WestJet Encore has reached a tentative agreement with its pilots union over a new contract, the labor group said on Thursday, averting a strike at the Canadian regional carrier. The new agreement comes amid a 72-hour strike notice issued by the union on Wednesday to the management and the government, following the failed ratification of the earlier agreement between the two sides on May 10. "Over the coming days, our WestJet Encore membership will begin voting on the new tentative agreement," said Carin Kenny, chair of the WestJet Encore Master Executive Council. The previous contract, which offered improved compensation and scheduling, was voted down because it failed to address "ongoing pilot attraction and retention issues," Carin had said. WestJet Encore operates a network of regional flights that serve the mainline WestJet Airlines. WestJet, which is owned by Onex Corp has been competing with rival Air Canada to meet the demands of Canadian pilots to narrow the earnings gap with higher-paid aviators in the United States. Earlier this month, the company also reached a tentative agreement with the union representing its maintenance engineers to avert work stoppage.<br/>
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The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear an appeal from victims' families who are trying to enforce a $107m judgment against Iran over its downing of a passenger jet. Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was shot down by Iranian officials shortly after takeoff from Tehran in 2020. Most of the passengers were bound for Canada, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents. In 2021, family members obtained a default court judgment against Iran for $107m plus interest and costs. The families then took steps to enforce the ruling against properties and bank accounts of Iran in Canada. An Ontario judge dismissed the motion, finding that the Iranian property was protected by diplomatic immunity under Canadian law, a decision that was upheld on appeal.<br/>
Ryanair has claimed that air fares to and from Dublin Airport are "going to go through the roof" over the coming winter season. The airline said it has not been allocated enough seats to meet its demand due to a cap on the number of passengers allowed to use Dublin Airport. The airport is currently limited to having 32m passengers a year use its facility under historical planning permissions. Ryanair called on the Irish Transport Minister Eamonn Ryan to intervene and scrap the cap. Last year, in excess of 31.9m passengers used the two terminals, which essentially means capacity has maxed out. Earlier this month, the Irish Aviation Authority announced a 14.4m airline seat capacity between late October 2024 and the end of March 2025. Ryanair said it was allocated one million seats less for the forthcoming winter than it requires to meet demand during peak periods such as mid-term break and Christmas holidays. The company's CEO Eddie Wilson said that the "enforced reduction of seats will only lead to customers having to pay higher air fares and may well result in the return of pricing that was last seen in the 1980's". Irish national broadcaster RTÉ reported that Wilson said the airline would have normally added 300,000 additional seats between Dublin and London over the Christmas period, but this year will not be able to. He predicted that this could lead to one-way fares on that route around the festive period reaching up to E500. Ryanair previously announced that it was moving three aircraft, 16 new routes and around 200 jobs away from Dublin Airport to Southern Italy for the summer period because of the cap.<br/>
Belarusian flag-carrier Belavia has failed to convince the European General Court to lift restrictions on the carrier, imposed after the airline was accused of aiding illegal migration to the EU for political purposes. State-owned Belavia was sanctioned over concerns that it was supporting efforts in 2021 by president Alexander Lukashenko’s regime to undermine the EU, by transporting migrants from the Middle East to Minsk and facilitating illegal border crossings. Belavia had argued to the court that the restrictions should be annulled, alleging a “manifest error of assessment” by the Council of the European Union as well as a failure by the Council to meet the required standard of proof. The Council had disputed Belavia’s objections. It argued that Belavia had opened new routes and expanded capacity to carry would-be illegal migrants – particularly from Lebanon, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates – and that local tour operators had served as intermediaries to help Belavia “keep a low profile”.<br/>
Emirates is adding tools to help the airline prevent incidents of extreme turbulence, after two high-profile mishaps on other carriers left one dead and dozens injured. The world’s largest long-haul airline is joining the International Air Transport Association’s information-sharing platform that helps pilots fly around turbulent areas. Emirates is also providing pilots with the latest version of a mobile navigation system made by Germany’s Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Dubai’s flagship carrier is equipping 140 aircraft with software that automatically shares turbulence reports among all airlines contributing to the platform. All new jets joining the Emirates fleet, including the Airbus SE A350 and Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner, will participate, the airline said Thursday in a statement. Airlines are grappling with how to minimize turbulence on flights after two extreme events last week. A Singapore Airlines flight from London was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok after hitting a sudden updraft. One man died and dozens were injured in the accident. <br/>
Celebrated Saudi designer Mohammed Ashi will design cabin crew uniforms for the kingdom's new airline, Riyadh Air, which is set to take off next year. The uniforms will be unveiled during Paris Haute Couture Week in June, and will feature the carrier's dual-livery design, which is inspired by the twisting canopies of traditional Bedouin tents and curves of Arabic calligraphy. Ashi, who founded his Ashi Studio label in 2006, became the first designer from the GCC to be invited to join the prestigious Federation de la Haute Couture last year. He showcased his first official haute couture collection in Paris soon after. A highly coveted grading, haute couture is a term that can only be bestowed by governing body Federation de la Haute Couture, and being invited to join its ranks is considered the highest possible accolade for a fashion house.<br/>
A Jetstar Airways aircraft had steering issues while landing at Christchurch Airport on Friday (May 31) morning, the airline said in a statement, with local media reporting it left the runway. Jetstar, which is owned by Qantas Airways, said it had veered on the runway but had not yet been able to confirm it had left the runway. It said there were no injuries to passengers or crew and the aircraft has been towed to the gate and all passengers have disembarked. A spokeswoman for Christchurch Airport said the airport's two runways were currently closed but the terminal remained open.<br/>