Aviation Law Prof Blog

IAG Cleared to Purchase bmi

European Commission regulators have approved IAG's acquisition of bmi from Lufthansa, subject to certain conditions. See Alessandro Torello & Matthew Curtin, EU OKs IAG's Proposed Buy of bmi, Subject to Conditions, Wall St. J., March 30, 2012 (available here). IAG will need to surrender 14 daily slot pairs at Heathrow airport and agree to carry connecting passengers for the long-haul flights of other airlines operating out of Heathrow. The deal will give IAG control over a majority of the slots at Heathrow, which is especially important in light of the airport's capacity constraints. 

Mental Health Evaluations for Pilots

The recent incident involving a JetBlue pilot has prompted scrutiny of the medical requirements pilots must satisfy to retain their licenses. The rarity of such incidents suggests that regulations requiring evaluation by a mental health professional would be overkill. Today's Washington Post provides a good summary of the subject. See Alan Levin, JetBlue Pilot's Meltdown Raises Questions About FAA Mental-Health Screenings, Washington Post, March 29, 2012 (available here).

Air France-KLM Pulls Out of Philippines

Air France-KLM has ended direct flights to the Philippines, becoming the final European carrier to do so. See Air France-KLM Cuts Last Direct Flight Connecting Manila With Europe, Citing High Taxes, Associated Press, March 26, 2012 (available here). The airline announced last October that it would be ending service if airline taxes were not reduced. See Aviation Law Prof Blog, Oct. 20, 2012 (available here).