The CE of Ethiopian Airlines says his airline might never fly the Boeing 737 Max again after a deadly crash in March, and if it does, it will wait until other carriers use the plane first. Tewolde Gebremariam told NBC News that Ethiopian won't use the plane unless the airline, its pilots and passengers are convinced that it is safe. "If we fly them again, we will be the last airline to fly them again," he said. "It takes a lot of effort to convince everybody that the airplane is safe," he said. A Boeing spokesman said the company "is working closely with pilots, airlines and global regulators to update the Max and help prevent this tragic loss of life from happening again." Nearly 400 Max jets operated by dozens of airlines remain grounded around the world while Boeing works to fix flight-control software implicated in 2 accidents <br/>
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Air NZ's executive team have voluntarily frozen their salaries for at least the next 12 months as part of a cost-cutting exercise. In a weekly update sent to staff Air NZ CE Christopher Luxon said the executive team had been looking at every area of the business for cost savings in order to offset rising jet fuel prices and reduce overhead costs by about 5%. In Luxon's staff update, he said the executive team had been focused on reviewing the airline's operating costs and opportunities to lift revenue as plans were put in place for the 2020 financial year beginning July 1. The rising price of jet fuel was having a significant impact on the business, Luxon said. Increases in fuel price would result in about NZ$200m additional costs this year compared to last year and this was expected to continue into next year, he said. <br/>
Azul has returned to the race for assets of bankrupt Avianca Brazil with a new offer, while the financially troubled carrier filed an appeal in court against the last-minute suspension of its bankruptcy auction last week. Azul has filed a petition for a minimum bid of US$145m on a new isolated productive unit, or UPI, of assets comprising "certain slot pairs" of Avianca Brazil including those for the lucrative shuttle service between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. "The company believes that the sale of this single new UPI will provide Avianca Brazil’s employees, customers, creditors, and other interested parties, a legal and legitimate alternative to maintain its business as a going concern in light of the rapid deterioration of the company’s activities," says Azul. <br/>