AEA calls for fuel price probe
The Association of European Airlines (AEA) has called for an investigation into high fuel prices.
The Association which represent most leading European carriers, said details were emerging of "questionable competitive practices" in the fuel market.
It said that Italy's competition regulators had fined fuel suppliers €315m in June for uncompetitive practices and that Austrian Airlines had called on its national anti-trust agency to investigate the state-owned fuel group OMV.
Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus, AEA's secretary general, said: "The industry is suffering already from today's exceptionally high fuel costs. The last thing we need is for those costs to be further inflated by unfair commercial practices."
British MPs call for emissions taxes
British MPs have said that air passengers should pay extra taxes to help off set carbon emissions.
A report by the environmental audit committee called on the UK department of transport top speed up its efforts to cut greenhouse gases.
It called both the government and the air transport industry "intransigent" in its attitude towards reducing emissions from flights.
The MPs want higher air passenger taxes, bilateral agreements between EU countries on new taxes and compulsory charges on all airline tickets to offset the emissions caused by each flight.
Finnair operating profits drop
Finnair's operating profits for the first six months of 2006 dropped from the 2005 figure of €35.3m to €5.5m. The carrier attributed the fall to "low level pricing and restructuring costs."
During the six months, Finnair reported a rise of 5.4% in turnover to €494.6m, a rise in passenger traffic of 6.8% and an increased load of 5.1% to 75.5%
Jukka Hienonen, Finnair's president and ceo, said: "As the price of oil has increased, costs have risen strongly and this is also reflected in Finnair's result.
"Our current profit level is unsatisfactory."
MEA resumes European flights
Middle East Airlines (MEA) which suspended flights when the current Lebanon conflict began has resumed services.
The airline has moved its fleet from Beirut to Damascus, Syria and Larnaca, Cyprus and will be flying to London, Frankfurt and Paris.
It has also resumed flights to Dubai, Jeddah, Riyadh, Amman, Kuwait and Cairo.