up KC International Airlines has received its air operator’s certificate, setting the stage for the commencement of services. The carrier made the announcement on its website 1 month after received its first, and so far only aircraft, an Airbus A320. A recent report in a local news outlet indicates that the carrier will initially fly domestically, before starting international services. The carrier was established in Phnom Penh with US$100m in launch capital as a joint venture between Cambodian and Chinese investors. According to initial plans, the carrier will offer scheduled services between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap to markets in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand. <br/>
GOL reported a BRL1.3b (US$329.1m) Q2 2018 net loss, deepened from a BRL409.5m net loss a year ago, largely attributable to a steep 16% drop in the monetary exchange rate between the Brazilian real and the US dollar during the 3-month period ended June 30. The fluctuation, from BRL3.3 per US dollar March 31, to BRL 3.9 per US dollar June 30, caused GOL to report exchange and monetary losses of BRL1b on its Q2 2018 financial report. “The traditional low season in Brazilian air travel was particularly challenging,” GOL CE Paulo Kakinoff said, citing the accelerated appreciation of the US dollar versus the real and “industry-wide supply disruption that affected demand for travel.” In May, an 11-day nationwide truck drivers’ strike prevented fuel supplies from being delivered to distribution points. <br/>