Dutch authorities did not include causes related to the airplane manufacturer company in its report about the Turkish Airlines plane crash at the Netherlands' Schiphol Airport in 2009 and blamed only the pilots due to pressure by Boeing and US federal authorities. This information is according to a new report published Monday by The New York Times. The NYT claims that Dutch investigators accused the pilots of failing to react properly to a malfunction in an automated system which caused the Boeing 737 to crash near Amsterdam, killing 9 people and injuring many others. However, the report claimed, the real cause was more than that. It was not only the pilots' fault or the crew but rather the Boeing's risky design choices and faulty safety assessments, about which the company did not even inform the pilots. <br/>
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South African Airways said Monday that its flights to all destinations were operating normally, after talks over the weekend on a bailout plan for the carrier ended with no solution. Govt officials are scrambling to work out how they can provide ZAR2b (US$138m) of funds they promised when SAA entered a form of bankruptcy protection last month. The airline’s business rescue practitioners held talks with the govt at the weekend to try to find a solution on the funding gap. But as of Sunday evening, no solution had been found, a person briefed on the talks said. Last week, a senior trade union official said SAA could have to suspend some flights and delay salary payments if the govt didn’t come up with a plan to provide the ZAR2b soon. <br/>
Civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri has asked disinvestment-bound Air India to set up an internal mechanism committee comprising members from the management and its various trade unions to sort out privatisation-related issues of employees, a source said Monday. At a meeting between the minister and representatives of over a dozen Air India unions, the minister also "assured" the employees of full payment of their arrears, according to the source. Media reports suggest that the new investor may be allowed to retain Air India's some 11,000 employees only for 1 year after the carrier goes into private hands. At his first meeting with the unions Jan 2, Puri had said privatisation was inevitable and cooperation of the employees was necessary in carrying out the exercise. <br/>
SIA and ANA are said to be discussing a joint venture partnership, The Straits Times has reported. It says the carriers may seal a deal by the end of this month and the scope of the proposed partnership is for flights between Japan and Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, among others. The Nikkei Asian Review reports that the arrangement is expected to launch around 2021, pending the necessary govt approvals regarding antitrust issues. SIA states: “SIA and ANA are both members of Star Alliance. We have enjoyed cooperating on codeshares and in other related areas that has brought benefits to our customers. As we do with all airline members, we have regular discussions on how to expand our cooperation to deliver more value and opportunities to our customers.” <br/>