Finnair has reached a last-minute labour agreement with two of its unions, avoiding five days of industrial action which had been planned throughout July. Late on 13 July, the Association of Support Service Industries (Palta) and the Finnish Aviation Union (IAU) approved a proposal put forward by the national conciliator that will form the basis of a new collective bargaining agreement with the Oneworld carrier. The proposed agreement covers a period of 18 months and is scheduled to end on 15 January 2027. It includes a wage proposal which Finnair says, "aligns with the general labour market framework". The IAU has now called off strikes which had been due to take place on 16, 18, 21, 23 and 25 July. "Sincere thanks to our customers for their patience during this prolonged labour dispute," states Finnair chief operating officer Jaakko Schildt. "With the negotiation result covering Finnair's technical services, kitchen, airport customer service and many other companies operating in the airport area, we can now focus on operating our flights during this important summer travel season with the reliability customers expect from us." Finnair was forced to cancel hundreds of flights earlier this year when IAU members carried out a series of four-hour strikes targeting different work shifts and affecting functions such as ground handling and aircraft maintenance. The airline has said that industrial action cost it €22 million ($26 million) and shaved €31 million off its revenue in the first quarter of this year.

German pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit has warned against "premature speculation" about the cause of the AI171 crash, after India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau published a preliminary report. The union observes that the AAIB report "does not permit a clear conclusion of an intentional act" by one of the Air India Boeing 787's pilots. "Important technical and systemic aspects remain unresolved," adds Vereinigung Cockpit. "Reliable conclusions about the cause of the accident are not possible at this time." It cites the fuel-control switches' locking feature as "one example of an issue that still needs clarification". In the preliminary report, the AAIB highlights a special airworthiness information bulletin (SAIB) that the US Federal Aviation Administration issued in 2018 after reports from 737 operators that fuel-control switches had been installed with the locking feature disengaged. The bulletin (NM-18-33) advises operators of various types of Boeing aircraft, including 787s, of the potential for disengagement of the fuel-control-switch locking feature, while noting: "Based on an assessment utilising the limited data currently available at this time, the airworthiness concern is not an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness directive (AD) action." The fuel-control switch, the bulletin states, "has a locking feature to prevent inadvertent operation that could result in unintended switch movement between the fuel supply and fuel cut-off positions". It adds: "In order to move the switch from one position to the other under the condition where the locking feature is engaged, it is necessary for the pilot to lift the switch up while transitioning the switch position. If the locking feature is disengaged, the switch can be moved between the two positions without lifting the switch during transition, and the switch would be exposed to the potential of inadvertent operation. Inadvertent operation of the switch could result in an unintended consequence, such as an in-flight engine shutdown." The bulletin goes on to recommend inspection of the locking feature to ensure its engagement. In its report, the AAIB writes that "as per the information from Air India, the suggested inspections were not carried out as the SAIB was advisory and not mandatory". The throttle control module, which includes the fuel-control switches, was replaced on the crashed 787 (registered VT-ANB) in 2019 and 2023, the AAIB notes. But it stresses: "The reason for the replacement was not linked to the fuel control switch [and] there has been no defect reported pertaining to the fuel control switch since 2023 on VT-ANB." Three seconds after the 787's lift-off from Ahmedabad airport's runway 23 on 12 June, "the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from 'Run' to 'Cutoff' position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec", the report states. The aircraft at that point had reached 180kt. It had lifted off after reaching the calculated rotation speed of 155kt on the runway. "In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off," adds the report. "The other pilot responded that he did not do so." The report does not cite other passages of the cockpit voice recording, which captured 2h of audio prior to the crash. The pilots subsequently returned the fuel control switches to the 'Run' position in effort to regain power, but the aircraft had begun to descend by the time it crossed the airport boundary. It crashed 32s after lift-off, and 29s after fuel to the engines was cut off.

Heathrow Airport is seeking regulatory approval to increase airline charges by a sixth for the period 2027-31, to support a £10 billion ($13.5 billion) investment plan aimed at expanding the UK hub's capacity and enhancing its performance. The proposed hike would raise average charges from £28.46 currently to £33.26. Expansion plans envisions that the London airport will accommodate an additional 10 million passengers annually. Last year, 84 million passengers used Heathrow. Investment will focus on improving service levels and reliability, serving to "unlock growth for Britain", Heathrow says. This includes the development of new lounges, shops and restaurants within existing terminals, but does not encompass funding for a third runway, a government-supported project to boost economic growth. Heathrow previously said that it would have firm proposals for that project by the summer. Higher fees are likely to be fiercely opposed by airlines, which have repeatedly complained that Heathrow already has the highest charges in the world. Writing in UK newspaper The Times in February, the chief executives of IAG and Virgin Atlantic called for an "urgent and fundamental" regulatory review to ensure better value and lower costs ahead of a possible expansion. Virgin Atlantic has advocated breaking the airport up into its different terminals to enhance competition, a position backed by partner and joint owner Delta Air Lines' chief executive Ed Bastian last month. He described Heathrow as both "the most important airport in the world" and the "toughest and most expensive" to access. Heathrow points out that its investment plan includes a £2 billion shareholder equity contribution, and says charges have decreased 23% over the past decade. Even with the proposed increase, fees would remain below 2014 levels in real terms, it adds. "Our five-year plan will further boost operational resilience, deliver the service passengers expect and unlock the growth capacity airlines want, with stretching efficiency targets and a like-for-like lower airport charge than a decade ago," states the airport's chief executive Thomas Woldbye. The proposal is under review by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, which will finalise the fee structure for 2027-31.