unaligned

Nearly a quarter of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) pilots have been found not to hold valid licences. An investigation following the Karachi air disaster in May, in which all passengers and crew lost their lives, revealed that 262 of 850 pilots had potentially fake licences or ones containing irregularities. It was believed that many had not even taken the Pakistan regulator’s pilot qualification examination. Some 150 pilots were suspended as investigations continue, according to a report by Forbes. The Pakistan flag carrier has now been banned from operating in both the US and the UK. The EASA withdrew “third country operator” authorisation from PIA for six months from 1 July. The letter from Easa to PIA read: “There are strong indications that a high number of Pakistani pilots’ licences are invalid.” It added: “PIA persists in failing to demonstrate compliance with the applicable standards.” On the same day, the US Department of Transportation suspended PIA from operating in the US.<br/>

Israeli trade union centre Histadrut has reached a new efficiency agreement covering flag-carrier El Al’s pilots, although the pact has been arranged without the pilots’ representatives. Histadrut states that the agreement, reached on 15 July after discussions with the transport workers’ union, will enable the carrier to save $105m annually. But it acknowledges that the pilot sector was “not present at the time of signing”, and has called on the airline’s pilots to “show responsibility” and assist with “rescuing” the carrier. Cockpit union Isralpa has yet to respond to the situation. El Al has previously reached labour agreements with cabin crew, maintenance staff, and administrative personnel. These agreements have been crucial to obtaining a vital state-backed loan and proceeding with an issue of new shares to provide El Al with urgent liquidity. “Since the crisis broke out, I have made a decision that I will do everything to save the company and its thousands of employees,” says Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-David. He says the transport workers’ union has worked tirelessly for months to “bridge the gaps” between parties and reach agreements.<br/>

AirAsia is confident it can bounce back to a profitable position next year, even as the threat of a resurgence in coronavirus cases is weighing down the global aviation industry, CE Tony Fernandes said Wednesday. That target “sounds incredibly bullish, but I’ve been through many, many crises before,” Fernandes said. He explained that Asian authorities have become “much, much smarter” in the way they handle further outbreaks of the coronavirus disease, or Covid-19. That will help the region’s aviation industry to recovery in a “much more sustainable” way, he said. “I think that’s giving me a lot of confidence in some of my bullish statements,” he added. Last week, auditors EY issued an audit opinion that cast doubt on AirAsia’s future given the slump in air travel on the back of the pandemic. The company’s shares plunged 17.5% after the release of the audit opinion. Fernandes said the auditors gave “a very fair view” but reiterated that the airline is “well on the way” to raise the funds it needs to ensure its survival. He added that the funds could come in the form of a government loan, more equity issuance or debt. The amount the company is looking to raise is “a moving target,” he said, adding that he’ll “be very comfortable with a billion” ringgit ($234.4m) and “super, super comfortable with 2 billion ringgit ($468.9m).”<br/>

Emirates will deploy its A380 on its daily Amsterdam service, and add a second daily A380 service to London Heathrow starting from 1 August. This announcement follows the Emirates A380’s return to the skies today with EK001 to London Heathrow taking off from Dubai International airport at 0745hrs, and EK073 at 0820hrs, carrying commercial passengers onboard this flagship aircraft for the first time since March. The airline said Emirates flight EK073 will receive a special welcome on arrival at Paris Charles De Gaulle, as it becomes the first and only scheduled A380 flight to operate at this major European airport since the pandemic began. Throughout the day, Emirates will also mark the restart of scheduled passenger services to seven more cities - Athens, Barcelona, Geneva, Glasgow, Larnaca, Munich, and Rome – offering its customers more travel options. Over the next two days, the airline will resume flights to Malé (16 July), Washington DC (16 July), and Brussels (17 July), Emirates said.<br/>