A pilot union at the French arm of Air France-KLM called for a one-day strike next week in a further sign of labor strife across the European aviation industry. The Alter group is set to walk out on June 25 to protest what it describes as mounting safety risks related to the carrier ramping up capacity during the busy season, its head Alexandre Rio said by phone. The union represents about 10% of the airline’s pilots and no impact is foreseen from the strike, according to an Air France spokesman. The much bigger SNPL organization isn’t calling for strikes, a representative of that union said. “We’re working with all pilot unions,” Air France CEO Anne Rigail said Thursday. “I think the strategy of making this summer a success is well understood by our pilots so we’re not anticipating a problem.” The possibility of disruptions at Air France comes as European carriers struggle to maintain services, while airports like Amsterdam’s Schiphol and hubs in the UK. struggle with labor shortages. Paris airport unions have also called for a second day of strike action on July 2 to demand higher pay after a protest last week. Ryanair’s labor organizations in Spain, Belgium, France, Italy and Portugal have been coordinating to organize continent-wide action that could further disrupt travel for holidaymakers. Air France is operating about 90% of its capacity and all of its fleet, Rigail said. The company has increased flights to the U.S. by a fifth compared with 2019, while hiring 300 pilots, 200 mechanics and seasonal workers along with 500 other staff.<br/>
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Air France said on Thursday it did not expect any disruption to its flight schedule after minority pilot union Alter called for a strike on June 25 at Air France and its low-cost unit Transavia. “Since mid-2021, pilot hiring resumed by anticipation. The company has thus today enough trained staff to accompany an upturn in traffic,” Air France said. The union, which represents just over 10% of Air France pilots, has called for the strike to protest against labour conditions which it said could “lead to mounting safety risks”. Europe’s aviation sector is looking forward to a peak summer season largely free of COVID-19 restrictions worldwide for the first time since 2019. But airlines and airports are struggling to cope with a rebound in demand with staff shortages leading to cancelled flights and long queues.<br/>
Korean Air is set to impose record fuel surcharges on international routes in July amid soaring jet fuel prices, industry sources said Thursday. Starting July 1, Korea's top air carrier will apply a 42,900 won ($33.30) to 339,300 won surcharge on one-way tickets for international flights, depending on the route. The planned increase will raise the air carrier's surcharges to Level 22, the highest tier, from the current Level 19. This is the highest level since the current surcharge system was adopted in July 2016. In April 2021, rising jet fuel prices forced local carriers to begin imposing fuel surcharges after a one-year hiatus. Fuel surcharges on international routes had stayed at zero since April 2020 due to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Local carriers' fuel surcharges vary on the level of jet fuel prices traded on the Singaporean market. If the average jet fuel price on the Singapore spot market has risen over $1.50 per gallon for the previous month, Korean airlines are allowed to impose fuel surcharges starting one month later. If jet fuel prices drop below the threshold, no surcharge is collected. Jet fuel prices averaged $3.64 per gallon on the Singaporean market for the one period from May 16 to June 15.<br/>