Delta has proposed cutting the number of hours pilots fly each month by 15% to further reduce labour spending and help avoid involuntary layoffs as surging US coronavirus cases quash travel demand. The proposal offered to the Delta unit of the Air Line Pilots Association would remain in place for a year with hours flexing back up as demand returns, according to a memo Friday from the company. Delta aviators also have through July 19 to accept an existing offer for early retirement. Air travel collapsed in March and April as the coronavirus pandemic spread, and a fledgling recovery in demand from consumers seeking a summer vacation stalled amid growing cases of the virus and travel restrictions imposed by some states. Delta already has reduced by at least half the number of flights it had planned to restart next month. “Demand is still down about 80%, and we don’t expect to see measurable improvement until the US infection rates fall again,” said the memo from John Laughter, Delta’s senior VP of flight operations. “We’ve pulled back some of the additional flying we had on the August schedule and don’t foresee adding much back through the remainder of the year.” The union isn’t in a position “to even consider” Delta’s proposal until the possible implementation of a voluntary, partially paid leave proposal it made to the carrier in March is addressed, said Christopher Riggins, a union spokesman.<br/>
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Russia’s Aeroflot Group aims to expand its fleet to 600 aircraft – 235 of which will be domestically built – by 2028. The plan is part of an updated strategy unveiled by CE Vitaly Saveliev. The group is also targeting 130m passengers in 2028, up from 60.7m passengers carried in 2019. At the end of 2019, the SkyTeam member’s fleet stood at 364 aircraft. It had previously said it would increase this to 520 – including 80 long-haul jets – over the next three years. As of late February, half of the net 140-150 additional aircraft had already been contracted. The group’s plan calls for Aeroflot to focus on developing long-haul operations. Rossiya Airlines will serve the domestic market using Russian-built aircraft, while Pobeda will continue to focus on providing low-cost flights in order to “significantly reduce average ticket prices for economy-class travel and increase air transport accessibility in Russia”.<br/>