Investigators examining the black boxes from the Ukrainian jet accidentally shot down by Iran will begin analyzing recovered voice and flight data on Tuesday, France’s BEA accident investigation bureau said Monday. Iranian forces say they downed the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 jet on Jan. 8 after mistaking it for a missile amid heightened tensions with the United States. All 176 people on board - including 57 Canadians - were killed. BEA said on Twitter that both CVR and FDR data have been “successfully downloaded,” in reference to the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. It did not elaborate on the content of the CVR audio, which records pilots’ verbal communications and other cockpit sounds. The release of any further information is a matter for Iranian authorities leading the investigation, a BEA spokesman said. Iran agreed in June to send the recorders to the BEA for analysis, ending a long standoff with Canada, Ukraine and France. Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne expressed doubt over an interim report by Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation that blamed a misalignment of a radar system and lack of communication between the air defence operator and his commanders even for the downing of the plane. “I don’t put much credibility into that report. It’s not just the result of human error - I think that would be an oversimplification of what really happened,” he said. “We need to understand who the responsible people are, who gave that order, how could the airspace still be open, how were these missiles fired?”<br/>
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More airline employees are signing up for buyouts, leaves of absence and early retirements as the threat of furloughs looms this summer amid the Covid-19 crisis. Close to 17,000 employees or about 28% of Southwest’s workforce has signed up for partially paid extended leaves of absence or outright buyouts, the company’s CEO, Gary Kelly, told employees Monday. Nearly 4,400 put their hands up for buyouts while close to 12,500 expressed interest in extended time off, Kelly said in a staff memo. Airline executives have urged employees to take unpaid or partially paid time off to cut costs. The terms of $25b in federal aid prohibit carriers from furloughing or laying off workers until Oct. 1, though unions are pushing for billions more in aid to protect their jobs through the end of March 2021. The approaching expiration of the current round of aid means airline employees have to weigh potential furloughs against buyouts that include severance and an extension of health-care benefits. Companies are offering a host of buyout and early retirement programs as well as unpaid or partially paid temporary time off that provide health-care benefits but reduce carriers’ labour expense. The results of the programs comes as demand for air travel eases during the all-important summer travel season. “Overall, I’m very pleased with the response to these programs,” Kelly said in the memo. “I’m incredibly grateful to those of you who answered the call. I know there are stories behind every one of those 16,895 decisions — from your incredible history at Southwest Airlines, to stories of what’s ahead in your next phase.”<br/>
El Al has received an offer from an investor who is prepared to acquire a private allotment of shares worth $75m. The offer has come from an individual which the law firm Shibolet identifies, in a 20 July letter to the airline, as businessman Eli Rozenberg. This investment would equate to just under 45% of the issued capital of the company following the allotment. Shibolet says the offer made for the shares would value El Al at 5% more than its market capitalisation on 19 July. El Al has been informed that a trust account at a bank has been opened to “prove the seriousness of the investor”, into which $15 million is being deposited – the equivalent of 20% of the planned investment. No details have emerged on how the rest of El Al’s shareholding structure would change. Its largest single shareholder is currently Knafaim Holdings with 38%.<br/>
IndiGo, one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines before the coronavirus pandemic, will cut 10% of its workforce in a concession to the crisis that’s upended travel around the world. The Indian carrier, operated by InterGlobe Aviation, said Monday that the disease has made it “impossible for our company to fly through this economic storm without making some sacrifices.” The cuts could cost 2,700 jobs based on the airline’s total payroll, though it didn’t provide a number. IndiGo, which controls more than 50% of the Indian market, has been viewed as one of the industry’s healthier carriers, with enough liquidity to withstand a downturn for several months. Its move suggests that weaker airlines will have to take more drastic measures<br/>The company, owned by billionaires Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal, is the biggest customer in the world for Airbus’s best-selling A320neo jets, and so far has been among the handful of airlines to keep accepting new aircraft deliveries on schedule. IndiGo plans to raise 30b rupees ($400m) to augment its balance sheet and prepare for future growth.<br/>
Bondholders in Virgin Australia Holdings, in administration since April, on Monday submitted an updated proposal to take over the struggling company that rivals the approach from Bain Capital selected by administrator Deloitte. The new proposal from bondholders Broad Peak Investment Advisers and Tor Investment Management is “substantially the same” as a recapitalisation pitch for Australia’s second-biggest airline they lodged last month, a spokesman said. The spokesman said the bondholders were seeking to work cooperatively and constructively with Deloitte to receive access to stakeholders and information ahead of an Aug. 26 meeting at which a deal for the future running of the company is to be finalised. Deloitte told creditors on July 17 it had selected the Bain proposal for a deed of company arrangement because it provided certainty over a transaction being completed, immediate funding for the business and resulted in the best outcome for company creditors, including employees, as a whole. Virgin Australia entered voluntary administration in April owing A$7b to creditors, having been struggling financially even before the coronavirus pandemic slammed the travel and airline industries. <br/>
Virgin Australia has brought forward the date its 10 million Velocity frequent flyer members can redeem their points to book flights as the airline moves closer to finalising its future. Velocity members can redeem points on flights from Tuesday July 21, six weeks earlier than the original date of September 1. Velocity accounts were effectively frozen in April after the airline collapsed into administration and members were unable to redeem points on flights or products. Members can also redeem points for hotels and car hire, although the online store remains offline until the airline comes out of administration. In June, Virgin's administrators Deloitte agreed to sell the airline to US private equity giant Bain Capital. However the airline's bondholders are pushing to meet with Virgin management to relaunch their proposal to control the airline. Virgin says seats are available for points bookings on 152 routes and 97% of its network. Airlines are struggling with the uncertainty caused by ongoing border closures and travel restrictions from COVID-19.<br/>
Qatar Executive has launched a bespoke, flexible charter programme which it hopes will boost the appeal of its luxury business aircraft fleet, as the market for VIP travel emerges after months of lockdown. Mark Hardman, acting CE of the Qatar Airways subsidiary, says the scheme, dubbed “Diamond Agreement”, allows customers to pre-purchase flight time at fixed hourly rates on its 18 large-cabin, long- and ultra-long-range business jets. “The Diamond Agreement offers the ultimate in flexibility at a fixed price with each agreement tailored to the clients’ needs,” says Hardman. The programme is designed for companies and individuals with a relatively set travel pattern, and who want to guarantee flight costs in advance “for budgeting purposes”, Harman says. There are no membership fees, but clients must purchase a minimum of 50h of flight time to be eligible for fixed charter rates, which cover both flight hours and taxi time. “The pre-purchased hours have no minimum annual usage and no maximum carry-over, making the Diamond Agreement flexible,” Hardman adds. “We also offer guaranteed availability for reservations booked 72h in advance”. The Covid-19 pandemic is triggering a rise in demand for business aircraft, from travellers wanting to avoid crowded commercial airlines and airports in favour of high-quality, personalised, safe and tailored transport. <br/>