Lufthansa will ask shareholders to approve a capital increase that would open a path toward removing the German government as its biggest shareholder. The proposed E5.5b in fresh capital would give Europe’s largest airline enough cash to replace a so-called silent participation, a major part of Lufthansa’s E9b bailout from the state. Interest rates on the silent participation are due to rise, and the airline might be able to get better financing via a capital raise, the company said in slides accompanying the announcement Thursday. Lufthansa could decide to raise less than the full authorization, and could issue fresh capital in steps. While Lufthansa’s statement outlines it would only opportunistically issue fresh capital, “it still illustrates the equity dilution risk that keeps us cautious on shares,” said Adrian Yanoshik, an analyst at Berenberg Equity Research. Lufthansa received the bailout last year after the coronavirus pandemic punctured a decades-long boom in flying. The package saw the German government take a 20% stake and apply strict restrictions on the airline’s M&A activity and executive pay.<br/>
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United will resume pilot hiring as the carrier sees signs of a sales recovery amid expanding US vaccination campaigns. The carrier will begin with 300 pilots who received a conditional job offer last year or had a new-hire class that was canceled, Bryan Quigley, senior vice president of flight operations, told employees Thursday. The decision followed a year in which airlines slashed payrolls through retirement and voluntary leave offers while depending on billions of dollars in federal payroll aid. The need for new pilots stems from “vaccination rates increasing and travel demand trending upwards,” Quigley said in a memo. Whether United continues adding pilots will depend on further recovery from the collapse in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The hiring plans point to a gathering travel rebound as the availability of three Covid-19 vaccines in the US starts to unleash pent-up demand for flights. The recovery enabled airlines including United to stop burning cash in March. The carrier and American Airlines have said their planes are flying about 80% full.<br/>
Japan’s biggest airline has started offering luxury dining aboard a parked airplane titled the “winged restaurant,” for GBP390 a meal. Diners rushed to relive the cabin dining experience on Wednesday, despite being unable to travel due to the pandemic. All Nippon Airways is offering “passengers” a choice between a first-class seat with a meal for 59,800 yen (GBP391) and a business-class option for about half the price, at 29,800 yen, on board a stationary Boeing-777 at Haneda airport in Tokyo. They are asked to choose in advance from three menus: Japanese-style, western-style beef or western-style fish, served with wine. ANA will offer 22 lunch and dinner sessions this month, each lasting about three hours. There is no in-flight entertainment, but customers receive amenity kits and can also use the airline’s lounge at Haneda’s domestic terminal.<br/>