Ryanair has instructed its lawyers to “immediately appeal” a decision by the Irish High Court to reject the airline’s attempt to prevent former operations chief Peter Bellew from joining EasyJet early next year. The carrier argued that a 12-month non-compete clause prevented Bellew from joining EasyJet until 2021. But lawyers acting for Bellew argued that because the clause was attached to a share-options scheme that was essentially valueless, he was not bound by it. Justice Senan Allen agreed, telling the court that the clause was “void and unenforceable as an unjustified restraint of trade”. The judge noted that the wide-ranging nature of the non-compete clause “would prevent the defendant [Bellew] from taking up employment with any European airline...and so goes beyond what the plaintiff has shown to be justified”. <br/>
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GoAir was forced to cancel around 2 dozen domestic flights Monday as the aviation regulator stepped up pressure on the airline to address safety risks arising from overworking its crew, people with direct knowledge of the developments said. “GoAir was overstretching its staff, which can potentially cause accidents," one of the people cited above said. “What if a crew becomes so sleepy due to overwork that they are unable to perform evacuation in case of emergencies?" Regulators globally, including the DGCA, have repeatedly flagged the perils of exhausted pilots falling asleep in the cockpit. The issue has become widespread as cash-strapped airlines try to squeeze maximum productivity out of their crew. <br/>
Pakistan International Airlines CE Arshad Malik said Monday that the World Bank is willing to invest in the PIA. Talking in a meeting of PIA’s Board of Directors, Arshad Malik said the administration of the PIA has managed to drop down the losses of the carrier, adding that 2 more aircrafts have been added in the PIA’s fleet. The CE said the World Bank has showed its consent to invest in the Pakistan International Airlines, while several pacts of collaboration have been signed with banks. During the meeting, Arshad Malik was briefed by the officials concerned about the reforms process in the PIA. Earlier, the airline and other private airlines jacked up their fares for their domestic passengers. <br/>
Thai Eastar Jet and Thai Summer Airways -- 2 new airlines -- are expected to get off the ground next year, according to CAAT DG Chula Sukmanop. Thai Eastar is a joint venture between Thai investors and South Korean carrier Eastar Jet, while the latter is between Thai and China investors. Chula said that Thai Eastar Jet was expected to obtain the CAAT's air operator certificate next month. CAAT is in the process of issuing a certificate to Thai Summer. He added that both carriers could recruit 100% Thai pilots given that CAAT's current Air Operating Licence does not set the ratio of foreign pilots the carriers have to hire. According to Thai Summer Airways, it is a regional low-cost airline registered in Thailand. It was established in early 2018 and is scheduled to be officially opened in January 2020. <br/>
An unexpected shortage of Alaska Airlines baggage handlers at Seattle-Tacoma International starting Friday caused luggage problems, flight delays and other stress for thousands of customers during one of the busiest travel times of the year, according to the airline and airport. Meantime, holiday travellers have taken to social media to roast the airline, complaining about hours long waits on the tarmac, missed connections, missing bags and other frustrations. An Alaska spokesman said Saturday that as many as 6,000 travellers have been affected, with about 40 arriving airplanes delayed from getting to gates by 1 to 3 hours. A Sea-Tac Airport spokesman said Saturday the problems were confined to Alaska. “It was really about the one airline. Operations weren’t affected for the rest of the airport or any of the other airlines.” <br/>
Spirit Airlines said Monday it will buy 100 Airbus A320neo-family jets to be delivered through 2027, with options to purchase up to 50 additional aircraft. The deal includes a mix of Airbus A319, A320, and A321 models, the company said. The purchase agreement finalises an October provisional deal for the aircraft, when Spirit picked European planes despite Washington imposing tariffs on them. Depending on the number of each variant of the A320 single-aisle family chosen, the deal could be worth US$11b to $12b at the most recent 2018 Airbus list prices, but such deals typically involve discounts of at least 50%. Washington has imposed 10% tariffs on some of the planes Airbus offers to US carriers, as part of a long-running transatlantic trade dispute over aircraft subsidies. <br/>