Italian competition authority AGCM has opened an investigation into EasyJet's online booking process. The probe will focus on how the UK carrier sells additional services – specifically checked baggage for round-trip flights – on its Italian website and mobile app. AGCM accuses EasyJet of structuring the purchase process to advertise only an average price for these add-ons, and says the platform automatically selects a bundled purchase for both legs of the journey as the default option. "Consumers would thus be misled as to the actual price of the service for each leg of the trip and, if they wished to purchase the additional service for only one leg, would have to take steps to override EasyJet's default option by interrupting the online booking process," argues AGCM. This behaviour, it suggests, could violate the Italian consumer code were it to be deemed a deceptive and aggressive commercial practice. AGCM adds that it has launched its investigation because EasyJet did not comply with a previous "moral suasion" warning: a non-binding request from the watchdog giving the airline the opportunity to voluntarily adjust its practices.

More than four years into its war with Ukraine, Western sanctions continue to largely shut Russia out of the global aviation system – but the recent transfer of a Western-built commercial aircraft into Russian hands is an example of one slipping the net. MSN 4934, an Airbus A320, has been ferried into Russia from Turkiye via Oman, and is now under the control of North-West Air Company, a Russian operator that describes itself as specialising in business jets, charter flights and aircraft acquisition. Cirium data shows that the aircraft is in storage at Moscow Vnukovo International airport. The 2011-vintage jet, powered by International Aero Engines V2500s, has had an eventful history. Operated initially by Etihad Airways and later by now-defunct carrier Air Albania, MSN 4934 had passed through a succession of unrelated owners before its acquisition by an Omani entity, under a transaction confirmed by a US-based participant, on 26 December 2025. A representative of the Omani entity did not respond to Cirium's requests for comment, and it remains unclear how and from whom the aircraft was acquired by North-West, which likewise did not respond to requests for comment. THE ROUTING Cirium fleet data shows that on the same date, 26 December 2025, the narrowbody was ferried between Istanbul Airport and the city's Ataturk airport, which closed to commercial flights in 2019 but remained open for cargo operations, maintenance, general aviation, air taxis, and corporate, state and diplomatic aircraft. MSN 4934 had been parked at Istanbul airport since July 2024, the data indicates. On 14 April 2026, the narrowbody was ferried to Omani capital Muscat, where it remained for a month before being flown to Moscow Vnukovo on 14 May. On that same day, it was reregistered from the Cayman Islands to Russian registration. The routing of the aircraft through Oman highlights that unlike the EU and UK – which impose strict restrictions on the sale, lease and onward transfer of Western-built aircraft to Russia – the sultanate, like several other Middle Eastern jurisdictions, has not adopted an equivalent sanctions regime.Sanctions imposed by the EU, UK and USA after February 2022 were designed to cut Russia off from Western-built aircraft. They prohibit the sale, lease or transfer of aircraft, engines and parts to Russian operators, and require the termination of existing leases.

Air traffic manager Eurocontrol is starting to see a sustained rise in passenger capacity from Europe to the Middle East as air traffic patterns recover from the initial impact of the ongoing Iran conflict. Although traffic between the two regions remains "significantly depressed", Eurocontrol detects the "early signs" of a recovery as the number of flights picks up. The year-on-year decline in services operated moved from 38% in the seven days to 10 May to 24% two weeks later. Week on week, flights to the Middle East rose 15%, driven by higher volumes to and from Israel and the UAE. The outbreak of the Iran conflict has had a dramatic impact on demand and capacity levels in the region. Separate data from IATA shows that passenger demand fell 47% in April for Middle Eastern carriers, which cut capacity by 37% through the month. Meanwhile, Data indicates that passenger capacity in the region will only regain 2025 levels in September. Eurocontrol notes that across its network, the busiest 10 carriers lifted their capacity 2.8% on average in the seven days to 24 May, compared with the prior week. Meanwhile, en-route air traffic flow management (ATFM) delays decreased 7%, averaging circa 39,000 delay minutes per day, and remained 38% below 2025 levels, says Eurocontrol. It adds that ATC capacity and staffing were the top cause of delays, accounting for 65% of all en-route ATFM delays, particularly in Spain and France.