Aviation Daily Roundup: August 6

Vietnam Airlines will reportedly halve the pay of its pilots and cabin crew after the flag-carrier saw a 68% year-on-year (YOY) fall in revenue for the second quarter.

The European Commission has launched a consultation on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), giving respondents until Oct. 28 to set out their views on policies aimed at making better use of cleaner fuels to help reduce airlines’ carbon dioxide emissions.

Alitalia unions have threatened to strike as they sound the alarm over delays to the flag-carrier’s relaunch plan.

The southwestern Chinese city Chongqing has approved construction of a second airport, as the project awaits backing from Beijing’s central authorities.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian confirmed that 20% of the company’s workforce voluntarily departed the week of July 27, raising the odds that Delta will avoid mass furloughs of the proportions previewed recently by American Airlines and United Airlines.

Etihad Airways was on track for its best result since 2015 before it ran into the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline said Aug. 6.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a shift in the public’s perception of business jets away from a luxury product and to a safe and efficient alternative to commercial airlines, according to Asian charter operator Sino Jet.

Air New Zealand has begun operational use of required navigation performance (RNP AR) approaches with its ATR 72-600 fleet, the first time the technology has been employed on this aircraft type.

Lufthansa Group said the collapse in demand for air travel following the outbreak of COVID-19 leaves it no choice but to start making redundancies in Germany and scrap 100 of its aircraft.

Boeing managers “exerted undue pressure” and interfered with FAA-designated employees at its South Carolina manufacturing facility for the 787 airliner, the FAA said in announcing $1.25 million in proposed fines on Aug. 5.

The FAA will essentially have a new system for managing high-altitude air traffic once upgrades to the current En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) system are completed in 2025, the Transportation Department inspector general reports.

Alitalia unions have threatened to strike as they sound the alarm over delays to the flag-carrier’s relaunch plan.

Airbus registered four new orders in July 2020, leaving it with a total of 302 net orders for the year to date; 49 aircraft were delivered during the month.

A coalition of industry groups is seeking changes to the eligibility criteria of a treasury loan program created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help general aviation and regional airlines, which face “significant challenges” accessing the program because of liquidity issues, it says.