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Air France-KLM’s French unions reiterated demands for a 5.1% pay increase on Monday without calling any immediate resumption of strike action, as the airline group awaits the arrival of a new CE. A cross-union grouping behind earlier strikes that led to the May resignation of the last CEO, Jean-Marc Janaillac, vowed after a meeting on Monday to maintain its core demand on pay. But it stopped short of calling for renewed action. A joint declaration will be delivered to management at the next scheduled works council meeting on Thursday, the unions said, without referring to industrial action. “We remain mobilised to defend our demands,” they said. Air France-KLM’s new CEO, Air Canada second-in-command Ben Smith, is expected to begin his new job next month. Smith, who becomes the first foreign boss in Air France’s 85-year history, steps into a minefield of labour tensions that led to weeks of strikes earlier this year.<br/>

China Southern received its first three-class Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner last Friday. The aircraft, registration B-1169, is the sixth 787-9 to enter China Southern’s fleet, and seats 28 passengers in business-class, 28 in premium economy and 220 in economy. Previous 787-9s have been configured in a two-class layout, with 28 in business and 269 in economy. The Guangzhou-based airline will receive seven more 787-9s in the three-class configuration. The aircraft delivered to date are plying domestic routes between Guangzhou and Shanghai before transiting to international routes.<br/>