Emirates will implement Airbus's Skywise predictive maintenance and fleet health monitoring solution and Core X3 analytics platform to service its A380s and A350s. The technology will enable MRO staff to monitor real-time aircraft performance and health data, identify potential issues in flight, and determine maintenance actions during turnarounds, the UAE carrier notes. It adds that the Core X3 analytics platform will help Emirates Engineering to "manage vast amounts of data, connecting different systems for single source, up-to-the-minute insights through an enhanced user interface that can be intuitively used by multiple teams". "Adopting Airbus's Skywise fleet performance+ is a step forward to support our Airbus fleet, harnessing the latest advancements, and transforming traditional maintenance activities into streamlined, precision led processes that optimise our time in the skies," states Emirates Engineering chief Ahmed Safa.

London Heathrow's largest airline customers have called for an "urgent and fundamental" review of how the airport is regulated to deliver greater value for money and lower charges ahead of its possible expansion. Writing in UK newspaper The Times, IAG chief executive Luis Gallego and Virgin Atlantic counterpart Shai Weiss, along with the heads of association Heathrow AOC and property group Arora, say that given the current regulatory regime has delivered the highest airline charges in the world, "it's time for a complete rethink on Heathrow". They call on the UK Civil Aviation Authority to investigate "what has gone wrong" at the airport, "before passengers get locked into higher charges for decades to come", given that any expansion of Heathrow would likely be paid through via higher charges to airlines. "If Heathrow is to expand and build a third runway, it cannot continue to gold-plate its construction costs and spend inefficiently," they add. "As UK-based carriers and businesses, we of course support sustainable growth and expansion, but only if is affordable and offers value for money to UK plc." Indications from the UK government that after years of wrangling it supports expansion at Heathrow were welcomed by the airlines last month, but with caveats. Virgin Atlantic says expansion should only take place alongside "fundamental reform" of the airport's pricing model "to ensure value for money for consumers, affordability for UK plc and support a competitive UK aviation industry". Likewise, British Airways' owner IAG noted in a statement that the project must be affordable and sustainable, also backing changes to the regulatory model that has allowed Heathrow "to become the most expensive airport in the world". It added that it was engaged with the government, the CAA and Heathrow on "fixing this for consumers". In their latest statement, the executives compare the airport's performance with that of its European rivals, which they say have been able to upgrade their capacity "in more efficient ways" and hold down charges for airlines – and therefore passengers. Core to their argument is that the current regulatory framework, under which the fees Heathrow can charge airlines is decided every five years by the CAA based on an understanding of the facility’s costs, has resulted in a "failure to constrain the monopoly" which has harmed consumers and weakened Heathrow's hub status. UK chancellor Rachel Reeves formally threw the government's weight behind the building of a third runway at Heathrow on 29 January, inviting proposals to be "brought forward by the summer". She said it was the government's "clear expectation" that associated service transport costs – such as changes to roads – would be privately funded. Previous estimates of the cost of the third runway were put at £14 billion ($17 billion), although these would now need to be revised higher. Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye has said the expansion will "give airlines and passengers the competitive, resilient hub airport they expect while putting the UK back on the map at the heart of the global economy".

Finnair says it may have to cut nearly a tenth of its pilots unless unions agree to proposals on wages and working practices. Discussions on a new collective labour agreement with the Finnish Transport Pilots' Association (SLL) have been taking place since last year, with pilots launching industrial action including a standby ban which is threatening the future of an agreement with Qantas. Under that deal, two Finnair Airbus A330s are wet-leased to the Australian airline to fly between Sydney and Bangkok and Singapore, but the two carriers have discussed cancelling it as talks and industrial action drags on, Finnair says. Ending the deal would leave Finnair with a surplus of around 90 pilots, 9% of its total, who would face furlough or being let go permanently. "It is sad that the pilot union’s prolonged industrial action has led to a situation where we have to start change negotiations. Today is a tough day for all of us at Finnair," says Kaisa Aalto-Luoto, Finnair's chief people officer. "In our 101 years of history, we have never needed to reduce pilot positions due to operational reasons. Even when the Russian airspace closed and fundamentally changed our operating environment, we succeeded in securing employment for our pilots with collaboration arrangements." Talks set to start on 12 February will discuss the possible need for staff cuts as well as mandatory stand-by duty in employment contracts. Finnair says the pilot union has refused to agree on stand-by duties collectively, instead proposing that it should be voluntary. "Stand-by is an established practice in the industry and I believe that every Finnair pilot recognises it as part of their job. As the union has declined to agree on this, we are now preparing to include stand-by duty in the employment contracts of all pilots in order to secure regular and reliable flight operations,' Aalto-Luoto says. Finnair adds that collective agreement negotiations with the SLL have taken place under the leadership of Finnish mediator the National Conciliator since November, with the union rejecting several settlement proposals that it would have accepted. The SLL has been approached for comment.