Australia’s labour umpire claims Jetstar is staffing domestic flights with Thai workers paid as little as half the required rate for Australian air crew. In litigation filed on Friday in the Federal Court, the Fair Work Ombudsman alleged that Jetstar employed the crew through a pair of staffing companies, Singapore-based Valuair and Thailand-based Tour East.
Etihad borrows a 777 from Virgin Australia
Etihad Airways will wet lease a Boeing 777-300ER from alliance partner Virgin Australia for use on services between Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lampur. The Gulf carrier said the leased aircraft would make one return trip per week as part of Etihad’s daily 777 services between Abu Dhabi and KL. The leased aircraft is outfitted with
Qantas to flood east coast market in bid to drown Virgin; cuts flights to the Red Centre
Qantas and Jetstar will add nearly 900,000 seats per year to the country’s most competitive east coast routes in a move squarely aimed at rival Virgin Australia. The increases comes amid a spate of news-making announcement by the airline in recent days, including layoffs of maintenance workers and a restructuring that split Qantas’s domestic and
Lovitt wins $1m contract for F/A-18 work
Victoria-based Lovitt Technologies has won a $1 million contract from Boeing to make wing parts for the global F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet. The contract comes after Lovitt recently won another contract from Boeing to supply machined parts for the V-22 Osprey. The company, which employs about 80 people, specialises in the machining, assembly and testing
French airport to trial phone-based check in
A French airport is launching a trial run of a mobile phone check-in system using SIM card based Near Field Communication technology. The trial, involving 50 passengers at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, will use Blackberry smartphones equipped with NFC radios that allow short-range communication with other NFC-enabled devices. The phone will effectively become the passengers’ boarding pass
The Victorian government will provide more than $1.2 million toward the expansion of Latrobe Regional Airport to support the expansion plans of aircraft maker GippsAero. Victorian Aviation Minister Gordon Rich-Phillips said the company’s expansion plans, which could create more than 150 new jobs, were dependent on improved airport infrastructure. “The Coalition Government’s investment will create
