Another summer month of rising CO2 levels from commercial aircraft has come and gone. CO2 emitted by aircraft operated by airlines for commercial passenger flights in August was up 1%, at 77.3 million metric tons versus 76.6 million in pre-pandemic August 2019, as fuel burned rose from 24.2 million metric tons to 24.5 million, data shows. In July, CO2 from commercial flights likewise was up 1% versus six years ago. The number of aircraft in commercial passenger service that were tracked by Cirium for emissions and fuel burn in August was up 7% versus August 2019, rising from 25,094 to 26,773. Total in-service aircraft in August grew 4% versus six years ago, to 27,526. Airlines surpassed August 2019's level of carbon emissions despite a gradual shift towards newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft types. In August 2019, 6,380 Boeing 737NGs and just one 737 Max were in service, Cirium fleets data shows. The sole Max jet was operated by Air Canada in August 2019 for flight testing amid the US Federal Aviation Administration's March 2019 ban on US airlines operating the Max. Six years later, in August 2025, 5,501 737NGs and 1,923 Max jets were in service. Airlines' in-service Airbus A320ceo and A321ceo fleets shrank from 4,131 and 1,651 aircraft, respectively, in August 2019, to 3,606 A320ceos and 1,510 A321ceos in August 2025. Meanwhile, airlines' A320neo and A321neo in-service fleets grew to 1,781 and 1,530, respectively, in August 2025, from 704 in-service A320neos and 212 A321neos in August 2019.

The cancellation rate for US domestic flights has ticked up seven days into a temporary shutdown of the federal government. As of the late morning of 7 October, East Coast time, 2,550 of the 18,900 US domestic flights scheduled to depart that day had been either cancelled or assigned "unknown" status, representing 14% of all published scheduled flights. Cirium applies the "unknown" label to published flights that have not yet been officially cancelled but were not observed in flight. Airlines sometimes do not publish official cancellations for flights they do not operate. The previous day, on 6 October, 441 US domestic flights were cancelled or unknown out of 21,477 flights, representing 2% of scheduled flights. On the first day of the shutdown, 1 October, 2% of domestic flights were likewise classified by Cirium as cancelled or unknown. The shutdown began that day after the US House of Representatives failed to approve bill HR 5371, which would have provided continuing full-year appropriations for federal agencies. Cirium on 2 October asked the US Federal Aviation Administration if the temporary shutdown of the federal government would affect air traffic control staffing. In its response, the US Department of Transportation – of which the FAA is a part – did not address the potential impact on ATC staffing but did blame the shutdown on "radical" Congressional Democratic party leaders who seek to "give illegal immigrants benefits". Speaking at a press conference on 6 October, US transportation secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that air traffic control staff must report to work even if the federal government is unable to pay those workers. "The controllers have to show up for work," Duffy says. "They have to come to work. They're part of our critical infrastructure. The problem is, they're going to show up for work and they're not going to get paycheques." Duffy suggests that air traffic controllers might seek second jobs, which could lead to some calling in sick. Absenteeism is "a concern", he says. "If someone has to take sick leave to drive Uber to make the difference, those are decisions they're going to make themselves. But, of course, that's concerning for us." He adds: "I want them to get paid for the work they're doing today, keeping our planes in the air and our sky safe." Duffy notes that while the FAA is "tracking" absenteeism among air traffic control staff, as of now there is not "one facility that has had long-term issues with sick leave". "But they come to work without a guarantee that they're going to get paid, which is why they're so concerned as they're in these towers, controlling this airspace, thinking about what's going to happen in their own homes," he adds.

Spirit Airlines has asked a US court for permission to reject leases on 87 aircraft out of its 214-strong all-Airbus fleet. In a motion filed with the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on 2 October, the US carrier asks the court to enter an order to reject certain equipment leases for aircraft and other related equipment that Spirit says it no longer needs in the operation of its business. In its 29 August disclosure that it had once again filed for Chapter 11, Spirit pledged that in its latest restructuring it would "be far more strategic about" its fleet and markets than it had been during its first restructuring after its previous November 2024 filing. Florida-based Spirit disclosed in September that it would furlough around 1,800 flight attendants from 1 December. Later that month, vice-president of network planning Andrea Lusso told staff in a 26 September internal memo that the carrier would suspend about 40 routes in November and cease service to two cities. "To align our fleet with our previously announced network adjustments, we have filed a motion with the court to reject certain aircraft leases," "This step is expected to generate significant cost savings for the airline. The motion is subject to court approval, and we continue to engage with key stakeholders, including our lessors, as part of our ongoing restructuring to position Spirit for the future." Of Spirit's 214 aircraft, 166 are leased, Fleets data shows. AerCap ranks first in number of aircraft leased to Spirit, with 37 (19 A320neos and 18 A321neos), followed by SMBC Aviation Capital (26, comprising four A320ceos and 22 A320neos) and Jackson Square Aviation (23, comprising one A320ceo, 18 A320neos and four A321neos).