TAAG Angola Airlines has signed a sale and leaseback agreement for one Boeing 787-9 with AerCap. The deal represents an "essential step" towards the carrier's modernization, according to TAAG chief executive Nelson de Oliveira, while "leveraging our ability to connect Angola with key international destinations". "TAAG is committed to offering passengers a comfortable travel experience thus optimizing operational costs and providing greener environmental mobility solutions." The jet is scheduled to be delivered in February 2025. Fleet data shows that TAAG has four Dreamliners on order (two 787-9s and two -10s) and opted for GE Aerospace GEnx engines on the aircraft. One of the 787-9s (MSN 66877) is currently registered as N8572C. It was displayed by Boeing at Paris air show 2023 in a Riyadh Air livery and has since been repainted in TAAG colors. AerCap chief Aengus Kelly says that the company is particularly pleased to become the first lessor to introduce the 787 to TAAG. "As part of their fleet modernization programme, the 787 will enable TAAG expand their network across Africa, Europe and Asia with one of the most fuel-efficient widebody aircraft on the market and support them in meeting customer demand," he states. "We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with the TAAG team."

Azerbaijan Airlines says it has suspended flights to the Russian cities of Grozny and Makhachkala from Baku pending the conclusion of an investigation into the crash of an Embraer E190 it operated. Flight J2-8243, flying from Baku to Grozny on 25 December, was forced to make an emergency landing near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan when it crashed, states the carrier. There were 62 passengers and five crew members on board, with news reports saying there are 38 confirmed fatalities, citing information from Kazakhstan's transport ministry. Data identifies the jet as a 2013-vintage E190, bearing registration 4K-AZ65 (MSN 19000630), and powered by General Electric CF34-10E7 engines. The aircraft is owned and managed by the airline itself. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has formed a commission to investigate the crash, while the country's prosecutor general's office has launched a criminal case. "The commission's task is to fully investigate the matter, examine the causes of the crash and all its details, and provide information both to me and to the Azerbaijani public", states a 25 December notice from the president, adding: "There are various theories, but I believe it is premature to discuss them." The Financial Times, in a 26 December article, cited US and regional officials as saying that Russian anti-aircraft fire could have caused the aircraft to crash. Reuters, in a same-day report, cited sources with knowledge of the preliminary findings of the investigation who said Russia's air defences downed the jet. One of the sources cited by Reuters noted that "no one claims that it was done on purpose". sources has not independently verified those reports. The jet that crashed was one of eight E190s operated by Azerbaijan Airlines. Of the remaining seven aircraft, three are owned and managed by the airline and four are managed by lessor Nordic Aviation Capital. All seven aircraft are in service, besides one NAC aircraft which is in storage. The crashed aircraft's status is listed as having been written off as a total loss.

Japan Airlines (JAL) says its system has been restored following a cyber attack that delayed flights and suspended ticket sales for domestic and international travel. "We have identified the cause and scope of the malfunction, and the system has been restored. The issue was due to a large data attack and did not result in any customer data leaks or virus infections," states the carrier in an X update on 26 December. The carrier says a "failure occurred in the network equipment connecting the company inside and outside the company" at 07:24 local time, resulting in a system malfunction. By 14:30 the same day, the carrier had identified the cause of the attack and restored sales for domestic and international flights departing on 26 December. As of 20:00 on 26 December, 60 domestic flights were delayed for more than 30 minutes due to the disruption, while 11 international flights were delayed. Four domestic flights were cancelled on the same day, while another was cancelled on 27 December. The disruption follows American Airlines' hour-long ground stop notice for its flights on Christmas Eve due to a technology issue that affected systems needed to release flights.