FedEx will cancel an order to buy 15 Boeing 777 freighters, as well as an option for a further 15 planes, if Congress passes legislation that makes it easier for FedEx workers to join unions. At issue is whether FedEx loses its status under the jurisdiction of the Railway Labor Act, which protects companies from local labor action. FedEx expects to take delivery of 15 Boeing jets starting this year under an existing contract, a spokesman said. But “30 out of 45 airplanes we won’t be buying if our RLA Status is changed by Congress.” The portion of the Boeing order that FedEx cannot cancel totals USD$2.5 billion, according to a FedEx regulatory filing. In January, the company exercised an option with Boeing to purchase 15 additional 777 aircraft, and it has an option for another 15. At list prices, 30 such jets are worth about USD$7.5 billion to Boeing. The Boeing contract includes language that enables FedEx to cancel the order and the option, if the company’s FedEx Express employees are no longer covered by the Railway Labor Act, which covers airlines as well as railroads. “We will look very hard on how to move FedEx forward with a new regulatory environment,” Lane said.

Chile’s dominant airline LAN said its cargo arm had started domestic operations in Brazil. LAN Cargo said in a statement it now offers a daily service from Monday to Friday between Sao Paulo and the northern Amazon city of Manaus aboard a Boeing 767-300F with a 54 tonne cargo capacity. “With the start of fl ights in the Brazilian domestic market, we are expanding our operations, which will enable us to consolidate our network of destinations,” LAN Cargo chief executive Cristian Ureta said in a statement. LAN’s cargo network covers about 75 destinations worldwide. Ureta said LAN Cargo and its subsidiaries now operated in all capitals in South America, Mexico, San Jose, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Central America. It also has an arm in Colombia. Parent LAN has affi liates in Ecuador, Peru and Argentina. It accounts for more than half of Chile’s international passenger traffi c and nearly three-quarters of its domestic traffi c.

To celebrate the inauguration of its brandnew Airbus A330-300 on the route between New York (JFK) and Helsinki (Finland) earlier this month,

Finnair hosted an in-depth panel discussion in New York about sustainable practices in the airline industry. The animated panel discussion, “Clear for Take Off: Finnair’s Initiatives in Cleaner Air Travel,” was moderated by Christopher

Elliott, renowned ombudsman with National Geographic Traveler magazine, and included the following expert panel members: Kati Ihamäki, Vice President of Sustainable Development, Finnair, (www.finnairgroup.com), Renee Martin-Nagle, Vice President and General Counsel, Airbus Americas, Inc. (www.airbusamericas.com), Paula DiPerna, Executive Vice President, Chicago Climate Exchange and President, CCX International

(www.chicagoclimateexchange.com), and Michael Miller, President, Miller Air Group. Ihamäki, who recently attended the Fourth Aviation and Environment Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, noted: “IATA (International Air Transport Association) has set the goal of emission-free aviation by 2050. To reach this, it is imperative that participants in many different interest groups – airlines, aircraft and engine manufacturers, airports, oil companies, air traffi c service provider organizations, offi cial authorities and governments - work together diligently to formulate a sustainability strategy. For any airline, a global strategy that incorporates technological advances, a favorable infrastructure, operational changes and market management is vital. In addition, together we need to fi nd ways to enforce any measures that are decided upon in an equitable and fair manner.” The new Airbus A330-300’s fuel consumption and emissions are 20% lower than current levels. In addition, direct routes, optimum fl ight levels and effi cient fl eet planning are some of Finnair’s ongoing ways (for the past two decades) to bring about emission reduction and environmental effi ciency. Finnair will use the new A330-300 aircraft on its daily non-stop JFK route throughout the summer, as well as for the three extra fl ights per week that will be added to the daily schedule between May 31 and September 13. In 2009, Finnair will take delivery of a total of fi ve new Airbus A330 aircraft. The next A330s will arrive in April, May and June.