Lufthansa is trialling use of a kerosene additive to remove water from fuel tanks on board aircraft. The "water scavenger" additive disperses water within the fuel, enabling removal of the contaminant from the system via the engine's combustion process. Lufthansa says the additive will reduce the need for "cost-intensive measures to extract water at mandatory intervals". Dubbed "Kerojet Aquarius" and developed by German chemicals specialist BASF, the additive represents a "milestone in improving both flight safety and aircraft usage", states Lufthansa Group head of fuel purchasing Thorsten Lange. Lufthansa tested the additive on an Airbus A340-600 during a flight from Munich to San Francisco July 24 and plans further trial flights on "designated" routes operated with Airbus types. <br/>
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Turkey's national airline and its main telecoms firm will halt advertising in US media in response to the crisis in relations between the two allies, company officials said Tuesday. Turkish Airlines and Turk Telekom made their announcements after a campaign on Twitter calling for an end to advertising in US media outlets. The moves came as president Tayyip Erdogan, whose govt is locked in dispute with Washington over the fate of a US evangelical pastor on trial in Turkey, announced a boycott Tuesday of US electronic goods. An official at one of the companies said the advertising boycott would encompass all written, visual and social media, although existing advertising campaign agreements would not be affected. "We as Turkish Airlines are taking our place alongside our state and people," A senior VP wrote on Twitter. <br/>
Asiana Airlines managed to cut its net loss significantly in Q2, thanks partly to the carrier’s revenue rising to record levels during the period. The airline reported a net loss of KRW49.4b (US$43.8m) for the 3 months ended June 30, compared to a KRW74.8b loss a year earlier. Asiana’s revenue rose 10% year-on-year to KRW1.6t. The carrier achieved an operating profit of KRW38b for the quarter, which was down 11% from the KRW42.8b profit recorded in the same period last year. The carrier blamed this slip on higher fuel prices. Losses from foreign exchange shifts declined to KRW58.8b, compared to KRW93.3b won last year. Asiana’s net loss was KRW54.8b for the first 6 months of 2018. This was a turnaround from its KRW21.3b profit a year earlier. <br/>
Air India employees will finally celebrate freedom from cash woes this Independence Day as the carrier announced the disbursement of July salaries. This is the fifth consecutive month that Air India has delayed the salaries of their staff. The debt-ridden airline has been facing difficulties for months now, with plans for divestment failing to attract buyers. Last week, in a bid to pacify protesting employees, the airline had issued a letter saying that the delay in payment was due to issues beyond the control of the management. The management had also assured that all efforts were being made to pay the employees by next week. The carrier has had a practice of disbursing salaries at the end of every month but had been delaying payments since March. <br/>