Talks between Ryanair Holdings and striking Irish pilots are set to resume Friday as the sides seek to reach an agreement that could hold the key to resolving a wider European dispute over pay and contracts. The discussions, mediated by labour relations veteran Kieran Mulvey, represent the best chance yet of halting walkouts that have weighed on Ryanair earnings and disrupted travel for thousands of people. While the strike spans Europe, a breakthrough in Ireland is seen as key to resolving the clash, since it was staff there who initiated a push for unionisation. “We are watching what is happening in Ireland and we are listening,” said the Swedish Air Line Pilots Association. “The demands are not that different at all. All Ryanair employees want the same thing -- normal things that employees have.” <br/>
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Labour unions are lobbying shareholders at strike-ravaged Ryanair to pressure the airline into abandoning a business model they say is based on browbeating staff to keep down costs. Other discount carriers manage to turn a profit while maintaining a healthy working environment, the Belgian, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian unions said in a letter to investors Thursday, adding that Ryanair has been insincere in its pledge to hold meaningful talks. Ryanair uses “bullying as a management tool,” punishing people for being sick, sending intimidating letters to those exercising their right to strike, and threatening to cut jobs in countries where crews are protesting, according to the letter, which labelled the carrier’s approach to business “obsolete. <br/>Ryanair said that the claims are false and made by smaller unions that it doesn’t recognise. <br/>
SA Express confirmed Thursday that it would restart its operations Aug 23. This announcement followed a statement by Public Enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises Wednesday that the carrier would resume flying “next week”. The airline had been grounded by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) in May, because an audit had “uncovered severe cases of non-compliance that pose serious safety risks”. Subsequently, SA Express was (in the airline’s words) subjected to a “stringent and rigorous process” to restore its standards to the levels required by the regulator. As a result, the SACAA reinstated the airline’s certification as an Aircraft Maintenance Organisation early last month. Subsequently, the regulator also reinstated SA Express’ AOC. <br/>
AirAsia Group is aiming to start long-haul flights linking Japan with the US and Europe, its CE said Thursday. While seeing chances of airport expansion in Japan for low-cost carriers, Tony Fernandes also underscored that Japanese regulators tend to take too long in allowing airlines to open new routes. "I think Japan is probably the most progressive in terms of LCC development," Fernandes said. "Japan is 12 hours away from the West Coast of America and 10 hours from London, so we believe it has huge potential." AirAsia is planning to operate flights from Southeast Asia to the US and Europe by way of Japanese airports outside Tokyo such as Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture, where the airline's Japanese arm is based, he said. <br/>
Greek explosives disposal experts are checking a German Condor Airlines passenger jet flying from Egypt that made a safe unscheduled landing on the southern island of Crete after reporting a potential bomb threat. Military officials say the Boeing 757 jet was escorted to Chania airport by 2 Greek air force F-16 fighters scrambled after the pilot reported the threat, and landed without incident late Thursday. The airport had been placed on a state of alert. The plane was carrying about 250 passengers from Egypt to Dusseldorf in Germany. A spokesman for Fraport Greece which operates the airport, said all passengers and crew on board were safely evacuated in buses to the main airport building. <br/>
WestJet ULCC subsidiary Swoop has placed its fourth Boeing 737-800 into service and is using it to support previously announced seasonal flights between Abbotsford International and Winnipeg Richardson International airports. The carrier plans to run the new flights daily from Aug 16 through the Canadian Labour Day holiday weekend that ends Sept 3, and then 5 days per week through the summer-schedule’s Oct 27 conclusion. The flights double Swoop’s weekly frequencies out of Winnipeg. Swoop, which recently announced its first transborder routes, plans to be operating 6 aircraft by year-end at least 10 by fall 2019. But WestJet CE Ed Sims has said that growing the ULCC faster is a possibility, as it gives the company greater flexibility to combat increasing low-cost competition in Canada. <br/>