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The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry issued on Monday a strict warning to Japan Airlines in response to a series of safety problems at the airline and sought the company to submit measures on preventing recurrence by June 11. Shigenori Hiraoka, director general of the ministry’s Civil Aviation Bureau, handed a written warning to Tottori at the ministry on Monday, saying, “I hope [JAL’s] top management will take initiative in emphasizing awareness of aviation safety again and further improving safety after conducting a comprehensive review of [its] safety management system.” Tottori bowed deeply when she received the document. She told media, “I deeply apologize for great concern [JAL] has caused. I’ll promise to take leadership in restoring confidence [from society].”<br/>

Qantas’ aggressive Alan Joyce-era industrial relations strategy, which has so far been continued by his successor CEO Vanessa Hudson, is beginning to fall apart. Attempting to stem the flow of resignations from its subsidiary companies, Qantas is offering tens of thousands of dollars in one-off payments to pilots, who are being lured by better salary conditions at competitors, including cashed-up international airlines, a new airline started by a major mining company, and Virgin Australia. The pilot retention scheme has been launched while the Fair Work Commission continues to adjudicate the enterprise bargaining agreement at Network Aviation, where Qantas rejected union demands for a new agreement earlier this year. As Qantas management said in an internal note to pilots, obtained by Crikey: The Network Aviation pilot retention incentive scheme is a retention scheme where eligible employees will receive discretionary quarterly retention payments of $4,500 (the equivalent of $18,000 pa [gross]) for line pilots until a workplace determination is made by the Fair Work Commission (FWC). The payment will be backdated to March 16, 2024, and will be made every three months thereafter (quarterly). But National Aviation pilots say it’s “too little, too late”.<br/>