British Airways will reduce its A380 capacity from 469 to 417 seats as part of a major cabin refurbishment, increasing business and premium-economy capacity while significantly reducing economy seating. The upgraded aircraft will feature 12 first, 106 business, 84 premium economy and 215 economy seats, with the entire upper deck dedicated to business class; Lufthansa Technik Philippines will undertake the refurbishment, with the 12-aircraft programme due for completion in 2028.

KLM has received its first A350-900, with another 21 aircraft due by end-2030, as part of its replacement of A330s and Boeing 777-200ERs. The 331-seat aircraft is expected to enter service to Toronto, followed by Montreal and several African destinations. Its new business-class suites remain pending final certification, while KLM is also set to receive the future A350 Freighter.

Despite higher interest rates, inflation and rising oil prices linked to the Middle East crisis, airlines with strong credit profiles continue to secure attractive aircraft financing. TUI and Air France report particularly competitive conditions for sale-and-leaseback transactions, supported by limited aircraft availability and relatively few high-quality airline credits seeking financing.