Italy's ITA Airways has officially joined Star Alliance, with the carrier set to become fully connected to its global network from 1 April. "Joining Star Alliance marks a historic milestone for ITA Airways and a defining step in our growth," states chief executive Joerg Eberhart. The airline notes that Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate will be served by 17 Star Alliance members collectively. ITA explains that its induction to the alliance has been "mentored" by Lufthansa Group via an intense integration programme over the past several months. Lufthansa Group has owned a 41% stake in the Italian carrier since January last year, with a majority held by the Italian government. Lufthansa has a June deadline to decide whether to expand its stake. Collaboration with partner airlines has been a feature of ITA's business model since its launch in 2021. This has mainly involved its part-owner, as ITA has integrated its network and operations with Lufthansa Group over the past year. However, ITA said in a 25 March statement that its performance in 2025 had been held back by "the absence of commercial support from a partner carrier on routes between Italy and the United States, the company's primary international market". It later clarified to Cirium that, though it had agreed a partnership with Star Alliance founding member United Airlines in September, "at present, our co-operation... is limited to a codeshare agreement. We are currently awaiting approval from the relevant US authorities for ATI [antitrust immunity] in relation to the A++ joint venture." With the addition of ITA, Star Alliance now spans 26 member airlines, offering more than 17,500 daily flights across 190 countries.

The price of jet fuel in Europe has returned to multi-year highs amid tight supply and a lack of available imports. Energy information provider ICIS assessed jet kerosene at the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) import hub at $1,740 per tonne on 31 March, up from $1,595.50 a week earlier and around $650 at the start of the year. ICIS notes that jet fuel markets remain characterised by "extreme volatility" as buyers seek to secure supplies at short notice. Crack spreads, which reflect the price differential between a barrel of oil and the refined product, remain at "historically elevated" levels, adds ICIS, as the price of jet fuel is rising faster than that of crude. Meanwhile, market liquidity remains thin, as buying is "largely necessity-driven". ICIS, which like Cirium is RELX-owned, identifies some pricing softness in recent sessions, but "the durability of any pullback remains uncertain", it observes. "Overall, the market is being dictated more by immediate physical constraints, terminal congestion and shipping delays than broader crude fundamentals, keeping European jet-fuel dynamics reactive and sensitive to short-term shocks," it states. European jet-fuel markets are highly dependent on Middle Eastern exports, which is why the regional supply-demand imbalance is taking a toll on market dynamics. ICIS highlights International Energy Agency data that shows the Gulf supplied around 280,000 barrels of jet fuel to Europe per day in 2025, accounting for 60% of imports and just under a quarter of regional demand. Meanwhile, ARA jet-fuel stockpiles fell 5.3% in the week to 26 March to reach the lowest level in two years.

The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority has rejected Heathrow airport’s bid to hike the fees it charges airlines for the period of January 2027 to end-2031. As part of the CAA’s initial proposals, which are now out for consultation, Heathrow will be able to charge a mid-point of £28.80 ($38) per passenger, up slightly from £28.40 currently. That is significantly below the £33.26 that was proposed by Heathrow, while being above the £23 put forward by airlines. The CAA notes that Heathrow plans to invest billions in the coming years to improve airport resilience as well as improvements to consumer services, including baggage handling and security. "Our primary duty is to protect consumers and at the heart of today’s proposals is doing the right thing for passengers using Heathrow airport, while supporting sustainable growth, investment, and efficiency," says Selina Chadha, group director of consumer and markets at the CAA. The regulator will publish its final proposals in November ahead of a decision in April next year. The price control proposals are separate from work being undertaken on Heathrow’s expansion.