Lufthansa and the ver.di trade union reached a new agreement on August 1st. From July 1st, 2008, ground staff will receive a pay rise of 5.1% and a further increase of 2.3% from July 1st., 2009. Additionally, the employees are to get a one-off payment, including a performance-related component depending on their business segment, of up to 2.4% of their annual remuneration. The pay settlement is for 21 months, ending on February 28th 2010. It means in effect that Lufthansa is raising the individual pay of employees by 4.2% over a period of twelve months.

Australian sustainable aviation fuel industry receives massive boost with major investment
The Australian sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry has received a massive boost with a major joint investment. A Queensland biofuel refinery being jointly developed by Jet Zero Australia and LanzaJet is to receive investment from Qantas Group, Airbus, and the Queensland Government. The refinery is looking to produce SAF from agricultural by-products, including sugar cane.