Air New Zealand will buy nine million litres of Sustainable Aviation Fuel from Neste that will be supplied for blending and uploading at Los Angeles between April and November. The SAF will be produced at Neste's Singapore refinery, and the deal marks the largest purchase of SAF from Neste by any airline outside North America and Europe for delivery before the end of 2024, the carrier says. "Decarbonising Air New Zealand's operations is essential for the airline's long-term ability to connect New Zealanders to the world, as well as support the country's trade and tourism sectors, and SAF is a key enabler of this", Air New Zealand's chair Therese Walsh says. "While the SAF supply is small compared with the airline's overall fuel use, it is nine times the size of Air New Zealand's first shipment of SAF from Neste in 2022 and demonstrates growing co-operation between two like-minded organisations to advance the supply and use of SAF." The Neste deal comes less than a month after Air New Zealand issued an "opportunity statement" seeking global partnerships to supply SAF, which it aims to make up around 20% of its fuel uptake by 2030.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing 747-400F aircraft after receiving a report that cap seals were not applied to certain fasteners in the fuel tank during production. "This proposed AD would require applying cap seals to certain fastener collars inside the fuel tanks. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products," it states in a document published to the Federal Register on 12 April. The cap seals provide an insulating layer on the fasteners to prevent arcing between them during a lightning strike or other high-energy short-circuit. A directive issued in 2022 required cap seals to be fitted to 747-400Fs with line numbers 645-1363, after which a production design change was implemented on subsequent aircraft. Boeing, however, discovered that the change omitted eight fasteners on the left and right winds in the inboard main fuel tanks. The FAA says it has determined that the actions identified in the AD are necessary to reduce the potential of ignition sources inside fuel tanks, "which, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could result in fuel tank explosion or fire". The directive would affect 15 747s registered in the USA, with a cost to operators of just over $62,000, the regulator adds. The FAA says it must receive comments on the proposed AD by 28 May 2024.

Air Niugini will suspend its weekly Brisbane-Port Moresby-Palau service from 1 May after the service failed to meet its expectations. Schedules data shows that the service operates with a Boeing 767-300. The airline commenced the service in February 2023, supported by the Australian government under the Pacific Flights Programme, which was part of a Covid response package for the Pacific islands. Including the Air Niugini service, Palau receives 14 flights per week, linking it to Macau, Taipei Taoyuan, Pohnpei, Guam and Manila.