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Singapore Airlines, British Airways and Lufthansa have increased their flights over Afghanistan after years of largely avoiding it now the Middle East conflict has made it seem a relatively safe option.<br/>The carriers mostly stopped transiting Afghanistan, which lies on major routes between Asia and Europe, three years ago when the Taliban took over and air traffic control services stopped. Those services have yet to resume, but airlines increasingly consider the skies between Iran and Israel are riskier than Afghan airspace. Many had started routing through Iran and the Middle East after Russian skies were closed to most western carriers when the Ukraine war began in 2022. "As conflicts have evolved, the calculus of which airspace to use has changed. Airlines are seeking to mitigate risk as much as possible and they see overflying Afghanistan as the safer option given the current tensions between Iran and Israel," Ian Petchenik, a spokesperson for flight tracking organisation Flightradar24, said. There were more than seven times the number of flights over Afghanistan in the second week of August than during the same period a year ago, according to a Reuters analysis of FlightRadar24 data.<br/>

Cabin crew at Scandinavian airline SAS in Norway went on strike on Friday to press demands for better salaries and working conditions after wage talks broke down overnight, and hundreds more staff plan to join the strike next week, labour unions said. About 120 SAS employees joined the strike on Friday, halting a handful of flights, but the number of staff on strike will rise to around 800 during the next week and could lead to mass cancellations, the two labour unions involved said. SAS said in a statement that a limited number of flights were affected on Friday, adding that the impact on the group's ongoing restructuring process was not yet clear. "Our priority right now is to minimise disruptions to our traffic programme and support our customers with rebookings and information," the airline said. An SAS spokesperson declined to comment on the plans to widen the strike next week. Norway's government-appointed wage mediator said he had been unable to bridge the divide between the two sides. "There was no solution that could be expected to be recommended by both parties," mediator Mats Wilhelm Ruland said in a statement. At least 770 SAS employees in Norway will be on strike by Aug. 30 unless a solution is found before then, according to the Norwegian Federation of Trade Unions and Parat, part of the Confederation of Vocational Unions. SAS pilots and the airline's flight attendants employed in Sweden or Denmark are not involved in the action, but a strike could still cause disruption beyond Norway because crews are used across borders. Details of the unions' demands in the talks remain confidential, but union leaders have said that SAS cabin crew members are paid 15%-30% less than counterparts at rival carriers such as Norwegian Air.<br/>

EVA Air will be the first Asian carrier to apply the low-drag AeroShark surface film on its fleet of Boeing 777 freighters. The Taiwanese carrier will work with Aeroshark developers Lufthansa Technik (LHT) and chemical firm BASF for the application of the film, with the first aircraft expected to enter service in September. Works are being carried out at EVA’s Taipei facilities, with assistance from LHT engineers from Germany, says EVA Air, which will apply the film on its entire fleet of nine 777Fs. The film, measuring 50 micormilimeters thick, replicates shark skin, and reduces aerodynamic drag on the airframe, lowering fuel consumption and emissions by 1-2%. About 830sq m (8,930sq ft) of the film will be used to cover the fuselage and engine nacelles. So far, the film has been installed on aircraft operating in the Lufthansa Group: a sole Lufthansa 747-400, all 12 777-300ERs operated by Swiss International Air Lines, and four 777Fs that fly for Lufthansa Cargo. Work has also begun on applying the film to four Austrian Airlines 777-200ERs.<br/>

Singapore Airlines’ Sydney SilverKris Lounge rolled up the shutters this weekend after a two-week refresh, and are once again welcoming business and first class passengers on SQ and other Star Alliance airlines, along with eligible frequent flyers. Visitors will notice a dedicated bar and barista counter, while the carpet and furniture has all being replaced “to align with some of the latest lounge products,” according to SQ. While this was more of a refresh than an extensive refurbishment, it’s still welcome, given that Singapore Airlines’ Sydney SilverKris Lounge first opened over a decade ago, in December 2013. This also marked the debut of a new residential-themed design which saw various aspects of the lounge modelled after the elements of a home. “Our customers frequently tell us that they have a feeling of ‘home’ as soon as they board our aircraft and our aim is to extend this experience to the ground,” the airline said at the time. That fresh look was later refined for the airline’s flagship lounges at Singapore Changi T3 and more recently brought the same refined contemporary look to the all-new Perth SilverKris business class lounge.<br/>