Southwest Airlines and Archer Aviation said on Friday they have agreed to develop operational plans for electric air taxi networks built by Archer at California airports where Texas-based Southwest operates. The companies said they have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on a concept of operations that lays the foundation for integrated electric air taxi networks connecting California airports and surrounding communities. Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) have been touted as the future of urban air mobility. Archer is developing its Midnight eVTOL aircraft. Airlines are looking at developing transport services using battery-powered aircraft that can take off and land vertically to ferry travelers to airports or on short trips between cities, allowing them to beat traffic. "Southwest is eager to explore the convenience Archer’s air taxis could provide customers flying Southwest at airports in busy urban areas,” said Paul Cullen, vice president real estate at Southwest, which operates at 14 California airports. In May, the U.S. Congress approved legislation aimed at helping speed approval and deployment of eVTOL aircraft. Archer thinks the partnership could help shave significant time off trips in California, replacing 60-to-90-minute automobile commutes with estimated 10-to-20-minute air taxi flights through a "safe, low-noise, cost-competitive transportation option with no direct emissions."<br/>
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WestJet Airlines said on Friday its aircraft maintenance engineers and other technical operations employees, represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, had ratified a new labor deal with the Canadian carrier. The tentative agreement received 96% votes in favor, AMFA said in a separate statement on the same day. Details of the agreement were not disclosed. The vote comes days after WestJet reached a new five-year agreement with the union, ending a strike that disrupted operations at the airline and led to cancellations of more than 800 flights. WestJet, backed by Onex Corp is Canada's second-largest airline and competes with Air Canada.<br/>
Aer Lingus has refused to give flights to some pilots sanctioned during their union’s recent work to rule after their union halted industrial action, it has emerged. The Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (Ialpa), part of trade union Fórsa, suspended industrial action at the carrier on Wednesday as members consider a proposed deal to boost pay by 17.75% tabled this week by the Labour Court. However, sources say the airline refused to allocate flights to some pilots sanctioned during their work to rule, despite their being available to work after the action was suspended. They say some pilots who complied with the union’s instructions, and refused to work out of hours during the industrial action, had a “failure to join” marked on their rosters, a formal sanction used by airlines where pilots do not show up for work. Those pilots told the airline they were available to work on Friday after the industrial action was suspended, but the airline told them they were still subject to the failure to join, and so the airline would not allocate them flights or put them on standby. Concerns over the airline’s use of the failure to join sanction during the industrial action were among several that Ialpa raised during the week as its executive considered recommending the Labour Court deal to end the dispute.<br/>
Norwegian Air reported Q2 core earnings above market expectations on Friday after a rise in unit cost levels helped offset the impact of a dip in demand on ticket prices. The airline said the quarter was characterised by strong capacity and an increase in passenger numbers, but that aircraft delivery delays from Boeing would slow growth in the upcoming year. Delays in deliveries from Boeing and Airbus have forced airlines to lease aircraft externally to meet capacity needs. Norwegian's CEO Geir Karlsen said the airline planned for at least 11-to-13 months of delays and did not have a date for when they would stop. Referring to Norwegian's contractual right to compensation from Boeing, Karlsen told Reuters he was sure the companies would reach agreement. "Even more importantly, what we would like to have is visibility on future deliveries so that we can plan the network in accordance to that," he said. Norwegian said last week delays had forced it to source external capacity of one-to-two aircraft. It also said demand had been lower than expected in the second quarter, which prompted it to cut its profit outlook. Norwegian said on Friday cash flow improved in the quarter and unit costs, or the average cost of flying an aircraft seat, fell 2% from a year ago, to 0.70 crowns. Kenneth Sivertsen, analyst at Pareto, said the company has offset some of the impact of wage increases for pilots and other inflationary pressures through operational efficiency.<br/>
Norwegian Air has become the latest airline to say it will add an environmental charge to its ticket prices, with CEO Geir Karlsen telling Reuters the move will "probably" be introduced next year. The budget airline currently adds a small biofuel charge for some corporate customers, which Karlsen described as "mariginal". He said other customers would also face a charge, probably next year, but declined to comment on the likely amount. The move mirrors steps taken by other European airlines as the industry battles to cover the cost of new European Union rules on reducing emissions. Germany's Lufthansa said on June 25 it would add an environmental charge of up to 72 euros ($78.38) to its fares, while Air France-KLM in January 2022 imposed a sustainable aviation fuel charge, adding up to 12 euros to business fares and up to four euros on economy fares at the time.<br/>
A Philippine Airlines (PAL) propeller plane overshot the runway at an airport in Palawan province, the airline company said. All 53 passengers and four crew members were safely deplaned, the company added on Sunday. The plane, travelling from Cebu to Palawan, overran the runway upon landing at Busuanga airport before 3 p.m. local time amid poor weather conditions, PAL said. The aircraft stopped on a grassy area beyond the concrete runway, causing the airport's closure, and forcing incoming flights to be diverted to other airports, Xinhua news agency reported. PAL said it is working with related authorities to restore normal operations in Busuanga airport. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines is expected to investigate the incident.<br/>