Aer Lingus pilots will begin voting on a 17.75% pay rise offer on Thursday in a ballot that could end their dispute with the airline. The vote comes as Aer Lingus services returned to normal on Wednesday following weeks when it cancelled flights to preserve as many services as possible in the face of a work-to-rule by its pilots. The Labour Court last week recommended the offer to the deadlock that sparked two weeks of industrial action at the airline, ultimately forcing the cancellation of about 570 flights, hitting close to 86,000 passengers. Members of the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association, part of trade union Fórsa, will vote between Thursday afternoon and the morning of Tuesday, July 23rd, on the court’s proposal, recommended last week by the organisation’s executive. The union is likely to confirm the result later on Tuesday. A majority of the 760-plus pilots working for Aer Lingus must favour the deal to finally end the dispute, which has its roots in a pay claim that the association lodged with the company in October 2022.<br/>
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Emirates Airlines is “hopeful” talks this week between the United Arab Emirates and China will pave the way for the Gulf carrier to expand its presence in the world’s second-largest economy. “China is one of our largest markets, if allowed the opportunity we would love to expand,” Orhan Abbas, Emirates’ senior vice-president for commercial operations in the Far East, said in an interview. The airline is currently limited to 35 flights a week to China, including twice-daily services to Beijing and Shanghai, and a daily flight to Guangzhou. The talks in Beijing, which started Tuesday, are continuing Wednesday, Abbas said. He declined to specify how many extra flights and routes Emirates would like to operate beyond three of China’s biggest cities. Abbas was speaking at the opening of Emirates immersive travel store in Hong Kong, the first outside its home country. The shop, located in the central business district, enables customers to book flights, try out Emirates in-flight seats and use large digital screens to explore destinations.<br/>
HAECO has secured a line maintenance contract to support China’s Loong Air at Hong Kong airport. Under the agreement, the MRO firm will provide technical services and ground services equipment for the Hangzhou-based carrier’s Airbus A320 and A320neo family aircraft, says HAECO. “We are excited to welcome Loong Air as our new valued partner and customer,” says Gerald Steinhoff, chief commercial officer at HAECO. “This contract highlights our capabilities in providing top-notch line maintenance services and reinforces our position as a trusted MRO partner for airlines worldwide. We look forward to a successful collaboration with Loong Air as we support their operations in Hong Kong with our best-in-class services.”<br/>
Pacific carrier Air Caledonie is embarking on urgent restructuring measures after being engulfed by crisis, in the wake of political unrest in the French overseas territory. Air Caledonie is cutting its workforce by one-third and implementing a number of productivity improvements after finding itself in an “extremely critical” situation, it states. CE Daniel Houmbouy and chair Mathias Waneaux detailed the need for transformation during a 17 July briefing. Air Caledonie says its financial position had already been weakened by such events as the Covid-19 pandemic. But the airline’s prospects have deteriorated after violent protests erupted in May over voting reforms. It says “emergency measures are necessary” to enable the carrier’s survival, pointing out that international and local tourism is “at a standstill” and the outlook is “uncertain”. “With the economic sector devastated and administrations no longer having the means to finance them, business travel is greatly reduced,” it adds. Air Caledonie says its traffic has “collapsed” and it is transporting 70% fewer passengers than before the events in May.<br/>