United and its pilots' union have reached an agreement to prohibit the airline from mandating COVID-19 vaccinations to its pilots, the Air Line Pilots Association said on Monday. "Since the COVID vaccination is not mandatory, pilots who elect not to be vaccinated will not be subject to any discipline," the agreement stated. United's CEO, Scott Kirby, had told workers at a meeting in January that the company may make the vaccine mandatory for employees and urged other companies to do the same. The agreement between the airline and the union also adds that those pilots who have been vaccinated would be eligible for extra pay. <br/>
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Lufthansa said late on Monday its planes would avoid Belarusian air space until further notice because of the “current dynamic situation”. Belarusian authorities on Sunday scrambled a fighter jet and flagged what turned out to be a false bomb alert to force a Ryanair plane to land and then detained a dissident journalist who was on board, provoking condemnation from European countries, the United States and NATO. Separately, Minsk airport in Belarus on Monday suspended boarding of a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt and searched the plane, saying it had received a warning about a possible terrorist act that had not been confirmed.<br/>
The SIA Group has committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The move follows those of several other airlines and increasing scrutiny in recent years on the environmental impact of aviation. The SIA Group consists of flag carrier SIA, budget airline Scoot and SIA Cargo. It said Monday that its airlines will achieve the net zero carbon emissions goal through several measures. These include investing in new-generation aircraft, adopting sustainable aviation fuels and sourcing for high-quality carbon offsets. CEO Goh Choon Phong said the group is aware that sustainability is an increasingly important issue to both customers and staff. He said the most effective way for an airline to lower carbon emissions is to operate a young fleet of aircraft. The SIA Group already has one of the youngest fleets in the world, with an average age of five years and 10 months. It has retired 45 older aircraft in the past year, and will replace them with new aircraft that are up to 30% more fuel-efficient, said Goh. "We will continue to collaborate with governments, the airline industry, and partners such as aircraft manufacturers, technology providers, and fuel suppliers, both in Singapore and around the world," said Goh.<br/>
All Nippon Airways Co. on Monday started a trial of a mobile app developed by a global industry body to certify passengers’ coronavirus status as part of efforts to help revive international travel. ANA will trial the IATA Travel Pass on its flights connecting Tokyo with Honolulu and New York until June 6. The smartphone app shows travelers’ polymerase chain reaction test results — currently a condition of entry for most countries — and vaccination status. A total of 32 airliners have said they will join the trial, according to ANA, which already tested a similar app backed by the World Economic Forum called CommonPass in March. The trial comes as Japan plans to introduce “vaccine passports” to make it easier for people who have been inoculated against COVID-19 to travel internationally.<br/>
United joined other companies in promoting COVID-19 vaccines by giving customers enrolled in its loyalty program a chance to win free flights for a year if they share proof of vaccination. The move comes as the White House continues to reach out to businesses for help in encouraging Americans to get vaccinated and as airline travel begins to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Five grand prize winners of the “Your Shot to Fly” sweepstakes will win one year of free air travel to any United Airlines global destination in any class of service for themselves and a companion. Additionally, 30 winners will win a round-trip flight for two to anywhere in the US in any class. In order to enter for a chance to win, members of the company's MileagePlus loyalty program need to upload their vaccination cards to the United app or site. <br/>
Investment holding company Shanghai AJ Group is partnering with Juneyao Air to potentially make an investment in an aviation company. Shanghai AJ, a related party of Juneyao Air, will jointly invest in Shanghai Jidaohang Aviation Technology Partnership, according to a 21 May filing to the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Juneyao announced on 30 April that it would set up Jidaohang Aviation Technology with strategic partners to invest in aviation entities abroad. The partnership has an investment cap of CNY30b and Shanghai AJ intends to invest as much as CNY4b, acting as a limited partner. The proposal still needs to be approved by Shanghai AJ’s board and shareholders. The announcement from Shanghai AJ came a day after a subsidiary of Chinese conglomerate Fosun International said it was setting up a company with the purpose of investing in airlines.<br/>