A Southwest pilot is under investigation for allegedly assaulting a flight attendant at a California bar during an argument over wearing masks, authorities said. The pilot was cited for assault and battery over the Oct. 18 dispute at a hotel bar in San Jose. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the incident to determine whether criminal charges should be filed, San Jose police Sgt. Christian Camarillo said. The pilot’s name wasn’t released. The incident comes amid a surge in unruly airline passengers this year, who sometimes become violent. The hotel bar incident “involved a disagreement over mask wearing or masks,” Camarillo said, declining to provide more details. There was a “crew disagreement during an overnight trip,” and the pilot has been placed on leave while the incident is investigated, Southwest spokesperson Brandy King said. “We do not have information to provide regarding the context of the event, and we do not discuss personnel issues externally,” King said.<br/>
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Brazilian airline Azul is interested in buying the whole of Chile’s bankrupt LATAM Airlines Group and is ready to make an offer if creditors fail to agree on a restructuring plan, Azul CE John Rodgerson told Chilean newspaper Diario Financiero on Monday. “We know exactly what we will offer,” Rodgerson said in the interview, adding that Azul would likely have to wait until Nov. 23 when a statutory limit on reaching a restructuring plan runs out. Reuters previously reported here that Azul was only interested in buying LATAM's Brazilian operations, but in the interview with Diario Financiero, Rodgerson said the plan was to buy and hold on to the whole company. “We would buy the whole asset. I believe that the group has a lot of value and we’re not thinking of splitting or selling divisions,” he said. Rodgerson said that if LATAM manages to agree a restructuring, Azul would not be able to make its offer, but that all indications were that such an agreement would not be reached. <br/>
Scottish regional carrier Loganair’s turnover for the 12 months to 31 March more than halved to GBP81m compared with the previous year, but the airline has credited its adaptability amid the Covid-19 pandemic with helping it reduce its full-year pre-tax loss. The Glasgow-based operator reports that its pre-tax loss narrowed to GBP5.6m from the GBP12.7m loss recorded in fiscal 2019/20, and attributes this to its “flexibility to rapidly change its business model in the face of the pandemic”. Loganair says it converted two aircraft to support the Scottish Ambulance Service last year and signed a new long-term contract with “a group of oil companies” to fly between Aberdeen and Sumburgh. The carrier’s scheduled services, however, were “severely restricted” amid the pandemic, and passenger numbers fell to around 252,000 from just over 1m in 2019/20. Loganair says it has returned all employees to full pay as of 1 September, after previously agreeing a series of pay reductions with unions. All 42 of the airline’s aircraft are in service, it adds, and two more ATR turboprops joined the fleet in October. “We’re cautiously optimistic about the future,” states Loganair chief executive Jonathan Hinkles, adding that he is confident the airline can address “challenges including reduced demand for business travel and concerns about aviation’s impact on the environment”.<br/>
The administrator of Mango Airlines has proposed that the South African Airways subsidiary be sold off in its entirety to a private investor to secure its long-term viability, but in the meantime must resume operations with state funds by December to safeguard its route rights and take advantage of high season demand, or be mothballed until an investor is found. In the business rescue plan published on October 29, 2021, administrator Sipho Eric Sono of consultancy SNG Grant Thornton said he was advised on October 6 by SAA, which owns 100% of Mango, that the subsidiary does not feature in its own restructuring plans, and would not receive any more state funds other than those already allocated. “Having established that Mango will not form part of the SAA Group, the administrator has determined that for Mango to be rescued and for it to remain sustainable into the future, the company requires an investor that would fund ongoing operations beyond its restructuring. This business rescue plan, therefore, proposes that the company be sold to an interested investor.” Should an investor not be secured, the administrator proposes that Mango be wound down. Story has more details.<br/>