A U.S. judge on Friday said Southwest Airlines must face a lawsuit by a prominent affirmative action opponent claiming a now-defunct program that awarded free flights to Hispanic college students was racially discriminatory. U.S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater in Dallas said Southwest's elimination of the 20-year-old program and offer to pay Edward Blum's American Alliance for Equal Rights one cent - the amount of damages sought in the lawsuit - did not make moot claims that the airline discriminated against two students, one white and the other Asian. Since 2004, Southwest's "¡Lánzate!" program helped 1,500 Hispanic undergraduate and graduate students who lived at least 200 miles (322 km) from their school. The Dallas-based airline, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday, ended the program after the lawsuit was filed in May. Southwest had argued that its offer to provide all relief sought by Blum's group made the entire lawsuit moot. But Fitzwater disagreed, allowing the group to move ahead with claims Southwest violated a Civil War-era law barring racial bias in contracting. Such a ruling could be cited in future cases over diversity and inclusion programs, which are facing increased scrutiny and a growing number of legal challenges. "This decision is a powerful tool to prevent case-mooting tactics from discriminators nationwide," Blum said in a statement after the ruling.<br/>
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A passenger on a domestic flight in Mexico attempted to divert the plane to the US by force on Sunday, according to Volaris, one of the country’s main airlines. The crew was able to detain the passenger while the flight, which was originally going to the city of Tijuana, on the border with San Diego, was diverted to Guadalajara in central Mexico, Volaris said in a statement. The passenger was handed over to authorities in Guadalajara. No injuries were reported. “All passengers, crew and aircraft are safe. The rest of the passengers are safe and continued their flight to their final destination,” Volaris said in the statement. The company added that it will pursue legal action against the passenger. The passenger, detained by the National Guard and handed over to the Attorney General’s Office, is a 31-year-old Mexican man who was traveling with his wife and two children, according to a government statement. He told the Volaris crew that he had received death threats and would be in danger if he went to Tijuana. “I want to acknowledge and thank the bravery and commitment of our team, who protected the well being of everyone on board,” Volaris CEO Enrique Beltranena said in a post on X.<br/>
Dubai-based airline Emirates is scouring the globe to hire another 1,700 pilots over the next three years, with the carrier looking to bolster recruitment efforts in Hong Kong amid intense international competition. Brian Tyrrell, the company’s senior vice-president of the fleet, told the Post the carrier aimed to increase its recruitment efforts in the city to meet a strong surge in customer demand at a time when the company had already added more than 300 widebody aircraft to its order books. Emirates held two recruitment roadshows in Hong Kong this year, one in January and another last month, offering lucrative packages that include tax-free monthly salaries ranging from US$6,800 to US$12,250. “We need to recruit the right pilot talent for our current and future fleet. Our recruitment roadshows are designed to attract a diverse pool of talent with varying levels of experience and expertise, not just from Hong Kong, but from across the region and the world,” he said. “We announced significant changes to our pilot eligibility criteria, benefits – including higher salaries – and new roles, which demonstrates our commitment to attracting the best talent globally.” Tyrell said the airline was very impressed with the quality of the candidates and the applications it had received during the last recruitment drive. “We’ve welcomed a number of pilots since then. Our candidates’ eagerness to know more and their knowledge of Emirates and Dubai is incredible,” he said. The carrier’s recruitment drive follows the recovery of the global aviation sector from the Covid-19 pandemic, with the industry seeing a resurgence in demand for air travel. The demand has fuelled intense competition among global airlines looking to sign up new pilots and cabin crew to support the expansion of their fleets and travel networks.<br/>
Pakistan International Airlines said on Friday it will resume flights to Europe in January, starting with Paris, after the EU aviation regulator lifted a ban on the national flag carrier. PIA's authorisation to operate in the EU was suspended in June 2020 over concerns about the ability of Pakistani authorities and its Civil Aviation Authority to ensure compliance with international aviation standards. "We have got approval for the first flight's schedule we had filed," PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan said, adding that the airline would be opening bookings on Dec. 9 for its planned Jan. 10 flight of a Boeing 777 to Paris. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency and Britain suspended PIA's permission to operate in the region after Pakistan began probing a scandal over the validity of pilots' licences in the wake of a plane crash that killed 97 people. PIA will soon approach Britain's Department for Transport (DfT) for permission to resume routes to the UK, Khan said. Once cleared by the DfT, London, Manchester and Birmingham would be the most sought-after destinations, he added. The ban cost the loss-making airline 40b rupees ($144m) annually in revenue. PIA has 23% of Pakistan's domestic aviation market, but its 34-plane fleet cannot compete with Middle Eastern carriers which have 60%, due to a lack of direct flights, despite having agreements with 87 countries and key landing slots.<br/>