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Air Canada has offered to boost the pay of more than 5,000 pilots by about 30% within the next three years, according to people familiar with the matter, as it seeks to prevent a strike. Pilots at Canada’s largest airline would received a minimum 20% increase up front, followed by annual raises over a three-year period, said the people, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. Pilots with one to four years of service would receive more, the people said. The offer means that a captain with 10 years of service flying a widebody aircraft such as a Boeing 777 with a current salary of just over C$350,000 ($259,000) per year may see an increase of more than C$100,000 over the life of the contract, the people said. The airline’s offer also includes improvements in pension and health benefits. Air Canada and the Air Line Pilots Association have been in talks for more than a year. The last contract, a 10-year deal that was ratified in 2014, provided pay increases of about 2% annually. The pilots haven’t received a raise since last year. Air Canada pilots are paid less than half of what industry counterparts receive, the union has said in previous statements. ALPA’s local head, Charlene Hudy, declined to comment on the specifics of the proposal. But entry-level wages for pilots are an issue, she said. “One-quarter of our pilots have a second job, with almost 80% of those needing the job out of necessity,” she said. “We are trying to change that.” A meeting between the parties is expected later this week. As of last week, the talks had “completely stalled,” Hudy added. In August, the pilots voted 98% to give the union authorization to strike, and they’re in a position to walk off the job in the middle of September if there’s no deal. The airline introduced a rebooking policy for customers with travels between Sept. 15 and Sept. 23.<br/>

Cyprus Airways has taken delivery of an Airbus A220-300, one of a batch of former EgyptAir aircraft which were picked up by US-based lessor Azorra. Azorra acquired the 12 A220-300s from EgyptAir in February this year. EgyptAir, which initially took delivery of A220s in 2019, had parked several of the aircraft as a result of problems affecting its Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines. It eventually opted to sell all 12 of the twinjets to Azorra. Azorra, of which Cyprus Airways becomes a new customer, says the A220 delivered to the carrier features “freshly overhauled and updated engines” and that it will complement the airline’s Airbus fleet. Cyprus Airways chief Thanos Paschalis indicates that Azorra will also deliver another “brand new” aircraft.<br/>

EgyptAir signed a ground services agreement with Turkish company A Jet during the Egypt International Airshow in El Alamein to provide ground handling services at the Egyptian airports. The signing ceremony took place and was signed on behalf of EgyptAir Ground Services by Eng. Ibrahim Fouzy, chairman and managing director, and on behalf of the Turkish company, IAB Agency, represented by Eng. Nevin Alish, vice chairman. A Jet is a significant player in the Turkish charter airline sector and is closely affiliated with Turkish Airlines, which is one of EgyptAir Ground Services' largest clients. A Jet has already commenced operations at Cairo Airport with five weekly flights and plans to expand its services to all domestic stations soon. The company operates a fleet of over 80 aircraft, including Airbus A320 and A321, as well as Boeing B737-800 and B737 Max .<br/>

An Air India Boeing 787-800 passenger plane en route from India to Britain made a precautionary landing in Moscow on Wednesday due to "technical problems", Sheremetyevo Airport said. The plane, en route from New Delhi to Birmingham, landed safely without any injuries to all 258 passengers and 17 crew members. The scheduled departure time of the flight was set for 2135 Moscow time (1835 GMT). In July, an Air India plane operating from Delhi to San Francisco made a precautionary landing in the Russian region of Siberia after the cockpit crew detected a potential issue in the cargo hold area.<br/>

Air China, Pratt & Whitney, and Singapore authorities have taken safety actions following the 2023 emergency landing of one of the carrier’s Airbus A320neos in the city state. The 10 September 2023 incident saw the passengers and crew exit the aircraft (B-305J) on slides following the appearance of smoke in the cockpit and cabin, according to a final report from Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau. Of the 146 passengers and nine crew aboard the jet, nine passengers suffered minor injuries during the incident. As the aircraft operated a service on the Chengdu-Singapore route, the crew detected smoke in the cockpit and declared MAYDAY. In addition, the crew received smoke warnings form the avionics compartment, forward cargo compartment, and lavatories. After the aircraft landed safely on runway 20L and the passengers and crew evacuated, emergency personnel extinguished a small fire in the left-hand engine’s tail pipe. The TSIB probe reveals that the smoke was caused by a carbon seal fracture of the No. 3 bearing in the jet’s left-hand PW1100G engine. “This resulted in oil leaking from the bearing compartment to the hot zones of the engine, which led to smoke/fumes being formed, with a twofold consequence: smoke/fumes travelling to the aircraft cabin and cargo compartment through the bleed system, and a localised fire at the engine tailpipe,” says the report.<br/>

Thai Airways International (THAI) confirmed on Wednesday (Sept 4) that it was still operating the Airbus A350 aircraft despite a news report on Cathay Pacific’s temporary suspension. The remark came after the Hong Kong airline announced suspension of flights using the Airbus A350 aircraft until Thursday (Sept 5) for inspection of the aircraft engine. Cathay Pacific’s move came after its CX383 flight from Hong Kong to Zurich was cancelled on Monday (Sept 2) after flying for only 75 minutes due to an issue with the aircraft’s right engine. The inspection found that 15 of 48 Airbus A350 aircraft in the airline’s fleet need change of components. Three of them have already been repaired so far. THAI CEO Chai Eamsiri said the Thai national carrier had not ordered suspension of its 23 Airbus A350 aircraft. He confirmed that the airline’s maintenance department inspected all aircraft regularly in line with safety standards. “Currently, there are no abnormalities in the aircraft’s engine,” he said.<br/>