IATA director general Willie Walsh has launched a scathing attack on European policymakers, declaring that they should be "embarrassed" and "ashamed" of a regulatory system that he argues is failing to meet its objectives. EU regulations regarding air traffic management and SAF consumption are, he complains, hampering airlines' ability to operate efficiently and compete globally, pushing up their costs and emissions. Speaking at the World Aviation Festival in Lisbon, Walsh cited the EU's flagship aviation SAF emissions policy, which came into effect on 1 January and stipulates that 2% of jet fuel uplifted in 2025 at EU airports must be SAF, a level set to increase gradually across the period to 2050. He contends that the policy has had the effect of pushing up prices for airlines while doing nothing to increase supply. Furthermore, he adds, it has enabled fuel suppliers to charge airlines even more than the extra cost of SAF, which is several times the price of conventional fuels already. Walsh says this in effect doubles the extra cost to airlines of purchasing SAF, and suggests that fuel suppliers are able to do this because they have a monopoly position. "Regulators in Europe should be embarrassed by what's happening," he says, attributing the problem to poor policy design. Several airlines have called for the mandate to be scrapped in favour of a US-style incentive scheme for SAF instead. Turning to air traffic control, Walsh is similarly unsparing in highlighting Europe's inability to protect overflights from strike action, which he says enables air traffic controllers in some countries, most notably France, to shut down connectivity across the continent. Walsh's remarks echo long-standing industry concerns about Europe's fragmented air traffic management system. He estimates that around 60% of delays stem from ATC issues, exacerbated by staffing shortages and strike action, particularly in France. "It's disgraceful that we are still debating these issues," he says. "[Regulators] really do need to get their act together." He believes the authorities need to place greater pressure on ATC providers to sharpen their organisations, arguing that the current system design enables them to simply pass on any extra costs to airlines, with the result that there is "no pressure on ANSPs [air navigation service providers] to improve their performance, and that's the frustrating thing". As for the EU261 compensation scheme, Walsh believes there is "no data" to back up claims that airlines are responsible for delays, which means carriers are effectively paying the bill for inefficiencies elsewhere in the system – mainly in ATC – that are not being addressed. "When a flight is delayed because of air traffic control," he says, "Europe is not seeing that as an ATC problem. They're seeing that as an airline problem. And that's just not right." Airlines, he observes, are spending more money on their own resilience, but he sees this as compensating for system inefficiencies that "should be addressed through a more efficient ATC environment". He adds: "If you're a regulator in Europe and you're seeing the waste caused by inefficient air traffic control, you should be ashamed."

Another summer month of rising CO2 levels from commercial aircraft has come and gone. CO2 emitted by aircraft operated by airlines for commercial passenger flights in August was up 1%, at 77.3 million metric tons versus 76.6 million in pre-pandemic August 2019, as fuel burned rose from 24.2 million metric tons to 24.5 million, data shows. In July, CO2 from commercial flights likewise was up 1% versus six years ago. The number of aircraft in commercial passenger service that were tracked by Cirium for emissions and fuel burn in August was up 7% versus August 2019, rising from 25,094 to 26,773. Total in-service aircraft in August grew 4% versus six years ago, to 27,526. Airlines surpassed August 2019's level of carbon emissions despite a gradual shift towards newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft types. In August 2019, 6,380 Boeing 737NGs and just one 737 Max were in service, Cirium fleets data shows. The sole Max jet was operated by Air Canada in August 2019 for flight testing amid the US Federal Aviation Administration's March 2019 ban on US airlines operating the Max. Six years later, in August 2025, 5,501 737NGs and 1,923 Max jets were in service. Airlines' in-service Airbus A320ceo and A321ceo fleets shrank from 4,131 and 1,651 aircraft, respectively, in August 2019, to 3,606 A320ceos and 1,510 A321ceos in August 2025. Meanwhile, airlines' A320neo and A321neo in-service fleets grew to 1,781 and 1,530, respectively, in August 2025, from 704 in-service A320neos and 212 A321neos in August 2019.

The cancellation rate for US domestic flights has ticked up seven days into a temporary shutdown of the federal government. As of the late morning of 7 October, East Coast time, 2,550 of the 18,900 US domestic flights scheduled to depart that day had been either cancelled or assigned "unknown" status, representing 14% of all published scheduled flights. Cirium applies the "unknown" label to published flights that have not yet been officially cancelled but were not observed in flight. Airlines sometimes do not publish official cancellations for flights they do not operate. The previous day, on 6 October, 441 US domestic flights were cancelled or unknown out of 21,477 flights, representing 2% of scheduled flights. On the first day of the shutdown, 1 October, 2% of domestic flights were likewise classified by Cirium as cancelled or unknown. The shutdown began that day after the US House of Representatives failed to approve bill HR 5371, which would have provided continuing full-year appropriations for federal agencies. Cirium on 2 October asked the US Federal Aviation Administration if the temporary shutdown of the federal government would affect air traffic control staffing. In its response, the US Department of Transportation – of which the FAA is a part – did not address the potential impact on ATC staffing but did blame the shutdown on "radical" Congressional Democratic party leaders who seek to "give illegal immigrants benefits". Speaking at a press conference on 6 October, US transportation secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that air traffic control staff must report to work even if the federal government is unable to pay those workers. "The controllers have to show up for work," Duffy says. "They have to come to work. They're part of our critical infrastructure. The problem is, they're going to show up for work and they're not going to get paycheques." Duffy suggests that air traffic controllers might seek second jobs, which could lead to some calling in sick. Absenteeism is "a concern", he says. "If someone has to take sick leave to drive Uber to make the difference, those are decisions they're going to make themselves. But, of course, that's concerning for us." He adds: "I want them to get paid for the work they're doing today, keeping our planes in the air and our sky safe." Duffy notes that while the FAA is "tracking" absenteeism among air traffic control staff, as of now there is not "one facility that has had long-term issues with sick leave". "But they come to work without a guarantee that they're going to get paid, which is why they're so concerned as they're in these towers, controlling this airspace, thinking about what's going to happen in their own homes," he adds.