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Airlines
BA takes 21 years to fly back to Melbourne
British Airways (BA) will return to Melbourne for the first time since 2006 when it launches daily flights between Melbourne Airport and London Heathrow Airport in January 2027. Melbourne Airport said the British carrier would operate daily services from Melbourne to London via Kuala Lumpur from 11 January using a four-class Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 aircraft. From 9 January, flight BA33 will depart London Heathrow daily at 9:10 pm, arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 6:05 pm the following day and then landing in Melbourne at 6:40 am the day after. The return flight BA34 will commence from 11 January, departing Melbourne Airport at 4:35 pm, arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 9:35 pm and then into London Heathrow at 5:20 am the next morning. “We have a long history of connecting Britain and Australia, and we’re excited to be returning to this great city,” British Airways’ Chief Planning and Strategy Officer Neil Chernoff said in a media release. Melbourne Airport Chief Executive Officer Lorie Argus said the announcement underscored Melbourne’s place as Australia’s largest and best-connected 24-hour gateway. “We are thrilled to welcome British Airways back to Melbourne Airport and we’re incredibly excited about what this extra choi
Airlines
Flights could be impacted if TSA workers remain unpaid
Airlines and travel groups have warned that travel could once again be impacted by governmental stalemates. Congress failed to reach a deal on reforming immigration enforcement before funding ceased for Homeland Security on 13 February, with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) falling under that department. As a result, approximately 50,000 TSA employees, responsible for airport security screenings, are working without pay. Airline and travel groups have now warned that this could impact air traffic and travellers, much like the last government shutdown did in 2025, especially as spring break approaches. “TSA officers screen nearly a billion passengers a year. With an average salary of around $35,000, these are workers who simply cannot afford to miss a paycheck,” said U.S. Travel Association CEO Geoff Freeman. “Every time Washington ⁠fails to fund the government, these essential workers pay the price. So do travellers. So does the economy.”
Airlines
Air NZ posts half year loss, announces business review
Air New Zealand has announced a strategic review is underway after it slumped to a half year loss. New Zealand’s national carrier posted a net loss of NZ$40 million (US$24 million) for the six months ended 31 December 2025 compared with a $98 million profit in the previous corresponding period. “This result reflects the combined impact of ongoing fleet constraints, a slower recovery in domestic demand and rising costs, including persistently high aviation system inflation,” the airline said in a stock exchange announcement. The airline did not declare an interim dividend, and forecast second-half earnings to be broadly in line with, or modestly below, the first half due to continued pressure from aviation system and supply chain costs. The result compared with a guidance range of a loss of $30 to $55 million flagged in October 2025 and included a $13 million headwind from higher-than-assumed fuel prices in the second quarter. Operating revenue grew just 1.2% to $3.444 billion while the diluted loss per share came in at 1.2 cents compared with a 2.9 cent profit in the pcp. Air New Zealand said a review was underway to reset the business amid continuing cost escalation across the aviation system and supply chain.
Airlines
Spirit airlines restructures to emerge from bankruptcy
Spirit Airlines is preparing to downsize to help itself emerge from bankruptcy. The airline will shift focus to high-demand travel periods and routes, including Florida, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, the New York area, and Detroit, as well as expanding premium-class seats. CEO Dave Davis told CNBC that flights that don’t touch those airports “will be an even smaller part of the network”. David didn't specify which routes would be cut. Still, he noted high competition on cross-country flights, as well as some weakness in demand for visiting friends and relatives, a key segment of air travel, in Latin America. While Latin American flying will be reduced, David said it would still be important to Spirit. In order to exit its second bankruptcy in less than a year, the budget airline said it will get rid of even more of its Airbus fleet. Spirit’s lawyer, Marshall Huebner, said he expects the airline to emerge from bankruptcy in late autumn or early summer. Under the new plan, the airline estimates it will have reduced costs and said its debt obligations will be cut from US$7.4 billion to $2.1 billion after this bankruptcy. The airline will also rework its network and schedules to increase aircraft utilisation. It
Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines aims to fly to Australia from 2028
