British Airways retires fleet
London: British Airways is retiring its ‘Queen of the Skies’ fleet of Boeing 747s with immediate effect due to a drop in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the company said on Friday.
The airline has used the aircraft since July 1989 and is currently the world’s biggest operator of the 747-400 model, reports the Metro newspaper.
The UK flag carrier was planning to retire the fleet of 31 craft in 2024 but its end has been hastened by the ongoing global pandemic. In a statement, the airline said: “It is with great sadness that we can confirm we are proposing to retire our entire 747 fleet with immediate effect. (IANS)
France delays retirement reform
Paris: France’s government is delaying a divisive overhaul of the country’s retirement system until at least the end of the year because of the economic crisis unleashed by the pandemic.
Prime Minister Jean Castex announced after meeting with unions on Friday that the pension reform will be maintained. But he added that the government will extend negotiations on details of the plan over the coming months, instead of pushing to finalise it this summer. The plan would end some specific pension schemes under which certain people, like railway workers, are allowed to take early retirement and others, like lawyers, pay less tax. (AP)
US Navy ship blaze extinguished
San Diego: The four-day-old blaze onboard the amphibious assault US Navy ship, the USS Bonhomme Richard, at the Naval Base San Diego has been extinguished, authorities said.
“Our fire teams are investigating every space to verify the absence of fire. Until every space is checked and there are no active fires, we will not be able to commence any official investigations,” Xinhua news agency quoted Philip Sobeck, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3, as saying in a statement. (IANS)
S Korean church leader questioned
Seoul: South Korean prosecutors on Friday questioned the leader of a secretive church sect over accusations that they hampered the government’s anti-virus response after thousands of COVID-19 infections were detected among its members in February and March.
Lee and other Shincheonji leaders have faced suspicions of hiding some of the church’s membership and under-reporting its worship activities to health authorities to avoid broader quarantines. (AP)