Portugal’s decision to oust the CEO of TAP after a rescue of the nation’s leading airline has created an urgent vacancy to fill at a time when a broad overhaul is needed. As the government agreed to boost its holding in loss-making TAP to 72.5% on July 2, it simultaneously ended the tenure of Antonoaldo Neves after more than 2 1/2 years at the helm. Finding a new CEO could take at least 60 days, said Fernando Neves de Almeida, managing partner of headhunter Boyden Portugal, which isn’t involved in the executive search. “I think it’s impossible to find a new CEO for TAP in a shorter period because the search needs to go beyond Portugal,” said Neves de Almeida. “We’re talking about a company that needs to undergo a deep restructuring process.” Infrastructure Minister Pedro Nuno Santos is putting in place an interim management team to run the carrier. With the final deal to increase the Portuguese government’s stake in TAP yet to be signed, it remains unclear if Neves still has a hand in the running of the company. A TAP spokesman declined to comment.<br/>
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France on Monday started restricting Chinese airlines to one passenger flight per week, saying it was acting in response to curbs imposed by Beijing on French carriers. "From July 13, Chinese companies will only be authorised to make one weekly trip," the French embassy in Beijing said. "Discussions are underway between the two governments with a view to reaching a satisfactory solution." The French embassy said three Chinese carriers, Air China, China Eastern Airlines Corp, and China Southern Airlines, were each authorised to make weekly flights from Chinese cities to Paris. It said that, under a June 12 reciprocal arrangement, Air France had been authorised by Beijing to carry out three flights a week to China but that, in practice, Chinese authorities had only allowed one Air France flight per week. It said France was applying intense diplomatic pressure to get the go-ahead from Beijing for the extra flights. In the meantime, it advised travellers to be prepared for disruption to air links between the countries. The Chinese embassy in France said that the French government was asking to land all three weekly flights operated by Air France in Shanghai. But given the number of international flights Shanghai is receiving, the city faces immense pressure in terms of virus control efforts, the embassy said, adding it was puzzled by the French decision to slash Chinese flights just as Shanghai agreed to receive the second Air France flight.<br/>
Lufthansa has incorporated a new entity named Ocean to operate long-haul flights to tourist destinations and reduce the “complexity” of the group’s current presence in that segment. The German airline says it is in the process of securing an air operator’s certificate for the new unit, which will not operate under its own brand. “The idea is to develop a new product line in the quality leisure segment… based on Edelweiss’s business model,” says Lufthansa. Lufthansa describes its current long-haul tourist operations as “fragmented”, noting that it employs four AOCs for such routes from its main hubs in Frankfurt and Munich and from Dusseldorf. With the largest airport in Germany’s most populous state, Dusseldorf has for decades been a long-haul departure point for several airlines, including Lufthansa and the now-defunct Air Berlin. Lufthansa serves long-haul tourist destinations both through its budget subsidiary Eurowings and under its mainline brand. Eurowings’ long-haul routes have been operated by the German arm of SunExpress – Lufthansa’s leisure joint venture with Turkish Airlines – using a fleet of A330s. However, SunExpress in June disclosed a plan to shut down its German operation. In the past, Lufthansa additionally recruited Brussels Airlines, another group subsidiary, to operate flights on Eurowings’ behalf. But after a review in 2019, Lufthansa took commercial control of Eurowings’ long-haul flights and the Belgian carrier’s remit was changed to concentrating on network services from its home country.<br/>
EgyptAir said it will offer tickets for international destinations at a discount of up to 20% for the country’s medical staff in appreciation of their efforts amid the coronavirus pandemic crisis, the airline said. EgyptAir will also offer discounted tickets of up to 10% on domestic flights in “appreciation for the white army,” in reference to the country’s doctors and nursing staff. Around 131 doctors have died from the pandemic, said Dr Ibrahim Al-Zayat, a member of the Doctors Syndicate. EgyptAir resumed flights to over 29 destinations on 1 July after a three months hiatus due to the coronavirus crisis.<br/>