Willie Walsh, CE of IAG, is no stranger to bitter industrial clashes. He has faced down unions at Aer Lingus, BA and Iberia over the past 2 decades. His experience — he was once a former pilot union negotiator — may be needed as BA, the main profit driver in IAG’s group of airlines, is embroiled in its most serious labour dispute with pilots in its history. Both sides appear to be gearing up for a long, drawn out battle. BA Thursday announced it would cancel the vast majority of its flights for Sept 27, the next scheduled strike, days after a 48-hour walkout and despite starting an initial exchange of “new ideas” with the union via Acas. “We do know historically Willie Walsh isn’t one to roll over in the face of pilot demands,” said Mark Simpson, an aviation analyst at Goodbody. <br/>
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The US DoT has fined Japan Airlines US$300,000 for 2 incidents in which the airline forced passengers to wait more than 4h on the tarmac before being given an opportunity to deplane. A consent order released Sept 12 says JAL agreed to the fine to avoid litigation, but that the airline disagrees with the Enforcement Office’s determination that penalties for excessive tarmac delays may be assessed on a per-passenger basis. The incidents occurred on the same route, from Tokyo Narita to John F Kennedy International in New York, with the same flight number, in January and May 2018. JAL flight 004 diverted to Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles, respectively. <br/>
Japan Airlines could be a contender to buy a stake in Malaysia Airlines, the Edge weekly newspaper reported. There have been high-level talks for Japan Airlines to pursue an interest in the Malaysian carrier amid close ties between the two govts, the Edge said, citing 2 unidentified people familiar with the matter. Japan Airlines president Yuji Akasaka said in June that it was too early to say whether the carrier would consider an investment in Malaysia Airlines although further talks were possible, according to the Edge. Khazanah Nasional, Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund and the sole shareholder of the carrier, has hired Morgan Stanley to look at strategic options for Malaysia Airlines. A stake sale is one of them. <br/>
Fiji Airways has slammed Qantas for an “aggressive” move to expand direct flights to Fiji, saying the decision could hurt the Fijian economy. In January, Qantas introduced 4 direct flights a week from Sydney to Nadi, the main gateway for the island nation. The airline has now applied to operate a daily service. Fiji Airways CE Andre Viljoen said this came as a “surprise” given Qantas owns 46% of Fiji Airways and the carrier has been the Qantas codeshare partner for flights to Fiji for 17 years. “It is certainly alarming when your major shareholder and long-standing commercial partner all of a sudden becomes your major competitor,” Viljoen said. “Qantas’ sudden flip from ally to adversary has been very damaging for Fiji Airways. It is competing aggressively, actively directing passengers onto Qantas and Jetstar services.” <br/>