United Airlines Holdings said Thursday that it had canceled flights to Kahului Airport in Hawaii's Maui and would fly empty planes to the wildfire-hit island to bring passengers back to the mainland. Separately, Alaska Air Group flagged some delays because of the wildfires earlier in the day, but said that it was sticking to its regular flight schedule from Maui. Alaska Air is also adding an extra flight to facilitate rescue efforts and may consider including more depending on the situation, it said. "In terms of operational impact, we are delaying some flights to ensure smooth operations," the carrier said.<br/>
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The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday cited United Airlines crew failure in a December 2022 flight that sharply lost altitude before recovering shortly after departing Kahului, Hawaii. The Boeing 777 jet lost altitude about one minute after departure in heavy rain, descending from 2,100 feet to about 748 feet above the water before the crew recovered from the descent. The NTSB cited “the flight crew’s failure to manage the airplane’s vertical flightpath, airspeed, and pitch attitude following a miscommunication.”<br/>
A new report says Air Canada ranked last in on-time performance among the 10 largest airlines in North America, as some carriers north of the border struggle to find their post-pandemic footing despite much better outcomes than the travel chaos of 2022. Canada's biggest carrier landed 51% of its flights on time last month, according to figures from aviation data firm Cirium. WestJet, which placed seventh, saw 62% of its trips make it to the gate on time -- defined as within 15 minutes of scheduled arrival. The two outcomes paled in comparison to top performers Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines, which notched 82% and 79%, respectively. North American airlines' average on-time performance stood at 66%, the worst by far of any of the regions tracked in the report, including Europe, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa. On top of a shortage of air traffic controllers, Air Canada has pointed to thunderstorms and a network running at full tilt amid high demand, which can mean longer recovery times after a disruption. Some 140,000 passengers per day flew on Air Canada's 36,000 trips last month, said spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick in an email. "As with any system, when it is operating at full capacity it may slow processes down and take longer to recover when issues arise. That said, many of the delays were relatively short," he said. Last month, the IATA called out air traffic control organizations in North America, which include Nav Canada, for staffing shortages that "continue to produce unacceptable delays and disruptions." Nav Canada has acknowledged that some delays at the country's biggest airports over the past two months owe in part to a dearth of air traffic controllers.<br/>
Lufthansa mainline and cargo pilots represented by the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union have backed a new collective labour deal which will cover pay terms until at least the end of 2026. The German carrier had faced strike disruption last September from pilots at Lufthansa mainline and Lufthansa Cargo before brokering a short-term labour deal. One week ago, the airline revealed it had agreed a new long-term pay and conditions deal with VC, which the union was putting to its membership for approval. Lufthansa today said pilots have now backed a collective pay deal which will remain in force until December 2026 and a terms of service deal which runs until at least December 2027. Under the agreement, which covers around 5,200 staff, pilots will receive a 7% pay rise from December, and subsequent 5% pay rises at the start of 2025 and 2026. It also includes a one-off payment of 3.75% of fixed annual compensation of up to E3,000 ($3,292) for this year. The carrier says the agreement also makes its easier to plan leisure time and adds roster stability for pilots, as well as allowing for the integration of pilots from its former Germanwings unit into Lufthansa. Lufthansa Group executive board member and labour director Michael Niggemann says: “This new agreement is not easy for us to conclude from an economic perspective. But its long-term nature provides Lufthansa Airline with a sound planning foundation for the years ahead, particularly for its intended long-haul growth. The fact that the new agreement was found amicably around the negotiating table strengthens our social partnership, too.”<br/>
Turkish Airlines expects to announce its major order for 600 aircraft ”soon” after receiving revised proposals from the OEMs and studying options around engines following supply issues. The Star Alliance carrier plans to order 400 narrowbodies and 200 widebodies as it looks to double its fleet to more than 800 aircraft over the next decade. It had originally indicated a selection could be announced in June, but pushed back its decision – in part because of the run-off in national elections which delayed the result by two weeks. Asked about the status of the order during a Q2 results call on 10 August, Turkish Airlines CFO Murat Seker acknowledged the challenge of securing delivery slots given the large order backlogs at both Airbus and Boeing. "This is a very large scale of order and given the close relationship Turkish Airlines has with the both the OEMs, we are working closely [with them] and we have got the revised proposals,” he says. Seker adds: "But of course there the engines are playing a key role. So while we are trying to decide on which aircraft type to [order], we are also very closely investigating which engine types to get and which type of maintenance contracts to get in addition. "That is the reason why we have not announced any decision yet. But it’s not going to take too much further time. Soon, we will be able to announce the result of this tender.” Turkish Airlines finished the three months to 30 June with 419 aircraft and expects its fleet to reach 435 by year-end. Seker says the airline has another 78 aircraft due for delivery, mostly Airbus A320neos, but also including more A350s and Boeing 787s. "Going forward our intention is to grow the capacity in terms of ASKs by about 7-10% year on year over the next five years. So we will try to accommodate the necessary aircraft through operating leases if we cannot get a new contract with the OEMs.” <br/>
Tata Group on Thursday unveiled a new logo, branding and plane livery for Air India as part of a multi-million dollar transformation of the former state-run carrier. The airline's new logo includes a design with golden, red and purple colours, and will replace the old logo of a red swan with orange spokes. The rebranding by Tata, which comes after years of under-investment under government control, will not completely do away with the iconic mascot of a cheerful Maharaja in a red turban and with an outsized moustache. It would stay on in some elements of the design, but would not be as prominent, CEO Campbell Wilson said, adding that all of the airline's widebody planes will be refurbished with the new livery by 2025. Since taking control in 2022, Tata has spent millions of dollars to update Air India's old planes, while also placing an order for hundreds of new jets. It has also upgraded many of its paper-based systems and streamlined operations to better compete with domestic rival IndiGo and global airlines like Emirates. "The vision we have for the airline is also in the backdrop of a new resurgent India where the aspirations of everyone are limitless," Air India chairperson N. Chandrasekaran said.<br/>