US president Joe Biden has selected Department of Transportation deputy secretary Polly Trottenberg to be acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. Trottenberg is the number-two official at the DOT, reporting to transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg. She has more than 30 years of public-service experience at all levels of government, and has held various transportation roles during two presidential administrations, the FAA notes. The regulator's current acting administrator Billy Nolen disclosed in April that he planned to step down from the position during the upcoming summer, saying "it is time for a new captain to guide the FAA". In March, Phil Washington, Biden's nominee to lead the FAA, withdrew from the confirmation process amid an expected lack of approval votes from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The Biden administration is continuing its search for a nominee to the permanent FAA administrator role, which carries a five-year term and requires US Senate confirmation. "I am grateful to Billy for his service during one of the most challenging and dynamic times in aviation, and I have full confidence in Polly's steady hand during the search for a permanent administrator," Buttigieg states.

Newly begun inspections of an attachment fitting on the horizontal stabiliser on Boeing's inventory of 787 aircraft has prompted the US airframer to revise the timing of near-term deliveries of the widebodies. "We are inspecting 787s in our inventory for a nonconforming condition related to a fitting on the horizontal stabiliser," Boeing says. "Airplanes found to have a nonconforming condition will be reworked prior to ticket and delivery." The manufacturer notes that it is not an immediate safety of flight issue and that in-service 787s may continue to operate. Boeing has notified the US Federal Aviation Administration and its airline customers. "While the inspections and required rework will affect [the] timing of near-term 787 deliveries, at this time we do not expect that this issue will change our full-year guidance regarding 787 deliveries," Boeing says. The affected component is provided by a supplier and installed on the horizontal stabiliser at Boeing Salt Lake. The airframer had disclosed in early June that it is producing four 787 aircraft per month and planned to reach a rate of five per month by the end of 2023.

Ryanair has reached a $5 million settlement over a US class action launched by the City of Birmingham Pension Fund in November 2018, following mediation between the parties. The total settlement amount is considerably less than the legal costs that would have been incurred had this action gone all the way to trial, the budget carrier says. The lawsuit against the carrier claimed that it deceived shareholders about the sustainability of its labour practices. Ryanair welcomed this settlement and added that "it contends there was no lawful basis for this claim, but that the settlement is in the interest of all shareholders due to the very modest settlement amount." This settlement came after the US district court in 2020 dismissed many of the claims made by the plaintiff, considerably narrowing the grounds for action. The final settlement agreement will be subject to approval by the court.