Former Sun Country Airlines chief executive and current Allegiant Air and Scandinavian Airlines board member Jude Bricker has not ruled out accepting a new chief executive role at another airline. Bricker observed on 18 June at a Wings Club event in New York – in response to a question from Cirium about his interest in taking a new chief executive role at a US airline – that he is "pretty young" and "not ready to retire". He adds: "I'm not looking for anything, but I can't imagine I'm going to be satisfied sitting on boards." Bricker ran Minneapolis-St Paul-based Sun Country from July 2017 through mid-May 2026, when its merger with Allegiant closed, after which he joined Allegiant's board. He said he loves being an airline chief executive for several reasons: firstly, because "it's a cool product". He compares the making of toothpaste unfavourably to "the joy that [aviation] brings genuinely to our travellers". Bricker ranks second the "daily onslaught of challenges combined with a unique ability to also take a bunch of risks". the comes with running an airline. "The third thing [is the] pretty lucrative space [occupied by aviation] because of its volatility," he says, adding: "I don't mean that from a personal perspective, rather from that you can, as an executive, have a real impact on the outcome [of an airline] in a relatively short amount of time." Bricker recalls that prior to joining and taking an ownership stake in Sun Country in 2017, the carrier "never really did that well". He goes on to say: "Sun Country made money during Covid. I think we're the only airline in the world to do that. We went from worst [margin performance] in 2017 to the best in 2020 and 2021 and 2023." Sun Country made operating profits of $18.2 million and $36.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2025 and 2026's first quarter, respectively. Bricker notes that further consolidation among US carriers is "the appropriate response to the increasing cost pressures that we've seen". "We closed our merger on May 13 of this year, [and] we announced the deal in January of the same year," he says. "That really rapid closing period perhaps indicates a willingness of this administration to support mergers." He goes on to say: "There's been a lot of talk about an American-United tie-up – I don't think that's possible; I think that pushes the [regulatory] limits a little too far. There are Allegiant, Alaska, the four majors American, United, Delta and Southwest] – those are profitable airlines in the US. Everyone else is losing money." He warns that "liquidation is a form of consolidation", adding that there are fewer US airlines in the wake of Spirit Airlines' ceasing of operations on 2 May. "I hope that isn't what happens [next]," he says.

Canadian carrier WestJet issued a request for proposals (RFP) at the start of June to sell the Boeing 737-700s that it owns. The deal comprises 27 aircraft, and WestJet is interested in leasing back 17 jets, a source says. They add that the deal is structured in three tranches. Back in April, it was reported that lessors were expecting WestJet to issue an RFP for up to 29 737-700s, possibly in June. The RFP had been in discussions since early last year. WestJet has an in-service and stored fleet of 35 737-700s, Fleets data shows. The aircraft range in age from 15 years to 23 years. The eight aircraft it doesn't own are managed by lessors including Aero Capital Solutions, BBAM, Castlelake, Deucalion Aviation, IAT Leasing, ORIX Aviation and SMBC Aviation Capital. All those lessors manage one unit apiece, except Deucalion, which manages two units.

The UK government is investing £219 million ($294 million) to accelerate development of the country's SAF industry. Disclosed on 16 June, the initiative includes £93 million over the next two years for companies developing SAF projects. Applications will open in mid-July. The funding is part of a broader low-carbon fuels fund set to launch later this summer. The Department for Transport (DfT) says the programme will help to establish the UK as a global hub for SAF production, contributing £5 billion to the country's economy by 2050, and builds on £198 million already committed through the Advanced Fuels Fund since 2022. Alongside the announcement, the government has launched a call for evidence on the UK's SAF mandate. This stipulates that SAF's share of fuel uplifted must rise from 2% last year to 10% in 2030 and 22% by 2040. The consultation is intended to ensure the policy framework "remains responsive to an evolving market", the DfT says.