Iberia has conducted its first biofuel-powered flight using an Airbus A330-200, in collaboration with Spanish energy and petrochemical company Repsol, on the inaugural Madrid-Washington route. The biofuel used to operate the twin-engine aircraft was produced from waste at the Repsol Group refinery Petronor in Bilbao, the IAG-owned Spanish airline says. Iberia will operate a second biofuel flight on the Madrid-San Francisco route, which is being reinstated on 1 June, while the third will be its inaugural flight from Madrid to Dallas. The two routes will be operated using Iberia's A330-200 fleet, it adds. In the future, Iberia and Repsol will operate new flights with a growing percentage of biofuel mix that can reach up to 50%. "This initiative is part of the collaboration agreement towards more sustainable mobility signed by Repsol and Iberia last July and is in line with the sustainable development goals promoted by the UN through the 2030 agenda," the airline states. The strategic agreement also includes a roadmap for the promotion of SAF in the coming years. Repsol and Iberia plan to operate with synthetic SAF produced at the Petronor plant, in 2024.

Two UK unions representing British Airways check-in staff at London Heathrow airport are balloting members over peak-season strike action in a dispute over pay. Trade union Unite will hold a vote on industrial action with around 500 members from 7 to 27 June, with strikes expected to follow during July, should they vote in favour. GMB is also balloting check-in staff about strike action with a similar timeframe. Many of BA's Heathrow staff took pay cuts through the pandemic as revenues dried up, but they are now angry that this has not been reinstated, especially given that management pay has been returned to pre-pandemic levels, says Unite. General secretary Sharon Graham continues that this "disgraceful" action treats its members like a "second-class workforce", adding: "Our members are rightly furious and ready to take action. A strike by our members will make an immediate impact on the service to customers so I urge BA to get a grip and restore these workers’ pay immediately." Unite is further consulting with a separate group of BA check-in staff over pay, which, if it passes, could progress to a vote on full industrial action. British Airways responds that the majority of its staff had accepted a one-off lump sum amounting to 10% of their salary, but this had been rejected by check-in staff. It notes that with the ballot affecting less than half of Heathrow's customer service team, contingency plans are in place to ensure continued operations. Airlines have found themselves in a difficult position in recent months regarding staffing. Having shed many positions through the pandemic, they are now trying to recruit into a strong labour market which is hindering their ability to staff up. Meanwhile Covid-related absences have also impacted operations. This, combined with a rush of passengers desperate for their first break in years, plus staffing problems at airports and elsewhere, has already led to significant delays and numerous cancellations in Europe, the UK and US. At its results presentation earlier this month, BA-parent IAG revealed that it would cancel roughly 60 flights per day at Heathrow, or 10% of its total at the hub, until October reflecting a lack of operational capacity. It attributed this mainly to a deliberate attempt by the airport to under-resource itself, in order to restrict passenger numbers and back up its case for higher airline fees.

South Africa's Comair announced late on Tuesday evening that it had to suspend all its kulula.com flights as well as the British Airways flights it operates under a licence agreement. The flights are suspended pending Comair successfully securing additional funding. The company’s business rescue practitioners have advised that the process to raise the necessary capital is in progress and that there is reason to believe funding may be secured. Once received, the airline will be able to recommence operations. British Airways (operated by Comair) and kulula.com ticket sales have also been suspended with immediate effect. "We deeply regret the inconvenience this suspension will cause our customers. We did everything we could to avoid it. Comair, the BRPs and the lenders are working all out to get the funding in place so that we can resume our normal flight schedule as soon as possible," says Comair CEO, Glenn Orsmond.