Finnair intends to adopt temporary measures to manage its single-aisle fleet after putting narrowbody modernisation plans on hold while the pandemic crisis persists. Prior to the pandemic the airline had been discussing particularly the introduction of Airbus A320neos or “similar aircraft” from other suppliers, said CE Topi Manner during a Q1 briefing. “Narrowbody investment still part of our long-term plans, but not actually for the next couple of years,” he says. “So instead, in terms of fleet management, we’ll be working with life extensions and optimisation of the fleet.” The airline, which has postponed deliveries of remaining Airbus A350s, says the time horizon of the remaining fleet investment plan – including the narrowbody renewal – will be “reassessed”. “[Finnair] will, in particular, follow the rapidly-evolving aircraft market when it plans its future fleet investments,” it adds. The carrier has reached a new collective agreement with pilots which will include more options for introducing wet-lease capacity to handle seasonality demands. Manner highlights the flexibility offered by the new three-and-a-half-year pact with the Finnish airline pilot association SLL and the service sector organisation Palta. “One part of the agreement is the so-called scope, enabling us to use, for example, wet-lease capacity more than previously to address seasonality in traffic,” he says.<br/>
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Cathay Pacific is offering voluntary redundancy to staff including pilots, cabin crew and airport workers as it continues to struggle with a collapse in travel because of Covid. The Hong Kong-based airline said operating conditions remain “incredibly challenging” and that the decision was based on requests from some employees. It expects no discernible improvement to operations in the short to medium term. The South China Morning Post reported earlier Wednesday that Cathay had offered voluntary redundancy to pilots and cabin crew. Cathay already cut 5,900 jobs in October, including some 600 pilots, and eliminated other vacant positions in layoffs that amounted to almost one-quarter of its total workforce. It reported a record loss of about HK$21.7b ($2.8b) last year, shuttered regional airline Cathay Dragon and implemented a recapitalization plan to raise HK$39 billion to help it weather the crisis. Cathay Chairman Patrick Healy said last month that passenger capacity would be well below 50% of pre-pandemic levels in 2021.<br/>