Ethiopian Airlines aims to launch its first flights to Australia in 2028 after receiving new long-haul aircraft. The date of its expansion to Australia will depend on when its new Boeing aircraft are delivered, the airline said. Ethiopian Airlines is Africa’s largest commercial carrier, and serves 145 international destinations across five continents. “We need at least two large aircraft to operate to the continent,” said Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mesfin Tasew. “It will take at least two years to receive aircraft from manufacturers.” “We will most likely start flying to Australia in 2028, either by renting or purchasing, as a larger batch of aircraft will arrive after that year.” Ethiopian Airlines is set to receive new Boeing 737 Max narrow-body aircraft in 2027, with wide-body jets due in 2028. It became the first African carrier to order Boeing’s 777-9 wide-body aircraft in 2024. It also said last month that it had ordered nine wide-body Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which will be delivered between 2031 and 2033. The airline has shortlisted two Australian cities as destinations for non-stop flights, said Mesfin, and will confirm these cities once it has received the required aircraft. Ethiopian Airlines sa

Airlines
Spirit to sell 20 jets amid 2nd bankruptcy declaration
Spirit Airlines has announced it is selling off 20 Airbus jets to help improve its financials, after declaring bankruptcy for a second time last year. The U.S.-based budget airline first declared bankruptcy in November 2024, completed restructuring in March of last year, but then later filed for bankruptcy a second time in August. This caused cuts to services, and staff were furloughed, though some 500 flight attendants are now being recalled. “At this time, natural attrition and voluntary actions are providing flexibility needed to right-size our staffing levels for both Pilots and Flight attendants,” a note to employees said, issued on Wednesday night. In December of last year, Spirit said it held a fleet of 214 Airbus jets, 20 of which will now be sold off.
Airlines
Boeing shares ease despite swing back to profit in Q4
Boeing shares fell on Tuesday after it announced it had returned to profit in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025 due to the sale of its Jeppesen digital aviation services business, rising jet production and stronger deliveries. The American aircraft manufacturer said net earnings were US$8.22 billion (A$11.8 billion) in Q4 compared with a loss of $3.77 billion in the previous corresponding period (pcp). Non-GAAP core earnings per share (EPS) came in at $9.92 versus an expected loss of $0.44 per share. The company also posted revenues of $23.948 billion, ahead of the $22.6 billion expected. For 2025, net income was $2.238 billion versus an $11.829 billion loss, diluted EPS was $2.48 versus an $18.46 loss, and revenue rose 34% to $89.463 billion. The rise in Q4 revenue reflected improved operational performance and higher commercial delivery volume. “We made significant progress on our recovery in 2025 and have set the foundation to keep our momentum going in the year ahead,” President and Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg said in a news release. "We completed the acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems and the sale of portions of the Digital Aviation Solutions business and remain focused on promoting stable operations,
Airlines
United Airlines earnings impacted by Venezuela
United Airlines has said it has taken a hit due to the ongoing situation between the United States and Venezuela. During a call with analysts, the airline confirmed the military strikes have caused a “measurable negative impact” on bookings to the Caribbean. Earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration put in place airspace closures around Venezuela and parts of the Caribbean, leading to the cancellation of flights out of tourist destinations like Puerto Rico. U.S. President Donald Trump also called for a total closure of airspace around Venezuela at the end of last year, but was unable to make that call under international law. “As we look into 2026, we do have this Caribbean situation which is impacting the numbers there,” said United Airlines chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella on this week's call. “So I’m going to be careful what I say about the Caribbean. We still think it could be positive but it’s going to be close. But we are looking for sequential improvement everywhere.”
Airlines
Lufthansa attempts to capitalise off strong US demand
German airline Lufthansa said it plans to capitalise on demand in key United States markets by expanding transatlantic flights and promoting its new premium seating. "We have been able to ‌shift our point of sales to almost 60% now coming from the U.S. and only 40% from Europe, which used to be the other way around for many years," CEO Carsten Spohr told Reuters. He said the U.S. expansion has mainly stemmed from smaller cities, as opposed to large hubs like New York. For example, the airline plans to expand its Frankfurt–Raleigh-Durham, North ‌Carolina, service to daily flights next year, ⁠up from three per week, and its Frankfurt-St. Louis, Missouri, routes to five weekly flights, up from three. The airline has also unveiled its new Allegris seat, which could lead to double-digit growth in yields for its premium products, according to Spohr. He said the new Allegris seats will allow the airline to “take advantage of that focus on premium traffic”. Spohr hopes those new planes will help stimulate growth, which has been hampered in recent years by delayed deliveries from planemakers Boeing and Airbus. These delays have contributed to losses for the airline as it lags behind competitors like Air France-KLM and