June 26

More articles from the category

June 26

Basel: 190 jobs wobble at Jet Aviation

At Jet Aviation, around 190 jobs at the Basel site are at risk. However, there are also critical voices, particularly as to whether Swiss or French labor law applies. In times of Corona, many companies are forced to carry out restructuring. In most cases, this is at the expense of their own workforce - as is the case with Jet Aviation. As "Telebasel" reports, the operating airline is planning to cut at least 190 jobs at the Basel-Mulhouse site. Around 1.200 employees are currently working for the subsidiary of the US defense company and aircraft manufacturer General Dynamics. The majority of those affected by this external layoff are French citizens and people resident in France. This could now lead to trouble with the French authorities: According to Jean-Luc Johaneck of the cross-border commuters' association "Comitée de défense des travailleurs frontaliers", the layoff plan does not comply with French regulations for social plans. “But French law applies because the airport is located on French territory,” he stressed.

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Italy prohibits the use of the overhead bins

No more rolling suitcases in the cabin: The Italians are prohibiting the use of the luggage compartments on board for safety reasons. This is stated in the newly issued guidelines of the Italian aviation authority ENAC. Only items of luggage that can be stowed under the seat in front are permitted. With these stricter measures, the number of passengers can be better kept under control and at the same time the risk of infection with the new Covid-19 pathogen can be reduced, as orf.at reports.

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Daniel Liebhart: “Lauda employees were only instrumentalized”

The union considers the behavior of the airline Lauda to be "morally reprehensible" and is offering affected employees legal advice. The Vida union is shocked and deeply disappointed in its initial reaction to the approach to staff cuts at the Ryanair subsidiary Lauda. On Thursday, the company began "distributing" notices of termination and, of all people, a heavily pregnant employee was among the first people to receive the "blue letter". "The entire procedure surrounding the current terminations at Laudamotion shows that the company and the Ryanair Group have not kept their promises to employees to preserve all jobs in Vienna if the social partners agree to a new collective agreement. Rather, it has now emerged that some of the Laudamotion employees were instrumentalized for the group's interests. Apart from the legally questionable procedure, which allegedly led to the dismissal of pregnant women who were protected against dismissal and employees on part-time parental leave, the dismissal of people who are particularly in need of protection is also morally reprehensible,” says Daniel Liebhart, head of the aviation department in the Vida union. In administration, employees in entire departments were dismissed, including in the areas of finance, marketing and sales. Even the press office staff were let go on Thursday afternoon and released from their duties. The company is suing the Korneuburg Regional Court for approval to dismiss at least 25 women who are protected by the Maternity Protection Act. The “personnel interviews” with 94 summoned flight attendants and pilots never took place. Flanked by security guards, police officers were stationed outside the office.

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Thorsten Dirks is leaving Lufthansa

Chief Financial Officer leaves, CEO takes over ad interim. Thorsten Dirks, who was previously responsible for digital and finance at Lufthansa AG, will leave the Executive Board. The manager, who moved from Telefonica to aviation, previously also served as the overall manager for Eurowings. CEO Carsten Spohr will take over Dirks' agenda ad interim. "After joining the Executive Board, Thorsten Dirks initially led Eurowings through a difficult phase, at the same time setting important accents in the digitization of the Group and most recently taking over key areas of the finance department at short notice. Without exception, he was confronted with difficult and challenging issues. On behalf of the Supervisory Board and Executive Board, I would like to express our great thanks for his work," said Supervisory Board Chairman Karl-Ludwig Kley in a press release.

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Wirecard bankruptcy affects aviation

