SINGAPORE — Australia's Qantas Airways has urged its pilots to reach agreement on a pay deal for the world's longest commercial flights or face being replaced for those routes. The airline selected the Airbus SE A350-1000 as the preferred plane for the new routes to cities including London and New York in the first half of 2023, but it said that an order for up to 12 jets was contingent on reaching a deal with pilots by March. In an internal memo seen by Reuters, Qantas International head Tino La Spina said the end of March deadline for a pilot vote on the deal was firm. "Airbus extended the delivery slots one last time once they knew they were the preferred supplier, but they are not willing to continue their exposure beyond that point," he said.

Source: International New York Times February 13, 2020 09:08 UTC