Japan Airlines plans to offer coronavirus coverage for its international passengers. The coverage is backed by Allianz Travel, and covers up to E150,000 in medical costs, including the initial testing fee, as well as treatment costs if a passenger tests positive during their journey, says JAL. Also covered are costs associated with isolation and repatriation. The package will be offered from 23 December. “As international flights gradually return to service, the JAL Group has implemented key measures against COVID-19 to provide customers a safe and secure travel experience,” says Hideo Ninomiya, managing executive officer of passenger sales. “While it may take time to welcome back customers on a global scale, we hope this coverage with Allianz Travel will provide reassurance to those that need to travel today.”<br/>
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Fresh from axing 5,300 jobs in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific said its employment of foreign pilots was under “greater scrutiny” from immigration authorities, and expats were facing difficulties obtaining and renewing work visas. Aviation insiders said the struggles for pilots in obtaining or renewing work permits to fly for the airline was leaving their jobs in limbo, and risked hampering Cathay’s operations, especially with freighter pilots being hired in preparation to move coronavirus vaccines around the world. They also warned that by creating hurdles for expat pilots, officials risked hurting the city’s economy, and going against their promise of cherishing Hong Kong’s status as an international aviation hub. Airline employees, affected or with knowledge of the situation, said the problems started after the airline cut more than 5,000 jobs, and scrapped regional brand Cathay Dragon, in October, subsequently leaving hundreds of local pilots looking for work. Work visas are issued under strict criteria, including that a job could not be performed by a Hongkonger. The issues pilots faced were not thought to be linked to the current political climate. In a memo to pilots last week, Chris Kempis, Cathay’s director of flight operations, said the carrier was aware that the “Immigration Department is reviewing renewals with greater scrutiny”. Kempis said the airline was “in active dialogue with the appropriate decision makers” at the department, and acknowledged the sudden events had caused “a degree of anxiety among those affected” and pledged to update staff as soon as more information was available. The Post is aware of several pilots, at the company and its subsidiaries, who were being given short-term renewals of up to three months only, instead of two- or three-year visa renewals.<br/>
BA parent IAG will outline its plan to lower emissions, including the use of carbon offsets, when the airline group’s new chief speaks at a UN summit this weekend. CEO Luis Gallego, who is set to address the UN Climate Ambition Summit on Saturday, will provide a road map toward fulfilling IAG’s pledge of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, according to a spokeswoman for the carrier. IAG was the first in its industry to make the pledge in 2019, though it has been criticized for relying too much on offset measures such as tree-planting for the reduction. It aims to use carbon offsets and removals to compensate for 43% of annual emissions by 2050, according to its carbon-disclosure report. IAG intends not to use offsets at all by that year, the spokeswoman added. IAG has argued that there are few alternatives for airlines for the time being. “For a decade, IAG has been leading aviation’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint,” IAG said. “Unlike other industries, aviation does not have an immediate alternative to fossil fuels but we have a road map to reduce our carbon footprint.” IAG is investing in new planes that are up to 40% more fuel efficient and said it was working with start-ups to explore hydrogen powered aircraft, it said. It is also investing $400m in sustainable aviation fuel made from waste which produce 70% less carbon dioxide, the carrier group said.<br/>
BA will work with hydrogen plane startup ZeroAvia to speed the switch to hydrogen power for commercial aircraft. The partnership was announced Saturday, as the head of parent IAG SA prepared to outline the group’s plan to reach net-zero emissions at a United Nations climate summit. The legacy airline will work with the startup, which has already demonstrated a six-seater plane powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, on the potential for BA’s future fleet to use the fuel. The project is part of IAG’s start-up accelerator program, which gives small companies a chance to test their technology on a global scale. ZeroAvia aims to demonstrate its technology on longer flights, and hopes to fly more than 1,000 miles in aircraft with more than 100 seats by 2030. Hydrogen is gathering momentum as a possible solution to decarbonize aviation.<br/>