Federal industrial relations minister Christian Porter has implored Jetstar and the Transport Workers Union to resume wage negotiations to avoid strike action he says will inflict further harm on a tourism industry already reeling from the coronavirus and the horror bushfires season. The TWU said Friday that about 250 baggage handlers and ground crew at major airports would walk off the job for 24 hours Wednesday, amid a stand-off with the airline over pay and conditions. The action will likely cause widespread cancellations and is a dramatic escalation in the industrial dispute. "Small businesses and regional areas that rely heavily on a strong domestic and international tourism market face further damage from any industrial action which disrupts travel and holiday plans," Porter said. <br/>
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SpiceJet saw a 33% year-on-year uptick in operational profit during Q3 following the expansion of its fleet and addition of new routes in 2019. Operating profit rose to Rs732m (US$10m) during the Q3 ending in December, up from Rs550m for the same period in 2018. Operating revenue rose 47% year-on-year to Rs36.5b. Increased revenue was partially offset by a 52% year-on-year rise in expenses from Rs25b during Q3 of 2018 to Rs38b in 2019. Unfavorable foreign exchange rates and increased maintenance costs contributed to rising expenses. CASKM rose by 2% year-on-year, while RASKM shrank by 2%. Capacity, in ASKs, grew by 59% year-on-year during Q3 as SpiceJet ended the year with 119 aircraft. The carrier’s growth plans were stunted, however, with 13 Boeing 737 Max jets grounded. <br/>
Diplomats from nations that lost citizens when Iran shot down a Ukraine International Airlines plane pushed Iran’s foreign minister Saturday for more cooperation from Tehran on the investigation and other issues. Amid heightened tensions with the US, Iran said it accidentally shot the aircraft down Jan 8 after mistaking it for an incoming missile attack. Iran has not turned over the black boxes or committed to compensation for the victims. Diplomats pressed Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for action in a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Canadian foreign minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said. "We pressed Iran on the need for a thorough, transparent and credible investigation in full compliance with the Convention on Civil Aviation,” he said. <br/>
Turkey’s directorate general of civil aviation has confirmed that struggling carrier AtlasGlobal has suspended flights and is to file for bankruptcy. Reports in the Turkish media emerged Feb 12 that AtlasGlobal was to pull the plug on operations, less than 2 months after resuming operations having first temporarily suspended flights last November. There has subsequently been no formal notice or comment from AtlasGlobal over the reports, which cited a meeting held Feb 12 at which staff were told the airline was stopping flights. AtlasGlobal flights have not been showing on the online departures information at its home Istanbul airport. The carrier had been forced to suspend flights Nov 26 owing to financial challenges. The carrier resumed flights in December, serving destinations including Baghdad, Tehran and London Stansted. <br/>
Former Jet Airways CE Vinay Dube has taken up the same role at Indian LCC GoAir. Dube, a former Delta Air Lines executive, took the helm of Jet Airways in the summer of 2017. He left the carrier, which was grounded amid a high profile funding crisis, in May 2019. In his new role Dube will be responsible for the management of GoAir and for meeting the goals and long term growth objectives of the company. GoAir, the aviation operation of Indian conglomerate Wadia Group, has been expanded rapidly over the past year - in part capitalising on opportunities left by the grounding of Jet. The airline increased capacity a third over 2019, adding 17 new aircraft to its fleet. The all-Airbus operator serves 35 destinations, predominantly across a domestic network, though it also flies to 8 international destinations. <br/>