The union representing pilots at Jazz Aviation claims that their employer and Air Canada have breached the Canada Labour Code, even as it ratified changes to their collective agreement. On Monday, the Air Line Pilots Association filed a complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board arguing that both airlines violated the exclusivity deal between the two and effectively narrowed the pipeline of pilots from one carrier to the other. Jazz, a subsidiary of Chorus Aviation Inc., provides regional service for the country’s biggest airline under the Air Canada Express brand. In May, Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau announced a “bridging arrangement” with St. John’s, N.L.-based company PAL Airlines to boost the number of regional flights in Eastern Canada. Tim Perry, president of the Air Line Pilots Association’s Canadian segment, said that the deal was out of bounds, due to the contract between Jazz and Air Canada. “The arrangement was that it was exclusivity. So when flying was assigned or when deals were struck with PAL, we’re basically saying that that was done in contravention of previous agreements,” he said in a telephone interview from Winnipeg. Rather than boost compensation and benefits to pilots — and thus attract and retain more in order to expand flight capacity at Jazz — management took another route, he said. On top of partnering with PAL, that path also saw Air Canada’s “micromanaging what Jazz and Chorus are able to work out in bargaining” and setting an effective cap on Jazz’s spending, Perry claimed. Air Canada and Jazz also encroached on pilots’ labour rights by “refusing to comply with contractual pilot ‘flow’ agreements,” which see a certain number of pilots trickle from Jazz to Air Canada each year, according to a union statement.<br/>
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Lufthansa is looking to sell its insurance brokerage unit Albatros and insurance business Delvag, according to people familiar with the matter. The country’s largest carrier is working with advisers to find a buyer for the two units in a push to streamline operations, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are confidential. Lufthansa has been selling non-core businesses in a bid to raise cash after Covid, as it focuses on consolidating Europe’s aviation market. The company is in the process of selling a minority stake in its maintenance unit and has offloaded the remainder of its catering business to private equity group Aurelius. At the same time, Lufthansa agreed to buy a stake in Italy’s ITA Airways in May. The sale of Albatros and Delvag would follow that strategic rationale. A representative for Lufthansa declined to comment. Delvag is Lufthansa’s in-house insurer and offers, for instance, coverage for air cargo, sea freight and transport. Albatros is part of the unit and acts as an insurance broker for airlines that seek coverage for their fleets. Lufthansa is currently grappling with higher costs in a post-pandemic world, driven by higher air traffic control and airport charges, as well as maintenance expenses. Healthy summer demand has recently helped the firm to triple its adjusted earnings before interest and taxes, and the company expects robust demand for the rest of the year. <br/>
Egyptian national carrier EgyptAir announced it will operate its first direct flight from Cairo to Port Sudan starting Sept. 1, the Egyptian civil aviation ministry said on Tuesday. The decision comes after Sudanese authorities re-opened the airspace in the eastern sector of the country, after closing the entire airspace since April 15 after war broke out. Since then, humanitarian and evacuation flights have operated out of Port Sudan airport on the Red Sea coast. <br/>
It’s been a busy few months in sport thanks to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the revolution at the Warriors and now with the Rugby World Cup on the horizon, Air New Zealand is kitting up to be part of the action. The national carrier is launching a dedicated onboard channel for live entertainment, including all the big sports events. It’ll be rolled out across its 787 and 777 aircraft and will feature action from the All Blacks in France, as well as the NRL, Premier League football and the tennis US Open. Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty said fans won’t miss out on the action despite being 33,000 feet in the air. “Just like most Kiwis, we’re crazy about rugby, so kicking off the roll-out of live sport today means they will be able to enjoy live rugby onboard and will be able to support their team even while in the air,” said Geraghty. Initially, 11 aircraft are due to feature live sport ahead of the RWC, with the remaining seven aircraft to have it enabled before the finals kick off on October 14. To accompany the new trial, the airline has also released a video on etiquette for sports fans onboard.<br/>