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American Airlines pilots have voted overwhelmingly to allow their labor union to call a strike while the carrier said talks for a new contract are getting close to a conclusion. Pilot strikes are rare and would require permission from the federal National Mediation Board. The vote doesn’t mean a decision to call a strike would happen immediately. More than 96% of American’s pilots participated in the vote and 99% of them voted to allow the union to call a strike, the Allied Pilots Association said Monday. The APA called the strike authorization vote in March as talks for a new deal dragged on. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom had said the airline was ready to raise pay to match rival Delta Air Lines, whose pilots approved a four-year deal earlier this year with 34% raises and other improvements. “Today marks a proud milestone in our pilot group’s unity and resolve and an important step on our path to securing the contract we have earned and deserve — one that prevents management from operating at a discount to our competitors and includes our ‘must have’ quality-of-life priorities,” APA president Capt. Ed Sicher wrote to pilots Monday. A spokeswoman for American Airlines said the carrier believes a deal is “within reach” and that a “handful” of issues are left to complete. “The finish line is in sight,” she said. “We understand that a strike authorization vote is one of the important ways pilots express their desire to get a deal done and we respect the message of voting results.”<br/>

Alaska Airlines has delivered a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 turboprop to be retrofitted with a hydrogen-electric propulsion system by powertrain developer ZeroAvia. After changing hands during a 1 May ceremony at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, the 76-seat Dash 8-400 is set to become the ”world’s largest zero-emissions aircraft”, the companies say. ”Aligning ZeroAvia’s powertrain with the Dash 8-400 airframe will represent a commercially viable zero-emission aircraft with fuel cell engine technology around five times more powerful than what has been demonstrated anywhere to date.” Also during the 1 May event, ZeroAvia demonstrated its HyperCore electric motor system in a 1.8MW prototype configuration, which was mounted on a heavy ground-based testing rig. Alaska’s regional subsidiary Horizon Air recently retired its fleets of Dash 8-400s but set one of type aside for ”research and development purposes to further advance zero emissions technology for the aviation industry”, Alaska says. ”Alaska Airlines has defined a five-part journey to achieve net zero carbon emissions long-term, but we can’t get there alone,” says Ben Minicucci, Alaska’s chief executive. “New technologies are required to make that future possible, and we are thrilled to partner with industry leader ZeroAvia to make new zero emissions options a reality.” With operations in the UK and USA, ZeroAvia is one of several start-ups betting on the potential of hydrogen fuel to decarbonise the aviation industry. Hydrogen fuels emits only water when burned or used to produce electricity. Another notable company developing hydrogen-electric propulsion technologies is California-based Universal Hydrogen, which in early March completed its first flight of a Dash 8-300 powered partly by a hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion system. Story has more.<br/>

Qatar Airways forecast robust travel demand for the rest of the year and said it would look to add more routes, depending on how fast it gets new Airbus and Boeing jets. The Doha-based carrier has seen leisure and business demand surge after travel restrictions were eased — in line with global industry trends — but continues to be hamstrung by a lack of new planes, CEO Akbar Al Baker said. “We have a delay from Boeing with the 787 and 777X,” he told reporters at an event in Dubai on Monday. “All this is in the pipeline and we’re expecting a large number of 787s to be delivered to us this year. We could add 85-90 destinations depending on the aircraft deliveries.” The carrier is a launch customer for both passenger and freighter versions of the new 777 family, the largest aircraft in Boeing’s product line-up and an heir to the hump-backed 747 jumbo, whose production is slated to end in a few months. Qatar Airways, which currently flies to more than 160 destinations worldwide, also hopes to start getting deliveries from Airbus soon, Al Baker said. The IATA said in early December that the airline industry would achieve its first post-pandemic profit this year, bolstered mainly by a travel rebound in the US. And China’s reopening to international travel could propel global air traffic back to pre-pandemic levels as soon as June, one of the world’s leading aircraft-leasing firms said in January. Al Baker said there had been no impact on travel demand from high oil prices and expects another “good year” when the airline reports results. He sounded an optimistic note, despite increasing competition regionally — especially from Saudi Arabia, which is keen to grab a larger share of the market. <br/>

Qatar Airways has no intention of investing in Air Serbia, its CEO, Akbar Al Baker, said on Monday, but the two airlines signed a codeshare agreement in January. “We have invested in airlines which have synergies with Qatar Airways to feed into each other,” Al Baker said. “We do not have any intention in Air Serbia though we are always open to code share with each other,” he added. <br/>

Australia’s flagship carrier, Qantas, on Tuesday named its finance chief Vanessa Hudson as its new CEO, making her the first woman to lead the century-old airline. Hudson will succeed Alan Joyce, who will retire in November, the company said. Hudson, who joined Qantas 28 years ago, had held several senior roles there, including chief customer officer and senior vice president for the Americas and New Zealand. “For the past five years, Vanessa has had a direct hand in shaping our strategy as a member of the group management committee, and her handling of the finance and treasury portfolio during the Covid crisis was outstanding,” Qantas Chairman Richard Goyder said. Shares of Qantas opened down 2.5% on Tuesday; the broader index was down 0.17%. Hudson’s appointment makes her one of the few female executives leading an airline, including Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka. “Vanessa has been market-facing as CFO since October 2019, which will have prepared her well for the very public role as Qantas CEO,” RBC Capital Markets analyst Owen Birrell said in a note. Joyce, 56, served as Qantas CEO for more than 14 years and helped navigate the airline through the Covid-19 pandemic, fluctuating fuel prices, and competition. The company swung to a record first-half profit from a loss this year, as raging travel demand from a population shaking off years of pandemic restrictions jacked up fares and profits. “This transition is happening at a time when the Qantas Group is extremely well positioned,” Goyder said. Qantas said Hudson would continue in her current role until taking over as Qantas’ 13th CEO at the 2023 annual general meeting.<br/>

Vanessa Hudson has just won one of the highest-profile jobs in Australia — CEO of iconic airline Qantas Airways. The 28-year company veteran replaces Alan Joyce, who will step down in November after 15 years in the role — one of the global aviation industry’s longest tenures. While Joyce is famed for turning around the airline at least twice — recently posting a record A$1b ($663m first-half profit — he leaves a divisive legacy and an expensive future for Hudson. Story looks at five of the top tasks facing the first woman to lead the 103-year-old airline: paying for planes; repairing ties; non-stop to New York; healthy rivalry and going green. <br/>