Mexican airline Aeromexico is expanding its flights to Europe and reestablishing a route to Asia, the company said on Monday. Beginning March 25, the airline will launch a new route to Rome from Mexico City, offering three weekly flights and expanding to five by June 1, it said in a statement. An Aeromexico spokesperson told Reuters the flight will be from the Mexico City International Airport, which has dealt with congestion and safety issues, rather than a new airport farther from the Mexican capital's center that the government has promoted The airline also will increase the number of weekly direct flights to Madrid from the major Mexican cities of Monterrey and Guadalajara, from three to five beginning March 27, with daily flights from June 1. The additions will increase the airline's flights to Europe by 20% over the 2022 summer season, the company said. The carrier said it will begin flying daily to Tokyo on March 25, after having discontinued the route three years ago.<br/>
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Air France-KLM Group has repaid early part of the outstanding state-backed loan granted to support the company during the pandemic. It had already redeemed E500m of the E4b sum in December last year. Air France-KLM says it has repaid a further E1b, ahead of schedule, after strong Q3 financial results. “The solid improvement in operating performance over the first nine months of the year have allowed the group to accelerate the repayment of financing received during the [pandemic] crisis,” it states. “This early repayment will improve the group’s debt profile by reducing financial costs and limiting exposure to floating rates.”Alongside the French state, a syndicate of nine banks took part in the loan. The E1b repayment comprises E800m to settle a tranche due to mature in May next year, plus E200m due to mature in May 2024. Air France-KLM aims to repay the balance of E2.5b in two parts, including the remaining E1.15b of the May 2024 tranche, in line with the original schedule, and the final repayment of E1.35b in May 2025.<br/>
Kenya Airways is recruiting new pilots and has started disciplinary action against its pilots who are out on strike, its CEO said on Monday. The airline had warned its striking pilots they could be dismissed if they do not return to work immediately as industrial action over pay that began on Saturday has led to the cancellation of dozens of flights and left thousands of passengers stranded. As the strike entered a third day, CEO Allan Kilavuka said that as of Monday afternoon, 23 pilots had shown up for work and the airline had restored a fifth of its daily network operations. The pilots are striking over a dispute on pensions contributions and settlement of deferred pay, and the airline, one of Africa’s biggest, has said the industrial action was costing it at least 300m shillings ($2.5mi) a day. Kilavuka said the airline would not hold talks until pilots returned to work. “We have said before that we are ready to talk. Now time has changed. We want them to first go back to work with immediate effect before we can have any discussions whatsoever,” he said. “In any case ... we have already started disciplinary action and we have already started recruiting new pilots. So those who are still interested in working with Kenya Airways should very quickly report back to work with immediate effect.” Murithi Nyagah, the general secretary of the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA), which represents about 400 pilots, said the striking pilots would go back to work when their demands were met.<br/>