Flydubai saw profit soar last year as passenger numbers easily surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Profit hit a record Dh2.1 billion ($572 million) for the year, a 75% jump on 2022, with revenues up 23% to Dh11.2 billion, the UAE-based carrier says. The low-cost airline transported 13.8 million customers, a 31% increase on 2022 and up from 11 million in 2019, with capacity by available seat kilometres up by 27%. Flydubai's fleet rose to 84 aircraft, all of which are Boeing 737 equipment and the bulk – 52 jets – are Max units. However, it notes that “ongoing challenges” with deliveries from the airframer meant that it accepted just 13 new aircraft, four fewer than it had expected, leading it to enter an ACMI contract with Czech airline Smartwings for six wet-leased aircraft. At the 2023 Dubai air show, Flydubai placed a $11 billion order for 30 787s to be delivered from 2026, marking its first deviation from the 737 and into widebodies. The carrier was also impacted by higher jet fuel expenditure which accounted for 32% of its total operating costs. “The airline continues to explore fuel hedging options and last year it hedged 12% of its fuel requirement,” it states. “In its 15th year of operations, Flydubai has emerged as one of the key players in the UAE’s aviation industry and a major contributor to Dubai’s economy,” says chief executive Ghaith Al Ghaith. “Its solid business model has enabled the carrier to grow exponentially even during challenging times, doubling its operating fleet and expanding its network since the pandemic.”

Loganair will resume domestic services to Shetland Islands' Sumburgh and Orkney's Kirkwall from London Heathrow, from early March, as part of its summer schedule. The UK carrier says one-stop same-plane flights to Sumburgh will increase to thrice weekly from 31 March, while one-stop Kirkwall service will be operated at twice-weekly frequency. "It is fantastic to see Loganair expand their services at Heathrow, connecting some of the most remote parts of the country to the UK's hub airport," states Heathrow aviation director Alyson Playford.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has finalised and released a rule designed to reduce carbon pollution emitted by most large aircraft operating in US airspace. The rule requires incorporating certain fuel-efficiency technologies into aircraft manufactured after 1 January 2028. Additionally, it applies to subsonic jet airplanes and large turboprop and propeller airplanes that are not yet certified. Among the aircraft types that will fall under the new rule are yet-to-be-built Boeing 777-X and 787 jets; Airbus A330neos; Cessna Citation business jets; and ATR 72 turboprops, according to the FAA. The FAA notes that these types of civil aircraft are responsible for 9% of domestic transportation emissions and 2% of total US carbon pollution. "We are taking a large step forward to ensure the manufacture of more fuel-efficient airplanes, reduce carbon pollution, and reach our goal of net-zero emissions by 2050," FAA administrator Mike Whitaker states.