Some popular "frequent flyer cards" can no longer be used with immediate effect. UK revoked WDCS's license. The bankruptcy of the German Wirecard AG is now also having an impact on prepaid and debit cards, which are used in particular by frequent flyers because they often do not charge foreign transaction fees. Numerous fintechs, including Revolut, Curve and Holvi, issue their customers payment cards that were formally issued by Wirecard Card Solutions Ltd. (WDCS). The British financial market regulator FCA revoked the issuer WDCS's license with immediate effect on Friday. Until now, the company held a so-called "Electronic Money License" and was thus a so-called "payment institution" that, unlike a full banking license, does not have any deposit protection. The FCA prohibited Wirecard Card Solutions Ltd. from making any capital outflow, so that payment cards issued by this company are invalid with immediate effect and can therefore no longer be used for payment. The fintech Curve has already informed all customers that the "Curve Card", which is particularly popular with frequent flyers, will no longer be used with immediate effect. The reason for this is that the formal issuer of the card is WDCS. Other fintech companies, including Holvi and Revolut, are also customers of Wirecard Card Solutions Ltd. and are therefore affected. There are various ways to determine whether a prepaid or debit card is affected by the license withdrawal. The easiest way is to contact the fintech's customer service. Often, but definitely not always, there is a very small print note on the back that says "this card is issued by Wirecard Card Solutions Limited". The product "Boon.Planet", which has also been making waves in recent months, is also affected by the withdrawal of the license.

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KLM receives 3,4 billion euros

After Air France, the Dutch part of the group has now also secured a state rescue package. This will be granted in the form of loans. After Lufthansa was able to finally approve its rescue package today, KLM also reported similar news: The Dutch government and the airline have agreed on a billion-dollar support package - 3,4 billion euros are now to flow into the coffers. The package has already been waved through by the responsible board of directors. The airline wants to use this to survive the crisis financially, as aero.de reports. The financial injection granted is also intended to ensure the long-term survival of the oldest airline still in existence. Even before that, they were not left empty-handed. At the beginning of May, Air France was also promised a full seven billion euros in state support. The group can therefore expect financial aid of over 10 billion euros, which will come directly from the state or will be guaranteed by it.

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Munich partially puts T1 into operation

Terminal 1 of Franz Josef Strauss Airport was closed at the beginning of the Corona crisis. Now it is being partially reactivated. Terminal 1 of Munich Airport, which was temporarily closed to passenger traffic as a result of the Corona crisis, is expected to be available to passengers again shortly: On July 8, terminal areas C, D and E will be put back into operation. Departing passengers can then check in again in areas C and D and will then be guided through the security checks to their respective gates in departure areas C and D. Arriving passengers will be guided through arrival areas C, D and E. Most of the airlines that were based here before the terminal building was closed will also return to Terminal 8 from July 1, it has been announced. Only Eurowings, Qatar Airways, Tuifly, SunExpress and Pegasus Airlines will initially remain in Terminal 2 of Munich Airport. More and more flight connections are being resumed from Munich. This is breathing life back into the airport. The passenger volume is now around 10.000 passengers per day – and the trend is rising.

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Israel extends “foreigner ban”

Non-Israeli citizens were supposed to be able to enter the country again from July 1, 2020, but that is not going to happen. The country extended the entry ban until at least August 1, 2020. Israel has recently recorded a slight increase in the number of infections. This is not without consequences: As the "Jüdische-Allgemeine" now reports, the entry ban for foreign citizens is being extended - by a further four weeks until August 1, 2020. Until then, only Israeli citizens or people who can prove that their main place of residence is in the country can enter without any problems. Approval from the immigration authorities would also open the door to travelers.

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France bans numerous short-haul flights

Not only Air France, but all airlines are affected. The country wants numerous routes to be served by TGV instead of planes in the future. The French government has now made it clear that in future all airlines will no longer be allowed to offer short domestic flights. Previously, the rescue of the domestic airline Air France was only accepted under certain conditions - among other things, the package included strict environmental requirements. All measures are intended to make the airline more environmentally friendly in the future. For example, no flights within France can be offered if the destination can also be reached by train in 2,5 hours. There is one exception, however: anyone who only makes a short stopover to catch a connecting flight is exempt from this rule, as reisetopia.de reports.

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Austria does not ban flights from NRW

The Austrian Ministry of Health will continue to allow aircraft that took off in NRW to land. Previously, there were rumors that a ban could be imposed. After the massive corona outbreak in the district of Gütersloh, Austria has now issued a travel warning for the whole of North Rhine-Westphalia. Many had even expected a complete landing ban for aircraft from this area. But this assumption has not come true. "There will currently be no landing bans from North Rhine-Westphalia," the Ministry of Health in Vienna announced yesterday. However, the situation is being continuously reassessed, as aero.de reports. From the ministry's point of view, the rest of Germany poses a lower security risk - but "non-essential travel" to the country is nevertheless advised against.

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