The US Federal Aviation Administration is "immediately" increasing its oversight of Boeing production and manufacturing, another in a series of actions taken by the regulator in response to the 737 Max 9 door-plug blow-out event on 5 January. The disclosure of increased regulatory oversight of Boeing comes a day after the FAA said it had formally notified the airframer of the opening of an investigation into its manufacturing practices. The FAA's intensified oversight of Boeing includes an audit of the Max 9 production line and suppliers to determine the level of compliance with approved quality procedures; increased monitoring of Max 9 in-service events; and an "assessment of safety risks around delegated authority and quality oversight, and examination of options to move these functions under independent, third-party entities". "It is time to re-examine the delegation of authority and assess any associated safety risks," states FAA administrator Mike Whitaker. "The grounding of the 737-9 and the multiple production-related issues identified in recent years require us to look at every option to reduce risk. The FAA is exploring the use of an independent third party to oversee Boeing's inspections and its quality system." Boeing stated on 12 January in response to the FAA's increased oversight of its production: "We welcome the FAA's announcement and will co-operate fully and transparently with our regulator. We support all actions that strengthen quality and safety and we are taking actions across our production system." The FAA on 6 January issued an emergency airworthiness directive that ordered the grounding of certain Max 9 jets. At 12 January, 23 Max 9 jets remain in service globally, while 194 are in storage. Of the 194 Max 9s in storage, all but five of them were parked on or after 5 January 2024.

Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury has observed an easing of the airframer's supply-chain pressures. But he warned during a 11 January briefing on orders and deliveries that "the supply-chain situation is still tense" as Airbus works to increase production. "It's improving, it's getting better," says Faury. "But we are also flying higher as we continue to ramp up in 2024." An overall production target for 2024 has not been disclosed. Airbus delivered 735 commercial aircraft in 2023, slightly exceeding its target of 720. The effort represented a delay of one year in the company's production ramp-up plan. Airbus had aimed for 720 deliveries in 2022, subsequently revised the target to 700 amid supply-chain constraints and ended up delivering 661 commercial aircraft that year. Now, Faury asserts, the manufacturer is on track with its plan to reach a monthly production rate of 75 A320-family aircraft, 14 A220s and 10 A350s in 2026. As part of that plan, Airbus has previously said it will reach Rate 65 on the A320 family by the end of 2024. Output grew again in 2023, especially during the last quarter. Faury says the increase was "much smoother" than in previous years. "We could feel over the months of the year that we were on the trajectory, that the production was happening and that we were preparing well [for] the end of year. "We would prefer to be less backloaded. But it's a bit of scheme in that industry, to have a lot of planes at the end of the year." The backloaded delivery pattern is a result of increasing production, Faury adds. "That's something we will keep seeing for as long as long as we ramp up."

Lufthansa Group has offered concessions to the EU's competition authorities as it seeks approval for its purchase of a 41% stake in Italian flag carrier ITA. The carrier confirms that it submitted commitments to the European Commission on 8 January, ahead of a preliminary deadline for a decision on 29 January. "As part of this review, we remain in close and constructive contact with all parties involved," states Lufthansa. "We are not disclosing any details of the commitments submitted." The Commission says it is now assessing the commitments as part of its examination of the competition implications of the deal. Commitments can be submitted to the Commission throughout the approval process to allay competition concerns, and are required to eliminate the concerns entirely and be capable of being implemented in a short period of time. The Commission was first notified of the deal on 30 November and subsequently invited interested third parties to submit their views on the transaction as part of its efforts to assess the takeover's implications. Lufthansa Group agreed the purchase of a minority stake of ITA from Italy's finance ministry in May last year, stating that it saw the possibility of acquiring a majority stake at a later date. It has said that by taking control of ITA it will be able to develop Rome Fiumicino into a new long-haul hub for the airline group, joining existing ones in Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Zurich. The German group also believes that ITA can play a role in feeding traffic into its current network, as well as in cementing its presence in Italy – already its third most important market after its home countries and the USA.