What Pilots Do With A Bomb Threat, Qantas Cuts 850 Jobs And A Close Call At LAX
- Qantas to cut 850 corporate jobs in Australia in an outsourcing deal with Accenture
- Hoax bomb threats disrupt dozens of flights across Europe
- Air traffic control steps in as an Air France A350 and an American A321 close in after leaving Los Angeles
- Airbus needs about 250 deliveries in two months to reach its target for the year
- The High Court orders ACSA and the government to buy out a group of ACSA's empowerment shareholders at a fair value
Qantas to cut 850 corporate jobs in Australia in an outsourcing deal with Accenture
Qantas says it will cut 850 corporate jobs in Australia over the coming years, under a new multi-year deal with the technology firm Accenture. The first changes, in finance, procurement and marketing, are due by mid-2027. Some of the work will go to Accenture, done mostly by its staff in India and some in Australia. Chief executive Vanessa Hudson called it hard news for some, and said the changes would speed up the airline's use of artificial intelligence. Qantas says it will try to redeploy as many people as possible. Australia's transport minister has called the decision disappointing. Days earlier, Qantas announced its first non-stop flights between Sydney and Cape Town, three times a week from October 2027.
Hoax bomb threats disrupt dozens of flights across Europe
In the first week of November, hoax bomb threats targeted passenger flights across Europe. Eurocontrol was aware of bomb threats against seven flights on 3 November and fourteen on 5 November. Aircraft were diverted and searched, and some were escorted by fighter jets. No explosives were found. Broadcasters were targeted too, including Ireland's RTÉ and Britain's Sky. According to the Financial Times, European security agencies are investigating whether the threats originated in Russia. Moscow denies involvement.
Air traffic control steps in as an Air France A350 and an American A321 close in after leaving Los Angeles
On 7 November, an Air France Airbus A350 bound for Papeete and an American Airlines A321 bound for Dallas took off from separate runways at Los Angeles, about a minute apart. AeroTime reports that the Air France jet turned left after take-off instead of following its assigned departure, towards the American jet's path. The controller told the American crew to hold at 2,000 feet and turned the Air France jet away. Both flights continued to their destinations, and no injuries or damage were reported. The Federal Aviation Administration says the Air France crew made an "unauthorized turn", and that it is investigating. Air France says its crew followed air traffic control's instructions immediately.
Airbus needs about 250 deliveries in two months to reach its target for the year
Airbus delivered 74 aircraft to 45 customers in October, bringing its total for the year to 621. Its target for 2026 is around 870 aircraft, which leaves about 249 to deliver in November and December. That is roughly 125 a month, and its best month so far this year was 89, in June. KLM received its first Airbus A350 in October, and Airbus took 202 new orders in the month.
The High Court orders ACSA and the government to buy out a group of ACSA's empowerment shareholders at a fair value
The High Court in Johannesburg has found that ACSA, the government and the transport minister unfairly prejudiced a small group of empowerment shareholders, and has ordered them to buy those shares at a fair value. The investors bought into ACSA in 1998, through a prospectus that planned a stock exchange listing as the second step. That listing never happened. Judge Seena Yacoob found that this locked them in, in a way that was never contemplated. An independent valuer will set the price, and the shareholders must be paid in cash within a month of the final valuation.
Have you ever been on a flight that diverted or turned back? Where were you going, and what did the crew tell you? Tell us in the comments.
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