Melbourne airport's international capacity is set to exceed pre-Covid levels this month, and it has been calling on the Australian government to embrace more liberal bilateral agreements to enable airlines to tap even more travel demand. The airport says that over 1.31 million seats will be available for international passengers, around 1% higher than the seats available during 2019. “Pleasingly, approximately 10% of our current international capacity is being operated by new airlines or on new routes, which means consumers and exporters have more choice about when and where to fly," says chief executive Lorie Argus. She adds that there is still "latent demand in the market, and we believe a liberalising of the Bilateral Air Service Agreements with a move towards open skies policies would give airlines the certainty to expand operations into Melbourne.” Melbourne is one of four 'gateway cities' where airlines face constraints under most of Australia's bilateral air service agreements. The other cities are Perth, Sydney and Brisbane, while other international airports, such as Cairns, Gold Coast and Adelaide, are largely unrestricted. Argus's comments come months after Australia refused a request from Qatar for additional services between the two countries that would have allowed Qatar Airways to boost its services above the 28 per week currently permitted to the gateway cities. Canberra has repeatedly cited "national interest" concerns for refusing the request, which has been widely interpreted as protecting Qantas. Qatar is a key alliance partner of rival carrier Virgin Australia, which has also lobbied to increase the bilateral cap.

Comac has delivered its third C919 to China Eastern Airlines. The jet (B-919D, MSN00009) made a ferry flight from Shanghai Pudong to Shanghai Hongqiao on 9 December, states the airframer. The aircraft is the third of five C919s the airline ordered in 2021. China Eastern received its first C919 in December 2022 and it entered commercial service on 28 May flying between Shanghai and Chengdu. It received the second example in July. The carrier ordered an additional 100 C919s in September, with five units scheduled for delivery in 2024.

One of the defence lawyers for the Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to shut down the engines of an in-flight Horizon Air aircraft has said his client needs help and that the airline industry needs to change. "The question of fault is a complicated question to answer. Is he criminally responsible? No. Does he need help? Yes. Does there need to be change in the airline industry? Yes, absolutely," said Noah Horst, an attorney at Levi Merrithew Horst. In the soundbite interview with Horst published to YouTube by Portland-based TV station KOIN 6, he did not elaborate on what change there needs to be in the airline industry. On 7 December, Emerson was released from custody on $50,000 bail and permitted to reside at his home in California, according to a court document. As part of his bail conditions, he is not allowed to possess any "controlled substances and/or intoxicants including alcohol without a valid prescription" and must submit to testing for intoxicants. He must also "engage in mental health services" and provide evidence of attendance. Further, he must have no contact with or be within 30ft of any operable aircraft. Consequently, he will have to make the more than 600 mile journey home to Pleasant Hill, California, by land. Earlier this week, a Multnomah County grand jury indicted Emerson on 83 counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft. The grand jury declined to indict Emerson on the 83 counts of attempted murder sought by the state of Oregon. Emerson, who had been suffering from depression, "thought he was in a dream" when he attempted to shut down the engines of the Embraer 175, after which the crew diverted from the intended destination of San Francisco to Portland. He was arrested there after the pilots managed to subdue him and he spent some time restrained at the back of the aircraft being looked after by cabin crew. The accused has admitted to taking psychedelic mushrooms two days before the flight, during which he was a jump-seat passenger and not in control of the aircraft. After taking the mushrooms, he said, he could not distinguish between being in reality and a dream for five days afterwards. Emerson refrained from seeing a doctor to obtain medication for depression as his research told him it could lead to his being grounded from flying. The day after Emerson's state indictment, the US Federal Aviation Administration's administrator Mike Whitaker announced that his agency had officially established a Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Rulemaking Committee. That announcement followed a 9 November announcement that the FAA was planning to set up the committee "to provide recommendations on breaking down the barriers that prevent pilots from reporting mental-health issues to the agency". The FAA previously saidthat while the Emerson incident "resulted in increased public attention [around pilot mental health], the FAA has taken a number of recent steps to foster greater openness about pilot mental health". "The rulemaking committee is a natural extension of those efforts," it said at the time. Among the new FAA rulemaking commitee's tasks will be to identify "factors that prevent individuals who hold FAA medical certificates or clearance from reporting mental health issues". It will also "discuss and develop recommendations for mental health education programs for individuals who hold medical certificates or clearances that the FAA and the aviation industry could implement to improve awareness and recognition of mental health issues, reduce stigmas, and promote available resources to encourage voluntary self-disclosure in a confidential and protected environment, and assist with resolving mental health problems". According to the KOIN video posted to YouTube, Emerson's wife, Sarah Stretch, spoke to reporters about the rulemaking committee on 7 December, saying: "People in mental health situations in jobs that are in a sense silenced or its disincentivised to go and get help and care that they need." Emerson's next date in state court is 19 January 2024. He is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court on 21 December.