A court ruling blocking its proposed acquisition of Spirit Airlines and aircraft grounded by engine issues have prompted JetBlue Airways to scale back growth plans for 2024 and seek reductions in fixed expenses. The New York-based carrier expects to reduce first-quarter capacity by a low-single-digit percentage from its level in the same period of 2023. Additionally, it forecasts that first-quarter revenue will be flat. "We expect capacity and departures to be down in 2024," JetBlue finance chief Ursula Hurley said on 30 January during an earnings call. "We're taking a hard look at spending [and] evaluating all of our levers to offset our growth tailwinds." JetBlue has begun offering buyouts to some employees, and is "urgently reoptimising" its network, notes chief operating officer and incoming chief executive Joanna Geraghty. The carrier is also looking to raise capital in 2024. "There's a decent amount of money in the finance-lease market at the moment," adds Geraghty. She points out that the acquisition of US low-budget carrier Spirit "was about accelerating our organic growth". That shortcut to huge fleet growth was apparently sealed off when a US district court judge on 16 January blocked JetBlue and Spirit from executing the merger deal they had agreed in July 2022. Robin Hayes, who is retiring as chief executive on 12 February, said during the earnings call that JetBlue had on 29 January filed with the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit a request to expedite the notice of appeal it had earlier filed jointly with Spirit. "We strongly disagree [with the court's decision]," Hayes says. "That's why we expedited the appeal yesterday." Geraghty adds: "Our hope is that the First Circuit realises that its decision was one-sided, and that the Spirit merger will happen." Absent Spirit, and amid ongoing engine issues that the carrier expects will drive "significant" aircraft ground time in 2024-25, JetBlue is "trying to reduce fixed costs in a world where we're not growing", Geraghty says. JetBlue says seven of its aircraft are out of service because of engine issues, a figure set to rise to 13-15 by year-end 2024. Hurley notes that JetBlue's fleet has been hampered by Pratt & Whitney's GTF inspection programme and an overall "lack of engines". JetBlue's fleet include 56 Airbus aircraft powered by PW1000G engines, Fleets data shows. Every one of its 130 on-order aircraft – all coming from Airbus – will be powered by PW1000G engines. The Pratt & Whitney inspection programme will likely have an impact on Airbus's production of new aircraft given that many GTF-powered A320neos will be on the ground and resources of the engine maker and its partners will be required to return the aircraft to service, Senior consultant Richard Evans noted during a 23 January webinar. JetBlue in the fourth quarter of 2023 made an operating loss of $67 million, compared with a profit of $43 million in the same period of 2022. Operating revenue slid 4% year on year, to $2.3 billion, while operating expenses increased 1% to $2.4 billion. JetBlue ended the fourth quarter with $1.7 billion in liquidity and total debt of $4.7 billion.

Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) is set to induct four new Airbus A330neos and eight Boeing 737 Max 8s in 2024 as part of its fleet modernisation plan. The first A330-900 is scheduled to arrive in the third quarter of 2024, the company states. "We are excited to induct the first of 20 Airbus A330neos in Q3 of this year, which will gradually replace our A330ceo fleet and operate to our network across Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East," says Izham Ismail, MAG group managing director and chief executive officer of Malaysia Airlines. The A330-900s layout will comprise 297 seats, with 28 seats in business class and 269 in economy. The new widebodies are part of a memorandum of understanding MAG signed in August 2022 with Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Avolon for 20 A330neos due to be delivered through 2028. Ten of the aircraft have been directly purchased from Airbus under sale-and-leaseback arrangements with Avolon, while the remaining from the lessor's orderbook Malaysia Airlines took delivery of its first 737 Max 8 (9M-MVA, MSN 6643) in November 2023, the first of 25 on order that are due to be delivered through 2026. It signed long-term leases with Air Lease Corporation for the jets in February 2022. MAG currently owns a fleet size of 104 through its subsidiaries Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, MASwings and MASkargo. Malaysia Airlines has 24 A330ceos and 42 737NGs stored and in service on its fleet, while Firefly operates five 737NGs

Finnair expects to cancel around 550 flights on 1-2 February due to a strike planned by several unions across the country, aimed at the government. Industrial action will have a significant impact on Helsinki airport as well as the carrier, which normally operates approximately 280 flights per day. Finnair expects to operate just a handful of services through period. Cancellations will be implemented gradually from 30 January, with alternative routings offered to customers. Ground and inflight services are also expected to be affected. "It is unfortunate that the political strike will affect so many customers' travel," Finnair's vice-president of operations, Jari Paajanen, says. "We will work in close collaboration with our partners to ensure that after the strike, our flight operations can again commence as smoothly as possible." Finnair has already offered its customers the opportunity to reschedule flights or apply for refunds if they are unable to change travel dates.