oneworld

Qatar Airways group CE Akbar Al Baker has been named as chairman of the governing board of the Oneworld Alliance. He succeeds Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce, who had served in the role since September 2018. Al Baker will oversee the alliance’s governance, chair the governing board meetings and work closely with Oneworld CEO Rob Gurney and the alliance’s management team. Having led Qatar Airways since its launch in 1997, Al Baker is the longest-serving CEO of a Oneworld member airline. Under his leadership, Qatar Airways has grown into one of the world’s most highly-awarded airlines with an extensive global network, with plans to serve over 140 destinations by end of July 2021. Qatar Airways became a member of Oneworld in October 2013. An influential figure in the global aviation industry, he served as chairman of the IATA board of governors from June 2018 to June 2019. He has served on that board since 2012. He is also a member of the executive committee of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation and a non-executive director of Heathrow Airport Holdings. In addition, he serves as Secretary-General of Qatar National Tourism Council.<br/>

American Airlines Group and JetBlue will livestream National Basketball Association games on eligible flights outside the US that are equipped with Viasat high-speed satellite connections. The service is expected to be available soon enough for passengers to watch the NBA playoffs, which begin May 22, said Viasat spokeswoman Chris Phillips. The multiyear agreement to carry NBA League Pass content excludes Canada and China as well as US domestic flights. The limited availability is the result of NBA licensing rights, Phillips said. Travelers on American will need to purchase Wi-Fi access to get the games but won’t face other charges. A spokeswoman for American said the airline has about 600 planes equipped with Viasat. JetBlue passengers won’t have any access fee.<br/>

Iberia, the Spanish arm of IAG airline group, expects its monthly flights to reach 60% of 2019 levels by July, as travel starts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. This month, Iberia is flying at 40% of May 2019 levels and expects to reach 50% of the last pre-pandemic June next month, Commercial Director Maria Jesus Lopez Solas told reporters on Thursday. CEO Javier Sanchez Prieto said Spain needed to open up to the rest of the world, especially Latin America, following months of restrictions to air travel imposed to curb COVID-19. The decision to reopen routes between Spain and Latin America should come within weeks, Prieto said. "There's enormous pent-up demand: as soon as restrictions are lifted, we see bookings start pouring through," Lopez Solas said, adding Iberia planed to fly to 18 Latin American capitals in June. The flag carrier wants to increase flights to Asia from Spain - now only 5% of the total - hoping to bring Madrid's Barajas airport in line with other European hubs, which average 20-25% of flights to Asia.<br/>

Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific has committed to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, by focusing on investing in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), carbon emission offsets and reducing emissions through enhanced efficiency. Cathay Pacific’s CE Augustus Tang called for increased efforts to tackle the “imminent global risk” and what is “potentially a much more disruptive crisis” than the Covid-19 pandemic, says the carrier on Thursday. The group outlined its climate commitments in its Sustainable Development Report 2020 report, which it released in a 18 May filing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. “While the aviation industry contributed less than 3% of the world’s man-made CO2 emissions prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Cathay Pacific embraces its responsibility to lead the charge towards sustainable aviation and ensure future generations can experience the joy of travel,” Tang says. Cathay Pacific aims to increase its use of SAF, aiming to buy 1.1 million tonnes over 10 years to meet about 2% of overall fuel needs from 2023 onwards. The group has set a target to cut ground emissions by 32% from the 2018 baseline before 2030 by minimising engine use on the ground and bringing on board a new fuel-efficient fleet.<br/>

Qantas has appealed to Australia’s government to reopen international borders by the end of the year, warning that the country risks being left behind as other parts of the world begin easing Covid-19 restrictions. The airline made the plea on Thursday as it forecast a more than A$2bn (US$1.5bn) loss in the 2021 financial year ending in June, hundreds more job cuts and a two-year wage freeze. But it also disclosed that it had stopped burning through cash thanks to a rebound in its domestic operations. “No one wants to lose the tremendous success we’ve had at managing Covid but rolling out the vaccine totally changes the equation,” said Alan Joyce, Qantas CE. “The risk then flips to Australia being left behind when countries like the US and UK are getting back to normal.” Canberra plans to keep Australia’s borders closed until mid-2022 even though it expects to complete its vaccination rollout by the end of the year. The country remains largely free of Covid-19 infections owing to border closures and strict hotel quarantine. But the airline industry has intensely lobbied authorities to speed up the border reopening, arguing that delays risk hampering the post-pandemic recovery. Jayne Hrdlicka, Virgin Australia chief executive, sparked controversy this week by calling for the border to reopen even if “some people may die”.<br/>