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Around two dozen passengers fell ill on a United Airlines flight from Vancouver, Canada to Houston, Texas on Friday. Approximately 25 people traveling in a group of 75 had nausea, according to Capt. Sedrick Robinett of the Houston Fire Department. HFD evaluated three passengers upon the plane’s arrival at George Bush Intercontinental Airport but none were transported to the hospital, he said. “Several passengers who had been on the same cruise and did not feel well were on United Flight 1528 from Vancouver to Houston Friday night,” United told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. The airline did not answer a question about what cruise line or ship the flyers had been traveling on before their flight. “United Airlines is actively coordinating with health authorities to address the situation,” the airline’s statement continued. “As a precautionary measure, the aircraft will be removed from service and go through a deep cleaning before returning to service. Ensuring the health and safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority.”<br/>

The union representing Air Canada pilots says it plans to ask that a federal conciliator be assigned to assist in contract negotiations with the airline. The Air Line Pilots Association, representing more than 5,000 Air Canada pilots, says the two sides remain too far apart in negotiations and so will be leaving the current voluntary mediation process on June 15. The union says it will file a notice of dispute to inform the federal Minister of Labour that they’ve attempted but failed to reach a collective agreement, and to request the minister assign a conciliator. Air Canada says it has worked hard and in good faith to reach a new collective agreement and will continue to do so in the coming months. It says customers can continue to book and travel with confidence with Air Canada as it continues under the normal bargaining process. Canadian pilots have been highlighting the widening pay gap with pilots at major US airlines, who last year secured four-year pay hikes ranging from 34% to 40%.<br/>

Türkiye’s flag carrier Turkish Airlines (TK) has announced the signing of a new freesale codeshare agreement with Chinese national airline Air China, transitioning from their long-standing blocked space partnership. The agreement, initially covering flights between Istanbul and Beijing, marks a significant milestone in the strategic collaboration between the two airlines and lays the groundwork for future expansions in their strong partnership, said a statement from the Turkish carrier. This new freesale model will allow both airlines to offer greater flexibility and more travel options to passengers, enhancing connectivity between Türkiye and China, two nations of substantial strategic importance. This agreement underscores the commitment of these flag carriers to facilitate seamless travel experiences and strengthen bilateral ties. Furthermore, the new arrangement is expected to bolster tourism and economic exchange between the two countries, offering passengers not only enhanced travel convenience but also new opportunities for cultural and business interactions, said the Turkish Airlines. <br/>

CE of Scandinavian carrier SAS, Anko van der Werff, sees no light at the end of the tunnel at present when it comes to the impact on its Asian flights from the ongoing closure of Russian airspace following the invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. As an airline located in northern Europe, SAS has been among the hardest hit carriers by the ban on overflying Russia imposed by many countries following its invasion of Ukraine. ”For us its between two and a half and three and a half hours additional one-way on every Asian flight,” explained van der Werff during a press briefing during the IATA AGM in Dubai. ”We were roughly three times to three and a half times [bigger] to Asia before Covid and the subsequent Russian airspace closure. That tells you something about the magnitude of the impact for us,” he says. ”We do put some frequencies back this year, one more to Shanghai, one more to Tokyo,” van der Werff adds. “But in the bigger scheme of things, prior to this we were three, three and half times as big [to Asia]. So [it’s had a] tremendous impact, [and] with current fuel pricing with a very low Swedish Krona, it’s tough to make that work. There is no light at the end of the tunnel for when those things may change, so that will remain for the industry as a whole – and certainly for SAS being so high in northern Europe, it will remain a challenge,” he adds.<br/>

CE of Scandinavian operator SAS, Anko van der Werff, does not expect any issues with securing EC approval for Air France-KLM’s planned minority investment in the carrier. Air France-KLM is taking a 19.9% stake in SAS as part of a $1.2b financing package agreed to exit US Chapter 11 bankruptcy from a consortium also including Castlelake, Lind Invest, as well as the Danish government. “There are two important steps that we still have to go through,” explained van der Werff during a press briefing at the IATA AGM in Dubai to mark the carrier’s planned move to SkyTeam – of which Air France-KLM is a founding member – this September. SAS in March secured conditional US court approval for its planned reorganisation plan. One of the conditions is to finalise local implementation of the agreement. “We are going through that at the moment, so in plain language to make Chapter 11 stick in Scandinavia from a legal perspective,” says van der Werff. He says this could be completed in a month, but more likely will slip into July or August. The second condition is the regulatory approval process. ”We expect to have no issues with that because this is a very different case from other cases that we have seen,” he says. Recent consolidation moves from Lufthansa and IAG for ITA Airways and Air Europe respectively have both stumbled amid Commission investigations. There is a reason why this deal is set up the way it is, because SAS and Air France-KLM will still be competitors,” says van der Werff. ”We are talking SkyTeam, we are talking investment by a consortium, but Air France-KLM is buying 19.9% and that still makes us and keeps us as competitors. All cases are different. But we believe we have a strong case because it is market tested – there is private equity involved, which by definition means this case is completely market tested,” he says. “So on that basis we do believe that we ran a very competitive process and we believe therefore that will factor into the Commission’s decision.”<br/>

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China, Penang has welcomed Juneyao Airlines’ inaugural direct flight from Shanghai Pudong International Airport. The flight landed at 10.54pm at Penang International Airport here yesterday and was welcomed with a water cannon salute, also marking the first entry of Juneyao Airlines into Malaysia. State tourism and creative economy committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said the direct flight from Shanghai to Penang would attract more tourists to the state and further promote the development of the local tourism industry. “Various sectors of Penang’s tourism industry, such as hotels, restaurants, retail and entertainment outlets, will benefit from this. The arrival of tourists from the eastern region of China will bring more business opportunities and economic growth, thus driving Penang’s tourism industry to a higher level,” he said in a statement, reported Bernama. Wong said the direct flight from Shanghai to Penang would also be an important route for business travellers from the eastern region of China, improving connectivity and cooperation potential between the two cities.<br/>