Croatia Airlines has been selected as the winner of a recent public call for the upkeep of three weekly flights between Mostar and Zagreb in 2024. It was the only airline to apply for the tender organised by local authorities in Mostar for flights to the Croatian capital in return for subsidies. The value of the contract has not been disclosed. The agreement between Mostar Airport and Croatia Airlines will be signed next month, while last week the Croatian carrier put tickets on sale for the route throughout 2024. Local authorities have launched another public call for the introduction of flights from Mostar to other European destinations in return for subsidies. It is believed Croatia Airlines could apply for this tender as well. Earlier this year, Mostar Airport said it was in talks with the Croatian carrier over potential scheduled services to Rome in 2024.<br/>
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Air China has unveiled plans to purchase a total of 17 China-made new aircraft, which will be delivered in the next two years. Air China will buy six narrow-body aircraft C919 and 11 regional jets ARJ21 from their developer Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China for CNY7.6b (US$1.1b), the Beijing-based carrier announced late on Dec. 22. Air China plans to raise CNY6b from its controlling shareholder China National Aviation Holding through a private placement and use CNY4.2b of the proceeds to purchase the new jets, the carrier noted. The remaining CNY1.8b will be used to supplement working capital. The list prices of the C919 is US$108m, cheaper than its overseas competitors Boeing 737-MAX 8 and Airbus A320neo, which are priced at US$122m and US$111m, respectively. The listed price of the ARJ21 is US$38m, according to Air China. List prices are generally higher than actual transaction prices. Comac delivered its first ARJ21 in 2015, with such airplanes having carried over 10m passengers as of last month. The latest model C919 was first delivered in December last year to China Eastern Airlines, which now has a total of three C919. The Shanghai-based carrier is the only one to have C919 jets among its fleet. Orders for the C919 have risen to 1,061, Comac’s Chairman He Dongfeng said at the Pujiang Innovation Forum in Shanghai in September. The company also plans to develop variants of the C919, extending the range of seats to 130 to 240 from 158 to 168, He added.<br/>
Taipei-based EVA Airways said Monday that it will pay employees year-end bonuses equal to six months salary, the highest since the company was founded, at a time when some of its pilots are voting on a strike due to pay issues. The year-end bonuses, which will apply to employees at the airline and its subsidiaries, will be accompanied by an average monthly pay increase of NT$5,000 (US$160.77) for EVA Air's crew and ground staff and of NT$11,000 to NT$20,000 for pilots, depending on their rank. Employees will also receive a mid-year bonus next year, with the amount to be decided based on the annual profits made by their companies, according to the airline. EVA Air was able to offer the record bonuses because of the recovery of the global aviation industry in 2023 from the restrictions previously imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic that limited traveling. EVA Air pilots who belong to the Taoyuan Union of Pilots (TUP) started voting on Dec. 22 on whether to strike during the Lunar New Year holidays if the airline refuses to grant their demand for a structural pay hike.<br/>